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RM 63: Complicated Ties (III)
🕑 Added 2025-08-15 15:00:15 +0000 UTCWhen the blindfold unfurled, Yuzhe found himself at the cleft. The enormous iron door that he had entered before vanished along with the guards. Even if he tapped at the eroded rock face or used spiritual sight, all attested it to be a normal cleft.
However, not even 200 steps from the cleft, a series of words formed before him using his qi.
Cavern number 367.
“Son of a…” Yuzhe ate his words and traveled back to Azure Sky Sect, fearing that the man would hear him.
Even with an extensive map, it took him a day to navigate the complex set of tunnels running beneath the sect. He could only curse in his mind and walk through this ant-hive-like structure until he reached his destination.
This cavern differed from the past ones. It had a small house and a stream of clear water. There wasn’t an earthy, moldy smell wafting around here. Muchen, standing by the stream, didn’t turn to him and started his usual questions.
Yuzhe had met Changge a lot more than he would’ve liked in the past month under the guise of direct reports, as instructed and predicted by Muchen. His controller deemed it important as he marked the alternative meeting place in his notebook with intense focus.
He hasn’t gone back to Rat’s Nest yet. Do I need to put more pressure on him? No, that could be counterproductive. He will go there on his own. I’ll have him walk into that place on his own feet so he doesn’t get alarmed. Muchen finished noting down the new information and cross-referenced it with the data he had. Things moved down the determined paths thanks to machinations.
“Will it be okay?” Yuzhe, fidgeting until now, asked. “Me monitoring Wu Kexin?”
“What is the problem with it? I’ve talked with her and her Master. She won’t make it hard for the little spies around the place, so you can all match your stories. It’ll solidify your position in Gu Changge’s camp.” Muchen looked up from the book in his hand and met the confused eyes of the youth.
“He is about to contact Elder Ling…” Yuzhe clenched his fist. A wave of unpleasant memories passed by, making him swallow the words.
“What of it?” Muchen, however, stayed unfazed.
“Don’t you know what that’ll do? Elder Ling is corrupt. If you let this happen, th-”
“Then what?” Muchen cut his words short. “They will scheme against the sect? What do you think they were doing this entire time you fed them information? Do you have any idea how much blood is on your hands?”
“It was for m-”
“Yes, you did it for your sister.” Muchen cut him off once again. “So, don’t think, just do what you are told.” He turned around, facing the stream. “You should be used to it by now.”
Yuzhe opened his mouth, but no words came out. He felt winded, even more so, angrier. He walked away with a bitter taste in his mouth, remembering each of the tasks he had done for Gu Changge and what came of it.
After he vanished into the dark tunnel, Muchen stored his notebook and turned to his right.
“What do you think?” He asked to the gray boulder beside him.
“Of your wonderful performance? I have nothing but praise. I would’ve believed your anger was real if not for my eyes.” Gu Fe’s words echoed as the veil of mist lifted to reveal her.
“The boy’s mental state. How was it?” He moved the topic along.
Muchen had asked her to observe this exchange with Fu Yuzhe as they had reached a critical point in their plans, and he didn’t want any unexpected variables. Thanks to her special eyes, Gu Fe excelled in reading people’s mental states. A bloodline talent she inherited from her mother.
“He fears you greatly, but also hates you.” Gu Fe said.
“That’ll do for now.” Muchen nodded. “However, there should be more.”
“Guilt… a lot of it is bogging the boy down. But that’s not what you are looking for, right?” Gu Fe asked, taking a seat on the rock without a care for her royal purple robes.
“Guilt is useless if it doesn’t stop you from making the same mistakes,” Muchen said.
Gu Fe found herself intrigued as the plot woven by Muchen came together, one string at a time.
He put it all on the line—his disciples, his sect, his connections, his reputation, and even himself—for the sake of completing a plan. Such dedication to the task showcased his willingness to go beyond what normal people would for his goal. A trait Gu Fe liked more than anything.
