Translator: StarReader
Yun Shuang guessed what was going on in that head of his and sighed, “That is what fate tells me. Vile dragon will come down hard, but it also has an augmenting effect. The other three factions’ fortune will be augmented, while only the Luo clan weakens. Quanrong’s coming to Tianyu bodes ill for the Luo clan.”
“How can only the other three get enhanced?”
Zhuo Fan paced around with a frown, but came out empty, “This shouldn’t be the case. I can understand if the two of them grow, but Crouching dragon… The Vile dragon comes with the Crouching dragon in mind, so why would it result in the Luo clan’s suffering? Don’t you find it odd?”
Yun Shuang nodded, “An educated guess tells us that Quanrong’s first target is Tianyu’s imperial family, the Crouching dragon. But the heavens have shown the contrary. I can’t make sense of it either…”
Yun Shuang sighed. Her sight dazed while Zhuo Fan’s started shining, “Yun Xuanji said that fate is fraught with death and life’s paths, while different men make different choices, treading different walks. The three houses must’ve done something to make the Vile dragon target Luo clan. What else could make the mighty Quanrong Empire focus on the little old us?”
Zhuo Fan mulled it over before asking, “What about the Luo clan’s fortune?”
“I don’t know.”
Yun Shuang shrugged, “Luo clan has you at the helm. With you being out of heaven’s control, I can only see the present and immediate situation, while the future is blocked. “
Zhuo Fan sighed.
Like the old saying goes, know yourself and the enemy and you’d ever be victorious. Zhuo Fan knew of his enemies getting tougher, while being in the dark about his own clan, making his own future actions uncertain.
[Being outside fate is not all it’s cracked up to be.]
A deep breath and a permanent frown, that was Zhuo Fan. What took priority was finding out the three houses’ activities. With such a particularly large event in play, a master plan had to be brewing in a deep dark corner.
Not cracking it yesterday would get him shafted…
Zhuo Fan’s mood sank with every thought, yet he spared Yun Shuang a smile, “Let’s go back. Such a fortune to have you around at this time and to find out about all this before it had been too late!”
“It’s fine. I’m doing it for my grandfather and the people.” Yun Shuang smiled back and the two left for the Luo clan.
But a thousand meters out, on a pavilion, two shadows kept their sights on them until they were gone.
“Our shadow recon team has never been so useless before!” One snorted, “We’re so far away that we can’t see nor hear sh*t. What’s the point?”
“It’s not like we explicitly asked to tail Zhuo Fan, now is it? That freak has a freaky eye that has put even the captain on a sickbed. Any closer and he’d see us. Not even a miracle would save us then!”
The other sighed, “Come on, let’s check what they were after in Parish. Maybe we’ll find something.”
“Humph, now the great shadow guards have turned into garbage men!” The shadow grumbled but still followed the other, drifting over to Parish as black smoke…
While Zhuo Fan’s mind was on the shifting situation, he was out bumping into his allies, asking around for the houses’ movements. He had Yun Shuang peek the sky over at the Parish for any other changes now and then as well. The shadows tailing them though, never once got anything useful.
Zhuo Fan was finding it more and more odd that every time he went to Drifting Flowers Edifices, the people stammered each time he mentioned Chu Qingcheng. Thinking they may not necessarily be so forthcoming with the complete and whole truth.
As for the Yun clan’s migration, the emperor posed the question as a mere courtesy, getting the response from Zhuo Fan that they were in a safe place and out of the water.
Well, Zhuo Fan had all the reasons. He and Yun Xuanji became fast friends so he wasn’t pushing it to help the guy’s family after his death, no? And he was still emperor-certified Best Steward Beneath Heavens. His every action was in accordance with the emperor’s.
It wouldn’t have gone so smoothly with the Yun clan otherwise.
The emperor had to swallow hard to accept the damage he had done to himself, [I just had to hail Zhuo Fan so high and leave a weakness exposed!]
And now he had Quanrong’s delegation coming over with a present. Truly, when it rained it poured. This was exactly the forecast that had Zhuo Fan’s heart tense up.
[Are Quanrong going to play out like the forecast? Are they the fourth power to push down on the Luo clan?]
Zhuo Fan took out a sending jade, giving instructions to the elders. They needed overwhelming power, and fast…
Three months came and went. The imperial capital was abuzz from the thousand detachments of soldiers at its gates in shining armor and impeccable discipline. Not to mention their mounts were not as insipid as warhorses, but were spiritual beasts.
