‘Gift? What gift?’ Xia Changqiu was once again baffled.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhou frowned slightly. Ye Zhen was clearly aware of his visit to the palace. This meant there was a spy in the Thousand Willow Monastery or the palace.
‘Is the young man in Ganlu Hall one of Ye Zhen’s cronies?’
Xia Changqiu continued reading, “When you came to me in disguise the other day, I mistook you for the person who fought Zhu Xuan. However, someone who manages to injure me has to be an elite at Sikong Beichen’s level. I won’t hold this against you, old senior. Instead, with great sincerity, I hope to be your friend.”
Xia Changqiu was shocked as he continued to read the letter. Ye Zhen was truly a scheming person. “The pure gold hairpin must be important to you. The reason your entry to the palace was so smooth is partly to show you my abilities and to show you my sincerity. I’d like you to reconsider, old senior. I’d like to invite you to Cloud Mountain for a discussion in three days. Whether we become friends or enemies, it all depends on you, Old Mister Lu.”
After reading the letter, Xia Changqiu presented the letter to Lu Zhou with both hands. He asked incredulously, “Senior Lu, you injured Ye Zhen before this?”
Lu Zhou nodded. He looked at the letter in his hand briefly before he reduced it to ashes. He wondered out loud, puzzled, “What kind of monster is Ye Zhen?”
“That man is indeed difficult to deal with,” Xia Changqiu said as he nodded, “His invitation to Cloud Mountain has to be a trap.”
Lu Zhou stroked his beard and considered it. He had no doubt Si Wuya would be able to come up with a brilliant plan to deal with Ye Zhen if Si Wuya were here. At the very least, even Jiang Ajian would be able to come up with a plan. Perhaps it was due to his 2,000 years of experience that he understood someone like Ye Zhen. Moreover, his disciples shared a quality with Ye Zhen; they were all arrogant. He knew those who were overconfident were conceited. In his opinion, Ye Zhen would not have expected the golden hairpin that he had easily surrendered to him would be his nightmare.
With these thoughts in mind, Lu Zhou calmly said, “Send a letter to Sikong Beichen. Tell him to meet me at Cloud Mountain in three days.”
“Understood.” Despite his words, Xia Changqiu appeared perplexed.
…
On the same day, in the afternoon.
On Flying Star House’s middle peak.
Ye Zhen was cultivating with his legs crossed as script seals circled around him.
Jiang Xiaosheng opened the wooden door and entered the dojo. Then, he prostrated himself before he said, “Master, the Thousand Willow Monastery has responded. They’ll meet you on Cloud Mountain in three days.”
Ye Zhen opened his eyes. He seemed slightly taken. “It’s unexpected but reasonable.”
“Master, why didn’t you let the elites in the palace kill him? That was a great opportunity!” Jiang Xiaosheng asked in confusion.
“Ten-leaf cultivators are usually prideful; how could they listen to me? Moreover, the palace is complicated. Each faction has its sources and is wrestling for dominance in the shadows. I’m just weaving a net of doubts and suspicion to intimidate him,” Ye Zhen said.
Jiang Xiaosheng mustered up his courage and continued to ask, “Why did you invite him here?”
“If he doesn’t come, I’ll take down the Twelve Sects. If he agrees to come, it means he’s willing to cooperate,” Ye Zhen replied.
“What if he doesn’t want to cooperate?”
The questions of the young were always direct.
Ye Zhen looked at Jiang Xiaoseng, wondering if he needed to answer such a stupid question.
Jiang Xiaosheng shuddered, frightened by his master’s gaze. He no longer dared to ask any question. It was obvious the old man would be seeking death if he came to Cloud Mountain with no intention to cooperate.
…
Three days passed in just a blink of an eye.
A huge flying chariot departed from the Thousand Willow Monastery for Cloud Mountain.
Inside the flying chariot.
Lu Zhou looked at Sikong Beichen and asked, “Are you worried that I might not show up?”
Early in the morning, Sikong Beichen had brought two First Seats to the Thousand Willow Monastery. Clearly, he did not want to go to Cloud Mountain alone.
“You misunderstand me, Brother Lu… It’s just we haven’t seen each other in a while, and I wanted to talk to you a little longer,” Sikong Beichen said.
