The Book Study fell silent.
The Heaven-Reaching Device's hot topics gradually shifted from the triangle of abusive love entanglement to the upcoming event—Qing Lian Immortal Lord's Discourse on Heaven Assembly lecture held once every five years.
Whether rogue cultivators or various immortal sects and clans, each had quotas to come hear the Dao and have their questions answered.
However, even if Xinnan Immortal Sect was large, it couldn't accommodate everyone from the cultivation world. So they set a limit restricting the number—each major immortal sect could send no more than six people. Even so, the number of people lodging at Xinnan Immortal Sect increased daily.
This Discourse on Heaven lecture was famous throughout the cultivation world. Even the towns surrounding and dependent on Xinnan Immortal Sect were full. Occasionally, one could see cultivators flying past on light swords outside the barrier overhead.
In four or five days' time, he'd only seen Rong Ye once. The Immortal Lord was busier than his attendant, leaving Gu Changhuai not knowing where to start with assassination attempts.
Rather strangely, during these days at the sect, he'd never seen Jin Shuang's figure. Logically, since Jin Shuang managed Supreme Peak affairs, they should meet frequently.
As for the two magical artifacts brought by the cold crow, Gu Changhuai hid their aura and put them away. He reasonably suspected the owner was among this batch of people coming to hear the immortal sect's teachings. He was waiting to find the owner and quietly return them.
Days were boring. The Demon Venerable couldn't possibly let things go. Messages still needed to be sent back occasionally. Gu Changhuai figured letting the cold crow verbally relay wouldn't convey emotion adequately. After thinking it over three times, he picked up his brush and began writing a letter.
——Respected and dear Demon Venerable, I am your most loyal subordinate. Currently I've integrated into Xinnan Immortal Sect and successfully assassinated Qing Lian Immortal Lord twice without being detected. Though I haven't harmed even a hair, continuing like this, the Demon Venerable's great plan is just around the corner. Please await good news. Your subordinate will continue working hard.
Crossing out and revising, every word sincere.
Hua Mei, seeing this, said: "Sincere words, just a bit fawning."
Gu Changhuai buried his head writing hard, saying in a muffled voice: "This letter must reach the Demon Venerable's hands. Otherwise who knows if the next one assassinated will be me or Rong Ye. Do you know how many assassins are in the Demon Realm Shadow Clan? Can you bear to watch me be cleaned out?"
He raised his eyes to look at Hua Mei, expression sorrowful, eyes sad and losing light—both worried about his own future and feeling bleak about prospects ahead.
Kill Rong Ye? Haha, joke. Better to stay here and sweet-talk the Demon Venerable.
"..." Hua Mei paused, turning his back to curse: "The Demon Venerable is truly a beast!"
Gu Changhuai wrote furiously: "My efforts can't be wasted. I must record my every move so he'll know who the most loyal person is! Then we can continue lying low!"
His brush stopped. He checked the letter back and forth again, nodding with satisfaction before looking at the cold crow bound with five-flower ties to a tree branch, mouth wrapped so it couldn't speak.
"Deliver it properly to the Demon Venerable's hands. No funny business." Gu Changhuai warned.
Finally having its mouth freed but forced not to defect, the cold crow's crimson eyeballs held tears. Upholding its last bit of stubbornness, it wailed: "I'm the Ancient Magic Crow!"
Gu Changhuai lifted his eyelids: "Tch."
"..." The cold crow's entire body shook, pitifully biting onto the letter. Then its entire figure disappeared like black mist, taking this sincere letter to report to the Demon Venerable.
Hua Mei doubted: "Will it really obey? And I think it's a bit strange. Why does it keep talking about defecting and recognizing you as master?"
Gu Changhuai smiled while buried in organizing assassination plans. "Don't worry. It'll go."
His smile was mild, but the emotion in his eyes was as calm as always. Hua Mei looked him over twice but really couldn't see through what Gu Changhuai was thinking at this moment. Frowning, he said: "Then you be careful."
...
Currently, the Discourse on Heaven Assembly was in full swing. The assembly lasted a total of two months, so Gu Changhuai recently couldn't see Rong Ye's figure much at Waterside Residence.
The cold crow was extremely fast. The letter sent to the Demon Venerable brought back news in just two days, similarly written on paper and brought back by the cold crow.
Gu Changhuai opened it to look. The text was cold—
I want to see blood within three days.
Instantly, a black light from the paper shot into Gu Changhuai's brow. Immediately he felt the living thing in his abdomen roll once, also receiving the command.
"..."
Gu Changhuai calculated with his fingers. From when this message was sent from the Demon Realm until now, at least a day and a half had passed. That meant within these two days, he must make Rong Ye bleed.
"Such harsh requirements." Hua Mei glanced at the characters on the letter paper, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "Sometimes I really don't want to admit I'm from the Demon Realm."
Gu Changhuai sighed: "Now the problem is thorny."
