Gu Qingfeng had been awake for over half a year now. Regarding the Crimson-Letter Sect, he had heard a thing or two, but only a thing or two. He knew the Crimson-Letter Sect currently controlled the underground order of this world, and he knew they had various enterprises all over the world.
However.
As for what kind of existence the Crimson-Letter Sect truly was, who founded it, and who its members were—he knew none of that. He only knew this thing seemed to exist in his name.
After the incident at Crimson-Letter Manor last time, Gu Qingfeng had intended to ask for details, but he had been busy with Yun Nishang's affairs and ended up forgetting all about the Crimson-Letter Sect matter.
Now, hearing about this Red Gang and Fire Cloud Branch Hall, Gu Qingfeng genuinely had no idea what the hell this thing was.
But as soon as his words fell, Bai Yunfei slammed the table, pointed at Gu Qingfeng, stood up, and roared in anger, "Gu! I think you've truly grown tired of living!"
Indeed.
What kind of existence was the Crimson-Letter Sect? There was no one in this world who didn't know.
The Red Gang, as the core organization of the Crimson-Letter Sect, was known to everyone under the heavens.
If the Red Gang controlled the underground order of this world, then the Fire Cloud Branch Hall controlled the underground order of the surrounding regions.
One of the famous Fire Cloud Nine Young Masters of the Red Gang—who would dare not show respect to such an identity and background?
Now, this fellow before them actually had the audacity to spout such arrogant nonsense, asking what the hell the Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch Hall was. He simply had no regard for his own life!
Not only was Bai Yunfei greatly enraged, but even Jingtao, who had always been gentle, refined, and smiling like a spring breeze, saw his handsome face suddenly darken.
Seeing this scene, Shui Yunruo immediately spoke up to defuse the situation for Gu Qingfeng, saying he was only joking. Although she herself didn't know what identity this Young Lord Gu possessed or why he dared to speak of the Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch Hall in such a manner, this man had, after all, saved her junior sister's life. She didn't want him to offend Jingtao because of this.
After Shui Yunruo pleaded for Gu Qingfeng, the gloomy expression on Young Lord Jingtao's handsome face vanished without a trace. He patted Bai Yunfei's shoulder, then poured himself a cup of fine wine and said with a smile.
"I don't know if you are truly ignorant or merely pretending to be. If it were anyone else daring to show such disrespect to the Red Gang in my presence today, they would already be dead and buried without a grave. However...
Today, for Ruo'er's sake, and considering you also saved Xiao You, I'll forgive you this once."
Having said that, he tilted his head back and drained the cup in one gulp, then added, "But only this once. If I hear you disrespect the Red Gang again, heh..." With a light laugh, Young Lord Jingtao did not continue.
Opposite him.
Gu Qingfeng seemed utterly fearless, still sitting casually in his chair, legs crossed. His handsome face wore a complex expression, as if he found it both laughable and exasperating, or perhaps he was simply speechless. He shook his head slightly and said nothing more, thinking to himself that he must definitely get to the bottom of this Crimson-Letter Sect business later.
Back then, the reason he had personally buried the Chixiao Sect he had worked so hard to build was for the sake of his brothers. He didn't want them to be implicated because of their connection to him, and he hoped they could live their own lives afterwards.
What Gu Qingfeng hadn't expected was that after burying the Chixiao Sect, a Crimson-Letter Sect would pop up, and damn it all, it was using his name to control the underground order of this world. If he found out who was behind this, he'd go back and skin them alive. This was just too ridiculous. Last time at Crimson-Letter Manor there was some Young Lord, and now this Jingtao Young Lord pops up. One after another, throwing their weight around, acting like they're second only to the heavens.
Of course.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't exactly disgusted by the behavior of these little brats, nor was he afraid of them throwing their weight around using his name. What worried him was that one day his name might end up harming these little brats.
