Chapter 110#

Qu Jizhi spoke up: “What did the First Seat need me for? Is there a problem with my mother?”

Important business was the priority. An Wuxue snapped back to his senses and said: “I have a question for young Immortal Master Qu.”

“Please, speak.”

“Have you ever heard the name—Qu Wendao?”

“Qu?” Qu Jizhi’s brow twitched. He thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No. I’ve been purging the demonic members of my clan lately and just finished checking the Qu clan genealogy. I didn’t see that name.”

Pei Qian scratched his head. “But the name definitely sounds like one of yours.”

“Does the First Seat want me to get information about this person from my mother?”

An Wuxue smiled: “Young Immortal Master Qu is as clever as ever.”

It was normal for Qu Jizhi not to know the origin of the name “Qu Wendao.” After all, if An Wuxue hadn’t died, Qu Jizhi and Pei Qian would have both been his juniors. How could they know something he didn’t?

But Qu Wenxin was different.

Qu Wenxin had also lived through the Immortal Calamity and had inherited the position of Qu clan leader from the previous head. She would surely know things that were kept from outsiders.

He said: “The Immortal Venerable hasn’t searched Qu Wenxin’s soul yet, firstly because such an act results in death or madness, and secondly because the mastermind typically places a restriction on the soul of their pawns that causes them to disperse upon being touched, leaving nothing behind. If we cannot get answers directly from her mouth, then things will be difficult.”

The method Xie Zhefeng had used on Zhao Duan—using the Soul-Nourishing Tree Spirit to read resentment—could only yield a rough overview of a person’s life. It might not pick up on such specific details.

“The person the First Seat wants to investigate is named Qu Wendao… aside from the name, what else do you know?”

He knew quite a lot.

But everything An Wuxue knew was about his Master as Immortal Venerable Nan He.

Regarding Qu Wendao, he knew nothing.

An Wuxue said without changing his expression: “He was a genius of thousands of years ago who practiced the Way of Heartless. But he seemed to have severed ties with the Qu clan and left North Abyss in his youth. He has been dead for many years now. However… he is related to the Heartless Curse.”

His words were vague, but Qu Jizhi could sense there was much more to it.

Still, he was discerning and didn’t ask a single follow-up question.

After a moment of thought, he nodded: “Please, First Seat and Mr. Jiang, listen from outside and do not reveal yourselves. Pei Qian and I will go in.”

Pei Qian was stunned: “I’m going in too? I’m not very good at prying for information… and your mother must hate me. Won’t she refuse to speak if she sees me?”

Qu Jizhi said leisurely: “It’s precisely because she hates you that your presence will be useful. Torture and threats may not work because fear doesn’t always make someone talk—but anger can.”

“…Huh?”

While Pei Qian was still thinking, Qu Jizhi had already pulled the spiritual rope on his wrist, leading him through the barrier into Qu Wenxin’s cell.

An Wuxue performed a hand seal, establishing a barrier around himself and Jiang Qing to prevent their presence from affecting the interrogation.

Beneath the barrier, he turned to Jiang Qing: “I have one more request, if Fellow Daoist Jiang would agree.”

“I don’t believe I’ve ever refused you, have I?” Jiang Qing’s eyes curved, the karmic fire mark near his eye dancing like candlelight.

He indeed never seemed to grow angry or show resentment.

An Wuxue said helplessly: “Your being so easy to talk to makes me feel as if I’m overstepping.”

But what needed to be done must be done.

He said directly: “I wish to observe your sea of consciousness and dantian. I won’t enter the sea of consciousness, only use my divine sense to probe its aura.”

Jiang Qing understood and said warmly: “You still suspect me?”

“I’m only confirming.”

Jiang Qing withdrew his protective spiritual energy and opened his mind.

“Please.”

An Wuxue didn’t waste time. He sent out his divine sense, first checking Jiang Qing’s dantian.

There was no trace of turbid energy.

He then spread his divine sense, probing the outer edges of Jiang Qing’s sea of consciousness.

A long moment passed.

He said: “What kind of immortal wine would you like to drink?”

“There are several wine houses in the First City that specialize in serving immortal cultivators. I know which one has the best brew; should I send you a sound transmission when I arrive tomorrow?”

An Wuxue’s mouth curved slightly. “Then I will surely bring a full pouch of spiritual stones to our meeting. I’ll ensure you can drink to your heart’s content.”

