Immortalis

White Dog Thirteen

"This Miss Chu has been searching for me for six years..."

Returning to the inn, Song Lan had already treated his wounds. Although Chu Qiqi's qinggong was quite good, having been learned in the countryside, it still fell short when it came to killing.

Sitting pale-faced under the candlelight, Song Lan smiled bitterly and said, "It truly is my fault. I made a mistake and never had the courage to face it, leaving Miss Chu wandering alone at the foot of the mountain for six whole years."

Upon hearing this, Chu Qiqi merely wept silently. She seemed to realize that killing Song Lan now was meaningless; in fact, they would still need his testimony later.

After all, as an elder of the Eleventh Medicine Hall who was both familiar with Yin Quer's character and held a high position on the mountain, he was the best person to prove that Yin Quer had never colluded with evil factions.

"Six years ago, why did the White-faced Guest go to White Dog Village? Was it also because he took a job? Did someone want the Howling Whistle Flower?"

Yang Wujian simply couldn't understand.

If he wanted the method to collect Howling Whistle Flowers, he could have easily avoided harming anyone in the village. After all, White Dog had already agreed to help him, so why would he...

Could it be that he killed an entire village just for amusement?

At this thought, he couldn't help but shudder.

Meanwhile, Zhou Huai was pondering something else: "Now that we have a witness, we've essentially found the true culprit of the White Dog Village tragedy from six years ago. But once again, it has nothing to do with Longevity Palace..."

"Regardless, we must reveal this truth to Boundless Sword Manor."

Shen Qingshi suddenly spoke up: "Just as we thought before, they've likely long suspected that neither the Yin House Case nor the White Dog Case were connected to Longevity Palace. But if it only damages their reputation alone, Immeasurable Manor will never let us join the alliance. Since they're hosting this year, we have to play by their rules."

The three exchanged glances, all sharing the same sentiment. Now there was only one problem left.

Where should they go to make all this public and ensure Immeasurable Manor keeps their promise to let them into the Four Seas Alliance.

Just as everyone fell silent, Song Lan softly said, "You can't go to Medicine King Mountain. The sect leader would never want this matter to see the light. If you go up the mountain now, I'm afraid the sect leader would use every means possible to silence you."

So isn't it clear? The true face of these so-called righteous sects.

Yang Wujian sneered, "I doubt Jade Pavilion would be any better. If we say that Sect Leader Lei wronged Chang Xiuyun back then, creating this huge scandal, Lei Shuang would probably chop us up and feed us to dogs on the spot."

That left only Boundless Sword Manor and White Rainbow Tower as options.

But the problem was they had already caused a scene at Boundless Sword Manor earlier. If conflicts broke out on site, Boundless Sword Manor likely wouldn't take their side.

"In that case..."

Yang Wujian looked at Zhou Huai and smiled, "An army is maintained for a thousand days to be used for one hour. Young Master Zhou, no matter what, White Rainbow Tower would stand by our side, right? Or rather, if we reveal the truth about the Yin House Case and White Dog Case at White Rainbow Tower, the other three families probably wouldn't dare to kill the young tower master and his friends on White Rainbow Tower's turf."

Zhou Huai unconsciously swallowed hard.

He wasn't stupid, of course he knew going to White Rainbow Tower was the best option now. But if Zhou Jinglei found out he had offended all three other families of the Four Seas Alliance...Yang Wujian could tell at a glance what was making him nervous and chuckled, "Young master, your relationship with your father isn't that bad, is it? Seeing how well-provided you are, Zhou Jinglei must dote on you quite a bit."

"My father and I..."

Zhou Huai didn't know how to begin.

Ever since he contracted the Evil Sickness at eight years old, for some unknown reason, he would easily fall ill whenever he saw Zhou Jinglei.

This was also why rumors spread in the martial world that Zhou Jinglei's accumulated negative karma had harmed his only son. It was even said that Zhou Huai's condition would worsen whenever he was with his father.

Over the years, despite being the young master of White Rainbow Tower, Zhou Huai rarely saw Zhou Jinglei. Not only that, Zhou Jinglei didn't even allow him to get involved in the tower's business affairs. He merely provided him with a monthly allowance regularly, encouraging him to go out and gain more experience—hoping he wouldn't end up like himself, mocked by the martial world for his inadequate martial skills.

But now that things had come to this, and they had already uncovered the truth, there was no reason to retreat.

Zhou Huai steeled himself: "Then let's go to White Rainbow Tower. Among the cases provided by Immeasurable Manor, White Rainbow Tower is the only one not involved. In principle, they should be the most impartial. However, my father can at most guarantee our safety within the tower. Once we step outside, we'll have to rely entirely on ourselves."

With that settled, the group reached an agreement.

Zhou Huai immediately wrote a letter back to the tower. Fortunately, Zhou Jinglei didn't refuse. Given that Zhou Huai was involved and they held the Four Seas Alliance covenant, Zhou Jinglei had no way to avoid the matter.

In his reply, Zhou Jinglei stated that he would have the other three families come to White Rainbow Tower for detailed discussions. He instructed Zhou Huai to bring the witnesses back for a face-to-face confrontation.

One day later, they set out for White Rainbow Tower.

"Young master, don't be too nervous. Both Young Master Shen and I are here. We won't let your father beat you to death."

Throughout the journey, Zhou Huai's anxiety was palpable. Yang Wujian couldn't tell whether his relationship with Zhou Jinglei was good or bad, so he did his best to offer comforting words.

"Miss Yang, I'm not afraid of that. It's just..."

Hesitating for a long while, Zhou Huai waited until the others had fallen asleep by the campfire before speaking quietly.

