Chapter 268: Burdens

~~~

“I must say. These are quite good.”

Yong Zhunyi has a thoughtful look on his face as he eats one of the cakes brought by the servants. He does not add ‘Your Majesty’ to the end of his sentences because Liu Jin has already asked him not to.

“The palace cooks are surprisingly good,” Liu Jin says. “Considering the state of the country, I expected far less.”

“It should not be too surprising. The powerful tend to keep those most skilled to themselves,” Yong Zhunyi says. “It’s quite tragic, really.”

Liu Jin hums in agreement as he eats his cake.

Yong Zhunyi eats in silence as well. Ye Zheyu and Shi Qingxia are behind him, the former staring straight ahead, the latter scowling and repeatedly tapping her knee.

Lei Kong stands behind Liu Jin. His aura is on alert and his body ready to take action. Lu Mei merely smiles, her eyes brimming with amusement.

“Very well,” Liu Jin says after several minutes of silence have passed. “I suppose there is only one alternative.”

“Indeed,” Yong Zhunyi says, inclining his head. “I think so as well.”

“We are in agreement, then?”

“Quite. I apologize for burdening you like this.”

“Do not worry. This is not even close to being the largest burden I have put on my shoulders.”

That is as much as Shi Qingxia can take.

“Enough!” she shouts as she stands up, her chair falling behind her. Her pointed finger alternates between the two. “You two have just been eating cakes and drinking tea! There is no way you could have discussed anything! Don’t even try to pretend you used your aura to communicate! We would have sensed it if you had!”

Lu Mei hides her laughter behind her sleeve, but that does nothing to minimize the sound. Shi Qingxia’s glare immediately turns to her.

“Did I say something funny, junior?”

“Merely amusing, my dearest senior sister,” Lu Mei replies, smirking when others would have already flinched away. “This lady now understands that even accomplished senior disciples can look like common people under the right circumstances. This one thanks you for the lesson.”

Something cracks. Probably Shi Qingxia’s self-control.

“Ha? It seems I was far too lenient the other day,” Shi Qingxia says with a positively predatory smile. “Don’t worry, junior sister. I will be thorough in my guidance this time.”

Gold shines in Lu Mei’s eyes at the same time as light flickers around Shi Qingxia.

“Sister Shi,” Yong Zhunyi says, his tone gentle. “There is no need for posturing here. We all know where we stand. Our juniors will not falter just because they’re threatened a little. You already know this, or you would not be so eager to play with them.”

Shi Qingxia crosses her arms but says nothing, leaving Liu Jin with the unsettling realization that Yong Zhunyi is right. Shi Qingxia, it seems, is the sort of person who never grew out of the habit of bullying those she likes.

“I suppose Senior Brother Yong and I could have been clearer in our conversation,” Liu Jin says in what he hopes is a sufficiently conciliatory manner. “As you all know, Senior Brother and I encountered each other in the Storm Dragon’s spatial realm during the battle…”

~~~

“I beg your pardon. I seem to have misheard you.”

“I believe you heard right,” Yong Zhuyi says. “You made an offer to us once. The time has come for us to accept it. I ask that you please remove the flesh buds from our bodies.”

Liu Jin stares at Yong Zhuyi.

Yong Zhuyi meets his gaze with resolute stoicness.

“Senior Brother, I hope you will forgive me for this, but I am not particularly inclined to trust you,” Liu Jin says. “The last time I made this offer, you were holding me hostage and were going to deliver me to whoever you answer to, the Fleshcrafter most likely.”

As he speaks, Liu Jin raises his Qi, readying himself for a potential battle. Though he is in the Earth Realm, Senior Brother Yong Zhunyi’s level is still higher, and he is far more experienced than him.

“I see.”

To Liu Jin’s complete surprise, Yong Zhuyi sits on the floor. Not only that, his Qi goes nearly inert. He is essentially leaving himself open for a single attack. It might not seem like much, but Yong Zhuyi knows Liu Jin only needs one touch to manipulate the flesh bud inside him.

“I understand your doubts,” Yong Zhuyi says, presenting his open palms to Liu Jin. “When we last met, I told you I was acting for the benefit of the Eternal Flame Clan. I could no longer stand the ways of the Feng Clan, so I could not change my path.”

“And has that changed?”

“Not at all,” Yong Zhuyi replies. “That is exactly why we can no longer remain as we are.”

It takes Liu Jin two seconds to understand the meaning behind Yong Zhuyi’s words.

“You did not know about Yuan Tao’s ancestry,” he deduces.

Yong Zhuyi nods.

“Indeed,” he says. “Years ago, I was approached by Elder Fa. He noticed my discontent and offered me an alternative. I truly believed he represented a better future for the Eternal Flame Clan. However, what point is there in ridding the Eternal Flame Clan of one group of Fengs only to replace them with a new one?”

Yong Zhuyi admitting he was working under Elder Fa’s orders does not come as a surprise. However, his last sentence does give him pause.

“A new group?” Liu Jin blinks. “Wait, does that mean…”

“At this point, I am nearly certain Elder Fa is not just someone given access to the Eternal Flame Clan due to his position as an Elder. Rather, he is of Feng blood,” he says. “Whether Yuan Tao is his son or not is not something I am sure of yet. However, Elder Fa’s true motives have gradually become apparent to me. He is offering the Death Fashioning Scripture access to the Eternal Flame in exchange for their support. With their backing, he intends to establish himself as the new Patriarch of the Eternal Flame Clan. It would be the beginning of a new Feng Clan.”

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“What a pity,” Liu Jin says dryly. “It seems all the disciples you helped kill died for nothing.”

“Is this where I bring up the people who died because you wanted to ingratiate yourself to Elder Xue and helped her take over the Medical Pavilion?”

Anger flashes in Liu Jin’s eyes. He has a reply at the tip of his tongue but lets it die.

There is no point fighting here.

“Should you be speaking so freely?” Liu Jin asks instead. “The Fleshcrafter could overhear you and take over your body.”

Yong Zhuyi smiles.

“Like I said earlier, this spatial realm is quite useful. The shifting dimensions should make it impossible for the Fleshcrafter to overhear us. You should be able to remove his taint from me without alerting him.”

Liu Jin frowns as he considers it. It is an offer he already made, so he does not have many objections to it. However…

“What about the other two?” He asks. “Are we to travel together and hope we find them?”

“There is no need. We knew about the spatial realm beforehand, so we prepared accordingly.”