Chapter 506: Senior Brother, Bait Cast for Seven Days, the Float Finally Sinks
During the moonlit hours, the gates of Tian Bei City’s Gong family palace were closed, and the corridors were filled with Demonic cultivators patrolling with spears.
At the highest point, atop the Tian Ge pavilion, Gong Yue, clad in simple robes, stood by the window ledge, hands behind his back, gazing at the Eastern Domain’s paradise he had spent nearly a thousand years building, a look of satisfaction on his face.
Suddenly, a slender arm reached out from behind his shoulder, embracing him. A fair, small hand slid down from Gong Yue’s collar, gently caressing his chest.
“Father, is this the end for tonight?” a seductive voice inquired.
The Demonic cultivator embracing Gong Yue was a woman of exceptional beauty named Gong Tianchan, a bewitching cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage from the Gong family of Tian Bei City.
Upon hearing this, Gong Yue turned his head, only to see a faint pinkish seductive light flash in her eyes. He frowned, raised his hand, and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up.
However, Gong Tianchan did not seem to be in distress. Instead, her rouged face flushed with a blush. Gong Yue’s eyes turned cold, and he reprimanded her, “Tianchan, how many times have I told you, do not use bewitching techniques on me.”
“Cough, cough…” As Gong Yue released his grip, Gong Tianchan collapsed onto the floor. With a look of regret, she tugged at her collar and complained, “Father, you are truly heartless. I am your own flesh and blood. You don’t cherish me, but you cherish that adopted child…”
Gong Yue’s eyes widened at her words, startling Gong Tianchan, who quickly closed her mouth. “It’s not like I don’t have a son? I can give you one…”
“Heh…” Gong Yue scoffed, ignoring her, and turned back to look at the brilliant city lights outside the window. The Gong family occupied Tian Bei City. While they did not hold the same prestige as the Tian Mo Sect or Hehuan Sect in the Eastern Domain, they were effectively a local overlord. At least within a thousand li, no Demonic sect dared to show disrespect to the Gong family. For Gong Yue to rise from a rogue cultivator to his current position was a rare feat in the thousand-year history of the Eastern Domain.
However, one thing puzzled Gong Yue endlessly: the Gong family had no male heir. Over the past thousand years, he had fathered over three hundred children with his female cultivators, but all of them were daughters. Moreover, a large portion of them were stillborn. Gong Yue did not know the reason and had tried countless methods he found over the years, all to no avail. In desperation, he adopted a rogue cultivator as his son. He intended to pass on the “Bei Tian Jue” of the Gong family, a technique only men could cultivate, to him, making him the bloodline of the Gong family and allowing the collateral branches to take root throughout the Eastern Domain. This person was Gong Yimo.
Gong Yimo had remarkable destiny and excellent aptitude. Furthermore, like Gong Yue, he was from a rogue cultivator background. The first time Gong Yue saw Gong Yimo in the mountains, he saw a reflection of himself and felt a sense of regret for not meeting him sooner. Consequently, he brought Gong Yimo back to Tian Bei City without hesitation, treating him like a pampered prince, giving him whatever he desired. Gong Yimo did not disappoint his expectations. In just twenty years, he cultivated from a Qi Refining Stage cultivator to the Nascent Soul Stage, acquiring numerous ancient opportunities along the way. There was just one issue: Gong Yimo was too playful, constantly causing Gong Yue worry that his adopted son might one day fall victim to his lighthearted nature.
Gong Yue gently stroked his beard and shifted his gaze from the window towards the east, settling on the “Xue Yu Mansion” at the edge of Tian Bei City. He murmured a name: “Liang Da Liu…” He couldn’t help but recall how “Liang Da Liu” had easily subdued that Sword Sect girl a few days ago. It reminded him of his first encounter with Gong Yimo, and he felt a sense of closeness. Like his former self, Liang Da Liu was a rogue cultivator, but he had reached the early Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, the dense blood fiend energy emanating from Liang Da Liu at the time suggested he possessed a rare “blood fiend physique,” and his spiritual roots were top-tier Heavenly Spiritual Roots.
