“Senior, calm down.”
Zhuo Fan intervened seeing the drunkard’s foul mood, wishing he wouldn’t go on a drunken craze for now.
Yongning, the ever dreamy lass, was too caught up in the story to care, “What then?”
Zhuo Fan rolled his eyes, feeling like kicking her out.
[He’s bearing his soul’s greatest pain here, yet you want to carve him up for the juicy bits? Are you suicidal?]
The drunkard turned heavy, his jaw tight, “Then I rushed to the enemy nation, slaughtering the royal family and killed my way through its guardian sect, throwing their nameplate into a bonfire…”
“Nice one!” Zhuo Fan clapped with honest praise, hoping, if anything, it would curb the drunken craze for a while longer.
Though all he heard was a sigh, followed by a dark face, “Boy, you’d be better off removed from this world. You’ll sooner or later plunge it into hell.”
Ugh!
Zhuo Fan jerked, his mouth curled in disdain.
He thought himself was the biggest rogue out there, only to find his match in an ol’ drunkard.
[You’re the one purging clans and stirring sects, so what are you doing making me the menace? I’ll have you know I do not purge clans or sects… well not in this life…]
The drunkard smiled, pointing at his chest, “Boy, you’re tough, shrewd, and brave. The only downside is your heart’s unsteady. Then again, which demonic cultivator ever had a firm heart? I’ve hardly seen any even among righteous cultivators, not even myself have one, ha-ha-ha…”
With a self-deprecating smile, the drunkard continued, “The mess I caused then forced Double Dragon Manor to come after me. But who do they take me for, to just fall just like that? While the first time I came to receive the sect’s punishment willingly, this time I was in too much pain to care about anything. I saw the whole world as my enemy and when I returned to the sect, I killed anyone in sight. Whichever of the ten sects of western lands I set foot on, all were left in chaos and burning. It was a warning to never try to use rules on me and to leave me the hell alone!”
“But what was the point? Just some tantrum since she didn’t come back.” The drunkard shouted, his eyes bloodshot, yet shook his head in the end, “I was only after one sect at first, but the rage consumed me. I targeted all of them, like a true madman.”
Zhuo Fan’s heart sank, his eyes looking everywhere. [Why does that sound familiar? Where have I heard it before?]
With a gulp of wine, the drunkard laughed, “I was this close to losing my mind in the madness, to let my demon control me.”
“How did you crawl back?” Like a good child listening to a bedtime story, Yongning stared with big eyes, eager to hear the end.
The drunkard smirked at her interest, finding the audience pleasing, “I have to thank her for that. Taken over by madness as I was, I stumbled upon her lady-in-waiting, bringing me her will. She hadn’t been fooled and knew it all along it was all a trap.”
He sighed, “She knew it was the enemy’s scheme and that it would ruin her clan but also knew if the land was turned over to the enemy, they wouldn’t suffer. Whether the proposal was right or wrong, it all came down to the ruler’s judgment.”
“It brought me back to the time we talked about our dreams, of peace on earth. But how many could achieve it? Righteous cultivators hide behind justice when they take it all. Where in fact, all they had were demons, and do I need to say anything about demonic cultivators? You said Double Dragon Manor protects western lands’ peace, while I say it has no moral behind it, making it just another cesspool of greed and power plays. The people are nothing more than dead men walking, destroying themselves, all under a false peace.”
“Lass, tell me, was it wrong of her to cede her land?” The drunkard set his eyes on Yongning.
Yongning paused, “As long as the people had a better life afterward. Aren’t empires supposed to protect the people?”
“Ha-ha-ha, how clever you are.”
The drunkard laughed, “Only caring about the common good, you’re just as foolish as her, yet smarter than all the others. The true fool here is none other than me, saying I wanted to build a perfect world. And what did I get? Her death, and I running amok across western lands. Such a fool I was…”
Zhuo Fan sympathized with a pat on his shoulder, “Ha-ha-ha, senior, men tell nothing but lies in their pursuit of women, spewing great and impressive things…”
“Oh, bite me, I’m not that shameless like you. I was always truthful to her.” The drunkard glared, “I just knew your heart is skewed. But the more it is, the more you should search for a lass with her heart in the right place, to bring you back on the straight and narrow. Just like her. You said she was foolish, ha-ha-ha, when she was just so kind.”
Zhuo Fan jerked and frowned, having felt this before.
The drunkard’s feelings for the princess were just like his for Ning’er. By the looks of it, masterminds of their caliber needed a naive sidekick to keep their minds stable.
They were the only people capable of bringing peace of mind in this world of lies and deceit.
Dangling the flask over his open mouth yet not a drop came to soothe his suffering, the drunkard sighed, “Out of wine, again. I gotta get myself some more. It’s a rare sight meeting young folk willing to listen to my ramblings. If luck has it, I’ll lend a hand the next time, though it better be a trifle. Something like messing with a sect is more within my skill set, but you’ll have to give me something for that.”
“What?” Zhuo Fan asked in glee.
[With this old coot’s strength, having him owe me it’ll be like having a god on my side.]
The drunkard pondered, “A painting I drew for her, and my greatest work. A shame it got lost with the decline of her clan. I even got the word out that I’d do anything to he who brought it to me. So many years have passed, yet not one word. I may never see it again… “
The drunkard just turned and was gone.
Zhuo Fan started, “Senior, what does the painting look like?”
“My painting is quite famous, Lads of Our Nation!” The drunkard’s voice echoed back.
Now the familiarity of it all was nagging his brain to an annoying degree.
Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, “Lads of Our Nation? T-that means he’s western lands’ strongest man, Danqing Shen!”
The girls jerked, “We also heard of this legend. He’s still alive after a thousand years?”
“W-where’s the painting? Doesn’t Tianyu have it somewhere?” Zhuo Fan turned to Yongning. This was the chance to get a peak expert at his beck and call.
Yongning started, then her face fell, “When you went to the imperial capital last time, after third brother’s coronation, the painting was gone. He wanted to use it as a betrothal gift for Long Kui, but it hasn’t been found anywhere in the treasury.”
“Damn that pile of blubber. He screws up right when it matters!” Zhuo Fan sighed.
That time the painting was there but not the person. Now that he found the owner, the painting was missing. Though they lost the chance to get Danqing Shen to owe them, so did Tianyu’s imperial family.
[Knowing fatty, he’d use it to get the empire back in his hands. The fate of the Luo clan is obvious.]
Zhuo Fan nodded, “That’s good, very good…”
In the Heaven Reaching Pavilion, two old men sat at the head of the room. One had white hair and sharp eyes, and the other had raven hair, a long beard, and a heavy complexion.
Below them sat the Ethereal Stage experts from every sect.
“It’s settled, Double Dragon Gathering will begin in three days. The same rule applies, starting with the lower three sects. You may withdraw!” The white elder said.
The men bowed and left, “Understood.”
Someone rushed inside, “Something is wrong with the barrier!”
“What?” The white elder asked.
The man spoke restlessly, “The doors have opened nine times, for every sect, yet there has been a tenth time!”
“You may go, but be on guard.”
“Yes, sir!” The man saluted and left.
With the silence reinstated, the white elder began, “Only through special gestures and enough strength can one enter the barrier without a sound. Do you suppose… he came?”
“He’s the only one in western lands so familiar with Double Dragon Manor and so brazen to do it right under our noses. But why would he come now? I hope it’s not to cause trouble.” The black-haired elder closed his eyes.
The white elder nodded and sighed.
[Our most prized pupil has returned. Why…]
