Chapter 278: Chapter 2 Nine Nether Pure Yin, Meeting Zhang Daoyi Again
Jiang Li found the situation somewhat troublesome.
He wanted to come and go discreetly, preferably without getting involved in any turmoil near the Divine Capital.
Unfortunately, fate did not comply with his wishes. He wanted no part of the turmoil, yet the turmoil sought him out. People from the Kunxu Immortal Palace had also arrived at the Divine Capital.
"So you gave up on me to pursue Fifth Brother instead? Or is this a wide net you’re casting?"
"It would’ve been better if my senior sister was here. With her present, these women from Kunxu Immortal Palace would know to retreat."
Sadly, his senior sister was again in seclusion.
Jiang Li sighed softly in his heart, ready to make his escape.
With his capabilities, even without the boat, he needn’t worry about reaching Iron Pillar Temple. Riding the boat was indeed for the sake of keeping a low profile.
Just then, a familiar Qi Mechanism entered his perception.
The cabin door of the Flying Boat opened, and from it emerged an unexpected figure.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, greetings," said Zhang Daoyi, clad in a Dao Robe, with a horsetail whisk in hand, offering a bow to Jiang Li.
Following him was the man Jiang had met on Yunlai Island, the Kongxu Immortal Palace affiliated son-in-law accompanying Ming Yuzhen.
"Meng Xiwu of Kunxu Immortal Palace, greetings."
The handsome young man smiled as he clasped his hands, exuding a rather extraordinary aura.
Being an affiliated son-in-law to the Kunxu Immortal Palace, regardless of anything else, his appearance and demeanor were certainly top-notch. Although Jiang Li had seen Meng Xiwu before, they hadn’t interacted, and now that they met again, Meng showed his true elegance.
Only these two men were seen on the Flying Boat, no women emerged, which both surprised and amazed Jiang Li.
The surprise was not deep, mainly because he expected wrong, as the absence of women naturally brought astonishment.
The amazement, however, was due to Zhang Daoyi’s presence.
Tianxuan had mentioned before that Kunxu Immortal Palace had set their sights on suitable Seventh Rank individuals, namely Jiang Li and Zhang Daoyi from the Daode Sect. He hadn’t expected Kunxu Immortal Palace to progress so quickly to connect with Zhang Daoyi.
"Dinghu Sect’s Jiang Li, good to see you both."
Jiang Li returned the greeting, then tentatively said, "I didn’t expect to encounter you two here, truly serendipitous."
Bound by his own Karma Collection, and with a destiny different from ordinary people, he was not easily Divinated. Now tied with a red thread to the women of the Gongsun Family, he had become a reserve affiliated son-in-law, protected by the Gongsun family Qi, along with the Jiang family Qi. While this might not mean finding money just outside his door or stumbling upon adventures by leaping off cliffs, for others wanting to Divinate Jiang Li, it would be tougher than reaching the skies.
Thus, these two men certainly couldn’t have used such methods to determine Jiang Li’s arrival.
"Fellow Brother Jiang must be curious why Daoist Zhang and I are here waiting for you,"
Meng Xiwu laughed heartily, saying, "Actually, it was Daoist Zhang who mentioned that Fellow Brother Jiang would surely come to Iron Pillar Temple, and upon hearing that three elders of your sect were in Divine Capital, we thought of looking for you on Dragon Abyss Lake, and indeed, here we find you, Brother Jiang. No need to worry, only I have come to Divine Capital this time, neither my wife nor her sect members are present."
Zhang Daoyi then meaningfully said, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, you must be here for that Dao Fruit, by coincidence, I am here for the same reason. This time once again, you and I must cross paths, Fellow Daoist Jiang."
The Daoist, holding the horsetail whisk, no longer appeared as ethereal as before but rather embodied a simplicity reminiscent of returning to simplicity, indicating his progress during this period.
From his words, it seemed his Qi Refiner Dao Fruit had reached perfection.
"As long as Daoist Zhang isn’t afraid of losing once more, I have no objections," Jiang Li replied with a smile.
Conveniently, he was continuously dismantling the Demon Cleansing True Qi, having someone who cultivated the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing True Technique as a comparison could indeed help accelerate his own decomposing process.
"Daoist Zhang feels that this time, the advantage lies with me."
Zhang Daoyi chuckled lightly, displaying a sharp edge, then stepped aside, making a welcoming gesture, "Iron Pillar Temple has recently welcomed an outside guest, forbidding others to approach. If you don’t want to be stopped outside, then please board the boat."
"That might not necessarily be the case," said Jiang Li.
How could there be places in Divine Capital that I, the sworn brother of the Long Prince Consort, reserve Gongsun Family affiliated son-in-law, possibly even future Brother-in-law to the Emperor, not to mention currently the head of the Jiang family, cannot enter?
Even if the Prince Consort himself were at Iron Pillar Temple, he couldn’t stop me.
That said, for the sake of his elder brother’s face and not wanting to complicate things further, Jiang Li still paid the boatman some silver coins before boarding the Flying Boat.
Had the Flying Boat been filled with women ogling at him like last time, Jiang Li would have definitely not boarded. But this time, with only Zhang Daoyi and Meng Xiwu present, Jiang Li didn’t mind catching a ride.
Yet upon boarding, he again heard Tianxuan’s voice: "It’s actually Pure Kun Body, be careful, my disciple, this woman might be the direct disciple of the Immortal Queen of Kunxu Immortal Palace."
Woman?
Jiang Li slightly squinted to mask the complex patterns that emerged in his eyes.
As he followed the two men into the cabin of the Flying Boat, he let his sleeves dangle, and from a perspective invisible to others, a Blue Butterfly gracefully flew out of his sleeve, employing the Emperor’s Qi Observation Skill to scrutinize Meng Xiwu.
