The two men left the stall with much more information than they could have hoped for. Gui Yin readjusted the scarf around his head and let out a soft sigh. Li Fangyin glanced at him as the two of them entered a nearby inn where they were planning on spending the night.
“What do you think about all this?” Gui Yin asked.
Li Fangyin shook his head. “From the beginning, I already had a guess that this case was loosely linked to Huigu Palace’s disappearance. I just didn’t expect there to be…so much more information.”
The case of Huigu Palace was still up in the air with no conclusion. At this point, the people in charge had secretly called it a dud case. What could they do? All in one night, the palace had been wiped out—even the bones were missing! Even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to investigate anything. Sure, the suspicious people were there, but what about evidence? They were in this situation as a third party, they couldn’t exactly pull out swords and make new enemies, now could they?
And the new information Li Fangyin spoke of were the details about the Ruby-Eyed Serpent as well as the centipede demon were both details that people who lived in the central plains would not have any knowledge of.
“A man-made deity is fine. But a worshipped demon is a whole other issue,” Gui Yin agreed. He silently fanned himself as the two men fell into their own thoughts.
It was all too strange—the Ruby-Eyed Serpent and the Palace Lord of Huigu Palace; the rise of Qi Du Cult and their sudden actions. None of it made sense. It was all disjointed, as if the pieces they had been given were from two completely different puzzles. They were missing the pieces needed to bridge the two parts together and make a complete picture.
“For now, we can assume that the deaths in the desert are not from the serpent, but from the sand pirates. But what about Qi Du Cult? If we accuse them of anything, they’ll claim their followers misconstrued their teachings. And, say we manage to get rid of Qi Du Cult, will the serpent come back? Will Devil’s Desert become dangerous again?”
Gui Yin fell silent. “I suppose we should first figure out where the serpent went.”
Li Fangyin nodded. “Yes. So, there are two obvious possibilities. One, the serpent has been killed; two, the serpent is under Qi Du Cult’s control.”
“There could also be a third possibility.”
“Which is?”
“The serpent is still alive, but is not under Qi Du Cult’s control.”
Li Fangyin frowned. “What do you mean by that, Gui-qianbei?”
Gui Yin’s gaze darkened. “Huigu Palace was a sect that was beloved by the nameless desert towns. We know them to be strong swordsmen and talented blacksmiths. Not only that, they single-handedly took control over the rogue sects of Devil’s Desert and kept that control for hundreds of years.”
Li Fangyin’s eyes widened. “…You’re right.”
“Think about it,” Gui Yin said, his brows furrowing. “Huigu Palace didn’t change leadership. Up until they disappeared a few months ago, their reputation was still on the rise and their economy was at its peak but, suddenly, they’re wiped off the face of this earth? Why? Because of that centipede demon?”
Li Fangyin agreed. Although not much was known about that Palace Lord, it was safe to assume that his cultivation level was on par with Gui Yin and Li Fangyin’s own father. A centipede demon that’s received measly offerings from a wannabe cult wouldn’t be powerful enough to eradicate someone of Gui Yin and Li Fangyin’s father’s power. It would have to be a centipede demon that was hundreds of thousands of years old.
“And we know the Palace Lord is intelligent,” Gui Yin recalled. “After all, he was the one who helped establish trade routes between the Beidou Alliance and Yun An Springs.”
Huigu Palace’s Palace Lord had a reputation of someone who moved without sound and shadow. There were many times when cultivators from the central plains tried to challenge him to a duel, but he would easily slip away. During conferences that he was invited to, he would slip in without anyone noticing, plant a nice little note, and depart before anyone had discovered an intrusion.
Someone so intelligent and so slippery hadn’t seen the downfall of his sect coming? Absolutely impossible.
“So, Gui-qianbei believes that…Huigu Palace is still alive?” Li Fangyin asked hesitantly.
“Or else? Do you believe Qi Du Cult or a measly centipede demon can take down a Heavenly Beast of a hundred thousand years of age?” Gui Yin asked.
Li Fangyin pinched at his lower lip as his thoughts ran wild.
“Where did you hear about this case?”
