Seeing is Believing

Central Continent, Nine Direction Terrace.

Today, the Nine Direction Terrace had many unfamiliar faces, and this group of strangers consciously or unconsciously observed the most renowned establishment there—the Gathering of Worthies Pavilion.

Even regular diners found the strange situation unsettling; no matter how much one loved the Pavilion’s cuisine, one still needed to live to enjoy it.

Thus, in the past few days, an intriguing scene had emerged.

The great doors of the Pavilion stood wide open, yet the place was empty inside, while not far outside, many people kept their distance and watched from afar.

The waitstaff inside the Pavilion had pale faces and could not hide their unease.

Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling sat in the Pavilion’s left-side high pavilion tea room, their gazes crossing the window, quietly fixed on the Pavilion.

Bai Xuanling sipped his tea with a calm expression, listening to three passably attractive women softly play a gentle tune.

In this era, selling tea with only elegance could hardly sustain itself in such a bustling area, so besides the fragrance of tea, there had to be some human charm.

Originally, the music was meant to be accompanied by dance, but everyone saw clearly that Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling were here for the rumored great affair.

The righteous and demonic paths were slowly gathering, and the current unfamiliar faces made it difficult to distinguish good from evil; the only course was to be cautious and do what one must, without any unnecessary actions.

Perhaps aware that both Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling were cultivators, one of the female performers, a lute player, had trembling fingers, and a string snapped.

Zheng——

The gentle melody instantly ceased, and the room fell into dead silence.

Bai Xuanling did not turn his head, merely holding his teacup with a look of boredom, watching the flowing crowd below.

“You played well, that’s enough for today,” Chu Xingchen said, also gazing downward, his tone calm. “You may leave now. As for the broken lute, you don’t expect me to pay for it, do you?”

The lute player’s legs gave way, and she knelt, her voice trembling:

“Of course not… Thank you for your leniency, sir.”

“Rise,” Chu Xingchen said, glancing sideways with a light laugh. “Do I look that fierce, like some heinous villain?”

“No, sir has a most handsome appearance.”

“Good, then go now.”

“Yes.”

The lute player bowed her head once more, then led the other two away.

Chu Xingchen did not spare them another glance, his gaze returning below.

“We’ve been watching for two days now,” Bai Xuanling said, holding his teacup, turning to Chu Xingchen with a puzzled tone. “If you hadn’t sent them away, I’d have thought you were here for the music. What can you see from just watching like this? Evil cultivators don’t have ‘evil’ carved on their foreheads, and the ones hanging around here are hardly grand villains—just small fry.”

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly and replied with a soft smile:

“That’s not necessarily true. I’ve actually found quite a few interesting people.”

Bai Xuanling frowned slightly, studied the scene again, then said skeptically:

“Are you bluffing? You can’t mean those petty minions who can’t even cover their blood energy properly? I didn’t see anyone like that.”

Chu Xingchen’s gaze locked onto an old man squatting nearby, wearing a tattered straw hat, grinning foolishly as he hawked candied hawthorns.

“That one.”

Bai Xuanling narrowed his eyes, recalling: “I remember him. He seemed to be selling at that spot the day we arrived. When we walked past, I sensed no spiritual power fluctuation at all—he’s definitely mortal. Besides, some locals chatted with him; he’s clearly a local himself.”

Chu Xingchen’s eyes were calm and unruffled:

“He was, originally. But he’s taken over that face. The real man was likely dealt with, and this one has taken his face and his spot. I don’t know his name, but his cultivation is at the late Nascent Soul stage, with the ability to conceal his aura. Too far away, and with the chaotic energy around, if we didn’t use our spiritual sense and weren’t paying close attention, we might not have noticed.”

Bai Xuanling watched for a moment longer, finally catching a faint, barely perceptible wisp of energy from the old man’s breath, disappearing amid the chaotic currents.

“In this world, there are indeed unexpected things,” Bai Xuanling said, his tone turning slightly cold. “But in the end, they are just that—trifles.”

Chu Xingchen sighed softly, then said lightly:

“I’ve marked them all. Once this matter is settled, none of them will escape.”

Bai Xuanling looked at Chu Xingchen, then fell silent, lifting his teacup for a small sip.

Chu Xingchen continued to watch below. Although it was hard for ordinary people to tell ghost from man, and even Bai Xuanling, due to lack of focus, might overlook evil cultivators willing to show their true forms, thanks to the System’s annotations, everything below was clear at a glance, and he could easily pick out the decent-sized evil cultivators lurking in the shadows.

The Azure Clarity Heavenly Sect and the Celestial Evolution Sect, working with Li Xingtian, had truly orchestrated an incident at a secret realm belonging to a great evil cultivator.

Tracing it back, there was a clear trail.

Once the news was confirmed, those who understood its value and had the strength would naturally come.

For example… the Soul Contraction Sect, full of demons, or the Black Crow Bishop, who happened to cultivate blood energy.

Even if the Black Crow Bishop didn’t come, any demon greedy for blood energy would eventually be lured out by a big catch, and then a thorough purge could be carried out—a proper repayment.

If he did come, so much the better.

The sun slanted slightly, and steady footsteps approached from outside the door. Before reaching it, a servant called out loudly:

“Gentlemen, a guest who calls himself Mo Huang says he knows you and wishes to meet. If you do not wish to see him, I will send him away.”

Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling exchanged a glance.

They had arrived.

Chu Xingchen replied lazily:

“Invite him in.”

“Yes, sir,” the servant answered, retreating with measured steps.

After a few moments, lighter but still steady footsteps came nearer, halting outside the door. A gentle male voice spoke:

“My apologies for the wait. I am Mo Huang.”

Chu Xingchen answered: “Come in.”

The door was pushed open slowly.

A man with a gentle face stood at the entrance and walked in gracefully. His gaze fell on Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling, and he immediately cupped his hands in greeting:

“My apologies for the wait. I am here today, by the orders of the Sect Master, to meet you both.”

“The Black Crow Sect Master?” Chu Xingchen curled his lips into a smile. “What brings such a great power here?”

The man’s tone was humble, his demeanor low:

“Since you hold the direct order of the Black Crow, the Sect Master naturally cannot overlook it. By the rules, it means you have done our sect a great favor.”

Chu Xingchen’s tone suddenly turned cold:

“If it’s such a great favor, why didn’t he come to see me in person?”

The man answered calmly:

“The Sect Master has already seen you in person—he just didn’t greet you directly. You left your blood energy on the direct order, and only he could recognize it here. You know his style firsthand; coming to meet you in person shows his utmost sincerity.”

Chu Xingchen burst into laughter:

“I know him well. For one who cultivates blood energy, he lacks all blood and guts, famous for running fast.”

The man followed with a couple of obsequious laughs, not feeling the slightest bit offended.

“Senior, you see right through me.”

Chu Xingchen leaned back languidly, his posture relaxed.

“Seeing through it is useless. If he truly wants a piece of the pie, he’ll have to come see me in person.”

“If it’s a fake showing up, then consider this matter closed. I am I, and he is he.”

“In this world, there are no pies falling from the sky. If you want a share of the spoils, you have to be willing to risk your life for it.”

“For cultivators like us, there’s nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.”