Qing Chen glanced at Cai Shu, who was standing next to him. Only then did Lu Yin notice the elegant, middle-aged man standing slightly behind Qing Chen.
Cai Shu smiled and introduced himself. “I am Cai Shu, the supervisor’s eldest disciple.”
Lu Yin bowed again. “Junior Long Qi greets Senior Cai Shu.”
Cai Shu nodded. “I summoned you here at this time because an interrogator’s report mentioned the Guan brothers. Specifically…”
Lu Yin naturally knew the reason why he had been called, as he had been the one to leak the information.
After Cai Shu finished his explanation, Lu Yin frowned as he put on an appearance of carefully recalling the past.
Qing Chen was in no hurry, so he simply waited. This was a very important matter as they could not afford to abandon any potential clues related to uncovering more Redbacks, not to mention when it concerned the recruiter who had persuaded the three Guan brothers to turn traitor. Their recruiter had to be someone with a very impressive status, and all of humanity would benefit from exposing such a person.
Lu Yin carefully went through his memories, and as he did so, his expression kept changing. After the time it took to burn a stick of incense, he said, “This junior remembers that there was a slate with something recorded on it, but it crumbled to powder after I merely glanced at it. So, I can’t really remember what was on it.”
Cai Shu’s expression grew incredibly serious as he stared at Lu Yin. “Long Qi, you must remember what was on that slate. This is very important, and you can’t be careless.”
Qing Chen also spoke up, “As long as you can provide useful information, you will receive a great deal of merit.”
Lu Yin replied with a determined voice, “This junior will try his best.”
Qing Chen and Cai Shu both felt satisfied with Lu Yin’s attitude.
However, even after two days passed, Lu Yin still was not able to remember anything.
Lu Yin looked at Cai Shu and hesitantly said, “Senior, it’s not that this junior does not want to focus on this matter, but rather, I am struggling with restlessness and find myself unable to concentrate.”
Cai Shu’s eyes flickered. “What is distracting you?”
Lu Yin shared his bitter circumstances, “After Princess Long Xi disappeared, the clan’s attitude towards this junior has changed drastically. Once I arrive at Dragon Mountain, I won’t have a good ending. This is worrying me quite a lot, and I am finding it very difficult to concentrate on my current task.”
Cai Shu understood; the kid was presenting his conditions. The older man smiled. “Since that’s the situation, then I will inform Master of your matter and see if Master can help calm things down.”
Lu Yin apologized, “I’ve troubled both seniors.”
Cai Shu was not upset, as everyone needed to look out for their own well being. Rather, Cai Shu would have been far more surprised if Lu Yin was a truly selfless person. It was more normal for a person to try to gain something for their efforts.
People who did not bring up conditions for their efforts were either truly altruistic or had bigger plans they were carrying out. Of the two, Cai Shu preferred to believe that people were of the latter type, and given his work with Humility’s Gate, he was only able to trust those who sought benefits, as they were generally more reliable.
“He doesn’t want to go to Dragon Mountain?” Qing Chen frowned. “That is difficult to help with. While he is indeed a member of the Fourteenth Gate, he is also a part of the White Dragon Clan. From the clan’s viewpoint, they want their clan members to return to their ancestral home, and they can use nearly any excuse to bring back their clan members. I can’t really interfere with that, even with my position within Humility’s Gate.”
“That is, not unless Long Qi is continuously given missions. The White Dragon Clan cannot force him away before he has completed a mission, and if that’s the situation, then Humility’s Gate can negotiate with the White Dragon Clan,” Cai Shu offered.
Qing Chen sighed. “It looks like I’m going to need to reach out to Xiao.”
Qing Chen revealed a bitter smile. “Long Tian reached out to me three times in the past because of this child, and now I’m being forced to reach out to others for him as well. I’ll also need to speak with the White Dragon Clan. Negotiations really are the most troublesome kind of matters.”
***
Far above, in the Higher Realm, at the top of the massive Dragon Mountain, the White Dragon Clan’s patriarch, Long Ke, had a miserable expression on his face. During the excursion to the Dominion Realm, Long Tian had been trapped while Long Xi had disappeared. This was a terrible blow to the clan.
