Chapter 38 True Identity

Chapter 38

A gurgling sound could be heard as a young man lying on his back. His body is glowing with different colors. The veins under his skin are moving like worms, with a red and green hue, they are like roots from an enchanted tree and made Shin Jiao's whole body ached with searing pain.

A moment later it was like time has stopped and Shin Jiao regained his consciousness. The pain was all gone and his body is now brimming with renewed strength.

"Ugh… what was that? My power felt like being upgraded to a new level. And this feeling…"

Shin Jiao had a sudden premonition, so he ran and look at himself in a mirror. Then using his goggles, he saw the power surge in his body and he was tongue tied. Shocked at the situation he didn't know how to react.

"What the heck is this? I… My… my power was upgraded, but what is this?"

Shin Jiao's aura and spiritual fluctuation, disappear and he returns back to having an aura of a mortal.

…

A few thousand of kilometers away from the town of Dis lies the town of Ning, which also borders the endless forest.

In the middle of an old courtyard lies an ancient eastern designed pavilion. In a stone seat sat a middle-aged man, wearing a plain blue long robe, in a lotus position. Then all of a sudden the man's eyes open and his finger caught a flying sword made of paper. The man read the message and his brows immediately knit. A feeling of disbelief can be seen on his face.

"This is impossible! That trash mortal can't be alive, that place is in the middle of the Demon Greens. Even I can't survive in that place, how much more a little mortal thrash. I must investigate if this is true or not."

The man crumpled the paper and stood up.

The man is Kun Dong of the Shao clan, or as people in the clan like to call him "uncle Dong". As the man hurriedly walks, someone suddenly called out to him.

"Uncle Dong! Why are you in a hurry? Is there something wrong?"

A delicate and silvery voice of a young woman broke Kun Dong from his train of thoughts.

"Ah, miss Ni'er. How come you're here? I didn't know you were coming. You should have told me that you are going to visit the clan."

Kun Dong said with an amiable smile on his face as he looks at the beautiful young woman slowly approaching him.

"Oh, no worried uncle Dong. My father wanted to visit the Shao clan this time. He just came back from guarding the eastern borders. When he heard about what happened to Kung Shao he felt guilty for betraying the expectation of his old friend."

When Kun Dong heard this he broke into cold sweat. His hands trembled involuntarily inside his long robe. He knows how strong and powerful the father of this young girl. Considered as a genius in manipulating spiritual attack skills since he was young, Wen Cai Shao became a well-known figure in the land of Xi. What boosted his career even more in the army was the time when a group of level 5 king broke out of the Demon Greens forest. He along with Ailan Shao, the father of Kung Shao, and 20 other cultivators fought with all their might and stood their ground against the rampaging beasts. Out of the 20 cultivators, only 3 was left alive after the devastation.

The 20 cultivators were acknowledged by the emperor as heroes of the empire, giving them and their clan fame and riches.

"Oh, that's good to hear. Where is your father right now Ni'er?"

"He's talking with the clan leader. Uncle Dong, my dad seems agitated I don't know why but I think it's about Kung Shao's disappearance."

This made Kun Dong felt more anxious, he wanted to run as far away in the clan as possible. But then he remembers that this was all arranged by the clan leader so he knows that the leader wouldn't rat on him.

"Young Ni'er I will go and meet with your dad. Do you want to come?"

Kun Dong said with a sheepish smile.

But then he suddenly saw two people walking towards them, a middle-aged man and a tall man in his 30's. The look on the clan leader's eyes has a hint of worry, while the man had a look of cold and indifference.

"Elder Dong, I'm glad to find you here. Come with us to the clan hall, there is something that we need to discuss."

The clan leader commanded.

When the three people were seated inside the clan hall, the clan leader raised a noise canceling barrier.

"It's okay to talk now. Junior Wen Cai has something to ask you Elder Dong." The clan leader said and he sat on the chair and nod at the man sitting next to him.

"Uncle Dong it's been a while since I last saw you. I would like to say some pleasantries but time is of the essence. Let me get the point... I'm here to ask you about my friend Ailan Shao's belongings. I know that when Kung Shao's death was announced the clan took possession of all his things in the estate right?"

Wen Cai Xiao said in a serious tone as his gaze turns to Kun Dong.

"Yes, it is all in the clan's safe. Why?" Kun Dong asked.

"I need to see them, but don't misunderstand seniors, I'm not here to take anything. My friend Ailan told me something before he died. I was a little hesitant at first, but when I heard from my father about what happened and your plans, I was reassured. I don't want to hide this from you. So I will tell you a secret."

Wen Cai Xiao calmly took a sip of his tea and look at the curious eyes of the two middle-aged men in front of him.

"You see… Kung Shao is not Ailan's son."

This statement startled the two men, shock and disbelief can be seen on both of their faces.

"I… You mean… Are you sure about this?" the clan leader became confused.

"I think there is a possibility that this is true. Ailan Shao came back from his military duty with a pregnant woman he introduced as his wife. So there is a possibility that he just took in the woman and the child." Kun Dong muttered as he recalled something.

"That's right. She is actually someone from the outer sea. We found her in a small fishing village near the City of Quin. While taking care of the woman Ailan Shao fell in love with her and decided to take care of the woman and the child. I didn't want to make a move against the boy as I fear to offend the Shao clan. But upon seeing that senior already got rid of the boy, my worries are lessened."

Wen Cai smiled as he gave a knowing look at the clan patriarch.

"I also wanted to tell you something very important. You see the endless forest has a secret. Deep within it there exist teleportation portals. So far we discovered only 3 portals, and they are being used to groom and develop the younger generations. Now the woman that Ailan Shao married carried a map. A map of all the portals in the endless forest."

The Shao clan leader and Kun Dong almost fell from their seats. They know the value of that map, as it will cause the entire kingdom to fight over it.

It is a known fact that the reason why the large sects are so powerful along with the Xi Empire and its almost endless cultivation resources. It all came from the endless forest of Demon Greens.

If they could have their hands on that map, their clan would become one of the strongest clan in the Xi empire. But there is one thing both men couldn't understand. How did Wen Cai Xiao know all of this?