“It was sent to Yin Hua Palace,” Li Fangyin said. “No one looked at it, since it dealt with territories in the south, but when I was going through it, I felt that I was attracted to it.”
“Do you still have it?” Gui Yin asked.
Li Fangyin nodded. He rummaged in his Qiankun sleeve and finally produced a scroll.
Gui Yin took it, pulled apart the ribbon and spread it onto the table. He read over its contents. It was just as Li Fangyin said, down to the last word. There was no superfluous information, just blanket observations from several witnesses. There was even a witness statement from the first victim’s family.
But, normally, one victim’s witness statement wouldn’t be enough to send it to a big sect—much less a place like Yin Hua Palace.
Gui Yin looked at the seal stamp. He held it closer to his face and narrowed his eyes. It was clearly the stamp of Yin Hua Palace. It wasn’t a forgery.
“Do you mind if I peeled the paper off?” Gui Yin asked Li Fangyin.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The young man shook his head. “We’ve already received the mission and confirmed that it was real. Gui-qianbei can do whatever you want with it.”
Xel Tlc rwlifv jcv qeiifv bea j rwjii xclof. Ol Mjcuslc kjamtfv klat ugfja lcafgfra jr Xel Tlc rilv atf rwjii xclof yfakffc atf rmgbii’r yjmx jcv atf rtffa bo qjqfg, ktfgf atf mbcafcar kfgf. Vibkis, tf kjr jyif ab qeii la yjmx. Lbkfnfg, la mjwf boo wemt fjrlfg atjc gfueijg rmgbiir kbeiv.
Gui Yin sat back and looked at the flap he had just torn up. His brows furrowed and he looked at Li Fangyin, a little helplessly. “It seems that you fell into a small trap.”
Li Fangyin’s eyes widened. He leaned over the table and looked at the scribbled writing. The characters themselves were crooked and almost indecipherable. Although it did not look as if it were written by a child, it was obvious that whoever wrote it hadn’t learned how to write until he was older.
The words “thank you, Young Palace Lord” were written on the scroll’s backing.
Gui Yin smoothed the scroll back down. “Perhaps this person had written up this quest and snuck it in when you were there. With a simple spell, they could make you feel as if you were drawn to its contents, thus bringing you here.”
Li Fangyin was at a loss. He wasn’t sure if he was impressed or frightened. Still, he looked at Gui Yin with admiration, sparkling brightly. “Gui-qianbei, you’re amazing! How did you even guess this?”
“Deductive reasoning,” Gui Yin said. He sheathed the knife and tapped the butt of it against the tea table as he rested his chin against the palm of his hand. “The case by itself is something that would be sent back to the Beidou Alliance if anyone else saw it, but you—the Young Palace Lord of Yin Hua Palace—is known for being rebellious. You’re accomplished at a young age, you’re smart, and you aren’t brash. They knew that, although you were a little under qualified to take care of a centipede demon, you would find help and you wouldn’t rush in bullheadedly. With these qualities, you were the perfect target for this mysterious messenger.”
At this, Li Fangyin finally shuddered. “They…they seem to know me really well.”
“They do,” a harsh light flashed through Gui Yin’s eyes. “They know you well, but this just confirms my previous theory.”
“You think that it’s Huigu’s Palace Lord?”
Gui Yin nodded. He glanced at the cut-up scroll and smirked. “Who knows—maybe they even predicted that you would run into me and ask me for help.”
“That would be impossible,” Li Fangyin exclaimed. “He would have to be able to see in the future if that were true!”
“Yes, that would be a bit absurd,” Gui Yin said. He set the knife down and rolled the scroll back up before handing it back to Li Fangyin. “Keep this safe. We never know if you might need it again.”
Li Fangyin nodded obediently and tucked it away.
Gui Yin’s gaze traveled to the window to his right.
So, that person wanted them to come here to find out about Qi Du Cult and the centipede demon. Did he expect that they would also learn about the red-eyed serpent? He should have. It was a crucial piece of Devil’s Desert’s story. His main goal was obviously for them to take down Qi Du Cult. But why did he make it so obvious that Huigu Palace was still alive? This wasn’t information that could be entrusted to outsiders like Li Fangyin.
“Gui-qianbei, is there something else wrong?”
