Chapter 131: The Jade Scroll of Danqing, Surprising Retaliation and Reasoning

"Who dares to question two Precelestial beings?"

The group of martial artists, who were already struggling to breathe under the oppressive might of the two Precelestial experts, were stunned by this statement.

Then, they witnessed a figure appear, walking slowly through the gates of the Wei Mansion.

He was a young man, dressed in plain cloth, with an ordinary appearance.

In his hands, he held a jade scroll that emanated a soft, white glow. This aura enveloped the young man, allowing him to stride forward with ease, unhindered by the overwhelming pressure of the Precelestial experts.

This bizarre scene shocked not only the onlookers but also Wang Cangyi and Wei Shanhai, the two Precelestial powerhouses, who couldn't help but narrow their eyes.

"You two, there is a decree from the Holy Mountain that Precelestial warriors shall not harm humans below their level without just cause, nor engage in Precelestial battles in populated cities. Do you intend to defy this edict?"

Facing the gaze of the two Precelestial experts, the young man in plain clothes remained unperturbed, his tone turning solemn.

"The Danqing Jade Scroll... Are you from the Tianji Tower?" Wang Cangyi asked, his eyes fixed on the jade scroll in the young man's hand.

"Tianji Lou Zhi Rui, greetings to the two Precelestial elders," the young man in plain clothes bowed slightly and replied calmly.

Hearing the young man's acknowledgment, Wang Cangyi's heart skipped a beat.

He stared at the young man for a moment before slowly dissipating the sword energy in his palm.

Although he didn't know the authenticity of the other party's identity, he had heard of the mysteries of the Danqing Jade Scroll.

Only someone from the Tianji Tower could activate such an enigmatic artifact.

Even Wei Shanhai retracted his blade's glow.

However, unlike Wang Cangyi, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that with the arrival of someone from the Tianji Tower, today's battle would likely be postponed.

Wang Cangyi, with his keen senses, noticed the slight relaxation in Wei Shanhai's demeanor.

He now understood that Wei Shanhai's injuries were not fully healed, and his earlier display of power was merely a bluff.

Wang Cangyi's expression turned gloomy as he glared at the young man and asked, "I've heard that the Tianji Tower never involves itself in the disputes between the various powers of the world. Zhi Rui, do you intend to break this stance?"

"The stance of the Tianji Tower has never wavered, Elder Wang. There is no need for suspicion," the young man in plain clothes replied calmly. "I have no interest in interfering with your conflict with Elder Wei. However, if you insist on battling within the city, you should be aware of the consequences."

Wang Cangyi's expression turned uncertain.

If it weren't for the young man's presence, he could have killed Wei Shanhai, destroyed the Wei family, acquired the treasure, and fled.

Afterward, even if the Holy Mountain pursued the matter, he could have downplayed his involvement and minimized his responsibility.

But now, with the young man here, he dared not act recklessly.

According to rumors, the Danqing Jade Scroll of the Tianji Tower possessed a miraculous function.

Whatever was written on the scroll could be transmitted to the headquarters of the Tianji Tower in an instant—an incredibly mysterious ability.

With the young man's presence, even if he slaughtered everyone in the city to cover his tracks, he doubted he could prevent the news from getting out.

"Wei Shanhai, do you have the guts to face me in battle outside the city?" Wang Cangyi asked, his face grim.

After a moment of silence, filled with a heavy atmosphere, Wang Cangyi suddenly shouted at the old ancestor of the Wei family.

"Hahaha, Wang Cangyi, there's no need to rush. I've been traveling for several days and am a bit exhausted. Give me a few days to recuperate, and I will personally pay you a visit to claim your dog's head!" Wei Shanhai replied with a hearty laugh, refusing to engage in battle.

"You!" Wang Cangyi was enraged. "You coward, you don't even have the guts to fight. You disgrace the title of Precelestial!"

"Unlike you, a despicable man who only knows how to attack from the back and engage in underhanded deeds," Wei Shanhai retorted.

"You..." Wang Cangyi's chest heaved, and he knew that Wei Shanhai had decided to hide within the city like a tortoise.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

If he insisted on fighting, he would have to instantly kill Wei Shanhai.

Otherwise, regardless of the outcome of the battle, if there were any casualties during the fight, he would not escape the Holy Mountain's punishment.

Thinking of the consequences of engaging in a Precelestial battle within the city, Wang Cangyi's heart trembled.

He did not want to spend the rest of his life imprisoned on the Holy Mountain, living in fear.

After weighing his options, he knew that even if Wei Shanhai's injuries were not fully healed, he was not someone he could kill instantly.

