C114(2) : Three Possibilities

"So. . . ."

"He did not exactly lie ," Xuan Zi answered the unasked question, his eyes gloomy .

"Did your new mind reading technique tell you that?"

"It's nowhere as sophisticated as mind reading, Fang Xie . The elders in this sect aren't some genius sons of heaven . Being able to fish out some superficial thoughts is already quite the milestone . Who knows, maybe elder Wu Di would get called back into working under a solar monarch once the news of his achievement in this field spreads ."

Xuan Zi mused over the possibility while Fang Xie completely ignored his words .

"According to the boy, he has lived in that town his entire life ; the same town where I underwent my heavenly tribulation . He claims to have lived in an orphanage that I do not remember ever existing . What are the implications here ?" Fang Xie asked .

"That he was present during your dao integration ? It's common for clueless mortals to stumble upon an integration site and interact with the components in the semi illusion . I myself have seen this happen countless times back home when I was young and the elders in the family tried to guide my perception of reality . However, unless the cultivator undergoing the integration wants something out of the interactions with the mortal, I cannot see why anybody would grow up in the tribulation site . You certainly weren't stuck in it for seventeen years, but this disciple of mine claims to have been in the orphanage since his birth .
Even more illogical is the fact that he actually remembers it when no one else does . The heavens aren't so blind as to directly ignore an external presence so significant , least of all when it's inside a tribulation site . His recollection of his past is definitely not the correct one even though he believes it to be true ."

"You keep defending this boy far too much, Zi ."

"The boy is my disciple . Why would I refrain from defending him when he is innocent ?"

"Have you considered the possibility that the boy is actually an expert in hiding ?"

It was now Xuan Zi's turn to become speechless .
"An expert ?" He asked in confusion .

"That's right . Just connect the dots !" Fang Xie suddenly leapt up from his seat and started pacing around excitedly .

"The number of qi deviations and tribulation failures in this planet, no, in the entire solar system has been unprecedented recently . Almost all of these accidents happened to experts at or above dao genesis realm . What if this boy is actually an exile from one of the great six ? Maybe he has reduced his realm to hide from enemies . Maybe he's trying to remove all the powerful cultivators around him so that nobody discovers his identity ! It makes sense !"

"Fang Xie, take your medication in time ."

"You're just biased !"

"Then how do you explain my existence ? Am I not on par with you or any of those other cultivators who encountered accidents ? The boy lives right in front of my house ! Did you think I wouldn't notice if he was an expert in hiding while somebody in an another planet would ?"

". . . ." Fang Xie fell silent, but still looked unconvinced .

"Sit down. You know, there is another possibility, Fang Xie ."

"What is it ?"

Xuan Zi scratched his chin and answered, "maybe the boy is actually right . Somebody tried to take revenge against him for some reason . Maybe it was the expert in the Holy Land of Laws, angered by his escape . My disciple certainly provoked someone with a proper backing there . I can picture that person trying to exact vengeance from the clues I've collected so far ."

"But the fact remains that the boy's origins are incredible suspicious ," Fang Xie growled .
"Old Zi, which party would reap the biggest benefits if the inspector of this planet failed to transcend his tribulation ?"

"You're looking at him ," Xuan Zi replied plainly .

"Well yes, I can see that . But who else has the power to meddle with heavenly tribulations and make such a neat getaway ? I swear, if only they'd left a single clue as to what had happened during that time . . . ."

"If we're talking about the safety of the entire
planet, only Lord Eternal Night should be crazy enough to initiate something like this . This region is still a part of the neutral territory after all . Are you telling me you suspect that Lord Eternal Night is scheming to infect this solar system using my disciple ? Sure, I have a high opinion of him, but right now he is still . . . .a trash ."

Fang Xie didn't retort this time, as if considering the possibility .

"Regardless, I think it is unnecessary to brood over this issue any longer for now . If you haven't realized it yet, the boy himself is quite suspicious of his own origins . To begin with, he is a cursed reincarnation of his past self . Couple that with the continuous incidents he keeps facing despite being vastly unprepared, it's no wonder that he didn't even report the disappearance of the orphanage to the authorities . Had he known anything about what's happening in the background, he wouldn't take such a huge risk despite meeting you there . To ward off my suspicion, he would have reported it as soon as possible and tried harder to convince us of his innocence . Right now, he has drove himself into a corner and allowed himself to become a mere puppet in your hands . Nobody with a prior plan would land himself in a trap so hard to get out of ."

Fang Xie looked frustrated at Xuan Zi's explanation . But he kept his tongue in check and got up from his seat .

"Fine then . We'll see where this goes . I'll send you the materials as soon as I can gather them . Deliver them to the boy before you execute the mass teleportation spell . And one more thing. . . ."

For a brief second, Fang Xie hesitated .

"I'll accompany your sect as an elder to the Titanfall Archipelago . Create a solid identity for me ."

"That will be risky ," Xuan Zi replied, his voice an octave higher than before .

"I'm not letting that brat mess around unsupervised . Besides, the risk pales in comparison to the consequences involved if any accidents take place . The Beasthaven sect's hurried movements needs some scrutiny ."

Xuan Zi's eyes twitched in response . Calmly, he watched Fang Xie leave .