This was a matter of the clan’s main family weakening, and it had prompted many clans members to scour through their ancient records. If the main family had no heir, then the current main family could be switched out for another family within the clan, which was something that Long Ke would never allow to pass.
Still, things had not reached the worst possibility yet. Long Tian had only been trapped, so there was still hope of rescuing him. As long as the Progenitors made a move, there was no need to mention if the four trapped Junior Progenitors would be saved or not, as there was nothing that could not be accomplished if the four ruling powers joined forces.
This matter was actually the reason why Long Ke had been silent for a while. After all, if Long Tian disappeared in the same manner as Long Xi, Long Ke’s position as patriarch would be placed in jeopardy.
At this moment, someone arrived to deliver a report. “Elder Quan has requested to meet with you.”
Long Ke’s expression twisted even more. Long Quan was the patriarch of the largest branch family within the White Dragon Clan, and he was also Long Ke’s most powerful competitor, which was why Long Ke had always done his best to suppress Long Quan’s branch family. After the main family had suffered this devastating setback, Long Quan had been seeking an audience with Long Ke for three days straight, and Long Ke was very clear on Long Quan’s intentions. If it were possible, Long Ke would have dealt with this rival long ago, but unfortunately, the Long Quan branch family was not weak.
“Long Quan greets the clan patriarch.” An old man with a somber face slowly bent to bow to Long Ke.
Long Ke was a middle-aged man, and he looked quite similar to Long Tian. At a glance, Long Ke looked like a middle-aged version of Long Tian. The man was always serious and did not hide his arrogance.
“Elder Quan, what matter has brought you here today?” Long Ke asked lightly.
Long Quan looked up. “I’m here because I wanted to ask the clan patriarch about the trapped Junior Progenitor. How is the investigation going?”
Long Ke glared at the old man with cold eyes. “Is the clan patriarch required to report everything to you, Elder Quan?”
Long Quan did not grow angry. He had been suppressed for many years, and he had long since grown accustomed to Long Ke’s attitude. “I know that the clan patriarch is handling the matter, but there are many people who are questioning the event, and they have asked me about a particular matter. On the eve of the excursion to the Dominion Realm, Long Jue, Nong Lie, and Wen Diyi were all poisoned at the same time. That forced our Junior Progenitor to take Long Qi to the Dominion Realm. If Nong Lie or Long Jue had gone instead, the outcome might have been different.
“On top of that, Princess Long Xi may have been separated from the group and vanished because she was forced to protect Long Qi. The clansmen are demanding an explanation.”
Long Ke’s eyes narrowed. “We are investigating the poisoning, and everything that you’ve mentioned regarding Long Qi is nothing more than speculation.”
“Also, several days ago, Qing Chen Mountain’s Cai Shu contacted the clan patriarch and requested for Long Qi to visit Qing Chen Mountain in order to assist in an investigation. Is there any news as to when Long Qi will return to the clan? Many of the clan members wish to see the main family’s son-in-law,” Long Quan pressed.
Long Ke stared at Long Quan. The branch families wanted to start with Long Qi in their moves to suppress the entire main family. They were not willing to wait!
“Long Qi has already arrived at Qing Chen Mountain, and he will come to Dragon Mountain shortly,” Long Ke replied.
Long Quan smiled. “That’s good. I merely had to ask due to the numerous curious people, so please don’t get upset.”
At this moment, Long Ke’s communication crystal vibrated. He glanced at Long Quan, and the branch family patriarch retreated in a knowing manner and even turned around. Once his face was out of sight, a smile broke out on Long Quan’s face. The main family? What a joke! They had ascended to their current position from being a mere branch family. Since they were able to climb up, then why could another branch family not do the same?
Long Qi was the opening to the main family’s weakness. The branch families had already crafted a series of events aimed towards using Long Qi to weaken the main family. The youth himself did not actually matter; rather, it was his position and identity.
Long Tian was trapped, and Long Xi had disappeared. The gods themselves were helping the branch families! Long Quan nearly laughed aloud at this thought.
“Elder Quan, wait a moment,” Long Ke suddenly said.
Long Quan was caught off guard, and he turned around. “Might I ask what else the clan patriarch might need from me?”
Long Ke stared at Long Quan for a moment before suddenly smiling. “Long Qi won’t be returning anytime soon.”