“I just can’t figure out what he’s thinking,” Gui Yin murmured. “Why did he make such a silly blunder?”
Li Fangyin was smart, but he couldn’t follow Gui Yin’s line of thinking. His mind was still reeling over the scroll. Any more, and he felt that he would have a headache for months.
After enjoying a light dinner, Li Fangyin went to bed first, leaving Gui Yin wide awake on the balcony of their inn room.
Gui Yin leaned against the railing and looked out over the barren desert.
Although there was little to look at, aside from the sand dunes, the skies above were breathtaking. Gui Yin leaned further out the balcony and craned his neck to see the stars. For the past few weeks he had been here, he hadn’t had much time to himself. When he did, it was already night time and he was tired from the commotion during the day. Now that he was too worked up to sleep, he could truly enjoy the nature that belonged only to the ancient times.
“Huigu Palace,” Gui Yin murmured. A soft sigh left his lips as he propped his head up against his palm. “Is it coincidence or planned?”
He should definitely be wary, but he only felt curious. Who was the palace lord of Huigu Palace and why did he fake Huigu Palace’s downfall?
Gui Yin stretched out his arms with a soft grunt. Everything would be answered in due time, but Gui Yin almost wanted time to pass faster so he could know.
In most novels, people like this were always the hidden trump card or the big boss at the end. Although he hoped his three kids wouldn’t have to go up against a person like that, Gui Yin secretly hoped that he would get to meet the palace lord on good terms in the future.
After standing outside and letting the desert wind brush against his clothes and his face, Gui Yin finally returned to his room and fell asleep.
In his sleep, he dreamt of the manor again.
This time, instead of wandering through an elaborate realm, he was standing at the last step. His feet were glued to the ground and he was unable to take a step forward or back. He stared up at the neat building that was surrounded by red trees and blooming flowers, while the area behind him was still dried grass and gnarled trees.
A loud squeal interrupted the silence. Gui Yin turned to look in the direction of the sound. A young boy about six years of age came running out of the forest, somewhat disheveled. His long hair, which would normally be tied up in two buns, were straying down his back. His hands tightly grasped a torn up doll and tears rolled down his pudgy cheeks. When he saw Gui Yin, he quickly ran over. His arms were flailing and incomprehensible words from another dialect were coming from his mouth. His voice was oddly gravelly and hoarse for his age. Thankfully, Gui Yin still understood what he wanted.
He bent down and took the child into his arms. The child hugged Gui Yin tightly and sobbed into his shoulder.
A heavy pang hit his heart and Gui Yin opened his eyes.
“Gui-qianbei?”
Gui Yin met Li Fangyin’s gaze.
“Are you okay?” Li Fangyin asked. “You looked like you were having a fitful sleep.”
“I’m fine,” Gui Yin shook his head. He sat up and stretched his waist. He turned to Li Fangyin. “So, have you come up with any ideas since last night?”
Li Fangyin was tying his pendant to his belt when Gui Yin asked him this question. He met Gui Yin’s gaze and looked a bit sheepish. “I do have an idea, but I feel that Gui-qianbei will see it as a joke.”
“Not at all. Let’s hear it,” Gui Yin said amicably, his hands smoothing out the covers above his knees.
Despite his words of encouragement, Gui Yin’s expression turned ashen after he heard of what Li Fangyin had planned.
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s the best idea! They’re a cult. How else are we supposed to find out any information if we don’t sneak in?” Li Fangyin said.
“You say ‘we’ now, but just a few moments ago you clearly said ‘me’,” Gui Yin raised a brow. He threw the covers off himself and shook his head. “If that’s your plan, then I’m against it. I will return right this instance and head to Yin Hua Palace to inform them of Qi Du Cult.”
“W-wait—Gui-qianbei,” Li Fangyin quickly grasped onto the edge of Gui Yin’s sleeve.
Gui Yin glanced down. “What do you think you’re doing? I have yet to put on my clothes, but you’re pulling at my sleeve. I still would like to get married, believe it or not.”
Li Fangyin released Gui Yin. He turned around the moment Gui Yin began taking his clothes off. “Gui-qianbei, it was only a suggestion! There is no need to be so rushed. If you have another idea, then I would gladly follow it!”
