Chapter 23: The Unavoidable Reckoning

In a secluded corner of the Spirit Field Valley, a group loyal to Li Jing had gathered. Many were Spirit Sprout Realm cultivators, and there were even a few at the Fifth-Leaf stage.

“I have gathered everyone here today because there is a matter I would like to ask for your help with,” Li Jing said, clearing his throat and scanning the crowd. Although he said he was “asking,” his tone was not that of a supplicant. Bolstered by his royal temperament, he gave off an air that did not permit refusal. “I would like to select one person to go to the Lava Cellar to protect Qin Haoxuan.”

The moment he finished speaking, Murong Chao nearly jumped up to object. But a faint glance from Li Jing made him realize his gaffe. Though still dissatisfied, he dared not speak out.

Not only Murong Chao, but the others also couldn’t understand what Li Jing was playing at. To not kick a man when he was down was already benevolent enough. Why should they help him?

Seeing the confusion on their faces, Li Jing smiled slightly and explained, “Because of Xu Yu.”

His words were a revelation. They instantly understood. Xu Yu was very close to Qin Haoxuan and had stood up for him several times. To win over Xu Yu, they had to start with Qin Haoxuan. The benefits of bringing her to Li Jing’s side were self-evident.

Murong Chao was no fool. Realizing his mistake, he immediately knelt on the ground and begged for Li Jing’s forgiveness. Given the prince’s character, although he might not say anything to his face, offending him would surely lead to trouble down the line.

“Your Highness, your vision is far-reaching and your considerations thorough. I was out of line. Please punish me!”

“Get up, Junior Brother Murong. You were only thinking of me. What crime have you committed?” Li Jing said, helping him up. “Haven’t I said it many times? We are all disciples of the Taichu Sect, like brothers. Calling me ‘Your Highness’ is too formal. Doesn’t ‘Senior Brother’ sound more intimate?”

This display of magnanimity immediately won him a great deal of goodwill. Voices of praise rose from the crowd. “Junior Brother is wise and respects his subordinates! With your Unsurpassed Purple Seed aptitude, your future achievements are limitless!”

A tall, Fifth-Leaf Spirit Sprout expert stepped forward. “Junior Brother, let me, Chang Qingshan, handle this matter.”

Chang Qingshan’s volunteering immediately earned him an appreciative look from Li Jing. The others, not wanting to be outdone, also began to volunteer.

Only after everyone had stated their willingness did Li Jing raise his hand for silence. “Thank you all for your support. Since Senior Brother Chang was the first to volunteer, I will have to trouble him with this.”

Having received Li Jing’s approval, Chang Qingshan, who was about to suffer in the Lava Cellar for a few days, looked as if he had won the lottery. The other Fifth-Leaf cultivators looked at him with envy, cursing themselves for not being the first to volunteer for such a prime opportunity.

Back in the Lava Cellar, after the mutually destructive fight with Yuan Shanxiang, Qin Haoxuan lay on the ground, his wounds burning. At the same time, however, the sensation of pain was greatly reduced. Half an hour later, he found that although it was still excruciating, he could move again.

Perhaps because of the injury, the medicinal power of the One-Leaf Golden Lotus, which had been gradually settling inside him, began to rage again, and his body grew hot. Driven by this maddening heat, Qin Haoxuan had no choice but to grit his teeth and get up to cultivate. What if the power became too intense and caused him to explode?

To the utter astonishment of the other prisoners, Qin Haoxuan, having taken a full-power blow from a Fifth-Leaf expert, struggled to push himself into a sitting position, arranged his legs, and began to meditate as if nothing had happened.

Even if he was a Xiantian Martial Artist, he was still a mortal. For a mortal to injure a cultivator was already terrifying. Even more terrifying was that half an hour after taking an enraged blow from a Fifth-Leaf expert, he could get up and cultivate as if nothing had happened.

If it were anyone else, they would have been half-dead, if not killed outright. Even if Qin Haoxuan was a monster, he had at least a few broken ribs. How could he possibly calm his mind enough to meditate with such intense pain?

