WJ Chapter 9

Green Robe (2)

Xifeng City, Yangxin Hall.

No lamps were lit before the desk. Sect Leader Yun Changliu of the Zhuyin Sect casually draped a crane cloak over himself, underneath which was an extremely simple white-based long robe. His tall, elegant figure seemed to appear and disappear in the night.

He lowered his head and eyes, one hand threading through his loose black hair to support his temple, while the other palm caressed a pure white lustrous jade pendant.

The jade pendant was of superior quality with exquisite craftsmanship, delicately carved with patterns of five-colored auspicious clouds and a phoenix spreading its wings. Only… it was just half a piece.

This was half of a separated dragon and phoenix auspicious pendant.

Yangxin Hall was spacious and quiet. By rights, the incomparably noble Sect Leader of the Zhuyin Sect should have had servants attending him – if not in groups, then at least three to five useful people. However, Yun Changliu had a solitary temperament and simply disliked having those maids and attendants following him around… making the vast sect leader’s sleeping quarters empty and desolate, truly quite lonely.

With a ‘click’ sound.

The jade pendant was placed on the desk. Yun Changliu’s gaze turned toward the closed door, and he spoke with unruffled composure. “Come in.”

Even though the person outside had just been careful enough to lighten their movements, since Yun Changliu’s internal strength had reached a transcendent realm, he could naturally hear the sound of someone kneeling.

“Medicine person Ah Ku pays respects to the Sect Leader…”

Ah Ku, dressed in green robes, walked in with his head bowed low, taking two or three hesitant steps toward the Sect Leader before wanting to kneel again.

Yun Changliu’s gaze softened imperceptibly, and he beckoned. “No need, come closer.”

“Sect Leader…” Ah Ku called out very softly, his voice gentle, “Has this slave disturbed the Sect Leader?”

Yun Changliu shook his head. Seeing that Ah Ku had shuffled a few steps but dared not approach further, he simply walked over himself and took the medicine person’s wrist, feeling it tremble slightly beneath his touch.

He was not good with words. Staring at this young medicine person’s delicate face, he remained silent for a long while before asking, “These past two days, have your accommodations been suitable?”

“Thanks to the Sect Leader’s gracious gift, everything has been very good.” Ah Ku hurriedly nodded with small movements. He remembered the robe that had fallen upon him that day beneath Wolong Platform, and his cheeks flushed slightly red. In his evasive glances, that pitiful look of alarm still could not be erased.

Yun Changliu couldn’t help but hesitate and wonder: Could it be that he himself was so frightening as to scare someone like this?

Since that day, he had settled Ah Ku in the warm pavilion beside Yangxin Hall, providing food, clothing, and necessities all according to the standards for honored guests. Yet each time Ah Ku saw him, he was extremely constrained, as if afraid of doing something wrong and being abandoned again, which was truly heartbreaking.

Yun Changliu asked again, “It’s already past the second watch, why aren’t you resting?”

Perhaps feeling his tone was somewhat harsh, the Sect Leader thought for a moment and added, “Didn’t Elder Guan examine your pulse the other day and say that you’ve suffered from qi deficiency and blood loss over these years, with damaged foundations, instructing you to take good care of yourself?”

Saying this, Yun Changliu himself couldn’t help but feel pity. That night when Guan Muyan came to take Ah Ku’s pulse, he had catalogued all the injuries and ailments on the medicine person’s body. Ah Ku’s condition was very poor – aside from the most critical heart meridian issue, his right hand’s meridians had been severed, causing that arm to be almost unable to exert force. He had suffered from cold and dampness, injuring his bones; the sub-sect’s unrestrained blood extraction had left him with insufficient blood and qi, causing him to frequently feel dizzy and faint; and years of exhaustion, poor clothing and little food had left him with a pile of organ problems.

Yun Changliu could barely listen, feeling only a heavy oppression in his heart… All these years, he had been comfortably playing the role of that noble Sect Leader, while Ah Ku, who had saved his life, had been mistreated for so long outside – this was truly unreasonable.

But Ah Ku was flattered beyond measure and hurriedly knelt in panic. “The Sect Leader is benevolent, but Ah Ku came to serve the Sect Leader – how could… how could he instead enjoy such fortune? Ah Ku is merely a lowly medicine person; being able to stand before the Sect Leader like this is already presumptuous.”

“Please, Sect Leader… assign this slave some tasks to do. This slave will surely do them well.”

Yun Changliu’s expression darkened. “Did Protector Guan tell you these words? Is that why you’ve been so restless?”

“No, no, Protector Daren has treated Ah Ku very well.”

