The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Chapter 278: Chapter 277: The Old Man

Shangguan Lie glanced at Shangguan Hao, who was kneeling on the floor and winking at him, before slowly backing away. After Shangguan Lie left, the gazes of the others in the main hall converged on him. These were all high-ranking members of the Shangguan Family, their authority built up over a long time. Under their watch, anyone would feel the pressure.

But Shangguan Hao still wore that same carefree smile, showing not a hint of nervousness. Just then, an Elder barked, "Shangguan Hao, this is the main hall. Wipe that look off your face."

Hearing this, Shangguan Hao finally reined in his expression and said to Shangguan Bei, "Father, the matter in Hai Kou was purely Third Brother’s own foolishness. It had nothing to do with me."

"We didn’t call you here to talk about what happened in Hai Kou."

Shangguan Bei said coolly, "Did you poison Li Jiancai?"

"Li Jiancai, that punk, is poisoned?" Shangguan Hao’s eyes darted around for a moment. He looked utterly stunned, then slapped his thigh and said with undisguised glee, "That’s fantastic! Serves him right for trying to snatch the Silver Dove from me. He had it coming."

"Hmph. As a young master of the Shangguan Family, it’s bad enough that you’re a good-for-nothing wastrel. But you actually dared to secretly poison the second young master of the Li Family. And now, Patriarch Li himself has come to our door looking for you."

"Ah! How did he know it was me?" Shangguan Hao cried out before hastily clapping a hand over his mouth. But everyone had heard him loud and clear. One of the Elders snorted. "Though the Li Family is weaker than our Shangguan Family, they are still one of the top families in Lieyang City," he said coldly. "For you to bring this kind of trouble upon us... if you weren’t the Patriarch’s son, you would have been ground to dust and scattered to the winds long ago!"

"That day at Chunfeng Tower, you were the only one fighting with Li Jiancai out of jealousy. What’s more, people saw you offer him a toast. Shortly after he went home, the poison flared up. If you didn’t do it, who did? Himself?"

"Unfilial son!" Shangguan Bei said icily. "You need to understand your place. You were born of a concubine. Everything you have today is thanks to this family’s protection. I will cover for you one last time. If you cause any more trouble, I will not hesitate to cut you down." With that, he flicked his sleeve and stormed away.

Seeing this, the other Elders also snorted in contempt and departed.

Shangguan Hao watched them go with a wide grin. He then rose, patted the dust from his clothes, and left the main hall to return to his room.

Deep in the night, on the back mountain of the Shangguan Family estate.

Two figures stood side by side, facing into the wind. If anyone had been there to see them, they would have been shocked pale, for the two were none other than Shangguan Bei, the Master of the Noble Family, and Shangguan Hao.

"Tell me," Shangguan Bei said, "your thoughts on the one who injured Lie’er."

"Father, his Cultivation is unfathomable. He saw through my disguise with a single glance, and I couldn’t withstand a single one of his moves." Shangguan Hao was clad in a black robe, seeming to merge as one with the dark night.

Gone was the playful smirk he usually wore. His handsome face now held a bleakness like an autumn wind, and... a murderous aura!

"Just as I thought." Shangguan Bei sighed. "Even the two guest Elders, Zhao and Li, were no match for him. It’s only natural that you would be at a disadvantage."

"Have you discovered his origins?" Shangguan Bei asked.

"I’ve activated the Shangguan Family’s network of spies," Shangguan Hao said. "There’s no information on him anywhere in the Hundred Cities. He must not be from around here. He claimed to be a Loose Cultivator, so he’s likely a Martial Artist from across the Celestial Dragon Sea Region."

"Sigh. So many geniuses have been appearing lately. When the Second Elder returned, he told me about a peerless talent named Qin Ya. He reached the Extraordinary realm at a young age, obtained a Spiritual Artifact from an Ancient King, and even managed to escape from the pressure of six Celestial Human experts. A truly stunning talent."

"Wait, Father, you said his name is... Qin Ya?!"

Shangguan Hao’s pupils contracted. "The man who injured Third Brother was also called Qin Ya. There are no such coincidences in this world. They must be one and the same."

Shangguan Bei’s expression grew grim. "The Second Elder was involved in the attempt to steal his Spiritual Artifact. He already has a grudge against our Shangguan Family. Now, with this business with Lie’er on top of it... this could be troublesome."

"Father, what should we do?"

"Hao’er, deploy all our spies within the city. You must find him."

Shangguan Hao hesitated for a moment before asking, "And once we find him, Father... what do you intend to do?"

"What do you think we should do?" Shangguan Bei countered, not answering the question.

"Reconcile," Shangguan Hao said coolly. "If we can befriend a person of his caliber, he could be a great asset to the Shangguan Family in the future."

"And if reconciliation fails?"

At those words, a murderous look appeared on Shangguan Hao’s face. For an instant, Shangguan Bei thought he could see a vision behind his son: mountains of corpses in a sea of blood, a road paved with bleached bones.

"Then we kill him!"

"If we can’t reconcile, a person like that will become a major threat in the future. Such a threat must be eliminated in its infancy," Shangguan Hao said, his tone chillingly cold.

Shangguan Bei nodded, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. "First the carrot, then the stick. My thoughts exactly. Since he has already seen through your disguise, I’ll leave this matter in your hands."

"Yes, Father."

............

Inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, the stone door to the Celestial No. 1 Cultivation Room abruptly opened.

An old man with white hair and a black robe stepped out, looking radiant. He felt the immense power coursing through his body, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight, joyful smile. "Ha," he whispered, "with the help of so many Elixirs and Primordial Stones, my Cultivation has finally broken through to the Celestial Human High Rank."

The old man slowly extended his right hand. A strand of golden True Essence coiled around his fingers, faintly exuding a chaotic energy, like a brewing tempest.

Yes, chaotic. The wisp of True Essence lay quietly in the old man’s palm, yet it gave off a frenzied aura, as if it could erupt at any moment.

The very Space around it seemed to warp and twist from its presence.

Smiling in satisfaction, the old man dispersed the True Essence. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the Celestial No. 3 Cultivation Room across the way. He paused. ’The Grand Array is active. Someone’s in that Cultivation Room,’ he thought. "Heh, I wonder which Celestial Human it is."

There were only seven Cultivation Rooms on the thirty-sixth floor, all of them prepared specifically for Celestial Human experts—and wealthy ones at that. So, his assumption was perfectly normal. Then, he saw that stone door begin to slowly open.

’Good,’ he thought. ’Let’s see which Celestial Human this is.’

The old man smiled, a smug look in his eyes. He had considerable prestige in Lieyang City and his Cultivation was formidable; he knew nearly every Celestial Human expert there. Now that his own Cultivation had advanced another step, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to show off a little.

’Is it the Li Family Ancestor, Li Zikuan? Or maybe Zhao Chao from the Zhao Family?’

’Heh, perhaps it’s an Elder from the Shangguan Family.’

’Now that my Cultivation has broken through to the Celestial Human High Rank and my Dharma Aspect is nearing Perfection, there’s no one in Lieyang City who can match me, save for a few hidden old monsters and the Shangguan Family Patriarch. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out. Surprise, jealousy, envy... Heh.’

Like a child with a new toy, desperate to show it off, this lofty Celestial Human fixed his expectant gaze upon the slowly opening stone door.