EVERYONE EXCHANGED stunned glances as Murong Lian sauntered into Xihe Manor with his pipe held high. A group of Wangshu Manor attendants followed in his wake.
The people he brought were all wearing the blue and gold of nobility, the bat insignia embroidered on their robes flashing. This crowd of glittering cultivators entered the manor like a knife, cutting through the attendants Zhou He had brought.
No one expected Murong Lian to come calling in the dead of night, nor did they know what brought him here. The hall gazed at him in confused silence.
Only Fandou showed no signs of ill will, perhaps because he remembered gorging himself on Murong Lian's stores back at Luomei Pavilion. The instant he saw Murong Lian, he jumped up in excitement, rushing over to run joyous circles around him.
"Arf arf! Woof woof woof!"
Gu Mang felt like he'd been betrayed by a comrade.
The big black dog leapt up and down, barking as he nuzzled at Murong Lian's left hand with enthusiasm. Murong Lian didn't care for animals at the best of times; he waved his wide sleeves. "Where did the damn dog come from? It's slobbering on this lord's clothes! Get it out of here!"
"Yes, yes!" Li Wei hastily answered. "Aiya, Wangshu-jun honors us with his presence; please excuse this subordinate for not coming out to greet him. A thousand pardons, a thousand pardons."
As he spoke, he gestured for the other servants to collar Fandou and take him to the back courtyard. Fandou whimpered plaintively, his long tongue lolling as he looked back at Murong Lian with every step until the servants finally managed to drag him away.
Murong Lian sighed and rolled his eyes, then lowered his head to straighten his brocade robes. "Crazy dogs taking after their crazy owners," he muttered.
Only after the fuss was over did everyone return to their senses, each making their obeisance and greeting Murong Lian. None of those present held high positions; the only noble was Zhou He, and his station was a sight lower than Murong Lian's. Even he had to satisfy etiquette; he rose and performed his bow. Zhou He was a lunatic obsessed with magic techniques, but he respected people with actual ability. Trash like Murong Lian were, in his opinion, no more than scum whose veins ran with noble blood. His bow was indifferent. "Wangshu-jun."
The servants behind Zhou He lowered their heads and bowed as well. "Greetings to Wangshu-jun."
In this roomful of people, only Gu Mang hadn't moved. To others he looked like an idiot, but in fact he was surreptitiously observing this lord whom he had served for almost twenty years. Gu Mang knew Murong Lian's habits all too well, so it was only he who noticed something amiss—specifically, something about Murong Lian's style of dress.
Murong Lian was a man who adored extravagance. He constantly flaunted his noble birth and fabulous wealth like a peacock fanning its feathers. He wasn't like Mo Xi, who didn't dwell on his wealth or care for ostentatious food and sumptuous clothing. Neither was he like Mengze; though each garment she wore was eyewateringly expensive, its subtlety was a mark of its quality. Murong Lian, on the contrary, belonged to a class of people whose every action screamed, This lord is rich; each puff of ephemera carried the scent of golden cowries. He preferred his clothing and accessories to impress his enormous wealth upon others from at least a mile away.
It was his habit, whenever he went out, to fasten the most costly gold or jade ornaments in his hair. Yes, they were heavy; no, it didn't matter as long as they were flashy. Best if they could dazzle the rabble's eyes until they couldn't see a thing.
But Murong Lian wasn't flashy at all right now. Though he was attired in a set of lavish sapphire robes with golden trim, the light blue layer that should've been worn beneath was absent; only the snowy-white of a silk inner robe showed beneath his collar. His hairknot was unusual as well, secured by a simple sandalwood hairpin. It was obviously something he chose for comfort, a careless accessory he wore while holed up at home with no plans to see anyone. It seemed Murong Lian had rushed out the door so quickly he only had time to grab the robe. He hadn't even redone his hair.
Gu Mang found himself frowning, baffled. Zhou He had prepared the black magic gu worms yesterday. He wanted Gu Mang for experiments, so he hastened over to fetch him. What had Murong Lian come for?
As Gu Mang thought, Murong Lian lifted those sultry peachblossom eyes and swept a glance around the room. His gaze paused momentarily on Zhou He, then landed on Gu Mang. In the instant Gu Mang met Murong Lian's eyes, he felt an earth-shattering pain spike through his skull, as if something in his head had let out a heartrending scream, trying to escape in terror and fury…
He clapped a hand to his forehead, screwing his eyes shut. Scarlet filled his vision as a twisted voice bellowed in his ears—
Let go of me… Let go of me! I'll make you live a life worse than death—a life worse than death!
Fresh blood rushed out like waves breaking on the shore, and scraps of vision flashed chaotically before his eyes. He saw corpses piled into mountains, gore seeping through the city walls, the earth bathed in sunset's bloody glow, broken weapons in the sand. A sadistic satisfaction rose in his heart as he clamored for more death. He seemed to be flying through this mortal hell, endless scarlet as far as the eye could see. The pungent scent of copper seeped into his bones. He couldn't tell what he was feeling; it was euphoric delight crossed with black despair. As if his soul was being cut into two…
"General Gu."
He tensed. This quiet address yanked Gu Mang from the surging pool of blood. He jerked his head up, panting through parted lips, clear blue eyes searching for the speaker. He met Murong Lian's foxlike gaze once more.
Murong Lian took a puff of ephemera, slowly exhaling smoke. "Let's see, did you have fun on your shameless little trip to Bat Island with Xihe-jun?"
Gu Mang said nothing. After a few heartbeats, that head-splitting agony receded; only the warm wetness in his blue eyes remained as his temples pulsed painfully. Gu Mang deliberately closed his eyes, straightening his back in his chair. His lips moved. Mimicking his manner from before, he quietly replied. "Mn. Had fun."
