Chapter 1302: Jade Certificate
Chapter 1301: Jade Certificate
Zhuge had reached Feathered Ascension and was a bona fide True Person.
Accustomed as he was to a lofty, refined life, a he truly hadn’t expected that there could still be someone in this world with skin this thick—someone who, in the blink of an eye, would seize the opportunity and shamelessly latch onto him, trying to claim a connection.
The key point was, if he’d tried to latch on earlier, that would’ve been one thing.
Zhuge had just said that he himself was from the Great Void Sect, and this brat immediately followed the thread, turning around and swearing with utter conviction that he too was from the Great Void Sect.
It was far too forced, far too deliberate, and far too lacking in tact.
Wasn’t this just a living, breathing little rogue?
True-Person Zhuge grumbled inwardly and couldn’t help asking Mo Hua: “If I said I came from a Dao Academy, would you say you’re the same, that you’re also a Dao Academy disciple?”
“That wouldn’t work,” Mo Hua shook his head. “I’m from the Great Void Sect. I’ve got nothing to do with any Dao Academy.”
True-Person Zhuge: “You’re surprisingly principled.”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble looked at Mo Hua with a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
“This kid isn’t completely stupid, he knows to grab onto a big thigh. It’s just that his methods are too green, and his skin’s a bit too thick. You say you’re from the Great Void Sect, and that makes you a Great Void Sect disciple?”
Mo Hua said, “I really am.”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble showed open disdain. “The Great Void Sect would accept someone like you?”
Mo Hua was displeased. “What’s wrong with me?”
“What kind of spirit root do you have?”
“Intermediate-Lower Grade…”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble said: “Putting everything else aside, today’s Great Void Sect is the number one great sect in the Qianxue Province, its power is flourishing. Even if it’s still somewhat inferior to the sect-academies of Dao Province, looking across the vast Qian Province, and even the nine Provinces of the cultivation world, it’s already a top-tier, first-rate sect.
With spirit roots like yours, you probably couldn’t even reach the threshold. And you say you’re a Great Void Sect disciple?”
Mo Hua put on an expression of ‘you outsiders just don’t understand’ and said:
“That was before. When I joined, the Great Void Sect wasn’t this strong yet. Back then it was the dead last among the Eight Great Sects. It only became the number one sect in Qianxue after I joined.”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble raised an eyebrow.
“What? Don’t tell me you want to say that the Great Void Sect becoming the number one sect was thanks to you?”
Mo Hua looked a little embarrassed.
“If you want to understand it that way… I wouldn’t say you’re wrong…”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble was speechless.
Not just him… everyone present among the powerful elites, as well as the three Feathered Ascension True Persons, were all a bit speechless.
Someone couldn’t take it anymore and said: “Why don’t we just torture him? I can’t listen to this anymore.”
“This stinking brat, his mouth spews nonsense like fireworks, his face is pale as snow yet thicker than earth. He really doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth.”
“Give him a beating…”
“Whip him a few more times, whip his ass to pulp.”
“Don’t forget to slap his mouth. Let’s see if he dares spout nonsense again.”
Mo Hua hurriedly said, “I’m telling the truth!”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble said: “If you’re really that important to the Great Void Sect, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Mo Hua said: “I forgot earlier.”
“And now you suddenly remember?”
Mo Hua glanced at True-Person Zhuge.
“Well… aren’t I seeing a ‘fellow disciple’ now?”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble had nothing to say.
True Person Huá was silent for a moment, then said: “I’ll go fetch the instruments of punishment.”
He was now also starting to suspect whether this kid might not be a Great Wilderness Divine-Shaman.
Logically speaking, Divine-Shaman symbolized the gods, high in status, steady, dignified, and authoritative.
They really shouldn’t be this shameless.
True Person Qingmu thought for a moment and said: “I’ve got some poison here. We could feed him a bit and let him suffer.”
True-Person Zhuge said nothing. His smile was still frozen on his face, and he couldn’t utter a single word.
