Chapter 545: Assassination Before a Grave (part 1)
The Violet Lands were special to humans in the continent of South Phoenix. To the scavengers and mortals, they represented imperial authority. They were a symbol of nobility. Anyone who came from the Violet Lands was automatically important. Their style of clothing conveyed eternal luxury, and they gave people something to look forward to. Most people would dream their whole lives of being able to reside there. Sadly, it would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find someone capable of making that move.
The reason for all of that was that the Violet Lands were the last true kingdom of humans in South Phoenix. The Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan, which bore the same name as an even greater kingdom from the Revered Ancient mainland, had long since been toppled. However, eight major clans from that kingdom still lived on.
They represented the true local power of humans. Their court politics affected the entire continent, and because of their long relationship with Flame Phoenix, they benefited from his protection. For generations, they had refused to leave South Phoenix, and they were people no one dared to provoke. In their view, all the other forces in South Phoenix, from Seven Blood Eyes to the Church of Departure, and even the mysterious Words of Truth, were, in the final analysis, outsiders.
Isolationist. Old-fashioned. Haughty. Those were the words most commonly used to describe the Violet Lands.
But on this bright morning, the mortals in the Violet Lands saw something completely unimaginable.
All eight clans had mobilized. The direct bloodline clan members dressed in their finest, and had gathered in ranks at the east gate of the Violet Lands’ capital city. All of them had very respectful expressions on their faces. The eight clan chiefs stood up front with similarly respectful bearings. Flanking them were the elders of the various clans. All of them were looking east toward the horizon.
There were some elderly folks atop the city wall, who had once borne the magical treasure legacies of their people, but who had since passed those legacies on to their successors. Now, their cultivation bases were in decline, and they couldn’t even walk without assistance. But they were there, looking toward the horizon as well.
No one spoke.
Considering how important social hierarchy was in the Violet Lands, this was something rarely seen.
There was nothing in South Phoenix that could cause the isolationist clans to present themselves so solemnly. Clearly, they were waiting to receive someone. Because of that, the mortals in the Violet Lands were all speculating about what was going on.
Among the forces of the eight clans gathered outside the east gate were two people who stood near the clan chiefs. Given their low seniority in the clan, they normally wouldn’t be allowed to stand in that position. But on this day, they had been required to stand there. Many people were glancing their way, including some of the clan chiefs. One was a man, the other was a woman. He was handsome, but his expression was dour. She was beautiful, her expression a mixture of nervousness, anticipation, and also disbelief. They were none other than Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu.
The events in Sea-Sealing County the previous month had been shocking to everyone. And of course, news had spread to the continent of South Phoenix. It was no surprise that the eight clans of the Violet Lands had looked into the matter. Everyone knew that someone named Xu Qing had been appointed as the secretary-general, which was a very high position. And after the attempted coup in the county capital, he had become even more important. It didn’t take long before they found out that Xu Qing, like them, was from South Phoenix. Thus, when they were notified that Xu Qing was coming to the Violet Lands, the eight clans took it very seriously. That was why they had gathered to receive him. They were old-fashioned and isolationist, but they knew who they were dealing with. If this visitor was someone from South Phoenix, they could afford to treat him haughtily. But they wouldn’t dare to treat Sea-Sealing County that way.
As Tingyu wrestled with her nervousness, she quietly asked, “Feiyuan, do you think Xu Qing... is the same as he was before?”
Grandmaster Bai’s death had been a very harsh blow to Tingyu. As she had grown, her personality changed. She became weaker. If it weren’t for Chen Feiyuan protecting her, she would have been nothing more than a tool to be married off by her clan.
“Tingyu,” Chen Feiyuan said, “forget about all that stuff when we were kids.” When he spoke, he sounded grim and forbidding. However, that wasn’t on purpose. He lived in a clan where power struggles affected everything, and everyone was trying to outwit everyone else. He had long since adapted to that environment. “If Xu Qing is the same as before, that would be great. But it wouldn’t be surprising at all to find that he’s changed. Also, the fact that he announced his visit indicates... that there’s an important reason he chose to come here.”
Tingyu nodded and said nothing further.
An hour later, a mighty caw echoed from the horizon, spreading in all directions and causing the clouds to seethe. Qingqin’s massive frame filled the sky, casting a shadow over the Violet Lands. Along with him came the dreadnaught, screaming through the air. They brought a stiff wind that caused the clothing of the Violet Lands cultivators to flap wildly. Expressions somber, they looked up into the sky.
Xu Qing and Daoist Sima emerged from the dreadnaught and landed in front of the east gate. The cultivators from the eight clans all clasped hands and bowed.
“Well met, Secretary-General Xu, Honor Guard Sima.”
Bells tolled in the Violet Lands. They rang twenty-one times, echoing out somberly in all directions.
