Tai Lüxi,whose name clearly bore the characteristics of the Western Regions,respectfully saluted Su Xin.Seeing that the young man and Qing Lian were still staring blankly at Su Xin,he couldn't help but scold,"What are you still standing there for?Hurry up and come over to greet the lord!"
At this moment,the young man and Qing Lian finally reacted,hastily bowing respectfully to Su Xin and addressing him as Lord Chujiang.
Especially the young man,who had just questioned whether Xie Bi'an was deceiving them.There was really no organization behind him as exaggeratedly described.Yet here they were,face to face with him.
Tai Lüxi felt a bit uneasy.His father was a warrior from the Western Regions,but he himself was born into a prominent family in the Central Plains.This led him to be frequently looked down upon and insulted in his childhood,shaping his cautious nature,fearing that the lord Chujiang in front of him would blame them.
But fortunately,it seemed that the lord didn't care about these trivial matters.
Su Xin simulated a low,hoarse voice,saying,"That's enough,no need for excessive courtesy.You are the people chosen by Bai Wuchang,all peripheral members of our underworld,consider yourselves one of us.So,what exactly happened to you?"
Tai Lüxi nodded.Being the oldest and most composed,he introduced himself and the others,then explained the situation in detail.
Originally,there were four of them,each with their own background.Later,by coincidence,they came together to roam the martial world.
Tai Lüxi was a disciple of a prominent clan in Shannan Road.His mother was the eldest daughter of the main line of that clan,but his father was a slave from the Western Regions.After they fell in love,he was later killed on the spot by the clan,and his mother passed away shortly after giving birth to him.This resulted in his childhood being spent amidst disdain and insults until he left the family to venture into the martial world,where he encountered some opportunities.
The young man,named Fang Xun,used to be a notorious river pirate with decent skills.However,he was chased hundreds of miles by a second-rate sect with a Yuan Shen Realm cultivator when he saw something he shouldn't have while stealing.He was eventually saved by Tai Lüxi.
The woman,named Zhai Qinglian,had good innate talent but was born into a narrow-minded small family.Her parents and elders were unwilling to nurture her,wanting her to marry a waste disciple from a major family.This rebellion against the arranged marriage led to her fleeing during the wedding ceremony,and later,when in danger,she was saved by Tai Lüxi and the others.
There was also a man named Chu Lin among them,whose background wasn't particularly remarkable.He had followed a wandering master since childhood,even that master was a peak-level cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm,but he failed in breaking through to the Divine Realm and perished.
Later,Chu Lin encountered Tai Lüxi and the others while wandering alone.Because of their similar personalities,he joined them in venturing through the martial world.
Hearing about the backgrounds of these individuals,Su Xin was quite surprised.A bunch of misfits somehow managed to come together.
A descendant of a tragic Huren,a river pirate who almost got himself killed,and a rebellious girl who dared to run away from her wedding,plus a novice in the martial world.This combination was quite interesting.
It was indeed a wonder how Bai Wuchang managed to find this group of oddballs and even developed them into peripheral members.
However,in Su Xin's view,the strength of these people was not bad at all.Perhaps one or two of them might have the qualifications to step into the Yuan Shen realm in the future.
Their current situation was quite simple,summed up in one sentence:they had been deceived.
Before this,the four of them had been traveling the martial world and stumbled upon news about an inheritance left by an ancient master alchemist.They wanted to try their luck,in case they could obtain some high-grade weapons.However,the inheritance was buried in the mountains and required someone skilled in the Five Elements exploration to pinpoint the exact location;otherwise,they would have to dig through half the mountain aimlessly to find it.
Originally,their plan was to dig through half the mountain,but then Zhai Qinglian brought in someone who claimed to be skilled in exploration and said he could help them.She promised to share the benefits with him once they found it.
That person was called Lin Yueming,claiming to be a wanderer.He was handsome,outgoing,and claimed to have good relationships with several disciples of major sects.Zhai Qinglian was somewhat infatuated with him.
But unexpectedly,after this guy learned about the benefits involved,he secretly contacted a hall master of the Golden Pavilion,one of the Seven Factions,to ambush them outside,intending to capture them all.
When they found the inheritance site,it indeed turned out to be a place left by a master alchemist.Apart from the five high-grade weapons crafted by the alchemist himself,the most precious thing was the fragment of a Heavenly-grade weapon!
Weapons were divided into four grades:Earth,Sky,Mysterious,and Yellow.The difference between the three grades below the Heavenly-grade was only in their sturdiness and some different abilities they possessed.However,Heavenly-grade weapons had a spiritual presence,which was considered extremely rare.
Although this Heavenly-grade weapon is only a remnant,its spiritual presence still exists.As long as it is repaired,even if its power decreases,it's enough to serve as a supreme treasure for a top-notch faction to inherit.
