Gu An encountered two unpleasant incidents in a row and felt that this Yun Kingdom Small Gathering was simply cursed. Since there was nothing good left for him here, he decided to return to White Mirror Lake.
As he stepped out of the inn, the sunlight was just right, the sky as clean as porcelain.
Gu An took a deep breath, and only then did his mood improve significantly.
“Junior Brother Gu, where are you off to?” A gentle voice sounded. Turning his head, he saw it was Senior Brother Huang Xuan.
Gu An liked Huang Xuan, who had generously overpaid for his goose eggs. “This fair has cleaned out my storage bag,” he joked. “If I stay any longer, I’ll lose my underclothes too.”
Huang Xuan chuckled, finding this junior brother quite an interesting character. When he himself was this age, he wouldn’t have been so brazen about having an empty pocket.
“Then, if you’re free, why not join me for a drink?” Huang Xuan laughed.
Gu An also wanted to get to know Senior Brother Huang, so he gladly agreed.
They went to Fortune Cloud Pavilion, ordered a few dishes, and opened a jar of aged Apricot Blossom Wine. It held no spiritual qi, but tasted good all the same.
Wooden chopsticks rose and fell several times, porcelain bowls emptied and refilled, as the two chatted with great enthusiasm.
Three bowls later, Gu An began venting. “You wouldn’t believe that bastard Han Geng, Senior Brother Huang. He dragged me right into his mess.”
Once the floodgates opened, Gu An lost all restraint and thoroughly recounted the day’s events to Huang Xuan.
“Han Geng found the Tu Clan Wine Manual?” Huang Xuan gaped. “What a sly bastard. He never stirred while they were being slaughtered, but when there’s a corpse to loot, suddenly he moves like wildfire.”
Gu An was a bit confused: “Senior Brother Huang, what do you mean by that?”
Huang Xuan drained his bowl and sneered. “We take their spirit tax, so we owe them protection. Their plea for help reached Han Geng’s residence by Sound Transmission Talisman, and he pretended not to see it. Disgraceful.”
Hearing this, Gu An’s impression of Han Geng worsened even further. He resolved never to deal with this man again.
Both of them found Han Geng repulsive, so they stopped mentioning him.
After another round of wine, Huang Xuan leaned in with a mysterious expression and spoke in a low voice.
“Junior Brother Gu, do you know? Our Qingyuan Sect might be heading into chaos.”
Gu An was startled, his chopsticks pausing mid-air. Heading into chaos? What had happened?
Curious, Gu An also lowered his head and asked quietly, “Senior Brother Huang, please elaborate. I haven’t heard anything about this!”
Huang Xuan grimaced. “Those robbers again. Martial Uncle Wang went into Beastmaster Sect territory and started killing their people. Of course they’re going to hit back.”
Gu An stared. He knew about the robbers and about Martial Uncle Wang killing Beastmaster Sect disciples, but he had not thought through the consequences. Follow the newest chapters on novelping dot com.
That was right. Both were Golden Core Sects. If a Beastmaster Sect disciple was killed right at their doorstep, how could they not retaliate?
“Think about where our territories meet.” Huang Xuan tapped the table urgently.
“The Yun Kingdom and the You Kingdom… You mean-” Gu An realized, his voice rising in shock.
“Exactly! From now on, the Yun Kingdom will be the most chaotic! And we, the garrison stationed here, will be in the greatest danger!” Huang Xuan’s face was full of anguish, deeply worried about his own situation.
Damn it. His posting was about to become the front line.
Gu An wanted to weep. All he wanted was to raise his beasts and cultivate in peace. “Is there any way out, Senior Brother Huang? I’m no brave man. I can’t handle a war.”
Huang Xuan let out a long sigh and said, “I’m scared too, Junior Brother! The only way now is to pull some strings and see if we can abandon the mission and be transferred back to the sect. Junior Brother, do you have any connections?”
