# Chapter 2996: Son of the Heavenly Venerable
Xuan Yuan Lie Kong held the wooden box with both hands, respectfully presenting it before Zhang Ruochen.
*Anyway, taking a look wouldn't hurt.*
Zhang Ruochen opened the wooden box and looked inside. His pupils sharply contracted.
Inside lay a turtle shell.
"This is a missing page from the *Innate Dao Method*, a supreme treasure of the Daoist lineage. I believe Fellow Daoist Yellow Ox can recognize it? Is this medical gift sincere enough?" A voice sounded from within the carriage.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze shifted continuously, his heart surging with waves, countless thoughts racing through his mind.
Slowly, he closed the wooden box and pushed it back.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am very curious. You should be born from the Wanxu Realm, correct? The Xuan Yuan Clan has no connection to the Fox Clan either. Why is it that the one who came to invite me, a poor Daoist, is you, rather than a demon clan deity?"
"Grandmother Heavenly Fox's cultivation is supreme. She has rendered countless meritorious deeds on the Starry Sky Battlefield. I, this young master, deeply admire her and do not wish to see her tormented by the Three Fiend Corpse Poison, nor to see her unable to survive the Eon Calamity in the future. Even more so, I do not wish to see the one who brought firewood for the masses freeze to death in the wind and snow." The voice in the carriage spoke thus.
How could Zhang Ruochen believe such nonsense? He said, "Since you, young master, are so warm-hearted, you should seek out a Buddhist divine monk to take action."
Xuan Yuan Lie Kong said, "My young master has already stepped forward and invited a Buddhist great god to help Grandmother Heavenly Fox purify a large amount of the Three Fiend Corpse Poison, but it has never been completely eliminated."
Now Zhang Ruochen was truly somewhat surprised.
He had heard that Grandmother Heavenly Fox had deeply offended the Buddhist sect and had relied on a major connection to invite a Buddhist great god to resolve her corpse poison.
Could it be that this "major connection" was the mysterious person in the carriage?
If so, then this golden carriage appearing here to intercept him should not be someone's conspiracy and scheming, nor a deliberate attempt to deal with him.
But who exactly was the person in the carriage?
There must be a deep relationship with Grandmother Heavenly Fox.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I very much want to know who told you, young master, that I, a poor Daoist, can resolve the Three Fiend Corpse Poison?"
"That cannot be said." The person in the carriage said.
"In that case, I, a poor Daoist, will not go. Let's go this way!"
Zhang Ruochen slapped the old yellow ox's rump, bypassed the golden carriage, and strode away.
The Great Saints of the Xuan Yuan Clan standing beneath the golden carriage all had cold, fierce gazes and murderous auras soaring to the heavens. Even if the other party was a deity, since he dared to be so disrespectful to the young master in the carriage, they feared nothing and would fight to the death without regret.
They could already be called Great Saint-level death warriors.
After a moment, the sound of wheels turning caught up.
The voice from within the golden carriage said, "I, this young master, still have some influence over the Heavenly Beginning Civilization. If the Kunlun Realm is willing to accept the fire seed of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, I believe this is indeed an excellent place. The elder Tai Shang truly respects life and loves the natural Dao. He will surely treat the cultivators of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization well."
"So, this can also become a condition?" Zhang Ruochen said.
That voice said, "I, this young master, truly only want to save people, and I truly believe the Kunlun Realm is one of the best destinations for the fire seed of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization."
Zhang Ruochen politely declined, saying, "It's not that I, a poor Daoist, don't want to help Senior Heavenly Fox resolve the corpse poison, but my cultivation is shallow and I lack the ability."
"Won't you even try?" The voice in the carriage said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I dare not try."
"Fine! I, this young master, respect your choice, Fellow Daoist, and will not force you. However, these two conditions will remain. Even if you truly cannot resolve the corpse poison, as long as you are willing to give it your best effort, they will still count."
"Rumble!"
Nine Bone Clan deities pulled the golden carriage and sped away.
Zhang Ruochen gazed intently, unable to make sense of it, and thought to himself, "Just who is this person?"
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned cold.
Women's words were becoming less and less trustworthy.
At first, Zhang Ruochen thought this was another trick by Feng Qi.
But when the other party brought out the remnant scroll of the *Innate Dao Method*, Zhang Ruochen began to suspect Feng Xi.
By the time the other party directly exposed his identity as a Kunlun Realm cultivator, Zhang Ruochen was certain that Feng Xi had betrayed him. Only Feng Xi knew he came from the Kunlun Realm.
Clearing his mind of distracting thoughts, Zhang Ruochen soon arrived at Luo Shen Mansion.
Standing outside the mansion, one could see towering divine halls within, lofty and majestic, accompanied by mountains, with thick divine qi and various strange beasts flying in the sky.
But even with divine eyes, one could not see the full scene inside.
The protective formation was built along the mansion walls, which were as tall as city walls, inscribed with Daoist trigram seals.
Before he could go to pay a visit, Zhang Ruochen first saw Feng Xi across from Luo Shen Mansion. Instantly, a look of anger appeared on his wrinkled face.
This anger was half real, half fake.
Feng Xi, like a gentle breeze in the rain, drifted over. Her beautiful eyes held a deep apologetic expression. "I knew Fellow Daoist Yellow Ox would definitely come to visit Uncle Luo, so I have been waiting here for some time."
Zhang Ruochen raised his chin and said, "You, madam, should no longer mention the word 'fellow daoist' in front of me, a poor Daoist."
