Chapter 1324: Old Matters of the Demon Sect
Gu Songzi immediately sat up straight, putting on a stern face and displaying an air of moral authority. "Young man, as a senior, I must tell you a truth: the things you shouldn't know, it's best to know as little as possible."
Zhang Ruochen walked closer and sat directly across from Gu Songzi, staring into his aged eyes. "What exactly are the things I should know? And what are the things I shouldn't know?"
"Things you shouldn't know—that's because your cultivation is too low, and it's not yet time for you to know. Besides, you, kid, are too restless, so you're also someone who shouldn't know," Gu Songzi said.
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then said, "With my current cultivation, I'm still not qualified to know?"
"Not qualified."
As Gu Songzi answered Zhang Ruochen, he sniffed vigorously. "Miss Qing Mo, how much longer do we have to wait? I think the meat is already cooked through, and the spiritual herbs are about to boil to mush. Can we start eating now?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. Gu Songzi had changed his tune quickly. Before, he had called Qing Mo "little girl," but now he was calling her "Miss Qing Mo," with a hint of flattery.
For the sake of food, he had thrown all his old face away.
Qing Mo showed no kindness toward Gu Songzi. "My master has already said that you must tell us the secret of the Death Clan before you can have any of the soup and meat."
"Tsk, tsk, I've already told you, your cultivation is too low, and it's not yet time for you to know." Gu Songzi sighed deeply, thinking Qing Mo was being too stubborn.
"Then let's change the question. What is the grudge between you, senior, and the Drunken Madman? That much you can tell, right?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"This... I can't say that either."
Gu Songzi shook his head, a strange look in his eyes.
"How about adding a pot of Dragon Flame Wine, ranked eighth among the world's strongest liquors? Meat, soup, and wine—they should be paired with a story, shouldn't they?"
Zhang Ruochen took out a pot of Dragon Flame Wine from his Space Ring, opened the lid, and placed it in front of Gu Songzi.
The rich aroma of wine wafted out, causing a burning light to surge in Gu Songzi's eyes as his tongue involuntarily licked his lips.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruochen knew his guess was correct. Since Gu Songzi had once been on good terms with the Drunken Madman, he must also be a lover of wine.
Gu Songzi lunged forward to grab the wine pot but missed, as Zhang Ruochen had already withdrawn it.
Gu Songzi sighed. "They're all old, dusty matters. What's there to talk about?"
"Since they're old, dusty matters, and centuries have passed, why can't they be spoken of? Do you really want to take your grudges with you into the dirt?"
Zhang Ruochen was very eager to know the reason. He felt that the Drunken Madman's character didn't seem like someone who would betray a friend. What exactly had caused two former sworn brothers to turn against each other?
Could it be a misunderstanding?
If possible, he should help them resolve it.
Zhang Ruochen took out a Space Ring and placed it in front of Gu Songzi. "Adding a Space Ring—should that be enough?"
Gu Songzi grabbed the Space Ring, infused his Spiritual Power into it, and probed the inner space within the ring. His expression became even more excited.
For an alchemist, a Space Ring was incredibly useful, saving a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"A Space Ring, just to exchange for a story, and I don't owe you a favor? You're not eyeing the Sacred Pill formula for the Transformation Saint Pill in my possession, are you?"
Gu Songzi didn't quite trust Zhang Ruochen. When had there ever been such a cheap deal in the world?
Zhang Ruochen took the soup Qing Mo handed him. "The story of a Saint-level Alchemist is worth this price."
Gu Songzi no longer hesitated. He put the Space Ring on the little finger of his right hand, examined it carefully, and was quite pleased.
Then, he grabbed the Dragon Flame Wine and took a gulp, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, sinking into endless memories. He let out a cold laugh. "Damn Saint-level Alchemist—six hundred years ago, I should have been called a Saint-level Toxicologist. My skill in the Dao of Toxicity far surpasses my skill in the Dao of Alchemy."
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted. "So you really are the Toxic Saint, Master Ku?"
"Six hundred years have passed. Generation after generation of geniuses and talents have emerged in the Kunlun Realm. I thought my old name had long been forgotten. Heh, for a young fellow like you to know my true name is quite rare."
Gu Songzi felt a bit of goodwill toward Zhang Ruochen. It pleased him that a junior still remembered his name.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What exactly happened six hundred years ago?"
"That was the late ancient period, the most chaotic time in the Kunlun Realm. Wars raged endlessly, and no force could escape, including the once-mighty Moon-Worshipping Cult. At that time, the Empress had not yet ascended the throne, and the First Central Empire had not yet been established. Of course, at that time, Empress Chi Yao was already showing her sharp edge, leading armies to attack the Moon-Worshipping Cult's headquarters."
"In that battle, the Moon-Worshipping Cult's experts were nearly all killed, and even the Cult Leader fell. However, the Cult's deep foundation meant it wasn't completely destroyed. Some important figures survived, gathering scattered followers across the land to rebuild the Cult. Among them were the Cult Leader's eldest disciple, Shi Qianjue, and his fourth disciple, Ling Xiu."
