'Life Should be Like a Brightly Coloured Decoration.'

The flourishing youth before him had grown up. The young man’s face carried a bright, handsome temperament, like green pines and verdant bamboo standing in the wind.

The eyes, however, were as black and penetrating as ever. With an earnest look, those eyes were like two secluded ponds.

Under those two eyes, Su Yang’s heart trembled.

Inside: If the Young Master of Evil Sect was really into men, facing someone like Gu Feidi, how would he not lay his hands on the handsome youth? He would definitely be spellbound by Gu Feidi!

Gu Feidi didn’t wait for Su Yang to answer his question. After a short pondering, he asked, “If it was you, what would you do?”

Su Yang’s head and heart were disordered. Being asked such a question, all he wanted to do was to dig a hole and hide.

He quickly searched through his memory, surpassed his emotion, and appeared every inch like the Young Master. During his search, he tilted his head and rested his chin on his right hand. He picked a line from the script to read with twinkling eyes. “Life should be like a brightly coloured decoration. Peach blossoms are the brightest during spring. Enjoying the white lotus during summer makes one feel refreshed. In the chilly autumn, the fragrant osmanthus and colourful chrysanthemum are the most pleasing. Once winter arrives, red plum trees would blossom in bright crimson, bustling with liveness…”

Each word he recited, Gu Feidi’s smile gradually faded and the brightness in his eyes dimmed…When Su Yang finished his lines, Gu Feidi’s head was lowered, covering his gloomy expression.

Seeing Gu Feidi in such a state, Su Yang didn’t feel any better. Instead, he felt more upset.

He coughed awkwardly, and blurted out as he sat up straight, “What’s the point of discussing this? It’s time to eat!”

He picked up the chopsticks to eat the porridge in the bowl. Having not eaten a single grain of rice during his journey, he immediately realised his dumb mistake and changed to eating with a spoon.

After quickly stuffing himself with breakfast, he went to the assembly hall to deal with the Evil Sect’s accumulated documents.

The Chrysanthemum Hall had investigated the young man who infected Gu Feidi with the Gu Bug on their side, but there was nothing strange about this person—he was one of the children who was brought back by Su Yang years ago from a farm village under the Wujiang Sect’s protection. The child’s parents were just farmers, and they had no connection with the Wujiang Sect’s upper management, let alone the chance to get in contact with the E’Luo Gui Faction’s Poisonous Gu.

When Su Yang dismissed the Tiger Lily Hall, the same young man knelt down in front of the Chrysanthemum Hall’s elder and cried that his father never treated him well, how his father would often beat and scold him. He simply refused to go home. So much so that he begged to become the Sect Leader’s human cauldron over leaving the Sect.

In the eyes of the Plum Blossom Hall’s elder, this child was young and could handle a few beatings, so he accepted the child into his hall. Because the Chrysanthemum Hall checked the young man’s background prior, the Plum Blossom Hall’s elder didn’t bother to re-check.

After listening to the entire process of development, Su Yang stared blankly at the two elders for a long time and felt an incoming headache. “Since there was nothing wrong with his origin, does that mean there are spies from the faction in my Divine Sect?”

The two elders who were supposed to be in charge of this matter were so scared that they immediately bowed down and made many promises to investigate this matter.

Su Yang was only talking to himself. He did not expect the two elders to act this seriously, so he might as well let them handle this and waved them out.

Next were reports from the Orchid Hall’s elder. The hottest rumours in the Central Plains circle said the reason the Faction was in the wasteland fighting groups from the Central Plains was that the Faction made some kind of deal with the Evil Sect. After the chaotic battle, the Young Master didn’t die from the fall from the cliff. Instead, he found the Sage’s tomb by accident. Now Bai Jinghong’s inheritance was in the Evil Sect’s hands.

“This subordinate did his utmost best to suppress these rumours, but unfortunately, those rumours spread everywhere like the wind as it entered every open ear. There was nothing I could do.” The elder’s expression was grave. “I am afraid that if this continues, it will endanger our Sect.”

Su Yang didn’t understand. “We didn’t make a deal with the Faction, but we took the inheritance from the stone chamber.”

The elder sighed, “Young Master, however, we can’t admit to it. The saying ‘a man’s wealth is his own ruin by causing another's greed’!”

Su Yang understood now and asked, “Then what is our best option?”

