Xin Lan slowly sifted through the list of sects with disciples who were imprisoned by the Chun Feng Sect. He had contacted them one after the other over the past few months. The smaller ones hadn't thought much and just reached out to the Chun Feng Sect to make sure that this information was correct. The Chun Feng Sect also hadn't hidden anything since they felt that they could deal with this best by just admitting to it.
After a while, he had also messaged those middle-tier sects but those were more careful. One disciple might not mean much to a small sect but this kind of growing sect could change its fortune based on a single person.
One just had to take a look at the Yun Zou Sect to understand that. Once, they had taken in a disciple like Zhangsun Xun Yi. Nobody had thought much but this person had risen to the top, rivaling the people from even those sects that weren't ranked anymore. With that, the Yun Zou Sect had managed to become a first-tier sect. And with that change, there had also been other people with high potential joining the sect, thus cementing the position they had achieved. It was all thanks to one person of high potential that made the most out of it.
Needless to say, all middle-tier sects dreamed of the very same thing happening to them. So if a good disciple suddenly vanished, it was akin to shattering that dream. Of course, they wouldn't just let that go.
No, these sects would investigate and find out the whole truth. And if there was any chance at all to get their disciple back, then they would use it. This was precisely what the Chun Feng Sect was currently fearing.
They might be able to deal with one sect but if several of them started to make trouble for them, it could soon lead to bigger problems. Especially if some sects that were on more familiar terms with each other talked about this matter and somehow found out that not only one disciple but several were involved in this. Because then, they might team up against their Chun Feng Sect to set them free.
After all, gaining power was good but that might be impossible if they were alone. Their chances to achieve something would be better if they worked together. And even if a sect couldn't free their own disciple, the role they had played in setting the other sect's disciple free wouldn't go unnoticed. So if that disciple turned out to be the next Zhangsun Xun Yi, their former ally would never ignore their plight and let them reap some benefits. That was better than nothing.
In other words, something was bound to happen. But who knew if the Chun Feng Sect wouldn't find some way to deal with it? Xin Lan wouldn't let that happen. They had dared to threaten his Master. He would make sure that they were pressured until they didn't have a way out. And to do so … he would borrow somebody else's sword.
Xin Lan stopped on one of the last pages and smiled to himself. He took out another piece of paper and sat down, slowly writing the information he had acquired down. When he finished, he hesitated for a moment before he added a few lines.
"Well, since he wants to be with him, he shouldn't have anything against this."
He folded the paper up and sent it off like the messages before, watching as it vanished in the distance. He sighed to himself and then glanced at the Chun Feng Sect again. His task here was done. He had found out what needed to be found out, he had contacted who needed to be contacted, and as for these people in the dungeon … Their sects would take care of that. He didn't need to care. In that case …
Xin Lan once again hesitated but finally leaped into the air, turned into his dragon form, and then rushed toward that city where he had stayed before. He hovered in the air not far from the Hua family's estate.
That fallen god's mortal reincarnation was still somewhere in there. Since he last saw him, only a few weeks had gone by so there was no way that he would have grown much. He would still be the same, annoying little brat that he had been the last time. When he went over, he would cling to him and blink his eyes, trying to act cute. And as soon as he showed even the slightest hint of wanting to abandon him, he would start to throw a tantrum, luring those family members or servants over that hardly left him out of their eyes anyway.
Following him around really was a hassle.
Well, he should still check up on him. Just a moment. Afterward, he could leave and wait for him to grow up. That should be alright, shouldn't it?
Xin Lan nodded to himself and wanted to fly over but a person rose into the air from the estate. It was an old man with graying hair and a short beard. Xin Lan had never seen him before but he had seen Xiang Yu's new family members often enough to guess that they were related. Maybe this would be the brat's grandfather?
The man furrowed his brows at the sight of Xin Lan but he didn't step back and instead continued to hover in the air. "What is a dragon doing in this city?"
Xin Lan tilted his head, wondering if he should just leave. Well, he had already been seen and the family had noticed before that something was up around their child. Since he had to become his lover later on, he might as well work on his relationship with them from early on.
Xin Lan sighed to himself, wondering how he had sunk so low that he would try to please a human family, but in the end, he still changed into his human form.