"Ha-ha-ha, Valley Lord You had his men capture the Drifting Flowers Edifices runaways and have earned great merit. A toast to you, Valley Lord You!"
In a wide courtyard, Regent Estate held a feast. Huangpu Tianyuan sat in the main seat, with the house lords and Divine Dragons at his sides.
Huangpu Tianyuan looked flushed, laughing like the world was his oyster and toasting to Hell Valley's success. You Wanshan faked modesty, "Huangpu Tianyuan, Estate Lord is too kind. It was my duty."
[Humph, hypocrite!]
Yan Bogong and Lin Rufeng spat in their minds, eying him with ill intent. While the two of them were breaking their backs attacking the arrays, this guy had it easy casting his net and capturing the fleeing women.
[Like a treacherous scum.]
The two wanted to tear into You Wanshan there and then.
You Wanshan noticed their envy and turned around with a genial smile. It only worked to stoke their anger, [What are you gloating about, you stray? You have no home!]
"Oh, Valley Lord You, impressive move there, capturing Drifting Flowers Edifices' women. Only, how exactly did you know what they were going to do?" Leng Wuchang asked.
You Wanshan bowed and reported, "Sir Leng, the success isn't all mine, but the credit falls on my capable assistant!"
You Wanshan pointed at a gray robe, "He is Hell Valley's new adviser, You Ming, the last disciple of the late You Guiqi!"
Everyone turned to You Ming.
You Guiqi was the third greatest mind in Tianyu. Although a shame, he fell at the hands of Zhuo Fan, he was quite the character.
It went without saying that his disciple ought to at least live up to the name of his master.
So everyone scrutinized You Ming, even Huangpu Tianyuan.
You Ming bowed and took his seat again.
Leng Wuchang sized him up, nodding, "I see now why Hell Valley has moved with purpose and precision as of late. You have an adviser now. Ha-ha-ha, heroes always come young. Sir You Ming, by your guess, where do you think the fleeing Drifting Flowers Edifices women turned to?"
"To be quite frank, I do not know. However, knowing how stubborn Grandmother is, and going by her name as Lady of Steel, she isn't one to give up. Sooner or later this day was bound to come and she planned accordingly. I just never imagined she would be so bold as to break the siege while they still had some fight left in them. Capturing so many of her disciples was just a happy coincidence. Although it is regrettable that Grandmother and the overseers got away."
You Ming sighed, "My skill is still poor and many things escape me. Hope Estate Lord can forgive me."
Yan Bogong and Lin Rufeng's faces twitched in tandem.
[Poser!]
[My stars and garters, this punk is just like You Wanshan. Bragging and faking humility.]
[If you grabbed all those prisoners by mistake, does that mean the two houses who got jack squat should hang themselves?]
The two lords flared their nostrils and panted in rage.
The siege of Drifting Flowers Edifices had come up with the vagrant Hell Valley as the definite winner. Something these two would never accept.
Leng Wuchang smiled, "Sir You Ming is so modest. How can it be a mistake when you have gained such merit? Ha-ha-ha…"
Huangpu Tianyuan nodded, "You Ming, you truly take after your master. Hell Valley will go far with you by their side."
"Estate Lord is too kind." You Ming nodded.
You Wanshan laughed in pride, believing rebuilding Hell Valley was just around the corner.
Yan Bogong mocked, "Humph, what future can a house with a robbed home ever have?"
"What did you say?" You Wanshan roared.
Despite Hell Valley's heavy looks, Yan Bogong still had a look of contempt, turning his head in mockery.
A whoosh announced the arrival of a green flash. Yan Bogong caught it.
He read the jade carefully and paled. He dropped to his knees then and there and begged, "Estate Lord Huangpu, I beg of you, rescue Pill King Hall!"
"What on earth has happened, Hall Lord Yan?" Huangpu Tianyuan asked.
