Chapter 395: Picking a Spot

For three days, the Quanrong delegation was confined to the garrisons. Lacking the emperor's direct summons, the guards looked dangerously close to wardens by now.

They were bored out of their minds, waiting for Hu Lianchai to send back something, anything.

Hum~

With a ripple, a tall wall of the courtyard wiggled at one spot, followed by the sneaky Hu Lianchai finally making his appearance.

With no guard being any wiser, Tuoba Liufeng signaled them to get back in the room to discuss.

"Hu Lianchai, have you found out Tianyu's situation?" Tuoba Liufeng asked.

Hu Lianchai gave a heavy nod and saluted, "Young master, Tianyu is just like we've learnt from Prime Minister Zhuge, having experienced great change. All brought upon by the same man that stopped our march, Zhuo Fan. He is a hard man to deal with."

"Eh?"

Tuoba Liufeng raised an eyebrow, staring him in the eye and motioning to continue.

After taking a moment to organize his thoughts from his overexcited heart, Hu Lianchai stressed every word, "Based on my investigation, there was no eighth noble house eight years ago, but a nameless third-rate clan. But under Steward Zhuo's leadership, this clan struck like lightning, killing everyone in their path to reach the status of Eighth Noble House. He is a rare talent, with a sharp mind and boundless might..."

Hu Lianchai gave a systematic recount of the clan's history. Sighing now and then, but all out of respect and fear. The narration took half a day.

Everyone watched him blankly, their lips dry, unable to believe. Tuoba Liufeng and Imperial Tutor were downright plagued with worry.

In less than a decade, he had raised a third-rate clan into a house, even surpassing their thousand-year-old legacy. This man was a true rarity.

He wasn't just some guy with a gimmick, but an unheard of genius in the truest sense of the word.

"Hu Lianchai, are you sure you aren't wrong? How could this have happened? How is he so strong?" Zha Lahan protested in his denial.

Rolling his eyes, Hu Lianchai was just as bitter, "Do you think I want to believe this fairy tale? Am I that much of a fool? Everyone on the streets knows about this, down to the last bum. I am forced to believe it!"

"That's why Zhuge Changfeng told us to stay clear of him. He is a serious threat. It's best we follow his advice for now." Han Tiemo said.

Tuoba Liufeng squinted while pondering but nodded in the end, "He will become our end if we don't get rid of him. But with how few we are, it'll be hard if he possesses the skills they say he does. We need to think of the bigger picture."

Tuoba Liufeng had to accept it no matter how much it pained him.

Zha Lahan was completely against it still.

[Didn't Tuoba Lian'er just say that me and Zhe Bie are enough to waste him?]

[This is absurd!]

The young commander had complete trust in the Eight Wolf Wardens. Any impossible mission would be completed once they stepped in. So why was it that against a Tianyu whelp, he had lost all confidence?

Zha Lahan grumbled inside, glancing at Zhe Bie. From his icy look, he figured the guy was of the same mind.

"Now we know Tianyu's situation and need only to wait for the emperor's summons. Hu Lianchai, resume scouting and report anything you find, even rumors. The rest of you are dismissed."

"Understood!"

Tuoba Liufeng had them all withdraw. Hu Lianchai bowed.

As they all went their separate ways and Hu Lianchai was all hush-hush in his sneaking out, someone called out, "Hu Lianchai, wait."

Hu Lianchai turned to see Touba Lian'er bringing Zha Lahan and Zhe Bie. He bowed, "Young miss, do you need me?"

"Hu Lianchai, your stealth cultivation method is rare in this world. Can you also take us along?" Lian'er looked at him with hope flashing in her eyes.

Hu Lianchai frowned, "Young miss, are you..."

"Ha-ha-ha, to be perfectly honest, old pal, we want to get rid of that insufferable prick!" Zha Lahan shouted, his face twisted with malice.

Hu Lianchai paled, "You can't! Let's say the rumors about him are inflated, but that doesn't mean you can beat him. We still don't know what he did to reach such a high position, all by himself too. Moving without the Imperial Tutor and young master's consent will affect the plan. We can't take responsibility for that. I just can't take you!"

The three nodded, figuring as much.

