Mu Xiaoyou nibbled on a delicious fresh fruit from the table, tilting her little head as she asked curiously, "Brother Jingtao, if you didn't come here because you admire Leng Yanqiu, then why did you come?"
"Didn't I just say? I was invited by Brother Yu Dingxing."
Yu Dingxing, the leader of the Bingxuan Sect's Nine Sons, was also one of the first Color-Spirit geniuses to emerge after the Cataclysm. It was said he had opened four colors in succession, all of them Illusory Colors. Now that he had also fused with the Bingxuan Seed, no one knew just how powerful his strength had become.
"Invited by Yu Dingxing?"
Bai Yunfei didn't quite understand at first, but after thinking it over carefully, he seemed to grasp something and asked, "Could it be that Yu Dingxing also admires Leng Yanqiu?"
Young Lord Jingtao smiled and nodded. "Brother Dingxing can be considered to have grown up with Leng Yanqiu. He has admired her for a long time. Although he has confessed his feelings many times, he has always been rejected by Leng Yanqiu. However, Brother Dingxing has never given up. Now that the Bingxuan Ancestor is forcibly pressuring Leng Yanqiu to form a dual-cultivation partnership with the Yunxia Sect's Young Lord Chiyan, Brother Dingxing will naturally step forward."
"Young Lord Wenyan of the Nine-Hua Alliance, Young Lord Tianxiang, and Young Lord Luowen, plus the Bingxuan Sect's Young Lord Dingxing... so many people admire Leng Yanqiu!"
No woman disliked gossip, especially when it involved a competition for a dual-cultivation partner—it was absolutely delightful to hear about. Even Mu Xiaoyou, who came from the reclusive Taixing Cave, was no exception. While marveling at the number of Leng Yanqiu's admirers, she asked, "I heard that Leng Yanqiu favors the Nine-Hua Alliance's Young Lord Longfei more. If that's the case, doesn't that mean the others have no chance?"
"Heh, not necessarily."
As one of the Fire Cloud Nine Young Masters of the Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch Hall, Jingtao knew far more inside information than others. He was well aware that the reason Leng Yanqiu had so many admirers might be due to her personal charm, but more importantly, it was because she had fused with the Bingxuan Heart.
Similarly, the rumor that Leng Yanqiu favored Young Lord Longfei was simply because Young Lord Longfei had a greater hope of obtaining the Flaming Sun Heart—but it was only a greater hope, not absolute, and it certainly didn't mean others had no chance.
"Brother Jingtao, did you come this time to help Yu Dingxing fight?" Mu Xiaoyou inquired curiously.
"Hehe, Junior Sister, you just don't understand," said not Jingtao, but Bai Yunfei, who laughed. "Isn't it obvious? There are so many who admire Leng Yanqiu—there's Young Lord Wenyan, Young Lord Tianxiang... they are all noble young masters from the great families of the Nine-Hua Alliance. Especially Young Lord Longfei, his background is very powerful."
Taking a sip of wine, Bai Yunfei's expression became animated, tinged with pride. "As for Yu Dingxing, he still has some self-awareness. He knows that whether it's background, status, or family standing, he can't compare to these young masters from the Nine-Hua Alliance. So he invited Brother Jingtao here to back him up."
Although Bai Yunfei hailed from the reclusive Taixing Cave, he was still young and had always yearned for the outside world. Unfortunately, bound by Taixing Cave's rules, he couldn't venture out freely. Since befriending Jingtao, he had inwardly envied Jingtao's background and admired his strength.
"Brother Jingtao is one of the Fire Cloud Nine Young Masters of the Red Gang's Branch Hall. As long as he steps forward to support Yu Dingxing, Yu Dingxing's chances of winning are still quite high."
Bai Yunfei said disdainfully, "When the time comes, whatever Young Lord Wenyan or Young Lord Tianxiang from the Nine-Hua Alliance can just go cool off somewhere. Even if that Young Lord Longfei has a powerful background, so what? In front of Brother Jingtao, he's nothing. And that so-called Young Lord Chiyan from the Yunxia Sect is even more a worthless piece of trash."
