Chapter 2998 — Tianchan's Plan

"Don't worry, I'll pass the message on for you," Tianchan said.

Only then did Chen Xi set her mind at ease.

Once a place had been arranged for Chen Xi to rest, Tianchan sank into deep thought. With Zhao Guangyin's arrival at the Xuandan Sect, word had spread that Wei Zhao had advanced to the early Heaven Rank and razed the Hidden Zhao family to the ground.

Tianchan was astonished. Wei Zhao was unharmed? And he had even broken through to the early Heaven Rank? Earlier, Tian Die'er had seen with her own eyes just how grave Wei Zhao's injuries were. Could all of it have been a pretense?

Tianchan simply could not make sense of it. With his meridians and dantian ruined, and unable to circulate the mnemonic formulas of his cultivation method, how had Wei Zhao repaired his own injuries? Yet baffling as it was, she felt genuinely relieved.

Of course. How could the man she had set her eyes on collapse so easily? Whether by genuine skill at recovery or by sheer pretense, Tianchan thought Wei Zhao formidable. That a lone rogue cultivator could annihilate an entire Hidden family—what manner of ability was that?

True, for an ancient sect such a feat was easy enough—but that was a sect. Could a lone rogue cultivator be spoken of in the same breath?

As for the news of Chen Xi, Tianchan did not intend to simply call Wei Zhao and tell him. In what capacity would she phone him? And how would she put it? If Wei Zhao demanded her release, was she to hand the girl over or not?

If she handed her over, Tianchan herself would not mind—but how would Old Ancestor Xuanchen take it? If she refused, Wei Zhao would surely be displeased, and Tianchan would be deeply unhappy as well.

So Tianchan decided to put out a piece of news: that the young master of the Xuandan Sect, Tian Canbian, had acquired a superb cultivation vessel, but because the vessel had not cultivated a suitable matching mnemonic formula, he intended to have her begin her training anew and make use of her two years hence.

In this way, everything became perfectly reasonable, and Wei Zhao need not worry that anything would happen to Chen Xi within those two years.

Naturally, Tianchan was not afraid that Chen Xi might be taken and used by someone else during those two years—not even by Old Ancestor Xuanchen. After all, Tianchan had to keep up her lecherous persona before outsiders, so it was utterly impossible that she would hand over what was already in her grasp.

Only after charting out the path ahead for Chen Xi did Tianchan breathe a sigh of relief.

Zhao Guangyin and his son, along with Old Man Mian, were temporarily settled in the guest quarters, while Kang Jingming went to seek an audience with Old Ancestor Xuanchen.

"Your disciple Kang Jingming pays his respects to the Master!" The moment Kang Jingming stepped through the door, he saw that Old Ancestor Xuanchen's expression was exceedingly grim. He did not know why the Old Ancestor was displeased, but he knelt to the ground in fearful reverence and spoke respectfully.

"Kang Jingming, who told you to give Tian Canbian a cultivation vessel?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen asked coldly.

"Ah?" Kang Jingming was taken aback. He had not expected the Old Ancestor's anger to stem from this matter, yet he could not see where he had gone wrong. "Master, was it not you who said that, as an elder of the Xuandan Sect, I should cultivate good relations with the young master Tian? I reasoned that a maidservant had previously been cultivated to death by him, so I found another vessel to curry favor with him. Is there something improper in that?"

Old Ancestor Xuanchen was briefly speechless, then realized he had indeed been a little hasty. Kang Jingming knew nothing of the reasons behind it, did not know that Tian Canbian was in truth a woman, and so had done these things. But he himself knew that Tianchan could not possibly use a cultivation vessel—vessel cultivation demanded the harmony of yin and yang attributes, and both Tianchan and Chen Xi were of the yin attribute, so how could it be used? As for the so-called maidservant cultivated to death, that was merely the story told to the outside world; Xuanchen remembered that the maidservant had died of an accident.

"A matter as grave as a cultivation vessel, and you did not come to consult me—what if Tian Canbian did not care for it? Would you not have flattered yourself straight into the horse's hoof?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen explained, patching over his own words. "I say this for your own good!"

"Forgive me, Master. Your disciple was too impatient. Next time there is an important matter, I will consult you first!" Kang Jingming said hastily.

"Hm. I hear that Zhao Guangyin and Mian Huatang are both accomplished Earth Rank experts?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen asked.

"Yes, Master!" Kang Jingming answered at once.

"Find an opportunity to sound them out. Ask whether they wish to become stronger—and if they do, I can help them." Old Ancestor Xuanchen pondered a moment, then said to Kang Jingming.

"What do you mean?" Kang Jingming was startled. "Master, are you going to give them Qi-Gathering Pills?"

"Where would I find so many Qi-Gathering Pills to give them?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen shook his head. "It is a collaboration with a certain power to reconstruct cultivators. But I do not know whether it will succeed or what drawbacks it may have, so I intend to find someone to test it on—and conveniently, these two have delivered themselves to my door."

"So that's it. Get it wrong and they'll likely die!" Kang Jingming nodded. "Master is truly insidious and venomous—using the Hidden Zhao family's people as test subjects. Even your disciple could not have thought of that. Admirable, truly admirable!"

"Enough with the flattery. I will have Xiao Yi accompany you. When the time is right, put on a display before those two Zhaos, and they will likely come begging you of their own accord to make them powerful!" said Old Ancestor Xuanchen.

"Yes, that's right. Rest assured, Master. Leave the arrangements to your disciple—I will not disappoint you this time!" Kang Jingming nodded and made to leave.

"Wait—when you go, tell Xiao Taohong to have Tian Canbian come see me. Say I have business with him!" Old Ancestor Xuanchen added as a parting instruction.

"Yes, Master!" Kang Jingming thought nothing more of it. After leaving the room, he found Xiao Taohong and had her summon Tian Canbian to see Old Ancestor Xuanchen, while he himself went to find Xiao Yi and together go meet Zhao Guangyin and Mian Huatang.

Tian Canbian knew that Old Ancestor Xuanchen—or Old Ancestor Xuanzhen—would surely seek her out over the matter of the cultivation vessel, so she was not surprised. She went straight to Old Ancestor Xuanchen's chamber and said respectfully, "Your disciple Tianchan pays her respects to Uncle-Master Xuanchen!"

"Hm, Tianchan. I hear Kang Jingming gave you a cultivation vessel. How do you plan to handle this matter?" Old Ancestor Xuanchen asked bluntly, dispensing with pleasantries.

"Uncle-Master Xuanchen, your disciple intends to announce to the outside world that the mnemonic formula this vessel previously cultivated is not quite suitable, and that I will have her cultivate a superior vessel mnemonic formula anew. For the time being, I will make her one of my maidservants to fill Xiao Taohong's position," Tianchan said. "In this way, I can conceal the fact that I am a woman, and at the same time let everyone believe that I have not touched the vessel because the mnemonic formula she cultivated is still unsuitable."

"Hm, that will do nicely." Old Ancestor Xuanchen nodded, though in his heart he greatly wished to give this vessel to his other disciples to cultivate with—for giving her to Tianchan was truly a waste!