It had been three months since Lord Yu Lan Sword Immortal of Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect, Rong Meihua’s last inner disciple, had been accused of killing her and fleeing off with the infamous Sect Leader Fan Yi, who had broken down the borders of the established cultivation world and reestablished his own through brute force. The pair had slowly become the source of much gossip and the inspiration for playwrights and poets who enjoyed making a profit off the cultivation world’s turmoil and chaos. Even more so, after Wu Lingtian’s declaration and display at the end of the Zhuixing Conference, everyone had come to believe that the two men were promised to each other.
“Some say Fan Yi was forced, while others say that Wu Lingtian was the one who was coerced,” Hu Rongming laughed happily as he poured Liang Jun a cup of wine. “People find it much more enjoyable to have Fan Yi be forced though so there’s many, many versions of that.”
Liang Jun frowned. “Why is it more enjoyable if Sect Leader is forced?”
“Because Wu Lingtian looks and acts like an ascetic monk, so if he was the one who lured Fan Yi towards damnation, it would be much more entertaining,” Hu Rongming said.
“This…Wu-shishu wouldn’t force Sect Leader,” Liang Jun said.
“I know, it’s just for f—”
“He would coax Sect Leader instead,” Liang Jun said.
Hu Rongming’s smile froze on his face.
“Wu-shishu is the best at that,” Liang Jun tossed an almond into his mouth. “When I last saw them, Sect Leader was blazing mad at him for some reason, but by the time we departed, Sect Leader no longer acted as if he wanted to push Wu-shishu into a lake.”
“W-wait, wait, wait,” Hu Rongming leaned forward. “You said your sect leader was angry?”
Liang Jun nodded. “Whenever Wu-shishu said anything, he would give him a snarky response and then Wu-shishu would look at him helplessly.”
Liang Jun paused a moment before nibbling on the shell of the nut, “Or should I say he looked at him indulgently?”
Hu Rongming straightened and looked as if he had just learned of a new world. “I had already suspected there was something between them, but for Fan Yi to actually show his anger…he must love Lord Yu Lan a lot.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Liang Jun agreed. “Sect Leader always shows that creepy smile of his no matter what, but when he faces Wu-shishu he actually gets irritated.”
“It’s quite commendable.”
“Indeed,” Liang Jun nodded. He carefully piled up the shells to the side, “What other gossip is there?”
As a sect that prefers to keep to themselves, the disciples of Screeching Sparrow Sect were rather clueless about much of what was going on in the outside world. The most informed had to be Ren Yizhou, who left every fortnight to visit Jasmine Ladies, which was where they received most of their information—though, whatever Ren Yizhou learned about wasn’t the fun gossip of the cultivation world.
“I hear Wu Rong School and Xiuxing Temple have been having a lot of trouble as of late,” Hu Rongming said.
“Wu Rong School and Xiuxing Temple? Aren’t those the sects whose members were assassinated?” Liang Jun’s expression cooled. He still remembered how they looked down their noses and boldly accused Screeching Sparrow Sect of atrocities they hadn’t committed.
“Precisely them. Anyway, I hear that multiple of their disciples have been discovered cultivating the demonic way,” Hu Rongming laughed boisterously. “Not only that, there was a mole that was discovered in Jintie Pavilion!”
“A mole for what?” Liang Jun asked curiously.
“Who knows? I just heard that the mole had hints of demonic cultivation on him. They questioned him for over seventy hours, but he never said anything. In the end, when they weren’t looking, he bit his tongue and directly died without even a corpse to examine,” Hu Rongming let out a long sigh. He rested his chin against palm. “Honestly, what are those so-called righteous cultivators playing at? Aren’t they the ones always raving about justice and morality? Why is it that more and more of them are being exposed to being amoral?”
“My shizun says it’s all a façade,” Liang Jun’s gaze scanned the cheerful crowd. “Below the peaceful waters, prowling dragons and dangerous creatures lie below. They say that Wu-shishu was the paste that kept the horrors under wraps, but now that that paste is gone, everything is going to come spilling out.”
“Well, your shizun knows a lot, so I doubt they’re wrong,” Hu Rongming nodded. “It’ll be interesting to watch the righteous sects topple over each other.”