Young Lord Jingtao smiled without speaking.
"Brother Jingtao, on the way here, the person people talked about the most was the Yunxia Sect's Young Lord Chiyan. I heard he's very formidable, not only mysterious in background but also terrifyingly strong. I heard he killed many people from the Nine-Hua Alliance and the Bingxuan Sect at Crimson-Letter Manor, and neither the Nine-Hua Alliance nor the Bingxuan Sect dared to touch him. Many say he's one of your Crimson-Letter Sect people. Is that true?"
"The Yunxia Sect's Young Lord Chiyan, heh..." Young Lord Jingtao drank his wine and murmured, "That person is indeed quite mysterious, but he is not one of our Crimson-Letter Sect people."
"Ah! Many people say that Old Sen of Crimson-Letter Manor even knelt to him! If he's not one of your Crimson-Letter Sect people, why would Old Sen..."
Young Lord Jingtao did not respond.
Because he didn't know the answer to that question either.
Many people from the Fire Cloud Branch Hall had gone to ask Old Sen about this matter more than once, but Old Sen had never breathed a word about it.
Thus, this matter had also become a complete mystery.
"Why Old Sen knelt to that Young Lord Chiyan, I don't know. But one thing is certain: that Young Lord Chiyan is definitely not one of our Crimson-Letter Sect people."
"So that means all along, that so-called Young Lord Chiyan has been borrowing the tiger's might, using the Crimson-Letter Sect's name to commit atrocities outside?" Bai Yunfei said indignantly. "In that case, Brother Jingtao, does your Red Gang just let that Young Lord Chiyan act recklessly under the Crimson-Letter Sect's name? This really damages the Crimson-Letter Sect's reputation, doesn't it?"
Even an outsider like Bai Yunfei knew this; how could Young Lord Jingtao not know? Not just him—after the incident at Crimson-Letter Manor erupted, many from their Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch Hall had wanted to teach Young Lord Chiyan a lesson. But they were stopped by one person. The one who stopped them was none other than Old Sen. As for the reason, Old Sen didn't say, only instructing them not to pursue the matter.
Jingtao had pondered this over and over but couldn't figure out why. He guessed that Old Sen might have some personal relationship with Young Lord Chiyan.
Although Old Sen wasn't a member of the Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch Hall, he was an elder of the Crimson-Letter Sect. Coupled with his high prestige and respected character, when he said not to pursue the matter, the Fire Cloud Branch Hall gave him that face. That's why, for so long, the Fire Cloud Branch Hall had not gone to the Yunxia Sect to cause trouble for Young Lord Chiyan.
"Many people say Young Lord Chiyan's background is especially mysterious, and his strength is bizarrely powerful. Otherwise, why would the Bingxuan Ancestor force Leng Yanqiu to form a dual-cultivation partnership with him?" Mu Xiaoyu speculated. "Young Lord Chiyan must have significant backing!"
"Significant backing? Heh!" Young Lord Jingtao held his wine cup, took a light sip, and a trace of contempt flashed across his handsome face. "It's only out of respect for Old Sen that our Fire Cloud Branch Hall doesn't bother with that Young Lord Chiyan. If he doesn't come today, that's fine. But if he dares to show up, I'll definitely make him understand what the true Crimson-Letter Sect is."
"Exactly! That so-called Young Lord Chiyan is only so brazen because he's using the Crimson-Letter Sect's name. Otherwise, the Nine-Hua Alliance would have slaughtered him long ago. How could he afford to be so arrogant?" Bai Yunfei chuckled. "Brother Jingtao, when you step forward later to support Yu Dingxing, let me follow you too."
"Junior Brother, we are here only for the celebration. Do not stir up trouble." Hearing Bai Yunfei wanted to follow Jingtao, Shui Yunruo immediately scolded him.
"Senior Sister, with Brother Jingtao here, you don't need to worry about me."
"Ruoruo, I know the rules of your Taixing Cave. But since you're out now, if Yunfei wants to join in the fun, let him have his fun. I can guarantee with my life that as long as I am here, no one will dare touch a single hair on his head."