Chapter 248: The Only Dragon Stone

“Help?”

Hearing Old Master Fan’s words, Fang Cun showed a hint of curiosity.

This was a family matter spoken frankly. Old Master Fan’s relationship with him was clearly understood by both sides. Seeing the old man’s travel-stained appearance, he must have rushed everywhere to deal with the aftermath of slaying the Demon Hound. Fang Cun originally thought the old man probably wanted him dead right now. But he never expected Old Master Fan to actually seek his help…

What kind of help would make Old Master Fan swallow his pride and ask him?

“Young friend Fang…”

Old Master Fan sighed softly, his expression seeming to dim. “I know you have a young man’s heroic spirit. Deep down, I, too, am no different; I hate injustice as much as you do. But such is the way of the world, what can we do? Previously, you ignored my advice and insisted on slaying the Demon Hound of Crow Mountain. That act truly invited great trouble. It was I, tirelessly traveling for months, visiting old friends and calling on former teachers, who finally managed to shoulder the responsibility for you and straightened out the connections. Now, at last, no one will trouble you over the Demon Hound matter…”

“Oh?”

Fang Cun listened, his expression tinged with novelty.

Old Master Fan met his gaze, appearing utterly composed and without a trace of shame. He said, “Admittedly, I was an old friend of your brother back in the day and can be considered your elder. Helping you with these matters is simply what one should do. However, after my long travels, I finally found someone to suppress this matter, but not without paying a price. Since the Demon Hound was slain, responsibility must naturally be taken. Because of this, I had to promise a heavy obligation within Yuanshen Palace. Now I’ve returned, and I absolutely must handle the Spirit Well matter flawlessly!”

As he spoke, his expression became resolute. His gaze flickered towards the outside. “You saw earlier, that young woman from the Moon Tribe of the Witch Clan is precisely the expert I purposely invited from Yuanshen Palace to help our Qingjiang Prefecture resolve the issue of the drying Spirit Well…”

“Her name is probably Yue Hanzhuang?” Fang Cun secretly thought. He smiled at Old Master Fan. “Didn’t we already hear her explain it quite clearly? The Spirit Well matter is a great disaster caused by the Ghost Official stealing the Qi Luck of Qingjiang. Old Master Fan had already pinned the Spirit Well matter on our Six Sects earlier. Now, at this crucial moment, how could we not provide full assistance? That Ghost Official… you can rest assured, esteemed master, I will definitely drag him out for you!”

Old Master Fan listened without a flicker of emotion. After a slight silence, he said, “Capturing the Ghost Official now is useless!”

Fang Cun was immediately curious. “Oh?”

Old Master Fan explained: “The Spirit Well has long dried up, and the Ghost Official’s harm runs deep. Even if we capture the Ghost Official now and destroy the Ghost Seal, the Qi Luck is already chaotic. I fear we can no longer nurture the Spirit Well back to health. This is precisely why I prioritized the Spirit Well as the foremost major issue…”

Fang Cun expressed surprise and quickly asked, “Then what is the esteemed master’s meaning…?”

Old Master Fan suddenly stood up and bowed deeply. “The only ones who can save the Spirit Well… are the Fang Family and the Seven Clans…”

Fang Cun’s eyes widened slightly.

……..

“With solid evidence that the Seven Clans privately traded with the Demon Lord, why won’t Old Master Fan investigate?”

At this same moment, outside the guest hall where the Nine Immortals Sect resided, on a quiet mountaintop, Meng Zhixue and Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao stood facing each other. After witnessing the events inside the hall today, Meng Zhixue’s beautiful face was cold, filled with shock, doubt, and anger.

“This outcome doesn’t surprise me!”

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao spoke softly, his expression seemingly indifferent.

“Why?”

Meng Zhixue gritted her teeth slightly. “You clearly knew all along that the Ghost Official killings were linked to the Seven Clans colluding with the Demon Lord. Yet, from start to finish, you refused to reveal this. Could it be you too intend to help conceal matters of your Seven Clans? And that Old Master Fan, ‘Fan’ as well… could he also hail from the Seven Clans? Does he too serve their interests?”

“Old Master Fan, like myself, does indeed come from the Seven Clans.”

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao spoke softly, a slight frown appearing between his brows. “But what I wish to say is not so simple!”

Meng Zhixue raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao sighed softly before speaking. “This returns to what I told you before about the difference between being a ‘good man’ and doing ‘good deeds’!”

He turned to face Meng Zhixue. “Master Fan won’t act against the Seven Clans because of this. At most, he’d execute the ringleaders. The reason is simple: it’s not that he serves the Seven Clans. Remember, earlier in his life, when his own nephew exploited his name to forcibly seize a commoner’s daughter, the old master personally executed him with his sword to uphold justice. Such a man, how could he care about mere clan ties?”

“He refrains from acting against them because only the Seven Clans can save the Spirit Well!”

“What?”

Meng Zhixue was stunned upon hearing this.

“The secrets of the Spirit Well aren’t known to ordinary Qi Refiners, including most Elders of our Nine Immortals Sect!” Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao sighed softly again. “But I’ve read ancient scriptures thoroughly. I even once won the favor of the Dao Lord and gained entry to the Daoist Archives to study half of its collections. From these, I glimpsed the true origins of the Spirit Well. Because of this, I know the Seven Clans and the Spirit Well are intrinsically linked. If Master Fan forcibly moves against the Seven Clans, the Spirit Well will be destroyed. In the end, those who suffer will be the common people!”

“And this is the true reason Master Fan, despite his evident fury, will not touch the Seven Clans!”