“So, what’s the next move?” She asked, a delightful smile on her lips.
Muchen mirrored that smile. “In the meantime, I need you to pick off the Demonic sect’s spies from Purple Cloud Sect and put more pressure on the ones in our sect, kill them a week before Eastern Martial Meet by picking one off at a time to make it natural.”
“If we do that, Xiao Fu will be the only one who can provide Gu Changge with information.” Gu Fe mulled over it. “That’s a risky move.”
“It would’ve been, but Gu Changge is desperate for results. You’ve seen how much of a pushover Fu Yuzhe is. He is the perfect prey for people like Gu Changge,” Muchen explained. “He already has Yuzhe’s weakness in his hands. So, he’ll have to rely on the fear he has built in the boy’s psyche to control him.”
“Like you want to?”
“No. I do not have enough time to build fear in him.” Muchen crossed his arms. “But I plan on using something much worse.”
“What is that?” Gu Fe leaned in, eyes gleaming at the hidden side of Azure Sky Sect’s beloved Peak Master Li.
“Guilt, of course,” Muchen answered.
“As expected of you.” Gu Fe almost broke into laughter.
“How do you plan on keeping the disciples safe?” She had learned the full plan to help with setting things up.
Although she found the idea practical, it had its risks.
“I’ll have to call in a few favors. So, I plan to wipe the slate clean.” Muchen said. He knew the risks; that’s why he prepared for them.
“Why are you targeting my father?” Gu Fe wanted to understand what misgivings Muchen had about Gu Changge.
It couldn’t be over something as simple as the Caravan attack. That was but an excuse. Nothing else popped into her mind that could put the two at odds. So what was it? That question has dominated her thoughts since she found out about his involvement.
She stood up from the rock, swiping the dust off her buttocks. “Is it out of hate? Revenge?” Gu Fe sauntered over. “A burning sense of justice, perhaps?”
Muchen smiled. Hate? Of course, he hated Gu Changge. The word hate wasn’t enough to do it justice. However, he had gotten his revenge for what that guy did. Inadequate as it may have been, he had closed that chapter. And the last thing he could harbor in this world was a sense of justice. He had only one reason to target Gu Changge this time.
“Miss Gu, what is the quickest way to silence a rebellious group?” He asked.
“The quickest way would be to make an example out of their ray of hop… I see.” A grin formed on Gu Fe’s red lips.
Each eye of hers reflected a different side: white/good for the right and black/evil for the left. Most people had one inherent side that was the underlying reason for their lifelong choices. Gu Fe could peer into this hidden side of people. A side they didn’t know about themselves until they hit rock bottom.
Most people, and cultivators at large, had a clear side. Either white or black. Momentary decisions could change the disposition based on the situation, but they had one side at rest. However, Muchen was different.
Even at rest, he lived on the border between good and evil. A being that could tread both paths at the same time without crossing the line. Gu Fe found charming since their first meeting.
If he makes an example out of Gu Changge, the demonic sects that are trying to rise behind him would go back to silence. Even if they try to wrestle for control later, the Sect Alliance will force them to an end. And he plans to eradicate the demonic sects of the continent like that. Sky Mending Saint had pushed the demonic sects into hiding. Now, the disciple wanted to put an end to it.
She chuckled at the realization that it wasn’t a simple act of revenge or disdain. He wanted to crush the bugs that were trying to crawl out of the ground.
Muchen had meticulously planned Gu Changge’s downfall to send a message to his backers. Even she was a piece on the board he had prepared. However, it didn’t bother her. He gave her a front-row seat for the demise of the person she hated most.
Unlike her five-decade-long preparation, Muchen had connections and experience spanning over two and a half centuries.
“Very well, I shall wait for that moment dearly.” Gu Fe smiled, her eyes focused on the letter Muchen wanted her to send to the Southern Continent.
***
After the incident on Chrysanthemum Peak with Gu Fe, Li Muchen’s disciples had to cut the celebratory feast short because of Yingyue’s condition.