“But don’t you find it strange?” Liang Jun asked as he poured more wine for Hu Rongming and himself.
“What?”
“That everything is being revealed in such an untimely manner,” Liang Jun said.
Hu Rongming smirked, “You’re not a stupid kid after all.”
Liang Jun glared at Hu Rongming as the older man sighed.
“You’re right. It most likely isn’t because those that were caught were caught because the cultivators around them were getting smarter, it’s just because someone is trying to stir up trouble,” Hu Rongming said.
“And what does Hu-bóbo think about it?” Liang Jun asked curiously.
“What do I think about it?” Hu Rongming echoed. “I think that this fake peace those righteous cultivators claim they have will come crashing down before…ah, it’s the tenth month, correct?”
Liang Jun nodded.
“Well, everything will come apart before it even reaches the first day of the New Year celebration,” Hu Rongming waved his hand lazily. He leaned closer and whispered, “Let me tell you, Xiao Jun, even far before you were born, this peace had already showed its cracks the moment the late Sect Leader Wang passed away.”
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.
“Sect Leader…Wang? Who’s that?” Liang Jun asked with furrowed brows.
“Sect Leader Wang is your Wu-shishu’s grandmaster and Rong Meihua’s shizun,” Hu Rongming explained. He let out a long sigh. “He was a great man and did everything he could to repair the cracks between everyone whenever anything would arise. In those days, the Hall of Impartiality was rarely needed and the newly founded Frost Cliff Pavilion never had anything to do. Whenever anyone needed anyone to mediate, they wouldn’t call for Sect Master Zhong, but Sect Leader Wang of Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect.”
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Liang Jun glanced at Hu Rongming, whose expression had darkened. “…How did he die?”
“Who knows?” Hu Rongming laughed bitterly. “There are tons of theories—some say that during one of his excursions, he was poisoned by some venom. Others say he had old injuries collected and they were finally taking a toll on him. The more ridiculous ones say that he was poisoned by someone in his sect because they were envious of his achievements.”
“What did you and Sect Leader think?” Liang Jun asked.
Hu Rongming lowered his gaze. “Fan Yi said he was poisoned. It was a poison that not only eroded the meridians but also would suck out the vitality of the golden core and melt the victim’s insides.”
Liang Jun’s eyes widened. “That…”
“Not only was it incurable, it was also painful,” Hu Rongming shook his head. “Such an agonizing death…The culprit was definitely someone who hated Sect Leader Wang to the core.”
“And the culprit was never caught?” Liang Jun began to feel injustice for this Wang Zhiqiu that he had never had the pleasure of meeting.
“Nope,” Hu Rongming sighed. “As soon as Sect Leader Wang passed, Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect fell into disarray. There were internal power struggles and no one seemed to care about the sect leader’s passing. Fan Yi, who had been the doctor in charge of Sect Leader Wang, was the only one who urgently demanded an investigation. How could those pretentious assholes in Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect let him have his way? Some elders even accused Fan Yi of letting Sect Leader Wang die, so that he could be number one. Later, Fan Yi gave up and went to the Hall of Impartiality, but you know what their rules are like.”
Liang Jun nodded. Especially in a time where the Hall had little power, it was probably within their best interests to stay out of an internal struggle of a prominent sect all together.
Hu Rongming sighed. “After that, Fan Yi took his hands off the case and returned to Screeching Sparrow Sect. I’m not sure what happened in between, but in the end, Rong Meihua’s shixiong was expelled. His golden core was dug out and his meridians were shattered, leaving him a shell of a person. I heard that a few days later, he passed away in a village not too far from Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect.”
Liang Jun frowned. “How did he randomly get dragged into it?”
“Well, some people say it’s because of a few words Rong Meihua said,” Hu Rongming said. He shrugged. “I don’t know about that though. Sure, she ended up being a sect leader, but there’s also so many other factors and people involved.”
“So, most people don’t think he did it?” Liang Jun asked.
“How could he? That man was anything but outstanding. He wouldn’t even have been sect leader after Sect Leader Wang died—just look at his shimei. But if we say he was just a scapegoat, then who would the real culprit possibly be?” Hu Rongming asked.
