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Translator: StarReader
Editor: CutieBinkie
Proofreader: Papatonks
“Grandmaster Gu, we’ll be setting off first thing in the morning.”
The dawn of the fourth day came yet Zhuo Fan hadn’t even asked to go back to his home, while Baili Jingwei had since been wanting him to do so from the start, so he gave Zhuo Fan the perfect excuse to report back, “Going to imperial capital will mean seeing the His Majesty and then His Highness to cure him. Things will get very complicated for a long time, making settling your family hard. You’re going to have to leave your family for a while, Grandmaster Gu. So before we go, would you like to go home and say your goodbyes? So you won’t appear cold.”
Zhuo Fan smiled, getting the gist, “Prime Minister is so thoughtful. It’s my intention as well.”
“Then Grandmaster Gu can return to his family for today and the Dragon Cleaving Sword King shall escort us to the imperial capital the next day. It’s been half a month now since I left the imperial capital and we can’t delay addressing the Crown Prince’s state any longer.” Baili Jingwei’s eyes flashed, looking restless.
Zhuo Fan grinned inside while giving a nod, “I admire Prime Minister’s devotion, a pillar of the nation and its people. Be at ease, sir, I shall give my very best in curing the Crown Prince once we arrive, as gratitude for Prime Minister’s favor now.”
“Thank you, Grandmaster Gu. The day is nevertheless short, so hurry back to your family!” Baili Jingwei waved him off with a kind smile.
Zhuo Fan retreated after a bow. Just as he faded from view, it was Shangguan Feiyun’s cue to step in from a side door, snickering, “Going to give his report?”
“Yes, now it’s their move, ha-ha-ha…” Beaming, Baili Jingwei leaned back on his chair, easing into it and feeling control over the entire board. None could escape his palm…
Zhuo Fan went to the Shangguan clan with a clear mind and intent, to give them the map they tasked him to patch up.
He just opened the door and Shangguan Qingyan yanked him in, not forgetting to stick her head out after and check if the coast was clear. She closed the door shut and pulled him to the parlor.
“Hurry up, dad and everyone are getting impatient!”
“Uncle’s waiting for me?”
Zhuo Fan asked, “Baili Jingwei only let me off today. How did you guys know so fast?”
Shangguan Qingyan rolled her eyes, “Of course we didn’t know. Dad and the venerables had always been eager for good news ever since you left, waiting and waiting. But then it took five days. Any longer and dad would’ve sent me over to ask for you.”
Nodding, Zhuo Fan saw just how crucial the operation was for Shangguan Feixiong, and how tense they were because of it.
Better for him, actually, since it made fooling them easier. Getting to be the final winner in this mission was going to be a walk in the park now.
Zhuo Fan grinned, letting Shangguan Qingyan take him to the parlor. Shangguan Feixiong and the others were beyond restless, pacing all over the place. Maybe the chairs had splinters in them?
“Dad, Sir Gu is back!”
Her bright voice echoed throughout the room, pulling on everyone’s jittery heartstrings. Every pair of eyes were fixed on Zhuo Fan’s plain face with a burning gaze.
Seeing him so casual filled them with respect and expectations. It was like meeting their ancestors.
Shangguan Feixiong stepped forward and took a deep breath. He grabbed Zhuo Fan’s shoulder and spoke eagerly, “Yifan, y-you’re back at last.”
Sss~
The wait was too much on Shangguan Feixiong’s nerves, forgetting himself and squeezing hard. Zhuo Fan winced.
“Uncle, y-your hand…”
“Oh, sorry, I got a little too excited there, ha-ha-ha…” Letting go, Shangguan Feixiong gave an awkward smile, then he turned serious, “Yifan, how is it? Is the map…”
Grinning from ear to ear, Zhuo Fan’s hand glowed to reveal a white paper cover in squiggles most defined and intricate.
“Uncle, rest easy knowing that there’s not a stone unchecked in the manor when I made this map!”
Snatching the map in eagerness, he also took out the map Shangguan Qingyan made for comparison, “Ha-ha-ha, it is indeed more detailed than Yan’er’s. And it includes the five blank spots as well with added details. But where exactly are these five places? Why are they under heavy guard and restricted? Do you know, Yifan?”
“How could I have not looked into it? That would mean I’d be endangering my Shangguan clan’s brothers!”
Zhuo Fan beamed and pointed at the map with pride, “Uncle, here is the treasury, filled with the manor’s valuables. Here is the barracks, where the guards rotate and the armory is located, holding demonic treasures and spiritual weapons. And this here is Shangguan Feiyun’s private quarters, holding his wives, children, cultivation partners. What a rotten degenerate, how come he has so many cultivation partners? What about me?”
Zhuo Fan looked green with envy, wishing to replace Shangguan Feiyun in nightly cultivation.
But then his words got cut off by the sharp kick in the leg, making him cry out.
He looked back to see a pair of raging eyes boring holes into him.
Shangguan Qingyan glared and was ticked off, “You’re supposed to be scouting the manor, not the guy’s harem. Did you already forget about your wife in western lands?”
“Yifan, you’re going overboard here. This is no time to think about dual cultivation, you’re on a mission here. Be more serious!”
Glaring at him, Shangguan Feixiong chided as well, now also holding his shoulder, “Though to train in Shangguan clan’s Soaring Sword Art, we have no choice but to resort to dual cultivation as well as we need to expel the savage energy inside us. Once we get back to eastern lands, I’ll personally teach you this ultimate skill. No need to rush it.”
Zhuo Fan was intrigued.
[So that’s why Shangguan Feiyun didn’t look like a genuine horn dog. It’s because he’s doing it to cultivate.]
He got the shock of his life when Shangguan Feiyun took him to his private quarters. With seventy-two concubines around, this Sword King was an emperor in his own right.
When he thought Sir Sword King was about to give him a couple, he found that he was here to take a peek and that was it.
[Thank heavens I’m no leecher, or that glorious view would’ve haunted me for the rest of my life.]
Now he knew that this was related to the skill in the Soaring Sword. It was too savage for just anyone to learn and they had to vent it somehow before it did more harm than good. The best way just happened to be dual cultivation.
Zhuo Fan nodded and the other Shangguan clansmen gave back a knowing smile.
Shangguan Qingyan was looking a bit dark there, among them, “Humph, with a degenerate master one only gets degenerate disciples. Is that how a Clan Head acts? Where’s the honor in that?”
“Ahe-hem, right, right, let’s get back on topic.”
With an embarrassed smile, Shangguan Feixiong patted Zhuo Fan’s head, pinning the blame on him, “Don’t lead us along kid, this is serious, deadly so. How could you distract us so much? Now, what about the remaining two areas?”
Zhuo Fan rolled his eyes and cursed.
[You’re just upright in the wrong place. I hardly ever did dual cultivation myself while your clan does it on a daily basis for cultivation. You have the nerve to point your finger at me? Just how many maidens have you ruined?]
He made sure to keep that part to himself, while giving them a knowing nod, giving this discount uncle a scapegoat. He continued, “This is Shangguan Feiyun’s resting room, under tight guard of course. And this is something called Jade Falls, a paradise with thick spiritual energy. It is here where I saw a peculiar item, eastern lands’ divine weapon, Soaring Sword!”
[Soaring Sword is in there?]
Shangguan Feixiong’s eyes shook, his face filled with joy. He turned to see the rest were just as happy.
They had charged in last time without knowing of Soaring Sword’s location and had spent half an hour searching to no avail. Now they knew where it was, they had a target to follow.
[The mission will work!]
Everyone was excited, with Shangguan Feixiong’s face growing red, unable to calm down…
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