After returning to Qianji, Yu Li did not take him directly to the peak. Instead, he dropped him off at the foot of the mountain, handing him a token and a communication jade talisman before saying, “Let little crane show you around Qianji, and message me tonight. I will come pick you up.”
Yan Zhu was completely baffled, but seeing Yu Li turn around and leave immediately filled him with excitement. In the past, the Demon Realm could occasionally pick up some news about the cultivation world, but Qianji had always been as airtight as an iron bucket, impossible to pry open by any means. This truly was a gift from the heavens.
However, who was this little crane?
Before he could give it any more thought, he saw Yun Zhongfei flap his wings and fly out looking extremely reluctant.
Landing in front of him, the crane transformed back into the snow-white youth, still muttering under his breath in dissatisfaction, “Hmph, I wonder what the Lord even sees in you.”
Seeing that it was indeed him, Yan Zhu felt somewhat amused. Hearing those words, however, instantly displeased him. “Hey, hey, hey, how are you talking? Aren’t my merits pretty obvious? Are people as handsome, dashing, and peerless as me all that common in this world?”
Yun Zhongfei gave an extremely disdainful sound, then asked, “Let us go. The Lord told me to show you around the sect. Where do you want to go first?”
The smile at the corner of Yan Zhu’s mouth became impossible to suppress. “The Library Pavilion, the Treasure Pavilion, the Sword Pavilion. Any of them will do.”
Yun Zhongfei’s eyes widened instantly. He pointed a finger at him, stammering repeatedly for a long time without managing to get another word out.
“What about me?”
“You are simply outrageous and pushing your luck!”
Yan Zhu let out a very frivolous whistle. “Did you not say it yourself? Your Lord wants you to show me around properly, and I happen to be quite interested in these few places right now.”
“No way! Absolutely not those places!”
“Fine then. Since those places are off-limits, the martial training grounds should be fine, right? Let a good-for-nothing mortal like me witness the demeanor of your great sect’s disciples.”
Only then did Yun Zhongfei let out a huff and lead him toward the martial training grounds.
Quite a number of people were practicing the sword in the training grounds, wearing uniform white disciple robes. Their movements were neat and uniform, making for a truly pleasing sight.
Yan Zhu casually intercepted a disciple who had just stepped down from the training field, asking with a smiling expression, “Pardon me, Senior Brother. I have a few questions I do not quite understand. I wonder if Senior Brother would be willing to clear up my confusion?”
That disciple had just come off the field and was panting heavily. Hearing those words, he initially frowned, but upon turning his head and catching sight of that jade-handsome face, his earlobes instantly turned red.
“This junior brother, just ask whatever you do not understand. My name is Ming He. Junior Brother can just call me by my name.” The disciple stammered incoherently, his entire face burning hot.
Yan Zhu smoothly went with the flow and called out, “Senior Brother Ming He.”
Ming He’s face flushed even brighter. Where on earth did this little junior brother come from? He looked so good-looking, and why had he never seen him before?
Yan Zhu continued with a smile, “Today, the questions Junior Brother is asking are not about cultivation, but rather concerning matters of the cultivation world. I must ask Senior Brother to impart your wisdom without reservation.”
“Speak freely.”
“Does Senior Brother know who the former Demon Lord of the Demon Realm was?”
Ming He’s expression instantly turned serious. He cautiously looked left and right before lowering his voice to whisper, “Junior Brother must be new here. The former Demon Lord Yan Zhu is already a taboo within our sect; you cannot mention him.”
Yan Zhu’s gaze flickered slightly, and he continued to ask without changing his expression, “Why?”
Ming He continued in a very hushed tone, “It is because of Grand Uncle-Master Immortal Yu Li. As for anything more detailed, I do not know.”
“Then how many years have passed since the original Immortal-Demon War and the encirclement at Kunlun Peak?”