“Really?” Gui Yin slipped from his night clothes and pulled on the peach-colored robes that had been sitting beside the wardrobe.
“Of course!” Li Fangyin said. His gentlemanly demeanor shifted to that of a groveling junior. “Gui-qianbei, please don’t go to Yinhua Palace.”
The soft whine in Li Fangyin’s voice made Gui Yin want to instinctively gag. He absolutely hated when people acted cut in front of him. However…well, Li Fangyin was his junior who just wanted to make sure Gui Yin didn’t tell his father. He’ll let him off this one time.
A long sigh greeted Li Fangyin after several heavy minutes of shuffling clothing.
“I suppose it can’t be helped. How about we revise that plan then?”
Li Fangyin turned around happily. “Yes! Whatever Gui-qianbei says, I will follow!”
Gui Yin smiled. “Then, let’s travel to a few more towns to figure out more about this Qi Du Cult.”
After another three days of investigating, Gui Yin and Li Fangyin sat down in a shaded tea stall to sort through their information.
First of all, it seemed that Qi Du Cult was like any other cult—they were wary of outsiders and stayed isolated within their tower. The only time anyone was allowed to approach the tower was if they were people the tower saved or they were merchants who were stopping by to deliver necessities. The only other group the Qi Du Cult paid special attention to were the slave traders, who, according to merchants, specially stopped by their tower every trip.
“That means our best bet is being saved by them,” Li Fangyin murmured.
Gui Yin nodded. He lightly tapped the table with a bright smile. “Alright, I’ve got it.”
Li Fangyin turned to Gui Yin expectantly.
“I’ll join one of the traders or caravans going through Devil’s Desert,” Gui Yin said. “I’ll infiltrate the cult and try to gather as much information as I can. If I don’t come back out in a month, you’ll go find your father and bring him here to help me.”
Li Fangyin stared at Gui Yin. “Isn’t…that my plan?”
“No, silly. Didn’t you hear me? I’m the one going in,” Gui Yin said, a charming smile on his face.
“No! That’s far too dang—”
“What cultivation realm are you?”
“Exactly. When you reach Nascent Soul, then we’ll negotiate,” Gui Yin said.
On this continent, there were only two people Gui Yin knew who were in the same cultivation realm as him. One of them was Lin Cangyuan and the other was Li Huanwei. He couldn’t bother Lin Cangyuan to come pick him up. He just knew the man would be so panicked that he would even leave his sword at home. Not to mention, while Lin Cangyuan was brilliant, his skills lay more in alchemy than swordsmanship. If Gui Yin wanted to come out unscathed, Li Huanwei was the better option.
Gui Yin thought about Li Huanwei, who was just a few years his senior. He searched his memory and came up with a blank. There was only one, almost Wikipedia-esque description of this man in his mind. His image was cold and reticent. Although he seemed to favor rules and value logic over emotion, there was something sinister and well hidden behind his eyes. A person like this was difficult to get along with.
He glanced at Li Fangyin.
Once Li Huanwei caught wind of what Li Fangyin was up to, he would definitely put him under house arrest. Unfortunately for this child, Gui Yin’s own survival was more important to him than Li Fangyin’s freedom.
“But, qianbei,” Li Fangyin frowned. “How are you going to get in with the traders or the caravans?”
Gui Yin straightened himself. “How do you think I look?”
“…Handsome.”
“Just handsome?” Gui Yin raised a brow. “Maybe you’re a little reserved, but I’ve been called a lot of vulgar things before. You don’t think anyone would be interested in someone like me?”
Li Fangyin’s face reddened. He coughed a few times before finally looking Gui Yin in the eyes again. “So…”
“My plan isn’t a full proof one, but with this method, I could even get a glimpse of the slave trade running rampant in Quánjīng(全京) right now,” Gui Yin said, his eyes darkening.
“And how do you intend to…” Li Fangyin’s voice trailed off.
“Didn’t the merchants we talked to say that you could sell people to the slave traders around the Watering Hole?”
The Watering Hole wasn’t a real watering hole. It was a run down, back-alley town that good people knew to stay away from.
“You’re just going to wander around there?” Li Fangyin asked confusedly.