Sun Lingling didn’t mind if the feast happened or not. She went back to training. Wang Yang and Wu Kexin were more focused on tending to Yingyue until Qian Yun arrived and took her away.
In the end, only Hua Mei enjoyed the dishes, walking away with a hymn of satisfaction.
“And, to pay for that meal, I am here to give you two extra training till the departure day for E.M.M.” Hua Mei came blasting at sunrise.
“I don’t think we need the help!” Wang Yang had to face the punches before he could wash his face. The only thing that shook off his drowsiness was cold, hard strikes to his organs.
“I am in your care again, Senior Hua.” Sun Lingling had cultivated through the night again and stayed out of the little demon’s range, ready for another practice session.
“You are getting used to this speed,” Hua Mei smiled, the back of her fist connecting with Wang Yang’s forearm.
She used the physical abilities of a cultivator in the 2nd stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. Because of the extra power she had from her strong base level, this level should overwhelm Sun Lingling and Wang Yang.
However, Sun Lingling had learned her lesson about attack range. She had become adept at keeping her distance through trial and error. Wang Yang, too, could block her attack or dodge them sometimes; he acted as the shield for his senior, who did the attacks. But his success rate was 10%. Much higher than Hua Mei liked.
“Let us kick it up a notch.” She grinned, ignoring the cold sweat on Wang Yang, who had to take the full brunt of it all.
“Why do you target my face this much?!” Wang Yang shed tears at the dinner table. Only the hot noodles could numb the pain he went through.
“Because you are lacking.” Hua Mei did like picking on him, but Wang Yang indeed lacked combat experience compared to Sun Lingling.
While Wang Yang had black eyes like a panda and a busted lip, Sun Lingling only had small, purple bruises on her right hand and left leg. Hua Mei didn’t target him alone; he couldn’t adjust to the new speed in time like his senior sister and ended up with more hits.
Before, he would’ve ended up with a few broken bones, but he only got surface-level injuries today. Maybe I can increase the intensity a bit more. Hua Mei found the situation intriguing, and as a first-time teacher, she didn’t know restrain.
“What happened, Junior Wang?” Sun Lingling asked the shivering Wang Yang; he had stopped in his tracks while pouring tea.
“I don’t have a good feeling.” He glanced at the grinning Hua Mei from the kitchen.
However, the previously laughing kid now broke out in cold sweats, giving him a scare. She jumped from her stool, sending it flying like the jade bowl she ate from. Her eyes filled with unbridled panic, which they had never seen before.
“Run, you two!” she shouted, leaping towards the window like a cat.
Before they could react or assess the situation, the air in the room came to a halt. The tumbling chair, rolling bowl, spilled red broth, flapping curtains, and the three humans all froze in their tracks.
What is this? Sun Lingling felt the wind squeezed out of her lungs.
Incredible pressure crushed them, like a mountain. She moved her eyes and noticed the woman standing in front of Hua Mei.
A crimson qipao hugged her body, a dragon embroidered with golden thread wrapped around the woman’s figure; a jade hairpin held her long, white hair together in a bun. In that stopped world, she alone moved, her heels clacking on the wooden floor.
Her eyes, greener than the purest of jade, locked onto Hua Mei in a menacing glare.
“So, this is where you were, you little rascal.” She said, folding the red fan emblazoned with a fierce tiger.
Who is she? Sun Lingling hadn’t seen this woman before, but she reached for Hua Mei like second nature, linked with the gaudy way of restraining them, and covert movements.
An assassin! I have to contact Master.
Sun Lingling tried to move, but even her breath had stopped at that moment. Movement was out of the question. Meanwhile, the woman in red grabbed Hua Mei by the ear, leaving the kid helpless.
“W-Wait! S-Stop Mom, owwww!” Hua Mei’s helpless cries bounced off the silent walls.
Sun Lingling and Wang Yang looked at each other, one more confused than the other.
M…Mom?
Neither of them expected the lady of Tiger Peak, Hua Mingzhu, would burst in like this.