Hearing Gong Yue’s mumblings and seeing the slight look of pleasure on his face, Gong Tianchan, standing beside him, twisted her eyebrows and asked, “Liang Da Liu, who is he?”
“A rogue cultivator who sought refuge in Tian Bei City.”
“Another rogue cultivator…” Gong Tianchan immediately understood her father’s implication, pouting. “Could it be that Father wants to take him into the Gong family?”
“Heh…”
“Father, given the current situation where Immortal Families are flooding the Eastern Domain, this rogue cultivator of unknown origin could be from an Immortal Family…”
Gong Yue snorted coldly, “Heh, your father is not that foolish.”
* *
At that moment, the door was knocked. Gong Yimo, without waiting for Gong Yue’s reply, pushed the door open. Seeing his sister clad in barely anything sitting at his adopted father’s feet, he chuckled and asked, “Sister Gong, are you playing with Father again?”
Gong Tianchan smiled and retorted, “What, do you want to play with your sister too, brother? Then come to my cave dwelling later…”
Gong Yue glanced at the two of them. Seeing that Gong Yimo was holding a Jade Slip, he ignored his daughter and asked, “Yimo, what is it?”
“Ah…” Gong Yimo raised his eyebrows and smiled, quickly cupping his hands and presenting the Jade Slip. “According to reports, the Sect Master of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect in the Southern Domain has issued a sect order, gathering all disciples, seemingly preparing to march directly into Tian Bei City.”
Gong Yue frowned slightly upon hearing this and asked, “What did you do?”
“I merely sent the second young lady of that Sword Sect’s hair and identity token to Seven Star Pass.”
Gong Yue shook his head slightly and sighed. He didn’t seem bothered, raising his hand to tap Gong Yimo’s head and scold him, “Yimo, you need to curb this playful nature.”
“Father, this is not playfulness. Previously, when the Southern Domain Immortal Sect broke through Seven Star Pass, they suffered a great setback. If we seize this opportunity to directly destroy the Moon Shadow Sword Sect of the Southern Domain, then the Southern Domain Immortal Families…” Gong Yimo stopped speaking abruptly, but Gong Yue understood his intention. After a moment of thought, he simply tacitly agreed, saying, “Father is not afraid, but you should be careful and don’t lose your life.”
“Yes, I know my limits.”
Gong Yue nodded, turned his gaze back towards the Xue Yu Mansion, and before Gong Yimo left the room, he asked, “What about that Liang Da Liu?”
Gong Yimo paused and replied with a smile, bowing, “Fellow Daoist Liang… has been quite comfortable these past few days.”
“…Comfortable?”
“Yes, he must have been bored from his wandering rogue cultivator days. For the past seven days, he’s either been listening to music at the brothel or frolicking with girls in the Xue Yu Mansion.”
Gong Yue was taken aback and asked, “So, he’s lustful?”
“Heh heh… Everyone has their quirks…” Gong Yimo pinched his throat and continued, “I heard from the servants at Xue Yu Mansion that the second young lady of that Sword Sect has been driven almost mad by him. They’ve almost heard her screams every day, shouting things like ‘I’ll never dare again!! It hurts so much!!’…”
Gong Yue was silent for a moment. He had been somewhat distrustful of “Liang Da Liu” before. After all, as Gong Tianchan had just mentioned, in the current Immortal-Demon conflict, rogue cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage from outside could potentially be spies. However, hearing that “Liang Da Liu” was tormenting the Sword Sect’s second young lady to the brink of death, he felt much more at ease. After all, she was the Sword Sect’s second young lady. Yun Tianchong, that fellow, wouldn’t sacrifice one of his own daughters just to send a spy in. Furthermore, the blood fiend energy emanating from “Liang Da Liu” was not a disguise.
