Chapter 155: Visiting Orchid Heart Pavilion

Jiucang sighed in grief. "This fiend is simply too outrageous, showing not a shred of mercy. It seems we cannot wait for him to complete his supreme arts; we must eradicate him immediately. Otherwise, when he comes looking for us, every single one of us will meet this very fate!"

"That may be so, but we have no way to find him! And even if we found him, what spell could we possibly use to seal him away? You must know that the only ones capable of sealing him are the Heavenly Sage and the Heavenly Maiden!" Jiulin said.

"Why would we need to seal him? To kill him swiftly—what's wrong with that?" Lanshui knew he had already lost his composure.

"I know you two are burning with the desire to avenge your junior sister, but this is no trivial matter! Our magical powers diminish whenever we descend the mountain, let alone yours. Now that Shuo has attained a physical incarnation, armed with the fire fan and the divine pearl, who could possibly defeat him unless we are within the realm of the Heavenly Mountains? Are you just going to throw your lives away?"

"Ah, what a genuine nuisance! Why didn't we encounter this fiend sooner so we could have eliminated him earlier? Then we wouldn't have all these complications!"

Lanshui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. He immediately stood up and said to Jiucang, "Venerable One, our most urgent task is to root out the traitor within. Otherwise, the Heavenly Mountains will never know peace!"

Jiulin nodded and said loudly, "Yes, yes, Senior Brother is right! If this traitor is not purged, every single incident will be orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives, leaving us exposed in the open to be manipulated at will!"

Jiucang pondered for a moment and nodded. "Your master and I have been paying attention to this matter for a long time, but without conclusive evidence, it is difficult to be on guard against any specific person. You must still act prudently, remain vigilant in all things, and keep your wits about you!"

Jiulin muttered discontentedly in a low voice, "The truth is staring us right in the face. Why does the Venerable One always protect Jianrong and Baiyu?"

Jiucang paused, offering an awkward smile. "Jiulin, you must not speak such nonsense. My regard for the Spirit Maidens stems solely from my appreciation of high officials. I truly do not wish to find out that the traitor is one of them, nor do I want the Heavenly Mountains to lose such talents. You must not cast groundless suspicions or indulge in wild conjectures!"

"Could two Spirit Maidens truly be that important to you? The Heavenly Mountains are brimming with talent; can't we promote newcomers? Every single time, they oppose our junior sister and repeatedly frame her; this time, they blatantly sent her to her death. In my view, the most likely traitors are those two! Venerable One, you must not put your trust in the wrong people!"

Jiucang sighed, finding himself speechless before Jiulin. Standing to one side, Lanshui captured every nuance of Jiucang's expression. Realizing that Jiulin's straightforward outbursts were completely futile, he shifted his strategy.

"Venerable One, please do not take offense at my junior brother's rash words. Lanshui believes that the Spirit Maidens are also talents of paramount importance and must not be made to grieve. Naturally, everyone will suspect them and place them in the eye of the storm regarding this matter. Once this affair passes, I will personally convey greetings to the two of them on behalf of all the disciples, urging them to labor diligently and live up to expectations!"

Jiucang smiled, looking at Lanshui with satisfaction. "You are far more steady and reasonable. I will leave this matter in your hands then! Such affairs are naturally worrisome, and handling them poorly can cause panic among the masses. This is an excellent solution. It pacifies everyone while commending the Spirit Maidens; truly a wonderful outcome!"

Lanshui returned the smile and cast a meaningful glance at Jiulin.

Jiulin immediately dropped his look of astonishment, nodded at Lanshui, and felt a measure of reassurance in his heart.

*Senior Brother is employing the tactic of advancing by retreating!* Jiulin thought to himself.

Lanshui looked back at Xueze in the pool. Seeing that the pool of fresh blood had yet to be cleared, a wave of profound sorrow and fury welled up within him. *How wonderful it would be if the one lying in there were me? Why must these people target our junior sister? Are they all so eager to hasten their own deaths?*

With a myriad of emotions churning in his heart, he could only suppress them. With a thousand reprimands on his tongue, he could only maintain a smiling calm. Such chaotic thoughts left one devoid of peace, as though a storm of anger had condensed within his viscera. These terrifying emotions warped a person's rationality, yet pushed them beyond normal bounds.

Lanshui felt as though he had changed. From the very moment he laid eyes on Xueze, he could no longer find tranquility, clarity, or peace of mind.

This place was no longer a sacred sanctuary of pure cultivation, but a chaotic, disease-ridden mire. If he wished to protect Xueze, he could only find the optimal way to navigate this environment, and then slowly counter the petty schemes, plots, and intellect of others step by step...

"None of this was chosen by me—it was chosen by you!"

The water of the Bitter River surged like a storm-tossed sea, a grayish-brown tinged with pitch black, resembling a gray ocean spiked with dollops of ink and churned together with mud and silt.