Unexpectedly, he entered a meditative state almost instantly, his slightly erratic breathing gradually becoming steady.

Under the incredulous gazes of the others, he began to frantically absorb spiritual energy, taking a great deal of effort to pacify the restless medicinal power within him. If not for the fact that the Dao Heart Seed Demon Art absorbed energy silently, the sheer speed of his intake, which was comparable to a Gray Seed disciple’s, would have been enough to scare everyone in the cellar witless.

Is this kid a monster? Lying in the corner, barely able to move, Yuan Shanxiang knew the force of his enraged strike. Even a Second or Third-Leaf cultivator might have been killed by it. But Qin Haoxuan, a mere mortal, had not only survived but was now able to get up and cultivate.

Furthermore, the spiritual energy in the Lava Cellar contained a “hot poison.” Even he had to be careful when absorbing it, filtering out the poison. How could a mere mortal like Qin Haoxuan possibly do that?

No matter how hard he thought, he could never imagine that Qin Haoxuan didn’t need to filter out the hot poison at all. For him, overflowing with the lotus’s medicinal power, it was not a poison but a sweet nectar.

It was not until the aroma of food wafted in that the starving Qin Haoxuan stopped. He pushed himself up against the wall and limped to the iron door. He shot a glare at the other prisoners, who froze in their tracks. He then unceremoniously sat down and began to devour the food. Previously, he had only eaten half of the total amount, but today, his appetite seemed to be exceptionally good. He ate every last grain of the dozen or so portions.

Although he was injured, the old-timers didn’t dare to say a word. The psychological impact he had on them was too great. Having felt his fists, they didn’t think for a moment that they were stronger than the heavily injured Yuan Shanxiang.

Yuan Shanxiang could only watch as Qin Haoxuan ate all the food. Even he, a self-proclaimed glutton, couldn’t eat that much in one sitting. After a long moment, his starving stomach reminded him: that bastard had eaten his meal too!

But like the other prisoners, though he was cursing him to hell and back in his mind, he chose to remain silent. He knew he was in no position to challenge Qin Haoxuan now.

Not long after, the person arranged by Li Jing arrived. He was also a Fifth-Leaf disciple. The enforcers who escorted him looked at Qin Haoxuan with undisguised curiosity. The newly arrived protector, Chang Qingshan, was also baffled. How could such an ordinary-looking new disciple with mediocre aptitude be the cause of so much scheming among the three Purple Seeds?

Before he arrived, Chang Qingshan had imagined Qin Haoxuan to be in a miserable state. For an ordinary person to injure a Fifth-Leaf disciple was already incredible. He had thought the rumors were exaggerated. But upon arriving, he found that the rumors were true. Yuan Shanxiang was heavily injured and immobile, while Qin Haoxuan could still eat, snatch food, and cultivate.

“Junior Brother Qin has some impressive skills,” Chang Qingshan said, recovering his composure and clasping his hands in greeting. “Junior Brother Li Jing and Junior Sister Xu Yu sent me to look after you, but it seems that was a bit unnecessary.”

Sent by Li Jing? Qin Haoxuan raised an eyebrow, then smiled. He’s probably not here for me, but to win over Xu Yu.

Sent by Li Jing and Xu Yu? The other prisoners’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. One Purple Seed sends a Fifth-Leaf expert to deal with him, and the other two immediately send someone to protect him!

They all knew the potential of an Unsurpassed Purple Seed. If they could get on the good side of one, their future would be bright. If they offended one, it was suicide.

What was the deal with this Qin Haoxuan? One Purple Seed wanted him dead, while two others were sending people to protect him.

This complicated relationship also terrified the injured Yuan Shanxiang. He was glad he hadn’t managed to kill Qin Haoxuan. Otherwise, the other two Purple Seeds would have surely used the sect’s rules to have him killed, and not even Zhang Kuang could have protected him. He completely abandoned all thoughts of revenge.

