"Reporting to Master, not yet." Lu Ping'an was somewhat embarrassed. It was not only Chen Jiu who had placed great hopes in him; these past days he himself had been gritting his teeth, itching to show what he could do. After all, his direct negotiating opponent was Xin Yi'an, quite possibly the most unremarkable-looking of all the Northern Island Cangwu Sect's Golden Core higher-ups.

In both strength and cunning, Lu Ping'an reckoned he could leave the man ten streets behind at the very least. Yet who would have thought that this plain, harmless good fellow, once seated at the negotiating table, would instantly transform into a seasoned old hand impervious to fire and water—whatever strategy he employed, it always came back to him untouched, kicked right back to his own feet.

That alone might have been bearable, but the crux was that Xin Yi'an did not merely kick the ball back; every time he argued with feeling and reason, sonorous and self-assured, leaving Lu Ping'an hard-pressed to find any ground for a face-to-face rebuttal. Time and again he could only sigh at the man's sheer perversity.

This fellow Xin Yi'an—you truly cannot judge a book by its cover.

"You are moving too slowly." Chen Jiu's gaze was inscrutable. Though he held to the maxim of doubting no man once employed and suspecting no man once trusted, and though this disciple was his most accomplished direct heir and by rights there was nothing to doubt, his nature was suspicious, and as time wore on doubts were bound to creep in. Besides, from Lu Ping'an's standpoint there was indeed motive in that direction—after all, if Chen Dongcheng were truly worn down to death, Lu Ping'an might well be the greatest beneficiary.

"Yes. I have disappointed you, Master. Your disciple will certainly press the negotiations and win time for Vice-Sect-Master Chen." Frightened into trembling reverence by that single sentence, Lu Ping'an hastened to swear his loyalty.

"Tell me, then—what exactly happened?" Chen Jiu shot him a glance. Lu Ping'an bore no grave wounds at the moment, yet the bedraggled state of him from head to toe was unprecedented. Looking over the whole of the Northern Island Cangwu Sect, there were precious few who could now pose a threat to this peak late-Golden-Core expert—unless Wei Zhao himself had stepped in.

"Yes. Bing Wushuang of the Snow Sword Sect came calling, demanding to see Wei Zhao. After your disciple refused him, he changed his request—he wished to see you, Master." Lu Ping'an spoke with the utmost respect.

"Bing Wushuang?" Chen Jiu thought a moment at the name, a faint impression stirring. He said offhandedly, "Isn't he just some greenhorn newly entered into the Golden Core stage? Send him on his way. Does trifling business like this really require you to report it to me?"

"Er—your disciple thought the same at first, but it was no use. The man is a newly entered Nascent Soul expert; he would not be sent away..." Lu Ping'an could only smile bitterly.

"What? Nascent Soul?" Even Chen Jiu could not help but be shaken at these words. The birth of any newly entered Nascent Soul monster was an event that could stir the whole of the Taigu Little Jianghu, and given the immense difficulty of breaking through to Nascent Soul, it could not be done in a mere few years—word should normally have come beforehand. How had this fellow succeeded without a whisper? And Bing Wushuang was so young besides—could this be a smoke screen?

Seeing Chen Jiu's doubt, Lu Ping'an hurried to say, "It is true. Your disciple and several other elders felt his aura firsthand—he is indeed a Nascent Soul expert. Of that there is no question."

"Lead the way." Chen Jiu spoke gravely at once. Lu Ping'an could not possibly lie to him about such a matter, and since it was confirmed that the other party was a Nascent Soul monster, then he must appear in person; otherwise Lu Ping'an alone could never handle it—he was not qualified.

Soon Chen Jiu stood before Bing Wushuang, stepping forward with a chuckle: "They say Bing Wushuang of the Snow Sword Sect is a peerless genius without equal before or since. This old man once had his doubts, but today I am bound to believe it. If this old man's memory serves, young friend Wuqing must be the youngest Nascent Soul expert in the history of our Taigu Little Jianghu—joyous news, joyous news indeed!"

"You flatter me. I am hardly the youngest. That legendary figure of your sect, the one hailed as the Great Emperor—he should be younger than I, should he not?" Bing Wushuang said, taking it seriously.

"..." Chen Jiu's smile turned somewhat awkward. His flowery praise just now had been purely for the sake of pleasantries and warmth; who would have guessed the other would be so graceless as to contradict him to his face? Young, indeed—young.

"I wish to visit your sect's Taigu Martial-Uncle Ancestor Wei Zhao. Just now this man said it would require your personal appearance as Supreme Elder to decide the matter. Might you grant me this small request?" Bing Wushuang came straight to the point.

"This..." Chen Jiu feigned hesitation on the surface, but inwardly he was already cursing like a fishwife. This Bing Wushuang was nothing but a hotheaded lout who knew not the slightest propriety—not only did he utterly ignore the customary rules of paying a formal call, but his tone was stiff as a board besides. How on earth had a creature like this suddenly become a Nascent Soul expert?

Yet curse as he might, Chen Jiu could ill afford to show it. After all, the other was a Nascent Soul expert beyond doubt, and even if he himself was somewhat the stronger, he dared not tear the mask off and fight head-on—what if both sides were left maimed?

And even if he could slay Bing Wushuang on the spot, he himself would surely be gravely wounded. But do not forget: besides Bing Wushuang, the Snow Sword Sect had another veteran Nascent Soul monster holding the fort. Should that one come seeking vengeance, what would he have to meet it with?

In the Taigu Little Jianghu, every Nascent Soul monster was the equivalent of a nuclear weapon in the secular world; they must never lightly take action, or a mishap would easily escalate into a world war to the death—an unbearable catastrophe for any sect involved.

"You are the Supreme Elder—surely you are not about to tell me you lack the authority as well?" Bing Wushuang frowned.

"Heh heh, young friend jests. Of course this old man has the authority. It is only that Elder Wei Zhao happens to be in secluded cultivation at the Cliff of Ascending Heaven just now, and even this old man cannot presume to interrupt him, lest it bring about consequences beyond all reckoning. In this old man's view, if young friend truly wishes to visit the Taigu Martial-Uncle Ancestor, why not wait a while—what say you?" Chen Jiu fobbed him off.

"Wait?" Bing Wushuang arched an eyebrow.

"Indeed. Young friend has never been to our Northern Island Cangwu Sect before. This interval would be just the time to look about and take in the local customs of our Northern Island. When the Taigu Martial-Uncle Ancestor comes out of seclusion, this old man will of course send word to you at the first moment. What does young friend think?" Chen Jiu proposed.

Bing Wushuang pondered in silence a moment, and at last nodded. Had it not been for his having only just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, with his cultivation and realm not yet fully consolidated, then even face to face with a veteran Nascent Soul monster like Chen Jiu, a man of his temperament might well have stormed the Cliff of Ascending Heaven outright. (To be continued.)