If not for concern over his status—unable to bully the young with the old—he himself would’ve dearly loved to go down and beat Mo Hua up.
Seeing that none of these people believed him, Mo Hua clenched his teeth and finally said: “I have proof!”
Everyone froze.
True-Person Zhuge also raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Mo Hua.
“You have proof?”
Mo Hua nodded. “Yes.”
“What proof?”
Mo Hua said solemnly: “I have a sect Jade Certificate!”
True Person Huá frowned.
The others’ expressions also darkened as they exchanged looks.
“Jade Certificate?”
A sect Jade Certificate was something issued to disciples of major sects upon graduation, personally signed by their masters and elders, used to introduce connections and guide cultivation.
More often than not, this kind of Jade Certificate was even more effective than a sect token.
Because a sect token could only prove that you were a disciple of that sect.
But a sect Jade Certificate could show what kind of disciple you truly were within the sect.
The Golden-Robed Young Noble asked: “Where is your Jade Certificate?”
Mo Hua replied, “In my storage bag.”
“Where’s your storage bag?”
Mo Hua pointed at True-Person Huá. “He took it.”
As a prisoner, he naturally had no right to keep his storage bag.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward True-Person Huá.
True-Person Huá’s face was icy. “There is no sect Jade Certificate in your storage bag.”
Mo Hua said with certainty: “There is.”
True-Person Huá’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t find it.”
Mo Hua snorted coldly and said arrogantly: “That’s my Jade Certificate. How could you possibly find it?”
A Feathered Ascension cultivator failing to see through a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s storage bag—saying that out loud would be laughable.
Normally speaking, such a thing was simply impossible.
But Mo Hua’s expression was far too confident. Coupled with his own peculiarities and his murky, hard-to-pin-down identity, everyone hesitated for a moment.
The Golden-Robed Young Noble looked at True-Person Huá and said slowly: “True-Person, why not give the boy his storage-bag back and see what he can take out?”
True-Person Huá frowned, thought for a moment, then nodded. “Fine.”
He rummaged in his sleeve, took out a storage bag, and tossed it to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua found it familiar at a glance and immediately recognized it, it was indeed his own storage bag.
Delighted, he picked it up. Then, in front of everyone, he stuck his right hand inside, very deliberately rummaged around, and truly pulled out a jade-colored slip.
Everyone was stunned.
True-Person Huá’s pupils shrank.
For an instant, he genuinely thought that something was wrong with himself.
That as a Feathered Ascension expert, he had been too arrogant and hadn’t carefully searched a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s storage bag, leaving a flaw.
But in the next moment, he snapped back to his senses and reached out to snatch the Jade Certificate from Mo Hua’s hand.
Mo Hua knew he would definitely try to grab it, so he had already pulled his hand back.
But he was only at Foundation Establishment, how could he be faster than a Feathered Ascension cultivator?
At that exact moment, True-Person Qingmu grabbed True-Person Huá’s hand instead and said leisurely: “Brother Huá, don’t be so hasty. You’re a True-Person, after all—how could you stoop to snatching something from a junior?”
True-Person Huá’s expression turned ugly.
Mo Hua hurriedly tucked the Jade Certificate into his sleeve.
Seeing this, True-Person Huá said in a low voice: “Hand over the Jade Certificate.”
Mo Hua shook his head. “No.”
True-Person Huá frowned. “Since you took out the Jade Certificate as proof, why won’t you let others see it?”
Mo Hua said: “A sect Jade Certificate can only be shown to members of the same sect. Besides, don’t think I don’t know—you all want to harm me. You’re plotting against me. I don’t trust you.”
The Golden-Robed Young Noble couldn’t help saying: “You’re a rebellious traitor from the Great Wilderness, yet you still pretend to be innocent?”
Mo Hua insisted: “That’s slander, pure defamation! What does a Great Wilderness traitor have to do with me? I’m also a citizen of the Dao Court, and I’m loyal to the Dao Court as well!”
