Chen Yan's heart was also moved somewhat by Sun Lu's words.
His master, Lin Qifeng, actually disliked Zheng Fuyue very much.
He thought this steward of the Spirit Herb Workshop was shortsighted. Even Chen Yan had recently begun to agree with Lin Qifeng's view.
But today was different.
Just considering how Lin Qifeng had fallen into this predicament, where every effort was like a meat bun thrown to a dog, never to return, Zheng Fuyue and his disciple had still chosen to stand by Lin Qifeng.
Chen Yan felt that Zheng Fuyue was no ordinary man.
Anyone else would have drawn a clear line between themselves and Lin Qifeng long ago.
After all, Xue Xiu was only an acting Outer Court Elder. Who knew when another elder might suddenly be appointed in his place?
If the new elder happened to have some ties with Song Wencheng, then everyone close to Lin Qifeng might be targeted for retribution.
And Zheng Fuyue seemed to be making an even deeper investment.
"The Immortal Gambling House in Taiyun City..."
After Sun Lu left, Chen Yan murmured to himself.
He decided not to tell Chu Xiyao or Fu Qian about this just yet. Instead, he would make a trip to Taiyun City himself first.
"Junior Brother Chen, long time no see."
When Chen Yan looked up, he saw in the courtyard the young man in a Huang robe whom he had once met in the Pill Hall on Kongyuan Mountain.
He was still wearing that eye-catching Huang robe today.
"Senior Brother Zhao, long time no see."
Chen Yan greeted him.
"Are you ready?"
Zhao Bin asked.
"I can leave whenever you're ready."
Chen Yan replied.
"Good."
Zhao Bin nodded, then drew a short flute from his sleeve and blew softly. Soon, cries of cranes rang out from the sky.
A gigantic white crane appeared overhead. In the afterglow of the setting sun, its feathers shone like flames, a truly beautiful sight.
The white crane circled in midair, then slowly descended into the courtyard.
Cultivators below the Qi Sea Realm could not fly through the air.
The last time Chu Xiyao had taken him to Qingchan Peak, she had used a teleportation spell.
Zhao Bin, on the other hand, needed a mount.
Zhao Bin's cultivation was still at the Martial Spring Realm. He wasn't very old, either—he had just turned twenty-six.
His talent in alchemy far surpassed his talent for cultivation.
He still looked like a youth because he was in the habit of taking Youth Preserving Pills.
Youth Preserving Pills were anything but cheap. At the Rare Treasures Pavilion outside the sect, one pill could fetch ten Superior Spirit Stones.
Of course, not every cultivator grew old.
As long as you cultivated quickly enough, age couldn't catch up with you.
Take Yun Yichen, the current Sect Master of the Empty Mountain Sect, for example. It was said that even at two hundred years old, he still looked like a young man in his twenties.
A closer example was Lu Li.
When he was an instructor in the Outer Court, he was already nearly forty, yet he still looked like a youth.
Some cultivators, though, deliberately made themselves look older to cultivate an immortal, otherworldly air.
"Sit tight," Zhao Bin said.
The white crane spread its wings, churning the drifting clouds. Chen Yan's robe snapped in the gale.
The Outer Court below gradually shrank. He had only felt this way before when standing in the pavilion atop the mountain near the Outer Court.
But then Chen Yan saw the mountaintop pavilion. It soon became as small as the Outer Court settlement had been, and finally shrank into a tiny black dot.
Bathed in the sunset, he suddenly noticed that Zhao Bin's Huang robe had dark golden patterns shimmering through the rosy light.
They were Cloud Crane patterns, the emblem of Kongyuan Mountain.
"Why go to such lengths, Junior Brother?"
As they rode the crane toward Kongyuan Mountain, Zhao Bin suddenly spoke to Chen Yan.
"What do you mean?" Chen Yan asked.
"Cheating in the Outer Court Grand Competition."
Zhao Bin replied.