Dream Butterfly turned from reality to illusion, formless and traceless, seemingly existing in another world. Even Zhang Daoyi and Meng Xiwu, who were close at hand, couldn’t detect its presence, allowing Jiang Li to thoroughly observe Meng Xiwu from all angles.
However, no matter how much Jiang Li observed, he detected no hints of femininity. The youth in front of him was unmistakably a genuine man.
"Master, could he have been born an anomaly?" Jiang Li asked.
Even Jiang could discern the disguise of Tianxuan, let alone fail to see through the mere disguise of Meng Xiwu?
No matter how Jiang Li looked at it, Meng Xiwu was definitely a man.
Yet in this world, though people born as anomalies were one in ten thousand, there were countless living beings between heaven and earth, making such individuals not so rare.
To Jiang Li’s knowledge, there were people whose fate had been influenced by Taiyin yet possessed the appearance of men, women with the Supreme Yang Body, and men whose physiques had transformed due to practicing yin skill.
Although men and women could be categorized under Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang were not merely about gender. Looking back through the vast spans of history, individuals bearing anomalies were everywhere.
"There are women with the Pure Yang Body and men with the Pure Yin Physique, but there will absolutely not be a man with the Pure Kun Body," said Tianxuan lightly.
"The Pure Kun Body, also known as the ’Nine Nether Pure Yin Elemental Girl Dao Body,’ is exclusive to women. There has never been a case of a man possessing this type of physique. Moreover, men who possess the Pure Yin Physique generally appear effeminate. Does this Meng Xiwu look effeminate to you?"
Jiang Li could confirm that Meng Xiwu, in person, was the epitome of handsome and dashing, like a scholar clad in robes facing the wind, showing no hint of femininity.
That is to say, either Meng Xiwu had some method to deceive Jiang Li’s perception, or millennia of common knowledge were being overturned.
’Actually, I have another way to test this. No matter how Meng Xiwu blinds perception, he can’t truly change sex. If I...’
As Jiang Li pondered, Dream Butterfly slowly approached Meng Xiwu’s chest.
Since Dream Butterfly was incorporeal, it did not physically exist, and theoretically, clothes should not obstruct it, allowing Jiang Li to verify Meng Xiwu’s true identity.
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, a light snort reached Jiang Li’s ears, and his head felt heavy as if a great force was pressing down.
It was Tianxuan’s voice.
"Do not engage in sneaky actions," said Tianxuan plainly.
’Wait, only I can see Dream Butterfly. How can Master detect Dream Butterfly’s actions? Could it be that she shares my vision?’
Jiang Li began to feel that the functionality of the jade hairpin might be a bit excessive.
Did this mean Jiang Li had absolutely no secrets anymore?
As if sensing Jiang Li’s thoughts, Tianxuan said, "This is to ensure I can detect any dangers to you promptly. After all, while the Divine Capital appears peaceful on the surface, it is tumultuous underneath. It’s all for your safety."
Well... while that’s what she said, the real purpose was to monitor Jiang Li during his Body Refinement sessions and provide timely rescue.
However, this revealed that Tianxuan had already been secretly observing Jiang Li and thus covered it up with another reason.
Master had spoken such words, what more could Jiang Li say?
He couldn’t just ignore her concerns about his safety, could he?
’It doesn’t matter, there is nothing about me that I need to hide from Master and senior sister. Even if there is, they would eventually find out anyway.’
Jiang Li could only comfort himself with these thoughts.
Simultaneously, Jiang Li secretly marveled at the cunning of Kunxu Immortal Palace; if being a woman wouldn’t suffice, then disguised as a man, truly full of schemes.
Despite his experience, even Jiang Li only guarded against Meng Xiwu as a man, never suspecting his own virtue could be at risk.
With these thoughts, Jiang Li withdrew Dream Butterfly and then paid even closer attention to Karma Collection, not missing a single detail related to Meng Xiwu.
Meng Xiwu, unaware of being exposed, was currently holding a jade stone, controlling a flying boat, steering towards Iron Pillar Temple.
At the same time, he explained to Jiang Li, "After the Emperor fell ill, the princes started vying for the throne. Even now, though the Emperor has recovered, the strife that began cannot easily be stopped. The Fourth Prince, not wanting to contend with his brothers, is temporarily residing at Iron Pillar Temple to show his disinterest in the throne."
"Similarly, my circumstances resonate with the Fourth Prince, and I am also temporarily residing at Iron Pillar Temple. I forgot to mention, I am the legitimate son of the Meng Family, currently married into Kunxu Immortal Palace."
"Could it be the Azure Dragon Meng Family?" Jiang Li asked.
"Indeed," Meng Xiwu replied, his expression tinged with helplessness.
The Azure Dragon Meng Family, with their lineage of inheriting the Azure Dragon Dao Fruit, though it’s been centuries since anyone could hold the Dao Fruit, still held a tremendous reputation in both court and field.
For a direct descendant of such a distinguished family to become an affiliated son-in-law to Kunxu Immortal Palace, it was certain that he wasn’t favored within his family.
However, with the backing of Kunxu Immortal Palace, even if disregarded, contesting for the family head position wasn’t impossible. Thus, his circumstances within the Meng Family were predictably difficult.
Residing at Iron Pillar Temple was also a statement of his disinterest in contention.
Had he not discovered Meng Xiwu’s real gender, Jiang Li would truly have believed him.
’The Meng Family might indeed have someone called Meng Xiwu, but you definitely are not him.’
Jiang Li thought internally, his wariness deepening.
With such a well-constructed identity, being cautious was absolutely necessary.