Aspiring to the Immortal Path

Chapter 383: Internal Strife
A convoy of forty-some wagons was slowly making its way along a large road running through the forest. Riding at the front of the convoy was an old man in his fifties. On his back was a red-tasseled saber.

This man was Sima Zhen, the owner of Canglong Prefecture’s Mighty Prestige Escort Company, and he was an old hand in this business.

The requester was a young man who appeared to have just reached the age of twenty. He was asking them to transport some stones, saying that his hometown appreciated strange stones, so if he brought these stones back, he could sell them at a good price.

But these were just stones with some special colors, and they were being hauled back as if they were valuable treasures. The old company owner did not approve. If it weren’t for the rather expensive price the requester was paying, he would have refused the job.

Being a good escort wasn’t about having martial arts, but about having the right connections. Most escort companies had a route that they specialized in. On this route, they knew what sort of bandits they might encounter and where the dangerous areas were. When it came to working around dangers and paying off bandits, there were rules. Bandit groups of differing sizes required differing payments of silver.

For the same reason, these bandits did not entirely rely on theft and plunder to live, instead occupying areas and taking in bribes. Escort companies formed a large part of their revenue.

This was also why an escort company boss hated it when their employer got ideas of their own. If they messed things up, they could end up losing the goods—or worse, their lives.

The young employer originally wasn’t meddling in their business, but about six hours ago, he had suddenly asked for a wagon and picked up three people in it.

Picking up passengers mid-journey was a major taboo in the escort business. Nobody knew if they could be spies sent by a bandit gang. Moreover, these people were drenched in blood, so it could be seen at a glance that they didn’t have some good background.

Sima Zhen had always been cautious, and he hated it when someone broke the rules. But his young employer said that they were his people and that there was no way there could be a problem with them. He also paid extra and said that they wouldn’t be leaving unless they took in these people. Sima Zhen had no choice but to stomach his frustrations and accept.

Even so, the boss knew that with these strangers boarding the wagon, trouble was bound to follow.

Sure enough, half a day later, a boy came over and asked, “Boss Sima, is Cloudmouth Village up ahead?”

Sima Zhen replied, “Yes. If we take the right fork up ahead, we can reach Cloudmouth Village…”

The boy cut him off. “Is it true that there are Immortal cultivators at Cloudmouth Village?”

Sima Zhen was startled, but he nodded and said, "Yes, I've heard that there's an Immortal cultivator market there, and cultivators often go through the place. But it's not a place we mortals can go to."

"That's good. Then we'll head for Cloudmouth Village," the boy said.

Sima Zhen was taken aback. "But we're not passing through there."

"It's fine. It's not too far. Once we're done with our visit, we can just go back onto the route. You will naturally be paid additional silver for the trouble," the boy said, and then walked away.

"This isn't a question of silver!" The old man was so furious that he was shaking.

At this point, the boss had no choice but to turn the convoy toward Cloudmouth.

The boy went up to a wagon and bowed to a silver-robed youth. "Young Master, I've passed on your order."

"Mm." The young man nodded and entered the wagon.

In the wagon lay Liang Xingbang, Shi Jingzhai, and Yu Wanniang.

But the three True Persons no longer seemed as mighty. They lay on the floor of the wagon and groaned.

Yu Wanniang and Liang Xingbang were in the worst state. Yu Wanniang's spine had been snapped, and she found even standing difficult. All she could do was sit up and try her best to heal her broken bones.

Liang Xingbang's two arms had been shattered, rendering him armless. He was currently expending Spirit Essence to restore his limbs while sneering at Yu Wanniang.

He still remembered how Yu Wanniang had pushed him to the side to escape. However, this wasn't the time for revenge, and he had to bide his time for now.

Shi Jingzhai was the only one in any sort of decent state. While he had lost an arm, he hadn't received a direct attack from Wang Juemie. However, the cost for forcibly maintaining the tunnel had been heavy, and his cultivation level had dropped. Even so, he was still the one among the trio with the most strength intact.

Shi Jingzhai sat in the center, trying to regrow his lost limb. The silver-robed young man raised the canvas and entered. He bowed to the three and said, "I've already passed on the word. Hopefully, we can find some treatment medicines there."

But he knew that there was little hope of this. The three True Persons were heavily injured, and all the good medicines the sect could provide had been used. But there were some things that medicine could not solve, only time.

Only divine medicines could skip the time needed and achieve the desired effect, which wasn't something the small market at Cloudmouth could provide.

But there was no better option than to try.

Turning to Liang Xingbang, he said, "Father, how are you doing?"