Jiang Qing bowed: “Then I won’t be polite.”

At that moment, Qu Jizhi and Pei Qian arrived before Qu Wenxin.

Within the barrier, Qu Wenxin was bound by spiritual chains Xie Zhefeng had personally forged, unable to move.

Seeing Qu Jizhi, she remained silent and was about to look away when she spotted Pei Qian.

Her gaze paused, and she couldn’t help but say: “You severed ties with my family and avoided this rebellious son like the plague. Why now…?”

Before Pei Qian could retort, Qu Jizhi spoke immediately: “When Mother seized Pei Qian to threaten me that day, it allowed him to see that my feelings were indestructible. He also loves me now. I must thank Mother for everything she’s done, handing the position of Qu clan leader to me. The day I succeed as family head will be the day Pei Qian and I join together—isn’t that right?”

He looked toward Pei Qian with a smile.

“…” Pei Qian took a deep breath.

The big picture!

He said with a stiff smile: “That’s right.”

Both An Wuxue and Jiang Qing, listening from outside, could hear the forced tone in his voice.

Fortunately, Qu Wenxin was indeed provoked by Qu Jizhi’s words. She began to struggle frantically, shouting: “Ungrateful wretch! From your childhood until now, reaching the Tribulation-Transcending stage, which of the spiritual stones, dharma tools, and treasures you used weren’t provided by me? Even when you chose your path, to protect your talent for the Way of Floating Life, the Qu clan adopted Pei Qian. If not for that, how would I have come to be insulted by this bastard today? How could the Qu family end up ruled by a bastard?”

Before she could finish, Qu Jizhi’s relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a dark scowl.

Pei Qian, however, didn’t seem to care. He said with a grin: “What is the family head saying? The Qu clan belongs to Qu Jizhi; it has nothing to do with me. I’ll be succeeding as City Lord in a few days; where would I get the energy to manage the Qu clan?”

Qu Wenxin was first stunned, then her face twisted, and she suddenly began to struggle even more violently!

But the chains were formed from an immortal’s spiritual energy and held her firmly. The more she struggled, the more powerless she seemed.

Qu Jizhi stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching her go mad. After a moment, he said: “Every member of the main branch has access to the resources I used for my practice, right? Did Mother really go to such lengths to protect my path because I am your son, or was it because your cultivation wasn’t high enough to suppress the Qu clan after its thousand years of recovery, so you needed me?”

“Pei Qian told me himself that he didn’t strike to kill when he cast the Heartless Curse on me. I was trapped in the Guan Ye Array for three hundred years—was it for so long because that loose curse was hard to break, or was it because Mother secretly strengthened the curse to give you enough time to observe and learn the secrets of the array?”

—The Heartless Curse!

Outside the barrier, An Wuxue’s expression sharpened at these words.

So this was the root of the conflict between the Qu mother and son.

Qu Wenxin also knew about the Heartless Curse?

Within the barrier, Qu Wenxin, having been provoked repeatedly and had her secrets exposed, had no defense left.

Unable to do anything to Qu Jizhi, she turned her gaze back to Pei Qian and let out several cold laughs.

“I thought the Qu clan had found an excellent foundation; in over a thousand years, I’ve rarely seen a Dao heart as firm as yours. To think you eventually broke it because of this rebellious son? Ha! If you’ve broken your Dao, it will take time to start over. How will you be able to suppress the North Abyss sects and become its lord immediately!?”

Pei Qian’s eyes darted about as he glanced at Qu Jizhi.

Qu Jizhi had finally gotten Qu Wenxin to take the bait. He said casually: “That is something Mother is unaware of. These past few days while purging the Qu clan, I actually found a hidden manual of techniques in an abandoned courtyard. Within those techniques was recorded a method for someone of the Way of Heartless to join with another without having to change their path. At the end of the manual, the author had left their name—Qu Wendao.”

This was Qu Jizhi’s true goal.

Since An Wuxue had only said Qu Wendao was a follower of the Way of Heartless who had severed ties with the family and was related to the Heartless Curse, he could only base his bluff on that.

He wasn’t worried about being wrong. As long as he made Qu Wenxin believe he truly knew about this Qu Wendao, she would react if he were right, and refute him if he were wrong.

He gave a feigned sigh: “I never expected such a peerless genius to have existed among our ancestors. If this method were to be known, it would surely shock the two realms.”