Wang Cangyi gritted his teeth and glared at Wei Shanhai, his face twisted in anger. "Old man, just you wait. I won't give up until I get my hands on that item. You'd better never leave this city and continue being a tortoise. Otherwise, the day you step out will be the day you die!"

With that, a burst of energy exploded, and his figure vanished from the rooftop.

"Master!"

The burly man and the others were startled by Wang Cangyi's abrupt departure.

Chapter: The Arrival of a Friend

"Scram!"

Wei Shanhai didn't make things difficult for these people, and with a deep voice, he shouted, and a powerful force exploded.

The burly man and the others didn't dare to say another word. Hearing this, they felt like they had received a pardon and quickly rushed out of Wei Mansion.

Those who ran slower were kicked by the person behind them and crawled out in a hurry.

After all the members of the Tiancang Sect had left, Wei Shanhai said to a certain spot under the eaves, "Senior, please come out now."

Was there someone else hiding there? The Wei family members all looked in that direction.

Under everyone's gaze, a figure emerged from under the eaves, jumped to the ground, and stood there nonchalantly.

"Greetings, Senior Wei."

The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes first bowed to Wei Shanhai and then said to the young man in plain clothes,

"Zhi Rui, it's a good thing you arrived in time; otherwise, I might not have survived to see you again."

Seeing this figure, the Wei family members were all dumbfounded.

They never expected that the County Master would be hiding in such a place.

The young man in plain clothes also didn't expect that his friend would be hiding there.

He, who was usually calm, was now astonished.

Seeing that his friend was still nonchalant, he couldn't help but sigh, "You really need to change your habit of enjoying the show. One of these days, if I receive news of your death, I won't be surprised."

"Zhi Rui, that's not very nice of you. We're friends, so why would you curse me to die?"

As the two bickered, Wei Shanhai landed on the ground and bowed to the young man in plain clothes.

"Thank you, Lord Zhi Rui, for saving the lives of all the Wei family members."

The young man in plain clothes' face returned to its calm state.

He said indifferently, "Senior Wei, please don't misunderstand. The reason I appeared here is not to help your Wei family but because I don't want to see anyone violating the Holy Mountain's edict."

"Regardless, Lord Zhi Rui's appearance has indeed saved our Wei family. This gratitude will be remembered by me, Wei Shanhai, for the rest of my life."

The young man in plain clothes shook his head and didn't say anything else. He slowly walked out.

"Zhi Rui, why are you in such a hurry? Wait for me, and let's go drinking together!"

The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes bowed to Wei Shanhai and then hurried after the young man, calling out.

Wei Shanhai watched the two leave without saying a word to stop them.

"Old Ancestor!"

After all the outsiders had left, Wei Xinghe, holding his chest, led the clan members forward excitedly.

"Xinghe, I didn't have time to completely block Wang Cangyi's sword energy just now, and you were injured. Are you alright?" Wei Shanhai asked.

"I'm fine. Who would've thought that such a despicable person would ambush me, a junior? Fortunately, Old Ancestor, you arrived just in time." Wei Xinghe shook his head.

"Hmph, that Wang Cangyi has always been despicable and shameless. He doesn't care about his reputation at all." Wei Shanhai coldly snorted.

"Old Ancestor, why didn't you keep Lord Zhi Rui here? He saved our Wei family, and now you're just letting him leave. Isn't this impolite?" Wei Xinghe asked.

Wei Shanhai shook his head, "It's not that I didn't want to keep him, but his identity is special, and he usually doesn't associate with other forces. Keeping him here would only cause him trouble."

Wei Xinghe wanted to ask more, but Wei Shanhai waved his hand, "Let's talk inside. Have someone clean up the courtyard first."

Wei Xinghe had to temporarily stop asking questions. When they arrived in the room, only he, the Great Overseer, and the Old Ancestor were left.

Then he continued to ask, "Old Ancestor, when did you return?"

"I've been back for several days, but I didn't enter the city because I knew that Wang Cangyi was waiting for me to appear."

"Old Ancestor, who are these people, and what grudge does this Wang Cangyi have against you?"

This had been the question lingering in Wei Xinghe's mind for some time.

The family heirloom was always kept secret, and even few members of the clan knew about it.

So how did this mysterious force find out about it?

"Those who attacked our Wei family mostly came from a sect in the Northern Border called the Tiancang Sect, and Wang Cangyi is the second elder of that sect."

"As for our grudge..."

Wei Shanhai sighed, "He and I used to be friends."

"Friends? Then how..."

Wei Xinghe and the Great Overseer were both shocked.

"That was a hundred years ago..."

As Wei Shanhai narrated, Wei Xinghe and the others gradually understood what had happened.

A hundred years ago, Wei Shanhai was a vigorous and promising young man.

At that time, he had achieved success in martial arts cultivation. At a young age, he was already a powerful martial artist, a once-in-a-century genius of the Wei family.

