Lu Zhou received Wei Zhuoyan’s letter and finished reading it quickly. Then, he tossed it aside.
Mingshi Yin hastily caught it. He read it as well. Then, he said with a smile, “The battle against the Ten Shamans must’ve reached his ears. He must be afraid…”
“Senior Brother, what else does it say?” Little Yuan’er asked curiously.
“Wei Zhuoyan wants to offer his humble apology… He wants to atone for the Fish Dragon Village incident. Two days from now, he wants to personally visit the Evil Sky Pavilion and clear up the conflict between us.”
When Duanmu Sheng heard this, he frowned and said, “I’m surprised he has such a high level of resolve.” If it had been anyone else, they would have a mental breakdown and apologize profusely. However, Wei Zhuoyan was the commander-in-chief of the three armies. He would not have easily lowered his head, judging by his status.
Mingshi Yin said, “Junior Sister Tianxin’s life’s wish is to pierce her enemy with her hands…”
“Quit spouting nonsense!” Duanmu Sheng hastily jabbed Mingshi Yin.
Mingshi Yin quickly shut his mouth.
Lu Zhou did not mind. Instead, he said scornfully, “She’s lucky that she’s even alive.” When he finished speaking, he returned to the hidden chamber.
As soon as Lu Zhou entered the hidden chamber, he called up the system dashboard.
Name: Lu Zhou
Race: Human
Cultivation base: Brahman Sea Eight Meridians
Merit points: 10,412
Avatar: Six Recombinant Trigram Lines
Remaining life: 5,992 days
Item: Deadly Strike Card x1, Impeccable Card x2, Critical Block Card x7 (passive), Binding Cage x4, Refining Talisman x2, Ji Tiandao Peak Trial Card x1, Whitzard (resting), Bi An.
Weapon: Unnamed, Amorous Hoop (Owner: Ye Tianxin. Has to be refined before use), Life Cutter, Nirvana Sash, Tear Stain Box.
Cultivation method: Three Scrolls of Heavenly Writing
Overall, Lu Zhou discovered he did not earn as many merit points as he could have during the battle against the Ten Shamans. Not earning as many merit points as he could meant that he had suffered a loss.
“I have 8 luck points…” Lu Zhou considered it for a moment and did three lucky draws.
‘Fine. Three ‘thank you’ messages.’
Lu Zhou felt that lucky draws had to be done on a whim. If he were not in the mood for it, he would not try it. If he hit the jackpot, it would be a gain. If he did not, he would not feel annoyed as well.
‘I’ll save the rest of my merit points to buy whatever cards I need… When I have sufficient points, I’ll buy an avatar.’
“Seven Star Soul… 15,000.” Lu Zhou checked the avatar’s price in the mall. He was reminded of Yue Chong, Duan Yanhong, Wu Sheng, and the red-robed cultivators. Perhaps, if he had managed to kill them, he would have enough merit points now to buy an avatar.
Lu Zhou shook his head to rid his mind of this idea. Nobody could be certain of what would be different if the past had played out differently.
“Heavenly Writing.” Lu Zhou entered his comprehension state. Previously, when he was in the cloud-splitting chariot, the Heavenly Writing’s extraordinary power broke the witchcraft spell on Fan Xiuwen and weakened many of its effects.
Lu Zhou felt that the extraordinary power must be extremely effective against powers that messed with one’s mind such as confounding spells or the Brahman Lullaby. Also, it was easily triggered. Before he could restore his strength to its peak, he would have to rely on this extraordinary power.
…
Two days later.
Lu Zhou opened his eyes after he emerged from the comprehension state. He could not remember how many times he had comprehended the Heavenly Writing. However, he could never understand the scrolls’ meanings. Even so, he did not mind. As long as he could obtain extraordinary power, it did not matter if he understood it or if the comprehension state was very boring.
Little Yuan’er’s sounded like she was in a rush as she said, “Master… Wei Zhuoyan actually came!” Her tone was filled with disbelief.
Lu Zhou looked at Little Yuan’er and said, “He’s tactful… He’s not so dumb after all.”
