Chapter 280 Territory
Seeing how happy they were, Ji Rong said with relief, "Father, Uncle, I'm just coming back to visit this time. I still can't stay long. Have you had any difficulties in these past three years?"
Shan Zhongfeng shook his head and said, "No, ever since you went to the Palace Master for seclusion, my master and grandmaster have come to visit us often. Now we have spiritual materials and cultivators, we lack nothing."
Ji Rong nodded and said, "That's good! Are those teleportation arrays behaving themselves?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Wu also came over and nodded, saying, "Very honest."
Nephew, the Great Sage Guangzhen (Qing Guangzi) once asked us why the original cultivators of the Unloading Workshop were so honest.
My brother and I told the Great Sage Guangzhen about the method you used on Pan Cong. He thought it was good, so he asked us to take him there and have Qi San and the others sign a contract. Now Qi San and the others are behaving themselves.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong was both amused and exasperated. As the saying goes, it's easy to learn bad habits but hard to learn good ones. Ji Rong could only lament in her heart, "What a terrible thing!"
Before long, the cultivators from the former Xiefang who had heard Hu Shiwu's message arrived, surrounding Ji Rong and vying to speak with her.
They called Ji Rong "Lord Ji" sincerely and enthusiastically, making Ji Rong feel as if he were filled with blood and floating on his feet, as if he could float away in an instant, and he was as happy as a true god.
Being happy, they started a feast.
Seeing that the sun was already past its zenith, Shan Zhongfeng instructed all the cultivators to finish their work on their claws and to continue it the next day.
They set up a table in the square and sat on the ground.
The dishes were filled with various kinds of elixirs, and the drinks were made with fresh fruit juice and wine. It was called the "Blood Elixir Workshop Elixir Banquet," and it was a very enjoyable experience.
Regardless of whether they were new or old, they all took turns offering Ji Rong the elixirs they had refined, and then offering her wine and food, making a ruckus until the moon was high in the sky.
Then, the cultivators clenched their fists and bowed to Ji Rong, addressing her as "Lord Ji," before taking their leave.
Shan Zhongfeng also rushed back to his large alchemy room to check on the medicine.
Ji Rong was already slightly tipsy. She sat blankly in the main seat, feeling extremely powerful today.
Shan Wu lay at Ji Rong's feet, his tiger eyes slightly open.
There were no more cultivators in the hall. The black cat Pan Cong slid down from the pillar and said bitterly, "Lord Ji, is my former master, Lady Shang, gone?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong waved her wings and claws into the air and said, "We didn't see her die. What do you want to ask?"
Pan Zhunzong gritted his teeth and roared, "Why won't you let me go back?"
Ji Rong pressed one of her paws against Shan Wu's body. Shan Wu immediately understood and darted behind Pan Cong, hoisting the cat up.
Ji Rong said, "Shang Nu should not be dead."
I'm not letting you go back because even if you did, you wouldn't be able to see her.
Although you have cultivated to the level of an emperor, you are foolish and have only cultivation, with your weaknesses exposed.
If you go back to Kunlun, you'll say you'll be captured by those Great Sages and used as their henchmen. Eventually, you'll be surrounded and killed in some ditch because of their territorial disputes, then dismembered and devoured.
Or will you be captured and eaten by those powerful cultivators who have grudges against you because of your connection with Shang Nu?
"I only let you stay here because you're not bad enough; otherwise, I wouldn't bother with you at all."
Upon hearing this, Pan Cong's eyes filled with tears. He suddenly transformed into a celestial being with black fur, two hands and two feet, and cat ears on his head. He landed on the ground and bowed to Ji Rong, kowtowing three times.
He said, "Thank you for your care. I know I am neither smart nor strong."
I try to quit gambling every day, but I can't stop gambling every day. I'm getting old, and my health is failing.
But I want to die beside Lady Shang. Please let me go. I've lived enough.
We cultivators can't attain true immortality anyway. If we can't even achieve freedom and ease of living, then what's the point of cultivating the Tao?
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong remained silent for a long while before saying, "I understand. Since you are so loyal and righteous, I will not force you to stay."
"Lady Shang may be somewhere I know. I'll take you there then. Until then, you should serve your adoptive father and practice alchemy as much as possible."
Upon hearing this, Pan Cong's eyes lit up, and he once again prostrated himself on all fours, saying, "Thank you, Lady Ji!"
Ji Rong stayed in the workshop, which had been renamed Blood Pill Workshop, for two days before planning to visit the Guardian Palace and then discuss things with Qing Pingzi before taking the teleportation array to Kunlun.
But just as Ji Rong had this thought, he heard Shan Wu come in and call out, "Nephew, the Great Sage of Guanshan has come to pick you up."
