135. The Sect Leader of the Demonic Sound Seeks a Trade, Returning Home with Overflowing Coffers

At this critical juncture, Gesila, the Master of the Magic Sound Pavilion, suddenly leaped onto the arena. With a massive zither strapped to his back, he bellowed, "Stop!"

The crowd was stunned and turned their gaze toward the stage.

Xie Wuji cupped his hands and asked, "So it is Sect Master Gesila. May I ask what business brings you to the arena?"

"What business? This spiritual artifact is clearly the long-lost treasure of our Magic Sound Pavilion!" Gesila declared. When he had first spotted Xie Wuji’s speaker from the stands, his eyes had filled with greed. Such a high-volume device was incredibly alluring, and the fact that nearly everyone in the venue had heard it only fueled his desire. An elder had suggested that they claim the item as their own to justify seizing it. Though such behavior was shameless, Gesila knew that because Xie Wuji’s device used sound to subdue people, insisting it belonged to their sect would make it difficult for anyone to argue.

Xie Wuji laughed. "Sect Master Gesila, are you perhaps mistaken? The Magic Sound Pavilion is located in the Tianze Kingdom. I have never left the Yunshang Kingdom, and my master can vouch for me! Besides, would your sect’s treasure be left lying around in another country?"

Gesila chuckled. "A rebellious elder fled our mountain with our treasure years ago. We searched for thousands of miles to no avail. Now that it has reappeared here, are you suggesting you have no connection to that traitor?"

Dongmen Yong, sensing the trouble, stepped onto the arena as well. The match, which had been in full swing, was immediately halted by the interference of the two sect masters. Dongmen Yong knew Gesila well; the man was notoriously stingy—a person who would pluck a feather from a passing goose and leave nothing behind. He knew Gesila was simply coveting the artifact. Furthermore, Xie Wuji was his own disciple, and he had given him too many surprises to let him be bullied.

"Sect Master Gesila, are you mistaken? Even if that traitor came to the Yunshang Kingdom, he would be a fugitive. Why assume my disciple, Xie Wuji, has any ties to him?" Dongmen Yong said coldly.

Gesila’s eyes turned icy as he looked at Dongmen Yong. "Sect Master Dongmen, are you trying to defend this traitor?"

Seeing the situation escalating, Xie Wuji stepped forward. "Everyone, I obtained this spiritual artifact accidentally in the desert. I was attacked by a man, and I killed him. If I’m not mistaken, that man must have been this 'traitor' you speak of?"

Gesila was overjoyed. He had been struggling to find a justification, and Xie Wuji had handed him one on a silver platter, though he didn't realize Xie Wuji was setting a trap. "Yes, that must have been the traitor from our sect!"

The crowd began to murmur. Xifeng Lie of the Beast King Mountain remarked, "This is incredible. The Master of the Magic Sound Pavilion couldn't handle that traitor, yet Xie Wuji killed him. By the rules of cultivation, since Xie Wuji defeated him, the item should rightfully belong to Xie Wuji."

"Indeed, this lad provides one surprise after another."

Xie Wuji stepped forward and bowed to the crowd. "Since I rid your Magic Sound Pavilion of a traitor, instead of thanking me, you come to demand my artifact? Is that not against the rules? My companions and I suffered heavy losses while working together to take him down. Are you saying that when we do favors for the Magic Sound Pavilion, we receive nothing in return?"

"Very well. You helped our sect dispose of a traitor; a reward is only fair. What do you want?" Gesila asked, his eyes glued to the speaker.

Xie Wuji said, "Ten thousand spirit stones, and your Green Jade Belt."

Xie Wuji had instantly recognized the belt as a high-quality storage artifact with vast internal space—something he desperately needed for his trips to the modern world.

Gesila hesitated. The belt was an heirloom from his master, a rare and priceless treasure. But his obsession with the speaker overwhelmed his caution.

Dongmen Yong shouted, "Wuji, don't be foolish! If you're going to trade, this price is too low. A storage artifact has no combat utility, while your device is rare and devastating!"

"Since your disciple discovered it, the ownership is his. You have no right to interfere. I agree to the trade!" Gesila exclaimed, fearing Xie Wuji might change his mind. To him, a combat-oriented artifact was far superior to a functional one.

Xie Wuji beamed. "It’s a deal! But since you interrupted my match, shouldn't Brother Jiuge here..."

"Hmph. Our Magic Sound Pavilion owes you a favor. It’s just a match—Jiuge, withdraw!" Gesila ordered. Jiuge, though unwilling, bowed and stepped down.

Xie Wuji handed the speaker to Gesila. "This is a solar-powered energy collector... it needs sunlight. Inside, there are a thousand square-dance songs—I mean, magic melodies. This is for the next track, this is to pause, and this is..."

As Xie Wuji explained the functions, Gesila accidentally pressed a button, and the music shifted. "Sweet, you smile so sweet..."

The audience felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. They had never heard such melodies; the softness of the song left them yearning for romance. Gesila was convinced he had made a brilliant deal. Fearing Xie Wuji might back out, he hurriedly produced a token. "This is the token of our Magic Sound Pavilion. From now on, you are an external elder of our sect!"

The crowd was shocked, and even Dongmen Yong’s eyes went wide. Being an external elder meant Xie Wuji would receive elder-level treatment whenever he visited the Magic Sound Pavilion.

"Mother, is the token we gave Brother Wuji also for an external elder?" the Snake Fairy asked.

Snake Beauty smiled. "Naturally. A young man of such unfathomable power is a prize worth investing in."

Amidst the gasps, Gesila transferred the contents of his belt into a bracelet and handed the belt to Xie Wuji. "Little friend Wuji, our sect will remember this kindness! There are twelve thousand spirit stones in the belt; the extra is for a meal. Farewell!"

"Safe travels!" Xie Wuji laughed.

Dongmen Yong was stunned. "You won again?"

"Yes, I won again," Xie Wuji replied.

Back at the Magic Sound Pavilion, the elders praised Gesila, convinced they had acquired an ancient treasure. They imagined nights spent listening to the "magic music" to master their sect's techniques. Gesila, wary of Dongmen Yong, ordered his sect to leave immediately, fearing their ruse would be discovered. They left, never realizing that upon their return, the Magic Sound Pavilion would soon be transformed into a karaoke parlor—singing by day and square dancing by night.