Chapter 274: Holding Someone Accountable

The disciple took Fang Chen and Liu Mu and showed them the way as another disciple went to inform Elder Jin Nan. Soon, Fang Chen and Liu Mu arrived at the guest hall, where they were served a pot of spiritual tea by the disciple.

Fang Chen gestured for Liu Mu to have a cup of tea. "Please, have some."

That pot of tea was equivalent to at least ten liters of concentrated spring water from the Fang Family's spiritual spring. For Fang Chen, it was of little use, but for Liu Mu, it could help cleanse his body of impurities and improve his health.

Liu Mu accepted the tea respectfully and began to drink.

The disciple who led them here was curious. He was at the fourth stage of Qi Refining Realm and could easily see that Liu Mu was just a mortal.

Why would a cultivator at the Foundation Building Realm have a mortal with him?

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a figure entered the guest hall. Seeing that, the disciple quickly bowed and saluted, "I pay my respects to you, Elder Jin Nan!"

Elder Jin Nan nodded lightly, his eyes falling on Fang Chen. He seemed doubtful. He clasped his fist and asked, “May I ask who you are?"

What?

The disciple was stunned.

Elder Jin Nan didn’t even know the visitor?

He couldn’t help but suddenly feel uneasy.

Fang Chen smiled under his mask. Touching his mask, Fang Chen said, “It’s only been a few months since we’ve last met, Elder Jin Nan. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me so fast?”

Elder Jin Nan found the voice familiar and thought for a moment. Suddenly, surprise flickered across his face. "You are... Daoist Fang?"

Elder Jin Nan became even more confused.

Why is he wearing a mask? Did he offend someone and is on the run?

Fang Chen nodded. "That's right."

Elder Jin Nan's face lit up with enthusiasm. He quickly crossed over to Fang Chen, sat down, and gestured for the disciple to brew another pot of tea. Then he said, "Daoist Fang, I am delighted that you have come to visit my sect. I sincerely hope that you can stay with us for some time so we can discuss the Dao together."

Liu Mu drank the tea in silence as the two talked, his head lowered.

Glancing at Liu Mu, Elder Jin Nan couldn’t help but find him somewhat familiar. The child seemed so familiar, he could have sworn he had seen him somewhere before.

Fang Chen patted Liu Mu’s head. "Do you remember this little kid?"

Elder Jin Nan was briefly stunned, then it all suddenly hit him, and he laughed heartily. "Of course, of course! How can I not remember him? So you’re here to check up on him!”

The disciple who had guided them here was taken aback. He stuttered, "Elder Jin Nan, this child came with this senior."

Elder Jin Nan didn’t follow, and his brow scrunched up in confusion.

Fang Chen had been observing him very closely up till now, so seeing him like this, he was sure that Elder Jin Nan had nothing to do with Liu Mu landing in the hands of the Clear Void Poison King. However, since Elder Jin Nan had promised to bring Liu Mu to the Heavenly Southern Sect to cultivate, but then Liu Mu ended up in the hands of the Clear Void Poison King, that made Elder Jin Nan at fault, still.

“Elder Jin Nan, you promised me to bring Liu Mu to the sect with you, so why did he end up as a vassal for poison cultivation in the hands of the Clear Void Poison King?”

Elder Jin Nan was startled. "But that doesn't make any sense..." he mumbled. He knew who the Clear Void Poison King was and had even met him once. How could Liu Mu have ended up with him?

"Please, Elder Jin Nan, try to remember exactly what happened after you left Grand Xia. The Clear Void Poison King said that Liu Mu had been sold to him by someone,” said Fang Chen. “That someone needs to be handed over to me.”

Elder Jin Nan's face fell. He realized why Fang Chen was here; he was here to impute this to someone.

After pondering for a moment, Elder Jin Nan slowly began, "After I left Grand Xia, I instructed one of the disciples to take the child to the sect while I... I went to visit an old friend of mine whom I hadn’t seen for many years.”

Thinking of the senior behind Fang Chen, Elder Jin Nan turned to the disciple. "Go and call Senior Brother Feng over here."

"Yes." the disciple nodded quickly and hurried off.

Elder Jin Nan looked back at Fang Chen. "If what you said was true and someone from my sect has really done such a despicable act, I will definitely offer you a satisfactory explanation."

Fang Chen smiled. "That would be great."

Elder Jin Nan turned his attention to Liu Mu. He scrutinized him, then commented, “But this child seems quite alright. If he had really fallen into the hands of the Clear Void Poison King, then—”

"—he took two Green Lotus Seeds to remove the toxins.”

Elder Jin Nan nodded heavily. "I see.”

***

In the practice grounds of Heavenly Southern Sect, a young man waved his hand gently, and water-based energies condensed in the air, forming a giant dragon that roared and clawed.

Over a hundred young disciples stood around, applauding and expressing envy at the young man’s skillful display.

"Senior Brother Feng, your control over the Five Elements Technique is incredibly profound and unfathomable. With just this water dragon, you can easily defeat a cultivator at the sixth stage of Qi Refining," praised a disciple of Heavenly Southern Sect.

Senior Brother Feng smiled, nodded approvingly and then addressed the group. "Among all five elements, the earth and water elements are easiest to learn, followed by the wood and fire elements. The most difficult element to learn and master is metal.

"Since you’ve all already condensed your first immortal vein, you can try and practice the Five Elements Technique. It will be most useful to you in the Qi Refining Realm.

"The deeper your comprehension of this technique, the less spiritual energy you consume using it. Eventually, you can reach the state of ‘effortlessly lifting a thousand pounds with four ounces of force.’

"None of you have any treasures, and you might not even have any treasures when you descend the mountain to venture into the world and gain experience, so by practicing this technique you can ensure that you won’t be defenseless if you encounter any enemies.”

The disciples nodded and began to practice. However, they were only at the rudimentary stage, and could at most condense a small amount of water energy. They struggled to even conjure a tiny fish, let alone a water dragon.

Senior Brother Feng watched them practice, his face pleased.

It was then that Senior Brother Feng noticed that a disciple was running over to him. When the disciple reached him, he heard him say, "Senior Brother Feng, Elder Jin Nan requests your presence at the guest hall.”

"Elder Jin Nan? What does he want with me?" asked Senior Brother Feng in surprise.

"A cultivator came to the sect with a mortal. He claims that the mortal he has with him should’ve joined the sect. He says something wrong must’ve happened because the mortal ended up in the hands of the Clear Void Poison King,” narrated the disciple. “So Elder Jin Nan must want you to head over and explain what happened back then.”

Senior Brother Feng’s expression shifted, but he remained relatively composed. "I understand. You go ahead, I will join you later."

The disciple nodded "Alright." He then hurried off.

Senior Brother Feng didn't dare to delay. His face wreathed in anxiousness, he scampered from the area and scaled a verdant peak.

There was only one cave dwelling on the entire peak, and few people visited it regularly because it was the residence of Heavenly Southern Sect's number one senior brother—the most outstanding talent in the Flame Empire, who was only half a step away from stepping into the Foundation Building Realm.

"Senior Brother!" called out Senior Brother Feng as he arrived at the entrance of the cave.