Xu Qing was as polite as he always was. He returned the greeting according to etiquette, then exchanged some more formalities. After that, he looked at Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu. Smiling, he said, “Elder Brother Feiyuan. Elder Sister Tingyu.”
Tingyu became visibly excited. Chen Feiyuan, on the other hand, remained expressionless, though his eyes flitted back and forth vigilantly. Xu Qing noticed that and wondered what it meant.
Meanwhile, the eight clans enthusiastically invited him into the city. They had planned a lavish banquet to welcome him, but he politely declined, and instead indicated he wanted to pay respects to Grandmaster Bai. The clan chiefs all knew about Xu Qing’s relationship with Grandmaster Bai, and could also tell that he was interested in catching up with his old friends. Naturally, they accommodated his wishes.
The chief of the Bai Clan carefully avoided mentioning that Grandmaster Bai was buried in a public cemetery.
Meanwhile, the chief of the Chen Clan smiled and said, “In that case, we won’t bother you, Secretary-General Xu. My dear son Feiyuan can keep you company and also be responsible for your safety.”
Xu Qing looked at the clan chief and nodded. Then he clasped hands to the representatives of the eight clans. After all of them left, he was alone with Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu.
Once they were alone, Tingyu couldn’t hold back any longer, and she hurried up to Xu Qing. In her memories, Xu Qing was a dirty little kid who had eavesdropped on alchemy lessons outside the tent in the scavenger basecamp. In the blink of an eye, seven years had passed. She hadn’t seen him since the day they parted in that basecamp. Back when Grandmaster Bai passed away, Xu Qing had come to the Violet Lands, but she’d only glimpsed him in passing, and he had also been in disguise. Only later on did Chen Feiyuan tell her about Xu Qing avenging their Teacher’s death. [1]
“Little Junior Brother....” she said, her eyes red with tears.
“Elder Sister Tingyu.” Xu Qing was also feeling emotional. Although he wasn’t as close to Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu as he was to the Captain, the innocence of their childhood relationship was something he would never forget. Though they hadn’t spent much time together, those memories were something he cherished.
As he sighed with emotion, he looked at Chen Feiyuan and noted that his cultivation base was only in Foundation Establishment. However, his aura was very gruish, and it seemed like he had a massive tempest within him. It made Xu Qing think back to when he had used the Seven Blood Eyes taboo treasure, and had seen something inside of Chen Feiyuan. [2]
People with the blood of Violet and Cyan could live symbiotically with magical treasures. It was a power the eight clans had seized, and then eventually turned into an innate ability.
Looking at Chen Feiyuan, Xu Qing said, “Elder Brother Feiyuan, inside of you is that—”
“Well met, Secretary-General Xu,” Chen Feiyuan interrupted, clasping his hands formally.
Xu Qing stopped speaking. Given Chen Feiyuan’s facial expression, and his behavior at the east gate, Xu Qing could guess that something was going on. He turned to Daoist Sima.
Daoist Sima maintained silence for a few breaths of time. Then he quietly said, “Marquis Yao arranged all of this personally. We shouldn’t run into any complications.”
Xu Qing stood there in silence. The trip to the Violet Lands had been announced ahead of time. But when Xu Qing arrived and saw all eight clans present, he had started to suspect something was going on. Combine that with the way Chen Feiyuan looked around vigilantly earlier, it caused everything to click into place. Marquis Yao had probably arranged all of this as a fishing expedition.
It was like how, years ago, Master Seventh had sent him out, then followed along secretly, hoping that people who coveted Xu Qing’s life lamp would reveal themselves. Right now, while Sea-Sealing County was stable again, there were surely still villains in hiding. [3]
There were definitely species with hidden agendas that didn’t want Sea-Sealing County to be stable. Perhaps there were Torchlight agents out there, or other rebels who hadn’t been rooted out during the attempted coup. Even Seventh Prince would have to be on the watch for such people.
Given how important Xu Qing was right now, if he perished, it would be a huge blow to the stability of Sea-Sealing County. Despite that, it didn’t make sense to pour endless resources into mounting defenses against such people. Therefore, Marquis Yao wanted to purge as many of them as possible at the same time. And Xu Qing’s trip had thus become a focal point.
Xu Qing looked expressionlessly in the direction of the county capital. He said nothing further.
Off to the side, Chen Feiyuan’s expression eased after hearing Daoist Sima’s words. He had previously assumed this trip was all Xu Qing’s doing, and that he had been using their Teacher’s grave as a tool in some sort of game. That was why he had reacted with antipathy.
1. Tingyu kept looking over her shoulder at Xu Qing when they parted in chapter 29. She saw him in disguise in chapter 207. ?
2. Xu Qing used the taboo treasure in chapter 383. ?
3. Master Seventh mentioned the “fishing expedition” in chapter 300, though the journey didn’t begin until 301. ?
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