“Hmm…” Gong Yue stroked his beard, looked at Gong Tianchan, squatted down, and gently turned her chin from side to side, observing her closely. He asked, “Yimo, do you think he would be interested in Tianchan?”
“Probably?”
Gong Yue stood up, hands behind his back. “Yimo, that Liang Da Liu is not comparable to ordinary rogue cultivators. If there are no issues, he will be of great use. I want to take him into the Gong family and make him your sworn brother, how about it?”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Gong Yimo nodded. “I also find him very agreeable.”
“Then take Tianchan to meet him and test him.”
“Okay…” Gong Yimo cupped his hands in agreement, then reached out to his sister, saying, “Sister, let’s go.”
Gong Tianchan, kneeling on the ground, felt very indignant at her father’s intention to hand her over to an outsider rogue cultivator. However, she was helpless. With a sigh, she took Gong Yimo’s hand and stood up. After bowing to Gong Yue with Gong Yimo, they both withdrew from the Tian Ge and flew towards the city.
… …
———
Meanwhile.
Inside the Xue Yu Mansion under the night sky, lights were lit everywhere. The long corridor was silent. The maidservants and young servants on duty were getting sleepy, leaning against the walls and yawning.
However, the next moment, a woman’s screams echoed from the sleeping quarters at the back of the mansion, scaring away the black crows perched on the eaves. “Ahhh! Cough, cough… Ahh— No! No—!”
The servants of Xue Yu Mansion instantly became more alert upon hearing this, but they seemed accustomed to it, and none hurried to the sleeping quarters to check.
Inside the sleeping quarters, Ye Anping stood by the bed, holding a silver needle, while the bed was already in disarray. Yun Jiujiu, with her upper body exposed, was lying on the bed, clutching a pillow, crying like a woman, tears streaming down her chin and wetting a large patch of the bedsheet.
“Sniff… sniff…” Seeing her like this, Ye Anping sneered like a villain and took another silver needle from the tray held by Feng Yu Die.
*Whoosh*
The sound of piercing air followed, the needle striking directly onto Yun Jiujiu’s smooth back.
“Ahhh! Wuwu! Ahh…” Thanks to Yun Jiujiu’s usual demeanor and cultivation methods, her meridians were in a mess. Ye Anping, with nothing else to do these past few days, decided to let her experience the pain he and his Junior Sister went through when they were rigorously cultivating their meridians. Feng Yu Die knew Ye Anping was doing this for Yun Jiujiu’s own good. Seeing Yun Jiujiu crying so much, she gloated from the side, “Heh heh…”
Yun Jiujiu turned her head, glared at Feng Yu Die with her teary eyes, and cursed, “You little crow!! Stop laughing! You try… Ahhh—!!”
After a long while, today’s acupuncture session was over. Yun Jiujiu crawled to the foot of the bed, trembling, hugging a pillow and leaning in the corner. With a dejected expression, she looked at Feng Yu Die’s gloating face, growing angrier by the moment. She cursed, “Brother-in-law, give this little crow a few needles too!!”
Ye Anping, who was tidying up the silver needles, looked at Feng Yu Die and shrugged. “She doesn’t need acupuncture. She’s not like you; your cultivation relies on brute force. Your meridians are all tangled up. I haven’t finished untangling them even after seven days.”
Hearing that it would continue tomorrow, Yun Jiujiu was on the verge of collapse. She had never endured such hardship before… A few days ago, she would still struggle, but every time she tried to escape, Ye Anping could easily drag her back and pin her to the bed. This seemingly effeminate brother-in-law was anything but effeminate…
“Brother-in-law…”
“Hmm… What?”
“Then what exactly are you here for?!”
“To help the Immortal Families attack the city.”
“Then for the past few days, you’ve either been taking this little crow and that black-haired girl to the brothel, or torturing me. What does any of this have to do with breaking the city?”