He said all this without blushing or losing his breath.
The Golden-Robed Young Noble was so angry he almost laughed and was about to argue further, but True-Person Qingmu stopped him.
“Enough. Don’t waste words. Let’s look at his Jade Certificate.”
True-Person Qingmu turned to True-Person Zhuge.
Everyone else’s gaze followed.
True-Person Zhuge, who had originally been “lying flat,” was inwardly a thousand, ten thousand times unwilling. He had no desire to wade into this muddy water and dirty his feet.
But the name “Great Void Sect” was now on the table.
True-Person Zhuge slowly stood up, walked over to Mo Hua, glanced at him with obvious disdain, and then took the Jade Certificate from his hand.
His Divine-Sense entered the Jade Certificate. After just one glance, True-Person Zhuge’s expression became extremely colorful.
He looked at Mo Hua, then at the Jade Certificate, then at Mo Hua again, then at the Jade Certificate again…
A thousand galloping horses thundered through his mind, leaving him momentarily speechless.
True-Person Qingmu grew anxious and asked: “Well? Is this Jade Certificate real or fake? Is this boy truly from your Great Void Sect?”
True-Person Zhuge really wanted to clarify something: Not “your Great Void Sect.” The Great Void Sect wasn’t his personal property.
But when the words reached his lips, he didn’t know where to begin.
He could only say: “This… is hard to say. I need to verify it.”
True-Person Qingmu frowned. “A sect Jade Certificate should be clear at a glance. What’s there to verify?”
True-Person Zhuge sighed.
The key problem was—this one glance didn’t make it clear at all…
Seeing that there seemed to be something hidden here, True-Person Qingmu nodded. “Very well, then.”
True-Person Zhuge said, “Let’s disperse for today. I’ll go back and ask—” As he spoke, he turned to leave.
Suddenly, Mo Hua shouted: “Wait!”
True-Person Zhuge turned back to look at him, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. Still, it wasn’t appropriate to lose his temper, so he asked: “What now?”
Mo Hua pointed at True-Person Huá. “He’ll kill me!”
True-Person Zhuge looked at True-Person Huá.
True-Person Huá ground his teeth.
Before this, he hadn’t really harbored killing intent toward Mo Hua, he had merely wanted to “slice him up” and study his secrets.
Now, he truly wanted to kill this brat.
True-Person Zhuge was also helpless and sighed. “Brother Huá, this boy has to be kept alive. If the Jade Certificate is fake and he isn’t a disciple of the Great Void Sect, then kill or spare him as you see fit. But at present, I can’t determine his identity either, so he can only be kept for the time being.”
True-Person Zhuge’s tone was gentle.
But True-Person Huá knew that the people of the Zhuge clan were indifferent by nature. If they didn’t want to meddle, they wouldn’t even spare a glance. Once they spoke up, however, it meant the matter truly couldn’t be ignored.
The Zhuge clan was mysterious, and True-Person Zhuge’s cultivation was also high.
True-Person Huá didn’t dare fall out with the seemingly idle True-Person Zhuge and only said: “We’ll follow Brother Zhuge’s judgment.”
True-Person Zhuge thought for a moment, took out a Bagua talisman, and personally hung it around Mo Hua’s neck. “This thing can temporarily protect you. If anyone moves against you, I’ll know.”
“Thank you, True-Person Zhuge.”
Mo Hua smiled brightly.
True-Person Zhuge, however, couldn’t smile at all. Looking at Mo Hua felt like looking at a massive headache. He waved his fan; the Bagua pattern under his feet appeared. In a few flickers, he disappeared without a trace.
After True-Person Zhuge left, everyone else’s expressions darkened, each lost in thought.
The Golden-Robed Young Noble frowned and asked Mo Hua: “Are you really a disciple of Great Void Sect?”
Mo Hua didn’t answer, only tapped the Bagua talisman hanging on his chest.
The meaning was clear: he now had backing and didn’t need to bother with their bird-brained questions anymore.
