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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
“Sister, I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.” Jun Fan smiled and shook his head at her concerned words as if he was completely fine now.
Gu Changge glanced at Jun Fan with interest as he listened to the notification sounds from the System inside his mind. He sipped his tea and said neutrally, “I think Quelling Chaos King, you already have some clue as to the mastermind of this assassination. The Solar Heavenly Blade has returned, not to mention the grave of the Solar Demon Overlord’s son, Jun Fan, who supposedly died 6000 years ago is empty. So, Yao Xi suspects that Jun Bufan has merely faked his death and secretly plotted this in his hiding place somewhere.”
“My guess is similar to yours too. The Night Demon is an important figure among the Solar Demon Overlord’s subordinates and is extremely powerful. No one other than the Solar Overlord’s descendants can make him do anything. That’s why I think Jun Bufan faked his death back then and had directed this entire operation behind the scenes.” The Quelling Chaos King nodded gravely.
Gu Changge smiled. “Yao Xi has been searching around in the Demon World because of this and found some possible hiding places.”
“Jun Bufan’s hiding place…” The Quelling Chaos King’s expression shifted to shock.
Jun Fan, who had been paying attention to Gu Changge’s conversation with his father, was shocked by this as well. He also wanted to know where Empress Yao Xi had searched. This relieved him as well since it seemed that she hadn’t suspected him yet.
“The Solar Demon Overlord had a son and a daughter. When Jun Bufan faked his death 6000 years ago, his sister, Jun Ruoxi, took up one part of the Demon World territory after the incident and called it the Forbidden Area of the Demon World, despite not being involved in the battle. No one has dared approach all these years, and Yao Xi suspects that he is currently hiding out there.” Gu Changge smiled and continued.
These words had nothing to do with her, of course. Yao Xi had been so busy investigating the young prodigies and so wouldn’t consider all that. He did not mind helping her a little though, since her hatred for Jun Bufan wasn’t deep enough to go for extreme measures. Similarly, Jun Bufan hadn’t looked for his sister all this time because he didn’t want to involve her in this, so it was clear they had a close relationship. However, this was also his weakness.
If the Solar Demon Overlord wasn’t dead, it was doubtful he would do nothing about his son and daughter when he realised they were captured by Gu Changge. [There needs to be a suitable bait to catch a fish, no?]
“Jun Bufan’s sister, Jun Ruoxi.” The Quelling Chaos King’s expression shifted once more to wariness. “May I be bold and assume that Empress Yao Xi wants me to lead an army there to clear out the place?”
Jun Fan tried to maintain his calm as he looked at Gu Changge, who was sitting serenely at the head of the table like a young deity. However, a storm raged within his heart and he felt murderous. He had the urge to crush the man to pieces. Never had he hated someone so much in both of his lives. His hatred for him even surpassed Yao Xi. He didn’t believe Yao Xi had said all that. It sounded more like Gu Changge’s own plans. The man was so cruel, that he was willing to use his sister as bait to draw him out!
“That’s true. Besides, Jun Fan’s performance at the peak of the Sacred Mountain was greatly praised by Yao Xi and she thinks he will be the champion of the Demon World. Thus, she decided to let the two of you go and raid the place. If you see any sign of Jun Bufan, that will be great, but capturing Jun Ruoxi will do just fine if you can’t find him.” Gu Changge smiled after taking a mouthful of tea.
The Quelling Chaos King became serious upon hearing this and made a promise. “I’m grateful to the Empress for favouring us. My son and I will never disappoint her. Fan, come here and thank the Empress and Young Master Changge for their kindness.”
He then waved his hand as a signal for Jun Fan to approach, with a relieved smile on his face. No other member of the young generation in the Demon World had been given such a great responsibility by Empress Yao Xi before. If he performed well, his influence and power would surpass that of an army general.
“Thank you, Empress and Young Master Changge, for your kindness. I will never disappoint you.” Jun Fan still felt cold hatred inside him but did not dare do anything suspicious. He walked forward and bowed respectfully to Gu Changge, swearing internally to tear this man to pieces to satisfy his anger.
“If so, then I’m relieved. That’s all Yao Xi has to say; I’ll excuse myself now.” Gu Changge smiled at his words, seemingly satisfied with the Quelling Chaos King and Jun Fan’s attitudes. He wasn’t planning on continuing his stay and so prepared to leave.
