"Household Head Gao."
Quan Yong suddenly spoke.
Gao Gonglu was still reeling from the shock of what he had just witnessed.
A living, breathing Outer Scenery cultivator had turned into a puddle of turbid water before his eyes in an instant, without so much as a struggle.
In his dazed state, he did not even hear Quan Yong call him.
Only when Quan Yong called again did he snap back to his senses and hastily bow. "I am here. Please give me your instructions, Temple Master."
Quan Yong did not dwell on his loss of composure. He merely asked, "How is Gao Huan doing?"
Gao Gonglu hurriedly collected himself and answered respectfully, "Temple Master, Gao Huan has now opened his Flying Pool aperture and is also practicing our Gao archery arts. His progress has been satisfactory."
Quan Yong nodded, his expression indifferent. "Good."
He walked slowly to the seat of honor, flicked the hem of his robe, and settled into it. His gaze fell upon the puddle of turbid water at his feet, which had yet to dry, and he suddenly asked, "Do you know who that man was?"
Gao Gonglu swallowed, hesitated, then shook his head.
Quan Yong spoke unhurriedly. "That man was a vermin who dreamed of stirring up the balance of power in the Northern Lands."
Gao Gonglu did not understand the deeper meaning of his words, but he keenly sensed the danger in them. He dared not speak, standing respectfully to one side with his hands lowered and his eyes downcast. He looked nothing like the head of an aristocratic clan, but rather like a lowly servant.
Quan Yong shifted his gaze from the turbid water to Gao Gonglu's face and continued, "There are always vermin in this world who glimpse a few secrets and obtain