“The Spirit Well… the Spirit Well…”

Meng Zhixue’s heart churned with shock and anger. She repeated the name twice, wanting to ask for more detail. But she knew such a startling secret couldn’t be casually revealed. Moreover, understanding Lu Xiao’s standing—knowing he wouldn’t lie—she accepted that the Seven Clans and the Spirit Well were indeed vitally connected. Yet this only made her heart burn with greater indignation…

“So, should we just… forgive the Seven Clans?”

Divine Eye Young Master slowly shook his head. “This is where I spoke of shortsighted versus longsighted vision!”

He gave a light sigh. “Hearing there are such scoundrels among the Seven Clans, colluding secretly with a Demon Lord, I too am filled with extreme anger. Presently, I could also choose the path of righteousness, turn against my own clan, and announce the truth to the world. But doing so would incite public fury, dealing a heavy blow to the Seven Clans. Yet the clans wouldn’t passively await their doom. They would surely rise and retaliate. The ensuing chaos would benefit no one!”

“What I can do, is first resolve the Ghost Official affair. By uniting the Seven Clans, I seek the cooperation needed to heal the Spirit Well. Only once all affairs are settled might I return to the clan. I would seek our Ancestral Lord to intervene, investigate matters, purge the clan ranks. The collaborators with the Demon Lord shall be beaten, executed as deserved. I will persuade the Seven Clans to alter their stance toward the southern threats. Then, can justice and a peaceful prosperity finally be restored to the people of Qingjiang!”

Meng Zhixue listened. Silent for a long while, she finally spoke, her voice trembling. “So… this is your principle for action?”

Lu Xiao remained silent for a moment. Then he asked, “Don’t you feel this is still the best approach—for the people of Qingjiang, for the greater situation?”

Meng Zhixue bit her lip and shook her head gently.

After a long pause, she said quietly, “This might be your answer. Perhaps it holds logic. But it does not persuade me in the slightest!”

Divine Eye Young Master Lu Xiao remained silent. After a long while, he asked, “Then who could persuade you?”

Meng Zhixue didn’t answer. Instead, she turned her gaze towards the direction of the hall where Old Master Fan had stayed behind with Fang Cun.

……..

“The Seven Clans… and my Fang Family?”

Hearing Old Master Fan’s words, Fang Cun was also quite surprised. He paused before managing a smile. “What do you mean?”

Old Master Fan was silent for a while before addressing Fang Cun. “Was it real? The story about you entering Shoushan Sect and buying their Spiritual Vein for three hundred Dragon Stones?”

Fang Cun never expected him to mention this. Slowly, he nodded.

“What can cure the Spirit Well… is Dragon Stone!”

Old Master Fan suddenly spoke, delivering a startling statement. Fixing his gaze on Fang Cun, he said in a low voice, “The Spirit Well connects to the Spiritual Veins of Qingjiang. When one weakens, all weaken. When one flourishes, all flourish. Today, Qingjiang’s Spirit Well teeters on the brink of collapse. There is no other strategy left. No ordinary method can save the Spirit Well in such a short time. Only Dragon Stone! And not a small amount, mind you—we require a vast quantity of Dragon Stone poured directly into the well!”

“However… this time, to secure someone who suppressed the Demon Hound affair, I was already forced to pledge within Yuanshen Palace that this year’s Dragon Stone allocated to Qingjiang would be halved. Furthermore, the Six Great Sects may appear calm and indifferent, but behind the scenes, they fight fiercely over every scrap. If the stone came into my hands, and I tried withholding it from them… how would they possibly accept that? Even if I tore relations apart, the portion I could claw back would fall far short of what’s needed to heal the Spirit Well!”

“So, this time, I must borrow the strength of the Seven Clans. I must borrow the strength of your Fang Family! For me… and for the common people of Qingjiang…”

A man of his stature bowed deeply at this moment, righteous and resolute. “I implore your assistance!”

“This…”

The turn of events left even Fang Cun somewhat unprepared.

He suddenly understood many things. No wonder this Old Master Fan, despite Bai Huaiyu having confessed his guilt, still turned a blind eye to the Seven Clans’ conduct. No wonder, the moment Fang Cun arrived at the prefectural mansion, Old Master Fan talked loudly about his past kindness to Fang Cun’s brother and tried relentlessly to present himself as a benefactor and elder before Fang Cun. Could it be… he was already thinking of this matter back then?

This news was abrupt. Even Fang Cun didn’t rush to answer immediately.

Old Master Fan seemed to detect the difficulty in Fang Cun’s heart. He sighed softly. “Young friend Fang, it’s pitiful. An old man like myself, having to plead like this to a junior… truly ridiculous. But do you know why I’ve been reduced to this?”

Fang Cun directed a questioning look at him.

“The Spirit Well existed since the founding of our nation. Before me, do you know how they maintained it?”

Old Master Fan gave a helpless smile. “Then you surely know about the incident in Lingzhou? How your brother was hunted by the Path of Heaven after he disrupted the theft of the common folk’s life force?”

Swoosh!

Fang Cun’s mind jolted. His head whipped around, staring sharply at Old Master Fan.

Meeting his gaze, Old Master Fan nodded slowly. “Correct. Back then, that sect in Lingzhou that erected the World-Encompassing Moon Ray Array to steal the life force of commoners across three thousand miles… they did so on the orders of the former Prefectural Magistrate. That stolen life force was channeled into the Spirit Well… transformed into its Spirit Water…”

At this moment, Fang Cun felt a creeping chill over his scalp.