Chapter Eighteen: The Traitor Within

Li Changfeng arranged a banquet to entertain Lu Qingyun. For a sect to connect with such a promising individual was naturally a sign of the sect’s prosperity.

Li Changfeng gathered everyone together, and the attendees raised their cups, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

All eyes were fixed on Lu Qingyun, with everyone chatting animatedly.

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen such a revolutionary young talent.”

“Indeed, geniuses like this are truly rare.”

“He possesses the Azure Dragon Martial Soul, something no one has even laid eyes on before…”

Almost everyone was captivated—except for Second Senior Brother Wu Gang and Junior Sister Zhang Tianjiao. They remained unconvinced.

Despite the pleasant atmosphere, they dared not speak carelessly.

Li Changfeng lifted his cup with a smile and said, “Heh heh heh, Qingyun, as your sect leader, I once again welcome you…”

Lu Qingyun, naturally well-mannered, rose as well.

Although the Celestial Spirit Sect was not top-tier, it had gained some renown.

Of course, Lu Qingyun was here for reasons beyond that.

“Sect Leader, I have shared life and death with Xu Feng. You are his master, so I take the liberty of calling you Senior Uncle…”

“I had no intention to spoil the mood at this moment, but I believe it is better to speak out.”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Lu Qingyun, uncertain of what he was about to say.

Li Changfeng looked at him curiously, his eyes shifting from anticipation to puzzlement as Lu Qingyun’s expression grew serious.

“Qingyun, this is my domain; speak freely!”

Lu Qingyun glanced around, noticing some evasive looks. Naturally, he also saw the displeasure on Wu Gang and Zhang Tianjiao’s faces.

He did not dwell on it and calmly said, “The formula for the Nurturing Heaven Pill is a secret I happened to obtain; no one else here knows it. Besides, I have been in this city for less than two days…”

He paused briefly, feeling no need for elaborate preamble, and continued, “I do have conflicts with the Zhao family, but they couldn’t have known I could concoct such a pill. I suspect someone here is leaking information.”

“And that traitor is right here!”

Determined to be clear in one go, Lu Qingyun laid out all his thoughts.

Li Changfeng, a man with foresight—otherwise he wouldn’t have summoned everyone—knew well that this city was the center for alchemy on the continent. Focusing all efforts on pill-making here was sure to bring great success.

The pills produced by the Celestial Spirit Sect weren’t of the highest grade, but they were definitely within the Zhao family’s radar.

The Zhao family monopolized nearly all alchemy in the city, unwilling to let anyone else gain any advantage.

Thus, they surely sent people to every alchemical place, ready to act against any threat to their status.

Coincidentally, the system that plagued Lu Qingyun insisted on giving him a pill formula unique to the Zhao family, which led to the earlier incident.

Li Changfeng nodded seriously, his eyes now filled with killing intent.

“I, Li Changfeng, have treated you all well and never wronged anyone. Yet you betray your own sect? What benefits has the Zhao family given you?”

“Who among you has committed this betrayal? Speak now, and I will not punish you!”

Li Changfeng’s tone was somewhat tempered; after all, the sect numbered several hundred, and investigating each individual would take a great deal of time.

The once joyous atmosphere instantly turned heavy.

They all eyed one another warily, each measuring the others.

If one wishes to keep a secret, one must not do the deed.

Those who do wrong naturally feel uneasy.

Xu Feng, as the chief disciple, spoke solemnly.

“The spirit jade the master gave you is probably more generous than what some great sects offer. Why choose betrayal?”

Xu Feng found it hard to accept.

The Celestial Spirit Sect had earned much spirit jade through alchemy, which was why it held some renown across the continent.

Wu Gang, however, loudly questioned.

“Why would you trust an outsider just because he can make such a pill? Why did you never doubt him?”

Zhang Tianjiao, sitting beside him, chimed in.

“He has no sect or clan. How could he possibly be so powerful? Why would he befriend a small sect like ours?”

Wu Gang was known as a somewhat rebellious figure within the Celestial Spirit Sect.

Li Changfeng required everyone to focus mainly on pill-making, with cultivation as secondary.

Wu Gang chose to train alone and never engaged in pill production.

This was why he looked down on Xu Feng.

Xu Feng, in contrast, followed the master’s orders and devoted all his energy to alchemy, though he felt some regret.

After witnessing the birth of a genius at Wind and Cloud Gorge, he committed himself to refining pills.

With diligent effort, becoming an excellent alchemist meant attaining high status—just like the Zhao family members.

Xu Feng’s expression darkened as he said, “Wu Gang, could it be you?”

Lu Qingyun had initially avoided bringing this up but realized the consequences would be severe if left unspoken.

How to resolve this was best left to them; as an outsider, it was inappropriate for him to interfere further.

Wu Gang was furious, glaring at Xu Feng.

“I would never betray!”

The atmosphere became tense, as if a sword hung overhead.

Li Changfeng’s face darkened.

“Whoever it is, step forward now! Isn’t this shameful enough already?”

Li Changfeng understood that Lu Qingyun’s words were meant to help uncover a spy—an excellent thing indeed.

Yet no one spoke up; silence was absolute.

The tension was palpable.

At that moment, Zhang Datong, Xu Feng’s master uncle, slowly stepped forward.

“Sect Leader, I think this matter deserves further discussion. Perhaps it really is a coincidence?”

“Lu Qingyun has shown immense strength beyond ordinary people, but does that mean he’s entirely trustworthy?”