Seeing Gu Qingfeng fall silent, Bai Yunfei wanted to lecture him further but was stopped by Jingtao. Jingtao, for his part, clearly couldn't be bothered to lower himself to argue with an ignorant person. As for Gu Qingfeng's identity, he had absolutely no interest in knowing, not even a shred. As one of the Fire Cloud Nine Young Masters of the Crimson-Letter Sect's Red Gang, he didn't even put the Nine-Hua Alliance in his eyes, so why would he care about anyone else?
What identity?
What background?
However grand your identity might be,
Could it be grander than the Crimson-Letter Sect?
However deep your background might run,
Could it run deeper than the Crimson-Letter Sect?
Therefore, Young Lord Jingtao simply had no interest.
In comparison, he cared more about Shui Yunruo. Smiling, he asked, "Ruo'er, your Taixing Cave has always kept to itself, cultivating in seclusion. Why have you come to participate in the Bingxuan Sect's succession ceremony this time?"
"Our Taixing Cave has some connections with the Bingxuan Sect."
Shui Yunruo was a serene woman, her temperament also rather aloof. Perhaps due to her origins in Taixing Cave, her bearing was also transcendent and unworldly.
"Brother Jingtao, why have you come as well?"
Bai Yunfei held Young Lord Jingtao in high esteem and asked, "Does your Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch Hall also have connections with the Bingxuan Sect?"
"Connections?
Not really."
Young Lord Jingtao replied with a faint smile, "I came at the invitation of Brother Dingxing."
"Dingxing?"
Bai Yunfei's expression froze for a moment before he remembered something and asked, "Could it be Young Lord Dingxing, hailed as the foremost of the Nine Sons of the Bingxuan Sect?"
"That's right."
Seeing Bai Yunfei's puzzled look, Young Lord Jingtao raised his cup to drink and said with a smile, "I wonder if you've heard about the major events that have recently occurred at the Bingxuan Sect?"
"I know. One is Leng Yanqiu fusing with the Bingxuan Heart. The other is hearing that the Bingxuan Ancestor, to comply with the founder's last instructions, is forcing Leng Yanqiu to form a dual-cultivation partnership with the Yunxia Sect's successor, Young Lord Chiyan."
"I came for the second matter."
"Ah! Brother Jingtao, we heard on the road that the Nine-Hua Alliance's Young Lord Wenyan, Young Lord Tianxiang, and Young Lord Luowen have all been infatuated with Leng Yanqiu. After hearing about this, they were all very angry. I heard they are all coming!"
Mu Xiaoyou tilted her little head, recounting the gossip she'd heard on the journey. "And Young Lord Luowen even threatened the Bingxuan Ancestor, saying that if he dared to make Leng Yanqiu form a dual-cultivation partnership with that Young Lord Chiyan, he would wipe out the Bingxuan Sect! Brother Jingtao, you're not also here because you're infatuated with Leng Yanqiu like them, are you?"
"Leng Yanqiu is certainly outstanding. After fusing with the Bingxuan Heart, she indeed deserves to be called a heaven-favored daughter. However..." Young Lord Jingtao shook his head with a faint smile. "However, I have no interest in her."
"Exactly! No matter how outstanding Leng Yanqiu is, how could she compare to my Senior Sister? Hmph! If not for our Taixing Cave always cultivating in seclusion, my Senior Sister's name would have long resounded throughout the Great Northwest Territory..."
Bai Yunfei was getting carried away when he was cut off by Shui Yunruo: "If you keep talking, do you believe I'll gag you?"
"Senior Sister, I'm just stating facts. Originally..." Bai Yunfei wanted to say more, but upon meeting Shui Yunruo's gaze, he didn't dare continue. He knew Shui Yunruo's temperament, and he knew if he kept talking, his Senior Sister would definitely gag him.
"Ruo'er's temperament is placid and detached, keeping to herself and free from worldly strife, untainted by fame and fortune, single-mindedly pursuing the Dao. Truly admirable."
Others might not know.
However, Young Lord Jingtao was well aware. Just as Bai Yunfei said, if not for Taixing Cave's constant seclusion and cultivation, and if not for Shui Yunruo's placid temperament and indifference to fame and fortune, the name Shui Yunruo would absolutely have resounded throughout the Great Northwest Territory.