A frightening smile, rare even for him, tugged at the old man's face. "One orthodox, one unorthodox," he rasped.
"But for now, come with me," Wu Dong said. "I gave them time to put together an account of [Sword-Belly Mountain]. Once we've heard it, you and I can go our separate ways."
"All right." Pei Ye nodded, sword in hand, then cupped his fist and bowed deeply to the seated woman.
But Wu Dong did not move. He too looked toward the woman and saluted formally. "Bright Sword Master, the Immortal Platform's strength here is limited for the moment. An open investigation may require forceful measures, or we may face a sudden assassination attempt. Should the need arise, I hope we may temporarily rely on your honored sword."
"..." Pei Ye felt rather uncomfortable. The words asking the woman to leave for a while still rang in his ears, yet now they wanted to call on her whenever they pleased.
Above all, this was precisely what he had always tried to avoid-even though the woman never minded how much she did for him, those kindnesses had always weighed heavily on the boy's heart. That made him all the more reluctant to bring her trouble through his connection to her.
After all, the Glaze Sword Master stood so high and far away, while he, Pei Ye, stood so low and close at hand. When people made use of him, they could mobilize this Glaze Sword Master along with him. It truly made Pei Ye uncomfortable.
Especially now, when the woman was an honored guest from Yunlang, sincerely invited by Kongtong. Her position was already awkward: she belonged to one of the world's Sword Sects, yet stood on the court's side. Even if she did not mind, Pei Ye could not help