Still, Touba Lian'er continued, "Then we won't kill him, and will just teach him a lesson. Hu Lianchai, you've heard it as well, how brother isn't confident in you Eight Wolf Wardens. We have to prove him wrong, to wash away this shame as Quanrong warriors."

"What if the kid is as godlike as they say..."

"Enough ifs. Rumors always tend to exaggerate. When have you seen someone that strong around? Taking the attacks of two peak Radiant Stage experts at the 3rd layer of Profound Heaven Stage? That's inhuman."

Touba Lian'er cut him off with a strong objection, "Zha Lahan, with your innate power, you've lived among spiritual beasts deep in the mountains until twenty. Can you do it? Do you believe such a ridiculous thing actually took place on this earth?"

Zha Lahan shook his head with a smile, "Young miss, I don't mean to brag but I have yet to find someone who can survive my strength. When I entered the Radiant Stage, I could handle a peak Radiant Stage body cultivator's attack, while two would be somewhat harder. This is why I do not give credence to what Hu Lianchai says about the prick's masterstroke. It is a fantasy, a made up fairy tale!"

"Yeah. I've met the guy and even though he is fast at cultivation, that doesn't make him invincible. We're only going to expose the charlatan for who he is and showcase the divine might of Quanrong!" Touba Lian'er's face was filled with pride, "Not to mention that bastard was mean to me back in Beast King Mountain. He even stole my stuff. And I'm supposed to just let him get away with it? We, Quanrong, are no pushovers!"

Hu Lianchai nodded.

They were warriors who didn't know how to retreat. Of course they'd be sure to vent their miss' temper tantrum.

With no more preamble, Hu Lianchai nodded, "Alright, young miss, enter my beast holding ring. I'll take you out."

Eyes aglint, Touba Lian'er and the other two perked up.

In a flash of white, Hu Lianchai had them tucked away.

Hu Lianchai's figure shimmered and he soon blended in with nature, moving around like a heat wave...

Meanwhile, in the Regent of Prosperity's Compound's garden, Zhuo Fan was sipping green tea under a pavilion. In front of him were a handful of rocks scattered around on the table.

Zhuo Fan was steadily looking at them.

"Steward Zhuo, what's on your mind?" A soft voice broke his reverie, noticing Yun Shuang coming over.

The stones had names on them, to which Yun Shuang said, "I see, Steward Zhuo is brainstorming how to get out of this impasse."

"Yeah, the four factions, including Quanrong, are now in a stand-off." Zhuo Fan smiled, sipping his tea, and weighed a rock, "Neither side wants the deadlock to persist, looking for a palooka so hard in the head that he'd smash this stalemate wide open. But who'd be willing to become the eye of the storm, the public enemy number one, whose fate is to be torn to shreds?"

Yun Shuang looked at him at a loss, scratching her head.

Zhuo Fan smiled, "I didn't want to do it, but Shuang'er, what I understood from your readings is that all these insidious players have one thing in common, they all want to make me the scapegoat. Such a fate is hard to change, even if I'm willing."

Yun Shuang saw the look in his eyes and started to worry.

Zhuo Fan laughed at her look, "Relax, since I know heaven's direction, I'll just move against the grain. They want me to become the center of it all, that's fine by me. They'll just have to witness the second coming of Gu Santong!

"But unlike him, I'm not one to fall so easily, he-he-he..." Zhuo Fan snickered.

Yun Shuang sighed. She had yet to get used to seeing his evil grin, but felt at ease knowing Zhuo Fan had made up his mind.

Yongning took this moment to make her presence noticed, in her fashionable and cross-gender-cross-cultural-cross-age-cross-dressing scholarly getup, "Shuang'er, Zhuo Fan, to celebrate imperial father's centennial jubilee, the imperial capital is holding a lantern festival. Let's all go."

"You sneaked out again?" Zhuo Fan was in no mood, "Not interested!"

Yongning deflated and turned to Yun Shuang. As the good sister she was, Yun Shuang knew what Yongning was thinking, "Steward Zhuo, the imperial capital is in turmoil and for two weak girls to go alone..."

"Fine, fine, you're an asset I have to protect and keep close." Zhuo Fan waved to her and shook his head.

The girls hid a sneaky smile.