Immortalis

White Dog, Fourteen

Early the next morning, when the old servant from White Rainbow Tower came to fetch them, the other factions of the Four Seas Alliance had already arrived.

Zhou Huai hadn’t expected Zhou Jinglei to act so decisively and was taken aback. “Is my father entertaining them? Didn’t he even show his face at the last martial arts gathering?”

The servants at White Rainbow Tower were replaced every three months, and this time, the old servant was another unfamiliar face to Zhou Huai, who treated him with unusual respect. “The master knew this matter involved the young master and dared not delay, so he is currently discussing matters with representatives from Immeasurable Manor, Jade Pavilion, and Medicine King Mountain at Seven Killings.”

“Discussing matters at Seven Killings?”

Zhou Huai’s eyes widened. “Holding discussions in such a place—isn’t my father afraid that…”

Hearing this, Yang Wujian couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What’s wrong, young master? I’ve heard that after Zhou Jinglei rebuilt White Rainbow Tower, it consisted of fourteen buildings, each with a different purpose. What is Seven Killings?”

“You can probably guess from the name, right? Seven Killings is the most dangerous of the fourteen buildings and the first one you must pass through to enter White Rainbow. Many of the lethal mechanisms my father created are installed there.”

Zhou Huai wasn’t foolish; he immediately understood that Zhou Jinglei was taking precautions to avoid being at a disadvantage if a conflict broke out, especially since White Rainbow Tower lacked disciples or trusted allies.

“Mechanical Arts mechanisms don’t discriminate. Everyone in the martial world knows your father is a master of mechanisms. Even those who usually look down on him have to be extra cautious within White Rainbow Tower.”

Yang Wujian patted Zhou Huai on the shoulder. “Don’t worry too much, young master. Your father is an experienced veteran of the jianghu. After all these years in the Four Seas Alliance, he knows how to deal with these old foxes better than you do.”

As they spoke, the carriage had already carried them into the bamboo forest. The old servant said, “Young master, we can no longer hear the birds singing. We’ve entered the forest.”

It was said that when Patriarch Qi first built White Rainbow Tower, its location was not in Green Bamboo Town. However, for unknown reasons, after Qi Yanbai’s death, Zhou Jinglei moved White Rainbow Tower into the bamboo sea outside Green Bamboo Town.

Everyone in the area knew that the bamboo sea was often shrouded in miasma that could cloud one’s vision. Because of this, even the locals of Green Bamboo Town dared not venture into it lightly, let alone travel to White Rainbow Tower, hidden deep within the bamboo sea.

From the very beginning of White Rainbow Tower’s construction, local rumors claimed that Tower Master Zhou had installed countless mechanisms inside. As a result, all the workers hired for the project were required to take a potion concocted by Medicine King Mountain after completion, which would immediately erase their memories of the previous six months.

Unsurprisingly, due to these various martial world anecdotes and the fact that White Rainbow Tower was only ten li away from the Meat Well, where countless people had died, its local reputation over the years was scarcely better than that of the Hero’s Tomb.

After traveling in the carriage for another half an hour, the old driver finally lifted the curtain. As they stepped out, they saw several pavilions scattered amidst the sky-obscuring bamboo sea, arranged in concentric layers. The outermost one, a pitch-black stone building, was Seven Killings.

Zhou Huai grew serious. “Once we’re inside White Rainbow Tower, you must follow me closely and absolutely not wander off. After all, I don’t know which mechanisms my father has activated. If any of you get accidentally injured, it’s no joking matter.”With that, Zhou Huai led them into the tower. As he had said, Seven Killings served as the "entrance hall" to the fourteen towers. Viewed from outside, it appeared to be a stone structure, but upon entering, one would discover that the building was vertically interconnected. Above their heads were intricate, massive gear mechanisms, connected to some unknown lethal weapon designed to take lives.

No wonder Brother Cao had asked her to investigate the case with Zhou Huai.

Even Shen Qingshi couldn't help but inwardly remark that there was indeed more to the White Rainbow Tower than met the eye.

Over the years, although the imperial court had sent many spies into the martial world, they had never managed to uncover the true situation inside the White Rainbow Tower. Zhou Jinglei replaced his servants every three months, making it impossible for them to plant informants and grasp the full picture of the tower.

