clergé

Chapitre 104

This was meant as a joke, but Jin Diluo immediately gasped, and He Qinglu's face turned as if it had been splashed with ink.

"Ah Zhuo! Ah Zhuo!" he shouted, gripping Pang Wan's hand tightly, the veins on his hand bulging.

The door to the inner room creaked open, and Ah Zhuo, covered in sweat, stumbled out, carrying a ginseng as thick as a radish in his arms.

"Is this ginseng about to become a spirit?" Pang Wan was startled.

No one answered her. Azhuo grasped her wrist and began to take her pulse. Jin Diluo and He Qinglu watched Azhuo's expression intently.

Only when Azhuo let go of He Qinglu and nodded did the two of them show expressions of relief.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll sew your mouth shut!" He Qinglu glared at Pang Wan, her eyes dark red, clearly extremely angry.

Pang Wan thought to herself, "Is it really that exaggerated?" But she still obediently said, "I won't dare to do it again."

A-Zhuo bowed and quickly retreated back into the inner room. Pang Wan curiously peeked through the door and saw all sorts of medicinal herbs piled up everywhere, with a small stove on the ground hissing and emitting white smoke. She was taken aback and exclaimed, "Are you going to open a pharmacy here?"

He Qinglu's gloomy voice came from behind: "If you still refuse to come with me, I'm afraid the entire Chuyun Mountain will be turned into a clinic."

When Pang Wan heard him bring up the matter again, he could only turn around and smile apologetically: "The sect is unstable right now, it is really not the time to leave. Please allow me to wait a while."

For days, He Qinglu had been talking to her about taking her to his family home to meet his parents and arrange their marriage.

To be honest, she wasn't opposed to the engagement with Young Master He, but she wasn't entirely willing either.

Marrying this young master of the lonely palace would mean potentially leaving the Moon Worship Cult. She couldn't let go of the Southern Barbarians and the cult leader, and of course, she was even more unwilling to let Gu Xiju fulfill his wish of dominating the world.

“One month.” He Qinglu gazed quietly at her fawning smile. “I’ll wait another month; that’s my limit.”

Yanbo Manor in the capital.

"...The news has been confirmed. Zuo Nanyi has not returned since he left. Zuo Huai'an is busy searching for his whereabouts. The Baiyue Sect is now under the command of Right Envoy Shi Jueming and is at its last gasp." The woman in green knelt down and reported.

"Oh? I've always been curious why Zuo Huai'an is so eager to have his daughter marry a Nan Yi, and why he's so persistent in searching for the Nan Yi?"

Gu Xiju sat in the high hall, his face hidden in the flickering candlelight.

"Does suppressing the Yin energy within the Southern Barbarians require a price? Why does Zuo Huai'an seem to be making arrangements for his own funeral?"

The woman in green raised her head: "The Moon Worship Sect's Marrow Cleansing Scripture has never been passed on to outsiders. However, judging from Zuo Huai'an's behavior at the wedding that day, where he did not take the initiative to fight the Alliance Leader and even showed great restraint, it is very likely that his skill has declined significantly."

Gu Xiju smiled slightly.

“Rong’er, tell me, is there something wrong with the Holy Maiden of the Moon Worship? Is it impossible for her to succeed as the leader of the sect? Is that why Zuo Huai’an is desperately trying to find the Southern Barbarians?” He picked up the teacup beside him.

The woman in green stiffened.

“Rong’er, no matter how soft-hearted you are, you should know who your master is.” Gu Xiju blew a breath into the teacup, and the fragrance filled the air.

The woman in green seemed to be greatly threatened, and she prostrated herself at his feet, trembling all over.

"It is said that after the Holy Maiden returned to the sect, she lost all her internal strength. On the day of the decisive battle on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, she paid the price of ten years of her life to have Elder Qiu infuse her with thirty years of internal energy, so that she could fight." Her face was pale. "At that time, I had not yet received the Soul-Stabilizing Pill sent by the Alliance Leader and was in a deep sleep, so I was unable to inform the Alliance Leader in time."

Gu Xiju stopped drinking tea and frowned.

Ten years of life?

Although he looked forward to her revenge, it did not mean he was happy to see her shorten her own lifespan.

What could be more boring than your opponent dying too early?

Moreover, this opponent was someone he had personally nurtured; everything about her, even her fate, should have been firmly under his control, not left to anyone else.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Rong Gu added tremblingly, "It is said that the Holy Maiden's power can only be maintained for seven days, after which she will revert to her original form. I guess this is why Zuo Huai'an is so eager for her to marry the Southern Barbarians."

Gu Xiju hummed in agreement and asked softly, "Where is Mr. Huang?"

Rong Gu sighed deeply: "He has been executed by Zuo Huai'an, and his head was placed outside the manor gate this morning."

Gu Xiju raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Mr. Huang was the first spy he planted within Baiyue. It was he who uncovered the mystery of the Southern Barbarians and Pang Wan's origins. He had initially thought Mr. Huang's status as a deaf-mute servant would be extremely inconspicuous, but unexpectedly, Zuo Huai'an discovered his identity as a spy so quickly.

However, since he had chosen to reveal his past, he was prepared to sacrifice this last spy.

"Give him a proper burial." He waved his sleeve and said no more.

Rong Gu quickly withdrew, and Gu Xiju sat in a chair, slowly sipping tea, occasionally glancing at the bright moon outside the window.

He had been planning this battle against the Moon Worship Cult for twelve years, and now he had finally succeeded in reaping the rewards.

He was 90% certain that Zuo Huai'an no longer possessed his former skills, and that his two descendants, on whom he had placed high hopes, had either turned against him or were no longer capable of unparalleled martial arts, making them no threat whatsoever.

It is far more meaningful to make your opponent suffer the pain of despair than to kill him outright.

He took a leisurely sniff of the tea's aroma.

A pretty oval face was faintly visible in the bright moonlight, with rosy cheeks, almond-shaped eyes, and sweet dimples, as if she were forever unaware of the world's sorrows.

“You’re finally going to become like me.” He raised his glass towards that face. “Congratulations.”

Chapter Eighteen

Go to the capital

Pang Wan was surprised when he received the message from his scout.

"You said the young master was in the capital?" she pressed the cultist. "Is this true?"