It sounded like she was coaxing a child. Feng Yun’ai opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.
They dismounted before a carved railing, hitched the horses, and crossed a gallery bridge until they reached the assembly hall.
A guard went inside to report. Upon seeing Zhou Gui nod, the guard cupped his hands to the two outside. “Elder Zhou invites you both in.”
She’s still an ‘Elder’? I thought Zhou Gui would have declared herself Alliance Leader.
Feng Yun’ai stepped inside silently. She didn’t know the alliance’s etiquette, but seeing Sang Chencao bow and perform a specific hand seal, she followed suit.
Fortunately, she was a fast learner and didn’t allow Zhou Gui to notice anything suspicious.
Zhou Gui sat at the front. The wooden desk hadn’t been replaced yet. Her face was weary, likely exhausted from the effort of trying to catch the infiltrator.
A shadow was cast upon the screen behind her. Clearly, someone was sitting back there, but it was impossible to tell who.
“Reporting to the Elder, the Golden-Wanderer Eternal Flower has been delivered to the Sword Trial Stage,” Sang Chencao said, lowering her gaze.
Zhou Gui smiled and tapped the wooden desk several times. After a long silence, she said, “Look after it well. It must not pass through anyone else’s hands. If anything goes wrong, I will hold the two of you responsible.”
“Understood,” Sang Chencao replied.
Feng Yun’ai echoed the response like a parrot. Aside from that, she didn’t say a single word.
Zhou Gui’s expression changed the moment she finished speaking. She seemed to have matters to discuss with the person behind the screen and waved them away.
Feng Yun’ai cast a brief glance at the screen before following Sang Chencao out. She felt a sense of unease.
So secretive… it seems the person hiding behind that screen is definitely not from the Hantian Alliance, nor the current Dieshan Alliance.
Luckily, the subordinates Zhou Gui had recently recruited did not know each other well. When they crossed paths, they merely nodded at most, with no further interaction.
Only after they were back in the carriage did Feng Yun’ai speak coldly. “Zhou Gui truly has ulterior motives. Could the person behind the screen be a devil from the Borderlands?”
“Not necessarily. People from the Borderlands have distinct features; she wouldn’t dare bring one so openly to her side,” Sang Chencao said.
“Could there be someone else behind that person, and that one is the Borderlands devil?” Feng Yun’ai speculated, her eyes downcast. “Zhou Gui wants to rule the Central Plains martial arts world, that much is true. But she might not want to share the spoils with the Borderlands. She must have been deceived; she probably doesn’t even know she’s being controlled by a Nightmare Art.”
“How are you so smart! Though, it’s also possible she’s willing to be controlled. That’s the price,” Sang Chencao said, feigning shock. She had clearly guessed this long ago and was merely exaggerating her praise to tease the other woman.
Feng Yun’ai’s ears were practically calloused from such talk. She wanted to argue, but decided against it.
The more she argued, the more excited this woman became.
Sang Chencao steered the horse and glanced back, speaking slowly. “Xiuxiu, give me directions. Which way to the Winter Lute Courtyard?”
Feng Yun’ai snapped out of her thoughts, lifted the curtain to look around, and pointed. “Head east. When you see the pond, turn north.”
It was noon, and the Winter Lute Courtyard was empty. Most people were likely out on duty, as no other sounds could be heard.
Feng Yun’ai let out a sigh of relief. After getting off the carriage, she kept rubbing her face. The skin mask wasn’t breathable, and it felt uncomfortably stuffy.
“Bear with it. You know you can’t just peel it off.” Sang Chencao wandered around the courtyard and found the registries for each room, which also noted their respective duties.
Fortunately, the two of them shared a room, and the two women they were impersonating were specifically tasked with guarding the flower. They didn’t need to patrol the city or appear frequently before Zhou Gui, which made things easier.
Sang Chencao put the registry back. When she returned, she whispered, “That Golden-Wanderer Eternal Flower is precious. Every day at the Hour of the Rooster, we have to go to the cellar to get ice to chill it for a while. We also have to leave the Alliance to get fresh blood and meat to bury in the soil.”
“What kind of blood and meat?” Feng Yun’ai felt unsettled.
Sang Chencao only smiled and said nothing.
Feng Yun’ai could guess. If they had to leave the Alliance to get it, it certainly wasn’t ordinary beef, mutton, or pork.
“This way, it will also be convenient for us to bring Leader Feng inside,” Sang Chencao said with a narrow-eyed, cold smile.
When the Hour of the Rooster arrived, the two rode out of the Alliance.
Luckily, Sang Chencao had the foresight to learn everything about the two women’s duties before knocking them out.
She even knew exactly where they were supposed to go and who they were supposed to meet. She handled it with such familiarity that it seemed like this wasn’t her first time doing such things.
Had the woman’s demeanor not been her usual self, Feng Yun’ai might have suspected she was traveling with someone else entirely.
The Dieshan Alliance carriage traveled freely through Cloud City. It turned into the back alley of a restaurant. Before the two could even speak, someone delivered a waist-high wooden bucket to the carriage.
A stench of blood wafted from the bucket. When the lid was lifted, one could see a crimson meat paste. Not a single bone was visible, making it impossible to tell what creature it came from. Blood was mixed in, pooling slightly in the depressions of the meat. It was nauseating.
The two men carrying the bucket said nothing, merely bowing their heads as they saw the carriage off.
Feng Yun’ai held her breath, uncomfortably averting her gaze. Yet the woman sitting in front, driving the horse, still looked as leisurely as ever, as if she were long accustomed to this.
Sang Chencao said, “We’ll wait until the final day to bring Feng Rong into the Dieshan Alliance. There are too many variables in the meantime. There’s no telling if Zhou Gui will change the guards for the flower.”
Feng Yun’ai nodded silently.
Sang Chencao tilted her head slightly, glancing back. “Chopped so fine… likely so that no one can recognize what it was.”
“You don’t seem surprised at all. Could it be that Wen Lanxin also…” Feng Yun’ai found it extremely difficult to say.
Sang Chencao let out a sharp laugh, her tone slowing as if she were mocking. “Wen Lanxin didn’t just raise insects and beasts; she actually raised people. She just didn’t raise them well, so she chopped them all up to feed the snakes and scorpions. Do you believe me, Xiuxiu?”
Feng Yun’ai’s pupils constricted. She couldn’t imagine that the ethereal Feng Rong would have a fellow disciple with such a venomous heart.
“Half-truth, half-lie. Did you actually believe all of it?” Sang Chencao wasn’t exactly mocking; she was cheerful, with a strangely indulgent tone.
Feng Yun’ai thought back on her words and asked uncertainly, “Did Wen Lanxin really raise people?”
“How else would you be seeing me?” Sang Chencao replied nonchalantly.
