Chapter 583: Chapter 33: The Absolute Fighting Book Demands a Proper Title
Seeing that Xiao He had been trapped within Zhang Yan’s formation, Sun Xian immediately realized that the situation was not promising. Later, when she noticed the arrival of a Nascent Soul cultivator, she felt the matter was far beyond her ability to meddle in. After calming her breath several times to restore her strength, she seized the moment when the red-haired Daoist and Zhang Yan were conversing to quietly raise a tunneling light that skimmed the ground and flew away. Before long, she had vanished without a trace.
The disciples who came from the Six Rivers and Four Islands were mostly direct relatives of the island masters. Witnessing that the Nascent Soul True Master who arrived later was equally at a loss against the array formation restriction, they, too, feared Zhang Yan might remember them and seek them out in the future. Like Sun Xian, they secretly rode their tunneling light and fled.
Most of these individuals were in the Xuan Guang Realm. Zhang Yan had no intent to concern himself with them. He glanced at the Little Pot Mirror, within which Xiao He was frantically charging about, crashing and thrashing wildly. His expression was ferocious, and he was shouting something incoherent.
With a faint smile, Zhang Yan observed. Although this formation was not some deadly Great Array, it was more than sufficient to trap a Hua Dan cultivator. Without Zhang Yan’s command, no matter how much Xiao He struggled, he would be unable to escape. Zhang Yan planned to wait until Xiao He was completely exhausted before capturing him.
Xiao He understood this principle as well, but given his temperament, he could not bear quietly waiting in place. Instead, he vented his emotions by recklessly charging around, trying to mask the fear and panic in his heart.
After watching for a few moments, Zhang Yan withdrew his gaze. Originally, he intended to deal with this person directly, but then an idea occurred to him. He thought to himself, "Judging from the cultivation technique this person practices, it seems to be one of the Five Skills and Three Scripture taught by the sect—’Xuanze Zhenmiao Shangdong Skill.’ Now that a major competition is imminent, this individual might still be of some use. Looks like it’s better to keep him for the time being."
He speculated that the Xiao Family would likely not make a grand fuss over this matter, but it was equally improbable that they would let it slide completely.
After mulling things over for a moment, he instructed the Mirror Spirit to fetch several Daoist Flying Talisman seals. Taking up his brush, he penned a few letters and then activated a spell to send them out.
These three flying letters traveled in different directions—one to Vice Master Pan of Zhengqing Institute, another to Zhou Chongju of Elixir Cauldron Institute, and the last one to Yang Fanghe of Nine Cities.
Zhang Yan was preoccupied with this thought: Today, the Xiao Family had sent a Nascent Soul True Master solely for Xiao He’s sake, showing that this individual held considerable status within the clan. If Xiao He’s capture drove some impulsive members of the Xiao Family to desperation, they might trouble Tian Kun or Mrs. Chen.
Among sect rivalries, it was an unspoken rule to avoid involving lower-level disciples. Interfering with another’s disciples implied that others could interfere with your disciples in turn. This was precisely why Zhang Yan killed Wan Zhang and Wen An when they harassed Liu Yan Yi earlier. After Vice Master Pan learned the reason, he simply left without escalating the matter. Zhengqing Institute made no move in response, as breaking this taboo was extremely frowned upon.
In Zhang Yan’s estimation, the Xiao Family, being one of the Five Great Clans, would be cautious of their status and likely would not send their own clan members directly to act. However, given their powerful position, merely dropping a few hints could easily spur smaller families to act on their behalf. If trouble arose, the Xiao Family could justify the matter without implicating themselves. Hence, Zhang Yan felt it necessary to take precautions against this possibility.
After the letters were dispatched, he summoned Liu Yan Yi and instructed, "Disciple, take this letter to Nephew Qiu and recount tonight’s events truthfully and in full detail. Do you understand?"
Liu Yan Yi, being sharp-witted, blinked her bright eyes and instantly grasped her master’s intentions. She bowed and said, "Disciple understands."
This was a way of indirectly letting Fan Changqing know the situation. Once Fan Changqing was informed, Qi Yuntian would naturally learn of it as well. Qi Yuntian, being the third-generation senior brother, was constantly under the scrutiny of countless eyes. Directly sending him a letter could lead to unnecessary trouble, so Zhang Yan opted for this roundabout approach.
Upon returning to the clan, the red-haired Daoist immediately reported the incident. Half a day later, a reply arrived from the sect. However, after hearing the message relayed, the red-haired Daoist’s face twitched uncontrollably. He grabbed the messenger, demanding furiously, "Is this truly what the eldest brother said?"
The messenger, a young cultivator appearing around thirty with a mole above his eyebrow, was unfazed despite being seized. Calmly, he replied, "Yes, the elder lord said that he is not appropriate to intervene in this matter directly. It is up to you to handle it as you see fit. However, you must remember one thing—do not disgrace the Xiao Family."
Sighing heavily, the red-haired Daoist released the young cultivator and shook his head, lamenting, "This is easier said than done."
Nevertheless, he understood that he was indeed the most suitable person to deal with this issue. In the clan, his blood ties to Xiao He were the closest, being a direct uncle-nephew relationship.