Chen Yan was slightly taken aback. After thinking it over, he followed Zhao Bin's lead and continued:
"Master didn't want to lose face, and I care about my reputation too. I had no choice but to resort to that."
"With things as they are now, you've only lost more face, haven't you?"
Zhao Bin sighed.
"And it's not just you, Junior Brother Chen. Martial Uncle Lin and my master are involved too. Lately, I've lost face completely in front of the fellow disciples who come to the Pill Hall..."
"You're right to reprimand me, Senior Brother," Chen Yan said.
Zhao Bin quickly realized what he had said and hurriedly added:
"Sorry, Junior Brother Chen. I lost my composure just now. Please don't take it to heart. Also, I have a favor to ask: please don't tell my master what I just said."
"Rest assured, Senior Brother Zhao," Chen Yan said.
Uncle-Master Yue Chi hadn't told Senior Brother Zhao the truth about what had happened.
After all, the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
For some reason, Chen Yan also felt that Zhao Bin must not learn the truth.
Zhao Bin's attitude toward the "Calamity Cause" seemed rather intriguing.
Uncle-Master Yue Chi, as Zhao Bin's master, ought to know more about it than Chen Yan did.
Soon, the mountain gate of Kongyuan Mountain came into view.
Kongyuan Mountain at dusk was even more imposing than it had been in the morning.
The rolling sea of clouds was dyed crimson by the setting sun, making the four gilded characters "Kongyuan Freedom" above the mountain gate seem all the more solemn and profound.
When the last ray of sunlight sank into the sea of clouds, Kongyuan Mountain finally became a sword tempered in fire, as if it could cleave heaven and earth in two.
The white crane passed through the mountain gate. Bamboo leaves growing on the Mountain Wall looked like dark brown blades in the dusk.
When the disciples guarding the mountain gate saw the Huang-robed man seated on the white crane, they hurriedly bowed in greeting.
"Disciple pays respects to the Pill Hall Senior Disciple Brother!"
Pill Hall Senior Disciple Brother?
That title did sound quite impressive.
"Martial Uncle Lin is currently reflecting on his mistakes at the Back Cliff. I'm afraid you won't be able to see him for a while, Junior Brother."
Zhao Bin, seated in front of Chen Yan, said:
"It's getting late. I'll arrange a place for you to stay first."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhao," Chen Yan replied.
Kongyuan Mountain truly lived up to its reputation as the Inner Court. Its disciple residences were in a completely different league from those in the Outer Court.
Every Inner Sect Disciple lived in a private courtyard, unlike the Outer Court, where four disciples shared one courtyard.
The courtyards were also more than twice the size of those in the Outer Court.
As for Chen Yan's residence, it was better than what ordinary Inner Sect Disciples received.
Even though he had just been caught up in a cheating scandal, his master, Lin Qifeng, was still the Sect Master's Personal Disciple, and the Martial Uncle he was "close" to was an elder of the Pill Hall.
Arranging a better residence for him was naturally a piece of cake.
"From now on, this will be your residence, Junior Brother Chen."
As Zhao Bin spoke, his expression turned serious. He tossed Chen Yan a jade token.
"This is a communication jade talisman. If you run into trouble you can't handle, just crush it. I'll be there in an instant."
"What kind of trouble might I run into?" Chen Yan asked.
"People from the Law Enforcement Hall might come looking for trouble," Zhao Bin replied.
Song Wencheng was an elder of Kongyuan Mountain's Law Enforcement Hall, and Chen Yan had killed his Personal Disciple.
Although Song Wencheng was a dignified elder of Kongyuan Mountain's Law Enforcement Hall and wouldn't normally stoop so low as to make things difficult for a junior like him, who could say for sure?
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother," Chen Yan said.
It doesn't matter. I won't be staying on Kongyuan Mountain for long anyway.
He would soon have to make a trip to Taiyun City.
Before you continue