Translator: THISBRO

Editor: Mimishijie

Proofreader: Bubbles

As expected, Qian Ren was reliable. They were immediately able to find their inn.

Letting the disguised disciples go to their rooms to rest, He Ku tied Lin Xuan to a stool and personally kept an eye on him. He, himself, was resting on the bed, but what he was actually thinking about was the information Xiu Niang gave him on the Three Great Sects.

The current distribution of powers in the Jianghu should be three sects, one palace, and one pavilion. The first two, He Ku already knew, but this one pavilion referred to the Heaven’s Library Pavilion.

The reason for classifying the Heaven’s Library Pavilion apart from strictly good or evil was because they had a large number of ordinary disciples and rarely, if ever, participated in Jianghu competitions. Instead, they single-mindedly focused on exploring the four arts. So much so that as long as one had enough mastery over a certain aspect, they could be appointed as an elder even without any cultivation.

Their air and style really were incompatible with the idea of a Jianghu cultivator. Hence, even though everyone knew that there was a late-stage Yuan Ying cultivator behind the Pavilion, when it came to physical skirmishes, people would unconsciously leave them out.

There was nothing that He Huan didn’t know with regard to the Xuanmen Righteous Sect, but it was only today that He Ku got a more specialized understanding of the other two great sects.

The path of cultivation needed no shortage of weapons and pills, yet 80% of the world’s smiths and alchemists were in the Myriad Treasures Hall Sect. In addition to that, every head of the Myriad Treasures Hall was responsible for trading and buying any necessary raw materials for those masters.

Specifically, the position the Myriad Treasures Hall’s ten patriarchs had was similar to He Huan’s. They all used their high cultivation to offer protection for those under them. The difference was that as long as you were a Myriad Treasures Hall patriarch, you could freely request the sect’s masters to provide weapons and medicine as payment for their protection.

Such an unending flow of the world’s best medicines and treasure, the ten patriarchs’ cultivation would obviously progress extremely quickly. Currently, they were all Yuan Ying level masters. Among those, three of them were in the late stage of Yuan Ying cultivation, just one step away from Calamity Crossing.

As for the current lead patriarch, Lin FaCai1, although his name was bad, he was exceedingly good at refining treasures and weapons. He had a gold abacus where each bead was a weapon, so it could be said that he was armed to the teeth. If he were in a life or death battle, he might even be able to hold off a Calamity Crossing cultivator until he could escape.

If it weren’t for the fact that Xuanmen Righteous Sect’s cultivation technique was too heaven-defying, and whoever was chosen would be able to ascend without a doubt, it would be unknown who the ‘Jianghu Strongest’ position would belong to.

Unlike the Myriad Treasures Hall, the Water Moon Manor was an all-women sect that kept with the tradition of shifu leading disciples. The sect technique ‘Ethereal Reflections2’ had one specialty—they could dual cultivate with any technique without having to worry about incompatibility. Regardless of the cultivator, as long as they could become dao companions with a Water Moon woman, then their cultivation was bound to make rapid progress.

Because of this, the Water Moon Manor had been coveted by male cultivators for close to a hundred years, and their disciples were often kidnapped by vile men. Fortunately, several of the Manor Ladies had voluntarily married into many of the major sects at that time. It was only after receiving the protection of their husband’s family that the disciples had time to practice. But to this day, this sect was still very wary of men.

One sect was the one which had the monopoly over equipment and supplies, the other was the bride manor in the world’s eyes. With these two sects joining hands, it was no wonder they were able to create such a sensational campaign. It’s just.. how should the demonic sect deal with this?

He thought hard on possible countermeasures, but none of them were any good. For a moment, He Ku couldn’t help feeling depressed. At this time when he didn’t know what to do, he saw Qian Ren flip in through the window. Almost as if he knew what he was thinking, Qian Ren calmly opened his mouth, “When the palace master was young, he had a friendship with the Myriad Treasures Hall and Water Moon Manor. These few years, they never participated in any efforts to seize the Palace of Bliss due to old friendships, but this time, their blood son has fallen into danger so they have no choice but to join in.”

He Ku’s eyes brightened when he heard this. “There’s also this story?”

“Unless you really think that husband and wife can argue for a whole few decades?”

After slanting a look at a certain someone who actually believed in the rumours, Qian Ren thought for a bit before deciding to tell him everything he knew. “However, it’s true that the Myriad Treasures Hall Lead Patriarch doubted the palace master. After all, everyone knew that the two Water Moon Manor sisters, Yue FangZhou and Yue LingJing, were interested in Bu QingYun back then. After Bu QingYun stepped onto the demonic path, they even chased him all the way to Sky Veil Town to try and protect him at the Water Moon Manor. It was just a pity that, at the time, the palace master had already made up his mind about joining the demonic side and left after giving them grievous injuries. That was when people really believed Bu QingYun had fallen.”

