Chapter 289: Fetch

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“You look familiar. Could it be that we know each other?”

“How can that be? This one is merely a servant of the palace. A person of my lowly standing cannot possibly be familiar with the deplorable Young Master or his deservedly unfortunate father.”

Feng Zhuo smiles.

Shi Qingxia glowers.

Liu Jin’s palm meets his face with unerring precision.

When he took Yong Zhunyi, Shi Qingxia, and Ye Zheyu as servants to hide them from the Eternal Flame Clan, he did so knowing their discovery was always a possibility. To prevent such an occurrence, Liu Jin offered to change their features. Ye Zheyu accepted his offer, though he made it clear that he did not want to lose any body fat.

Yong Zhunyi and Shi Qingxia did not.

“We are not yet in the Heaven Realm,” Yong Zhunyi explained. “Our regeneration will always restore our bodies to their natural state. I expect Your Majesty will have to reapply Brother Ye’s disguise several times, so I would rather not rely on something like that. It might cause me to grow lax.”

“I just refuse to be anyone but myself,” Shi Qingxia said, her arms crossed and her look daring him to oppose her.

“I doubt anyone from the Eternal Flame Clan will pay much attention to servants,” Yong Zhuyi added in an attempt to reassure him.

He was wrong, obviously, but Liu Jin had foolishly let himself be reassured by the ashen-haired man. Now, he can only look on in dread as Shi Qingxia, dressed as one of the palace maids, serves Feng Zhuo tea while glaring at him with enough force to reduce lesser men to tears. There is no room for misunderstanding. The two clearly recognize each other.

Shi Qingxia had to have known this would happen before she entered the room. Most likely, she decided that since Feng Zhuo will stay here for the foreseeable future, there is little point in trying to hide from him.

“I must say, brother-in-law,” Feng Zhuo says once Shi Qingxia leaves. “You keep very interesting servants.”

“I do not understand what you could possibly be referring to,” Liu Jin replies in perfect deadpan. “However, I will just say they are mine until they are not. I am already overlooking many things about you, so I ask that you overlook this.”

“Ho, reciprocity. Interesting.” Feng Zhuo thinks about it and nods. “Very well, I would never be so callous as to take away my brother-in-law’s toys. Even if he technically stole them first.”

“One cannot steal what is freely offered,” Liu Jin points out, making Feng Zhuo laugh.

“I see. I see. How foolish of me,” Feng Zhuo says, nodding in an overly serious way. “My brother-in-law is so skilled with words. It is no wonder you handled things so well with Lady Bai last night. Personally, I do not mind having a beautiful woman angry at me, but not everyone can understand what a blessing that is.”

Liu Jin thinks of the women in his life. Then, he imagines them angry.

…

No, he’d rather not imagine that.

“I wanted to talk to you about the Crimson Cloud Tournament,” Liu Jin says instead of voicing his thoughts about Feng Zhuo’s tastes. “Lu Mei intends to accept your offer to instruct her in the Eternal Flame. You will be watched, of course, and the Storm Dragon will arise from its slumber should you attempt anything.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” Feng Zhuo says. “However, surely my sister could have told me this herself. Why summon me in private?”

“Because I am still not sure what it is that you offer me,” Liu Jin says bluntly.

“Oh?” Feng Zhuo raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying being a former champion and one of the greatest talents of this era is not enough to make me qualified to teach you?”

“That is not it,” Liu Jin says, shaking his head. “I understand brother-in-law Feng Zhuo is a cultivator of great skill. However, while Lu Mei can learn much from you, I do not believe our skill sets align enough for me to receive a similar benefit. If I wish instruction in cultivation, I can easily seek it from General Nie Dan, perhaps even one of the Elders. Skilled as you are, I do not believe you can outdo them.”

“Oh my, you speak so confidently about receiving the instruction of Emperors. How outrageous.” Feng Zhuo smiles while leaning back into his seat. “Well, you are not wrong. My guidance cannot compare to that of an Emperor Realm cultivator. However, I have participated in the Crimson Cloud Tournament once and been witness to it thrice. There are things I know that General Nie Dan does not. That is what I offer to share with you.”

“I see,” Liu Jin says. “However, could Lady Bai not have done the same? Surely, sharing basic information would not constitute her acting against the Divine Frozen Palace?”

“Naturally,” Feng Zhuo shrugs. “I just spoke like that so she wouldn’t be able to do it. A Dao like Justice is fairly straightforward.”

Liu Jin stares at him.

Feng Zhuo smiles.

“You used her Dao against her,” he accuses.

“Brother-in-law, it sounds so underhanded when you say it like that,” Feng Zhuo whines. “It would make me happy if you tried to sound even a little impressed. Exploiting someone’s Dao is a very useful skill, you know? For example, my uncle already knows your Dao is in a formational state. When he sent me here, he told me to find out if it was possible to influence it.”

“…I begin to think I should have listened to Big Sister Bai.”

Feng Zhuo raises his palms.

“I never said I was going to do it,” Feng Zhuo says. “In fact, since Uncle did not order me to do it, he is probably not expecting me to.”

“I am not sure how much I should trust anything you say,” Liu Jin says. “Even telling me this could be a trick to make me distrust Lord Feng Gui in favor of your father.”

“Brother-in-law, I am a thoroughly honest man except for all the times I am not,” Feng Zhuo says, putting a hand over his heart. “Believe me when I say that I have no desire to hurt my sister’s lover. Besides, trying to influence your Dao strikes me as an exceedingly bad idea. I am only saying these things so you are aware of the possibility and so I can offer to teach His Majesty how to defend himself against such things.”

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“You will excuse me if I do not eagerly accept your offer,” Liu Jin says flatly.

“I’d have been happy if you did.”

“I can live with your unhappiness, brother-in-law,” Liu Jin replies, sighing when Feng Zhuo laughs. “You are a very exhausting man. I begin to understand just who Elder Brother Xiao Nan was referring to when he said there was someone more annoying than him.”

Something changes.

Feng Zhuo does not make a single move, yet the air around him becomes different somehow. Charged. Alert. Intense.

“Is it true, then?” Feng Zhuo asks, his voice sounding deeper than before. “Xiao Nan of the Xiao Sect is alive?”

Confused by his sudden seriousness, Liu Jin nods.

He is not prepared for the naked relief that appears on Feng Zhuo’s face.

“I see. I see. That is good.” Feng Zhuo genuinely sounds relieved. There is even a small smile on his face. “I had read the reports, but Xiao Nan’s identity is not something they dwelled much on. I did not want to get my hopes up.”

“You remember him,” Liu Jin says, confused by this. The Xiao Sect once made it to the Top 100 Sects of the Empire thanks to Elder Brother Xiao Nan’s performance, but that is still nowhere near high enough for someone like Feng Zhuo to remember him.

“Of course I do!” Feng Zhuo says. “He genuinely tried to defeat me. It’d be rude of me to ever forget such valor!”

Liu Jin’s forehead crinkles. Xiao Nan fought Feng Zhuo during a tournament. What else was he supposed to do but try? Seeing his expression, Feng Zhuo chuckles.

“I see. I see. That is how it is. Well, pay it no mind, brother-in-law,” Feng Zhuo says. “Let’s just say I have another reason to stay close to you now.”

That does not reassure Liu Jin in the slightest.

~~~

“You should have called me, Your Majesty.”