Chapter 56: Have You Seen a Ghost Again?
"Deputy Minister Qin, you should think carefully before speaking," said Fang Chen calmly.
Qin Dong gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice, "Divine General Fang, since you know about the Spirit Blood Sect, you should know to turn a blind eye to whatever it is that they do. The terror and strength they have are beyond your imagination. If you interfere in their affairs, a giant disaster might befall your Fang Family!”
The Daoist nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, the Spirit Blood Sect is too strong. They are rumored to have numerous formidable cultivators."
"Deputy Minister Qin, if you want to stay alive, just answer my questions. Don't mention anything irrelevant," Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
Qin Dong's expression changed. "Divine General Fang, I only know about the Hall of Compassion. If you want to accuse me, you can go to His Majesty and file a complaint.”
Then, seemingly having recalled something, he sneered. "I haven't done anything harmful or unjust. All the corpses in this dry well were caused by Master Xu Hui. I have nothing to do with them. I came here today to donate money. It doesn’t matter if you want to involve the Valiant Saber Guards or call the Grand Brilliance Bureau, I am innocent and I have nothing to fear!"
The Daoist was stunned; how could this guy be so shameless? He clearly saw him colluding with those cultivators from the Spirit Blood Sect. He had even wanted to humiliate two decent women!
A grin appeared on Fang Chen’s face. "Deputy Minister Qin, do you think that I’ve no other choice but to report this to the authorities because of your position as the Deputy Minister of Rites?"
"So? What are you going to do about it? Your title as the Divine General is merely courtesy. You are without a position or a job. You don't even have the qualification to interrogate me," Qin Dong replied slowly.
At that moment, he displayed the confidence accumulated over many years in office and no longer acted submissively. He knew that any sign of weakness right now would bring him a lot of trouble. He hoped that his toughness would make Fang Chen reconsider and spare him for now.
"As far as I know, the Spirit Blood Sect has seven practitioners in the Grand Xia Empire. Three of them have already died by my hands. Please disclose the identities and current locations of the remaining four. Also, inform me about people in the Grand Xia Empire who are also colluding with the Spirit Blood Sect like yourself. If you do, I might consider sparing your life," Fang Chen said calmly.
"Divine General Fang, don’t you understand what I just said? I am Qin Dong, the deputy minister of rites!" Qin Dong asserted forcefully.
"Tie Ma, take him away. Use the methods you’ve learned during your days in the Wolf Army to make him reveal everything he knows. I want to know everything about him, from the day he was born," Fang Chen ordered.
"Yes." Tie Ma appeared behind Qin Dong, knocked him unconscious, then carried him away. Seeing that, the Daoist thought to himself, This person isn’t weak.
Then, he turned to Fang Chen and asked, "How should I address you?"
Fang Chen cranked his neck and met the Daoist in the eye. Staring into Fang Chen’s gray-white eyes, he couldn’t help himself and raised his hand in the air, waving it in front of him.
"You know, just because I’m blind doesn't mean that I am completely unable to see." Fang Chen smiled.
The Daoist was a bit embarrassed hearing that, and he didn’t dare be disrespectful any further; after all, that person had just killed a Spirit Blood Sect cultivator. He had considerable skill.
"You may call me Daoye," the Daoist introduced himself.
"Daoye?" Fang Chen’s face turned a little strange.
Seeing that, Li Daoye explained awkwardly, "Please don't misunderstand. That's my real name. My full name is Li Daoye, and I come from the Eight Trigram Sect." He then pointed to the nun who was chanting scriptures under her breath and said, "She is Abbess Qing He, my close friend whom I had met on my journey. We have been through thick and thin together, and our bond is deep."
"Brother Li, do you have a deep understanding of the Spirit Blood Sect?" Fang Chen asked thoughtfully.
"That guy just now spoke some truth. You'd better not get involved with the Spirit Blood Sect. Even the major sects find it difficult to completely eradicate them," Li Daoye said with a serious expression. "If I had known that there were Spirit Blood Sect cultivators here, I wouldn't have set foot in this place."
"Please enlighten me, Brother Li," Fang Chen said.
Li Daoye glanced at Fang Chen, thought for a moment, and then said solemnly, "I only have a partial understanding of the Spirit Blood Sect. I know that they are extremely mysterious, with numerous disciples. To refine their Blood Spirit Pill, they send their disciples to instigate conflicts in major empires, using the blood essence of ordinary people to cultivate demonic elixirs." He then seemed to have remembered something and asked, full of curiosity, "Speaking of which, which sect do you belong to? How did you end up in this ninth-tier empire?"
Fang Chen smiled. "I am just a wandering cultivator. I was originally from the Grand Xia Empire. Where else am I supposed to go?”
Li Daoye's words gave him a slightly deeper understanding of the Spirit Blood Sect. The sect seemed even more formidable than he had imagined, leaving traces even in sixth-tier empires. Having lived in the Grand Xia Empire for many years, Fang Chen had tried to learn about eighth-tier empires and even seventh-tier empires before. He had always wanted to understand the differences between them and the Grand Xia Empire.
However, sixth-tier empires remained shrouded in a dense fog of mystery and, no matter how hard he had tried, he couldn’t gather any information on them.
"What?! You're from this place?" Li Daoye was slightly surprised, he then said in an incredulous tone, "A cultivator from a ninth-tier empire is indeed rare. Moreover, your cultivation isn’t too low...” He trailed off for a moment then continued, "Well, whatever it is, you should stay out of the Spirit Blood Sect's affairs. Once they refine enough Blood Spirit Pill, they’ll leave. Honestly, the terror of the Spirit Blood Sect is unimaginable. Rumor has it that there are powerhouses of the Spirit Blood Sect even in a first-tier empire!”
"Is this information reliable?" Fang Chen's expression darkened. A first-tier empire? The Central Continent was a first-tier empire. Could the Spirit Blood Sect also possess terrifying existences like Senior Yunhe, capable of traversing thousands of miles in an instant?
"I haven't seen it for myself, but that’s what I heard from the rumors. There's no smoke without fire. Just think about how the Spirit Blood Sect has not been truly suppressed for countless years and you'll understand," Li Daoye said, waving his hand. "Brother, I advise you not to get involved in these matters. Take the opportunity to hide before the Spirit Blood Sect detects your presence. Cultivation is not easy, and as someone from a mere ninth-tier empire, being able to embark on the path of cultivation is a rare opportunity. Don't ruin your future because of this."
"Am I supposed to allow the cultivators of the Spirit Blood Sect to torment the people of my empire and use their lives to refine this Blood Spirit Pill of theirs ?" Fang Chen sneered. "Someone has to do something about it, right?"
"But what can you do? Even if your cultivation is high, you’re still in the Qi Refining Realm. While the cultivation levels of the Spirit Blood Sect disciples here isn’t too high, unless you’re at the Foundation Establishment Realm, you won’t be able to go against them." Li Daoye frowned.
"Daoye, let's help them," Abbess Qing He spoke suddenly.
"Abbess Qing He, have you gone mad? Do you want to oppose the Spirit Blood Sect? Don't forget that your cultivation is only at the second stage of the Qi Refining Realm. A sneeze from them, and you're done for!" Li Daoye stared at her in astonishment.
"But they pleaded with me to stay and help Divine General Fang, saying that he is the last hope of the Grand Xia Empire. I promised them..." The young nun's eyes turned slightly red.
"They pleaded with you? Have you seen ghosts again?" Li Daoye felt his hair stand on end, and he started looking around nervously. He subconsciously moved closer to Fang Chen.
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