Chương 295: Master, I Have It...

The scene that greeted Yan Zixian was exactly as he had anticipated. Arrayed in a loose semicircle beyond the warning markers stood representatives from each of the major sects. The representatives were Elemental Realm cultivators who had been waiting to escort their junior disciples back to safety once they emerged with the treasure. Their expressions shifted from anticipation to disappointment as they realized who had emerged victorious.

"The City Lord's disciple has claimed the Moonlit Dew Flower," announced an older man in the formal robes of a city official, who had been stationed at the entrance to ensure compliance with Wuqi City's laws.

"By the ancient compact and the will of City Lord Jiang Tianhong, all hostilities are to cease once cultivators have exited the valley. Any violation will be met with the full force of the city's justice." Lu Fang was the first to emerge from the valley after Yan Zixian, his face contorted with barely suppressed rage. Behind him came members of the other sects, their expressions similarly dark with frustration and anger.

Several appeared injured from the chaotic battle, supporting one another as they crossed the threshold back into the stable reality of the outside world. An imposing figure in the distinctive robes of the Black Palm Sect stepped forward, it was clearly Lu Fang's senior, an Elemental Realm cultivator with both arms shrouded in corruption energy that caused the grass to wither beneath his feet.

After a few moments of whispered discussion between Lu Fang and his senior, the Elemental Realm cultivator turned to the others.

"The Black Palm Sect acknowledges the city's laws," he frowned.

"But be assured, this matter will be brought to the attention of the Sect Master. The flower was rightfully claimed by our disciple before it was... coerced from him." Everyone knew this was an overreaction as well as an overexaggeration, no Sect Master would bother themselves with the affairs of low-ranked cultivators, whether they be in the Qi Condensation Realm or the Stellar Realm, such affairs were meaningless to those obscenely powerful cultivators.

Yan Zixian offered a perfectly calibrated bow, just deep enough to suggest respect for the man's position, but shallow enough to make it clear he considered himself the superior party in the exchange.

"Your Sect Master is welcome to petition the City Lord if he believes any impropriety occurred," he replied smoothly, calling out the bluff.

"Though I would remind you that all who enter the valley do so with the understanding that might determines right within its boundaries. Your disciple was simply... outmatched." The Black Palm elder's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he made no move to challenge the city's authority, not with so many witnesses present, and certainly not when doing so would invite the wrath of a Stellar Realm cultivator like the City Lord.

One by one, the other sect representatives approached, each offering thinly veiled threats disguised as diplomatic acknowledgments. The Holy Light elder spoke of "divine judgment finding its way even to those who hide behind mortal authority." The Morning Star representative merely smiled enigmatically and mentioned that "fate has many branches, and not all paths lead where one expects."

Through it all, Yan Zixian maintained his composed demeanor, neither rising to their provocations nor showing any sign of concern for their veiled threats. He understood the reality of his position, within the city's territory, he was basically untouchable. The sects would not risk open conflict with the City Lord, not over a single flower, no matter how valuable. His own team members gradually emerged from the valley, some showing signs of hard fighting but all alive and relatively unharmed.

They formed up around him in a protective formation as the city official called for the gathering to disperse.

"I trust all parties will respect the peace of Wuqi City during your remaining stay," the official stated, his tone making it clear this was not a request, but a reminder of the consequences should anyone forget themselves. With formal acknowledgments exchanged, the sect representatives began escorting their junior disciples away from the valley entrance. Many cast longing glances back at Yan Zixian, or more precisely, at the storage ring where the precious flower now resided.

"Let them look," he thought with an internal smile of satisfaction.

"Let them wonder what might have been, had they possessed my skill and determination." With the immediate threat of conflict now past, Yan Zixian turned his attention to the next phase of his plan.

"We return to the City Lord's residence immediately," he instructed his team.

"Maintain alert status until we are within the inner compound. The sects will not openly defy the city's laws, but agents may attempt more subtle approaches." The journey back to Wuqi City proceeded without incident, his team moving in disciplined formation through the nighttime landscape. The guards at the main gate straightened to attention as they recognized the City Lord's personal disciple, immediately waving his group through without the usual inspection required of other cultivators.

