- Summoning Backup
Baili Yue’s birthday banquet was probably the most important event in the Baiyao Dynasty, besides the victory celebrations against the seasonal demonic beast tides.
During this banquet, the capital would be much livelier than usual, and security would be several times stricter.
—Of course, right now, the security was even tighter.
Besides Gong Yiling and her group, the city was filled with members of the Sword Alliance, the royal family’s black-clad swordsmen, spies from the Youhan Dynasty, and even people from the Hundred Paths Mountain.
In this not-so-large city, over half of the top factions of this fantasy world were gathered.
A true clash of heroes, quite a spectacle.
And beneath the festive surface, a turbulent undercurrent was brewing.
Especially since the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace had publicly announced that their Young Palace Master, Gong Yiling, would personally attend the birthday celebration.
Although she wasn’t famous, her mother was not an ordinary person. For many years, she had only suffered one defeat at the hands of the Hundred Paths Mountain, and at that time, she wasn’t even the true Palace Master, and she was outnumbered.
The Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace usually kept a low profile and rarely made public statements. The only recent one was their accusation against Qian Yue Academy for researching the ruins of the Mingjue Sect.
This time, Miss Gong dared to so high-profilely announce her attendance.
Although the Four Kingdoms were not fond of the demonic sects—if they could kill her without consequences, they would have been delighted to see her come, hoping to kill her and then claim credit with the Hundred Paths Mountain.
But if they had to take responsibility, they didn’t have the guts.
They couldn’t refuse her, and they didn’t dare to kill her. So, they could only welcome her with a smile and see what the Hundred Paths Mountain would do.
Fortunately, some brother came up with a brilliant idea, actually blaming the demonic sects for the recent massacres.
Wow, that single sentence caused a huge uproar.
Public opinion could easily sway many people’s views and force those who were on the fence to make a decision.
And with the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace appearing in the capital at this time, it inevitably looked like they were trying to cover something up.
And just as the rumors were spreading, Gong Yiling, having changed her attire, reappeared outside the city gates.
She was now wearing a pure black, wide-sleeved dress embroidered with immortal feathers. Her brown hair was braided to one side, looking quite gentle, with another small portion coiled up and secured with a black butterfly crystal hairpin.
And she was no longer wearing a veil. Her stunning face, combined with her attire, instantly captivated all the guards at the gate.
“You are…?”
Although they had seen her portrait and knew she was coming…
The portrait was two years old. The difference was obvious. The person before them only bore a slight resemblance.
And the difference between the portrait and the real person… was a bit too large.
They couldn’t imagine the legendary Gong Yiling looking like this. They couldn’t possibly associate her with a demoness or the Young Palace Master of a demonic sect.
If she changed her clothes, she could easily pass for a Daoist immortal…
“Gong Yiling of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace.” Miss Gong smiled. “I have already informed His Majesty Baili that I will be attending his birthday celebration. I wonder if I may enter?”
The guards finally snapped out of it and looked behind her, seeing no one.
“You are… alone?”
The Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace actually sent only one person?
What kind of game was this?
“Since I’m here to offer birthday wishes, and not for any other reason, it should be fine for me to come alone, right?”
Gong Yiling started to walk into the city.
But the guards stopped her.
They exchanged glances.
This was what His Majesty had said earlier. If possible, they should show their stance to the Hundred Paths Mountain.
But the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace was not to be trifled with, so Baili Yue didn’t ask them to be too harsh. A simple gesture would suffice.
“We cannot verify your identity unless you have some proof…”
“Proof?” Gong Yiling chuckled. “What proof do you want? My cultivation technique?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the plaque with the words “Capital” on it flashed with a dark light and shattered into two pieces.
This…
This sudden scene angered the guards.
“You—!”
“Don’t you have my portrait?” Miss Gong crossed her arms and smiled. “If you really can’t recognize me, then is this enough?”
Her words silenced them.
Even if they had a hundred guts, they wouldn’t dare to start a conflict with Gong Yiling here.
But just then, Baili Yue’s “good intentions” finally paid off.
A wave of sword qi swept past Gong Yiling, leaving a tiny scratch on her dress, followed by a voice.
“The Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace, such arrogance.”
This female voice was unfamiliar, but the mockery and hostility were real.
Turning around, she saw a group of people in familiar attire.
The man and woman in the lead…
Although she didn’t know what they looked like, their clothes were something she had never seen in this world.
But why did they look so familiar?
It was simple.
Because their clothes had appeared in the illustrations that came with the book. And not just once, but in almost every illustration.
Why?
It was simple.
Only very important characters got the privilege of appearing in every illustration. And the things they often wore would naturally leave a deep impression.
Yes.
The clothes these two wore were the same as the clothes of a certain, now almost forgotten, male lead.
So, these people were cultivators from the Tianyin Daoist Mountain, and the man in the lead was the current head disciple.
Jiang Chenmo.
Good heavens, although she had anticipated Baili Yue would summon backup, she never expected him to summon… these people.