Long Quan’s expression changed. “What does the clan patriarch mean? Even if the princess has disappeared, Long Qi is the main family’s son-in-law, and he should return to Dragon Mountain so that he can be protected by the clan.”
Long Ke replied, “It’s not that I don’t wish for the child to return, but rather that Long Qi was given a mission by the Fourteenth Gate, and this mission is to assist Qing Chen Mountain to thoroughly investigate the matter regarding the Guan brothers who were revealed to be Redbacks.”
Long Quan’s eyes went wide. “Weren’t those brothers already proven to be Redbacks? All three of them are already dead, so what else is there to investigate?”
Long Ke was helpless to give an answer. “You will have to ask Senior Qing Chen, but the fact stands that Long Qi is also a member of the Fourteenth Gate. Since he has been given a mission, he naturally must focus on said mission, as it is related to humanity’s security and betterment. Elder Quan has to agree.”
Long Quan’s expression twisted terribly; he had to agree? Of course he disagreed! Several branch families had already come up with countless means of using Long Qi as an excuse to suppress the main family. But if that child did not return, then nothing could be done! Long Quan wanted to immediately contact Qing Chen Mountain about this joke, but instead, he suddenly looked up at Long Ke before abandoning the thought.
Humility’s Gate was not a part of the White Dragon Clan, and Long Quan had no right to speak to them. His position within the White Dragon Clan was not high enough for him to attempt such a thing.
“It doesn’t matter. His mission can’t continue indefinitely, and he will definitely come back eventually. Patriarch, please ensure Long Qi’s protection. After all, he is the main family’s son-in-law, so we can’t allow any accidents to befall him during his mission,” Long Quan said in a depressed tone. This was not a threat, but a genuine request. Long Qi could not be allowed to have any accidents, as the branch families needed him to live in order to move against the White Dragon Clan’s main family. Everything would be futile if Long Qi died.
Long Ke smiled gently. “Don’t worry about that matter, elder. Please return.”
Long Quan did not even offer any goodbyes as he simply turned around and left. His expression was somber and terrifying.
This had to have been Long Ke’s idea. He had actually managed to mobilize the gate and arrange for Long Qi to stay at Qing Chen Mountain. If Long Tian did not return, then it was practically guaranteed that Long Ke would work hard to keep Long Qi on Qing Chen Mountain. It would actually be a challenge to get Long Qi away from Qing Chen Mountain.
Long Ke stared at Long Quan’s back as the old man left, and the clan patriarch’s eyes flickered. He had considered leaving Long Qi at the Junior Progenitor Planet, but he had never thought about sending Long Qi to Qing Chen Mountain. That was an even better option.
It would be much better if Long Qi just stayed at Qing Chen Mountain until Long Tian returned.
As soon as he thought of Long Tian and Long Xi, Long Ke’s mood fell once more.
In the Middle Realm, on Qing Chen Mountain, Lu Yin looked at the task that he had just been sent via his communication crystal. Secretly, Lu Yin was thrilled. ‘Stay on Qing Chen Mountain to assist with the investigation – Xiao.’
Just these few words were enough to decide Lu Yin’s fate. He would stay.
Outside Qing Chen Mountain, Long Kui left. He was completely stunned. What just happened? Wasn’t it just supposed to be a few days? Why was it extended indefinitely?
Gui was even more depressed. It quite liked Lu Yin, but it would not see the youth again anytime soon.
Cai Shu then appeared in front of Lu Yin. There was a smile on the older man’s face. “Long Qi, the White Dragon Clan has agreed to allow you to stay on my Qing Chen Mountain to assist with this investigation. There’s no need for you to leave until after the investigation is over. I just wanted to let you know this.”
He continued looking at Lu Yin. “How long do you wish to stay?”
Lu Yin thought for a moment before replying, “I would like to wait for the Junior Progenitors to return from the Dominion Realm.”
“Understood,” Cai Shu replied. “In that case, try to remember as much information as possible. I hope that you can remember something soon.”
Cai Shu had promised that, even if Lu Yin immediately revealed everything that he knew, Lu Yin would still be allowed to stay on the mountain until Long Tian returned from the Dominion Realm. There was no need for him to hide any information in order to stall for more time.