The Orchid Hall’s elder explained, “Usually when rumours like this arise, the Sect would send out petal retainers from the Plum Blossom Hall to eliminate the source and the spreaders. Young Master, here is my report and suggestions on this. Please have a look…”

Su Yang: “...”

He should never have had such high hopes on how the Evil Sect handled rumours.

Su Yang pressed a hand to his forehead and lamented, “The sword technique carved on the stone wall was not really as mysterious as the legend. After the Plum Blossom Hall sorts out their tasks, we will distribute the secret throughout the Wulin. To counter your earlier saying, ‘one’s only crime was only to carry their wealth’. Publish the technique. Give a copy to each person, and once this is done, the technique will no longer be something of value.”

The elder was shocked. “But…”

Su Yang declared, “This is my final decision.”

The elder bowed his head and accepted the order.

“Oh right,” Su Yang directed his attention back to the elder.

The elder’s head remained lowered as he listened quietly.

Su Yang tried asking this question as casually as possible, “Where is our Sect’s forbidden ground?”

The Orchid Hall’s elder was startled and frowned. “Answering the Young Master, there is no such place in our Sect…Most of the forbidden grounds are the Bamboo Garden Island, or near your residence.”

Going through what the elder said, Su Yang felt that he would not get a straight answer to his question. He waved his hands. “You are dismissed.”

After completing more trivial matters, afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye.

Because they ate a late breakfast, he pushed his lunch schedule back for a few hours.

Not one for not talking while eating, he told Gu Feidi all the rumours in Central Plain Wulin regarding the Sword Sage’s inheritance at the dining table.

Gu Feidi tapped his bowl with his chopsticks idly, and said with a smile, “As expected, my speculation on the Faction leading us into the cave was correct.”

Su Yang asked, “What was their end goal for doing that?”

Gu Feidi clarified, “That stone chamber may not necessarily be where the Sword Sage entered seclusion. There was an inheritance, but it might not be from the actual Sword Sage. I can’t say they wouldn’t gain any benefit from inciting this conflict between the Central Plains and the Evil Sect. There would be a large-scale war between the two if either of us died in the cave.”

Gu Feidi’s explanation took Su Yang’s breath away. “So that means the reason someone would poison you…”

Gu Feidi confirmed coldly, “If I die from the Poisonous Gu under the hand of a petal retainer, the Evil Sect won’t escape from the consequences. My only chance to live was going to the Faction in the north…This was their plan all along!”

Su Yang wondered, “But everyone knew the Poisonous Gu is the E’Luo Gui Faction’s handiwork.”

Gu Feidi shook his head. “Both the Faction and the Evil Sect live in the northwest wasteland. Some groups in the Central Plains already believed your Sect and the Faction have been contacting each other in secret for many years. Now the Faction claimed to have made a deal with the Evil Sect…What do you think the Central Plains Wulin would say? Although the Faction had been a thorn in the Central Plains and the Imperial Court’s sides, you have to consider…the Faction is farther away than your Sect.”

Su Yang: “...”

This scandal puddle is so deep! I am just a trainee trying to complete the plot! What I got is the drama script. Please have mercy on me!

“If that’s the case, best if I treat your poison as soon as possible.” Su Yang clenched his chopsticks his face determined. “I will look for more information after dinner and make plans to get rid of your poison. As long as you return to the Central Plains safe and sound, the Faction’s plot would naturally be ruined.”

Gu Feidi stayed silent for a moment and asked, “Why do you keep insisting on treating my poison?”

Su Yang didn’t understand his question. “I don’t want you to die. What other reason would there be?”

Gu Feidi countered, “I am the son of the Wulin Alliance Leader, and you are the Evil Sect’s Young Master. We should meet in a life or death situation. You should have trapped me in the cave and let the poison run its course. Why…why didn’t you want me to die?”

Because you are the protagonist. You can’t die!

The answer was loud and clear in Su Yang’s heart, but he couldn't express the same. So he chuckled and said, “When we fell off the cliff and travelled down the underground river together. You, as the son of the Wulin Alliance Leader, didn’t leave this Young Master behind. Why did you care about my life? The reason you didn’t kill me is also the reason I didn’t kill you.”

Gu Feidi raised an eyebrow. “Do you know the reason I didn’t leave you behind?”

Su Yang grinned while guessing, “Is it because of our friendship as fellow disciples? Or to return the favour? Or maybe because I have done nothing outrageous, and you righteous people would always need a reason to kill...You couldn’t find a reason to kill me?”

