Volume 4 Chapter 71

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Volume 4 Chapter 71: Confrontation

"I suddenly sensed a strong wave of Divine Sense here and felt it was familiar, so I hurried over. May I ask, are you a subordinate of ‘Zhang’?"

Liu Ziqing smiled warmly and spoke kindly, but inside he was even more delighted. Ever since he defected from the ‘Qingxu Gate’ with Huanlingzi and others, he had been hiding in a cave dwelling he had prepared just in case. Although he had prepared for this escape, it was still rushed and many important things were left behind. These items were crucial for his plan. With no other choice, he snuck back to the ‘Qingxu Gate’ to retrieve them but unexpectedly encountered a subordinate of ‘Zhang’, which was a pleasant surprise for him.

Ever since he was defeated by Zhang Xusheng, Liu Ziqing faked his death to disappear from ‘Ming’s view, but he was constantly planning revenge against Zhang Xusheng. The previous dissatisfaction that ‘Lie’ and ‘Zhang’ had with Zhang Xusheng, which eventually led them to offend him, was also due to Liu Ziqing secretly disguising himself as one of Zhang Xusheng’s subordinates and sowing discord. This was a hidden move Liu Ziqing left behind in ‘Ming’ to deal with Zhang Xusheng.

At this moment, his plan at Qingxu Gate had failed. Considering that Zhang Xusheng was about to master an evil technique, Liu Ziqing’s urge to confront him before this happened became more urgent. However, lacking sufficient power, he naturally thought of the hidden move he left in ‘Ming’. Yet, the ‘Ming’ organization had become increasingly peculiar and secretive, so although Liu Ziqing wanted to join forces with ‘Lie’ and ‘Zhang’ against Zhang Xusheng, he didn’t know how to contact them. Then he unexpectedly met a subordinate of ‘Zhang’, bringing him joy.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after realizing that Liu Ziqing mistook him for one of ‘Zhang’s subordinates, Xu Qingfan felt slightly relieved. He was pondering what material the purple clothes were made of that could conceal the strange waves in his body after modification. He lowered his voice and mimicked Number Five’s cold tone, asking, "Do you know my family master?"

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan’s gaze became sharp. He pretended to be questioning as he fixedly stared at Liu Ziqing.

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s question, Liu Ziqing smiled slightly but didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, "How should I address you?"

After a moment of silence, Xu Qingfan took out Number Five’s badge and coldly said to Liu Ziqing, "My name is Number Five."

Liu Ziqing nodded slightly and said calmly, "Of course, I know your family master. Not only did I introduce your family master to ‘Ming,’ but I also helped improve the ‘Art of Annihilation’ for your family master back then."

Xu Qingfan was a little surprised, not expecting that Liu Ziqing had such a connection with "Zhang," but he spoke in a more gloomy tone, asking coldly, "Why should I believe you? And what is the reason for your sudden appearance to meet me?"

Although there was doubt in Xu Qingfan’s voice, Liu Ziqing’s smile remained unchanged. He played with the folding fan in his hand and asked with a faint smile, "Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter, but I think these years, your master has not had it easy, right?"

Xu Qingfan was slightly taken aback and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Liu Ziqing’s smile grew softer, and he said, "From what I know, ‘Huang’ is already planning to deal with you all?"

Xu Qingfan recalled the look of panic and the information leaked when "Lie Three" mistakenly thought he was Zhang Xusheng’s subordinate, knowing that "Lie" and "Zhang" had once offended Zhang Xusheng. He immediately understood the implication of Liu Ziqing’s words but pretended to be wary and asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

Liu Ziqing smiled and said, "‘Huang’ and I also have deep grievances, so I want to join forces with your family master to deal with him. Therefore, I need Taoist friend to lead the way, allowing me to meet your family master."

Hearing Liu Ziqing’s words, Xu Qingfan inwardly smiled bitterly. He knew he was just an imposter; how could he take Liu Ziqing to see "Zhang"? If he outright refused, with Liu Ziqing’s intelligence, he might notice the flaw, and with Xu Qingfan’s current situation, it would be tough to escape from Liu Ziqing’s grasp.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s silence, Liu Ziqing smiled and said, "What’s the matter? Do you not trust me, sir?"

Seeing the calm yet confident smile on Liu Ziqing’s face, Xu Qingfan suddenly had a slight inspiration and thought of a clever plan.

Xu Qingfan said to Liu Ziqing, "I really can’t trust you, just as you said, over the years ‘Huang’ has been trying to find my family master. If you were one of ‘Huang’s’ men, taking you to see my family master would be like courting death."