"My father is a merchant and has never been well-regarded in the martial world. I know he doesn't want me to end up the same way, which is why he keeps me out of those business affairs and encourages me to roam the martial world with the White Rainbow Sword. His expectation for me is to become what he could never be. But those business affairs are my father's entire life. If I mess this up, my father he..."

From childhood to adulthood, Zhou Huai had never seen his mother.

He had only heard that White Rainbow Tower was originally built by Qi Yanbai. The Qi family had both wealth and reputation, yet Qi Yanbai's only daughter, Qi Zhongrui, fell for the obscure and solitary Artificer Craftsman Zhou Jinglei. She stubbornly married him against all odds.

From beginning to end, the proud Qi Yanbai looked down upon Zhou Jinglei, who lacked martial prowess. He declared that only by mastering the Qi family's ultimate technique, White Rainbow Swordplay, would Zhou Jinglei be qualified to be his son-in-law. But in the end, Zhou Jinglei crippled one leg and still failed to master the sword technique. Afterwards, Qi Zhongrui passed away unexpectedly after giving birth to Zhou Huai. The grief-stricken old tower master Qi Yanbai also died of depression, leaving only Zhou Jinglei with his only son to guard this empty White Rainbow Tower...Since Zhou Huai could remember, though he had seen Zhou Jinglei only a handful of times, he knew his father was his only family. Because of this, he never believed the rumors circulating in the martial world that Zhou Jinglei had caused him to be haunted by vengeful spirits, nor did he ever question why Zhou Jinglei never handed the business over to him.

Father always had his reasons.

By the campfire, Zhou Huai was uncharacteristically gloomy, his usually arrogant and handsome face creased with worry.

Yang Wujian, noticing this, smiled and said, "Young Master, do you remember what I said before? Everyone in this world chases after profit—even these major sects need to eat. Your father has spread his influence so widely; do you think these people can just cut ties with him at will? On the contrary, your father has been looked down upon all these years because of his mediocre martial arts skills. If he can take charge of the situation this time, he might even earn some goodwill in the martial world."

At these words, Zhou Huai's expression brightened slightly, and he lay down to sleep by the campfire. Afterward, the group traveled for several more days and finally arrived at Green Bamboo Town, where the White Rainbow Tower was located, one evening.

Green Bamboo Town was situated in the Jiangnan region, rainy and humid. Over the years, due to the various rumors about the Hero's Tomb, the town's population had dwindled, leaving behind mostly elderly residents.

Since the White Rainbow Tower was heavily fortified with traps and mechanisms, they couldn't simply return at will. Left with no choice, the group had to spend the night in Green Bamboo Town, waiting for Zhou Jinglei to send someone from the tower to escort them into the White Rainbow Tower's territory the next day.

It was another rainy night, and the inn in Green Bamboo Town was nearly empty of other guests. Shen Qingshi quietly went downstairs, asked the innkeeper for a pot of wine, and inquired about a few matters.

Ever since her descent into the Meat Well, Shen Qingshi had felt something was amiss. She knew there was another Meat Well just outside Green Bamboo Town, but this one was infamous in the martial world for the many deaths that had occurred there—it was called the Hero's Tomb.

Shen Qingshi asked the innkeeper if he knew anything about the Hero's Tomb. The innkeeper gave a bitter smile and said, "Who around here doesn't know about the Hero's Tomb? Young Hero, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but you don't have any thoughts of seeking death, do you? If not, I advise you not to ask too much. After all, over the years, many who asked about the Hero's Tomb ended up dying there under mysterious circumstances..."

"Young Hero Shen?"

Just then, another voice came from behind Shen Qingshi—it was Song Lan.

After several days of travel, his injuries had yet to heal. Combined with his troubled thoughts, he often developed fevers at night, relying solely on the medicine he carried to suppress them.

Shen Qingshi, however, felt no sympathy for him. Hearing his voice, she merely stared coldly at him without a word.

Over the years, she had rarely experienced love or hatred, yet Song Lan's betrayal of Yin Quer had inexplicably stirred a trace of hatred within her.

Yin Quer might have held clues to her own origins, or perhaps she was even her own kin. But now, she would never have the chance to ask.

Song Lan's face was pale as he looked at her with a bitter smile. "You're showing a lot more emotion than before, Young Hero Shen."

"What do you want to say?"

"Young Hero Shen, if you want to know about the Hero's Tomb, why not ask Young Master Zhou and Miss Yang? They both have deep connections to it. Asking them might yield answers faster."

Song Lan sat down beside her, his gaze as gentle as before, seemingly undeterred by her cold demeanor.Shen Qingshi said indifferently, "Though it concerns them, it's nothing good."

Song Lan couldn't help but be taken aback. "So Young Hero Shen is considering their feelings?"

Shen Qingshi took a sip of wine without responding. Truthfully, she herself didn't know why she had acted this way.

Clearly, asking Zhou Huai would have been faster, but ever since taking that Blood Cleansing Pill, she often found herself doing things she couldn't comprehend.

Song Lan continued, "Actually, I can tell what Young Hero Shen is investigating. Though this might sound presumptuous, I believe Young Hero Shen will surely achieve what you wish for."

"What do you mean?"

Shen Qingshi frowned. Just the thought of Song Lan looking at her while seeing Yin Quer made her feel extremely disgusted, to the point where she didn't even want to hear him speak.

Seeing this, Song Lan merely smiled. "I know you want to find Longevity Palace through the Four Seas Alliance. There's no need to worry too much about this matter."

He paused before adding, "During my years on the mountain, I've seen things clearly. Everyone in the martial world desires the Longevity Heart Sutra. So if you're willing to be of use to them, they will certainly allow you into the Four Seas Alliance."