Chen Wentian spent the rest of the day traveling the capital and laying down a network of shadow anchors in popular locations and city centers. It was the widest net he had ever cast. He wanted to get a more accurate pulse of the whole Eastern Sanmu Metropolis and perhaps get small leads that led to more substantial ones.
Shadow anchors were cheap to lay down but they weren't cheap to maintain. This didn't have to do with spiritual energy but soul energy instead. By himself, he could only observe a limited number of anchors. The rest had to be delegated to his other souls, which cut down on the time they could spend cultivating.
With this scheme, the total number of anchors he could watch over was close to a thousand!
After this was done, Chen Wentian picked up Zhou Ziyun from the library and returned to the Small Wind Pagoda. The hotel was much less crowded after the start of the Golden Feather Hunt. Immortal masters came and went with their disciples but nobody stayed for long. Everyone was trying their best.
There had not been any rewards redeemed yet but clear frontrunners were starting to appear. In just a week, the leaderboard was filled with along list of people who had just obtained their third feather. This was indeed quite impressive as Chen Wentian's disciples all only had one feather each. The race was on to see who would reach nine feathers first.
Chen Wentian let Zhou Ziyun memorize the leaderboard and was about to go upstairs when an immortal aura brushed past him. It was a covert message delivered not through intermediaries but directly between immortals. The person on the other end didn't want anything to be leaked.
"What is it?" Zhou Ziyun asked, she had felt it as well.
"An interesting situation. News travels fast in the capital." He held out an arm, "Come, let's go see what it's about."
Zhou Ziyun didn't take it. She pinched his waist and stood beside him dutifully as a disciple. She wasn't going to cling to him like a lover in front of everyone.
"Heh… fine."
They went upstairs, not to their floor but several floors higher. They arrived in front of an unfamiliar door which automatically opened. The interior was similar in style and design to their own.
The lonely occupant of the large room was a female immortal who floated forward to greet them.
"Greetings, Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian, I am Immortal Phoenix Legend Shi Shi of the Legendary Fighter League."
She was taller than Chen Wentian and had a valiant aura about her. The blazing red robes that were extremely conservative only enhanced this aspect.
She didn't look too old, more like middle-aged. Although her youth was gone and there were wrinkles, it did not take too much away from her naturally beautiful face.
"Chen Wentian, I asked you here for a serious matter, why did you bring your disciple?" Immortal Phoenix Legend Shi Shi asked bluntly, eyeing Zhou Ziyun with displeasure.
"Relax, I am not being frivolous. I am totally serious. This disciple of mine is my advisor on almost everything. She has a sharp mind and I trust her." Chen Wentian replied.
Shi Shi looked between the two and gave in. She was the one who had called the meeting in the first place. They sat down and Shi Shi began to explain the situation. What prompted her was Chen Wentian's surprise visit to Rainbow Canyon Temple as well as the news of his gifts and well wishes being spread around the city by the immortals of that sect.
In a sense, his actions had brought an air of legitimacy to what should have been a scandal for the temple. It was originally the disciples of the temple that had wronged the disciples of the Legendary Fighter League. Now it seemed like a fair and suitable match between disciples of two sects that should be celebrated.
Shi Shi was visibly furious as she retold the story. Xin Zhen and Ying Shenwu were her most talented, the two that she prized the most. They even had an engagement between them. They agreed to team up with the despicable pair of Kun Meng and Shen Kexing from the temple and were immediately schemed upon. Through wine drugged with an aphrodisiac, Kun Meng ended up in Ying Shenwu's bed and that slut Shen Kexing ended with Xin Zhen.
Both of Shi Shi's disciples were virgins before that night which made it even worse. After they were assaulted, she did not even get an opportunity for revenge. Rainbow Canyon Temple took responsibility for Kun Meng but blamed Xin Zhen for sleeping with Shen Kexing. If she wanted to kill Kun Meng, then Xin Zhen had to die as well.
It was a cruel double scheme and it worked. It left her helpless.
"Lord Shi Shi, if I may ask, why did you not just take your disciples and leave. Why are they getting married to the vile disciples of the temple?" Zhou Ziyun asked.
"Girl, I would have. I would have spat in their faces. But it was the threat from a higher power that forced me to comply…"
"The Eastern Light Clan." Chen Wentian said.
It wasn't a question since he already knew the power behind the temple.
"How did you… Did they get to you too? Is that why you visited the temple with gifts?" Shi Shi asked.
"No, you don't have to worry about that. There is no chance they can ever tell me what to do, not after the stunt they pulled during the ranking ceremony." Chen Wentian said.
"I am curious, how did they exactly threaten you? Couldn't you raise the issue with the other Spirit Kings, perhaps the House of Armament?" Zhou Ziyun asked.
Shi Shi snorted in anger and didn't answer.
"Forcing an immortal to act against their will isn't easy but it isn't too hard either." Chen Wentian spoke vaguely.
Zhou Ziyun absorbed his words and pondered the matter a few seconds.
"Master, I understand. Lord Shi Shi, I would guess that it serves the best interest of both Rainbow Canyon Temple and the Eastern Light Clan for this wedding to go through. To receive the necessary cooperation, they had to pay the necessary cost, not through threats but through bribes. They offered something that could help a Spirit Lord's cultivation, something that would be equally or perhaps even more valuable than losing two excellent disciples."
Zhou Ziyun glanced at Shi Shi and continued, "However, you are still torn over the decision. Maybe you felt guilty or maybe the words from your two disciples changed your mind after the fact. Nonetheless, the deal had been made it was even harder to back out now. With my master's actions, it makes that route even more impossible."
"You…" Shi Shi was left speechless.
Chen Wentian spoke up, "Do you want me to disavow the gifts and ruin my own reputation just to slander the temple? I can't do that. If I didn't offer gifts, other immortals associated with the temple will come just the same. You can rest assured that my gifts weren't sincere and I was there simply to gather information."
Shi Shi's expression went through a dramatic tumble from gloomy to sunny once again.
"That's good. That's what I had hoped for. That's what I guessed actually." She said, "You need to be aware of even more hidden dangers. This metropolis is a den of thieves and criminals. All of the Spirit Kings are complicit. I called you here today to give you a warning. Your disciples are not safe, just like mine weren't. I believe that the ones in the dream array aren't either."
This time, it was Chen Wentian's turn to be surprised. "Why do you think that?"
Shi Shi shrugged, "It's just a hunch. I have nothing to go on but it's a very strong hunch."
"Thank you. I will certainly keep it in mind." He said, "If I find any incriminating evidence within the temple, I will share it with you."
"I would appreciate it." She replied.
The meeting concluded with a tacit agreement between the two immortals to cooperate. A formal alliance was impossible given their unfamiliarity with each other but it was a good step. Such a thing had its uses and Chen Wentian didn't reject it.
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