Chu Xinxin was almost hit by a magical weapon thrown by someone as soon as she entered the door, but fortunately Xiao Linyi reacted quickly and blocked it for her.
"Chu Xinxin! How dare you show your face again!" Chu Qian's pretty face twisted in disgust the moment she saw her: "You actually dared to lie to me with a piece of clothing!"
After Chu Qian chased the butterflies to the three-way intersection using the medicine powder, the butterflies stopped moving forward and all circled around a piece of clothing. Only then did Chu Qian realize that her tracking had been discovered and that the other party had deliberately set a trap for her to waste her time.
"Who's lying to you? I don't know what clothes they are." Chu Xinxin pretended to be confused.
"You still dare to deny it! You must know that I sprinkled tracking powder on it, so you deliberately made me take the wrong path and waste my time."
"Oh? I have no idea why you're tracking me? Are you... going to kill me to silence me?"
Chu Xinxin really wondered if this Miss Chu had a hole in her head, not only plotting against others but also saying it out loud in front of so many people.
"You!" Chu Qian realized she had said something she shouldn't have. After a moment's thought, she suddenly raised her voice and shouted, "Chu Xinxin, you and the man next to you arrived at least an incense stick earlier than us. Did you take all the treasures in the main hall?"
Upon hearing this, even those who were scrambling for the phoenix eggs couldn't help but glance at Chu Xinxin.
Chu Xinxin was shocked and pointed at Chu Qian with an incredulous look: "You're spouting nonsense! It was you who saw my brother and me walking alone in the dark alley and had just obtained a Heaven-level spiritual treasure. Then, relying on your superior numbers, you stole our treasure and forced us into the Phoenix Ferocious Land. We had to go through great hardships to escape. You yourself just said that you sprinkled tracking powder on me!"
Chu Qian panicked: "You're the one making false accusations! I didn't steal your magical treasure at all! Don't be fooled by her!"
The people in the main hall looked at Chu Xinxin, who was dressed in tattered clothes and looked like she had just escaped death, and then at Chu Qian, who was protected tightly and had a rosy complexion. Obviously, the former's story was more credible.
Chu Qian's face was flushed with anger. She didn't believe a word she said, and the people around her were subtly surrounding her.
"Second Miss, catch!"
At this moment, the people Chu Qian brought snatched the phoenix egg and threw it at her. Chu Qian flew to catch it and immediately ran outside. As long as she left the Phoenix Holy Land, there would be elders from the clan waiting for her, and the phoenix egg would belong to the Chu family.
Chu Xinxin happened to be standing at the door, so how could she let her have her way?
Chu Xinxin happens to know the person who is closely pursuing Chu Qian: Qingzhu from Qingxianglou and a member of Qingyun.
Chu Xinxin shouted, "Give me back my spirit treasure!" and then raised her spirit sword, pretending to snatch it, but actually trying to stop Chu Qian.
In that instant, Qingzhu arrived, snatched the item from Chu Qian's hand, and quickly fled towards the exit.
Chu Qian glared at Chu Xinxin with resentment, then chased after Qingzhu relentlessly, and the rest of the people followed.
Chu Xinxin stopped caring about them; it was none of her business who got the egg.
The exit was to the south. She and Xiao Linyi walked there slowly, and then she left alone. After watching Chu Xinxin's figure disappear, Xiao Linyi also slowly turned into nothingness.
......
This time, the Phoenix Holy Land of Zhongzhou won first place, and Chu Qian, the second young lady of the Chu family, won the most precious phoenix egg. The Chu family treasured that egg so much that they immediately sent people back to Zhongzhou. All kinds of rare and precious materials, spiritual stones and spiritual energy were poured into it, and the entire clan devoted its efforts to hatching it.
Following closely behind was Liang Qingyun, the third prince of Liang Kingdom in Dongzhou, who obtained a Heaven-level spiritual treasure and a cultivation technique inheritance. In addition, Penglai Immortal Island also had a Heaven-level spiritual treasure. In comparison, the gains of the other states were not so noteworthy.
That night.
In an inn in the inner city of Shengjing, Chu Qian knelt on the ground, while an elderly man with white hair and a long beard sat in the center of the lobby.
The old man exuded a terrifying aura, pressing Chu Qian's body tightly against the ground, cold sweat pouring down her back.