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong went out and asked, "What business does Senior Brother Qing Guanzi have with me?"
Qing Guanzi looked at Ji Rong and said in a deep voice, "Junior sister, your senior brother is looking for you. Come up quickly, I'll carry you there."
Ji Rong sat on Qing Guanzi's neck as instructed. Qing Guanzi felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his neck. As he traversed the mountains, he called out to Ji Rong, "Junior sister, how come you've grown so much stronger in just three years? You're even longer than us dragons!"
Ji Rong grinned and mumbled, "Perhaps the clouds and mist at Yunya were delicious, so I ate a lot."
Qing Guanzi escorted Ji Rong to Yunya, said, "Junior Sister is indeed extraordinary," and then quickly left.
Upon seeing Ji Rong arrive, Qing Pingzi's gaze immediately turned fervent. He rushed to the edge of the cloud cliff and called out to Ji Rong, "Junior Sister, come up quickly."
Ji Rong followed the instructions and went up to the Cloud Cliff. She found that all the pavilion masters and valley masters had arrived, and they all had serious expressions on their faces.
She couldn't help but ask, "Are you all having a discussion? If so, I won't disturb you." Then she flapped her wings and headed towards the Octagonal Palace.
Qingpingzi immediately grabbed Ji Rong and said, "We can't come to a conclusion by discussing this. Junior sister, listen to what we should do."
Ji Rong was thus forcibly kept there.
What they were arguing about was actually a territorial issue. The story is this: when the Kunlun Mountains were powerful, they occupied two large peaks of the Yuxu Mountains to raise spiritual treasures, and they never returned them.
Later, the Empress fell silent, and the two mountain peaks were secretly swapped by a divine servant of the Golden Cauldron Palace with the War God Temple of the Chijian Mountain Range.
Time has passed, and the divine servant of the Golden Cauldron Palace has long since died, but the two mountain peaks have never been recovered.
Originally, the Chijian Mountain Range and the Yuxu Mountain Range were not connected, but after those two mountain peaks were swapped, cultivators from the Chijian Mountain Range could travel to the Yuxu Mountain Range via those two mountain peaks, and that's what they did.
Now that the Golden Mother Goddess is on the verge of collapse, a new god is about to emerge.
Qing Guangzi and Qing Yangzi then suggested bringing those two hills back to avoid further confusion later.
How to do it became the question.
Everyone knows that once something is swallowed, there's no reason to spit it out. The War God Temple, which stands atop the Chijian Mountain Range, also has no intention of returning it. They claim that they only recognize the original contract with Kunlun and do not acknowledge that the land belongs to the Yuxu Mountain Range.
Some suggested openly seizing it back, others suggested exchanging it, and still others proposed providing funds and supplies so that capable members of the Jade Void Mountain Clan could occupy it. The cultivators argued amongst themselves for a long time without reaching a conclusion.
After listening, Ji Rong spread her wings and said, "Why would my senior brothers and sisters think of asking me these things? I don't know either."
Qingpingzi asked, "Junior sister, you've always been quick-witted. What are you thinking?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong's eyes darted around. She had originally intended to say that after raising Tu Li for so long, it was time for him to serve her.
But hearing Qingpingzi's praise, she actually came up with an idea. She immediately smiled and said, "Fellow senior brothers and sisters, we are not the only ones who are weak."
Let's make a contract and give those two mountains to Juejun.
Although the Golden Mother Goddess has spoken and returned the Danxue Mountains to Juejun, she has not clearly defined the boundaries. It is likely that with the various tribes having differing opinions, there will be acts of encroachment and disobedience on the borders of the Danxue Mountains.
Now, let us present this great gift to Juejun, giving him a legitimate reason to act.
Qing Guangzi's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but then she said, "Junior sister, we did consider this before."
But the Danxue Mountains are not connected to those two peaks; they are separated by the Chijian Mountains (the Temple of War). Would He do that?
Ji Rong said, "If someone else goes to propose it, Jue Jun will definitely not agree, but if I go, he will. All you senior brothers and sisters just need to prepare enough weapons and provisions."
There aren't many reliable cultivators loyal to Lord Jue. If Lord Jue agrees to expand his territory, we must use our troops and supplies to make up for his deficit and let him connect this mountain to his Danxue Mountain Range.
At that time, Juejun will have reclaimed all of His true territory. When Junior Sister then asks Him to return the two mountains used as bait, Juejun will surely agree.
The cultivators thought about it and immediately felt it was feasible. They praised Ji Rong for being so intelligent, showering her with compliments.
Ji Rong felt smug and immediately stretched her neck, laughing loudly.
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