As the foremost master craftsman in the martial world, Zhou Jinglei was not only skilled in Mechanical Arts and mechanisms but also excelled in forging and sword-making. Coupled with his vast network of wealthy connections, the court remained uneasy about him. Thus, Zhaoming Guards would frequently appear in Green Bamboo Town to monitor the movements of the White Rainbow Tower.

Evidently, Zhou Jinglei's invitation to the Four Seas Alliance for discussions must have described the situation as extremely urgent. For this reason, even Lei Shuang, the leader of the Jade Pavilion, had personally attended. She was now seated in the main position, accompanied by four female disciples, each holding three mastiffs. Upon seeing Shen Qingshi and the others, the mastiffs emitted low growls, drool dripping from their mouths.

"Father, I'm back."

Before today, Zhou Huai hadn't seen Zhou Jinglei for several months.

The Tower Lord of the White Rainbow Tower seemed to have lost some weight. Dressed in an expensive black outer robe, he wore a Tower Lord Token at his waist identical to Zhou Huai's. Seeing his son, he limped forward with a smile and said, "I heard you showcased your skills at the recent martial arts gathering at Immeasurable Manor... Your father is very pleased."

Zhou Huai couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

He knew that Zhou Jinglei had never mastered the White Rainbow Swordplay and had even ruined one of his legs in his attempts to practice it. Until Qi Yanbai's death, he had never been able to prove himself in front of his father-in-law. Precisely because of this, Zhou Huai's feat of defeating seven opponents in a row with the White Rainbow Sword at Immeasurable Manor was indeed a comforting achievement for Zhou Jinglei.

"Father, I..."

"The esteemed guests have arrived. Whatever you have to say can wait until later. Let's first address the matter you mentioned in your letter."

Zhou Jinglei interrupted him, stood up, and swept his gaze across the hall.

This time, not only had Lei Shuang, the leader of the Jade Pavilion, come, but Immeasurable Manor and Medicine King Mountain were also represented by Zhao Songjiang of the Longyin Sword and Cang Zhu, the head of the Eleventh Medicine Hall. It was a gathering of the great martial arts families.

Zhou Jinglei said, "Since Zhou Huai has returned, let's get down to business. All of you have signed and sealed the alliance agreement. In that case, why not listen to the findings these young friends have uncovered? After all, this is the examination topic set by Immeasurable Manor this year, isn't it?"

He looked toward the Longyin Sword, who nodded and said, "This year's topic is the search for longevity. Earlier, I gave these young heroes some clues—cold cases from the past related to the Longevity Palace. For many years, no results have been uncovered, and I hoped they might find some traces from them."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wujian laughed and said, "Senior Longyin Sword, the cases you provided aren't actually difficult to investigate. It's merely a matter of whether one wants to investigate them or not."

At these words, Lei Shuang's brows immediately furrowed. "What do you mean by that, little girl?"

Yang Wujian was not one to be intimidated. Fearlessly, she met Lei Shuang's beautiful yet fierce gaze."Sect Leader Lei, please don't be hasty. We've already uncovered the truth about the haunted mansion and the White Dog Case. However, what we're about to say might be difficult for you to hear."

After exchanging glances with Shen Qingshi and Zhou Huai, he recounted everything they had experienced in Jingyang City in detail—from the haunted mansion to the Cage Play, then to the Ghost Market and the White-faced Guest, and finally, he mentioned Baihe.

Thinking of Baihe's death, Yang Wujian felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he couldn't speak of it to the others. He could only say that the One-Eyed Daoist had fallen into the hands of the Four Envoys of Zhaoming and was likely in grave danger by now.

Just as they had expected, Lei Shuang, whose authority had been publicly challenged, turned pale with anger. Finally, she slammed the table and stood up, while the twelve mastiffs crouching beside her lowered their bodies and growled at Yang Wujian.

"Are you suggesting that I wronged Chang Xiuyun?"

Lei Shuang smiled coldly, looking as though she might strike Yang Wujian dead and feed him to the dogs.

Seeing this, Zhou Huai immediately stepped in front of Yang Wujian, frowning as he said, "Sect Leader Lei, although the witness in this matter is dead, the physical evidence remains. Chang Xiuyun's death is indeed suspicious. Miss Yang was only speaking the truth."