Liang Jun’s frown deepened. “Well…then, was it truly done by someone in Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect? Why would they do that? That’s their own sect leader! Isn’t it good to have someone so prestigious and good as your sect leader?”
“You may think that, but many people don’t. There were even those that were under his protection who resented him,” Hu Rongming smiled wryly. He reached over and patted Liang Jun’s head. “The waters of the cultivation world run deep. Just be glad you never had to set foot in that end of the lake.”
He sighed and shook his head. “At any rate, after Sect Leader Wang died, there was never another like him again and Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect’s prestige faded even under Rong Meihua’s persistence. For a few years, Li Ran was expected to become the next Sect Leader Wang, but it was just a shame his fate with cultivation wasn’t great and he’s been stuck in a bottleneck for the past hundred odd years. Wu Lingtian became their next glimmer of hope, even becoming an outstanding swordsman that could stand toe to toe with Fan Yi. Just five years ago, it seemed like Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect would surpass their former splendor, but now…”
Hu Rongming shrugged, “They’re just the cultivation world’s laughingstock.”
Liang Jun silently absorbed the information as he piled the almond shells higher and higher. “Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect sure has a lot of bad luck.”
“They sure do,” Hu Rongming agreed. “All that’s left now is to see that sect die, I suppose. They’re lucky they still have Li Ran and Zhou Ying’an. Otherwise, I’m sure those old fogies would run it to the ground in just a year or two.”
“Before, Fengya had Wuma Qiongling, Xianping had Wu Lingtian, Jianshi had Fan Yi,” Liang Jun mumbled to himself as his fingers divided the shells into three piles. “But now,” he pushed one pile into another, “Wu-shishu is now with Jianshi and Sect Leader still holds the ruling torch. So, what Hu-bóbo is saying is that without a stabilizing pillar, it’ll be easy for not just Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect, but also Xianping to,” the shells wobbled and collapsed, “topple down.”
Hu Rongming nodded, “Correct.”
Liang Jun looked up confusedly. “But doesn’t Xianping still have Cloud Dispersing Fan Wielder, Lord Feng Ling, Situ Hong?”
“Situ Hong, that bastard, doesn’t want anything to do with the politics in Xianping,” Hu Rongming laughed. “He doesn’t believe in it. If anything, his heart is that of a Jianshi cultivator. Haven’t you heard about what happened to his mother?
“I suppose you could say his father, Situ An, would be a good candidate as well, but after the unjust persecution of his late wife, he had long pulled away from Jianghu matters. His Purple Bamboo School stays out of everything and is even more detached than Hall of Impartiality. Rather than help support those so-called righteous sects, he’s probably one of the ones waiting at the front line for it to crumble down.”
Liang Jun nodded as he silently processed the information.
The sounds of festivities continued in the background and Hu Rongming patiently waited for Liang Jun to speak again.
“Rong Meihua’s death, the recent emergence of puppets, and the turmoil of the emergence of demonic cultivators in Xianping,” Liang Jun murmured. “Do you think they’re all connected?”
“Why not?” Hu Rongming didn’t deny the possibility at all. “In fact, I would theorize that at least the emergence of a new kind of puppets and the emergence of demonic cultivators hidden in Xianping’s prestigious sects are actually part of the same thread. As for Rong Meihua’s death…well, everything is up for speculation there. In a lot of people’s eyes—at least those who have eyes—Wu Lingtian was just a scapegoat for something bigger.”
“It almost feels similar to how the late Sect Leader Wang died, right?” Liang Jun met Hu Rongming’s gaze.
“That’s dangerous territory you’re treading,” Hu Rongming chuckled, but he didn’t completely absolve the idea.
Liang Jun fell silent again. “Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect…doesn’t seem like a good place.”
“Well, every place has a few bad apples. Sometimes, those bad apples are just poisonous,” Hu Rongming sighed. “This is why when you really do go off by yourself, you have to be extra, extra careful. Watch your back at all times. Not everywhere is as wholesome as your Screeching Sparrow Sect.”
“I understand, Hu-bóbo,” Liang Jun replied seriously.
“Mn, that’s good.”
“Now, what are you talking to Xiao Jun so seriously about?”