Qian Ren knew that with He Huan’s disposition he would never mention the events of the past, so after looking at the shocked He Ku, he added, “After that, Yue LingJing was discouraged and married Bu QingYun’s shidi, Yao JianKe. It’s been decades since she reappeared in front of the Jianghu. Yue FangZhou single-mindedly focused on cultivating for decades, before being moved by the Myriad Treasures Hall’s lead patriarch, Lin FaCai, and marrying into the Myriad Treasures Hall. Speaking of, on Lin Xuan’s first birthday, Palace Master had even gone to his home to deliver a congratulatory gift, which caused quite a stir in the Jianghu.”

Silently knowing that this was the reason for the farce mentioned in He Huan’s letter, He Ku rubbed his nose in helplessness. It seemed that regardless of whether He Huan was righteous or demonic, there would always be a wave of love drama. However, when it switched to him, no one would consider him? Clearly, they both used the same body. When not talking, their mannerisms also weren’t that far apart ah.

Since the other side and He Huan had history, this Demon Extermination Campaign couldn’t succeed all the more.

Lin Xuan had originally been restrained, but with He Ku preoccupied with talking on the other side of the room, he broke through the silence spell and glowered, “You’re lying, how could my mother fancy a bastard like you!”

“Calm down, my nephew. This uncle will definitely send you home and find your mother to talk about old times.”

Knowing that the Jianghu almost thought that he was He Huan’s cheap spawn, He Ku understood a little why he hated He Huan so much. He moved over and patted him on the back while smiling. Yet just as the youth was about to open his mouth to continue scolding, he placed the silencing spell back on. Then he watched him become so stifled that he turned red and laughed from the side.

This was the first thing He Huan saw when he floated out from the dantian. On the one hand, he was sighing over whether He Ku had been corrupted by him, on the other, he lamented, “I really haven’t heard these names in a long time.”

Hearing the familiar voice sound beside his ear, He Ku immediately cried out in surprise, “He Huan, you’re awake?”

He Huan’s eyes curved as he smiled faintly, really satisfied with the other’s undisguised happiness. “Yeah, the moment I woke up, I found that my sect had actually been renamed the Mingmen Righteous Sect.”

If his expression was seen by the sect’s disciples, who knew how fast their hearts would be racing and how red their faces would flush, but He Ku only wagged his finger like he’d already gotten used to this sight. “Isn’t it surprising? Isn’t it exciting? Isn’t it unexpected?”

“A little interesting.”

Nodding appreciatively at the same ability to make trouble, He Huan’s eyes brightened and he suggested, “How about I make things a bit more interesting?”

“Sure, you go.”

He Ku naturally wouldn’t refuse if He Huan wanted to use the body and retreated to the back without the slightest hesitation. Now that he had cultivation, he could also become a spirit and float around. He went and sat on the window sill, adopting a posture of watching a show to watch He Huan’s performance.

Their inner dialogue was naturally invisible to others, but they could see He Ku suddenly quiet down and close his eyes, only to have his aura completely change once he opened them again. Although he was still dressed in white, with the corner of his eyes slightly raised his entire being only felt languid and bewitching. Nowhere could they see any youthful spirit.

When Qian Ren saw this gaze, he knew that He Huan had awoken. Immediately kneeling down, he greeted, “Welcome back from your seclusion, Palace Master3.”

“Here it is again. Why is he so respectful when in front of you, but so impudent towards me? Double standards ah!”

He Huan couldn’t help but chuckle as he listened to He Ku’s discontented grumble. Seeing Qian Ren look confused, he explained, “You may rise. He Ku is complaining about you. When he comes out, you’ll have your hands full again.”

It was only after he said this that he realised he hadn’t given He Ku a status within the sect yet. Taking this chance, he added, “Oh right, He Ku is the other me that you guys met. For convenience, just call him Little Palace Master from now on.”

Qian Ren had always obeyed whatever orders He Huan gave, so he respectfully accepted it. “Understood. Later, when the Little Palace Master comes out, this subordinate will plug my ears.”

Because this student of his had a rough life, he wasn’t particularly close to anyone. It was quite rare that he could tease He Ku. He Huan didn’t say anything after watching their interaction and just smiled before turning his gaze to the slightly terrified Lin Xuan. “So you are FangZhou’s son? In that case, I was quite inconsiderate to her.”

Seeing that his expression was still one of indignation and anger, He Huan removed the silencing spell with a wave and sneered.