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted. "The Demon Sect Leader, Shi Qianjue."
"Six hundred years ago, Shi Qianjue was not yet the sect leader. In fact, more of the followers supported Ling Xiu. Among the Cult Leader's six disciples, Ling Xiu had the highest talent and was also the Cult Leader's legitimate son, making him the best candidate for the new Cult Leader."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What happened afterward?"
Gu Songzi took another gulp of Dragon Flame Wine before speaking slowly. "To fight for the position of Cult Leader, the once-close master and disciples turned against each other, engaging in bloody slaughter. The Cult nearly collapsed completely because of it."
For some reason, Zhang Ruochen thought of the Sacred Bright Central Empire. After Emperor Ming disappeared, wasn't there also a group of people fighting for power and profit, ultimately leading to the nation's fall amid internal and external troubles?
Zhang Ruochen asked, "At that time, senior, you were an elder in the Cult with a high status. Which side did you stand on?"
Gu Songzi closed his eyes and shook his head. "I didn't want to stand on either side."
"That couldn't have been easy, could it?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Exactly."
Gu Songzi nodded. "One night, a group of Cult cultivators carried a mortally wounded Ling Xiu into my alchemy chamber, demanding I treat him. According to them, Ling Xiu had been injured by Shi Qianjue."
"So it seems you, senior, had to pick a side," Zhang Ruochen said.
"I didn't want to pick a side, and I didn't dare to. Because my family and clan were all in Shi Qianjue's hands. If I saved Ling Xiu, my family and clan would die. If I didn't save him, I would die."
"So I immediately sent a message to the Cult Leader's third disciple, Feng Zuisheng, hoping he could rush back to help me. Of the Cult Leader's six disciples, only the three of them were still alive. Feng Zuisheng had good relations with both Shi Qianjue and Ling Xiu. If he could return, even if he couldn't stop the conflict between Shi Qianjue and Ling Xiu, he could at least save my family and clan."
Zhang Ruochen was shocked. "The Drunken Madman is the Demon Emperor's third disciple, Feng Zuisheng, known as the Wine Immortal?"
Everything clicked into place. Zhang Ruochen finally understood why the Drunken Madman was so skilled in the Dao of Wine—he had such an astonishing identity.
But in Zhang Ruochen's memory, eight hundred years ago, Feng Zuisheng was described as a dashing, romantic, and carefree handsome man, nothing like the Drunken Madman.
Even if a person aged and became ugly, this was too much of a change.
"Wine Immortal? He's a liar, a coward. After I sent him the message, he promised he would definitely save my family and clan, so I went ahead and saved Ling Xiu. But... but... when he finally came, what he brought before me was a field of corpses. Dead, all dead, not a single survivor."
Gu Songzi let out a laugh, but tears were streaming from his eyes.
Zhang Ruochen fell silent for a long moment before saying, "Maybe he had his reasons."
"He told me that some matters had delayed him, and by the time he went to see Shi Qianjue, everyone was already dead. I just want to know—with our close friendship, what could be more important than saving my family? I think he was just afraid to pick a side, afraid to offend Shi Qianjue, afraid to bring disaster upon himself, so he deliberately arrived late."
Gu Songzi's emotions were stirred up, his teeth clenched, and anger burned in his heart.
Zhang Ruochen thought carefully. It wasn't impossible that the Drunken Madman had done such a thing, because that old fellow was indeed very afraid of death.
Back then, to save his own skin, he had knelt to Chi Yao and sworn several poisonous oaths.
As a Saint and a disciple of the Demon Emperor, to abandon his dignity and kneel to the woman who killed his master was indeed hard to justify.
Zhang Ruochen didn't know how to console him. He asked, "And then? What happened to the Moon-Worshipping Cult? How did Shi Qianjue become the Cult Leader, and where is Ling Xiu, who had more supporters, now?"
Gu Songzi shook his head. "After that incident, I was utterly disheartened and left the Cult. Later, I learned some things. It was said that the conflict between Ling Xiu and Shi Qianjue pushed the already weakened Cult to the brink of collapse. Some aristocratic families and sects in the Central Domain planned to unite and destroy the Cult, carving up its resources."
"At the critical moment of the Cult's survival, Ling Xiu voluntarily gave up the fight for the Cult Leader position, crippled his own cultivation on Wuding Mountain, and from then on, Shi Qianjue became the new Cult Leader. Ling Xiu lived in seclusion and never interfered in Cult affairs again."
"It was said that after becoming the Cult Leader, Shi Qianjue was also deeply regretful, feeling that the master and disciples shouldn't have turned against each other like that. So he searched the world for life-extending sacred medicines, sought out every Saint-level Alchemist, trying to heal Ling Xiu. Even Ling Xiu's daughter was appointed as the foremost Saintess, holding a position second only to the Cult Leader. But in my view, he was just buying people's loyalty." Gu Songzi snorted coldly.
He hated Gu Songzi, but his enmity with Shi Qianjue was a blood feud.
Unfortunately, Shi Qianjue's cultivation was too high, and he would probably never be able to take revenge in this lifetime.