Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for the Hero Recruitment Meet to be rescheduled to an earlier date.
The Red-Necked String-of-Pearls, the flower that the various heroes of the martial world fought to claim at the meet, bloomed only once every nine years. Its flowering season coincided perfectly with the eve of the Hero Recruitment Meet.
This particular plant was exceedingly rare. Its blooming would neither be early nor delayed. If one were to rashly apply medicinal stimulants, the flower would not only fail to bloom, but its very roots and stems would rot in the mud.
This Red-Necked String-of-Pearls had been brought back as a trophy by Feng Rong years ago, after she had eradicated the Demonic Cult.
The Hero Recruitment Meet had only been held twice before; this was the third time. However, using the Red-Necked String-of-Pearls as the prize had already become a convention in the martial world—a way to commemorate that great battle beyond the borders.
Rescheduling was impossible. Unless, of course, this year’s Hero Recruitment Meet no longer intended to use the Red-Necked String-of-Pearls as the prize.
Feng Yun’ai’s expression remained grim. Fortunately, the white silk covering her eyes prevented others from noticing anything amiss.
She had a vague feeling that Zhou Gui and the others were growing impatient. They couldn’t wait for the Red-Necked String-of-Pearls to bloom and would rather replace it with some other flower.
Then again, it was also possible that this year’s meet wouldn’t feature the “Plucking the Blossom” event at all.
It was as if the moment Feng Rong died, every rule she had established was overturned. All traces of her were being submerged by a great flood, leaving no mark of her existence for anyone to find.
Those people clearly intended to erase Feng Rong entirely. From now on, the name “Feng Rong” might never be heard in the Jianghu again.
Sang Chencao took a sip of tea. Using eyes that didn’t match her disguised face at all, she glanced over and said leisurely, “Rescheduled? Where did that news come from?”
The man who had been speaking earlier replied, “From Cloud City, of course. We just came out of the city to catch our breath.”
“Why? Is life in Cloud City not pleasant?” Sang Chencao smirked.
The man said, “It seems you aren’t aware of Alliance Leader Feng’s tragic death.”
“Oh?” Sang Chencao feigned surprise, pretending to be ignorant.
“Feng Rong is dead!” the speaker whispered, covering his mouth. “It seems she was murdered by Wen Lanxin. The Hantian Alliance is currently sending people everywhere to search for that villain. Because of this, the Hero Recruitment Meet had to be moved up.”
Sang Chencao’s eyes flickered. “So it was Wen Lanxin. The Battle of the Cauldron Sea was so many years ago… what grievance could there be between Wen Lanxin and Feng Rong to drive her to such lengths?”
“I’ve heard a bit about that,” another person piped up suddenly.
Through her white silk veil, Feng Yun’ai’s cold gaze drifted toward him.
“I heard that Feng Rong and Wen Lanxin were quite close; they were apparently old acquaintances, not the mortal enemies everyone in the martial world thought they were.” The man weighed his words before continuing, “They say Feng Rong’s establishment of the Hantian Alliance was actually a calculated move. Now that the alliance’s hearts are divided, the martial world intends to form a new alliance. That’s why they have to recruit heroes early to find a new leader. Naturally, the Hero Recruitment Meet had to be moved up.”
As expected, this narrative was being spread.
Feng Yun’ai pursed her lips tightly, her heart a storm of emotions.
Sang Chencao, however, remained composed. She asked curiously, “If they were old acquaintances, why would Wen Lanxin kill Feng Rong? Could it be that the Battle of the Cauldron Sea back then was just an act for show?”
“It’s likely the two had a falling out!” another person interjected. “Wealth and power were all in Feng Rong’s hands. How could Wen Lanxin stay patient? So, she… took action.”
“Pure nonsense,” Feng Yun’ai said coldly.
The others didn’t find her outburst strange. One laughed and said, “You’ve all been deceived by Feng Rong. You still think she was some kind of immortal figure? I have some acquaintances within the Hantian Alliance, and I’ve heard that before Feng Rong founded the alliance, she was a disciple of the Moonlight Sect!”
Everyone in the tea stall gasped, and a flurry of whispers broke out.
If a tea stall miles away from Cloud City was already like this, the restaurants and taverns would likely be worse. Wherever there were people, there was never a shortage of such half-true rumors.
Feng Yun’ai felt a weight in her chest. She couldn’t stand hearing others slander Feng Rong like this, yet she couldn’t afford to speak or act out. Otherwise, all her efforts would be for nothing.
The onlookers simply assumed the white-clad woman with the veiled eyes couldn’t accept the “fall of a star.” They glanced at her, secretly admiring the cold, ethereal grace of this “immortal in white.”
The first man who spoke sighed deeply, drank some tea, and said, “The human heart is truly a needle at the bottom of the sea. Who could have guessed Alliance Leader Feng was that kind of person? Right now, Cloud City is crawling with patrols. They’ve turned the whole place upside down looking for Wen Lanxin and Feng Rong’s old subordinates. Even innocent passersby are being interrogated. That’s why we had to leave the city just to breathe.”
The crowd sighed in succession, worrying about the future of the martial world.
“Is the Moonlight Sect really that terrifying? After all, Feng Rong did repel the foreign enemies for the Central Plains,” Sang Chencao said meaningfully.
The group looked at one another. Everyone felt the Moonlight Sect was terrifying, but no one could explain why in detail.
After a long pause, someone said, “The Demonic Cult from the borderlands certainly deserved to die, but the Moonlight Sect… they aren’t exactly paragons of virtue either. If the rumors are true and Feng Rong took in Yin Wulu’s daughter, then she might have been in league with the Demonic Cult all along. Perhaps she just didn’t follow through on her end of the deal. Later, when it was over, her conscience got the better of her, so she took the child in swaddling clothes.”
No one dared to say another word, fearing they would be labeled as one of Feng Rong’s subordinates and arrested for interrogation.
“There will probably be more people taking the stage this year than ever before. If a new alliance is to be formed, everyone will want a piece of the pie.”
Feng Yun’ai could almost imagine the current state of Cloud City. The city that was once filled with music and dance must now be silent, stifled, and anxious.
The peace was gone. The tranquility Feng Rong had built was destroyed in an instant.