The grand cavalry was riding on 3rd level spiritual beasts, led by a few 5th level spiritual beasts.
The Quanrong’s delegation had arrived!
“Zhuo Fan, come take a look at all the commotion!”
At the crack of dawn, a young scholar was very excitedly running towards the Luo clan. Zhuo Fan and Luo Yunchang came out silently.
‘He’ was no other than the cross-dressing Yongning snooping out of the palace as usual. With how the princess had gotten so close to the Luo clan, she dropped by every other day. First, it was seeing her dear foster sister as the official excuse, and then she shrugged all pretenses, brazenly going after Zhuo Fan.
Even Zhuo Fan had to be tolerant to the princess and suffer her antics.
“Princess, what are you up to this time? I don’t have the time, so go ahead with Yunhai and young miss.” Zhuo Fan shrugged.
Scratching her cute button nose, Yongning snorted and stuck her head out, “This is a once in a hundred years occasion. It’s so kind of me to invite you to see the bustle so the least you could do is thank me!”
“See the bustle? More like you wanting to jump right in!” Zhuo Fan mocked, spinning on his heel back inside.
Yongning flustered, “Quanrong’s delegation has come. They’re about to enter the city. It’s a chance to see exotic cultures that you should never miss.”
“What, Quanrong?”
Zhuo Fan stopped in his tracks and turned right back out and kept on going.
He wanted to check them out. How strong they were, how many had come, to assess the threat to his house.
Princess cried, “Wait for me…”
Luo Yunchang was stunned, sensing the seriousness of the matter. She called Yunhai and they went together as well.
And so, the whole gang stepped out of the compound’s gate. They had just taken a turn on main street when they bumped into a literal mob.
You couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting something. They tried to find something besides heads, but nope, there were heads everywhere.
The exotic foreigners were so in vogue right now, the whole capital was out to see them.
“Brother Zhuo, here!” A shout turned Zhuo Fan’s head, coming from a building’s second floor. Long Xingyun waved for him to come sit with his allies.
Zhuo Fan nodded and took everyone over. Every one of his peers was there.
Not just his allies, even the likes of Hell Valley and Pill King Hall. But on account of all the bustle, they decided to keep the friction to a minimum.
So much so that the arrival of Zhuo Fan made them look anywhere but at him.
With Zhuo Fan being a moody beast, who knew what excuse he’d come up with to trash them? If the elders chose to stand clear, it went double for these disciples.
Long Xingyun’s group chuckled, [This brother sure is feisty!]
A pain for the enemy and a shoulder to rely on for the allies…
“Brother Zhuo, the entire second floor is reserved for the houses’ disciples to get a clearer view of the Quanrong’s delegation.” Long Xingyun invited them to sit.
Xie Tianshang was stern, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword, “I wonder how many experts they have.”
[Like you can expect anything else from a martial fanatic.]
Zhuo Fan and Long Xingyun’s eyes met and they chuckled. After the Esoteric Debate, Xie Tianshang’s mood had never changed.
Quanrong’s delegation had yet to parade into town, so Zhuo Fan looked around. He picked up on a sneaky figure and shouted, “Yan Fu, you’ve come to see the excitement and won’t even greet me?”
Yan Fu ducked out of sight on the first floor when he froze. With a forced smile and a scratch on his head, “Steward Zhuo, I… what a coincidence…”
His words got cut off by a prideful voice, “Yan Fu, my master and martial aunt are almost here and you didn’t get us seats… eh?”
Xiao Dandan came with Peony and Iris Overseers when she noticed Zhuo Fan’s unnatural gaze and blushed, ducking her head.
“Brother Zhuo, they had long since been an item. But you were so cooped up that you never noticed.” Long Xingyun gossiped with a snicker.
Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow, “You guys…”
Yan Fu was scared out of his mind, even losing his voice. Everyone knew Xiao Dandan was more than a little crazy for Zhuo Fan. He ignored her every step, true, but that didn’t mean anyone could just show up and take what is Steward Zhuo’s. It was a no-brainer what would happen now.
Peony Overseer saw the two shaking in their boots and snapped, “What, Zhuo Fan, you didn’t want Dandan and now you’re going to ruin her life? That’s just evil of you!”
Zhuo Fan flicked his hand, his eyes roaming over the happy and shivering couple. Then he cracked up, slapping Yan Fu’s back, “Ha-ha-ha, ma man!”
He was simply overjoyed at having thrown away one pesky baggage.
Everyone’s faces twitched and turned dark.