Gu Feidi looked at Su Yang solemnly and replied, “What if it was none of the above?”

Completely flabbergasted, Su Yang choked, “...What? None of them? Then why?”

Looking at Su Yang’s bewildered expression, a smile appeared at the corner of Gu Feidi’s mouth. He made a soft sound from his nose, and it was hard to tell if the sound was from laughing or sighing.

“Figure it out yourself.”

After he was done, he put down his chopsticks, got up, and went back to his room.

However, Su Yang didn’t have the time or effort to ponder over Gu Feidi’s words. After lunch, he went to the Inked Orchid Building, where the Evil Sect stored all of their library collection and documents.

—As for the Evil Sect’s Forbidden Ground, it was best not to ask the petal retainers and the elders. He used Gu Feidi’s poison as an excuse to dive head first into the Inked Orchid Building, flipping through documents about the early days of the Evil Sect’s establishment and trying to find clues about the forbidden ground.

The search lasted for several hours.

When the moon hung in the middle of the sky, Su Yang was still empty-handed. There was a short mention of the forbidden ground in several records, which confirmed the place existed.

But there was no mention of the whereabouts or the entrances.

Seeing that his hurricane lamp was about to burn out, Su Yang decided to call it a day for tonight and continue tomorrow morning.

He organised the piles of documents on the desk into different categories, so it would be easy to pick up where he left off the next day.

As he walked out of a hidden spot between two bookshelves, Su Yang spotted what seemed to be a servant for this building, as the person was arranging files. He went around and warned, “Don’t move the documents on that table. It’s for tomorrow.”

The person paused and turned his head to look Su Yang in the eyes.

Using the dim candlelight, Su Yang noticed that the man was not wearing the Lotus Hall uniform, but a creamy-white, wide-sleeved robe. The person’s hair was very long, almost down to his ankles, and loosely tied with a headband. A gauze scarf covered his face, showing only a pair of calm, dark eyes. Those eyes were like two ancient wells, peaceful yet deep.

The man looked very young, but from Su Yang’s experience in the entertainment industry, he had the ability to tell a person's real age by their appearance. Looking at the fine details in the corner of the man’s eyes and the tip of his brow, Su Yang judged that the man before him should be in his forties.

It was just that the mysterious person’s appearance and temperament were very outstanding that they blurred the age. In short, this man was extremely charming.

“Er, who…are you?” Su Yang frowned. “This is the Inked Orchid Building. This is an area only authorised people can enter.”

The man’s expression did not change. After studying Su Yang for a long time, he whispered, “I live on the Bamboo Garden Island.”

The Bamboo Garden Island was the Sect Leader’s residence.

The island was originally named Crimson Epiphyllum Island. Legend was that the current Sect Leader changed the island’s name after completing his training in the House of Jade and journeying across the Jianghu.

Of course, besides the Sect Leader himself, there were dozens of male bed servants living on the island.

Su Yang studied the person in front of him for a moment and then pictured the shrivelled old man who played the Evil Sect’s Sect Leader in the cast. He sighed: The Evil Sect’s old man is served by such a beautiful man with an outrageous temperament. This is too wasteful of resources!

At the thought of the Evil Sect’s future destruction, these male bed servants and beauties would not be surviving through the event. Su Yang unknowingly gazed at the man with pity in his eyes.

Unable to understand what Su Yang was thinking, the man in white raised his eyebrows. Ignoring Su Yang, he turned and raised his hand to pick out a biography from the nearby bookshelf.

It was a well-kept ancient book, yet strangely, the blinding thread abruptly snapped apart. Many pages scattered and fell to the ground.

Su Yang quickly placed his hurricane lamp aside and leaned over to help the man pick up the scattered pages.

Suddenly, his fingers stopped at one of the pages, and he picked it up.

“This is…”

His eyes brightened immediately as he lifted the page closer to his eyes and read carefully. After reading the page, he flipped through the other pages to search for the following page on the ground.

Once he read over ten pages, a radiant smile appeared on his face. He raised his head up to thank the man who had helped him locate the information regarding the Evil Sect’s Forbidden Ground.

However, the man dressed in white had already disappeared.

There was a hurricane lamp on the bookshelf, which obviously did not belong to Su Yang. The candle in the lamp was bright and seemed to have enough wax to burn for the entire night.