LUO FAN
"Your uncle just asked you a question," Ruan Yanjun said.
I lifted my eyes off the cup of tea and tried to recall the question. "It seems familiar to me, Uncle, but my memory is vague."
"You grew up here. You stayed here until you were four," my uncle said.
I smiled. "No wonder it looks familiar. Why did I leave?"
"Your father was once the leader of the Silverblades, back when we were just a small group," my uncle said. "Sadly, he died in an ambush by the imperial army. We were afraid they might recognize him so for your safety, your late uncle Xiao had taken you to the capital to find a way to get you to Frost Mountain, where you'd be safe."
"But Frost Mountain is the territory of Prince Fusheng, the brother of the emperor."
"That's exactly why your uncle Xiao had decided to bring you there because he foolishly believed that Prince Yusheng would protect you. Fortunately, he was right."
I frowned. "Why?"
He leaned closer to me with a smile. "I'll tell you an interesting story… Prince Yusheng and your mother were once lovers."
My eyes widened.
He grinned as he witnessed the intrigue on my face. "However, your father took your mother away and married her, and you're the fruit of that marriage."
I frowned. That explained why my former master was in possession of my mother's necklace. "But he's a prince. How could he have allowed a mere commoner to steal his lover from him?"
"You're wrong. Your father was a very powerful person then. Prince Yusheng would never have dared to defy him. As much as it pained him, he had no choice but to give in."
"Why don't you just cut the crap and just tell him straight?" Ruan Yanjun said. "You're confusing him."
"Sect Leader Ruan," my uncle politely said. "Some things are better said slowly. Please allow this humble sculptor to slowly unveil the mystery of this creation."
Ruan Yanjun sighed impatiently.
"Was my father a high-level cultivator?" I asked.
"He was a grandmaster of course, and Prince Yusheng was only a fifth level then."
I nodded. "My master must have loved my mother dearly. That was why he had adopted me and named me after him. He wanted to hide my true identity to protect me."
"That's true."
"If you're not ready to reveal your mysterious creation, why not tell us about your goal instead?" Ruan Yanjun demanded.
"Oh, the goal." My uncle turned serious and sighed. "Our great Silverblades gang only has one goal, and that is to reinstate the legitimate heir to the throne."
"And what's taking you so long to act on it?"
"First, it was because Prince Fusheng had denied anyone access to this legitimate heir. While we could not correspond with the person concerned, we could not act on it. Second, because this heir had gone missing."
"And now that he's found, what other excuses do you have?"
"I have no more excuses, Sect Leader Ruan. In fact, a plan has been made already."
"Then tell us about it."
"Sect Leader Ruan, we should talk about that some other time. I'm sure my righteous nephew would not want to involve himself with his uncle's unscrupulous activities. Isn't that right, Priest Wei Fan?"
"Uncle, I've already gone back to using the name Luo Fan."
"Really? How did you remember your last name?"
"I was already five when Uncle Xiao brought me to Frost Mountain. I was already aware then."
"Ahh…" My uncle nodded with a smile. "That's good. I thought you no longer remember your family."
I smiled wryly. "Of course, I do. But I must admit that my memories of you are vague. I am only aware of Uncle Xiao. I tried searching for him a decade later but then I learned that he had already died of a disease. I only knew you by name so I tried inquiring about it, but no one could give me an answer."
"And that bastard Prince Yusheng told us you no longer remember us, and that was why we had stopped trying to reach out to you."
"I'm not sure why my master had done that. He had never told me about having visitors."
My uncle sighed. "Anyway, that's all in the past. At least I get to finally see you now."
"Uncle, if I may ask… who is the legitimate heir that you were talking about earlier?"
"The son of the former emperor, the crown prince Wei Xiaoli."
I frowned. I'd heard that name before. It belonged to the infant son of the former emperor, rumored to have died alongside him on the night of his assassination. "He's still alive?"
"Of course."
"Where is he?"
"Here."
I looked around. Two men were standing at the corner who looked like they were in their mid-twenties. Could one of them be Wei Xiaoli? "He's one of you?"
My uncle nodded with a smile, but the fact that he would not say it meant it was a confidential matter that he did not wish to mention, and I understood that.
"Luo Boqin." Ruan Yanjun's low voice carried with it a hint of warning. "You're testing my patience."
"Sect Leader Ruan has no patience," my uncle returned, unafraid that he was speaking with the world's most notorious devil. "My creation is still being polished to perfection. When it's done, I'll be sure to reveal it in its entirety."
I smiled inwardly. While I understood that it was indeed risky to speak about such confidential matters, Ruan Yanjun could not stand being left in the dark.
"Since you're still busy polishing…" Ruan Yanjun rose to his feet, pulling my hand up with him. "Your nephew and I shall take our much-needed rest. Show us to our rooms."