Subordinate Lan Wu Greets the Young Master...

“As long as he wears this pendant, you’re sure he will be fine?” Gu Feidi asked Chi Tong. “I’ve never heard of such a strange item.”

Chi Tong shook their head and said, “I haven’t read through the letter myself, and I didn’t know what was in the box…But if Shizun said he will be fine, then there should be no problem.”

Su Yang took the fiery Red Phoenix pendant in his hand and examined it from all sides.

He could feel the heat flowing out of the pendant, and it didn’t dissipate, instead, the warmth slowly encircled around him.

Thinking of the numerous rumours surrounding the immortal master, Qing Bo, of the House of Jade, Su Yang suddenly felt that their Shizun might not be a normal person. An immortal cultivator, or…a special setting outside the plot? Since the original work had her as an unworldly prophet, her having the right item just for the occasion shouldn’t be a coincidence.

So, Su Yang grabbed the pendant, slowly leapt forward with Cherished Flower Steps, and quickly ran a circle around the crowd.

His action startled Gu Feidi, who quickly grabbed him and questioned anxiously, “How do you feel? Any discomfort?”

Su Yang narrowed his eyes in concentration and felt the obvious heat flow from the pendant rush into his body, suppressing the Apparition. He gave a reassuring smile. “It worked! This pendant can suppress my Apparition.”

Then he picked up the pendant and put the string over his head.

Gu Feidi helped Su Yang smooth his braids, made sure no hair was caught by the string and cautioned, “Even so, you shouldn’t use your internal energy unless it’s the last resort. Shizun mentioned that the jade could be damaged, I think…it can break from misusage. Otherwise, if this really is an amazing item, Shizun wouldn’t have asked us to go after the White Flame Gu.”

That sounded very logical, so Su Yang nodded. “Alright, I won’t use my internal energy unless I have to.”

Gu Feidi then said, frowning, “According to Shizun’s letter, it seems that she wants us to join the forces assembled by the Tengyun Pavilion that is advancing to the wasteland…But my father tried to disrupt the E’Luo Gui Faction’s rhythm by driving me out. I don’t think it would be appropriate for us to appear at the Central Plains Wulin.”

Su Yang didn’t know how to handle this situation. He turned to Luo Yu for advice.

Luo Yu pondered for a moment and chimed in, “Shizun didn’t explicitly say for you two to travel to the Evil Sect with the Tengyun Pavilion, only to go to wasteland first, then the ice land…”

As he spoke, he gradually furrowed his eyebrows as he fell into deep thought. 

After a while, he glanced at Luo Yin and asked, “Is it true that you plan to return to the Royal Court for revenge?”

Luo Yin nodded. “My father, mother, and all of my younger siblings were slaughtered by E’Luo Yue’s blade. Naturally, I want revenge.”

“You don’t have to rush back to the Royal Court.” Luo Yu said. “A-Yue and I speculated that there might be undisclosed information for the Tengyun Pavilion to launch an attack at the Evil Sect, it might have to do with the faction. Now with Shizun’s letter, I’m more certain that’s really the case…I still have to confront Gu Ruohai to confirm.”

After a pause, he turned to Gu Feidi and suggested, “That means you two best continue travelling with us, but don’t show your faces to the Central Plains Wulin forces. After I obtain the reason for this bloodshed, you two can decide on what to do next.”

Gu Feidi and Su Yang glanced at each other and nodded.

After Luo Yu worked out Gu Feidi’s trouble, he asked Luo Yin, “I sense your energy, you practised the Heiyu Army’s Anying Division’sShadow/Umbra Division, like shadow a guard. stealth martial art...meant for assassination?”

Luo Yin confirmed, “Yes. Before the massacre, I was undergoing my training in the Anying Division. It was also because of what I learned that I successfully escaped the pursuit and reached the House of Jade.”

After a moment of silence, Luo Yu sighed, “Whatever the case, this skill is meant to kill a single target.”

Luo Yin remained void of emotion. “It’s enough to kill just him.”