Yan Bogong was erratic, "Z-Zhuo Fan is laying waste to Pill King Hall. My house's legacy is about to be turned to dust. Please, Estate Lord, send aid!"
"What?"
They couldn't believe their ears. Zhuo Fan was now after Pill King Hall?
Huangpu Tianyuan and Leng Wuchang looked shocked, but a glimmer of a smile was hidden in their eyes.
You Wanshan enjoyed how the tables had turned, laughing carefree, "He-he-he, talk about righteous retribution."
"You!"
Yan Bogong's eyes went red. Who told him to look down on another man's misfortune? He had no way to retort and looked pleadingly at Huangpu Tianyuan, "Estate Lord Huangpu, you must help me. The entire Pill King Hall will be eternally grateful."
Stroking his chin, Huangpu Tianyuan turned to Leng Wuchang.
Leng Wuchang had come prepared, putting on a heavy look, to match the mood, "Zhuo Fan is too vile and insidious. Going in without a plan will set us up for disaster, falling for his devious ploy. To the best of my knowledge, we should instead attack his allies to force him away. We will attack Veiled Dragon Pavilion and that will make him come to their rescue. Won't that relieve Pill King Hall?"
Zhuo Fan would've given Leng Wuchang the biggest thumbs up if he was here.
[Nice, you took the words right out of my mouth!]
The two were in tune with each other on this, using each other's actions as an excuse to further their personal agenda.
[Besides, I'm providing relief, just not directly. I have my best insider working on it as we speak. So you can't fault me for being a bad ally.]
The result? The Eight Noble Houses were falling one by one, leaving Luo clan and Regent Estate the only ones left standing. The exodus had no choice but to rely on them, boosting their power.
In short, all of them would be laid to waste, with only these two masterminds making out alive like bandits.
You Ming saw through it as well and sighed inside.
[Now 'this' is an overt plot. You may know every detail but would still be powerless to stop it. Each side has their own mastermind acting as coordinator and the houses are the fodder. Be it an ally or an enemy, all of you will end up getting chewed and spit out!]
Seeing You Wanshan's condescending look for him, Yan Bogong sighed inside.
He had finally figured out the difference between You Guiqi, Leng Wuchang and Zhuge Changfeng. [Skilled at working behind the scenes yet powerless in the face of an open scheme.]
[Zhuge Changfeng, Zhuo Fan, Leng Wuchang, the emperor… all are true experts.]
Meanwhile, within two months, Xue Qingjian finally got the thousands of Drifting Flowers Edifices women back to Windgaze City.
Zhuo Fan had long since come out to welcome them of course.
"Grandmother, as I live and breathe. I welcome you!" Zhuo Fan spoke with hands behind his back.
Grandmother bowed from dozens of meters away, "I thank you, Steward Zhuo, for the assistance in Drifting Flowers Edifices' hour of need, for taking the time to come see us in person. I can't say how honored I am."
"How can you say that, Grandmother? We are allies. Of course I'd help you. It must be that Grandmother must still be hurting for what I did back then…" Zhuo Fan sighed, "It is all my fault for betraying your trust and for your suffering now."
The more Zhuo Fan showed his remorse the more guilty she felt.
She had been suspicious of him from the first message that arrived and still blamed it on him leaving her with an even worse feeling of making the wrong accusations.
Peony Overseer had no such qualms, "Talk then, why did you steal our heirloom?"
"Peony!" Grandmother glared.
Zhuo Fan waved, "I admit, it was wrong stealing from you. I have no excuse. For that, I have let everyone down when you needed me the most. I didn't wish for this to happen…"
"There's no need for excuses. Steward Zhuo, you have done nothing wrong."
Xue Qingjian intervened, "Did you know that Regent Estate had young miss and young master in their clutches, forcing Steward Zhuo to commit such a vile act? What would you have done, Grandmother?"
"Elder Xue, you're out of line!" Zhuo Fan berated.
But Drifting Flowers Edifices got the full picture. That the bastards from Regent Estate had pushed him…