All these important guests had driven Li Wei to the point of tears. He looked at Murong Lian, then at Gu Mang, and finally at Zhou He. In the end, he lowered his head, fetched another tray of tea and snacks, and offered it to Murong Lian.
"Wangshu-jun, please take a seat and have some tea. Xihe-jun will soon—"
"No need, I'm not here for Fireball." The soft tips of Murong Lian's fingers tapped the tea tray as he pushed it away. He pointed at Gu Mang with his pipe, sneering. "I'm here for him."
Housekeeper Li was at a complete loss.
Murong Lian smoothed the front of his blue and gold robes.
"You've had your fun idling around long enough. Get up."
Everyone looked between Murong Lian and Gu Mang in confusion.
"Come with me," Murong Lian commanded.
Other than Zhou He, no one in the hall had the faintest idea what was going on. Gu Mang didn't move, watching Murong Lian quietly.
The wrinkle between Zhou He's brows deepened when he was angry, making him look increasingly demonic. He said with mounting irritation, "Wangshu-jun, what do you mean by this?"
"What else? Does Elder Zhou not understand?" Murong Lian turned his head languidly, sultry eyes flicking toward Zhou He. "I've come to take the prisoner."
"You've come to take the prisoner?"
"That's right." Murong Lian took another lazy drag on his pipe, holding the smoke in his mouth before slowly blowing it in Zhou He's face. His indolent smile blossomed like a slumbering flower, but the tongue beneath was as venomous as any snake. He smirked. "Sishu Elder, this lord has come to claim him for black magic experiments."
If the entire hall had been confounded before, now the mood turned to one of alarm.
Zhou He's expression was ugly; he looked as if he wanted nothing more than to hack open Murong Lian's skull and turn his brains to mince. An entire lifetime's worth of self-restraint was all that kept him from exploding at Murong Lian. Even so, the sparks flashing in his eyes were terrifying, his gaze vulture-like in its ferocity.
"Wangshu-jun." Each word was forced through the gaps in Zhou He's teeth. "If I remember correctly, I am the top elder of Sishu Terrace, not you."
"Aiyo." Murong Lian bared his teeth in a mirthless smile, voice syrupy. "Elder Zhou, if this lord remembers correctly, I am His Imperial Majesty's cousin, not you."
Zhou He slammed the table in rage. "Why are you bringing that up?! What does it have to do with me?!"
"What doesn't it have to do with you? Both of us wish to do black magic experiments right now. Everything has been prepared; all we're missing is the test subject." Murong Lian pointed at Gu Mang. "What do you think? Will His Imperial Majesty give him to you, or to me?"
This was Murong Lian's most shameless trick. He liked to bring up the emperor whenever possible, name-dropping his cousin every second word, and no one could say a thing against it.
Zhou He's deep purple lapels rose and fell with his heaving breaths. He glared at Murong Lian. "Wangshu-jun, do you intend to pick a fight with me?"
"Who's picking a fight? It's simply an unfortunate coincidence." Murong Lian lifted his pipe to his lips and continued unhurriedly. "You happened to have prepared your black magic gu worms last night. It's the same for me—I received a set of the Liao Kingdom's black magic spells just today and I require someone to try them on. Look, we both need a dog. But—" Murong Lian paused, lifting his chin in Gu Mang's direction. "This dog happens to be one this lord has raised since childhood. By all logic and all rights, this lord should be the one to slaughter it."
Zhou He ground his teeth. "You're certain you wish to oppose me in this?"
Murong Lian's gaze drifted back to Zhou He, more enigmatic than ephemera smoke, his voice satin-soft. "Hm? So what if I do? Does Elder Zhou want to sulk about it?"
Zhou He was silent a moment. The veins at his temples stood out so far the servants across the hall could see them.
Li Wei thought: The two of you can go ahead and start fighting; daggers or pipes, it's none of my business if you start stabbing each other with them. But could you have your squabble outside Xihe Manor? If this lunatic Zhou really blows up and stabs Murong Lian to death in our great hall, the blame will fall on my lord.
As Li Wei was worriedly staging countless unspeakable and bloody outcomes in his head, Zhou He got his fury under control. When he spoke again, his tone was menacing. "What if I refuse?"
Murong Lian narrowed his eyes. "Then I'd suggest you use your little Lieying to poke around in your own brain," he said with a sigh. "Perhaps the contents have gone bad or rotted away."
The last shred of a cold smile vanished from Zhou He's face. "Very well. You're really insisting on making this difficult?" Gaze unwavering, Zhou He lifted a hand and spoke to the attendant standing behind him: "Bring it here."
"What do you think you can use against me?" Murong Lian asked carelessly. "I'm quite clear on your family's circumstances. You have a token of immunity from the late emperor that exempts you from imperial execution, but that'll be for saving your life, not getting your way."
Zhou He didn't bother to reply. The attendant returned carefully carrying a brocade box wrapped in pale yellow satin.
As soon as he saw the color of the box, the smile on Murong Lian's face froze.
"You must know what this is." Zhou He took the gleaming brocade box and opened it with a decisive snap to reveal a scroll of top-grade East Sea snowy mermaid silk. In all of Chonghua, this priceless sea-silk was used for one thing only.
Murong Lian's head shot up, eyes flashing. "When did His Imperial Majesty give you the edict?! Why wasn't I told?"
Zhou He coolly unrolled the imperial decree so Murong Lian could see the emperor's seal and inscription. "His Imperial Majesty gave me this edict the first year Gu Mang returned. Take a good look, Wangshu-jun. By decree of His Imperial Majesty, my Sishu Terrace shall be the first institution to experiment on Gu Mang." He paused, then icily spat two words in a tone that brooked no argument. "Step aside."