Not long after Zuo Wuji and Golden Armor left Kui Nan with Li Feng, a black-haired middle-aged man came to Zhu Yan's residence to visit Zhu Yan, only to be told that Zhu Yan was not home.
"Your Great King isn't here? Where did he go? Did he leave any message?"
The man's expression was calm, but worry filled his heart. He had come under orders, and before setting out, he had already been told some less-than-pleasant speculations. Sure enough, he had come all the way to the Southern Wilderness Mountains only to find nothing.
The demon guarding the gate merely shook his head.
"Great King left no message. How could the likes of us presume to guess his whereabouts? If you have business with him, I can pass it on when Great King returns. Or you can wait here."
After giving it some thought, the middle-aged man said,
"Then could I enter the residence and wait for your Great King?"
The gatekeeping demon considered it, then said,
"That will do, but you may only stay in the Front Courtyard. Without Great King's permission, you must not enter the back courtyard. If you force your way in and Great King finds out, you will certainly die without a burial place."
"Of course!"
The man nodded and accepted every condition. Then he followed the demon into the residence. After the other party led him to a reception hall, the man shed his shell, leaving behind a false body convincing enough to fool anyone at a distance. He himself transformed into green smoke and slipped into the rear courtyard of the demon residence.
Though restrictions lay everywhere within, they could not hinder him in the slightest. The wisp of green smoke drifted through the demon residence before reaching the Depths of the