Chapter 2: Secret of Zhu family

The feast and the food nearly made the Black Merchant addicted. Even these foods have deficient spiritual qi nurturing effects, But the out of this world taste of these foods still amazes him. He also thought of sparing Zhu Wushang life and enslaving him to his will and let him be his personal chef forever. After he already eliminates or confines the threat he had felt from him of course.

After the feast has ended, Everyone starts to talk about trivial things for a while, the atmosphere becomes more and more lively until Xiao Lan brings Zhu Wushang out for fishing at the Green Lake.

The Black merchant looking at Qin Xue’er then nodded at her. Everyone in the dining room face was solemn. With the hand gesture from Zhu Yinbing, all of the manor servants quickly leave the dining room. The Black merchant then waves his hand to create the spiritual barrier to block all the voice within this room.

“I must admit, The food here is very impressive; I'm totally convinced. So miss Qin or should I say, your Majesty? What do you want from me to invite me to this feast using one-third of the spirits crystal mine in your empire as a guarantee.” Black merchant said with a businesslike smile.

“Your Majesty! You using one-third of our empire spirit crystal mine as a guarantee?” Both Zhu Songtian and Zhu Yinbing exclaim in panic, but Qin Xue’er waves her hand to tell them to stop being panicked.

“Call me as you will sir Black Merchant I don’t mind.” She said then continued after sipping her tea.

“The reason why I invite you here is to ask you for a favor.”

This sentence intrigues The Black merchant very much, he asks.

“Oh? What is it? Since I’m in a good mood. Do you want me to tell you the critical information about the Tian dynasty enemy or you even want me to personally kill all of them?”

The Black merchant asks in a good mood, He’s the most powerful person in this realm after all. The word powerful includes his great influence over many factions within this realm, Even the upper realm that’s stronger than this realm still needs to give him face.

This Black merchant debuted as a very powerful rogue cultivator 1500 years ago. He’s the youngest person that can reach beyond the Ascension realm at the age of 20. During his time, He exterminates 10 prominent sects and 1 ancient sect within this realm, none of those sect members survive. His strength made the last remaining ancient sect to call all the righteous sects at that time to have a crusade against him.

The result? Every member of all the sects that join in that crusade had been slaughtered. There’s many witnesses that told the tale of this grand battle that the blood from all of the expert corpses in that war had formed a black blood river at the eastern of the imperial continent.

His domineering and cruelty from that war made everyone give him a nickname “Venerable Black River” to remind themself of his power and domineering. After that war, he retires from the cultivator road and builds a massive trading organization that name “The Profound trading association” and changes his name to The Black merchant and styles himself as a suave and cunning businessman.

Many years have passed and the Profound trading association becomes a giant organization that has any type of goods including the information of all the nations and notable characters of the world for sale.

Many factions that were arrogant or ignorant enough to provoke them had vanished with time until no one dared to mess with them.

That’s why no one in this room gets angry at the Black Merchant even though he is a bit arrogant to the person in a high position like Qin Xue’er.

Qin Xue’er chuckles before telling him.

“Thank you for your consideration sir Black merchant, but there’s no need. All I want to ask for sir Black Merchant is that I wish for sir to find a way for that child Zhu Wushang to be able to cultivate spiritual qi. That’s all I wish.”

The Black merchant faces quickly turn solemn.

“You mean, The child that was sitting opposite me?”

Qin Xue’er nodded.

Black merchants think for a bit and see that this is an opportunity to know more about that child.

“Then you need to tell me everything about that child to me. What happens when he’s in his mother's womb does anything happen to her during that time? Or what happened when he was born?” This time he asked while looking at the Zhu Couple like he already knew that they were Zhu Wushang parents.

The Zhu couple looking at each other before decided to tell him everything.

“Sir Black merchant… Please keep this as a secret between all of us here and never bring it out of this room.” Zhu Yinbing pleading with a severe face.

After the Black Merchant nodded, Zhu Yinbing then continued.

“Actually… Zhu Wushang isn’t our biological son, we adopted him 12 years ago since we found him alone at the outer layer of the Great forest of nowhere.”

Once he heard this sentence, Black merchant's face grew more serious, his eyes constricted.

