Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Even with Mr. Nian’s excellent composure, he could not help but feel a heart-wrenching ache when he reached this point.
“At that moment, He Hanqing imagined that particular Supreme would surely be someone with a low profile. He would be especially vigilant since he was the only one left, and he would not show himself in public. Hence, anyone who was particularly flashy and ostentatious should not be included in the inspection process, especially someone who was known to be ‘good-for-nothing’ like Young Master Yun Yang. There was a proverb that goes, a person’s name might be wrong sometimes, but his moniker would never be. This reputed one agreed with this statement — this is just something that men would naturally be inclined to believe, so this is not a fault to be blamed for.”
“Still, this was so unexpected. That little oversight, that mere assumption… had caused the Four Seasons Tower to made the biggest mistake ever!”
Mr. Nian shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter chuckle.
Yun Yang smiled slightly — a smile rimmed with an inexplicable iciness.
Refreshing his far-away memories, his other brothers among the Nine Supremes had opted to adopt a low profile. He and his eighth brother had acted otherwise, concealing themselves within the ranks of the imperial court and throwing out some strategies to cover up the truth. He could never imagine that this was the reason that saved his life!
“Good-for-nothing!”
It was a nickname — a label —that had been stuck with him for the longest time. Never in this world did he expect a residual moniker from after the war to become his talisman instead!
“This should be treated as a humorless joke, yet it was one that was unusually fatal. With this blunder as a start, we proceeded to conduct the second and third round of inspections on the others after eliminating you lot…”
Hilarity bubbled within Yun Yang. However, when he came to think of it, it made sense.
Who would’ve thought to waste their efforts on someone who had already been eliminated from the first round of inspections — a person whose identity was confirmed to not be the said person of interest? Nobody would do such a thing.
Unless, of course, they had decided to recalibrate the direction of the manhunt after settling with the fact that this was not the way to go. Clearly, He Hanqing never appeared to wait till this moment.
“Later on, there were others who suggested to restart the inspection from the beginning. A few Venerable Lords that had the opportunity to deal with you after that could feel that you were different from the common folk. You were unusually active, your strength grew at a shocking speed, but then… your relationship with Ling Xiaozui soon surfaced and was revealed to all…”
A bitter expression was etched across Mr. Nian’s face. “With the appearance of a ruthless killing machine like Ling Xiaozui, the best opportunity to hunt down Supreme Cloud had been thwarted completely in fear of harming our own in the process. The reluctance to provoke a pinnacle expert like Ling Xiaozui was a part of our fears, after all, as the Four Seasons Tower was facing a critical matter of our own survival; we naturally would not wish to engage and provoke a strong opponent like Ling Xiaozui.”
“Another aspect we considered was that the massive improvement in your cultivation base can be largely credited to Ling Xiaozui’s presence. After all, judging by Ling Xiaozui’s strength, the fact that your abilities could gain such a large improvement in such a short span of time was not too strange if you both shared a close relationship. In fact, it seemed perfectly reasonable.”
“Come to think of it now, although Ling Xiaozui was incredibly strong, his fortune was limited; it would be tough to train and nurture a teen expert in such a short time. It’s truly a shame that the entire Four Seasons Tower was as blind as a bat for missing out such a massive giveaway —we had even painstakingly set up an alibi for you instead and released you. An outcome like this had made this reputed one truly speechless!”
“Later, your name would appear before me in various instances. For example, that event where the four Venerable Lords faced off against a particular brat, or the incident when you rushed to offer aid to the Fortress of Resilience. All these happened right under my nose, yet it was promptly overlooked because of a reason like this!”
“If time could be reversed, I would kill him personally — that Supreme Lord Spring Frost He Hanqing — I would murder him a hundred times over!” A fleeting smile flashed across Mr. Nian’s face, yet the ominous undertone in his words was unmistakably clear. He raised his head to meet Yun Yang’s gaze. “An inspection like that was equivalent to sending the Four Seasons Tower’s entire stronghold to perish under your blade! If it wasn’t for that, this entire farce would’ve ended long ago!”
