Chapter 606: I’ll Be Damned

"What a disgrace..."

"A blow to decency..."

"In broad... Ugh, in broad daylight..."

In the empty palace hall, Wang Xuanling frowned deeply, muttering to himself.

After Xu Ziyang returned and briefly explained the situation, Old Wang’s face darkened, the fine wrinkles on his forehead furrowing with confusion.

What is wrong with young people these days? This is the imperial palace! Even if they don’t respect the solemnity of the palace, they should at least understand that this is someone else’s home... and it's still broad daylight!

Out of concern for the dignity of the two outstanding young talents from Mount Shu Sect, he was not in a rush to interrupt their business. He decided to wait until they emerged to give them a stern lecture.

Yet, they still hadn’t come out of the room...?

After waiting for a long time, Wang Xuanling finally lost patience. With a flick of his sleeve, he stood abruptly and declared, "I’ll fetch them myself."

Xu Ziyang followed behind him, but after only a few steps, Wang Xuanling stopped him. "You stay back."

When Wang Xuanling reached Jiang Yuebai’s door, he took a few steps back and let out a heavy cough. "Ahem!"

But he didn't hear any sound coming from inside.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Wang Xuanling thought it was weird. Immediately, he called out, "Chu Liang? Jiang Yuebai?"

"I’m here!"

"Me too!"

Two voices answered in quick succession from within.

They indeed belonged to Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai.

"I called for a meeting in the hall. Why have you still not come over?" Wang Xuanling asked with a stern voice.

Jiang Yuebai replied, "Senior Uncle, we had pressing matters to attend to, which caused the delay. Please forgive us."

"What could be so urgent?" Wang Xuanling’s tone grew louder. "Let me see for myself!"

"Ah..." Jiang Yuebai hesitated for a moment before saying, "Senior Uncle, please wait a moment."

"I’m coming in!" Wang Xuanling declared, his voice firm. "I’ll give you the time of three breaths. Then I’m breaking down the door."

Three, two, one...

Assuming that he had given them enough time to get dressed, Wang Xuanling strode forward and flung the door wide open.

"Senior Uncle Wang!"

Wang Xuanling immediately saw Chu Liang sitting at the table. His face was pale, and his breathing seemed weak.

Jiang Yuebai stood to the side, appearing perfectly normal.

The old man glanced at Chu Liang and shook his head. "Young people... I understand, but you mustn’t overdo it. You need to exercise some self-control..."

"

Cough, cough

," Chu Liang coughed twice before saying, "The injuries I sustained yesterday have flared up again, so I asked Senior Sister Jiang to help treat me. What exactly is Senior Uncle Wang referring to?"

"Hmm?"

The old man examined Chu Liang closely, placing a hand on his shoulder. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Chu Liang’s qi circulation was indeed blocked due to his injuries.

Everyone had seen the extent of Chu Liang’s injuries yesterday, so there was no reason to doubt their severity.

However, after seeing him appear to be in normal condition after a night’s rest, they had assumed he had fully recovered.

But it seemed that wasn't the case.

"

Haaaaa

," Chu Liang sighed and said, "Senior Uncle, though you usually keep your emotions hidden, I can see clearly that winning first place for the Mount Shu Sect this time brought you more joy than anyone else. Your love for our sect runs deeper than all of ours combined! You’ve lived a life of frugality and hard work, dedicating yourself to our sect for decades without ever asking for anything in return. Seeing you experience such rare moments of happiness, we can’t help but share in your joy!"

"My injuries flaring up is nothing major," Chu Liang continued, gently taking Wang Xuanling's hand. "If I had mentioned it, it would have only worried you. As long as I can endure it, how could I bear to disturb your rare moment of happiness?"

"You... this child..." Wang Xuanling's aged face twitched slightly.

Such a thoughtful child, and yet I actually thought they were doing something improper behind closed doors... Oh, I’ll be damned.

Old Wang felt deeply moved but said no more. He silently circulated his foundational qi, helping Chu Liang smooth out the blockage in his circulation of qi.

Wang Xuanling then said, "Next time, just come to me directly. As your elder, any shortcomings in taking care of you are my responsibility!"

...

In reality, the injuries Chu Liang suffered were from the guards of the Dragon-Keeping Pool in the Imperial Garden. As for his wounds from the previous day, those had mostly healed after a night's rest.

With a physique as formidable as a True Dragon, he endured two powerful strikes before fleeing. He eventually made his way to the consort’s courtyard, diving into the water right in front of her.