This person's name was Liang Jun, and he was Liang Xingbang's son.

As for Shi Jingzhai and Yu Wanniang, they had been unmarried all this time. Shi Jingzhai was interested in Yu Wanniang and wanted to take her as his Dao companion, but Yu Wanniang had been lukewarm this whole time.

"It's still the same. Even regulating my energy is difficult… Wang Juemie!" Liang Xingbang resentfully spat out this name.

But the thought of Wang Juemie's world-shaking fist made his heart tremble. Just how had that guy trained? He had honed himself into being tougher than steel and stronger than an art relic.

The thought of Wang Juemie made Liang Xingbang think about Yu Wanniang, and he couldn't help but grunt, "Idiot woman, do you know how to do anything except hurt your own side?"

Yu Wanniang knew that he was angry, so she only snorted and didn't argue.

Shi Jingzhai sighed, "Save your energy and stop arguing."

Liang Xingbang knew that he liked Yu Wanniang, so he stopped talking and inwardly seethed.

At this moment, Shi Jingzhai suddenly sensed something. Raising the canvas, he looked up.

"What happened?" Liang Xingbang and Yu Wanniang asked in unison.

Shi Jingzhai looked around and then dropped the canvas. "It's nothing. I just sensed a ripple of spiritual energy that struck my Spirit Will wall. I thought that someone was spying on us, but there's nothing now. It might have been my mistake, or perhaps a cultivator was flying past."

"So long as it's not Wang Juemie or Tang Jie chasing us," Yu Wanniang sighed.

"'Chasing us'?" Shi Jingzhai's eyes spat out flames. "Daring to chase us without their elders, do they really think they can take care of us?"

"Still, our injuries are too severe. Even if we win, it will be a disastrous victory. If we can, it would be best to not fight," Yu Wanniang sighed.

—————————

Up in the clouds, a group of cultivators was flying.

Their leader was Tang Jie.

Standing on the clouds, his hands held behind his back, Tang Jie calmly looked down below as if he was searching for something.

Suddenly, he groaned, and some blood flowed from his mouth.

"Tang Jie, what's wrong?" Wei Tianchong hastily asked.

"I'm fine." Tang Jie wiped the blood and pointed off to his right. "A hundred kilometers in that direction, someone has set up a Spirit Will screen. I didn't notice it, and it repulsed me."

"'Spirit Will'?" Everyone grew excited.

Only a Celestial Heart had a Spirit Will, and a Spirit Will screen meant that someone didn't want to be disturbed, or even discovered. This meant that this was highly likely to be Shi Jingzhai's group.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and take a look." Everyone rushed off, riding winds and clouds in the direction Tang Jie had pointed.

Bei Canghan hung back and gave Tang Jie a profound look. "I did not think that Junior Brother was capable of sensing activity one hundred kilometers away. I did not see Junior Brother cast any art. Could you have grasped Insight? Yes, I heard that Junior Brother shook the world when you charged at Mortal Shedding in the Langya Blessed Land, so it would not be strange for you to have this capability."

Tang Jie was shaken. He had not expected Bei Canghan to catch on so quickly with just one little clue.

Bei Canghan chuckled. "Junior Brother, there is no need to be nervous. There's nothing wrong with keeping a secret, but there's no need to think that other people finding it out will be bad for you. While some power struggles are unavoidable within the Basking Moon Sect, things are still rather harmonious overall. Such things as killing each other happen only in the rarest of circumstances. To outsiders, it's best to keep as many secrets as possible, but there's no harm in being a little more open to the people on your side. Only when you treat others with sincerity can others treat you with sincerity."

Tang Jie turned solemn, and he gave Bei Canghan a deep bow. "Senior Brother, thank you for your instruction!"

Bei Canghan nodded. "This is something I came to understand while in the sect. During my ten years in the academy, I was an aloof and proud prodigy, and it was only after I entered the sect that I realized that all of the disciples were elites of the academy. All of them were top-class geniuses. Thinking oneself powerful, keeping apart from others, and holding fast to every little ability one has only discourages people. While you're putting up your guard against others, they're putting up their guard against you, and this isn't good for the development of the sect. I also suffered a little hardship because of this once. From then on, I came to understand something: when interacting with others, being too sharp isn't necessarily a good thing. Sometimes, it's better to be a little dumber and clumsier."

"Yes, your junior brother understands." Tang Jie nodded.

People who schemed too much were often abandoned by others, for while one could fool others for a time, they could not fool people forever.