[Shit… That child is not a biological son of this couple? and they even found him precisely at the place where this world boundary is at the most fragile 12 years ago?]

“And what else?” He asked for more information.

This time Zhu Yinbing looked at Qin Xue’er like she’s waiting for her permission. Qin Xue’er nodded and told The Black merchant herself.

“There’s more, The basket that he sleeps in has a very powerful killing formation. It can easily annihilate the pack of the Horrendous creature that has strength at the Ascension realm.”

“That basket, What does it look like?” He asks.

His question made Qin Xue’er silence. Her eyebrow frown with a bit of conflict. The Black merchant saw her expression he then chuckled and said.

“Let me guess then, Tell me if I’m wrong. That basket color is black and has a blood color strange rune on it. That rune is incomprehensible and gives off the ominous and evil feeling and anyone that tried to mess with it or even tried to comprehend it will go insane.”

What the Black merchant said startled everyone in this room, they don’t know how but this is a national secret that the black merchant just said. Everyone in this room is getting more nervous and suspiciously looking at the Black merchant.

But the one that’s alarming with this fact the most is the Black merchant himself, but this alarming didn’t show on his face.

[Shit… I just speculate because I heard that there’s a killing formation on it. I never thought that He’s actually the same kind as me! But Who’s that child? It seems he can’t remember anything from the old omniverse! I need to test that child a bit and see who he really is.]

“Sir black merchant, How do you know that?” Zhu Yinbing asked.

Black merchant thinks about it a little before he tells them half of the truth that he knows.

“There’s a scroll from the first civilization that records the characteristics of this formation that can instantly kill the monster at the Ascension realm. If I’m not wrong. He’s a member of an ancient race, His bloodline can date back before the primordial age. This ancient race each has unique abilities and flaws of their own. I don’t know which bloodline he came from. Can you tell me more about this child? Like his talent in cultivation, his gift, or his unique ability.”

Everyone in the room gasps in astonishment, they stunt with this great revelation of truth, but Zhu Yinbing is the first one that can snap out of it and quickly tells the black merchant about her adopted son's ability and shortcoming.

“Sir Black merchant! He has a heaven-defying comprehension of combat arts and all skills that he can learn, He can master and perfect that skill within 10 tries, but can’t cultivate because he didn’t have a spiritual root.” 

Black merchants silence and think about Zhu Wushang's real identity.

[Who’s that child? Cthulhu? No, He didn’t incite insanity, Hastur? No, it’s not that guy either. And, It’s nearly impossible for that child to be those two entities of forbidden name.]

“Is there any way to cure him of his disability to cultivate?” Zhu Yinbing anxiously asked.

The Black merchant looked at the anxious Zhu Yinbing, He knows the answer to this question, Just kill someone and graft his spiritual root to Zhu Wushang body. If Zhu Wushang is the same kind as him, his body would quickly adapt to external organs and make it his own. But, He has no reason to help Zhu Wushang that might have the power to counter him.

“I’m sorry madam Zhu, but I can’t do anything regarding this matter. He hasn't had a spiritual root since birth, It’s impossible for me to help him. Or at least right now I don’t know how to help him.” He answers in an apologetic tone.

“No…” Zhu Yinbing drops on her chair with a despairing look. Zhu Songtian quickly comes over to hug and console her.

“It’s ok Bing’er even the old patriarch of the Medicine Dao sect can’t help him, It is fate, But we will still love him no matter what. I’m a General of the east, and You are a Grand General, and in 7 Years after you fully recuperate, we will have enough power to protect him.” He lovingly stroked her light blue hair with love as he continued.

“Our Shang’er Heaven-defying comprehension would make him a great sage of this era even though he can’t cultivate. Don’t forget we have a lot more mortal than cultivator, he would surely make the life of all mortal in our Great Phoenix empire better.”

Zhu Yinbing nodded within her husband's embrace. It’s hard for her to accept this truth, but there’s nothing they could do.

Black merchant waited until the couples finished counseling each other and asked.

“By the way, Can you tell me why you entered the Great Forest of nowhere and how you found your adopted son?” The Black merchant asks again.