Immortal of the Nine Realms

"If you wish to listen to the details, Madam, I'd suggest you calm down and listen carefully. If you only want to resolve the matter at hand, simply give me one hundred mid-grade spirit stones. I wouldn’t start my day without profit, so the information I provide is naturally worth the price of a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. I wouldn’t set a random price."

Fang Chen put down the teacup and said calmly.

The oppressive aura faded, and the beautiful madam fixed her gaze on Fang Chen. "Speak. I’ll listen."

"The cause of this incident is that your son stole the Three Solar Fruit from his own ancestor and gave it to the young lady Langya Yu, correct?" Fang Chen said.

"This matter is known by many," the beautiful madam said indifferently. "If what you have to say is this, then there’s no need to say more."

"The Three Solar Fruit can resolve the Nine Tribulations of a cultivator even in the Dao Union stage. Such a sacred medicine should be heavily protected. How could an ordinary cultivator steal it? Even if this cultivator is the son of the madam, it’s still unlikely, right?"

Fang Chen smiled.

"In this matter, your son must have had an accomplice, but this accomplice’s intentions may not have been to help your son. On the contrary, they might have wanted to harm him."

The beautiful madam's eyes flickered. She slowly nodded. "After this incident happened, we indeed noticed something unusual. My foolish son is only at the early Foundation Building Realm and has no ability to steal the Three Solar Fruit.

"However, we have no evidence to acquit my son, and all the blame has already been placed on my son. The only way to free him from punishment and prevent him from being demoted to a branch family is to recover the Three Solar Fruit."

She paused for a moment, her eyes flickering as she looked up and down at Fang Chen. "This matter has nothing to do with you. All I need is for you to find me a Three Solar Fruit."

Fang Chen shook his head slowly. "Even if you find one, I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep it."

The beautiful madam frowned slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Someone wants your son dead. How could they allow you to find another Three Solar Fruit to resolve the issue?" Fang Chen smiled faintly. "Madam, who do you think stands to gain the most after your son’s misfortune?"

"Gain? Naturally, it would be Qin Nie," the beautiful madam responded instinctively. However, after a brief moment, she shook her head slightly. "But this has nothing to do with him. He is mature and understands that doing this would cause the two clan to go to war, leading to serious consequences. If he wanted to harm my son, there’s no need to go to such lengths."

Fang Chen nodded lightly.

The direction of suspicion toward Qin Nie was indeed misguided, and even the victim's mother hadn’t doubted him. From the Immortal Qin Clan’s perspective, Qin Nie had no motive.

"But what if Qin Nie’s goal isn’t simply to harm your son? What if his real aim is to incite a war between the two clans? Your son might just be a convenient casualty in his larger plan," Fang Chen said calmly.

"Do you realize what you’re saying?" The beautiful madam’s face grew grim, her voice laced with coldness. "Qin Nie wants to provoke a war between the two clans."

The prefect? Could it be that Qiran's father has already been bribed and is turning a blind eye to this matter?

Fang Chen continued, "This matter holds great benefits for Qin Nie. He could potentially use it as a stepping stone to successfully advance to the Golden Core Realm, becoming a legitimate candidate for the next head of the Qin Family, and eventually taking control of the clan. As for you and your son, I fear the outcome won’t be favorable."

"Impossible, you’re spouting nonsense." The beautiful madam suddenly stood up, her gaze now tinged with a hint of killing intent. "What exactly are you after?"

Fang Chen replied calmly, "Qin Nie is a cultivator from the Spirit Blood Sect. He’s stirring up chaos, aiming to throw Azure Dao Manor into turmoil. He aims to push it into suffering so he can refine Spirit Blood Pills and make a significant contribution to the Spirit Blood Sect. You and your son are merely insignificant pawns in his grand scheme.

"Therefore, if you wish to resolve this matter, the key is not the Three Solar Fruit but Qin Nie himself. Otherwise, even if you obtain the Three Solar Fruit, if the Spirit Blood Sect gets involved, I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep it."

She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her eyes gradually filling with shock. It took her a long while to sit back down. She didn’t speak, seemingly lost in thought, recalling various events.

After about a quarter of an hour, she softly murmured to herself, "When Qin Nie first started cultivating, his talent wasn’t particularly high, whereas Feng’er’s talent was above his. But as time passed, Qin Nie’s talent seemed to improve significantly. The clan began to praise him, and even Feng’er’s father couldn’t stop speaking highly of him.

"After that, Feng’er threw the towel. He became indifferent to cultivation. Instead, he started wandering around, making friends and exploring.…"

The beautiful madam paused, looking at Fang Chen. "I’ve heard about some of the Spirit Blood Sect’s methods. It’s said that the Spirit Blood Pill can boost one’s cultivation without any bottlenecks. If Qin Nie has been relying on the Spirit Blood Pill to advance so quickly over the years, it would make sense. But how do you know all of this?"

"I have some enmity with the Spirit Blood Sect. While tracking down leads, I stumbled upon Qin Nie’s involvement," replied Fang Chen with a faint smile.

The beautiful madam was unsure whether to trust the Foundation Building Realm cultivator standing before her. Her face showed deep contemplation. After a long pause, she hesitated, saying, "I don’t want to become enemies with the Spirit Blood Sect."

Fang Chen smiled, "That won’t be a problem. I’ll expose Qin Nie and the Spirit Blood Sect cultivators behind him, and you’ll be able to resolve the current crisis facing the Immortal Qin Clan."

The woman’s expression turned odd. "But you’re just at the Foundation Building Realm…."

She had heard of the Spirit Blood Sect and knew well how terrifying their methods could be—they were at least on the level of a immortal court.

How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly handle them?

Wait!

Suddenly, a thought struck the beautiful madam, and her eyes lit up with realization. The cultivator before her must have someone powerful backing him. That would explain how he knew such confidential information.

"We can work together. As for the hundred mid-grade spirit stones, I’ll find a way to gather them for you," she said.

She had no other choice. Only by joining forces with this man could she hope to save her son.

"Before we proceed, Madam, are you aware that there’s a spy for Qin Nie among your ranks?"

The beautiful madam was shocked. "A spy for Qin Nie?"

Fang Chen then described the appearance and characteristics of the individual, causing the woman’s face to darken.

"He’s been with me for so many years—how could he be a spy for Qin Nie?" she muttered in disbelief.

"If you don’t believe me, then the Three Solar Fruit may never be yours," Fang Chen said, shaking his head.

"I believe you," the woman responded, her tone resolute. "I’ll find an excuse to bring you with me back to the Qin Family. They will receive word that you’re helping me search for the Three Solar Fruit, while in reality, I’ll send someone else to find it. This way, you’ll have a chance to get close to Qin Nie. What do you think?"

Fang Chen nodded. "That sounds like an excellent plan."

Seeing how readily Fang Chen agreed, the last trace of doubt in the woman’s heart vanished. If he had hesitated or refused, she would have questioned the truth of everything he had said. But since he was willing to return to the Qin Family with her, it was highly likely that the information he had about the Three Solar Fruit was genuine.

Regardless of anything else, her son might finally be saved!