Moon Invitation

He had been very curious about what had happened.

He regretted not having witnessed a Grandmaster make a move firsthand and caught a glimpse of a Grandmaster's power.

Lu Wan gave a few instructions, and everyone dispersed.

Those who practiced continued practicing, those who toyed with treasures continued doing so, and those with other matters went to attend to them.

Chu Zhiyuan and Lu Wan entered the room.

Zou Fang stood unnoticed in the shadow behind Chu Zhiyuan.

Blushing, Li Suyue brought over tea, lowered her head, and prepared to withdraw.

Chu Zhiyuan glanced at her with a smile, then said to Lu Wan, "Miss Li is skilled with flowers and plants. My younger sister likes Miss Li very much."

"Su Yue is too innocent. I fear she may easily offend the County Princess."

"What a coincidence, my younger sister is innocent too," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile. "I hope Miss Li will often visit the Prince's Estate and keep my younger sister company. She is rather lonely by herself."

"Of course." Lu Wan agreed on Li Suyue's behalf.

This was a rare opportunity.

Why was the Thick Earth Sect so brazen and overbearing? Was it not because of its connection to Prince Huai's Estate?

Prince Qing's Estate might be in decline now, but with this Young Master, it would not fare poorly in the future. Befriending him would bring endless benefits.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Li Suyue.

Li Suyue blushed and nodded softly, lowering her head, too afraid to look at Chu Zhiyuan.

"Su Yue, you may leave now," Lu Wan said with a smile.

Li Suyue heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly withdrew.

"Miss Li has much the same disposition as my younger sister," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile. "She is far too shy. It would do her good to meet more people and make more friends."

"That is simply her nature. It cannot be forced," Lu Wan said with a smile.

Chu Zhiyuan took a light sip of tea, set down his cup, and asked Lu Wan about what had happened.

The moment Lu Wan mentioned Grandmasters, her bright eyes sparkled. "The one who came was a Grandmaster surnamed Hu from the Grandmaster's Mansion. It was impossible to tell his age. He looked to be in his forties, yet also seemed more than a hundred years old... It was a very strange feeling, difficult to put into words."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Naturally, he could not actually have been in his forties. To this day, no one had become a Grandmaster before the age of forty.

Upon reaching the Grandmaster Realm, one returned to simplicity and truth, and outward appearances changed.

Some Grandmasters cultivated mental arts that preserved or even enhanced their appearance, allowing them to retain eternal youth or take on the look of returning to their prime.

Grandmasters had lifespans beginning at three hundred years, and some even lived beyond four hundred. How could they possibly look aged?

Lu Wan's alluring eyes shone brightly. "After Martial Uncle Song became a Grandmaster, she had scarcely made a move. We never truly knew how formidable Grandmasters were."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Without enemies, if one subdued others without fighting, how would one ever make a move?

Even demonstrating one's skills would be impossible at full strength; one could see only the tip of the iceberg.

Lu Wan sighed. "Now that we have seen Grandmaster Hu make a move, we still do not know just how formidable Grandmasters truly are."

Chu Zhiyuan raised his swordlike brows.

Lu Wan said, "After Grandmaster Hu arrived, he took the box and headed out. He went all the way to a mountain peak thirty li outside the city, entered a cave halfway up the mountain, and found the pearl in a crevice within the cave."

Chu Zhiyuan fell into thought.

Grandmasters truly possessed extraordinary abilities. What his Super Sensation could accomplish, Grandmasters could accomplish as well.

Lu Wan frowned slightly. "He then returned to the city and went to the True One Cult's altar. He seized an old man, gave him a shake, and handed him to the Town Martial Division's experts. That was the man who had acted."

"The True One Cult?"

"Yes, an Elder of the True One Cult."

"...The True One Cult!" Chu Zhiyuan looked utterly perplexed.

The conflict between the Thick Earth Sect and the Flying Flower Sword Sect was a pit of fire. On one side stood Prince Huai's Estate, and on the other stood Grandmaster Song Feiqiong. No one wanted to get dragged into it.

Yet the True One Cult had leaped right in. Were they acting as a spear for the Thick Earth Sect because there was some other reason?

Did the Thick Earth Sect have leverage over them? Had they already pledged allegiance to the Thick Earth Sect? Or had they formed an alliance with it?

There were too many possibilities.

Was there another force behind the True One Cult? Was it merely the Thick Earth Sect against the Flying Flower Sword Sect, or were others involved as well?

After considering it, he asked, "What did Grandmaster Song say? What background does the True One Cult have?"

Grandmasters possessed high authority and had access to much information that even he did not know, information Song Feiqiong could see.

"Moon Invitation Palace." Lu Wan bit out the three words coldly with her enticing red lips.

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

Moon Invitation Palace was no ordinary sect. Though it was not among the Four Great Sects, its strength rivaled theirs.

When the Great Ancestor founded Great Jing, four supreme martial sects had aided him in achieving it, but they were not the present Four Great Sects.

The current Four Great Sects had produced Grandmasters, then entered the Imperial Court and developed step by step, just like the present Flying Flower Sword Sect.