"Three Heavenly-grade spiritual treasures have appeared in the Phoenix Holy Land. Is the Sumeru Ring really not on you?"
The old man finally spoke, and Chu Qian lowered her head even further: "Father, that was just Chu Xinxin making things up. Chu San and Chu Er have been following me all along, and they can testify for me."
The old man was none other than Chu Tian, the current head of the Chu family in Zhongzhou, who was at the early stage of the Mahayana realm.
Chu Tian looked at Chu San and Chu Er kneeling behind Chu Qian. The latter nodded quickly. Chu Tian received the answer, and his oppressive aura slowly withdrew. A smile appeared on his face: "Of course I believe you, Qian'er. You've worked hard. Get up."
Chu Qian whispered "Thank you, Father," before standing up, still feeling a lingering fear.
"Since it's not in your possession, yet Chu Xinxin falsely accused you of having a Heaven-level spiritual treasure, then the Sumeru Ring is most likely in her hands."
"Father is wise. Although the male cultivator beside Chu Xinxin is only at the Foundation Establishment stage, his spiritual power is pure. Chu San and Chu Er would not last a single move against him."
Chu San and Chu Er were virtually unmatched among their peers in cultivation, yet in that person's hands they were like newborn infants, utterly powerless to resist.
Chu Tian's eyes darkened: "Do you have any clue who that person is?"
Chu Qian: "That person was completely covered up. I investigated as soon as I came out, and none of the hundred people in Zhongzhou matched the description. It might be from another state. I will continue to investigate."
Chu Tian asked a few more questions about Chu Xinxin's cultivation level, which Chu Qian answered one by one. Finally, she said viciously, "I think her cultivation level was just piled up by True Person Zichen with pills. She relied entirely on the male cultivator next to her in the Holy Land."
"Okay, I understand. You can go and rest now."
After Chu Qian took her leave, the old man sat quietly for a while, then suddenly spoke again: "Shu'er, did you hear everything just now? What do you think?"
"Father, the Grand Elder has brought over the original stones that represent Xin Xin's parents. I feel that it is urgent to reunite Xin Xin with her, since she is carrying a great treasure. I am worried that some people may try to harm her."
A graceful young lady emerged from behind the screen; she was Chu Shu, the eldest daughter of the Chu family, a Nascent Soul stage expert and the young master of the Chu family.
After listening, Chu Tian pondered: "If Chu Xinxin were alone, this matter would be easy to handle. But now that she has the powerful backer, Master Zichen, it would be difficult to bring her back to Zhongzhou."
Chu Xinxin was certainly not a member of the Chu family; she just happened to have the surname Chu. During her tribulation of singlehood, she encountered a plethora of Earth-grade spiritual treasures and elixirs, and her natal spiritual treasure was an ancient zither that resonated with beautiful melodies...
Few people in the world know that ancient zithers like Raoliang and Jiaowei are spiritual treasures that are even higher than Heavenly-grade spiritual treasures and can "upgrade." They grow with their master's cultivation level, without any upper limit, and accompany him all the way. Their compatibility is extremely high, making battles twice as effective with half the effort. Passed down to the present day, they have gone through several great masters, and the spiritual power they contain is unknown. Their grade has long since broken through the category of spiritual treasures and can be called immortal artifacts. The Chu family only knew this because they had relevant records.
The Chu family wanted to seize these things but didn't want to openly provoke gossip, so they came up with this trick: find two couples in the Chu family who looked somewhat alike, tell them that Chu Xinxin was a long-lost member of the Chu family, and then bring them back to the Chu family. Once back in the Chu family, her things would naturally become Chu family property.
"Is Father worried that Sister Xinxin won't come back?" Chu Shu smiled gently. "Although there are rumors in Shengjing that they are Daoist couples, everyone in Siyin Pavilion knows that they are just kept lovers. With the status of a direct descendant of the Chu family in Zhongzhou and a canary without a title, I'm sure Sister Xinxin would choose. Besides, I have very definite information here, enough to prove that she is just a bird kept by True Person Zichen for his amusement."
"What news?"
"Master Zichen is a regular at the Qingxianglou in Shengjing, which means he likes men."
Chu Tian nearly fell off his seat, exclaiming in surprise, "Is this really true?!"
Chu Shu: "It's absolutely true. The madam of Qingxianglou said it herself."
Chu Tian: "No wonder he's been single for six thousand years! So that's it! So that's it!"
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