This was a river without source or destination, flowing out from the Qingxuan Valley only to return to the Qingxuan Valley once more.

Liu Li found a light skiff and boldly boarded it to cross the Bitter River. Though the waves were towering and the ride precarious and unsteady, the boat never once capsized.

Qu Ling'er stood outside the Lanxin Pavilion, anxiously watching the small boat and inwardly complaining about her master's unfeeling coldness: The Emperor of Beihua had personally come, yet her master still insisted on putting on such airs!

"Ling'er, it sounds as though you are reproaching me?"

Without a word of warning, Master Wuxiao had walked up behind her, gently waving his blue fan.

"Master, how would I ever dare reproach you! Please stop waving that fan—what if you accidentally knock His Highness into the Bitter River? Who could bear the responsibility for that? He is the Emperor of Bei'an, after all!"

"Heh, whoever he may be, one can only enter the Lanxin Pavilion on their own merit. Am I supposed to grant special leniency just to save face for him? Twenty years ago, Emperor Hongxiao came here and was shown no exception either!"

"That was ages ago, times are different now! Empress Xue of the Dai State cares nothing for anyone's high merits or unique status; she is increasingly meddling in the Jianghu and pulling strings within the sacred grounds. How is our Lanxin Pavilion supposed to escape unscathed this time?"

Wuxiao smiled calmly and said, "No matter, what is meant to come will come eventually!"

A flurry of butterflies suddenly materialized before the gates of the Lanxin Pavilion, dancing in a chaotic swarm. Liu Li used his fan to deflect a few of them, and the doors slowly swung open.

"The obstacles of the Lanxin Pavilion aren't all that difficult to pass after all!" Liu Li muttered to himself in amazement, wondering why Jianghu rumors painted the Lanxin Pavilion as virtually impenetrable. Wasn't it just a strange river and an infrequently opened door? Could it be that he was protected by the divine pearl, and thus spared from intricate traps and labyrinthine schemes?

As he pondered, Liu Li stepped into the courtyard of the Lanxin Pavilion. Before his eyes lay an array of exotic flowers and grasses, with butterflies fluttering about—truly a magnificent scenery.

Situated directly opposite the Qingxuan Valley, the Lanxin Pavilion inherited a share of the valley's ethereal spirit, nurturing a variety of rare flora presumably raised to feed the spiritual butterflies.

Passing through the courtyard, he caught sight of a towering pavilion in the inner courtyard. It seemed to pierce the heavens, yet no discernible shape of it could be seen from the outside.

"Such an immense pavilion—could it be used for storing books?"

Liu Li smiled and walked up to the base of the tower. He saw that it was exquisitely carved and adorned with magnificent embroidery, rivaling even the palaces of Beihua. It was truly a breathtaking architectural marvel.

Standing at the foot of the tower and gazing upward, only the third floor was visible; the rest of the levels were hazy and indistinct like shifting shadows, making it impossible to tell how many stories it actually possessed.

"A sight quite fitting for the aura of the Lanxin Pavilion!" Liu Li chuckled.

A burst of laughter echoed from within the pavilion, sounding like that of an elderly man, halting Liu Li's musings.

"Since Your Majesty has arrived, please step inside!"

The moment the voice faded, the doors opened. Looking inward, it resembled an exquisite and spacious study. An elderly man with white hair sat at a desk right in the center. Though he did not look up, one could immediately sense his vigorous spirit and rosy complexion. The beautiful blue fan in his hand lent him an air of added mystery.

The surrounding decorations differed not at all from a mortal scholar's study, save for a few strands of green vines that instantly caught the eye. True to its reputation, the Lanxin Pavilion cultivated unusual flora everywhere.

Aside from a certain ethereal charm, these plants looked precisely like mundane orchids. Could that be how the Lanxin Pavilion earned its name?

Looking closer, Liu Li noticed a young maiden standing beside the green vines, joyfully tending to them. Observing her appearance and demeanor, Liu Li instantly recognized Ling'er, and joy welled up within him.

"Liu Li pays his respects to the Pavilion Master and the young lady. Forgive my abrupt intrusion and the disturbance!"

Wuxiao smiled and replied leisurely, "There is no talk of disturbance. Since Young Master was able to enter, speak your mind freely!"

"The Pavilion Master is indeed direct and astute, so I will not beat around the bush. I have come today to seek your guidance regarding the matters of the Beihua royal family. Twenty years ago, Emperor Hongxiao passed away, and deep complexities lie behind that event. I wonder if the Lanxin Pavilion knows the details?"

"So you have come to inquire about an old case concerning the late emperor. This matter involves a great deal and spans many years; unearthing it will likely require some effort. I wonder if Young Master has prepared a gift? What do you intend to offer in exchange?"