Han Dong furrowed her brows as she stared at Gu Qingfeng, trying to find any clues on his face and to see through what he was thinking.
Alas.
No matter how she looked, she couldn't see anything.
This guy was just leaning casually against a large tree, sitting on the ground drinking wine. His handsome face held nothing but an indescribable sense of ease and countless layers of nonchalance, along with that lazy smile at the corner of his mouth. It was utterly impossible to tell whether he was lying or not.
Actually, for Han Dong, how this guy knew about her master healing the monarch's wound all those years ago wasn't the most important thing.
Because even if what he said was true, it still wouldn't answer the doubts in her heart.
What she most wanted to know was why her master had knelt and kowtowed to this guy, and why she had repeatedly instructed her to treat him with reverence.
He was fake. An impostor.
Even if he really were Young Lord Chiyan, her master shouldn't have needed to do that, right?
Moreover, the real Young Lord Chiyan might not even truly be the successor of Lord Chixiao.
Taking a step back, even if the real Young Lord Chiyan were the true successor of the monarch, her master still had no reason to kneel and kowtow!
After all, he was just a successor, not Lord Chixiao himself.
There was absolutely no need for that!
Could it really be as her master said, that it was just out of gratitude because this guy would help her and help Yaoyue Palace?
No!
Absolutely not!
Han Dong knew her master very well, and she could also tell that when her master knelt to this guy, besides gratitude, there was more panic, more fear, more terror.
What exactly was her master panicking about?
What was she afraid of?
What was she terrified of?
Han Dong racked her brains but couldn't figure this out. And the worst part was, she didn't know how to even begin asking this guy about the doubts in her heart.
Just as she was lost in thought, a voice full of mockery suddenly reached her ears.
"Well, well! I thought I was seeing things earlier, but it turns out our great Heir Apparent of Yaoyue Palace has really returned!"
Hearing the voice, Han Dong immediately stopped her pondering and looked up. She saw over a dozen people flying towards them, all disciples of Yaoyue Palace. Leading them were a man and a woman, both Direct Disciples of the palace.
One of them, a woman dressed in flamboyant attire, was Bi Lan, who had always targeted Han Dong.
The other, a young man who looked arrogant and domineering, was Ji Shan.
The Star-Moon Domain was one of the most prosperous major domains in the Great Northwest frontier. Yaoyue Palace was a major sect with ancient heritage. Relying on a rare Yin Moon Spiritual Vein, it had been one of the giants of the Northwest frontier for tens of thousands of years. By the end of the Ancient Era, it even ruled over the entire Great Northwest. One could imagine how powerful the Direct Disciples of Yaoyue Palace must be—absolutely not comparable to the Direct Disciples of those minor sects from small domains like the Four Directions Domain.
And indeed, this was the case. Yaoyue Palace had over ten Direct Disciples. While they might not be called dragons and phoenixes among men, they were absolutely geniuses one in ten thousand. Be it talent, comprehension, or fortune, they were outstanding among the younger generation of the Northwest frontier.
Take Bi Lan and Ji Shan, for example. Both had become famous at a young age. With the help of Yaoyue Palace's Yin Moon Spiritual Vein, their cultivation had soared straight up. At a tender age, they were already Daozuns who had cultivated their Nascent Souls. In the Ancient Era, one wouldn't even dare think of such a thing. Even in this Current Era ofAwakening of All Things, abundant resources, and emerging geniuses, the two of them could still bear the title of geniuses across the entire Great Northwest frontier.
If that were all, it would still be far from enough to qualify as Direct Disciples of Yaoyue Palace.
Both of them possessed their own unique fortunes. Not to mention anything else, just their extraordinary Great Nature Color Spirits alone were enough to leave those pseudo-geniuses in the dust.
What were Great Nature extraordinary Color Spirits?
It meant that every single Color Spirit across their cultivation realms exceeded the ninth level. Their Color Spirit foundation was, their Color Spirit True Body was, their Color Spirit Purple Mansion was, their Color Spirit Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Nascent Soul Spirit all were. After Color Spirit Unification, it was either five-nines or six-nines. Just thinking about having dozens of Great Nature Color Spirits was terrifying.
Moreover, besides their Great Nature extraordinary Color Spirits, they more or less possessed various other fortunes, both innate and acquired.
Their strength was so formidable that it even surpassed those thousand-year-old Nascent Soul monsters.
"Heh! So you brought your sweetheart along this time too."
Bi Lan's gaze fell on Gu Qingfeng, her tone sarcastic and mocking. "What? Planning to have your sweetheart show off his might in our Yaoyue Palace again? Hmm? Heir Apparent Miss?"
Clearly, Bi Lan was mocking Han Dong for, as the Heir Apparent, actually bringing an outsider to cause trouble in Yaoyue Palace three months ago—acting like a traitor.
"I say, Bi Lan, Young Lord Chiyan has already formed a Cultivation Partner bond with Sister Han Dong. Why can't he come to Yaoyue Palace?"
Ouyang Ye stepped forward to retort. Back when they were looking for someone to impersonate Young Lord Chiyan three months ago, they had publicly announced the Cultivation Partner relationship between Young Lord Chiyan and Han Dong. The purpose was to allow Young Lord Chiyan to logically help Han Dong and thus intervene in Yaoyue Palace's affairs. This way, outsiders couldn't gossip, and even people within Yaoyue Palace couldn't say much. Between Cultivation Partners, life and death are pledged, and they form Spirit Contracts. Helping each other is perfectly justified. Who would dare say it's not? Who could say it's not?
"If he's Han Dong's Cultivation Partner, then what are you? Trespassing into the back mountains of our Yaoyue Palace—did you get my permission?"
"Why would I need your permission?"
Ouyang Ye was sharp-tongued, her verbal skills always formidable. "Sister Han Dong is the Heir Apparent of Yaoyue Palace. Does she need to report to you when she brings someone to the back mountains? Furthermore, I, this young lady, can enter Yaoyue Palace freely because I have special permission from Granny Feiyan. She is the Palace Master of Yaoyue Palace. What? You have a problem with that?"
Bi Lan fell silent, frost appearing on her face, killing intent flickering in her eyes.
Ouyang Ye originally wanted to say more, but Han Dong beside her shook her head slightly. She knew Bi Lan had always disliked her, but she had never paid it any mind. Turning to look at Gu Qingfeng, she said softly, "Young Lord, let's go."
"Leaving already?"
Gu Qingfeng had been planning to watch the show for a while, but it seemed the show was over before it began. He stood up, patted the dust off his sleeves, and was about to follow the two away when someone suddenly blocked Han Dong's path.
"Senior Sister Han Dong, since you're here, why be in such a hurry to leave?"
The speaker was a young man who looked arrogant and domineering—Ji Shan, also a Direct Disciple of Yaoyue Palace.
"I just came out of seclusion not long ago and heard that Senior Sister Han Dong has found an extraordinary Cultivation Partner. I hear this person is even the successor of the legendary overlord of the Ancient Era, Lord Chixiao. Surname Gu, given name Qingfeng, Dao title Chiyan."
Ji Shan looked at Gu Qingfeng with a smile on his face and said, "I presume you are the famous Young Lord Chiyan?"