Similar deference was shown at each checkpoint as they made their way through the city streets toward the towering residence at the city's center. The City Lord's compound rose majestically above the surrounding buildings, its architecture a perfect balance of imposing strength and refined elegance. Ancient trees grown with specialized cultivation techniques formed natural barriers between sections, their leaves perpetually verdant regardless of season.

Formations at strategic points, some visible to the educated eye, others hidden so skillfully that even Elemental Realm cultivators might pass by unaware of their presence. This was power made manifest in stone and wood and spiritual energy, the physical embodiment of Jiang Tianhong's authority over Wuqi City and its surroundings. Yan Zixian felt the familiar wash of pride as they passed through the outer gates into the compound proper.

Seven years had passed since he had first crossed this threshold as a promising young cultivator recommended to the City Lord's attention. Seven years of rigorous training, of earning his place as the foremost among the lord's disciples, of proving his worth time and again through service and skill. Tonight, would mark another significant step in cementing his position, perhaps even the final proof needed to secure his future as the City Lord's successor. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road.

If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. After dismissing his team with commendations for their service, Yan Zixian proceeded alone to the central building where his master conducted official business. Despite the late hour, light glowed from within, indicating the City Lord was still awake and working. Not surprising, given the significance of this night's events to the city's interests.

The guards at the entrance bowed deeply as he approached, one moving to announce his arrival while the other swung open the doors. Yan Zixian took a moment to straighten his robes and compose himself, ensuring he projected the perfect image of successful accomplishment rather than battle-weary exhaustion. The City Lord's reception hall was a study in understated power.

Unlike the ostentatious displays favored by some rulers, Jiang Tianhong preferred clean lines and open space, allowing the sheer quality of the materials and craftsmanship to speak for themselves. Jade pillars supported a ceiling inlaid with astronomical charts of such precision that they were said to have predictive qualities for those with the knowledge to read them.

The floor, polished white stone veined with gold, reflected the light of constellation-patterned formations that provided illumination without harsh glare. At the far end, seated behind a desk of wood so ancient it had petrified into something harder than steel, sat Jiang Tianhong himself. The City Lord was not what strangers expected upon first meeting. Rather than the imposing physical presence many rulers cultivated, he was a man of average height with scholar's hands and calm, assessing eyes.

His robes, though clearly of the finest materials, were simple in design, and he wore his hair in the traditional style without excessive ornamentation. Only the natural authority in his bearing and the unmistakable pressure of his spiritual essence, controlled but ever-present, revealed his true status as a Stellar Realm cultivator. Yan Zixian approached the desk and performed a formal bow, held precisely three seconds as protocol demanded.

"Master, I have returned successful from Black Mist Valley." Jiang Tianhong set aside the document he had been reviewing, giving his disciple his full attention.

"Rise, Zixian. I received reports of considerable commotion at the valley entrance. I trust you encountered no insurmountable difficulties?"

"Nothing beyond my capabilities, Master," Yan Zixian replied with carefully measured confidence.

"The sects competed vigorously for the prize, but ultimately, superior strategy prevailed." A slight smile touched the City Lord's lips.

"As I would expect from my personal disciple. You have the flower?" With a gesture that managed to be both respectful and slightly theatrical, Yan Zixian removed the Moonlit Dew Flower from his storage ring and presented it on both palms. The bloom seemed even more ethereal in the constellation light of the reception hall, its petals shifting between silver and blue as they caught and refracted the illumination.

"The Moonlit Dew Flower, as requested," he announced, satisfaction warming his voice.

"This specimen appears particularly rich in spatial energy, based on the crystalline formations at its center." Jiang Tianhong rose from his seat and extended his hand, gesturing for Yan Zixian to place the flower in his palm.

"Excellent work, Zixian," he said as he accepted the bloom.

"This will—" The words died abruptly as the City Lord's fingers closed around the flower's stem. His expression, which had been one of pleased approval, shifted through confusion to dawning comprehension and finally settled into something much darker.

"Master?" Yan Zixian prompted, uncertainty creeping into his voice for the first time that night. The City Lord raised his gaze slowly from the flower to his disciple's face.

"Explain this," he said, his tone dangerously soft. Yan Zixian's confusion was genuine.