Luo Yu argued, “Even if you dedicated your time in the House of Jade on the art of assassination…The E’Luo Gui Faction’s Royal Court is heavily guarded, and not to mention the Heiyu Army and Baiwu Tower, it will be very difficult for you to get close to E’Luo Yue. If you planned to go alone, you might as well allow me to contact my informant in the faction’s Royal Court who is still loyal to the former ruler, to start an internal divide within the faction…But this matter needs careful planning and can’t be rushed.”

“Maybe you don’t have to worry about the Heiyu Army…”

Chi Tong interrupted the doctor, “I’ll plead with my father to mobilize the imperial court’s force on the northwest frontier to pin them down. At first, I wasn’t confident that I could persuade my father, but with my sixth uncle, he can be my assurance. He was, after all, a young and talented general that was hard to come by before he left the palace. Plus, father trusts him.”

Hearing this, Luo Yu shifted his attention to Qin Jianyue.

Qin Jianyue was deep in thought and said to Chi Tong, “Alright, I’ll accompany you back to the capital.”

Luo Yu uttered in concern, “But you haven’t seen each other for twenty years. He might be a different person sitting in his current position for that long…If he doesn’t permit you to lead the military power, if he won’t allow you out of the capital…”

Qin Jianyue smiled and reassured, “If he doesn’t let me leave, then I’ll just have to escape back home again.”

Listening to the conversation between the two, Chi Tong suddenly chuckled. “The senior and uncle’s relationship is quite good. Look at Luo Yin, he is not worried at all if I will come back from the capital!”

Luo Yin silently glanced at Chi Tong and said, “It’s fine if you can’t come back. It’s safer staying in the capital than the frontline.”

Chi Tong punched at Luo Yin out of anger. “If I can’t provide you with support, should I just wait for you to be chopped into pieces by the Heiyu Army? You have the nerve to say that…”

Watching the way they were bickering, Luo Yu and Qin Jianyue exchanged looks of disbelief. 

Originally, they thought that the ill-fated relationship between the imperial court and the E’Luo Gui Faction would be worsened after they left their respective backgrounds and lived in seclusion. They would never have thought that after twenty years of isolation, another pair of children who were willing to abandon their backgrounds and accompany each other appeared after their generation.

* * *

After discussing a general plan, they went down the mountain together and decided to stay in Mei Zhu Town for the rest of the day. After fine-tuning the details of the plan, they would set off early the next morning.

In the town, the inn previously established by the Evil Sect’s Orchid Hall was still open. It seemed that they were not worrying about the future destruction of the Sect. Of course, only Su Yang knew that the inn was operated by the Evil Sect, and he didn’t intend to expose his identity as the Young Master, so he followed Luo Yu back to another inn they reserved last night.

The two seniors rarely appeared in the Jianghu, so they pretended to be wandering travellers to inquire about any new status on the battle outside around the streets.

Chi Tong and Su Yang hadn’t seen each other for a long time, so they pulled him away to share what he had seen for the half a year he was outside. Being inside the House of Jade for countless years, they didn’t care much about the conflict outside in the Jianghu. So this was their first time hearing about the sword sage and his tomb that contained the inheritance. They also learned that Gu Feidi was infected with Blood Gu and the series of events afterwards from Su Yang detoxifying Gu Feidi and the consequences. He sighed in the end.

“That means you and Luo Yin are cousins!” Chi Tong immediately dragged Luo Yin over and smiled. “But I don’t see any resemblance. No wonder neither of you recognised each other at the beginning!”

Luo Yin showed no change of emotion from this as he said calmly, “I was young at that time and had no memory of my little aunt. Of course, I didn’t recognise him.”

Su Yang felt embarrassed. He didn’t really want to call Luo Yin as older cousin, so he continued to address him as Shixiong like before.

“However, since you have this level of identity…if I follow you to the faction, I might be able to solve the Baiwu Tower issue.”

Luo Yin commented, “You have the blood from a female royal member, and you also learned Half-Withered Crimson. You can be regarded as half a shaman. In the beginning, E’Luo Jue successfully took control of them because he colluded with other shamans and assassinated the previous head shaman. Therefore, today’s head shaman does not have the blood of a female royal family member. I’m sure if you two met, the head shaman would lose control over the White Flame Gu.”

This piece of information shocked Su Yang.

“But I’m not a member of the faction.” He said. “Half-Withered Crimson is just a remnant of their Gu refining skill. How can I compete with the head shaman?”