Feng Xi's expression was bitter. "Is Fellow Daoist unwilling to give Xi even a chance to explain?"
"Is an explanation still needed?"
Zhang Ruochen jumped down from the old yellow ox's back, his gaze cold.
Feng Xi walked up to him and said, "In Fellow Daoist's heart, is Xi the kind of person who would betray a friend? If I truly had betrayed you, why would I personally wait here, just to meet with you and explain the full cause and effect?"
Zhang Ruochen was ultimately a soft-hearted person. He walked with Feng Xi into a tea house across from Luo Shen Mansion.
A tea house that could open across from Luo Shen Mansion was naturally extraordinary. Inside, there were as many as a thousand types of sacred teas, from various realms.
But unfortunately, in these times, few still had the leisure to drink tea.
Feng Xi clearly knew the tea house owner. She ordered the most precious tea in the shop and, with her delicate jade hands, personally handed a steaming yellow clay teacup to Zhang Ruochen.
"This is the spring bud of the Divine Toon Tree, harvested only once every thirty-two thousand years. Would Fellow Daoist like to try it?" she said.
Zhang Ruochen did not reach for the teacup. "Is this something that can be settled with a single cup of tea?"
Feng Xi sighed softly. "Xi truly admires Fellow Daoist's conduct and Dao methods. I do not wish to lose you as a friend. Does Fellow Daoist know who it was that sought you out earlier?"
"Who?"
This was something Zhang Ruochen was genuinely very interested in.
Feng Xi said, "The son of the Heavenly Venerable, Xuan Yuan Lian."
Zhang Ruochen drew in a cold breath, then his gaze froze. "No wonder!"
"Lord Lian has always been very mysterious. Few have seen his true form. But over the past hundred thousand years, he has constantly traveled through the various worlds, resolving conflicts between deities, reducing countless disputes in the Heavenly Court. He represents the Heavenly Venerable, and everyone gives him face."
Feng Xi continued, "Now, Fellow Daoist should understand why he wanted to help Grandmother Heavenly Fox, right?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "But I don't understand. Even if he is the son of the Heavenly Venerable, that doesn't mean you had to betray me, a poor Daoist, does it?"
Feng Xi said, "Xi did not betray Fellow Daoist. Your origin was guessed by him. With his status, he couldn't trace you, but he could trace the Wind Clan, the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, and the Five Elements Temple. By eliminating possibilities one by one, he naturally arrived at the answer. As for who told Lord Lian that Fellow Daoist could resolve the Three Fiend Corpse Poison, I believe I don't need to elaborate for Fellow Daoist to guess."
"Feng Qi? Nine-Tailed Heart Fox?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi said, "Feng Qi."
Thinking back to how he had angrily confronted her without asking for clarification, Zhang Ruochen felt ashamed.
Looking at Feng Xi again, she was born into the Wind Clan, noble as a deity. To explain things to him, she had waited here alone, humble yet sincere.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the teacup from the table. "Fellow Daoist Xi, I, a poor Daoist, have wronged you. This cup is my apology!"
With that, he took a sip.
"Excellent tea!" Zhang Ruochen praised.
Feng Xi's lively, clear eyes revealed a captivating smile. She raised her teacup with both hands. "To be able to clear up the misunderstanding with Fellow Daoist, Xi no longer has to worry about losing and gaining."
"True friendship doesn't need to go through such trials?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Feng Xi's smile was like a spring breeze. "This has also shown Xi Fellow Daoist's magnanimous side! Being able to apologize to a cultivator of lower cultivation is a rare and valuable quality. Unlike those immature young cultivators who, even when they know they have wronged someone they care about, stubbornly refuse to admit it and won't say a single word to make peace."
Who was she implying?
Feng Yan?
Zhang Ruochen felt that Feng Xi's gaze was a bit off. What did she mean? Could it be that Feng Yan's elder sister actually liked the mature type like Yellow Ox Daoist?
That didn't seem right either!
Feng Xi and Yellow Ox Daoist had only met a few times.
Zhang Ruochen was simply too close to see clearly. Whether it was helping the Wind Clan cultivators resolve the Yin Wound Corpse Poison or protecting the Divine Toon Tree of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization in the sea forbidden zone, these were not things ordinary people would do.
Looking back at the actions of Feng Qi and the others at the time, one could see his rare and valuable qualities.
Moreover, when Feng Xi learned that the Wind Clan had been schemed against by Feng Qi, Nine-Tailed Heart Fox, and Qiu Yu Divine Lord, she was in an extremely dangerous position, at risk of being killed to silence her at any moment.
During this time, Zhang Ruochen had walked through it with her, subtly giving her enough confidence and a sense of security.
Furthermore, Zhang Ruochen had directly taken out the Green Ping Sword and shown it to her. In her eyes, this was the greatest trust he could give her.
For this reason, in a very short time, she regarded Zhang Ruochen as a "fellow daoist."
The word "fellow daoist" meant both a companion on the same path and a close friend.
To obtain either one was already not easy.
To obtain both was worthy of being called "fellow daoist."
A true "fellow daoist" was not something spoken lightly.
Of course, all of this only made Feng Xi develop sufficient goodwill for the unremarkable Yellow Ox Daoist. If this goodwill continued to ferment, it was not impossible that it could rise to the level of romantic love between a man and a woman.
But for now, it was far from enough.
Zhang Ruochen stood up. "I still have important matters. I need to visit Fellow Daoist Luo. I will take my leave here."
"Uncle Luo is not at Luo Shen Mansion. He has gone to the Divine King Mansion," Feng Xi said.