“If time could be reversed, I would love to go for a drink with this revered Elder He. He had dedicated his entire life to protect Yutang — none of his efforts were wasted at all,” Yun Yang replied casually.
Stubbed by Yun Yang’s words, Mr. Nian heaved a disdainful snort, nearly unwilling to go on.
“Of course, there was something else that erased all the doubt initially placed on you. You never seemed to appear as if you had someone reporting to you; well, as we all know, the Nine Supremes were needed to activate the force belonging to Nine Heavens Dictum — but the mysterious force was clearly brimming with action. We tried to prove that it was you, Supreme Cloud, that was controlling its actions, or to prove your so-called ‘innocence’— yet every time it was active, you, Yun Yang, seemed to not be stirring up anything. You’ve never even met a single stranger… come to think of it now, this must have been another way to hide!”
“Regarding this point, you’ve simply overestimated my capabilities, Mr. Nian. It’s a shame that you’ve never been into the Residence of Nine Supremes,” Yun Yang replied, calm. “There is a mysterious existence known as the Nine Heavens Dictum in the Residence — that was the key to my control over the force that belonged to the Nine Heavens Dictum!”
Mr. Nian’s expression hardened. “Oh?”
“Nine Heavens Dictum; this is the name of a group known to all as the force under the Nine Supremes. However, to me, it’s merely an authorization tally. I’ll be able to instruct the Nine Heavens Dictum to do anything through it, no matter how much distance is between us, even if we are a thousand miles apart.”
Yun Yang continued calmly. “Therefore, to determine whether or not I was Supreme Cloud based on my relationship with the Nine Heavens Dictum is doomed to be wrong — this had always been an unrealistic deduction since the beginning. It isn’t a mistake caused by this reason —shame, indeed!”
The calm demeanor Mr. Nian had been wearing since the start of the conversation had finally cracked.
“Really? Can a mysterious entity like this exist in this world?”
“Perhaps you wouldn’t believe me, Mr. Nian, but in truth… even those who serve under the Nine Heavens Dictum wouldn’t know who Supreme Cloud is, or what is Supreme Cloud’s real identity. Since the beginning of time, they could only confirm one thing: besides the unique cultivation methods exclusive to the Nine Supremes, nobody else could use the Nine Heavens Dictum to convey messages. Hence, those who are able to convey messages must be one of the Nine Supremes!”
For a long moment, Mr. Nian was stunned into silence. Finally, he let out a bitter chuckle. “So that’s the truth… so even if we, the Four Seasons Tower, had lost in the aspect of information and intelligence, our defeat is justified — it was not a mistake due to our faults!”
Yun Yang only gave a smile in response, neither confirming or denying his words.
Mr. Nian’s message was clear: in an era where communication was still heavily reliant on horseback and pigeons, a mind-blowing form of communication like this — one that could cover a range as far as a thousand miles — could exist in this world.
Just as everyone was scrutinizing the physical communication routes, the Nine Supremes had already completed the job, although they were thousands of miles apart…
If they did not lose, it would be the most bizarre thing in the face of this world.
“This is one of the core secrets behind the Residence of Nine Supremes,” Yun Yang continued. “Would you like to know the other secrets behind the Residence, Mr. Nian?”
“If Lord Supreme Cloud is willing to share, this humble one will naturally be willing to listen and improve his knowledge,” Mr. Nian sighed gently.
Observing Mr. Nian’s poised demeanor, Yun Yang sighed in return. “The way you carry yourself and your demeanor, Mr. Nian, is extraordinary — it makes me think of a proverb.”
Mr. Nian expressed a fleeting smile. “‘You started out a good man — why be a bandit?’”
“Not bad, not bad! You know exactly what I was thinking of!”
Mr. Nian chuckled. “What does it mean to be a good man? What does it mean to be a bandit?”
Yun Yang was silent for a moment. Eventually, he broke out into a smile. “Well, due to a difference in opinions, now we’re rivals of life and death.”
“Correct. Rivals of life and death due to a difference in perspectives,” Mr. Nian heaved a slow, soft sigh.
