Two carriages entered the Cloud Realm Mountain. Feng Wan’er’s carriage went directly to her residence, the Immortal Jade Palace, while Xie Yuling and the others were taken to the Jade Dew Mansion next to the Immortal Jade Palace.
“Young master Xie, the guest rooms have been prepared for the two of you. I’ll show you there now,” a young disciple greeted them at the entrance of the Immortal Jade Palace.
Xie Yuling stepped out of the carriage. “Then please help us park the carriage in the backyard.”
“No problem, no problem. Sitong, please help park young master Xie’s carriage in the backyard. I’ll take young master Xie and his companion to their guest rooms,” the young disciple called out loudly. A simple-looking young man in a coarse cloth coat ran out from the courtyard.
“Sitong?” Feng Zuojun was taken aback.
“Do you know him?” Xie Yuling asked in a low voice.
“You go ahead. I’ll join you later,” Feng Zuojun replied.
Xie Yuling nodded and got out of the carriage with Nangong Xier. The two of them followed the young disciple into the courtyard. Xie Yuling turned his head slightly and saw a black shadow flash past in the corner of his eye. He glanced at Nangong Xi’er, who remained calm and nodded slightly at him.
As Sitong was driving the carriage towards the backyard, he suddenly heard a voice behind him, “Sitong, I’ve only been gone a few years. How did you end up as a mere carriage driver?”
Sitong trembled in fright and was about to turn around.
“Don’t turn around!” Feng Zuojun warned.
“Y-young master, you’re back?” Sitong feigned calmness and asked quietly.
“I heard there was big trouble at home? Second Uncle wants to rebel and become the Sect Master himself?” Feng Zuojun asked.
Sitong’s voice was filled with sorrow, “Alas, young master, a lot has happened in our Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm in the past six months. It’s a long story, but in short, those of us who were originally under the main branch have now been assigned to various manors as the lowest-ranking servants. We are bullied every day, and many people couldn’t take it anymore and went down the mountain. And some… sigh, never mind.”
“That good-for-nothing Second Uncle, he actually had the guts? What about my father? What happened to my father?” Feng Zuojun asked urgently.
“If the Sect Master was here, that Second Master wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly. Half a year ago, the Sect Master suddenly disappeared. We searched the entire Yunmeng Prefecture but couldn’t find any trace of him. In the end, with no other options, the elders and family heads sealed off Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm and held internal discussions. The final decision was that Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm couldn’t be without a leader for even a day, so the elders planned to send someone to the Academy to bring you back, young master.” Sitong sighed.
“How could my father disappear for no reason? Someone must have harmed him,” Feng Zuojun said resentfully. “But since you planned to find me, why didn’t I receive any news at the Academy?”
“Before the messengers sent by the elders could set out, we received envoys from other families first. People from the Heavenly Book Hall and Heavenly Water Manor drove away the elders’ messengers, claiming that the three families of Yunmeng Prefecture were one and that when one family had an issue, the other two should naturally offer assistance. They believed that you, young master, were still too young and studying at the academy, so it was not appropriate to disturb you. They thought the Second Master, in his prime, was fully capable of taking charge of Heavenly Dawn Cloud Realm and becoming the new Sect Master.” Sitong looked around to make sure no one was following, then finally raised his voice slightly, “These people aren’t here to help us at all. They clearly see that our Cloud Realm is leaderless and are here to take advantage of the situation!”
“Who gets to decide who becomes the Cloud Realm Sect Master? How can they have the final say? Did the elders agree to this?” Feng Zuojun thought about the elders in his family. Although none of them were particularly powerful, they had always been extremely disgusted with the other two major factions in Yunmeng Prefecture and shouldn’t have agreed to such a thing.
“Of course, the elders didn’t agree, but this time, the Heavenly Book Hall and Heavenly Water Manor clearly didn’t want to reason with them and directly attacked the elders who disagreed. With the Sect Master gone, no one was a match for them. The Second Master’s faction had always kept a few hired experts, but it was obvious they had colluded beforehand and joined forces to seize the position of the Sect Master. Alas, the Sect Master succession ceremony is coming soon. Young master, you’re back this time, could it be to claim the position?” Sitong’s voice held both joy and worry, “But now, most of the Sect Master’s trusted followers have been driven down the mountain, and the rest are useless servants like us. We are outnumbered and weak, I’m afraid we can’t fight them.”
“Don’t worry,” Feng Zuojun said firmly.
“Could it be that the young master brought experts from the Academy to help? By the way, the young man just now was the third young master of the Xie family from Jiangnan. Could it be that the four great families of Jiangnan are supporting the young master?” Sitong suddenly realized, “Then there might be a chance.”
“Don’t tell anyone about my return. If necessary, I’ll have Xie Yuling contact you.” Feng Zuojun pondered for a moment, then continued, “Secretly gather the disciples of our main branch who are still on the mountain, sound them out, and give me a list of those you can trust.”
“Understood,” Sitong nodded.
In the guest room of Jade Dew Mansion, Xie Yuling poked a hole in the window paper with his finger, secretly observing the courtyard. “Senior Sister, someone has been watching us since we arrived. If Feng Zuojun comes directly from the backyard, he will definitely be discovered.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the window behind the guest room was pushed open. Feng Zuojun jumped in and then closed the window with a wave of his hand.
“I’ve been playing hide-and-seek with those old geezers since I was four years old. This Jade Dew Mansion is where I used to study. Finding a hidden path here without being noticed is not difficult for me at all!” Feng Zuojun said with a hint of pride in his tone.
“How was it? Did you learn anything?” Nangong Xi’er asked.
“It’s indeed not good. My father has disappeared, and the Heavenly Book Hall, Heavenly Water Manor, and my Second Uncle have colluded and are about to appoint a new Sect Master.” Feng Zuojun smiled, “But since the Sect Master is missing, I, the young master, should be the one to succeed him. They deliberately kept me in the dark, but now I’m back!”
“What about Su Baiyi?” Nangong Xier didn’t seem to care about what Feng Zuojun was saying.
“A lamb entering the tiger’s den… Let’s hope for the best,” Feng Zuojun scratched his head.
In the Immortal Jade Palace, Feng Wan’er slowly removed her long robe and turned around. “Young master Su, shall we…”
A finger pressed against her chest. Su Baiyi let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Forgive me.” He had been waiting for an opportunity ever since he entered the Immortal Jade Palace. He wasn’t sure how strong Feng Wan’er’s cultivation was and was worried that his rudimentary acupuncture technique wouldn’t be able to restrain her, but it seemed he had made the right gamble.
Feng Wan’er, however, didn’t seem surprised. She just smiled and said, “So you like to play this kind of game.”