Tang Lizci was not at Haoyun Mountain.
He was indeed still outside Bodhi Valley, observing the battle at Piaoling Meiyuan. Bai Suche's sudden seizure of power, Yu Konghou's fall into captivity, Chai Xijin's graceful departure, and Gui Mudan's unexpected absence—all indicated that the tide of battle was about to turn drastically. With the enemy hidden and their own side exposed, he was waiting for a decisive variable.
When he received the news of the upheaval at Haoyun Mountain and the simultaneous disappearance of Xue Xianzi and Fu Zhumei, the Central Plains Sword Assembly had already been reduced to ashes by fire. It was said that the attackers were a group of red-clad men armed with fire crossbows, who first set the mountain ablaze before slaughtering those in their path. The few retainers left at the Sword Assembly were unable to hold their ground—some were killed, while others were forced to flee. As for why Xue Xianzi and Fu Zhumei had vanished, Tang Lizci received several urgent reports, yet none provided a clear explanation.
The spies remaining at the Sword Assembly could only report that three days before Haoyun Mountain was besieged, Zhong Chunji—Miss Zhong—had gone up the mountain alone to seek her master, Xue Xianzi.
At the time, Xue Xianzi was already lucid and met with Zhong Chunji. The two conversed pleasantly, with no signs of anything unusual.
Three days later, over a hundred red-clad attackers on swift horses, armed with fire crossbows, surrounded Haoyun Mountain. The crossbows were laced with poison, igniting the trees and buildings while releasing fumes that induced unconsciousness. The Sword Assembly's elite forces had already been dispatched to besiege Piaoling Meiyuan, leaving only a handful of defenders behind. With Xue Xianzi and Fu Zhumei suddenly gone, the battle ended in a crushing defeat, and even the Sword Assembly's buildings were burned to the ground.
After reading the report, Tang Lizci's expression remained unchanged.
When Jiang Youyu handed him the carrier pigeon message, his hands trembled.
But Tang Lizci was not angry. He merely stared at the brief message in silence, motionless for a long while before finally letting out a soft cough. "Disappeared?"
The sixty-year-old Jiang Youyu felt a chill down his spine and bowed deeply to Tang Lizci. "This old man is ashamed... I have failed your trust..."
"Elder Jiang," Tang Lizci said quietly, "human effort has its limits. Not everything can go as one wishes—there is no need for this." He helped Jiang Youyu up. "I..." He paused, then continued slowly, "In my youth, I did not understand. I thought that when things did not go my way, it meant betrayal, that the heavens were unkind..."
Jiang Youyu was startled and looked up at the young master he had served for years.
Tang Lizci hesitated, then murmured, "But..." In the end, he did not finish his thought and changed the subject. "Disappearance... is not death. The fact that both Fu Zhumei and Xue Xianzi vanished may not be the worst outcome."
Jiang Youyu was taken aback. "This old man assumed that if those two were unharmed, the Central Plains Sword Assembly would not have been reduced to ashes. Their martial skills are extraordinary, beyond what ordinary people could imagine."
"Who in this world could defeat Fu Zhumei and Xue Xianzi? Only friends or family," Tang Lizci said indifferently. "Xue Xianzi is both lustful and sentimental, gallant yet righteous—but his daughter, spoiled by his indulgence, has turned out otherwise."
"This old man underestimated Miss Zhong," Jiang Youyu said. "That girl looks harmless, yet her heart is so venomous—daring to harm her own father and master! Truly, the younger generation of the martial world grows worse with each passing era." He handed Tang Lizci a cup of hot tea. "Since things have come to this, Young Master, do not distress yourself. This is fresh tea from Fushan Hall."
Tang Lizci glanced at the faintly green-hued tea. "Fresh tea from Fushan Hall? Have you been to Tianqing Temple?"Fushan Hall was the tea garden of Tianqing Temple in the capital. In good years, the new tea produced there was of exceptional quality, though few knew of it. Jiang Youyu had an old friendship with Abbot Chunhui of Tianqing Temple, and Wanqiao Studio often interacted with him, so Abbot Chunhui would occasionally gift them some of the new tea.
“This old man didn’t go to Tianqing Temple just to drink tea with the abbot,” Jiang Youyu said. “Last time the young master returned to the capital, he came and left in haste, staying at Wanqiao Studio for only three days. During those three days, the young master neither slept nor rested—one day he went to the palace, another to the Liu residence, and on the last day, his whereabouts were unknown. He spent ten thousand taels of gold… I dared to speculate for days—might I ask if the young master went to the Fallen Thirteen Tower?”
Tang Lichen smiled faintly. “You’re quite bold.” Yet he neither confirmed nor denied it.
Jiang Youyu also smiled. “The young master bought information, but what Wanqiao Studio lacks, even if the Fallen Thirteen Tower has it, may not be complete. I suspect the young master wanted to cut the Gordian knot—to buy an answer.” He poured himself tea as well, though his chipped teacup was far less refined and elegant than Tang Lichen’s jade porcelain cup. This was the same cup Jiang Youyu had used for decades, as unchanging as his wife. “I believe the young master already has an answer in mind—he merely lacks corroboration.”
Tang Lichen’s lashes lowered slightly. “So what you drank with the abbot wasn’t tea—it was corroboration?” He closed his eyes. “What did you corroborate?”
“That… Fushan Hall’s tea garden was built on the same day Tianqing Temple was founded, and the tea trees there are as old as the temple itself,” Jiang Youyu said. “Abbot Chunhui even expanded the garden by double, yet he doesn’t sell tea. Instead, he built pavilions and towers within the vast garden for devotees to visit during festivals.” He blinked, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes creasing slightly. “Back then, Emperor Gong resided in the tea garden, along with his two younger brothers, three younger sisters, and his attendants.”
“Old Jiang, you truly understand me.” Tang Lichen lifted the new tea and took a small sip. “I’ve been wondering… about the ‘Seven Blossom Cloud Wanderer,’ that enigmatic Gui Mudan… Who exactly is he?” He took another sip, and a faint layer of crimson slowly surfaced in the tea. Tang Lichen covered the cup with its lid. “When turmoil struck Liren Residence back then, the ‘Seven Blossom Cloud Wanderers’ turned on each other, and A-Yan used the String-Pulling Life-Seizing Technique to claim the position of Revered Master of ‘Fengliu Dian.’ Why him?” Tang Lichen spoke slowly. “In martial prowess, he was no match for Gui Mudan, let alone Kuang Lan Wuxing. In intellect and strategy, he couldn’t rival Yu Konghou. In status, he was inferior to Fang Pingzhai… Yet he must have done something.” He murmured, “What could it have been?”
By the time Jiang Youyu met Tang Lichen, Liu Yan had long since departed. “This old man doesn’t know, but it must have been something of utmost importance.”
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