Ming He lowered his head in deep thought for quite a while before saying hesitantly, “It should be more than two hundred years now. Exactly how many hundreds of years, I cannot quite remember either.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Ming He.” Having obtained the answer he wanted, Yan Zhu gave a smiling hand-salute and turned to leave.
Behind him, Ming He’s slightly shy voice rang out, “May I ask which immortal master’s seat Junior Brother studies under? We can study and exchange notes more in the future.”
Yan Zhu’s smiling voice rang out briskly, “Under Immortal Yu Li.”
A heavy thud echoed out, sounding precisely like flesh hitting the ground.
“Why on earth do you insist on coming over here? There is nothing fun to see here.” Yun Zhongfei spoke with displeasure.
Yan Zhu paid him no mind, the smile on his face having long since vanished, replaced by an expression of pure, unadulterated solemnity.
He was pondering a very heavy fact.
He had been dead for over two hundred years. In other words, Yu Li had lived two hundred years longer than him. Even if he recovered his cultivation, would he still not be able to beat him?
He wondered if that Demon Spirit Pill could make up for a gap of two hundred years.
A sudden wave of sorrow washed over him, leaving him with no mood left to sightsee. With a desolate expression, he said, “Where is the back mountain of Qianji Sect? I am feeling a bit unwell right now.”
Yun Zhongfei looked at him suspiciously. “If you are feeling unwell, why do you have to go to the back mountain?”
“To go to the back mountain and clear my mind.”
Yun Zhongfei reluctantly believed his words and led him to the back mountain.
“You do not need to mind me. Go play on your own. Once I have cleared my mind, I will naturally contact the Immortal and have him come pick me up.”
Seeing the jade slip in his hand, Yun Zhongfei’s mind was put at ease, though he did not leave either. Instead, he transformed back into his crane form and fluttered over to perch on a large tree at the entrance of the back mountain for a nap.
Seeing that he was truly this easy to fool, Yan Zhu couldn’t help feeling secretly delighted, wondering if righteous cultivators were really this carefree. People always said the back mountain is a forbidden area for every sect, yet Yun Zhongfei had just led him right in like this. Should he call him innocent and kind-hearted, or should he say he lacked all wits?
The trees in the back mountain were exceptionally lush. As soon as Yan Zhu stepped inside, he understood why Yun Zhongfei had been so confident standing guard outside. The paths ahead branched off in all directions, yet at a glance, they all looked completely identical. He turned back to look at the exit behind him, but ultimately did not dare to take a step further.
Who could understand this feeling? Knowing there was a mountain of treasures right ahead yet not daring to walk toward it was painful beyond measure.
In the past, Yan Zhu had also had a poor sense of direction, but he could fly. Whenever he could not find his way, he would simply take to the skies. Right now, however, he did not dare wander around blindly, fearing some fierce beast might pop out. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, he squatted down in utter dejection right at the entrance.
Suddenly, a rich fragrance lingered near his nose.
The hairs all over Yan Zhu’s body instantly stood on end, but it was already too late. Stripped of his cultivation, he was scooped up gently like a little chick by someone who had appeared out of nowhere, landing high up in the treetops.
Robes embroidered with intricate patterns cascaded over him. With stiff movements, Yan Zhu turned his head to try and get a clear look at what the person who had abducted him actually looked like.
The person behind him, however, suddenly let out a light laugh, leaning down to murmur softly right beside his ear with a voice low and bewitching: “What is this? Just a few days without seeing each other, and you do not even recognize this Lord anymore?”
Yan Zhu had already turned his head around and caught sight of his appearance. The man had long eyebrows slanting into his temples and a pair of fox-like eyes gazing at him with a half-smile. That smile carried a hint of frivolity, teasing him subtly.
Like a thunderbolt striking down, Yan Zhu dazedly remembered that he had forgotten a very important matter.
It had been easy enough to tell lies to fool Yu Li earlier, but now the real master had tracked him down, and not just anyone, but Yu Sui, the Monster Lord of the Monster Realm.