Luo Yin shook his head. “I can’t say for sure about the other Poisonous Gu, but the White Flame Gu had all previously been kept in the head shaman’s body, as the Gu King. Because the head shaman is always someone from the female royal family. White Flame Gu, King of all Gu Bugs, has always been raised soaking in their blood. The matter of blood is extremely strange, and I can’t really give a reason. But I’m certain that your control over the White Flame Gu is much higher than the current head shaman.”

After listening to the other’s explanation, instead of feeling relief, Su Yang became worried. “But based on Shizun’s letter, Gu Feidi should be the one taking the White Flame Gu. But as someone who isn’t a member of a royal court, not even someone from the faction, and he didn’t even practice Half-Withered Crimson…”

“I also find this strange.” Luo Yin chimed in. “Gu Feidi’s mental skill is the righteous sun. If he gets the White Flame Gu, his internal energy will burn too intensely. In addition, you are correct about him not having a single drop of the faction's royal blood. I’m afraid it’ll be very dangerous for him to contain the Gu inside his body. But…since Shizun said this is his opportunity, we must trust in her words.”

Su Yang and Gu Feidi exchanged a look, and they both saw a trace of clarity in each other’s eyes.

—Gu Feidi didn’t have the blood of the E’Luo Gui Faction’s Royal Court, but he has Su Yang beside him; although he hadn't practiced Half-Withered Crimson, Su Yang had and although his skills lay in the righteous sun, Su Yang’s internal energy was cold enough for both of them. As long as they don’t separate, all of what Gu Feidi needed to tame the White Flame Gu, was under Su Yang’s ability to help. 

Once Gu Feidi had the White Flame Gu, his internal energy would definitely burn several times hotter than now—as it happened, that was what he needed to dual cultivate with Su Yang.

However, if that was the case, once Su Yang was gone, Gu Feidi would receive harmful damage from the White Flame Gu.

“It’s too dangerous.” Su Yang frowned and whispered. “What makes Shizun think this is an opportunity for you?”

Gu Feidi gripped the tip of Su Yang’s hand and argued, “The Apparition is just as dangerous. Then, your life was also hanging on the line to save me…”

Su Yang lamented, “Please stop bringing that up, please? I really didn’t know that I would get in contact with the Apparition when I saved you. And it didn’t bring me any harm at first, in fact, it decreased the time needed for me to learn my mental skills. But that White Flame Gu sounds like nothing good with just its name.”

“That’s a biased argument.” Luo Yin interrupted. “It may be dangerous for him to tame the White Flame Gu, but as long as he succeeds, he would never be afraid of any poisons, and the White Flame Gu is very helpful for heated natural skill.”

Su Yang was obviously still very worried. Seeing this, Gu Feidi immediately changed the topic. “From what you said just now, it sounded like the White Flame Gu is something unique to the E’Luo Gui Faction’s head shaman. If I take it, what would happen to their head shaman?”

Hearing the question, Luo Yin stayed silent for a long time before saying, “If I failed to assassinate my target, you two would at least weaken the faction’s power by taking the White Flame Gu from Baiwu Tower. If I succeed in seizing power, it would be all from you two’s help. I even think the White Flame Gu is too light of a gift as thanks. Besides, White Flame Gu is not one of its kind. A new one can be found in the far north.”

While they were talking, suddenly there was a knock at the door. A man said behind the door, “The orchid flower wine fermented in the fifth month that the honourable guest had requested has arrived.”

Everyone in the room glanced at each other. They didn’t know what kind of secret signal this was.

Gu Feidi, being the most skilful among them, gave everyone an eye signal, as he picked up Cherished Heart and went to open the door.

There was a waiter with a wine pot outside the door, but he sounded younger than he looked. He stepped in the door with a smile on his face, glancing around the room and then locked on Su Yang.

Su Yang felt that the man looked very familiar. It wasn't until he noticed the orchid pattern on the robe, he suddenly whispered in surprise, “Lan Wu?”

Hearing Su Yang called out to the petal retainer, Gu Feidi was also very shocked as he closed the door.

Lan Wu put down the wine jar in his hand, knelt down on one knee, and saluted Su Yang. “Subordinate Lan Wu greets the Young Master!”