The result was that as soon as they came out,they were besieged by the people from the Golden Pavilion.Zhai Qinglian,the weakest in strength,was almost injured by them,and Chu Lin,who had always admired Zhai Qinglian,was captured by the people from the Golden Pavilion while trying to save her.
Originally,the Golden Pavilion planned to hunt down Tai Lüxi and the others aggressively.However,Tai Lüxi and the others were all at the Divine Palace realm,and with Fang Xun,a notorious river pirate who was constantly being pursued,the power of a hall in the Golden Pavilion was simply unable to capture them.
Later,Lin Yueming came up with a poisonous plan.Knowing that Tai Lüxi and the others were as close as siblings,he used Chu Lin as bait to force them to hand over the fragment of the Heavenly-grade weapon in exchange for Chu Lin.
Originally,based on the personalities of Tai Lüxi and the others,even if it wasn't for the priceless fragment of the Heavenly-grade weapon,they would still have to save Chu Lin.But unexpectedly,the spiritual presence of the fragment of the Heavenly-grade weapon,nurtured by the vitality of heaven and earth for a long time,evolved into a self-aware spirit and escaped unnoticed by them.This left them in a panic,forcing them to seek help from Xie Bi'an.
After hearing the story,Su Xin was somewhat interested in the fragment of the Heavenly-grade weapon.He remembered Xie Zhiyan once telling him that most Heavenly-grade weapons,after leaving their masters,would lose their spiritual wisdom due to the lack of true qi nourishment for a long time,becoming Earth-grade weapons.However,a small portion would evolve into spirits due to the nourishment of heaven and earth,gaining independent consciousness and no longer being just someone's weapon.
However,whether it was a spirit or a spiritual presence,as long as it could be integrated into an Earth-grade weapon and refined,it would immediately become a Heavenly-grade weapon.
Unfortunately,Tai Lüxi and the others were too wasteful.They let go of such a precious treasure.Moreover,they even wanted to use this treasure to exchange for Chu Lin,a move that Su Xin found utterly foolish.
After explaining everything,Tai Lüxi and the others looked anxiously at Su Xin,unsure of what the lord meant.
Looking at the four of them,Su Xin smirked and,in a hoarse voice,said,"Four wastes!I really don't know how Bai Wuchang saw something in you,actually bringing you into the organization as peripheral members."
Upon hearing this,the expressions of Tai Lüxi and the others immediately turned ugly.After all,no one likes being called worthless.
Fang Xun,full of youthful vigor,wanted to refute immediately but was forcibly suppressed by Tai Lüxi.He knew how terrifying Bai Wuchang and Xie Bi'an were.Although the lord seemed a bit eccentric,he was definitely the strongest Nascent Soul Realm cultivator he had ever seen.And the fact that the lord was Chujiang Wang,one of the Ten Yama Kings,indicated his high status and power.
Although Tai Lüxi and the others were also members of the underworld,there was a big difference between peripheral and core members.These peripheral members were only considered somewhat promising individuals in the underworld,given a chance to see if they could rise in the future.Therefore,some things,like what Cui Panguan told Su Xin,couldn't be detailed to them.
So Tai Lüxi didn't know that his title and status in the underworld were not directly proportional.
"What,are you still not happy being called wastes?"Su Xin sneered,pointing at Zhai Qinglian."It's said that women with big chests have no brains,but even with a small chest,you still don't have much brains.The inheritance of an ancient alchemist represents infinite possibilities,yet you told this news to an outsider.You're basically betraying those who admire you and the people who have lived and died with you.In your mind,are you willing to abandon them all for a man?"
Zhai Qinglian hurriedly shook her head and cried,"Of course not!I didn't expect Lin Yueming to be like this."
Su Xin then turned to Tai Lüxi and Fang Xun."And you two are wastes plus fools!You want to hand over the priceless fragment of the Heavenly-grade weapon just to save a brother.Have your brains gone haywire?Is a brother worth more than a Heavenly-grade weapon?"
Tai Lüxi took a deep breath and said,"My lord,in my heart,a brother is priceless.Since I was young,I've been discriminated against and bullied by others.Only Fang Xun and the others treated me as an elder brother without any discrimination.Even if it's a fragment of a Heavenly-grade weapon,I'm willing to hand it over!"
Fang Xun and Zhai Qinglian,beside him,showed signs of being moved.After being together for so long,they naturally knew that Tai Lüxi wasn't just speaking empty words.
Su Xin sneered,"So I said you're wastes plus fools.You want to hand over a fragment of a Heavenly-grade weapon just to save a brother,but once you hand over that fragment,you all will probably end up dead at their hands!"