If the Basking Moon Sect were that sort of sect that got powerful by encouraging killing among fellow sect members, then this wouldn't matter, but the Basking Moon Sect wasn't that kind of sect. While it did encourage competition, its foundation was still internal unity against outsiders.

This was precisely why small-minded and shrewd people were not welcome.

In truth, Tang Jie understood the reasoning, but he had mostly ignored it. It was only when Bei Canghan brought it up that he realized.

And Bei Canghan had reminded him of this reasoning because of the matter of trading the one million in resources for the Profound Heaven Treatise.

Tang Jie had given up those resources for the Profound Heaven Treatise, and the nominal reason was that he hadn't wanted to waste the Heavenbane Lightning Pearls. They had not fought a profitless battle, but Tang Jie had taken all the profits for himself. Without the threat of the twenty-some Heavenbane Lightning Pearls held by Peng Yaolong and the others, how could Wang Juemie have let Tang Jie go? He might have even lost his life. Even those two Undying Celestial Origin Pills were gained in part due to his martial brothers.

In this matter, Tang Jie could be said to have used both Wang Juemie and his martial brothers of the Basking Moon Sect, trading the one million in resources for benefits that only benefited himself, leaving nothing for everyone else. But he also made it so that no one could object. After all, there was no fight, and they hadn't done anything, so it was difficult to divide everything up.

But regardless, Tang Jie had been the sole beneficiary. There was no denying this fact.

Once or twice was tolerable, but doing it over and over would chill everyone's hearts, and eventually, many people wouldn't want to help Tang Jie.

This was what Bei Canghan was warning him about, and as Tang Jie realized, he blushed in shame and said, "I've really been lacking for money lately, so I wasn't thinking things over carefully. Once this matter is settled, I'll definitely give everyone their fair share, and not one bit less."

"It's fine. You know that I'm not referring to money." Bei Canghan smiled.

"I understand. This is a problem of my behavior," Tang Jie replied.

Only when he heard this did Bei Canghan nod in satisfaction.

He really had spoken to Tang Jie with the intent of giving him some advice. If Tang Jie had not appreciated his advice, then he would have had nothing to say to him in the future.

While a hundred kilometers was distant, when flown at full speed, it was crossed in the blink of an eye.

They hadn't been talking for long, but the others had already arrived at the caravan. They had stopped outside the range of the Spirit Will wall. Just with their eyes, they could see the large wagons slowly entering Cloudmouth Village.

"It's them." Shi Meng pointed down below. "The one wearing silver is the employer."

Tang Jie glanced at the silver-robed person and smiled. "So it was Young Master Liang! I was wondering who these three would task with escorting the goods."

In his time at the Stone Gate Sect, he had familiarized himself with all of its members, so he had recognized Liang Jun at a glance.

"What are we still waiting for, then? Let's go down there," Peng Yaolong impatiently said.

Tang Jie rolled his eyes at him. "Senior Brother Peng, you really think those three are just three heads of cabbage? These are three Celestial Hearts. In normal circumstances, just one of them could exterminate the twenty-some of us so thoroughly that not even dregs would be left."

Peng Yaolong laughed. "And aren't these abnormal circumstances?"

"You still have to be careful. A centipede is still tough, even when dead," Bei Canghan said. "This is still three Celestial Hearts we're talking about. Even when they're heavily wounded, they can't be underestimated. We should think of a plan first."

Tang Jie clapped his hands. "That's what I'm saying."

Ye Tianshang said, "You must have another weird idea. You might as well say it. In any case, this is all because of you, so we'll listen to what you have to say."

Tang Jie replied, "My plan is for all of you to stay here while I go down alone."

"Huh?" Everyone was dumbfounded.

Cai Junyang frowned. "You're putting yourself at risk again? You're not facing ten-some Seven Absolutions Sect disciples this time, you know. Why don't I go with you?"

"No," Tang Jie firmly replied. "None of you can go with me."

"Why?"

"Because they don't know that you came."

Everyone exchanged glances.

Bei Canghan seemed to understand somewhat. "Are you saying…"

"Since they don't know you're here, they won't be afraid of me, and only then will I have the chance…" Tang Jie smiled.

He reached out a hand, and Shi Meng passed him something.

When they saw what it was, everyone understood Tang Jie's plan.

Bei Canghan nodded. "There's no harm in trying."

With the plan decided, everyone paused in the air, using only their eyes to keep watch.

Tang Jie first circled around and landed in the village, after which he swaggered out to meet the convoy.

The escort boss spotted Tang Jie and said to him, "Young brother, please stand aside."