“I guess I’ll have to believe you.”
“Why did you agree to Ye Zhen’s proposal, Brother Lu? The Flying Star House has a close relationship with the Twelve Sects of Cloud Mountain lately, and Xie Xuan died on the Thousand Willow Monastery’s grounds. Surely, the Twelve Sects hate you,” Sikong Beichen asked curiously.
Lu Zhou nodded. “You have a point.”
Sikong Beichen, feeling like he understood the words behind Lu Zhou’s words, called out, “Yao Qingquan.”
“Your orders, Temple Master?”
“Turn around and return.”
“Understood.”
“…” Lu Zhou waved his arm to stop Yao Qingquan. “I didn’t say I want to return.”
Sikong Beichen felt awkward.
At this moment, Yu Zhenghai said to Yao Qingquan, “Allow me. You’re excruciatingly slow in flying the chariot. Even my Eighth Junior Brother is faster than this.”
“…”
Yu Zhenghai took Yao Qingquan’s place, and the flying chariot’s speed increased immediately.
Yao Qingquan looked at Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong. “Aren’t both of you worried that something might happen? The Twelve Sets of Cloud Mountain and Ye Zhen… What if the members of the Sky Martial Court are there as well? At that time, it’d be like us presenting ourselves to them on a silver platter…”
Yu Shangrong smiled faintly. “If you’re afraid, you may leave. The Evil Sky Pavilion will only go forward and never turn back.” When he saw the unnatural expression on Yao Qingquan’s face, he added, “My apologies. I didn’t mean to hurt your self-esteem.”
Yao Qingquan. “…”
The latter half of Yu Shangrong’s words were better left unsaid.
Even Sikong Beichen felt slightly embarrassed. The grand Ninth Temple suddenly seemed as cowardly as mice. In the end, he said, “In that case, I’ll follow the person of noble character to the bitter end.”
“I’m not a person with a noble character. I have three objectives for this trip,” Lu Zhou said as he stroked his beard, “First, I want to kill Ye Zhen. Second, I want to intimidate the Twelve Sects. Third, I’d hope the Sky Martial Court is there as well so I can kill a few of them to deter the others.”
‘Uh… Is he serious?’
Sikong Beichen said, “Ye Zhen is extremely cunning. If he’s luring the tiger away from its mountain, won’t the Thousand Willow Monastery be in trouble?”
Sikong Beichen had left the three First Seats in the Ninth Temple to guard the Formation and defend against any possible sneaky plots of Ye Zhen.
Before Lu Zhou could answer, Yu Zhenghai said, “That’s why the core members of the Thousand Willow Monastery are here as well.”
“…”
Sikong Beichen was the last to board the chariot at the Thousand Willow Monastery. He had been chatting with Lu Zhou on the deck and did not pay attention to the other passengers in the chariot. He looked behind himself and opened the door. He saw Little Yuan’er, Conch, Xia Changqiu, Tian Buji, Ji Fengxing, and Wuwu smiling at him.
They greeted Sikong Beichen.
“Greetings, Senior Sikong.”
Yao Qingquan and Zhao Jianghe seemed amazed by this,
As the saying went, ‘Would an empty house be afraid of robbers?’
The flying chariot continued to pick up speed.
Lu Zhou looked at Sikong Beichen. “Sikong Beichen, you’re knowledgeable. Do you know any methods to return to life after dying?”
Sikong Beichen said, “Under normal circumstances, humans shouldn’t be able to come back to life after dying. However, there are many cultivators who used Fated Bonds to tie their lives to that of a beast. However, the requirements of the beasts are strict. Moreover, it’s difficult to pull something like this off.”
This reminded Lu Zhou of Lanni and Tiangou of the Bonnar Family in Great Yan. He did not expect the same method to exist in the red lotus domain. “Is there any other way apart from that?”
Sikong Beichen shook his head. “I’ve never heard of another way to come back to life. Why are you asking about this, Brother Lu?”
“I suspect that Ye Zhen has mastered a way to come back to life,” Lu Zhou said.
Everyone looked at Lu Zhou in shock when they heard his words.
