He sat down on the chair by the bed, rubbing his hair. Truthfully, he didn’t know why he had come here. Even if these two suddenly woke up, he wouldn’t know what to ask them. But sitting here somehow made him feel better than sitting blankly in his own room.
Raging Orchid No Trace had handsome features, a pale complexion, and a head of dry, disheveled hair with faint streaks of gray. Fu Zhumei sat beside him, observing. The man was burly and towering—if he stood up, he would likely be a full head taller than Wan Yu Yuedan. No wonder he could wield an eight-foot-long sword.
A breeze drifted in, carrying the icy chill of early winter. Fu Zhumei had been sitting for a long time when he glanced up at the blooming plum blossoms outside the window. Suddenly, a cold sensation touched the back of his neck. From the corner of his eye, he saw the eight-foot sword by the bed vanish—only for its icy blade to press against his throat.
"What year of Yongxi is it now?" The voice behind him was cool, slightly hoarse, yet undeniably charismatic.
"The eleventh month of Yongxi's third year—" Before Fu Zhumei could finish, the sword at his throat abruptly pressed harder. His sleeve knife flashed out to parry the blade with a crisp ding , like ice meeting fire. A surge of scorching energy and freezing cold swept past his face as he retreated gracefully, staring in astonishment at the disheveled man before him.
Raging Orchid No Trace had already risen to his feet. The moment he stood, it felt as though the heavens and earth had tilted. Fu Zhumei’s mind was still catching up when he saw the faint curl at the corner of Raging Orchid No Trace’s lips—whether it was appreciation for his knife strike or just a ghost of a smirk, he couldn’t tell. The man lowered his head slightly, his lips quirking, before turning indifferently and flinging the eight-foot sword into the corner of the room with a sharp crack . Then he strode out without a backward glance.
The sword plunged three feet into the ground, the remaining length shattering into fragments upon impact, scattering across the floor like broken iron. Only then did Fu Zhumei shout, "Wait! You—" His Imperial Plum Blossom Saber shot forth, its blade swift as a snowstorm, a flash of icy cold aimed straight at Raging Orchid No Trace’s back. "Come back!"
Raging Orchid No Trace flicked his sleeve slightly, unleashing a surge of scorching True Power like a hidden tide. Fu Zhumei hadn’t struck with full force, but the icy saber energy dissolved under the blazing force, wavering midair with a faint hiss . The saber’s edge sliced a thin gap in Raging Orchid No Trace’s sleeve before tearing a long gash down the back of his robe.
But that was all. Raging Orchid No Trace strode forward, passing through the door without pause. The Imperial Plum Blossom Saber, having missed its mark, spun back with residual force. Fu Zhumei caught it, his face pale. Though he hadn’t used his full strength, the fact that his strike had only torn two slits in the man’s clothing was unprecedented in his life. After years of suffering from Yellow Bright Bamboo’s Poisonous Thorn, Raging Orchid No Trace still possessed such power—shattering his sword with a throw and walking away without hesitation. Where was he going? What did he intend to do?
"Wait!" Fu Zhumei rushed to the doorway, but Raging Orchid No Trace had already vanished without a trace. He was at a complete loss. Wan Yu Yuedan and Tang Lici had gone to great lengths to save Raging Orchid No Trace, hoping to extract secrets about the Dissolute Shop from him. Yet the moment he regained consciousness, he left without a shred of gratitude or hesitation. And though Fu Zhumei stood there, he had neither managed to ask anything nor stop the man from leaving.He was truly... too useless. Fu Zhumei's thoughts were in chaos for a while before he rushed out of the bedroom and barged into Plum Blossom Numerology's room. Fortunately, Plum Blossom Numerology was still there and hadn't left like Raging Orchid No Trace.
Plum Blossom Numerology wasn't lying in bed either. He sat by the table in the room, sipping tea as if it were strong liquor. When Fu Zhumei burst in, he merely smiled without showing any surprise.
Fu Zhumei, on the other hand, grew somewhat awkward. "You... hello..."
Plum Blossom Numerology raised the teapot in a toast. Understanding the gesture as friendly, Fu Zhumei took a step forward. "I... I live not far from here..." Plum Blossom Numerology grinned, revealing a row of snow-white teeth. "I know you saved Third Brother." Fu Zhumei was taken aback—he had completely forgotten about that incident. "Ah... but he—" He pointed to the next room, clearly wanting to explain what had just happened but only managed to say, "He left."
Plum Blossom Numerology took a swig from the teapot. "Of course he would leave. You'll regret saving him someday..." His voice was hoarse and unpleasant. "You should know he has three times the Poisonous Thorns I do—not three times an ordinary person's. The String-Pulling Soul-Seizing Technique alone can't restrain him. The Seven Cloud Traveling Guests are renowned for their esoteric arts—Fifth Brother excels in formations and mechanisms, Sixth Brother dominates in hidden weapons and mental techniques, but when it comes to true martial prowess... none of us six can match Third Brother. He's absolutely formidable." Fu Zhumei nodded. To leave so effortlessly under his Imperial Plum Blossom Saber, Raging Orchid No Trace was the first. "But why did you and he get poisoned and become puppets of the Dissolute Shop?"