“Have a safe journey, Young Master Changge.” The Quelling Chaos King stood up to escort him.
Gu Changge nodded but then paused in front of Jun Yao for a moment. He smiled at her sudden flustered reaction. “Is this Lady Jun Yao? I heard Yao Xi say that you are adept at the art of tea. If you have the time, I would like to learn from you.”
“Oh, Young Master Changge.” Jun Yao hadn’t expected Gu Changge to talk to her voluntarily or even call her by her name. She felt slightly dizzy and didn’t hear what he had said.
“Yao’er, Young Master Changge is talking to you.” The Quelling Chaos King was delighted at this sight and immediately reprimanded her, “What are you doing?”
Jun Yao came back to herself immediately, a faint blush appearing on her face. She bent her head shyly, too embarrassed to look up at Gu Changge. “I am free any time. You can come any time you like, Young Master Changge.”
He was slightly taken aback but then smiled again. “If so, I’ll come to ask you regarding the art of tea after three days.”
He did not linger any longer after that and led his cultivators away at once. Jun Yao’s face remained red as she watched him disappear, her head still a little dizzy.
“See, Fan’er? Young Master Changge talked to me voluntarily. He even knew my name! Do you think I’m dreaming?” This was too much of a shock to her that she wondered if she was dreaming.
Jun Yao’s expression was dark, though.
“I feel unwell. I’ll go back for some rest.” He shook his head and left quickly.
Jun Yao wondered about him but did not concern herself with that. Her eyes shone as she imagined what would happen three days later. She was looking forward to it and wished that time would go faster.
After leaving the Quelling Chaos King’s Manor, Gu Changge did not ask Bai Lian’er and her brother to the so-called location of the herb but instead returned to the palace where he usually resided. Bai Lian’er and Bai Hua were astounded, still stunned by what had transpired. No one knew Jun Fan was Jun Bufan except for them, and now, Gu Changge was planning to ask Jun Fan to ambush his sister. It was a cruel strategy.
They didn’t know if Gu Changge already knew Jun Fan’s true identity since they were in a risky position themselves. Based on her intuition honed by years of managing the Nephrite Breeze Pavillion behind the scenes, Bai Lian’er was almost certain Gu Changge already knew their true identities. The things Gu Changge had said by the street might just be to tease them, and they nearly believed him! [It seems like hiding our auras, along with the jade amulet my father gave me, which could conceal Heavenly Secrets, had not worked at all!]
She didn’t know how he knew of their identities, but that wasn’t important now. Had she been alone, she had about thirty per cent confidence in escaping out of Gu Changge’s grasp. However, she did have a burden in the form of Bai Hua and she couldn’t just abandon him. The only solution here was to surrender. Being helpless and restricted made her feel uncomfortable.
“You already look beautiful; why did you put such a hideous birthmark on your face?” Just as Bai Lianer was pondering everything, Gu Changge spoke up with some interest and interrupted her line of thought.
Bai Lian’er came back to herself and looked at Gu Changge. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“Lian’er.” Bai Hua looked fearfully at Gu Changge. He might not be intelligent, but he could sense that things weren’t right. Gu Changge hadn’t let them lead the way to whatever location of the herd but took them back to the palace and dismissed everyone else. The meaning of this was clear.
“Nothing. I just think that the birthmark on your face doesn’t look good.” Gu Changge said carelessly.
Bai Lian’er looked at him mildly. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve had it since birth and if you think it’s distracting, let me leave.”
Gu Changge’s eyes landed on her face and he suddenly smiled. “And if I say no?”
“Then I’ll have to keep distracting you.” Bai Lian’er looked back at him fearlessly.
“Really? Then you must be planning on continuing to act dumb.” Gu Changge did not seem to care. “Your current appearance is making me a little conflicted, though.”
She feigned a confused look. “I don’t know what you mean by that, sir. Please forgive my inability to understand.”
“It’s fine if you don’t. You may be able to after I kill him though.” He smiled and reached out his hand. The void blurred out as a terrifying force hurtled down onto a stricken-looking Bai Hua like a tsunami. He couldn’t even react in time as Gu Changge’s hand formed from his technique grabbed him.
“Lian’er, save me.” Bai Hua was pale and terrified, coughing up blood before his bones made cracking sounds. It sounded like his organs were crushed as well. If not for Gu Changge controlling the force of the technique, he would have died on the spot by exploding.