Beneath the lake lay an underground waterway. He swiftly swam through it and emerged at a different location.

He had carefully planned out this escape route in advance.

What he hadn’t expected was the presence of a consort by the lake. She had likely seen him dive in. Even if she were an ordinary person, she would have noticed something unusual.

The Dragon-Keeping Guards should have caught up with him soon after.

Yet, after diving into the water and fleeing, he detected no pursuers.

Could it be that the consort hadn’t reported seeing me dive into the water?

Chu Liang wondered.

Strange as it was, it worked out for the best—the mission was a success. Now, he only had to enjoy the Qinghong Banquet and wait for Little Golden Dragon to seek him out afterward.

Once the Little Golden Dragon recovered and fully refined the final legacy left by his mother, he might still fall short of reclaiming the Great Dao of Cloud Dominion, but his strength would be greatly amplified.

Upon reaching adulthood, he was destined to become one of the strongest seventh-realm entities.

At the very least, he would be much more powerful than the White Dragon of the Mount Shu Sect.

The Golden Dragon lineage ensured that his accomplishments in adulthood would far outshine those of ordinary True Dragons.

Although helping the Little Golden Dragon with this was risky, it allowed Chu Liang to learn how to refine the Blue Dragon’s Orb, granting him a substantial power boost in a short period. It was a fair trade.

When Chu Liang rushed back, he narrowly avoided being caught by Wang Xuanling, who pushed the door open just as he stepped inside. Quickly, he sat at the table, making sure to hide any signs of what had just happened.

Old Wang then brought Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai to the main hall, where Xu Ziyang and Ling Ao were already waiting. Finally, the five of them were gathered.

"I summoned you here because, upon entering the imperial city today, I noticed something strange," Wang Xuanling said seriously. "There is a powerful flow of qi in the city, and it feels like it's just waiting to attack.."

Since Wang Xuanling had devoted most of his cultivation in the art of sword, he could be considered an experienced sword cultivator. Being highly attuned to the flow of qi, he immediately sensed the anomaly upon entering the city.

It felt like the calm before the storm.

"It feels like a great battle could break out at any moment," he said slowly. "I must warn you. Don’t wander around today. I don't know what happened in the palace, but it has nothing to do with us. Let’s attend the Qinghong Banquet, fulfill our obligations, and leave right after. Don’t interfere in other matters."

As he spoke, Jiang Yuebai glanced at Chu Liang.

Chu Liang gave a faint smile and said, "Understood."

Based on his deduction, the unusual flow of qi was most likely caused by the Golden Dragon's escape. With the loss of the fate-suppressing celestial beast, the imperial city was bound to take action. This came as no surprise to him.

As they spoke, the sound of marching troops suddenly echoed from outside. Several units of the imperial guards had surrounded the entire palace compound!

"What’s happening?" Wang Xuanling asked sharply as he stood and hurried outside.

A flicker of doubt crossed Chu Liang's eyes.

Could they have discovered what I did? If so, they got here much faster than expected.

As Chu Liang pondered the situation, a leader of the imperial guards stepped forward, cupping his hands in a respectful salute. "Grand Peak Master Wang," he said, "my apologies for the interruption. By the emperor’s command, all palace halls are now under lockdown, and major routes have been sealed. We appreciate your cooperation."

Wang Xuanling asked, "What major event has occurred?"

After a brief hesitation, the guard captain lowered his voice and said, "I suppose I can tell you... The imperial consort has been assassinated!"

"Who could be so daring?" Wang Xuanling exclaimed in disbelief.

"We don’t know who the killer is," the guard captain replied frankly. "Her body was left in the Qinghong Aviary for hours. If someone hadn’t happened to pass by, it wouldn’t have been discovered until moments before the banquet."

These people from the Mount Shu Sect had only just entered the palace, so they were naturally not suspects in the murder. Thus, he saw no need to conceal the details of the case.

A wave of murmurs swept through the hall, filled with disbelief and curiosity.

The others were astonished that the beloved imperial consort had been murdered in the palace.

But Chu Liang was shocked for a different reason. He had clearly seen that imperial consort with his own eyes earlier!

During the opening ceremony of the Immortal Sect Assembly at Emperor’s Mound, he had seen the consort’s face. There was no way he would mistake her for another person. The woman by the lake in the consort’s courtyard had definitely been her.

Yet the body found in the palace could not possibly be someone else either.

Then who exactly had he encountered by the lake?