Chapter 158: Worry and Danger

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No one would ever accuse Lord Feng Shang of being a nervous man. Even as a baby, he possessed a calm temperament, rarely crying or making trouble for his parents. The birth of his overly emotional brother only further accentuated these qualities in him. Cautious, responsible Feng Shang and his foolish, rambunctious younger brother. That was how people viewed them.

Were he not an Emperor, thus wholly in control of every single cell in his body, Feng Shang would be sweating right now.

It comes as no surprise that his father is why he is so nervous. That has often been the case for as long as Feng Shang can remember. Of course, when he was a child, he feared small, inconsequential things like how his father would react to learning he had made a small crack on the statue of the First Ancestor during his training.

The stakes are higher now.

The first disciple to return from the Dead Plains was one of his. It was an underwhelming conclusion to a feud that had been brewing for many years, but it was one better than he’d dared to hope. Feng Shang felt elated when his father ordered the disciple to be brought before him so that he may deliver the stone.

However, that was all that happened.

His father made no announcements and no choices. He and Feng Gui were left staring at him, waiting for several seconds before being dismissed from his presence. Feng Shang later questioned the disciple but could not gain any insight into his father’s actions.

Two of Feng Gui’s disciples arrived merely a day later. Just like before, his father ordered the disciples brought to him so that they may deliver the stone and nothing else.

It has been weeks since then, and the pattern has repeated without an end in sight. Their father seems to have no intention of declaring a winner, something that, unfortunately, isn’t entirely unexpected. Things rarely go the way Feng Shang wants them to when dealing with his father. This is simply another one of those times.

But the stakes are higher now.

Having to wait here while his future and that of the entire Eternal Flame Clan is decided beyond his sight is maddening. However, what other alternatives are there? Feng Shang considered sending men out to the Dead Plains for merely five seconds before he felt his father’s gaze on him from two miles away.

Just seriously contemplating the choice was enough to create an ignition point for his father to sense. With their father out of seclusion, Feng Shang can do nothing. It doesn’t matter that he is an Emperor. He can only wait in the compound until his father makes a choice using whatever arbitrary metric he has settled on this time.

Wait… and hope his brother hasn’t decided to kill his own son in pursuit of power.

His foolish, irresponsible, reckless brother.

His brother who has more illegitimate children than there are stars in the sky and cares for them as much as he cares for the ants crawling under the ground.

His brother who has always wanted the position of Patriarch and often loudly proclaimed he would stop at nothing to achieve it.

Then there is the matter of Xun Huwen. Just the name alone makes Feng Shang’s face sour. He should have never listened to that suggestion. Putting aside that Xun Huwen could easily ruin the contest, sending someone like him to the Eye… They might as well be begging him to step into the true Dead Plains.

For the first time in a long time, Feng Shang feels nervous.

~~~

Liu Jin and Lu Mei move to Liu Jin’s room after Bei Hong and Bei Duyi have been stabilized. The doors have been sealed off with talismans to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

“You propose something dangerous.”

“I know,” Liu Jin says. His frustration is easy to see in the creasing of his brow. “I have been trying to figure out another way to find Feng Hao, but the Dead Plains are too big.”

Even though Liu Jin has enough disciples at his command to organize a few search parties, there is no point in doing so. Even assuming Feng Zhi has hidden Feng Hao in the Eye, that still leaves far too much territory to cover. In the worst-case scenario, Liu Jin would just be sending people out to die.

“You are the only one I can rely on for this.”

Lu Mei humphs and crosses her arms. “I am so relieved you think of me as a reliable Feng locator.”

Liu Jin narrows his eyes. “You have felt my feelings. You know that is not fair.”

Still, it is not as if he doesn’t understand Lu Mei’s frustration. He’d be worried if she wasn’t at least a little apprehensive about what he has suggested.

The idea came to him after remembering what Elder Xun told them. All the users of the Eternal Flame are connected through the Eternal Flame, and Feng Hao…

“My tutors all say the same thing! They said it won’t be long until I can c-use the Eternal Flame.”

Feng Hao was about to be introduced to the Eternal Flame before this all began. There is a high chance he has already started tapping into it. If nothing else, Liu Jin can rely on Feng Hao’s staggering talent. And if not him, then Feng Zhi undoubtedly has it. Considering the situation, he might have even started instructing Feng Hao in its use.

Lu Mei’s gaze softens.

“Fair enough. However, there is no guarantee you are right. Elder Xun could detect I held the Eternal Flame, but he was mere yards away from me during the trial. Meanwhile, Lord Feng Shang has no idea who I am. You, however, expect me to use the Eternal Flame Clan to track Feng Hao across hundreds of miles.”

“Lord Feng Shang wasn’t trying to sense anything,” Liu Jin argues back. “I’ll admit this is mostly conjecture, but please bear with me. People with the Eternal Flame can sense each other, provided they are skilled enough. However, this is not necessarily just a passive sense. Lord Feng Shang couldn’t detect you because he never once tried to sense anything, and your connection to the Eternal Flame wasn’t developed enough to call his attention. It is also why Feng Zhi seems to have no idea you hold the Eternal Flame as far as we know.”

“By that logic, Lord Feng Shang could find out the location of everyone with the Eternal Flame in the Crimson Cloud Empire if he cared to sense them.”

“That is not as impossible as you make it sound. Think about it. We know there are at least some Elders capable of using the Eternal Flame. The Feng Clan also has several branches all over the Empire. It would not surprise me if there were other Feng Clan members with the ability to use the Eternal Flame.”

To say nothing of illegitimate children like Lu Mei who have managed to tap into it. Liu Jin has heard and overheard enough of Lord Feng Gui’s habits to know there has to be at least some of them out there. He doubts most of them are even half as talented as Lu Mei, but there have to be some of them who can somewhat tap into the Eternal Flame.

“If Lord Feng Shang or Lord Feng Gui were to use their ability to sense everyone with a connection to the Eternal Flame in the Crimson Cloud Empire, there’d be too many of them for it to be useful. However, here in the Dead Plains…”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Here in the Dead Plains, it is only Feng Hao and Feng Zhi,” Lu Mei finishes. “Supposedly, anyway.”

“Even if you can only sense their general direction, it would be a huge help towards our efforts to find them.”

“In effect, you want me to wield an ability that has proven to grow more volatile each time I grow stronger, something I have done during the time we have been apart, to attempt to do something I have never done before which may or may not be possible but will certainly be dangerous. Is that it?”

“That is… yes. I intend to help you, but that is exactly what I am asking you.”

“Help?” Lu Mei wrinkles her brow. “Ah, like what we did in the Medical Pavilion.”

Liu Jin nods. “The least I can do is help you weather the Eternal Flame. Of course, you would be tapping directly into the Eternal Flame this time. I can understand if you do not want to try, and I will not force you to do this.”

“We could both end up burned alive.”

“I am aware.”

Lu Mei purses her lips.

“I want something.”

“Name it.”

“[Ceaselessly Refining Breath]. If we survive this, I want you to teach it to me.”

“Done.”

Lu Mei blinks. “I was not expecting you to accept so easily.”

“The skills my master taught me are for me to do whatever I wish with,” Liu Jin says, echoing Old Jiang’s words. “Besides, you have made known your intention to help me on my path. You will need at least that much.”

“I can’t seem to win against you today.” Lu Mei shakes her head exactly one time. A resolute look appears on her face. “Very well. Let’s try.”