‘Wait, isn’t that his voice?’ Though Yao Lian was confused by the patriarch’s remarks, she noted that the voice of the man beside patriarch sounded similar to that of the individual she had spoken with the night before.
‘Don’t tell me.’ As she observed the man, her doubts intensified. She felt a growing certainty that he might be connected to her aunt’s demise. Considering her aunt’s status as an elder, it appeared quite possible for him to travel from the lower town to the upper town in just a few hours if he was indeed responsible for her death, showcasing his strength.
“Miss Yao Lian, I hope with this I have returned the favor,” With Ryuk comfortably occupying the central throne, he rhythmically tapped his fingers on the armrest. His eyes locked onto Yao Lian, maneuvering his words to portray that his presence at the Wei family gathering was connected to the Lian family, signaling his intention to repay their goodwill.
Naturally, he had no knowledge of the Lian family and had never met them. The only thing he knew was that they were connected to this woman who was labeled as a villainess. To prevent her from growing stronger or making any bold moves, he needed to put a leash around her neck.
Mostly, Ryuk’s interest in her was piqued after hearing how her body possessed a physique that could level up his Kundalini.
Once he awoke in Ardoros, he discovered that the Kundalini was active within him, serving as a spiritual energy that could potentially fortify him in body and spirit. Still, he lacked knowledge on how to advance this growth.
‘What favor is he talking about?’ Yao Lian furrowed her eyebrows, feeling slightly confused upon hearing the man talk about some favor when he had openly threatened her while commenting that if he were the one who killed her aunt, then most likely it would not have ended with just one death.
Right now, she at least knew that he was very strong, and without the support of the elders of the Wei family, it would be tough for her to deal with him. This prompted her to forget about revenge for the moment and try to understand exactly what he was trying to accomplish by mentioning favors and other things.
‘How dare you, Yao Lian!’ The patriarch of the Wei family finally confirmed that this was some favor which this flag bearer was trying to return or settle with the Lian family, and it was clear that the Lian family had requested him to allow their daughter Yao Lian to get a seat in the trial of the Immortal Phoenix.
“I beg your pardon, Patriarch, but could you please tell me who this might be?” Yao Lian questioned the patriarch, aware that the man who had posed a threat to her the night before sat next to him. However, she did not possess any details about him beyond his remarkable strength.
‘You sly bitch!’ Internally, the patriarch fumed, wishing to shred this woman who was as sly as a fox. She feigned ignorance towards this flag bearer, causing patriarch’s anger to surge, an emotion that was spilling over in the form of his aura and energy.
His remaining patience snapped as he decided to give the Lian family a death they never expected.
“He is the Wei family’s guest,” but suppressing his anger as he clenched the armrest tightly, the Patriarch informed.
“I understand.” Yao Lian nodded, feeling that the Patriarch was showing his dissatisfaction or anger towards her. She took it as if he were expressing his dissatisfaction for the words of the elders who might have supported her for getting the position inside the Trial.
Not doubting anything about how his anger was directed towards the Lian family, she turned towards Ryuk before greeting him, “I apologize for my late introduction, young master. My name is Yao Lian.”
“But didn’t we already know each other?” Ryuk, slightly leaning back and folding his hands, looked towards Yao Lian with a smile while saying words that had two different meanings for both the Patriarch and Yao Lian.
To the Patriarch, it merely indicated that he had previously crossed paths with Yao Lian during his encounters with the Lian family. Conversely, for Yao Lian, it served as a reminder that he was the individual she had conversed with the previous night.
In the end, it was just wordplay with different meanings behind it.
‘…Damn you!’
Both the Patriarch and Yao Lian were deep in their heads. Yao Lian shot a mad glare at Ryuk, who was just sitting there, smirking at her like he was in on some big joke. The Patriarch, on the other hand, was directing his frustration at Yao Lian, feeling totally let down by her supposed betrayal of the Wei family.
For that moment, it was like a triangle, where, unaware of anything, both Patriarch and Yao Lian played in Ryuk’s palm.
“I apologize, Young Master. It seems my memory is failing me. May I ask for your name?” Yao Lian suppressed her anger as she prioritized discovering the identity of this man, postponing everything until the trial succeeded. She knew that the most important thing for her right now was to secure a position in the trial.
“It’s Rui ke, Miss Yao Lian,” Ryuk replied as he turned his eyes towards the Patriarch who was seated beside him while ignoring Yao Lian. He inquired, “By the way, when is the trial?”
“Young master, it’s next week,” Emerging from his contemplation on how to torture Lian family, Patriarch responded with composure, carefully upholding his pride and ensuring he didn’t seem vulnerable in the eyes of the other elders.
“It’s decided then. Show us a room to rest,” With a gentle tap on the armrest, Ryuk rose to his feet, and Esme quickly followed suit, walking behind him as they made their way down the stairs. They passed beside Yao Lian, who remained stationary there looking towards the direction of the thrones. Moments before he went on to add, “I would really appreciate it if you could accompany us to see this location, Miss Yao.”
‘What? Now what is this about?’ Standing there, as she heard his words, she glanced back at him as she saw his figure slowly distancing from her, accompanied by that woman in white. Yao Lian kept looking without moving until she heard.
“Accompany him, Yao Lian,” the Patriarch gestured with his hand towards Yao Lian as she nodded before all three of them turned and left the room.
—
“Second Elder, kill everyone from the Lian Family and feed them puppet Gu.” Seated alone in the hall, several elders had already left, and only a few most trusted remained seated in their chairs as they intently listened to the command from the Patriarch, who coldly gazed at the enormous door of the hall, a clear killing intent filling the whole place.
“B-but Patriarch—I understand,” The Second Elder wanted to suggest that the puppet Gu was only used by the other side of the Jade Dominion. However, he halted, knowing that even though it was a forbidden demonic path—where goo was implanted inside a dead body to control all its functions and thought processes while acting as the soul—he remained quiet, seeing the Patriarch’s intense glare, and bowed.
To be exact, puppet goo was used by demonic cultivators after they used an entire village as a cauldron to hide it from orthodox path followers. They typically used it to turn the villagers into undead beings with functioning brains, while making them act completely normal as if the human bodies had never died; however, they were merely alive in a mechanical sense.
“Third Elder,” looking towards the second elder who had left, the patriarch glanced towards another old man who bowed and intensely heard his orders as he commanded, “Go and send the message to the Phoenix Order that a flagbearer has infiltrated the Wei family.”