All questions were to be ignored.
The Golden-Robed Young Noble ground his teeth in frustration.
True-Person Qingmu still looked at Mo Hua, deep in thought, his heart stirred.
True-Person Huá’s gaze was icy, his expression growing uglier by the moment.
But with True-Person Zhuge’s Bagua talisman hanging on his chest, Mo Hua was indeed untouchable for the time being.
…
Meanwhile, True-Person Zhuge’s figure, after dissipating with the Bagua pattern, soon appeared in another high pavilion.
Jade towers and jeweled halls rose within; figures moved back and forth in busy haste.
All kinds of confidential documents and jade slips were being passed along.
Along the way, every cultivator who saw True-Person Zhuge wore a respectful expression and bowed.
He nodded, walked along the vermilion corridor, and arrived at a secure chamber at the top of the pavilion.
Inside the chamber, two people were buried in massive stacks of jade-slip documents, brows tightly knit.
Both wore the robes of the Seven Pavilion administrators of the Dao Court, with seven stars embroidered on their chests. The difference was that on one man’s chest, the Tianshu(Heavenly Pivot) Star was glowing, while on the other’s, the Tianquan(Heavenly Authority) Star shone.
Zhuge walked in. The two lifted their heads to glance at him, then lowered them again, annotating documents as they spoke. “We’re very busy. No time to drink tea with you.”
True-Person Zhuge, ignored by them, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and sighed.
One of them, the Heavenly Authority Pavilion administrator looked up. “Weren’t you at the Huá Clan base, watching the spectacle? Why are you back?”
True-Person Zhuge said: “Watching the spectacle, I got caught up in it myself.”
Both administrators paused for a moment. Their hands didn’t stop flipping through the documents, but their eyes turned to Zhuge. “What happened?”
True-Person Zhuge said: “You know that a ‘Divine Shaman’ appeared in the Wilderness, right?”
Both nodded.
As administrators responsible for pacifying the Great Wilderness, they naturally knew about the Divine Shaman.
But the Wilderness was cut off by famine, Dao soldiers couldn’t intervene, and the war’s focus was elsewhere, so they had temporarily let it be.
True-Person Zhuge continued: “Some days ago, it’s said the Huá Clan captured this Divine Shaman from the Great Wilderness.
“This was a secret; no one knew. But as you know, once something happens, it cannot stay unknown. Moreover, this Divine Shaman is extremely mysterious. The Huá Clan caught him, and the other clans, smelling blood, naturally went to pry for secrets.”
“The Imperial Celestial Observatory had nothing to do, and I was free, so I went to watch the spectacle.”
“And then…”
True-Person Zhuge sighed again: “I got dragged into it myself…”
The Heavenly Authority Pavilion administrator shook his head, smirking: “Even someone like you can get dragged down?”
The other administrator laughed: “Unbelievable! Someone can actually drag you into trouble?”
True-Person Zhuge glanced at them. “Don’t laugh. You won’t escape either.”
They froze. “What do you mean?”
True-Person Zhuge said: “The one the Huá Clan caught, the so-called Divine Shaman… he claims to be a disciple of Great Void Sect.”
Hiss—
Both administrators drew a sharp breath. “Our Great Void Sect… has a talent like this?”
“This Big villain is from Great Void Sect?”
“This is serious…”
True-Person Zhuge rolled his eyes. “I’m not joking.”
The Heavenly Pivot Pavilion administrator laughed: “Just saying he’s a Great Void Sect disciple doesn’t make it true. Even framing wouldn’t be done this way. Who would believe it?”
True-Person Zhuge shook his head. “The key is, he has a Jade Certificate.”
“A jade Certificate?” Both administrators paused.
True-Person Zhuge nodded and handed them the jade certificate.
The two of them took it and glanced at it. When they saw the jade certificate covered in densely packed, impeccably neat “signatures,” as uniform as if they’d been printed, their expressions instantly became extremely colorful.
(End of this Chapter)