On the fourth floor of Peacock Pavilion

In the Supreme Elder, Mei Hengkong’s quarter

Three people were seated around the rounded table. They were Mei Hengkong, Xiu Yao, and Feng Luotian. Mei Hengkong was not someone who would be picky about manner and formality. There was no need for Feng Luotian and Xiu Yao to kneel on the floor when he was sitting on the chair.

Mei Hengkong commenced the conversation: “Yao’er, report the mission!”

Xiu Yao: “Yes, Master!” He retrieved a white wisp of conscience from his forehead, containing every information, every scene he saw, and every thought he processed during the mission, then carefully gave it to his master.

This was a strange sight for Feng Luotian. He thought his senior brother would use his usual non-stop chatterbox to describe the whole situation to their master.

After receiving the wisp of conscience from Xiu Yao, Mei Hengkong closed his eyes to see what was inside. And since it was a month worth of information, Mei Hengkong needed some time to fully digest all of it in one go.

Three minutes silently passed, but after Mei Hengkong reopened his eyes, he gave a loud smack upon the back of Xiu Yao’s head: “How disgraceful! While being the Four Talons and the First Feather of the Peacock School, you just have to request helps from your junior brother time after time! After today, no, after this conversation ends, you will be going back to your place and never walking out of it until you become a Wing Realm Master, do you understand me?!”

“Eh?!?!” Xiu Yao was dumbfounded as he thought: “Of all the information I gave you, this was the most important issue?”

Mei Hengkong continued his rebuke: “Don’t eh me! If it’s not Luotian who came to your rescue, who knows how long it’d take for you to return back and report to me? The city itself might be gone long before you come back! Even though you’re simple-minded, there’s a limit to that!”

On the side, Feng Luotian gave out a wry smile as he thought that the line was quite familiar. He did not want to see his senior brother got scolded more than this, so he cut the conversation between them: “Who do you think they are, Master? I didn’t expect that there would be such a powerful formation master around this city. But if we must guess about a group of powerful people, then they must be from the Vermilion Kingdom, right, Master?”

Although Feng Luotian knew full well who they were, he wished to test the waters and see which side his master was on.

Mei Hengkong shifted the focus from his ‘useless’ disciple to the main topic. When he heard Feng Luotian’s comment, he shook his head: “No. From their auras, they should be from the Yin Clan of the Silver Fox City.”

Xiu Yao, who was lowering his head from being scolded, together with Feng Luotian, who was acting ignorance, raised their head and arched their brows, then said in unison: “The Silver Fox City’s Yin Clan?!”

Mei Hengkong lightly nodded in confirmation: “Yes. This matter is even more complicated than the one you sent Wuji back to report to us, Luotian.”

Feng Luotian asked: “How so, Master?”

But before Mei Hengkong answered, Xiu Yao interrupted: “Wait, wait, wait! Who’s this Wuji? And what’s this report?”

Mei Hengkong glared at Xiu Yao for disturbing his conversation with Feng Luotian, then coldly replied: “He’s your other junior brother. Just shut up!”

Xiu Yao did not seem to be bothered with the phrase ‘shut up’ at all. He just uttered ‘oh?’ and continued listening at the sideline, inwardly giggling in the excitement that he had got another junior brother as he was Mei Hengkong’s lone disciple for a long time, which made him quite lonely compared to other disciples in the same generation.

Mei Hengkong turned back to Feng Luotian and responded to his previous question: “I’ll say this first. You might have expected us, the Mei Clan, to retaliate and fight with the Sikong at full force after hearing your story through Wuji. However, what you have is just a guess. A hypothesis with no concrete evidence. As the city lord, Xuankong will not openly declare with them, no matter how much he and all of us believe in you.”

Feng Luotian’s brows slightly twitched: “How could you stay still when realizing that there’s a possibility of them trying to kill Yue’er?”

Mei Hengkong let out a huge sigh: “Luotian, we already knew some of the clues about the culprits of that assassination ten days after the incident, but after the meeting, we concluded that we will not do anything about that … for now.”

“You already knew but you did nothing?!” Feng Luotian’s rage was boiling inside, but with the consideration of Peacock Lord’s position and where the situation would go if Peacock Lord really demanded answers from the Sikong Clan, he instantly cooled down: “What of Second Elder? You can look at this evidence if you want any, Master.” He fetched out the scroll he got from the Vulture Bandit Troupe’s leader, Jiu Hao’s table, and gave it to Mei Hengkong.

Mei Hengkong replied: “We already interrogated him. He admitted the use of the bandits to rob those villagers of some treasure, and this document will further prove that. However, he denied all charges regarding him colluding with those sparrows. All we can do now is to give the punishment of two-month confinement in his own quarter: the Alchemy Center. He then will be monitored at all times by our special corps.”

Even with all the dissatisfactions he presently conjured inside, Feng Luotian could only sigh in his heart. In his past life, as a son of the Demon God Emperor, if he suspected anyone, he could just say one word and someone would drag them before him to use the information extracting technique and he would get the answer right away.

Feng Luotian felt extremely powerless right now because Peacock Lord could not just listen to him and do whatever he requested. Peacock Lord was bound by his duty as a city lord. That was why he needed to be impartial toward all matters.

The only way Feng Luotian could prove his enemies’ wrongdoings or just kill them right off was to get stronger than anyone in this city and finish this himself.

Feng Luotian tactfully accepted the result and shifted the topic they left previously: “I understand, Master. But what about those Yin Clan’s people being more complicated?”

Mei Hengkong: “As the Nefarious Valley does not connect with their city, they will need to tread past our city before reaching there. After the war with them three years ago, the protective formation around Divine Bird City was set in the most sensitive way that will cause a loud alarm in case of any one of Yin Clan’s members getting close to it, no matter how high they fly over the city. You should be aware of this fact, right?”

Both Xiu Yao and Feng Luotian nodded at the same time.

Mei Hengkong continued: “If they can get to the Nefarious Valley, then there’s a problem with the city’s protective formation. As the formation is just three years old, I doubt the formation’s defectiveness and believe more in someone altering it from its core. The thing is that the core is located in the hidden room connected to Xuankong’s office. You know what I’m about to tell you, right?”

“Yes, Master!” This time, only Feng Luotian sternly responded. As for Xiu Yao, he had no idea.

Mei Hengkong rolled his eyes at his dumb disciple and answered his own question: “As they need to access the hidden room from the Peacock Lord’s office, there must be someone, with a very high status in the Mei Clan, providing them passage to the Nefarious Valley.”

Xiu Yao abruptly stood up from his chair and shouted: “What?!”

Feng Luotian commented, acting in a contemplating manner: “That’s about right. But who could it be, Master? I guess it’s the Second Elder since he’s already colluded with the Sikong. He might join up the Yin Clan as well.”

Another stone was tossed to test the waters. And Xiu Yao, who was totally ignored by the two, quietly returned to his seat.