Wen Li was “invited” by the seven black-clad cultivators into a luxurious pavilion.
The lead black-clad cultivator knocked on the door.
“Master, they have been brought.”
The door opened automatically from the inside. The black-clad cultivator gestured for Wen Li and Gu Linshu to enter.
Without a word, the two walked inside.
Passing around a screen painted with verdant green mountains and birds, Wen Li looked up. Her brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Having grown somewhat familiar with her, Gu Linshu caught this tell and silently raised his guard.
The last time Master wore that look was when she encountered Zongzheng Yingchu. The person before them was likely another enemy she had provoked in the past.
Alas.
Wen Li walked in with complete composure. Without waiting for the man seated at the head tea table to invite her, she sat straight down. Behind her, Gu Linshu was momentarily taken aback before sitting down as well.
Seated in the place of honor was a man dressed in opulent crimson-purple robes. He was quite handsome, carrying a calm, refined expression and an extraordinary aura. His inky hair was bound into a clean, crisp ponytail by a jade crown, exuding an elegant poise.
Seeing Wen Li sit down without hesitation, Lou Yan's eyes paused, though he showed no anger. Raising his hand, he poured two cups of tea, and with a wave of his sleeve, they floated over to settle in front of the two.
“This is a specialty tea from our Shengyang Kingdom. Most people know of Houchi Kingdom's Cloud Mist Tea, but few know of our Shengyang's Boxian Tea. Please, have a taste.”
Wen Li glanced at the tea in the delicate blue-and-white carved cup. She picked it up and brought it to her nose, taking a whiff. “Indeed, fine tea.”
Raising both hands, she tilted her head back and drank it all down in one gulp, her wide sleeves concealing her lips.
Behind her, seeing that she had drunk it, Gu Linshu felt it would be impolite to refuse and was about to drink his when a voice transmission reached his ear.
“Don't actually drink it.”
Gu Linshu checked his urge to drink it heartily. Instead, he made an elegant gesture of taking a dainty sip without letting a single drop enter his mouth.
Master truly was cautious.
Across the table, Lou Yan wore a gentle, polite expression. “Fellow Daoist is truly straightforward and bold. Are you not afraid I poisoned it?”
“Poisoning is a subpar tactic used only when one's hard power is lacking. Fellow Daoist is far stronger than me; there is no need to waste precious poison on me.”
Wen Li smiled. While she spoke these words, the special sponge she routinely kept hidden inside her sleeve had soaked up all the tea, completely concealed under her robes without revealing the slightest trace.
“Fellow Daoist is truly interesting. No wonder you caught Princess Huangyue's eye.” Hearing her praise, Lou Yan chuckled softly.
“Thank you for the compliment. I've long grown accustomed to being loved by all; there's always someone captivated by my talent. Princess Huangyue also holds me in high regard, and even wanted to take me as a guest elder by her side. Alas, I am used to living like a wild crane among idle clouds, and dislike being bound by others.”
Wen Li knew it was impossible for him to know the exact relationship between her and Zongzheng Huangyue. When he first sent people to “invite” her, Zongzheng Huangyue had not yet returned from Beiqiong Kingdom. Thus, the “eye” he spoke of could only refer to the scene she had made on the street during the ancestral sacrifice ceremony, selling herself to bury her disciple.
Lou Yan paused at her words. He had never seen a cultivator so capable of self-praise. “So Fellow Daoist is a rogue cultivator without any sect or faction, and not even a native of Houchi Kingdom?”
Given how fervently the people of Houchi Kingdom revered bloodline purity, it was impossible for anyone to remain unmoved by an olive branch extended by Zongzheng Huangyue. She was either lying to him, or she did not care about bloodline veneration in the slightest.
“I am indeed from Houchi Kingdom, but I merely clawed my way out of a small mountain village. I simply dislike being tied down by rules and conventions.” Wen Li shook her head, speaking plainly and calmly.
This implied that she possessed no pursuit of or belief in bloodline purity, and that her cultivation was achieved entirely through her own talent.
Lou Yan glanced at Gu Linshu beside her. “Since Fellow Daoist dislikes rules and conventions, why did you go to such lengths to draw Princess Huangyue's attention? If I am not mistaken, this person beside Your Excellency is the very disciple who lay in the coffin that day, supposedly murdered by his fiancée. How is it that he has returned from the dead?”
“He was originally dead, but who knew he still had a breath left in him? My theatrics in the street were merely to draw Princess Huangyue's attention, hoping she might possess the means to save him.”
Without blinking, Wen Li glanced at Gu Linshu, who was sitting obediently beside her. “And so, Princess Huangyue took pity on our tragic circumstances, ordering her people to settle us and dispatching someone to save my disciple. Although I don't care to be bound by rules and conventions, I at least owe Her Highness a debt of gratitude, and a debt must be repaid.”
Listening behind her, Gu Linshu knew that while most of Master's words were pure fabrication, she had addressed all of the man's points. This was clearly nothing more than a gentle interrogation.
Yet neither of them could simply up and leave.
Because they couldn't beat him.
As Lou Yan listened, he knew her words were half-truths.
In particular, although she was only at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection realm, she had escaped from an encirclement of Golden Core cultivators the first time he sent people after them. Such capability was rare. There was no need to make an enemy; forming a good tie would be just as well.
He chuckled softly and inquired in a warm voice, “Since Fellow Daoist is a rogue cultivator, I wonder if you would be interested in visiting our Shengyang Kingdom once you have repaid Princess Huangyue's favor? The vast and magnificent lands of our Shengyang Kingdom are by no means inferior to Houchi Kingdom. You and I share an affinity; if the two of you are willing, you may seek me out once you reach Shengyang Kingdom, and I will gladly host a welcoming banquet for you both.”
“If I am not mistaken, Fellow Daoist should be a member of Shengyang Kingdom's imperial Lou clan. Speaking of which, I truly share an affinity with Shengyang Kingdom, though it is on account of my master.” Wen Li did not say whether she would go or not, steering the conversation instead.
“I am Lou Yan, indeed of the Lou clan. On this trip, I represent Shengyang Kingdom to attend the conferment and sacrifice ceremony for Princess Huangyue. I wonder what affinity Fellow Daoist's master had with our Shengyang Kingdom?” Lou Yan did not specify his standing within the imperial family, but someone who could represent the imperial clan to attend such a ceremony was bound to hold an exalted status.
Wen Li did not know his exact identity either. After all, counting by age, the last time she visited the Eastern Province was two thousand years ago. But that didn't matter; she began to reminisce about the past.
“It seems that was something from two thousand years ago. My master mentioned that he was once a guest elder to the Shengyang imperial family. Back then, a certain cultivator committed a treasonous crime, offending the imperial clan's authority. The Shengyang Saint Emperor personally ordered over a thousand men to hunt them down, swearing to capture them alive.”
“At the time, my master was one of those ordered to join the hunt. Oh, I remember he was a guest elder under an Imperial Prince.”
Lou Yan was clearly aware of this event. His expression shifted slightly as if recalling some imperial secret. He pressed on, “What was that Imperial Prince's name?”
Wen Li narrowed her eyes and recalled carefully, “It seemed to be Lou... Lou Yuchi.”
At those words, Lou Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze toward Wen Li darkened.
“Oh? And what happened after that?”
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