Liu Ziqing smiled slightly, flipped his right hand, and a small, exquisite jade statue suddenly appeared. Then, with a wave of his hand, the jade statue appeared in front of Xu Qingfan, floating quietly.

Liu Ziqing chuckled and said, "This is the token your family master left with me all those years ago. Do you believe me now?"

Xu Qingfan calmly put away the jade statue and said lightly, "My family master did give someone a token back then, but how can I be sure this isn’t something you robbed from that person?"

Hearing that Xu Qingfan still didn’t believe him, Liu Ziqing smiled helplessly, "Then what do you suggest?"

Xu Qingfan appeared thoughtful and, after a moment, said, "If you really mean no harm, then let me seal your power, removing your threat, and I can take you to meet my family master."

Upon hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Liu Ziqing’s eyes glinted sharply, and the smile faded quickly from his face as he softly said, "Isn’t your request a bit too much when facing someone stronger than you?"

Xu Qingfan’s tone turned cold as he asked, "Are you threatening me with that statement?"

Liu Ziqing snapped the folding fan in his hand shut with a loud "snap," and said calmly, "You can certainly see it that way. I only respect your family’s master, which is why I allowed someone to show me the way. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you, extract your Original Soul, and directly gain the location of your family’s master. Believe me, to your family’s master, I’m far more important than you are, so even if I kill you, your family’s master won’t say a word against me. Don’t try to resist; although both of us use the art of Original Soul, the Puppet Master’s ‘Art of Annihilation’ is a joke compared to my Qingxu Gate’s ‘Heavenly Spirit Refining Technique.’"

Upon hearing Liu Ziqing’s words, Xu Qingfan fell silent for a moment, but soon replied firmly, "If that’s the case, I’ll destroy my own Original Soul."

To show his determination, Xu Qingfan’s voice was soft, but his tone was resolute.

Liu Ziqing was slightly taken aback, not expecting that despite his mix of persuasion and force, this small operative of the "Ming" organization would remain so resolute. Although he secretly admired the methods used by "Zhang" to train his subordinates, he felt more helpless than anything else.

Xu Qingfan keenly noticed the flash of helplessness in Liu Ziqing’s eyes and seized the opportunity, saying, "If you truly are as important to my family’s master as you claim, then even if I seal your powers, once we reach the master’s abode, my master’s family will personally break your seal, and I won’t harm you at all. Why are you afraid I’ll seal your powers? I think you have ulterior motives, don’t you?"

With that, Xu Qingfan slowly channeled the "Withered Qi" within him, and suddenly, an aura of desolation spread within three meters around him, as if he was ready to battle Liu Ziqing at any moment.

Seeing Xu Qingfan like this, Liu Ziqing hesitated.

Originally, he didn’t want Xu Qingfan to seal his powers because he was used to being in control and handling situations himself. But if his powers were sealed, he would be completely at Xu Qingfan’s mercy, which was unacceptable for someone like Liu Ziqing, who was accustomed to controlling others.

But seeing the resolute Number Five before him, and thinking of Zhang Xusheng, who was soon to reach mastery of the cultivation method, along with his confidence in persuading "Zhang" to join forces with him, plus his assurance of having the ability to protect himself even if sealed, Liu Ziqing hesitated slightly before suddenly bowing to Xu Qingfan, smiling as he said, "I was rash before. You may seal my powers."

When Xu Qingfan heard Liu Ziqing say this, he was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected to deceive Liu Ziqing so easily, but he suppressed his joy and walked toward Liu Ziqing with a calm expression.

"My apologies."

Once he was in front of Liu Ziqing, Xu Qingfan spoke softly.

"No need to apologize, sir, you’re just being cautious," Liu Ziqing replied with a smile. However, his eyes became sharp, watching Xu Qingfan closely in case he attempted any hidden moves during the seal or attacked under the guise of sealing.

Xu Qingfan nodded, channeling "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi", using the method "Finger of Wither and Flourish" to tap Liu Ziqing seven times, instantly sealing Liu Ziqing’s abilities.

"Finger of Wither and Flourish" was the only complete technique in "Formula of Wither and Flourish" for sealing a cultivator’s abilities, and with the higher-level "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi", its power was even greater.

It wasn’t until Liu Ziqing was completely sealed that Xu Qingfan noticed the cold sweat on his back, a result of his deep-rooted caution toward Liu Ziqing.

"Now that I’ve been sealed, can you take me to see your family master?"

As Xu Qingfan stood there in a daze, he heard Liu Ziqing ask calmly, still wearing that elegant, confident smile without any trace of panic despite having lost his powers.