Since Lu Qingyun’s arrival, Zhang Datong had never accepted him and now openly targeted him.

The once peaceful atmosphere was shattered.

Lu Qingyun remained silent, intending to let them resolve matters internally, but with the blame directed at him, his expression darkened.

“I spoke for your sake. I came here for other reasons—things you’re very curious about.”

When the three of them conspired inside the room, it naturally aroused suspicion.

As the sect’s second-in-command, Zhang Datong sought high status and desired knowledge of many secrets.

After their meeting, Zhang Datong’s face grew grim.

He no longer pretended and loudly demanded, “I want to know—what secrets do you have? What matters are we forbidden to know?”

Clearly, Zhang Datong and Wu Gang stood on the same side.

Lu Qingyun slowly shook his head, set down his cup, and looked at Li Changfeng.

“Sect Leader, I already know who the traitor is…”

Li Changfeng looked at Zhang Datong in disbelief.

Though brothers in the sect, their personalities differed greatly.

Zhang Datong laughed heartily.

“Ha ha ha, what kind of people are there! It can’t possibly be me!”

Lu Qingyun shook his head in denial.

“Haste makes waste. Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked—that’s the rule, the unbreakable red line. Let me ask you: when I was refining the pill, where were you?”

During their secret meeting, besides discussing the plan involving the key, they had also talked about other things, including Zhang Datong’s peculiar behavior.

His relationship with Xu Feng was strained; as the chief disciple, Xu Feng outranked him significantly despite calling him uncle.

Since Xu Feng’s return, Zhang Datong had persistently probed, trying to learn what happened at Wind and Cloud Gorge.

Others had no chance to enter the secret palace space; they only knew a mysterious figure in black robes appeared, but nothing more.

Zhang Datong was desperate to know but Xu Feng remained tight-lipped.

Moreover, since his return, Xu Feng devoted himself to pill making and hardly cultivated, which deepened Zhang Datong’s suspicions.

When Lu Qingyun refined the pill, everyone was present.

Yet no one noticed Zhang Datong’s whereabouts.

Others may have overlooked him, but Lu Qingyun had seen—Zhang Datong greeted him with a curious, almost hesitant gaze when they first met.

Li Changfeng shouted, “Datong, you left at that time—where did you go?”

A flicker of panic crossed Zhang Datong’s eyes; continued questioning would force him to reveal the truth.

He glared at Lu Qingyun, murderous intent shining in his eyes.

Drawing his long sword from his waist, he charged swiftly, gritting his teeth.

“You brat, I’ll kill you today for your lies!”

They had been sitting close; Zhang Datong’s higher realm gave him greater speed.

Lu Qingyun threw his wine cup toward him, the liquid scattering in the air.

Facing such a powerful adversary, he left no room for retreat.

Behind him, the Azure Dragon’s shadow flickered; with a palm strike, intense flames swiftly consumed the spilled wine.

“Hoo…”

Though it couldn’t harm Zhang Datong, it slowed his advance.

Li Changfeng sprang into action, drawing a fan from his waist, striking Zhang Datong’s sword.

“Ding…”

A crisp sound rang out as the sword fell to the ground.

Lu Qingyun refrained from exploiting the chaos; internal matters were best left to be resolved within.

Li Changfeng fanned quickly; a fierce wind blew, hurling stones at Zhang Datong’s vital points.

Zhang Datong instantly froze.

Li Changfeng’s eyes reddened with fury.

“Datong, have you truly betrayed us?”

“Have you forgotten all we endured here? Leaving our old homes to come here was to claim our place, wasn’t it?”

“The Zhao family is our mortal enemy; we have been targeted countless times. Have you been working for them?”

Everyone found this hard to accept.

Zhang Datong retorted angrily.

“I have fought here for years with no reward. What are we holding on for? What meaning is there in continuing?”

“The Zhao family has given me countless benefits I would never otherwise obtain. Why shouldn’t I serve them?”

Indeed, whether in the real world or this one, self-interest remained paramount.

Hearing this, all were stunned.

Lu Qingyun knew his mission had concluded and slowly said to Xu Feng, “Handle this yourselves. I’m leaving…”

Li Changfeng was furious; his own junior brother had betrayed them, a disgrace to the sect.

Lu Qingyun’s presence now only caused discomfort.

Xu Feng merely nodded.

“Today is special; we’ll meet again another day!”

Lu Qingyun declined an escort and quietly departed.

There was little point in staying.

He planned to return to the inn to reunite with Han Man and Fatty Wang.

But upon arriving, he sensed something amiss.

The inn was usually bustling, even at night; at least snoring could be heard. Now, it was eerily quiet.

No passersby were nearby, which was strange.

Most peculiar was that the inn’s door was tightly shut, though it was not closing time.

Lu Qingyun quickly stepped back, and as he descended the steps, dozens of people surrounded him.

“Bang…”

The door was forcefully thrown open, and Zhao Tuo slowly emerged.

Beside him, Han Man and Fatty Wang were bound tightly.

Anger burning in his eyes, Lu Qingyun said coldly, “Don’t drag others into our grievances. Let them go!”

Zhao Tuo glanced at Han Man and Fatty Wang with a playful smile.

“What? Weren’t you fearless? Today, you even dared to strike my father. Didn’t think about the consequences, did you?”

“Kneel and admit your fault, and I’ll release them!”

“Otherwise… prepare to bury them.”