Plum Blossom Numerology took another gulp of tea. "Third Brother probably knows the real story much better than I do. I'm still very confused. That day... Sixth Brother invited us to drink at Beauty Abode in Jiaoyu Town. His alcohol tolerance has always been poor—two cups would knock him out—so it was rare for him to invite us, and we all went." He chuckled. "Turns out the wine that day was laced with potent poison. Sixth Brother got drunk himself, and I collapsed too. Though poisoned, my alcohol tolerance is good, so I hazily remember Third Brother and Seventh Brother tying me up and stabbing Poisonous Thorns all over my body. Seventh Brother dressed as a woman... I don’t know what they were plotting... but I recall later, after they moved me somewhere and locked me up, Second Brother tried to save me but was killed by Third Brother."
Fu Zhumei was horrified. "He... he killed your Second Brother?" Plum Blossom Numerology nodded. "So—Third Brother won’t tell you anything. He’s not like me. He was involved in the Dissolute Shop from its inception." Fu Zhumei rubbed his hair vigorously. "But... but how did he end up like that too..." Plum Blossom Numerology burst into laughter. "Hahaha... cough ... Who told him to get tangled up with Seventh Brother? Though Third Brother’s martial arts are superior and his schemes deep, he’s not a vile person. But Seventh Brother... that cross-dressing sissy is more sinister and vicious than any woman. How could Third Brother outmaneuver him? Hahaha..." He laughed for a while before taking another swig of tea. "Besides, Third Brother can’t forget Seventh Brother’s sister. With such a huge weakness in Seventh Brother’s hands, how could he not be crushed? I’m just surprised Seventh Brother dared to spare Third Brother’s life—he must truly have no fear of death.""Seventh Brother... who is he..." Fu Zhumei watched as Plum Blossom Numerology grew increasingly agitated, feeling deeply concerned. "Stop drinking water, you might choke." Plum Blossom Numerology was sipping the tea as if it were wine. "The seventh of the Seven Cloud Traveling Guests, Yu Konghou of One Peach Three Colors! How could you not know?" Fu Zhumei was puzzled. "Isn't One Peach Three Colors called Xifang Tao?" Plum Blossom Numerology paused. "He has a cousin surnamed Xue, named Xue Tao. The name 'Xifang Tao' probably came from her. But that cousin..." He suddenly laughed. "I only met her once. Over a decade ago, he and Third Brother fought over her. She liked Third Brother, so Seventh Brother hid her away. It's been over ten years, and no one has found her since." Fu Zhumei frowned. "How could he do that? Aren't you sworn brothers? Why would he poison you? Why wouldn't he let his cousin be with Third Brother?"
"Seventh Brother..." Plum Blossom Numerology murmured. "Some people are born with treacherous and malicious hearts. He wanted to establish his own sect under the name of the Seven Cloud Traveling Guests, claiming it would rival renowned martial sects like Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, and Emei. Eldest Brother and Third Brother supported it, but I was never enthusiastic. I never imagined that just not being enthusiastic... would make him treat me like this. Hah! He was obsessed with his cousin—how could he let her fall into Third Brother's hands? He always had ways to make those who opposed him suffer worse than death..." A chill ran down Fu Zhumei's spine. "But... but this happened ten years ago. He only wanted to establish his own sect back then. How did it turn into the terrifying organization that Dissolute Shop is now?" Plum Blossom Numerology shook his head. "I don't know... Ten years is too long. Times change, and so do people." Fu Zhumei studied his dazed expression, hesitating before finally asking, "Yu Konghou... what connection does he have with the Demonic Beauty Yu Cuiwei...?"
"Hahaha..." Plum Blossom Numerology laughed wildly, slumping over the table. "That demon's reputation is indeed widespread. When Seventh Brother founded Dissolute Shop, one of his goals was to recruit forces to destroy Candle Holding Temple. He harbors an intense hatred for Yu Cuiwei—they are half-brothers, sharing the same mother." Fu Zhumei gasped. "He's Yu Cuiwei's own brother..." Plum Blossom Numerology continued laughing and reached for more tea, but the pot was empty. "Seventh Brother once told me that his unfaithful mother was beaten to death by his father after giving birth to him. His father then drove both him and Yu Cuiwei out while they were still infants. Yu Cuiwei raised him until he was eight, but he couldn't bear the life of petty theft and selling his looks anymore, so he ran away. Though Seventh Brother is ungrateful, he's a prodigy. With just the meager foundation Yu Cuiwei taught him, he cultivated extraordinary martial skills on his own."
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