The old boss had many years of experience and was an expert at reading the mood. He could tell from Tang Jie's intimidating aura that trouble was coming, so his tone was extremely polite.

Tang Jie waved his hand. "Immediately dismount and take your people to the side. If you don't and end up getting caught in the crossfire, don't blame me for not warning you."

Boss Sima was furious, but just when he was about to vent his ire, Tang Jie casually punched, instantly creating a giant hole in the ground.

Sima Zhen yelped, "Cultivator!"

He leapt from his horse, rolled on the ground, and charged into a store on the side of the road. His movements were so nimble that he left all his subordinates dumbfounded. The old man waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone, withdraw! Don't block the road!"

In a flash, several dozen people fled the convoy, leaving behind the forty-some wagons.

Tang Jie ignored them. Looking at the wagon at the very back, he shouted, "Tang Jie of the Basking Moon Sect pays respects to the three True Persons."

A few moments later, a long sigh came from within the wagon. "So you finally found us. Young Brother Tang, have you been well?"

Three people emerged from the wagon: Liang Xingbang, Shi Jingzhai, and Yu Wanniang.

But Liang Xingbang's shattered arms had regrown two little nubs of flesh, tiny little hands sprouting from them. It was like the arms of a baby attached to an adult.

As for Yu Wanniang, in a rare sight, she had a cane and was using her left hand to support her back. Though her face was young, her posture was like that of a granny.

Only Shi Jingzhai was in a somewhat better state, one arm hanging by his side.

Unlike Liang Xingbang, he didn't rush to regrow his arm, as this was too damaging to his body. In his current situation, if he tried to force the issue, he might not even be able to remain at the Celestial Heart Realm.

Looking at the three, Tang Jie smiled and said, "It's been quite a few hours since we parted, and the three of you are as energetic as ever. But where are you going?"

Yu Wanniang sighed, "Young Brother Tang, why ask a question that you already know the answer to? After what we've done, we can no longer remain in Sageheart and can only go abroad. Young brother, please be merciful and let us go. As for the things here, young brother can take as much as you can take."

Shi Jingzhai's face darkened. "Wanniang, what's the meaning of this? He's just a puny Mortal Shedding. Do you really think he can deal with us? If he dares to stop us, we'll just kill him."

Yu Wanniang inwardly sighed, and then she whispered, "I know that he can't beat us, but he came anyway, meaning that he clearly has something backing up his confidence. Our best option isn't to fight it out, but quickly leave. What does it matter if we lose out on some goods?"

Shi Jingzhai was taken aback and said nothing.

On the other end, Tang Jie chuckled and said, "And what if I said that I wanted all of the wagons?"

Shi Jingzhai paled, and just when he was about to rage, Yu Wanniang said, "Then you can take them all."

Liang Xingbang couldn't take it any more, shouting, "Idiot woman, are you crazy?"

Yu Wanniang suppressed her rage and said, "What else can we do? Don't forget that it's these wagons that allowed him to even catch us. In any case, we have the most valuable goods on us, so what does it matter if we give him these wagons?"

Even forty-some wagons weren't enough to carry all the goods, and they had stuffed a lot into Mustard Seed Bags. If they hadn't feared the appearance of looking like beggars, they would have carried even more bags.

But while she was willing to give up on the goods, the other two were not. Shi Jingzhai glared at Tang Jie and said, "No, we can't give up on them no matter what. Tang Jie, I'll give you one wagon. If you don't see sense and quickly take your leave, don't blame this old man for being merciless."

"'One wagon'?" Tang Jie snorted and glanced at one of the wagons. "How much could one of these wagons be worth? Probably not even as much as what you've embezzled over the last two years, right?"

Shi Jingzhai was furious. "The Mount Eternal mine belonged to my Stone Gate Sect. If not for your Basking Moon Sect bullying people around, none of it would be yours. 'Embezzling'? We're just taking what's rightfully ours!"

Tang Jie shook his head. "I'm not talking about what you embezzled from the Basking Moon Sect, but what you took for your personal use while mining the Goldite."

The three of them grimaced at these words.

Shi Jingzhai roared, "Tang Jie, you're talking nonsense!"

He chopped his hand at Tang Jie, but to his surprise, two blasts of palm wind came from his sides and neutralized his attack. It was none other than Yu Wanniang and Liang Xingbang who had acted.

Liang Xingbang's baby arms had unleashed considerable spiritual energy. He pointed at Shi Jingzhai and said, "Junior Brother, why are you in such a rush to silence witnesses?"

Shi Jingzhai furiously shot back, "You believe his words?"