A cheerful, mellifluous voice reached their ears, followed by a baby’s gargling giggle. The older man and the youth both looked up as a beautiful woman walked over with the toddler in her arms. The little boy reached out as soon as they approached his father. Hu Rongming happily took his son into his arms and hugged him steadily against his chest.
“Xiao Jun, this is my son, Hu Yun,” Hu Rongming said with an unspeakable amount of sweetness in his voice.
Liang Jun smiled, “Hello, Xiao Yun, I’m Jun-gege.”
Hu Fei looked Liang Jun up and down and giggled before burying his head into his father’s chest.
Hu Rongming let out what seemed to be a proud sigh, “This child—he’s just like his mother! He gets shy around handsome people.”
Liang Jun burst out laughing. “He’s a one-year-old! How could he judge people by appearances so soon?”
“Oh, but he does!”
“Now, don’t put all the blame on me,” Hu Rongming’s wife placed her hands against his shoulders, “You’re also one to drool over good-looking people.”
“Yes, but only the one who’s captured my heart,” Hu Rongming tilted his head back for a kiss from his wife.
Liang Jun scrunched his nose and silently poured himself another cup of wine.
“What’s wrong, kid? Never seen two people kiss?” Hu Rongming teased.
“Oh, no. I see my Shizun and Tian-shishu kiss all the time,” Liang Jun said dryly.
“Don’t worry, Xiao Jun, you’ll find the one you love eventually. Who knows, they may even be someone close to you,” Hu Rongming’s wife, Xun Pianhe sang happily.
“Please, don’t. Love and relationships are too much of a hassle,” Liang Jun sighed. “I’d rather live an unfettered life, roaming the continent by myself.”
Xun Pianhe let out an emotional sigh as she leaned her body weight against her husband. “Just what every young hero would say. But I agree! So long as you’re happy, don’t let anyone pressure you into doing something you don’t want to!”
Liang Jun smiled awkwardly. He never knew how to handle Hu Rongming’s wife, who looked like an elegant woman but actually had the personality of a firecracker.
After spending another few hours socializing, Hu Rongming offered a guest room to Liang Jun, which he happily took. He followed the attendants to the guest courtyard but was intercepted by a familiar face.
Liang Jun’s face immediately scrunched in disgust when he saw who had stopped them.
“I’ll take him to the guest courtyard,” Pei Nuo said.
The attendant bowed and excused themselves, leaving Liang Jun and Pei Nuo together in silence.
“What’s wrong, Pei-jie? Did I accidentally step on your tail somehow?” Liang Jun flashed an ingratiating smile.
“Why didn’t Wen Yi come?”
“Not even a ‘hello’? Goodness, you hurt my feelings,” Liang Jun attempted to walk around Pei Nuo, only to have his path blocked again. He glanced at her and sighed, his arms crossing over his chest. “If someone doesn’t want to see you, then they don’t want to see you.”
“Then, why hasn’t she been answering my letters?” Pei Nuo asked.
“Letters? Has she been getting letters?” Liang Jun questioned. He shook his head, “I didn’t even know she was getting letters.”
Pei Nuo’s gaze darkened. She pulled her soft sword from her waist and pointed it at Liang Jun, “Answer me properly, you brat.”
“This is why my shijie broke up with you,” Liang Jun gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “You can never talk about anything properly! You’re always just pulling out your sword and pointing it at people. If I were romantically involved with you, I’d also be tired.”
Pei Nuo lowered her sword, but still glared at Liang Jun.
“Besides, can’t you just amicably let people go? It’s not like you two were ever promised to be cultivation partners,” Liang Jun began to walk backwards with his eyes still facing Pei Nuo.
“Has she found someone else?”
“My shijie doesn’t like obsessive people. She’s just like my shizun—they both like to break things off cleanly. If she doesn’t like you anymore, then she doesn’t like you anymore,” Liang Jun shrugged. “What can you do about it?”
Pei Nuo frowned, but she began to follow and guide Liang Jun to the courtyard. “Does she really hate me that much?”
“It’s not a matter of like or hate—she just decided she doesn’t see you as a lover,” Liang Jun said. “After all, she did say she’d give it a chance, right? She gave it a chance and she doesn’t like you.”
Pei Nuo glared at Liang Jun. “You’re very annoying.”