Bai Lian’er’s expression became pale as she glanced coldly at Bai Hua. If her father hadn’t assigned him to her, she wouldn’t even care about such a useless burden, nor would she be controlled by Gu Changge like this.
“What do you mean by that, sir? We haven’t wronged you and only relied on plucking herbs to survive. We never did make any enemies.” She took a deep breath and continued calmly. Gu Changge might have already known their true identities, but she wasn’t going to admit that voluntarily until the end.
“That’s good. I’ll kill him now so we can become enemies.” Gu Changge smiled lightly.
Bai Lian’er’s expression froze, not expecting him to say that. As the words faded, the horrifying sound of bones cracking filled the air and Bai Hua screamed fearfully, unable to withstand such torture.
“Lian’er, save me!” His voice was filled with indescribable pain and terror.
“You can’t even take such minor torture? What a loser you are.” Her expression was cold, but she couldn’t just watch him die in front of her.
She looked at Gu Changge. “Let him go or you will never get the thing you want. My life is worth nothing and I am unafraid of death.”
She had already disregarded her death when she founded the Nephrite Breeze Pavillion. An assassin’s death wasn’t determined by themselves; who knew if they would lose their lives while carrying out a mission? The responsibility her father had given her was like a mission and it was her choice whether she died in the process. She didn’t mind death anymore and left everything to fate, so she wasn’t afraid of his threat.
“You sound reasonable. Your life is truly worth nothing to me.” Gu Changge smiled and released Bai Hua. “Are you ready to prove your sincerity now?”
She glared at him, her gaze unchanging. “What sincerity?”
“It’s simple. I hate the way you look since it makes me nauseated. I do have to admit you are successful in that aspect at least.” He shook his head.
She was stunned by his reply as she hadn’t expected him to want that. She laughed coldly. “I can’t believe you are such a frivolous man.”
Her appearance did change back, though. Her disguise was cunning and intelligent as she hadn’t only changed her physical appearance. Even her bones, flesh, aura, and other aspects had been remoulded entirely to the point that it would be hard for even a supremely powerful being who could see through one’s Source to notice anything suspicious. It was an extremely painful process and was considered a technique of the Killing Emperor, yet it worked as an effective concealment and disguise, which was hard to discern.
“That’s better.” Gu Changge nodded, studying her once again. Due to her unique physique, she held a powerful ability to attract the favour of others. His expression did not change much though. “It seems that the Killing Emperor Legacy has really fallen into your possession. Such a concealment ability will be hard for even a Sacred Emperor to detect.”
“So that’s your motive?” Bai Lian’er’s expression shifted slightly. While there had been many rumours that the mysterious owner of the Nephrite Breeze Pavillion had the Killing Emperor Legacy, they had never been confirmed.
Gu Changge did not answer her question, going straight to the point. “I can release your father as well as make the Demon World stop hunting him down.”
“What are your conditions?” She stared at him. “If you keep your promise, I will obviously give the brocade bag to you. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get it even if you kill me.”
“No, you misunderstand me.” He waved a hand to interrupt her, smiling. “Compared to the bag, I’m far more interested in you.”
She knew what he meant, of course, and began to ponder while glaring at him. He wasn’t worried about this, as he wanted both her and the brocade bag. Her abilities and leadership skills were undisputed, considering she had controlled the Nephrite Bronze Pavillion on her own for so long. Its potential might not be as superior as that of the older assassin guilds such as Neraka and Pagoda, but the strength it displayed was formidable. Besides, secretly developing an assassin’s guild yielded more benefits than risks for him.
“How can I trust someone like you? It’s hard to believe.” She raised her head abruptly to stare at him coldly as if seeking a clear answer.
Gu Changge wasn’t surprised by this. “It’s not how you should believe me. You can only trust me now, since the survival of your father, your guild, and your troublesome Junior is within my control. Who else can you believe? Of course, you don’t have to care about them and it won’t be a loss for me anyway.”
She fell silent as she began weighing the risks and benefits. Such a man wasn’t worth trusting but if she didn’t do so, she might die today while Bai Hua would definitely die. Her father would die as well. Besides that, the guild she had painstakingly managed for more than 6000 years would also soon collapse without her. But on the other hand, she would have to obey his orders and be used by him after this if she agreed. Thus, She stayed quiet for a moment and then nodded.
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“used by him”
Changge’s hornier than usual, lack of su qingge’s twin sister really showing