Chapter 268: Emergence (2)

Three weeks later.

“Achoo!” A sneeze rang through an elegant, tastefully furnished bedroom.

Xu Yuan, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed cultivating, dispersed his art and rubbed his itchy nose. He then took a bottle of medicinal liquid from his Sumeru Ring.

The jade bottle was translucent, allowing him to see the fiery-red liquid within.

Ever since their last meeting, Xu Yuan had not seen Li Qingyan again. That long-legged woman had probably also realized that beating him up the moment they met was not exactly proper behavior, so she had someone deliver a bottle of medicinal liquid as an apology.

It was reserved for the imperial family and exceedingly precious. Its purpose was simple. It widened the meridians and strengthened one’s virility. The second effect was considerably stronger than the first.

When the old steward told Xu Yuan what the two bottles of Yang Marrow Essence actually did, he had nearly lost his composure.

She sent me this as an apology? Is that an apology or a provocation? Thinking of this, Xu Yuan smiled and shook his head. “Li Qingyan really does have an interesting personality.”

With that, he returned the Yang Marrow Essence to his Sumeru Ring, rose from the bed, and prepared to step outside for some fresh air.

He had been very busy these past few days, busy cultivating.

Shame had given him fresh courage.

The First Martial Princess’s strength came from military formations. As long as Xu Yuan reached the Grandmaster Realm as quickly as possible, there was a good chance he could finally reassert his authority as the man in their relationship.

At the very least, he could not keep ending up beneath her.

The same went for that iceberg of a woman.

??

The sky outside was clear and cloudless. Without the industrial pollution of his previous world, the heavens stretched overhead in an endless expanse of pure blue.

As Xu Yuan walked through the Chancellor's Manor, whose sprawling grounds resembled an imperial palace, he noticed that the residence now held considerably more unfamiliar officials than before.

There were powerful court ministers dressed in violet robes, minor functionaries wearing dark green, and even merchant association presidents wrapped in luxurious embroidered robes.

They had begun arriving the moment news of the engagement spread. They came to declare their allegiance. They came bearing gifts.

Although the vast majority would never even be granted an audience with his father, the stream of visitors showed no sign of ending.

The silver they offered meant little to the Chancellor's Manor, but the gesture mattered. When everyone else sent gifts, what would it say if you alone sent nothing? Did you still intend to survive in officialdom?

Xu Yuan followed the flagstone path until he reached the wetland lake. Many people noticed him, the central figure in the newly announced engagement, but few dared approach and greet him.

After all, the Third Young Master’s reputation had grown beyond that of an ordinary wastrel ever since he had openly killed the Darchai prince in front of a crowd.

One careless remark, and this spoiled young master might cut them down. If that happened, they would have died for nothing.

His sterling reputation had truly spread far and wide.

Xu Yuan was perfectly happy to be left alone.

Still, the way Xu Yinhe had handled the engagement surprised him somewhat. He had originally assumed it would remain a private pact between the Chancellor's Manor and the imperial family. He had not expected them to announce it to the entire realm so quickly.

It was a signal, a dangerous signal.

The imperial court would not compromise over the war in the northern frontier. The court had already made its move. Now it remained to be seen how the sects would respond.

Based on what Xu Yuan knew, he believed the sects would probably compromise, but only as a stalling tactic.

They were the ones responsible for Emperor Jiajing’s injuries. They had surely formed a rough estimate of how much time the emperor had left.

For an ordinary family, the marriage of their children was a matter of immense importance. Before imperial power, however, even that was not quite enough.

Brothers could murder one another for the throne. What weight could a mere betrothal agreement carry? So long as the sects delayed until Emperor Jiajing died and a new emperor ascended the throne, the fragile alliance between the imperial family and the Chancellor's Manor might shatter on its own.

At the thought, Xu Yuan gave a faint sigh.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. “Changtian, come to the study.”

Xu Yuan recognized Xu Yinhe’s voice.

More than half a month had passed since the engagement was settled, and this was the first time his father had spoken to him since.

??

The inner residence was quiet.

When Xu Yuan reached the study and raised his hand to knock, Xu Yinhe’s voice came from within.

“Come in, Changtian.”

Xu Yuan pushed open the door.

The study looked just as it always had. It was simple, elegant, and furnished with a great window overlooking most of the Imperial Capital.