I apologize, but it seems like there was a mistake in the response. Here is the corrected response:

At the age of twenty, Wei Shanhai decided to travel the world and meet the heroes of the world.

During his journey, he met a young man around his age, who was Wang Cangyi.

Wang Cangyi came from a major sect and had extraordinary strength and extensive knowledge.

In terms of strength and experience, he far surpassed Wei Shanhai, who came from a small family at the time.

Chapter: The Tale of a Broken Brotherhood

"We became fast friends, and I was deeply impressed by Wang Cangyi's demeanor."

Eventually, the two became sworn brothers, traveling together and experiencing many adventures.

However, it was during their travels that Wei Shanhai gradually realized that Wang Cangyi was not as noble and upright as he appeared.

His magnanimity was not as vast as he pretended, and he would sometimes go out of his way to make things difficult for the little people over trivial matters.

He was vindictive and held grudges easily. If someone offended him, even unintentionally, he would seek to kill them to vent his anger.

If not for Wei Shanhai's frequent interventions, he would have taken his anger out on their families and wiped out entire clans.

As they journeyed, their philosophies began to diverge, and arguments became frequent.

But at that time, Wei Shanhai still considered Wang Cangyi a brother and believed that, although his methods were extreme, he was still an upright man.

What truly drove a wedge between them was an incident that occurred during their exploration of a secret realm.

In that mysterious place, they stumbled upon a hidden cave and discovered a great opportunity.

However, when it came to dividing the treasures they found, a disagreement arose.

Wang Cangyi believed that since he had contributed more to uncovering the cave, he deserved nine-tenths of the treasure.

Wei Shanhai, on the other hand, felt that as brothers, they shouldn't be so calculative.

Although he hadn't contributed as much, he had protected Wang Cangyi from a deadly trap when they entered the cave.

Considering this, he didn't feel it was unreasonable to ask for more than just one-tenth of the treasure.

The two argued vehemently and nearly came to blows.

Finally, Wei Shanhai relented, agreeing to take only one-tenth of the treasure, but with one condition—he would choose his share first.

Surprisingly, Wang Cangyi refused even this request, insisting that they take turns choosing one item each.

At that moment, Wei Shanhai's illusions about Wang Cangyi were completely shattered.

After all, the treasures they had obtained were extraordinary, and with their strength at the time, they couldn't discern which were the most valuable.

Even if Wei Shanhai chose first, he wouldn't have been able to select the most precious items.

Yet Wang Cangyi wouldn't even concede this point.

After seeing Wang Cangyi's true colors, Wei Shanhai let go of his attachment and casually selected a few items. Once they left the cave, he severed their brotherhood and went their separate ways, never to cross paths again.

"Looking back, if I hadn't experienced a breakthrough during our travels, achieving a similar level of strength as Wang Cangyi, he might have tried to kill me back then."

Wei Shanhai sighed.

"Ancestor, does that mean the item in our Wei family's secret vault is the one you chose back then?" Wei Xinghe asked cautiously.

"Yes, one of the items I chose is indeed the one kept in our family's secret vault. And it was also the most valuable item we obtained from that secret realm." Wei Shanhai nodded, "I never expected that my random choice back then would turn out to be the most precious item. Perhaps it was fate."

"I wonder if Wang Cangyi has been fuming about this all these years."

A hint of ridicule curved Wei Shanhai's lips.

Wei Xinghe and Wei Datzong, the Great Overseer, couldn't help but imagine Wang Cangyi's reaction, and they suspected that he must have been furious all these years.

"Ancestor, so Wang Cangyi came to our Wei family this time to obtain that item. But why did he ambush you?" Wei Xinghe asked.

"It's my fault for being too careless." Wei Shanhai sighed.

"After our fallout, Wang Cangyi and I never met again. Recently, he sent me a letter, saying that as old friends, we should meet after so many years."

"I thought that after so much time had passed, we were both older and wiser, and whatever grudges we held in our youth were no longer important. So, I agreed to meet him."

"But when we met, Wang Cangyi pretended to reminisce about our travels and took advantage of my relaxed state to launch a surprise attack. I was caught off guard and barely escaped with my life."

"Ancestor, how are your injuries now?" Wei Xinghe asked anxiously.

"My injuries are still recovering. At most, I can only exert three-tenths of my full strength." Wei Shanhai said calmly.

Hearing this, Wei Xinghe and Wei Datzong were shocked.

Just as they were about to ask more questions, they heard Wei Shanhai inquire, "By the way, where are Nanyan and An'er? I don't sense their presence in the mansion."

With the perception of a Precelestial expert, Wei Shanhai noticed the absence of Li Nanyan and Wei Zian's auras.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end