The Demon Venerable had no martial ethics, placing a life-binding dark curse in the letter paper. The demon gu receiving this curse would inevitably need to smell Rong Ye's blood to settle down. Otherwise, in two days it would be his death date.
Hua Mei's smile faded as his expression turned cold: "I think the cold crow is right. How about defecting, killing our way back to the Demon Clan, and kicking him off the Demon Venerable's throne!"
Hearing this, the cold crow, originally quiet as a chicken, instantly became passionate, spreading its wings with a hoarse voice: "Yes yes, usurp the throne, usurp!"
Gu Changhuai's expression was indescribable. "If I could beat him, why would I be here as an undercover agent? The starting point is good. I suggest temporarily not starting."
Hua Mei deflated: "That's also true."
The crimson light in the cold crow's eyes seemed to dim. It turned over dejectedly, sighing in an old-fashioned way: "Imagine me, the great Ancient Magic Crow, defecting to a new master who turns out to be worthless... How sad, how lamentable!"
"Get lost!" Gu Changhuai raised his hand and threw a chestnut at the cold crow. The crow shrieked "caw" and flew up to perch on the beam.
Hua Mei: "It says it defected and recognizes you as its new master. If the Demon Venerable knows it's a spy, will he skin it?"
"What new master? Can you believe what it says?" Gu Changhuai lowered his head to burn the letter. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
The cold crow in the Demon Clan was synonymous with the Demon Venerable. Any news the Demon Venerable had would be conveyed to the cold crow. In the Demon Realm, the cold crow was equivalent to the Demon Venerable. So regarding the cold crow saying it wanted to defect and recognize him as master, Gu Changhuai simply didn't believe it.
The truth of this matter remained to be examined. The one thing certain was that the cold crow would absolutely not betray the Demon Clan. The Demon Venerable wouldn't cut off his own wings either. The cold crow was safe, but he wasn't.
Currently, the most urgent matter was figuring out how to make Rong Ye bleed.
The room fell into silence.
What method... Gu Changhuai propped up his jaw, idly staring at the burned letter fragments in a daze, his fingertips tapping the table surface intermittently.
After long deliberation.
He murmured: "To see blood, I can only ambush him up close."
In an instant, his heart had already organized an assassination plan.
Gu Changhuai decided—to ambush him halfway.
Recently Rong Ye's whereabouts were uncertain. This attendant had become decoration. To get close, he could only not take the usual route. For example, dig a pit on Rong Ye's necessary path.
However, the Discourse on Heaven Assembly lasted two extremely long months. Rong Ye wasn't there every moment.
Hua Mei said: "It's confirmed—Qing Lian Immortal Lord lectures for one hour at wei hour daily. Other times are handled by other immortal sect masters."
That is to say, Rong Ye went to the Discourse on Heaven Assembly daily. And because of the large crowd, the lecture platform was set up at Stone Long Platform on the northernmost side of Xinnan Immortal Sect, with a long distance between it and Supreme Peak.
Though Stone Long Platform's terrain was low, the ground was large and open. The high platform's surroundings on three sides were towering mountain gorges. Though surrounded by cliff walls, it embraced all rivers and could accommodate all the immortal sect people coming to hear lectures. When speaking, just adding a bit of spiritual power was enough for it to fall into everyone's ears.
There were only two paths to Stone Long Platform. One was the open, bright stairway road. Basically, everyone coming to hear lectures took this path. Daily, many people could be seen on the stairs leading to Stone Long Platform.
The other was a mountain path—relatively secluded, with dense mountain forest on both sides. Not many walked it. However, though this path was remote, it led directly from Supreme Peak to Stone Long Platform.
Since confirming that blood must be seen within two days, Gu Changhuai had been ceaselessly scouting locations, lying on walls secretly observing Rong Ye's movements.
Dividing forces into two groups—Hua Mei went to dig a pit on that small path. Gu Changhuai specifically instructed him to remember to place a Ten-Thousand Jin Body-Sinking Curse at the pit bottom. Otherwise, even if Rong Ye stepped on the pit, he might not fall in.
He needed to pretend to casually appear at the right time when Rong Ye fell in, becoming a qualified attendant who saves the Immortal Lord. However, during the rescue process, he'd collect a little tiny bit of interest.
For example, a little bit of blood.
Past noon, hearing the door creak open lightly, Gu Changhuai crouching on the wall heard the sound and ducked down in time. After waiting a while, he exposed a pair of eyes again to spy on movements.
Rong Ye's gaze was indifferent, expression normal as he casually closed the door. His divine sense covered all of Supreme Peak. He'd long seen clearly the Gu Changhuai hiding behind the wall cautiously peeking out.
Feeling the shadow-like gaze from behind, the corners of his eyes glanced down, his lips curving slightly. His footsteps were light and slow, just as Gu Changhuai predicted, stepping onto the secluded small path.
Author's Note:
Gu Changhuai: Fishing. The willing take the bait.
Rong Ye: Coming.
_____
TL:
Gu Changhuai is so adorable ahh