"I don't understand, Master. That is the Moonlit Dew Flower recovered from Black Mist Valley."

"No," Jiang Tianhong replied with terrible certainty.

"It is not." With a simple gesture, the City Lord sent a pulse of spiritual energy through the flower. The bloom shimmered for a moment, then its appearance wavered like a mirage before resolving into something... different. Where the Moonlit Dew Flower had been, there now rested what appeared to be a common Night Lotus, cleverly modified and enhanced with an exceptionally sophisticated illusion.

"You have been deceived, Zixian," the City Lord stated, examining the fake with a mixture of annoyance and reluctant admiration.

"This is a replica, skillfully crafted, I must admit, with formation work of considerable expertise, but a replica nonetheless." The blood drained from Yan Zixian's face as the implications crashed over him like a tidal wave. He had been tricked. Somehow, despite all his caution and planning, someone had managed to substitute a fake for the real flower, and he hadn't noticed.

"How..." he began, his mind racing through the events of the night, searching for the moment when the switch could have occurred.

"How is this possible?" The City Lord placed the fake flower on his desk and retook his seat, fingers steepled before him as he regarded his disciple with an expression that combined disappointment with curiosity.

"A question that concerns me greatly," he said.

"Particularly given your considerable talents in spatial perception. For you to be fooled so completely suggests either a momentary lapse in judgment—" his tone made it clear how unlikely he considered this explanation "—or an opponent of truly remarkable skill." Yan Zixian stood frozen, his carefully maintained composure shattered by this unexpected turn of events.

In all his meticulous planning, in all his confident execution, he had never considered the possibility that what he carried triumphantly from the valley might be anything other than the true prize.

"The real flower," he said, the words feeling foreign in his mouth.

"Someone else has it. But who? When?" The City Lord sighed.

"That, Zixian, is what you will need to discover, and quickly before they return to their sect." Yan Zixian's mind whirled with possibilities. Lu Fang? He had held the flower briefly before Yan Zixian forced him to relinquish it. Min Xiulan? Her probability manipulation might have created an opportunity for substitution during the chaotic battle. Yun Feng? The Holy Light Sect had snatched the flower multiple times. The Azure Peak disciples...

A memory surfaced, the memory of a pale young man who had briefly held the flower before Yan Zixian's "Stop" command had seemingly paralyzed him. The ease with which he had relinquished the prize. The way his team had so readily abandoned the pursuit, consoling each other over their "failure" while the battle raged on. That sense of wrongness he had felt when his command technique struck the young cultivator, not a failure of the technique, but a response too perfect to be genuine.

"The Azure Peak disciples," he whispered.

"They played us all." The City Lord raised an eyebrow.

"The Azure Peak disciples? An interesting theory. They seemed rather unremarkable based on the reports I received."

"Precisely their strategy, I believe," Yan Zixian replied, already reconstructing the evening's events from this new perspective.

"They appeared weak, drawing no particular attention. Their team leader even had some prior conflict with Lu Fang, making their involvement seem personal rather than calculated." He began pacing, his hands clasped behind his back as the pieces fell into place.

"The young one, the one who briefly held the flower, he must have made the switch in that moment. I commanded him to stop, and he complied too perfectly."

"Because it was already a fake," the City Lord concluded, nodding slowly.

"Clever. Let everyone fight over a worthless replica while they quietly exited with the real prize." Yan Zixian's face flushed with a mixture of anger and grudging respect. To be outmaneuvered so completely, and by disciples from a sect not particularly known for subterfuge, it was humiliating, yes, but also a valuable lesson. And there was one trait Yan Zixian was known for, he never made the same mistake twice.

"I must find them," he stated, drawing himself up.

"The Azure Peak disciples cannot have gone far. With your permission, Master, I will begin the search immediately." The City Lord studied him for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

"No," he said finally.

"You will not."

"But Master—" A raised hand silenced Yan Zixian's protest.

"You already failed me once, Zixian, I cannot have you disappoint me again."

"You would have me do nothing?" Yan Zixian asked, incredulous.

"Allow them to escape with the real flower?"

"I said nothing of the sort," the City Lord replied calmly.

"I have other plans."