Li Jing? Qin Haoxuan slowly stood up and walked forward. If it were just Xu Yu, I could trust this person. But with Li Jing involved… he’s royalty, full of schemes. I’d better be careful.

Yuan Shanxiang watched Qin Haoxuan approach, puzzled. What is this kid doing? Not good! He suddenly sensed killing intent from Qin Haoxuan and tried to get up, but he was too slow. Qin Haoxuan’s foot stomped down hard on his broken leg. The sharp movement pulled at his own broken ribs, and he let out a pig-like squeal of agony.

What’s going on? Chang Qingshan was stunned, but he quickly moved to block any potential counterattack from Yuan Shanxiang.

“What are you doing?” Yuan Shanxiang glared at Qin Haoxuan from the floor.

“This is… for safety.”

Hearing Qin Haoxuan’s thoughtful reply, Yuan Shanxiang suddenly felt the urge to cry. Safety? Safety for your whole family! If I had known you had two Purple Seeds as backers, I would never have come looking for trouble! And now you have another Fifth-Leaf expert by your side! How much safer do you need to be? Do I look like I have a death wish? I’m already about to beg for your forgiveness… safety…

Chang Qingshan watched with a frown, a chill rising in his heart. He had seen ruthless people before, but never this ruthless. With his character and methods, even if his aptitude was poor, as long as he had the right opportunities, his future achievements would not be low.

Cultivation required this kind of ruthlessness.

Over the next few days, Qin Haoxuan diligently absorbed spiritual energy. In three days, his injuries were 60-70% healed. Such a recovery speed was incredible even for a cultivator, let alone a mortal like him.

Although he had Chang Qingshan’s protection, Qin Haoxuan still made a point to stomp on Yuan Shanxiang every day and starved him for three days. As a result, his injuries did not improve, and he was on the verge of starvation. On the fourth day…

When Yuan Shanxiang saw Qin Haoxuan walking towards him again, he immediately kowtowed and swore that he would never harbor any ill intentions towards him again, begging for forgiveness. Only then was he spared another beating.

After infusing his Immortal Seed with a large amount of spiritual energy, Qin Haoxuan could faintly feel that the seedling within the crack had grown some tiny roots. Although they hadn’t anchored themselves in his Dantian yet, with a little more time, he would complete the Rooting Stage.

Seven days passed in a flash. As two enforcers escorted him out of the Lava Cellar, Qin Haoxuan felt a little reluctant to leave. His injuries were 80% healed, and the roots of his seedling were becoming more distinct. Once he was out, he would have to be on guard against Zhang Kuang and Li Jing’s schemes. It wasn’t as peaceful as it was here.

When Qin Haoxuan was led away, the prisoners in the Lava Cellar broke into genuine smiles. They could finally eat a little more. The still-injured Yuan Shanxiang was so happy he cried. For the past five days, he had only been spared a beating after kowtowing and begging for mercy. If Qin Haoxuan had stayed for another ten days, he would have been crippled for life.

However, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, Huang Li entered the cell with two other enforcers, her face like ice. She unrolled an official decree and announced, “Criminal Yuan Shanxiang has repeatedly violated the sect’s rules. The verdict is: cripple his cultivation, wipe his mind, and throw him into the Courtyard of the Stultified as a laborer!”

“What?” Yuan Shanxiang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He collapsed to the ground and shouted, “You! How dare you! I’m Junior Brother Zhang Kuang’s man! Does he know you’re doing this?”

Huang Li’s face was frosty. “Zhang Kuang? A Purple Seed can protect himself, but he can’t protect you! Do you really think the rules of Taichu are just for show? Men! Drag him away!”

“Junior Brother Zhang, save me! Save me…” Yuan Shanxiang struggled, but he was no match for the wolf-like enforcers. He was dragged out of the cell, his screams and pleas for help echoing down the corridor.

As he was dragged past Qin Haoxuan, he begged for mercy. “Junior Brother Qin, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please, put in a good word for me…”

His pleas were met with only a cold stare from Qin Haoxuan.