“Isn’t he afraid that you’ll kill him, master?” Little Yuan’er scratched her head.
Little Yuan’er was naïve, but she was not stupid. Wei Zhuoyan’s visit to the Evil Sky Pavilion was no different from him throwing his life away. There were not many who would actually come here to seek death.
Lu Zhou said nothing. He remained seated in the great hall and cast his gaze outward in a leisurely manner. Regardless of Wei Zhuoyan’s objective, it would be clear when Wei Zhuoyan arrived. It was useless to speculate about it now.
It did not take long before Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng arrived with a crowd outside the great hall.
There were two squadrons of soldiers in armor and martial attire following closely behind them. The well-trained soldiers marched in perfect synchrony. They looked imposing.
Wei Zhuoyan appeared. He had a hand on his ornamental saber. He was heavily built and wore dark armor with a red cape. His gleaming gaze was directed forward. Surprisingly, he showed no signs of fear. He was neither overbearing nor subservient, neither rushed nor slow. He walked with steady, composed, and forceful steps.
The people of the Evil Sky Pavilion who saw this were shocked. After all, most people who came here would fidget and look around uneasily. Some would even bend their backs with their faces covered in sweat. Even when the leader of the Black Knights, Fan Xiuwen, came, his aura was slightly diminished. And yet, Wei Zhuoyan seemed unaffected by the fact that he was in the Evil Sky Pavilion. This proved his mental strength was high. It was truly an extraordinary feat for him to maintain his composure under such circumstances.
“General Wei… This is a smart move,” Mingshi Yin said, “To tell you the truth, the Evil Sky Pavilion has never met an opponent who visits the pavilion to own up to their mistakes. This isn’t a bad plan at all. It’s much better than having our master attacking your home.”
Wei Zhuoyan’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “A true man owns up to his actions. Since it’s my mistake, I’ll bear the consequences.”
“Spoken like a true man… To be honest, you sound like you’re from the Noble Path… Which sect were you originally from?” Mingshi Yin asked as he led the way.
“I’ve never joined any sect.”
“There’s no need to act so high and mighty here… Since you’re here to offer your apology, you should drop the act.”
“Thank you for your thoughts, Mister Fourth.”
At this moment, they finally entered the great hall.
Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng walked to the side.
Lu Zhou’s gaze fell upon Wei Zhuoyan as he stroked his beard.
Wei Zhuoyan cupped his fists together and fell to his knees. He did it without any hesitation or signs of unwillingness. He looked extremely sincere as he kowtowed with his forehead touching the floor. More than 20 soldiers who had followed him here kneeled as well. They moved with such synchronized movements that it seemed as though they had practiced this.
Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng were taken aback. A man of honor was flexible, but was this not a little too flexible?
In Mingshi Yin’s opinion, he would not have been able to do this. If he could not defeat his opponent, he would run away. He would never kowtow to anyone apart from his master, let alone an enemy.
Nobody expected Wei Zhuoyan to have such resolve. It became clear why such a man could become the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
‘What a shame that he has offended master and blamed the deaths of Junior Sister Tianxin’s kinsmen on the Evil Sky Pavilion. That’s an unforgivable sin.’
“This sinner, Wei Zhuoyan, has come to atone for his sins.”
“Wei Zhuoyan?” Lu Zhou said lightly.
Wei Zhuoyan looked up and stared at Lu Zhou squarely. He cupped his fists and said, “This sinner Wei Zhuoyan has come to atone for his sins as promised!” He repeated his words decisively and bluntly!
Apart from Lu Zhou, everyone exchanged a glance.
‘Isn’t he being too thorough in admitting his sins?’
‘He isn’t even begging for mercy!’
‘This doesn’t make sense!’
Was Wei Zhuoyan only enduring this to use himself as a trap just like what the Ten Shamans’ descendants tried to do?
At this moment, Lu Zhou slowly rose to his feet and descended the stairs with his hands on his back.
Mingshi Yin hastily said, “Please stay, master.”
“Hm?”
“I think there’s something fishy about him.” Mingshi Yin smiled.