"Young Master Zhou, you claim I wronged Chang Xiuyun, but all you've uncovered is the Cage Play. Can anyone prove that she and that man weren't lovers?"

Lei Shuang sneered, "The rules of the Jade Pavilion are clear: unauthorized marriage is punishable by death. She and that wretched man deserved to die. How have I wronged her?"

"Sect Leader Lei is truly stubborn."

Yang Wujian wasn't swayed by this. Just as the dogs beside Lei Shuang were about to pounce, Zhou Jinglei spoke up, "Miss Yang, let's discuss this matter later. For now, let's clarify the White Dog Case. Elder Cangzhu from Medicine King Mountain is still waiting."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dull mechanical sound abruptly echoed above them. Lei Shuang snorted coldly and sat back down.

At this point, Shen Qingshi said, "The White Dog Case is the opposite of the haunted mansion case: there are witnesses but no physical evidence. However, both cases are connected to the same person."

"You mean the White-faced Guest?"

Longyin Sword frowned deeply.

He was naturally aware of the Ghost Market, but it had been a long time since such a terrifying assassin had appeared in the martial world.

"Exactly."

Shen Qingshi recounted everything they had uncovered. At key points, Song Lan and Chu Qiqi each gave their testimonies. Elder Cangzhu of Medicine King Mountain grew increasingly pale, and finally, like Lei Shuang, he slammed the table and stood up. "Absurd! Song Lan, how could you do something so absurd! How can you face the years of nurturing Medicine King Mountain has given you?"

He then turned to Chu Qiqi, "And you, Miss Chu, you keep saying that the White-faced Guest is responsible and that you want to clear Yin Quer's name. But in these six years, you never once came to the mountain. This is all your one-sided account. Do you have any evidence to prove it?"

"After I recovered from my injuries, I heard you all accusing Sister Yin of colluding with a cult... How could I trust you after that? I was alone and powerless. If I had come to the mountain by myself, would I have survived?"

Now that all pretense had been cast aside, Chu Qiqi no longer held back and stared coldly at Cangzhu."Sister Yin's character—after all these years together, surely you know her well? Simply because you don't wish to investigate what truly happened to her, or because you want to avoid trouble with White Dog Village, you push all the blame onto that so-called Longevity Palace. How can your Medicine King Mountain still claim to be a righteous sect?"

With the conversation reaching this point, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense. Whether they were disciples of Medicine King Mountain or Jade Pavilion, everyone glared at them with hostility.

Seeing this, Yang Wujian, far from trying to defuse the situation, laughed again. "Senior Longyin Sword, why don't you say something? Weren't these two cases the ones you assigned us to investigate? To be honest, when you tasked us with this, didn't you already have your suspicions? Otherwise, with all the things Longevity Palace has done, why would you specifically give us two cases that have nothing to do with them?"

"Miss Yang, please say no more for now."

As soon as Zhou Jinglei spoke, the gears above their heads began to turn again, likely triggered by some mechanism he had activated. The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control when Song Lan suddenly interjected, "Senior Brother, why must you go this far? These young friends can help the sect leader locate Longevity Palace—isn't that what you truly want?"

"Song Lan, what do you mean by that? All these years, the sect leader has allowed you to remain in the medicine hall and handle countless rare medicinal ingredients—do you think I'm unaware? Starting six years ago, even after making mistakes, you showed no remorse and have been secretly experimenting with medicines in the hall..."

Cang Zhu's face turned ashen, but to his surprise, Song Lan burst into wild laughter.

"What a pity, Senior Brother. In truth, every elder in the Eleventh Medicine Hall has been doing the same. It's precisely because all of you have your own selfish motives that you couldn't report this to the sect leader, isn't that right?"

Song Lan's tone shifted abruptly, and even his voice began to change. Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi sensed something amiss and immediately pulled Zhou Huai and Chu Qiqi back, demanding sharply, "Who are you, really?"

In response, Song Lan only laughed more maniacally. As every pair of eyes in the hall fixed on him, he suddenly lowered his head and chuckled darkly.

"Miss Chu, why must you lie? Who was it that killed the entire village... don't you already know?"