Seeing the Sect Leader’s expression was wrong, Ah Ku buried his head even deeper. “Being able to serve the Sect Leader is a blessing this slave couldn’t ask for – no, just being able to see the Sect Leader once more, this slave has already…”

As he spoke, his voice caught and his eyes gradually reddened.

Yun Changliu couldn’t bear to see him so humble. He stepped forward to gather Ah Ku’s hands and help him up, his voice low and pleasant. “Nonsense. Since you’ve returned to this lord’s side, this lord can naturally ensure your peace from now on. This lord has already removed your medicine person slave registration for you – you need no longer be burdened by your status.”

He had changed his self-reference midway through, which startled Ah Ku’s heart into chaos. Upon hearing that his slave registration had been removed, he was thunderstruck – when he came to his senses, tears were already rolling down as he softly called, “Sect Leader…”

“As for the Four Directions Protector, you need not mind him. That Protector’s temperament…”

Yun Changliu shook his head with a light sigh, his expression actually showing some annoyance. “If he bullies you because of this, just tell him it’s this lord’s intention… He will listen to this lord’s words, more or less.”

Ah Ku had just wiped away his tears when he heard this and was somewhat stunned. After all, he considered his status lowly – between a Protector and a Sect Leader, where could there be room for him to speak?

He could only vaguely nod in confusion, glossing over it.

Yet in his heart, he couldn’t help but feel that the Sect Leader seemed… to only speak more when discussing Protector Guan, and within that forbidding coldness that kept people at bay, there could be a bit more human warmth.

….

At the third watch, Guan Wujue still wore his ink plum red robes, standing alone outside Yanyun Palace.

Xifeng City was built against the mountains, and the positioning of these palaces was quite unique. For example, Wolong Platform where the Sect Leader went into seclusion was a platform erected on a mountaintop; and this Yanyun Palace, one of the sect’s forbidden places, in Protector Guan’s eyes was simply a mountain cave that had been carved out and built up.

The Zhuhuo Guards on both sides saluted him. “The Old Sect Leader requests the Four Directions Protector to enter.”

Guan Wujue looked up at the sparse starlight. He actually didn’t want to come. It was that damned old relic Guan Muyan nagging in his ear over and over, annoying him until he had no choice but to come to this ghostly place in the middle of the night to see this troublesome dignitary.

He walked in, following the stone walls of the “cave” inward. The starlight from the sky and snow-light from the ground closed behind him, and ahead became pitch black.

Then that darkness suddenly widened – this meant entering through the main gate of Yanyun Palace, arriving inside the palace.

Guan Wujue squinted his eyes, vaguely making out through the darkness the tall imperial throne in the innermost part.

A figure sat slanted on the chair, almost merged with the darkness, his features indiscernible, yet inexplicably giving one a sense of unfathomable, bone-chilling pressure.

And behind the chair stood another person, with an even more concealed presence, frightening as a ghost in the gloom.

This Yanyun Palace was actually several degrees more spacious than Yangxin Hall. Guan Wujue’s steps didn’t pause as he walked to the center of the hall before kneeling on one knee, declaring loudly, “Four Directions Protector Guan Wujue pays respects to the Old Sect Leader.”

A low, authoritative voice came from the pitch darkness. “You’ve come? Rise.”

The Four Directions Protector stood up, his gaze involuntarily sweeping the surrounding darkness.

He really couldn’t understand why this father and son pair of Sect Leaders both liked not lighting lamps in the dark.

Strangely, as if seeing through Guan Wujue’s thoughts, that voice spoke low again, “Wen Huan, light a lamp for this lord.”

A man’s voice responded, “Yes.”

Immediately there was a “whoosh” and a candle flame lit up.

The one lighting the lamp was the man who had just responded – that shadow who had been standing behind the chair like a ghost.

He wore a white servant’s long robe and bore some resemblance to Wen Feng. He held the lamp with both hands, extremely respectfully lifting it slowly toward his master.

The darkness was driven back by that circle of candlelight.

First illuminated was the luxurious, magnificent gold-inlaid dragon-carved chair; then the coiling dragon armrests, and an arm casually draped over them, hidden beneath black silk robe sleeves; next the wide sleeves of black robes with rolling red-gold dragon patterns; and finally, a cold and profound facial contour, a pair of long, narrow, icy eyes.

Looking across the entire Zhuyin Sect, those who dared call themselves “this lord,” apart from that excessively young current Sect Leader in Yangxin Hall, there remained only this one in Yanyun Palace – the biological father of the current Sect Leader Yun Changliu, the legend who twenty years ago swept through the martial world undefeated with his Dragon-Chasing Whip, Old Sect Leader Yun Guyan.