Gui Yin smiled. He placed a hand on Li Fangyin’s shoulder. “No, my dear, you’re going to help me.”
Li Fangyin’s eyes widened. He tossed away Gui Yin’s hand and shrank back. “I-I can’t do something like that! Even though I ran away from home, I’m still a member of Yin Hua Palace and the Young P—”
“If I don’t say anything and you don’t say anything, who’s going to know about this besides us and the Heavens and earth?” Gui Yin asked.
“Heaven and earth have eyes! There will be karma,” Li Fangyin said, his composure completely lost.
“Fangyin,” Gui Yin easily pulled the young man back down. He placed a heavy hand on Li Fangyin’s shoulder. “Even if there is karma, it’ll be good karma.”
Li Fangyin stared at Gui Yin uneasily.
The feeling of scamming an innocent rabbit flashed through Gui Yin’s mind. He hurriedly shoved it aside. Morals be damned—he was trying to get a job done.
“Think about it—you’re not actually selling me. This is all part of the plan,” Gui Yin said. “This is how I infiltrate Qi Du Cult. As for the money…just hand it off to some of the beggars on the street. They’ll be grateful.”
Li Fangyin shifted slightly. “But qianbei, isn’t it dangerous? What if they discover you’re a cultivator and then they try to—”
“Let them try,” Gui Yin pulled back arrogantly. He fanned himself with Fenghua. “Do you think I can’t handle a couple petty slave traders?”
Li Fangyin was still unsure.
“Fangyin,” Gui Yin closed his fan and looked at him seriously, “I’m grateful that you’re concerned about my safety, but this is about a bigger matter. This matter is about the safety of the common people.”
Li Fangyin lowered his eyes in guilt. He knew this, but compared to the common people that he didn’t know, he was obviously more concerned with the person sitting in front of him right now.
“As a cultivator, you have to learn to take risks and make sacrifices,” Gui Yin said. He paused before adding, “When you’re in my cultivation realm.”
“…I’ll be ready to call my father for help,” Li Fangyin said, stealing his resolve.
Gui Yin nodded gratefully. “Thank you, Fangyin. I knew I could count on you.”
Count on you to be a naïve little child. If it was any of the peak lords in Yunjing Pavilion or even Deng Yenuo, their head disciple, Gui Yin would have never been able to pull something like this off. They would see through his shallow words and chase after his true intentions.
If this situation was just about Qi Du Cult, perhaps Gui Yin wouldn’t have expended even a fraction of the effort he already had. However, a nagging instinct told him that if he followed this trail, he would find information on the mysterious cloaked man that he met during the Huigu Palace play. And now, with the added allure of Huigu Palace’s Palace Lord, Gui Yin’s interest was fully piqued.
Whether it was Qi Du Cult, Huigu Palace, the cloaked man or the rampant slave trade, Gui Yin felt that he had to figure out what these things had in common.
actually i am merging my theories heheheh… okie so, what Gui Yin knows is this is like his author’s story outline and Lord Immortal Ninglan’s memories are gone yet retain odd things; my favored theory is he originally was Lord Immortal Ninglan and split a part of him off (after betrayal) into a dream of modern day, but things went funky and he now thinks the modern day world is his main life. i was working with the assumption that the modern day was only a dream, but what if they’re both real!! and this Huigu’s Palace Lord (ahem, Mysterious Guy?) is also transmigrated but from later in the timeline to when the book was done and so he knows what’s going on but he’s working under the assumption everyone else are ancient dudes and so writes it off as like clairvoyance?
could also be like, actual clairvoyance/star reading, that’d be neat too… could also be he followed him from ancient into the modern day dream / other reality world whatnot then stayed for the book… mmm so many possibilities……
……BRAIN FINISHED PROCESSING THAT GUI YIN IS GONNA BE IN A BAD SITUATION (SLAVERY) NEXT UPDATE AAAAAAHHHHHHH
i love reading your theories LMAO thanks for reading!
🙃🙃
Oh dear, chances are Gui Yin will find himself in unfavorable situations, if you know what I mean
Thanks for the chapter :>
……
This sure is a brilliant move of yours sir.
🙂