“Do you still not understand? Someone clearly used you to involve the Thousand Treasures Hall and Water Moon Manor in the campaign this time. If they wanted to save you, they would have notified your mother and father before you even infiltrated my palace. Why would they wait until now? They even instructed you that, no matter what, you couldn’t reveal your identity, right? Honestly, they gave you a plot and you just climbed right in. You even dragged your parents and sect with you. How did Bu YaoLian teach you? He was never this dumb before.”

To be able to learn under Xuanmen Righteous Sect’s Da Shixiong, Lin Xuan naturally wasn’t an idiot. Before, it was just because he was blinded by emotion. Now that he had been directed the way, he understood. “You’re saying— How could they treat me like this?!”

“You should be more careful in the Jianghu in the future. If it hadn’t been for a slight complication during this Master’s tribulation, do you really believe you would have been able to stay in my Palace of Bliss for an entire month and still be able to speak properly?”

Seeing that he wasn’t entirely hopeless, He Huan recovered his laid-back attitude and continued, “Just think about who it was that lured you there. If you don’t even have this bit of intelligence, then you really don’t deserve to be a Xuanmen disciple.”

Lin Xuan pondered it deeply after being reminded by him, before hatefully realising. “Heaven’s Library Pavilion! On my travels, I encountered Heaven’s Library Pavilion disciples. They kept on saying that my mother and you had.. And I got angry. After hearing that they were sending people into the Palace of Bliss, I tagged along.”

The moment He Huan heard this, he burst into laughter. “How can something as classified as an infiltration be heard by you, an outsider? It was clearly deliberate. Like this, even if your parents decide to pursue this matter, it was you who was too headstrong and reckless, leaving the real perpetrators guiltless.”

Lin Xuan’s heart was currently a mess. He knew that he shouldn’t listen to the enemy, but the more he carefully thought along those lines, the more he felt fearful.

Ever since he went out of his sect to gain experience, there would always be people discussing his mother’s past. Naturally, it would be grating to his ears, and in a fit of rage, he strayed from his predetermined route and came to Sky Veil Town.

Now that he had the chance to think about it, with his mother and father’s status, how would ordinary people dare to discuss those decades-old affairs? He’d never heard the rumours before, so how come when he left to travel it was like everyone was talking about it? This was unavoidably too coincidental.

Could it be that he had fallen into other people’s schemes the moment he stepped out of his sect?!

Just thinking that those Heaven’s Library Pavilion shixiongs had this intention when they were pampering him, Lin Xuan’s heart chilled. Still reluctant to accept this reality, he tried, “Aren’t you afraid of them?”

“What’s to be feared? Your shifu or your parents? First, let’s not mention whether or not you’d still be mentally intact to speak after going through the Palace of Bliss’ interrogation, even if they teamed up to face me, don’t tell me that a demonic cultivator such as I would be merciful just because of a past friendship?”

Lin Xuan’s face paled with this sentence. He Huan estimated that enough had been said and indifferently poured himself a cup of tea. He put his finger on the youth’s forehead and cast a sleeping spell. “Sleep, I’ll send you back tonight. To eat my Palace of Bliss’ food for an entire month for free, your mother and father must at least give me your ransom.”

Seeing Qian Ren sensibly take the unconscious boy, He Huan nodded to him. “There are some things that I can’t say to his parents, he has to say them himself for people to believe.”

“Palace Master is wise. Fortunately we didn’t really do much to him this one month, it’ll be easier to break through this situation.”

He knew that with He Huan’s infamy, no matter how he explained, no one would believe him. Qian Ren understood what he had to do. It’s just, after hearing this clearly elaborate plot, he was still a bit worried. “The Heaven’s Pavilion Library’s schemes have always been interconnected, I’m afraid that there will be a follow-up.”

As if he had long thought of this, He Huan’s finger skimmed over the teacup, gaze gradually chilling. “Other than Qing XuZi, this Master is not afraid of anyone in this world. Watch the Xuanmen Righteous Sect closely. As for the Heaven’s Library Pavilion’s scheme, it’s most likely to have Bu YaoLian and I fight, and use this to force Qing XuZi out of seclusion.”

It seemed that after only 80 years of peace, there were already a few people who felt a little antsy. However, he was no longer the Bu QingYun who was new to the Jianghu. Don’t think that it’ll be as easy as last time to trap him.

Lightly taking a sip of tea, he raised his eyes. All the murderous aura and killing intent vanished into smoke, leaving behind an impenetrable calm expression. He unhurriedly instructed, “I won’t be seeing anyone from Xuanmen. When the time comes, just listen to the Little Palace Master’s orders.”

Lin FaCai (林发财) – his name is literally to “make money/make a fortune”

Ethereal Reflections (水月镜花) – “moon in the water, flowers in the mirror”. Which sounds so poetic in the raws, but hard to keep as a technique name.

3.

Welcome back from your seclusion – in the OG text, Qian Ren uses a very respectful welcome which is hard to convey in English