The four sects that had aided the Great Ancestor in founding the dynasty were Moon Invitation Palace, the Eternal Spirit Divine Cult, the Nine Li Divine Cult, and the Carefree Cult.

Not one of those Four Great Sects had entered the Imperial Court. Each had been bestowed forests and mountains by imperial decree, territories that would remain unchanged for a hundred generations.

These Four Great Sects acted with both righteousness and wickedness, and the martial world called them demonic sects.

None of them were harmless. Though they did not belong to the Imperial Court, they had Grandmasters guarding them and lands bestowed by imperial decree. Imperial officials had no authority to interfere in matters within their territories.

Moon Invitation Palace stood behind the True One Cult!

"It is said that the founding patriarch of the True One Cult was a disciple of Moon Invitation Palace," Lu Wan said. "But whether Moon Invitation Palace had a hand in this cannot yet be determined."

"What grudge does your sect have with Moon Invitation Palace?"

"As far as I know, none."

"Could it be Grandmaster Song's personal grudge?"

"Martial Uncle Song also said she found it baffling. She had never had any dealings with Moon Invitation Palace and could not understand why they would do such a thing."

"...Strange."

"The True One Cult disciples would not open their mouths, so we could not get anything out of them. That fellow even tried to kill himself, but fortunately, he was stopped in time."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "Kill himself?"

That was a Grandmaster-level martial artist, not a Xiantian Master.

Although Grandmasters were as numerous as clouds in Jade Capital, a Grandmaster-level martial artist held an extremely high position within a sect. Even if the sect had a Grandmaster, it did not diminish such a person's lofty status.

For a Grandmaster-level martial artist to try to kill himself, what shocking secret did that conceal?

Lu Wan shook her head gently. "Martial Uncle Song was also completely in the dark and could not uncover the truth. In the end, the True One Cult's Grandmaster-level martial artist was released."

"It had nothing to do with the Thick Earth Sect?"

"...At present, there is no evidence that they are connected. The Thick Earth Sect seems to have had little acquaintance with the True One Cult."

"How were you and Elder Yang lured away from the mountain?"

"..."

"Forget it," Chu Zhiyuan said, waving a hand. "No need to mention it."

"...Someone sent word that Wanshan had been captured by the Thick Earth Sect. ...At the time, I do not know what came over me. I was possessed by a ghost and blinded by my heart, without thinking too much, and muddleheadedly went out."

Lu Wan bit her red lips, clenched her teeth, and spoke with a taut expression.

"No wonder. Concern breeds disorder," Chu Zhiyuan said in realization.

Xu Wanshan was the genius of their generation, the Flying Flower Sword Sect's hope. What was more, he most likely carried the Earth Dragon Pearl.

Upon hearing that he had been captured by the Thick Earth Sect, they had naturally been frantic with anxiety, fearing they might not save him, and had deployed every Grandmaster-level martial artist.

As a result, someone had exploited the opening.

Under those circumstances, they truly could not guard against it.

--

Brilliant sunlight shone upon the window paper.

It illuminated Chu Zhiyuan's room at the Ministry of Rites.

In the bright room, Chu Zhiyuan set down a case file and looked at Ma Tianhe below the steps. "Lord Ma, there is no need for this. Sit and speak."

Ma Tianhe smiled. "How could this lowly one sit while speaking before the Young Master?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and did not insist further.

Ma Tianhe was overly fawning, but it was not much of a problem and did nothing to diminish his shrewdness or capability.

"Does Lord Ma have something to tell me?" Chu Zhiyuan asked. "Speak plainly. There is no need for concern."

Ma Tianhe hesitated, then glanced around.

Only he and Zou Fang were in the room, with no one else present. Guo Chi stood guard outside, so there was no fear of outsiders approaching.

With that thought, Ma Tianhe lowered his voice. "Young Master, this lowly one will say something I should not. Moon Invitation Palace... it would be best not to touch it."

Chu Zhiyuan raised a brow.

Ma Tianhe said softly, "The waters within run too deep. It is best not to touch it if possible."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly. "Does it involve the Great Ancestor's secrets?"

Ma Tianhe wore a bitter smile, his heart uneasy. He could not help looking around again to see whether anyone was approaching.

"Rest assured," Chu Zhiyuan said. "No one can approach without escaping a Grandmaster-level martial artist's eyes and ears."

Ma Tianhe smiled bitterly. "Please forgive me, Young Master, but this lowly one dares not say any more."

"Moon Invitation Palace cannot be touched, and neither can the True One Cult?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

Ma Tianhe hurriedly nodded. "If the True One Cult is dealt with, Moon Invitation Palace certainly will not stand idly by. If they send experts into the capital, the trouble will be endless."

Chu Zhiyuan pondered this before finally saying slowly, "Very well. Thank you, Lord Ma."

"I would not dare, I would not dare. This lowly one has spoken too much," Ma Tianhe said hurriedly, waving his hands.

Chu Zhiyuan could tell that Ma Tianhe knew more.

It made sense. The Supervisory Department claimed to oversee all under heaven, and Ma Tianhe's position was high enough that he knew far too many secret matters.

But Chu Zhiyuan did not wish to force Ma Tianhe. After all, he would still have need of him in the future.