Yu Wanniang answered, "It's not a question of belief, Junior Brother. The silkworm mining area's entrance was very small, and poisonous waters destroyed clothing. Your second senior brother was too fat to go in, and I am a woman, which makes it inappropriate for me to go in naked, so we had to entrust this task to you, Senior Brother. Nobody knows what you actually managed to take, but I do recall that I asked you once about how you seemed to be working so incredibly fast as of late, and then you immediately turned hostile, accusing me of not trusting you."

"That's how it's always been," Shi Jingzhai angrily said. "I went in naked and came out naked. Where could I have hidden anything?"

"It's hard to say. So long as one has the will, there are actually some places you could hide the goods," Tang Jie chuckled as he cast his gaze at the lower half of Shi Jingzhai's body.

Shi Jingzhai's face reddened. "Foul brat, shut your mouth!"

Yu Wanniang coolly said, "If Senior Brother Shi was truly as kindhearted as you profess, then how do you explain the Yin Yang Inversion Drum? This item doesn't come cheap, so how did Senior Brother manage to buy it?"

Shi Jingzhai angrily replied, "I'm still a Stone Gate Sect elder! Isn't it very normal for me to have some savings? What's the big deal about buying a drum? You think I can't afford it?"

Tang Jie replied, "If it were just the drum, there would naturally be no problem. But what if there was more besides the drum?"

Tang Jie sent a paper floating over to the three.

Liang Xingbang waved a little hand, and the paper flew up to him. On it was a long list of names that left him aghast.

These were numerous rare and valuable cultivation resources, and many of them were medicines for boosting the power of Earth spell arts, with the rest being for increasing one's cultivation level.

As for magic items, there was nothing else except the drum.

Upon seeing this, Liang and Yu instantly understood what Shi Jingzhai had been doing.

It was clear that he had been privately selling off many of the goods over the last two years in exchange for rare spirit medicines, all of which he used for himself to increase his cultivation level and strength. But only now was it all being revealed.

Shi Jingzhai was dumbstruck. He bellowed, "No, it's not me!"

Tang Jie waved his hand, sending over another pile of papers. "On here is written the sales of sandworms, stone bamboo, and Goldite over the last two years. Starting from two years ago, the quantity of these items sold began to gradually increase. While it wasn't by much, two years of sales has still had a certain effect on the market. And I'm sure you don't need me to tell you who was providing these three products to the market over this period of time, yes?"

The two of them were looking at Shi Jingzhai very differently now.

Shi Jingzhai's heart chilled. Finally, he shouted, "Yes, I did it. So what? I was mining away all by myself, so shouldn't I get something for my hard work? And what did any of you do?"

He pointed at Liang Xingbang. "All you had was your son, who you ordered to keep an eye on the goods throughout the year. Does that count as some big contribution?"

He then pointed at Yu Wanniang. "And you! You were the one who contacted Wang Juemie, and so aren't you responsible for the state we're in? And you also know how well I've treated you, but how did you reciprocate? You turn hostile to me the moment you hear that I might have privately benefited, you fucking whore!"

Shi Jingzhai erupted in rage, throwing his head back and shouting, "The world isn't fair! I, Shi Jingzhai, don't accept it! These things should all be mine, mine! Nobody can take it from me!"

He suddenly thrust a palm at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie was ready for this and dodged to the side. But while he was speaking, he had subtly moved himself in front of the silver-robed Liang Jun.

Liang Jun was naturally happy to stand behind Tang Jie so as to attack him from the rear.

But now, as Shi Jingzhai attacked and Tang Jie dodged, Liang Jun was caught unprepared. The palm blast slammed into his body, and he flew back while spewing blood, dying on the spot.

"Jun'er!" Liang Xingbang had never expected this development. He painfully cried out, and then he turned eyes brimming with hatred toward Shi Jingzhai.

"How did that happen?" Shi Jingzhai was dumbfounded. He wanted to say that this wasn't on purpose, but Liang Xingbang didn't care for what he had to say, sending a wind dragon howling at Shi Jingzhai.

Shi Jingzhai was heavily wounded by this strike, and he roared, "Bastard! You're all bastards! All of you deserve death!"

He sent a wave of spiritual energy at both Liang and Yu this time.

Seeing this, Tang Jie calmly took a few steps back.

The three fierce beasts caught in a dire predicament had finally turned against each other through Tang Jie's incitement.

This wasn't strange. If Tang Jie had come with everyone, perhaps they would have united together against a common foe.

But when the enemy was weak, internal conflicts took priority.

Whether it was through misunderstanding or incitement, this internal strife… was a done deal.