Gu An pondered for a moment and didn’t hide anything. “I got this mission entirely thanks to Steward Zhang of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. I don’t know if he has the ability to recall me. I’ll write a letter as soon as I get back!”
Huang Xuan brightened. A steward responsible for assignments might be able to help. “Could you ask for me as well? If it works, I’ll make sure you’re thanked properly.”
“Of course. I won’t make things difficult for you, Junior Brother. Steward Zhang will also receive a token of appreciation, no less than this amount.”
Seeming to sense Gu An’s hesitation, Huang Xuan held up two fingers. Seeing this, Gu An gasped sharply. Two hundred spirit stones-that was truly a considerable sum.
Huang Xuan sensed danger before it arrived. Gu An could learn from that. He liked the man’s company, too; this was someone worth befriending.
Besides, Steward Zhang might not necessarily refuse this matter. After all, two hundred spirit stones was no small amount. So Gu An agreed to help ask.
A young cultivator entered Fortune Cloud Pavilion. On spotting them, he brightened and walked over.
He was dressed in white robes, his sleeves fluttering, his face as fair as jade. His appearance was extraordinary, though his cultivation was not high-only around the third layer of Qi Condensation.
As he walked, he smiled at the two and said, “I’ve been looking all over for you two fellow Daoists!”
Gu An didn’t recognize this person. He looked up at Huang Xuan and found Huang Xuan also staring back at him with a questioning gaze.
Who is this?
Only then did the young man notice the awkward atmosphere. Realization dawned, and he gave an embarrassed smile. “I am Yun Lin of the Yun family. Entrusted by my cousin, I’ve come to invite the two of you to Tianyun Garden for a chat.”
“Is it Senior Sister Yun Xiuyan?” Gu An was puzzled. Why did they only come looking for him when he was about to leave?
“Exactly.” Yun Lin replied cheerfully, clearly proud of his cousin.
Huang Xuan set down his wine bowl and also asked, “Are all the garrison members going, or just the two of us?”
Yun Lin hesitated for a moment, then decided it wasn’t a big deal. He spoke slowly, “My cousin only told me to invite the two fellow Daoists.”
The two exchanged a glance and decided to go see what Yun Xiuyan was up to.
Before long, the two arrived together at the small courtyard in Tianyun Garden.
After just a few days, the courtyard seemed far emptier. The Jade Spirit Fruit trees had been stripped of fruit, and the Ice Crystal Fish were gone from the spring-fed pond.
Only the Purple Cloud Goose by the pond, unable to bear the loneliness, let out loud honks.
Seeing Gu An, it waddled over eagerly and pulled out another Purple Cloud Goose egg.
Gu An helplessly pressed his forehead and spread his hands. “There’s nothing left. Really nothing left. I’ve traded it all to Senior Sister Yun.”
The goose gave him a disdainful look, put the egg away, and ran off. Nearby, Yun Xiuyan nearly ground her teeth as she watched from her tea table.
After dealing with the Purple Cloud Goose, Gu An and Huang Xuan walked toward the pavilion.
Yun Xiuyan handed them each a porcelain bowl. Tender yellow tea buds bobbed in the rippling green infusion.
The two held their bowls, looking at Yun Xiuyan with questioning eyes. Neither spoke first.
Yun Xiuyan glanced at them and said flatly, “What, you won’t even drink your senior sister’s tea? This Emerald Cloud Tea is a First-Grade Middle-Tier spirit tea.”
The two smiled awkwardly and quickly took a sip.
The first taste was sharply bitter, then sweetness spread across their tongues. Their minds cleared. As they paid closer attention, they felt a slight improvement in their divine sense.
“Clear and pure, truly excellent tea!” Huang Xuan smacked his lips, looking as if he were still savoring the aftertaste.
“Indeed, indeed!” Gu An chimed in with admiration, shaking his head in feigned intoxication.
Yun Xiuyan shot them a cold glare and parted her delicate lips.
“Feeding pearls to swine.”