Qu Wenxin’s anger had been peaking, but hearing the name, her expression froze, her eyes filled with shock.

“Whom did you say…?”

Outside, An Wuxue and Jiang Qing immediately held their breath, listening intently, afraid to miss a single word.

“Qu Wendao,” Qu Jizhi said with a serious face, continuing his fabrication. “This senior followed the Way of Heartless, but because he also had someone he loved, he created this method.”

“How is that possible???” Qu Wenxin’s voice rose significantly.

She almost forgot about Pei Qian and Qu Jizhi, her gaze drifting and her thoughts clearly in a muddle as she murmured to herself: “If he truly had such a method, why would he have broken his sword and severed his karma back then!?”

An Wuxue’s heart shook.

Broken his sword and severed his karma!?

He seemed to have heard of this…

Qu Jizhi lowered his gaze, his eyes darkening as he asked: “…Broken his sword and severed his karma?”

Unaware he was being tricked, Qu Wenxin spoke frantically to refute him: “I never met him, but in my youth, I heard the clan elders talk about him. When he was born, the cranes sang from all directions and auspicious clouds filled the sky. The results of the clan’s divination were even better than yours; anyone who calculated could see he was destined to ascend. He was once the genius for whom the Qu clan—and even all of North Abyss—held the highest hopes!”

“But his foundation was hidden; no one could determine which path was right for him, so he had to find his own way. Naturally, the ancestors chose the safe Way of Floating Life for him. After that, his cultivation truly progressed at a miraculous speed; in less than a century, he reached the Tribulation-Transcending stage and possessed a sword said to be forged from an ancient spiritual object, which had its own spirit—no sword cultivator in North Abyss was his match.”

“Unfortunately, he followed the wrong path. He only realized it before he ascended, but the spiritual sword was his companion, a bond he could not sever. He succeeded because of that sword, yet failed because of that unrivaled blade. To pursue the highest Dao, he broke his sword and severed his karma beside the Black Sea. He left North Abyss and never returned.”

“You are lying,” Qu Wenxin said with certainty. “If Qu Wendao truly had a method to follow the Way of Heartless while maintaining his attachments, why did he have to break his sword to start his cultivation over? The Way of Heartless is a path of thorns; how could there be a way to have both!?”

Pei Qian clicked his tongue: “Your old Qu family truly has a knack for choosing the wrong path for people!”

Qu Jizhi’s expression remained unchanged as he said to Qu Wenxin: “I’m lying? I’ve never heard the things you’ve said; how do I know you aren’t lying?”

“Who in all of North Abyss doesn’t know the story of ‘breaking the sword to sever karma, leaving the floating life for heartlessness’? It was only because the clan elders truly chose the wrong path for Qu Wendao that the family refused to acknowledge it. After the ancestors passed away, it eventually became unknown. But I heard the elders mention this family secret; there’s no way I could remember it wrong. Son, I advise you not to get your hopes up too early. Even Qu Wendao himself had no way; how could there be any technique?”

Having heard this, Qu Jizhi had his answer.

He turned his head slightly, looking toward where An Wuxue was outside the barrier.

An Wuxue stood in a daze, silent.

Indeed, throughout North Abyss, everyone knew the story—“breaking the sword to sever karma, leaving the floating life for heartlessness.”

An Wuxue knew it as well.

He had originally come to investigate the Qu clan’s Heartless Curse. Hearing Jiang Qing mention the name Qu Wendao, he had suspected a connection.

So that was it.

It wasn’t that his Master had taken the search method and Heartless Curse from the Qu clan; it was that his Master was a member of the Qu clan.

During the battle between Nan He and the North Abyss Immortal Lord, the reason Nan He could use the search method to find her was because he was a Qu.

The Heartless Curse appeared in the Qu clan not because Nan He took it from them, but because he had left it there.

Qu Wendao.

The person who broke his path and his sword to turn to the Way of Heartless, left North Abyss, and joined Falling Moon Peak as a rogue cultivator. He eventually achieved success in the Way of Heartless and ascended. Thousands of years ago, when the immortal path was at its peak, he outshone even the genius of the Way of Floating Life, the North Abyss Immortal Lord, suppressed all other immortals, and governed the two realms and four seas.

He was the brilliant genius of the Qu clan from thousands of years ago, and also the Master of An Wuxue and Xie Zhefeng—Immortal Venerable Nan He.