Xu Yinhe sat behind his desk. Numerous memorials lay before him, some already reviewed and others still awaiting his attention.

When Xu Yuan entered, Xu Yinhe set down the memorial in his hand.

Xu Yuan inclined his head in greeting. “Father, you called for me?”

Xu Yinhe shook his head and glanced to the side. “It wasn’t me. Your uncle wanted to see you.”

Xu Yuan paused, then followed his gaze. The moment he saw the snow-white figure standing there, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face. “Uncle, you’re back?”

Feng Jiuxuan nodded. “Mhm.”

“Did you find the Sumeru Rings?” Xu Yuan asked.

Feng Jiuxuan gave him a definite answer. “I found them.”

“Does that mean you can begin cultivating again?” Xu Yuan continued.

Feng Jiuxuan shook his head. As always, he went straight to the point. “Changtian, do you know someone named Tian Yan?”

Xu Yuan instinctively glanced toward Xu Yinhe, only to find his father pretending to be dead while reading a memorial. Left with no choice, he braced himself and nodded. “I do. Uncle, why are you suddenly asking about—”

“I killed her.”

“Wha—” Xu Yuan’s eyes widened slightly.

“…Then she revived herself with a secret art.”

Xu Yuan stared at him.

Seeing the look in his eyes, Feng Jiuxuan gave a cold snort. “Tell me about these things beforehand next time. Had her master not been with her, she would be dead by now.”

Xu Yuan’s thoughts raced as he carefully tried to change the subject. “Uncle, are you saying you encountered the Pavilion Master of Heavenwatch Pavilion inside the Splendorbloom Secret Realm?”

Feng Jiuxuan nodded. “Yes. She is an extremely powerful woman. I wasn’t confident I could kill her, so we cooperated.”

Xu Yuan slowly exhaled. “Cooperated?”

Feng Jiuxuan stared straight at him and enunciated every word. “I spent nearly ten days searching the place you described, Changtian, and found absolutely nothing. I had no choice but to cooperate with the Pavilion Master.”

What was Xu Yuan supposed to do about that? Nothing whatsoever. He was not Tian Yan. His memories were already so blurred that he had nearly forgotten everything. Being able to give Feng Jiuxuan even a rough location was impressive enough.

“That’s enough.” At that moment, Xu Yinhe set down the memorial in his hand and spoke. “Changtian, tell us everything you know about the Heavenwatch Pavilion. It appears they intend to reemerge into the world soon.”

Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment. That was quite a lot to take in. He drew a deep breath, swiftly removed the soul ring from his finger, and held it out. “Father, Uncle, ask him. This old man was one of the Heavenwatch Pavilion’s Sage Venerables.”

After a long while, under the combined stares of Xu Yinhe and Feng Jiuxuan, a deep, resonant voice slowly emerged from the ring.

“This old man… Cough! Everything I know dates back 10,000 years. It is all rather complicated, and you probably wouldn’t be interested even if I explained it. However, I do have a theory as to why the Heavenwatch Pavilion has chosen to reemerge.”

Soon, the translucent figure of a Confucian scholar slowly drifted out of the soul ring.

Xu Yinhe stared at the remnant soul, his voice indifferent. “Please speak freely, Senior.”

The Sage’s remnant soul remained silent for a moment before saying quietly, “The Heavenwatch Pavilion has always been the common enemy of the entire world. No one wishes to see an organization capable of divining Heaven’s secrets continue to exist. 10,000 years ago, the Heavenwatch Pavilion suffered grievous losses during the Calamity of the Wraithfiends, after which the remaining forces of the world surrounded and destroyed them. For them to willingly reemerge now, despite the risk of being besieged once again, there can only be one explanation.”

Luo Daofan paused there. He swept his gaze across the two Saiges of the present era standing opposite him, waiting for one of them to take the bait and ask the obvious question.

Xu Yinhe said nothing.

Feng Jiuxuan simply began idly playing with Deep Verdant.

The corner of Luo Daofan’s eye twitched.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan cleared his throat and dutifully played along. “Old Luo, what explanation?”

Old Luo smiled faintly, his expression immediately returning to normal. “The purpose of the Heavenwatch Pavilion is to ensure the survival of the human race. For them to risk annihilation by reemerging into the world, the most likely explanation is that the current Pavilion Master can no longer see the future through Heaven’s secrets.”