Chapter 36: Zhuang Yuechan
After returning to the Seeking Treasure Pavilion and explaining the situation to Song Luyuan, Song Changsheng went to rendezvous with Zhu Yiqun the next day at the agreed-upon time.
“You’re here, put this black robe on first.” As soon as Zhu Yiqun saw Song Changsheng arrive, he immediately handed over a black robe.
“What’s this?” Song Changsheng was puzzled.
“Heh, you’re quite the celebrity in this marketplace. If you don’t hide yourself, our movements this time will likely be exposed. This is a concealing robe, it can blend into the surroundings and hide one’s presence,” Zhu Yiqun whispered beside his ear, glancing at a bamboo building in the distance from the corner of his eye.
Song Changsheng instantly understood what Zhu Yiqun meant. He wasn’t a fool; over this period, he had often felt someone secretly watching him. It seemed Zhu Yiqun had also noticed.
The two of them slipped into a secluded corner, and the spy who had been tailing them followed stealthily. However, by the time he reached the spot, it was already empty.
“Damn, I lost them.” The spy immediately realized he’d lost the target and rushed back to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
After he left, the shadows in the corner began to ripple. Soon, two figures in black robes gradually emerged.
Zhu Yiqun chuckled and said, “This move is called ‘hiding under the lamp,’ the most conspicuous place is the hardest to spot. No more prying eyes now, Changsheng. Let’s go meet our companions.”
Song Changsheng gave a slight nod, but the fog in his heart regarding Zhu Yiqun only thickened. Zhu stood there like a blurred figure, difficult to see through.
The two of them moved swiftly and arrived at an inn.
They climbed to the third floor, pushed open a door, and were met with the sight of over a dozen diverse individuals.
“You’re finally back. Are we leaving or not?” As soon as the door was shut, a burly man bellowed impatiently.
Zhu Yiqun pulled down his hood and smiled, soothing him: “Fellow Daoist Li, don’t be anxious. I went to bring in an formation master. We’ll be setting out shortly.”
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Song Changsheng and said, “Fellow Daoists allow me to introduce, this is Fellow Daoist Song Changsheng, a top-grade first-rank formation master. He’ll be joining us on this trip.”
Song Changsheng also removed his hood and cupped his fists toward the others: “Greetings, fellow Daoists.”
“No wonder Fellow Daoist Zhu insisted on adding someone last-minute, so it’s Fellow Daoist Song. With your expertise in arrays, our success chances have surely increased,” a gray-robed cultivator carrying a longsword said happily.
The others also cast friendly glances at Song Changsheng. After all, he did have some renown in the Drifting Cloud Market.
“Changsheng, let me introduce everyone. This is Fellow Daoist Li Hu, a ninth-layer Qi Refinement and a rare body cultivator.
“The one who just spoke is Fellow Daoist Xu Yunhe, a great perfection Qi Refinement sword cultivator.
“...
“And finally, this is Fellow Daoist Xu Yun, a seventh-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, and also a top-grade first-rank formation master.”
Zhu Yiqun introduced each person one by one, and everyone got a preliminary sense of each other. There were thirteen people in total, all cultivators in the late Qi Refinement stage, a formidable lineup.
Only now did Song Changsheng realize that there was already a top-grade first-rank formation master in the group besides himself.
Combining this with what Xu Yunhe had said earlier, it wasn’t hard to guess, he had been forcefully brought in by Zhu Yiqun. This stirred a trace of warmth in his heart.
“Eh? Fellow Daoist Zhuang hasn’t arrived yet?” Zhu Yiqun looked around and finally turned to Xu Yunhe.
Xu Yunhe shrugged: “Fellow Daoist Zhuang is always a loner. None of us know her whereabouts. But since she said she’d come, she shouldn’t go back on her word.”
“Let’s wait another hour. If she still doesn’t come, we’ll depart first,” Zhu Yiqun nodded.
The room quieted down again. Everyone either sat or stood, closing their eyes to rest.
“Creak…”
The tightly shut door was pushed open.
Song Changsheng and the others turned their gazes toward the door and saw a tall woman walk in. She wore a light blue waist-length long dress. Her skin was as white as jade, her figure graceful and shapely.
Her face was veiled with a thin layer of white gauze, through which her facial outline could faintly be seen. Only a pair of bright, lively eyes were visible.
“Apologies, fellow Daoists. Yuechan is late,” she said with a hint of apology.
“Not late at all. Fellow Daoist Zhuang, this is the Fellow Daoist Song I mentioned to you,” Zhu Yiqun said with a grin, standing up.
“Song clan.” A flicker passed through Zhuang Yuechan’s eyes. She gave no indication of greeting Song Changsheng.
Song Changsheng frowned slightly. Though she didn’t outwardly show much, he keenly sensed a shift in her demeanor.
She seemed to become noticeably cold after hearing his name.
“Have I offended her before?” Song Changsheng racked his brain, but could not recall the slightest memory of her. This left him feeling rather baffled.
Zhu Yiqun also noticed the subtle tension between the two and quickly said, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s head out.
“As usual, to avoid attention, we’ll leave the marketplace in groups. Remember to keep your tracks hidden. We’ll regroup in the woods outside the city.”
Everyone voiced agreement, then began leaving the inn in groups, departing in different directions…
In the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, a terrified spy knelt before Elder Cheng, trembling as he reported, “Elder… I lost the target.”
“Hm? Lost him?” Cheng Yufei’s tiger-like eyes glinted with fury. His aura exploded forth like a raging lion, pressing down on the spy until he could barely breathe.
“Mercy, Elder!” The spy immediately prostrated himself, trembling uncontrollably.
“Useless trash! What does the sect feed you for?! Get out there and search! I don’t care if he crawled into a crack in the earth, drag him out!” Cheng Yufei roared, slamming the table.
“Y-Yes, sir!” The spy scrambled to his feet and fled like his life depended on it.
Very soon, all of the Earthfire Sect’s agents, both overt and covert within the Drifting Cloud Market were mobilized, scouring for any trace of Song Changsheng…
Little did they know, Song Changsheng and Zhu Yiqun had already left the marketplace from the eastern side, clad in the special black robes that concealed their presence.
On the road, Zhu Yiqun couldn’t stop glancing at Song Changsheng, looking as if he wanted to speak but was holding back.
Song Changsheng shook his head, exasperated: “If you have something to ask, just ask. Don’t bottle it up.”
“Heh heh, what’s the deal between you and Fellow Daoist Zhuang? Did you do something to her?” Zhu Yiqun asked with a mischievous grin.
Song Changsheng halted in his tracks, then looked at him helplessly and said, “Stop. I’ve never met her before, let alone done anything to her.”
Zhu Yiqun’s small eyes twinkled with intelligence as he shook his finger: “Nope. I’ve known Fellow Daoist Zhuang for nearly two years. Though she doesn’t mingle much with others, she’s always been polite and well-mannered. There’s no way she’d treat you this coldly for no reason.
“Something must’ve happened between you two. Could it be… you seduced her and then abandoned her?”
Song Changsheng’s face turned black as the bottom of a pot.
(Chapter End)