“Many people say that’s my charming point,” Liang Jun smiled. He patted Pei Nuo’s toned arm. “Pei-jie, I’m sure there’s someone out there who perfectly matches your temper and spontaneity, but it’s not my shijie. Try someone from Nightly Butterflies—I hear that one of them have been just dying to be beat up by you.”
Pei Nuo’s glare on Liang Jun didn’t lighten with these teasing sentences. “I hope you get beat up in the future.”
“Well, that’s just a guaranteed. How can someone go through life without getting tossed around a few times?” Liang Jun sighed.
Seeing that Liang Jun didn’t even offer up delivering a message to Wen Yi, Pei Nuo became disheartened but also realized it was most likely better to give up.
When they finally made it to the guest courtyard, Liang Jun happily bid Pei Nuo goodnight, but was swiftly stopped from closing his door.
Liang Jun stared at the foot jammed in his doorway and then looked up at Pei Nuo. “When I told you to find someone else, I didn’t mean me.”
Pei Nuo look as if someone had just told her to eat a pig’s trough. “Even if you stripped right now and invited me into your room, I wouldn’t want to touch you with a ten-foot pole.”
“…That hurts my self-esteem just a little bit, but I appreciate the honesty,” Liang Jun opened the door again and leaned against the doorframe. “So, why’d you stop this young master from closing the door?”
“Our guards caught a messenger dove flying near our territory, so we intercepted it.”
Liang Jun straightened, “Did it make its way in?”
“Naturally not, but it hovered outside as if it wanted to find a way in,” Pei Nuo pulled out the letter and handed it to Liang Jun. “We found that it was actually tracking you.”
“Me?” Liang Jun’s brow raised. He took the letter, “Screeching Sparrow Sect uses sparrows.”
“Yes, and messenger doves are not used in the Jianshi region,” Pei Nuo said coldly.
Liang Jun froze. He hesitantly opened the letter in front of Pei Nuo and quickly found that it was smudged with dry blood. On it was one character—“Lan”.
“…’Lan’? Orchid? What’s this for?” Pei Nuo frowned.
Liang Jun immediately crumbled up the piece of paper and looked up at Pei Nuo. “It’s nothing. Do you still have the dove?”
“…Liang Jun, you’re not getting involved with those people from Xianping, are you?”
“What? No, I’m not. I’m just curious since I’ve never seen a messenger dove before,” Liang Jun shrugged as he tossed the letter into the candle flame beside him.
Pei Nuo watched the process in silence, “That’s good. Because getting involved in Xianping’s business would mean implicating your whole sect—you know this, right?”
“Why would I get involved with those Xianping dogs anyway? You know I’ve never liked anyone from Xianping,” Liang Jun scoffed. “They’re always so snobby and self-centered.”
Pei Nuo hummed. “The messenger dove is still alive. We kept it in our messenger cove. You can look at it tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Liang Jun grinned. He hesitated a moment before inching closer, “Can I bring it back to Screeching Sparrow too?”
“Why?” Pei Nuo asked with furrowed brows.
“Li Qing likes doves because they’re so white and fluffy. I’m sure Da-shixiong would also be able to find a way to train it so that it becomes our pet instead,” Liang Jun said.
Pei Nuo looked between him and the flickering candle flame. “…Liang Jun, even if I don’t like you, you know I still care about you right?”
Liang Jun clicked his tongue. “I just wanted to bring a bird back to my sect! If you don’t want to give it to me, then forget it!”
Liang Jun retreated into his room and slammed the door in Pei Nuo’s face. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out the folded piece of paper with a small sigh. He walked over to the bed and sat down. His fingers slowly unfolded the sheet of paper. He smoothed it out against his thigh and stared at the character “Lan” that was smeared with the blood from its author.
A/N: Who do you think “Lan” is? …I guess the btter question is, do you think Liang Jun should trust “Lan” haha…….
Spectators: “Wait, if the righteous sects are playing with demons, then what’s the Demon Lord doing? ”
“Oh holy crap! Cover your eyes kids! When did those two get back together 🤦?”
LMAO 😂 (thanks for reading!!)
hm…. drained of his life force……
also Lan has gotta be Xiu Lan, right?? WE GOTTA GO SAVE HER