Ye Anping looked at her and handed her clothes to Feng Yu Die, asking her to take them to the maidservants in the mansion. He then sat back by the bed and explained, “Didn’t I send your hair and identity token to Seven Star Pass?”
“Ah…” Yun Jiujiu nodded weakly. “What about it?”
“What do you think Sect Master Yun and Yiyi will think when they see that identity token?”
Yun Jiujiu frowned and pondered for a moment. “They’ll… think I’ve been captured?”
“Yes, given Yiyi’s personality, she’ll most likely inform the Sword Sect disciples that you’ve died at the hands of Demonic cultivators.”
“Ah?!” Yun Jiujiu looked surprised, but after thinking about it, she realized it was quite possible. She fell silent: “… …”
“However, it’s not a bad thing,” Ye Anping shrugged. “The Immortal Families know very little about Tian Bei City right now. Before they can figure out the situation in the Eastern Domain, not making rash moves is indeed the best choice.”
“… …”
“But that’s also where the problem lies,” Ye Anping’s tone shifted. “Since the Dao Ancestor lost his cultivation, the Southern Domain is no longer like the Western and Northern Regions, where the Xuan Xing Sect and Hantian Kingdom can lead various sects. It can be said that the Southern Domain Immortal Families are now almost a pile of loose sand.”
Yun Jiujiu lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. “Isn’t there also the Taibai Sect?”
“The Taibai Sect has just lost their own Sect Master. The remaining elders will naturally choose the most conservative course of action.”
“Then… then there are those bald donkeys from the Wu Nian Sect!”
“Venerable Zhi Ming is indifferent to worldly affairs; he can only preside over the sect and cannot, like Dan Yue Shang Xian or Sun Juehu, unify thousands of Immortal Sects in the Southern Domain. Although the Wu Nian Sect is considered a major sect, it is entirely supported by Zhi Ming, a Void Realm cultivator. The number of Buddhist cultivators in the sect is only a few hundred.”
“… …”
Seeing that Yun Jiujiu had no more questions, Ye Anping let out a sigh of relief and continued, “Furthermore, when you broke through Seven Star Pass, your casualties were not small. The morale of the Southern Domain Immortal cultivators is bound to be low, and morale can greatly determine the outcome of a war. The reason the Lord of Tian Bei City is not wary of the Southern Domain Immortal Sects is precisely here.”
Yun Jiujiu listened carefully to Ye Anping’s words, feeling a slight itch in her head. She had never considered these matters before, always thinking that if she encountered a Demonic cultivator, she would kill them, and if she couldn’t beat them, she would run.
“Then, according to you, the Southern Domain isn’t…”
“Yes, that’s why I didn’t send a letter to Yiyi, but only sent your hair and identity token.”
“What do you mean?”
“On the battlefield, soldiers are loyal not to the strategists in the rear, but to the generals who charge at the front. The Southern Domain needs someone to break the stalemate.”
Yun Jiujiu frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t understand!”
“Your father,” Ye Anping glanced at her. “Although Sect Master Yun had a bad temper in the past, he is, after all, the son of Yun Jian Shang Xian and inherited Yun Jian Shang Xian’s recklessness. Jiujiu, you are only one-third of him.”
“… …”
“Recklessness is not ideal, but reckless people do indeed inspire a sense of closeness. Just like you, your disciples on Jian Jiu Peak must all regard you as their big sister, right?”
“We do…”
“Similarly, the current Southern Domain Immortal Families need a big brother to lead the charge, and that person is your father. When others are still hesitating due to worry, someone who charges out can break this deadlock. Your father will lead all the sect disciples to rescue you. If this battle is won—if the Sword Sect successfully breaks through Tian Bei City, it will be a rallying cry for other Southern Domain Immortal Sects. At that time, the Moon Shadow Sword Sect will become the backbone of all Southern Domain Immortal Sects.”
Yun Jiujiu felt her head itching more and more. She rubbed her temples and asked, “What if they don’t take Tian Bei City?”
“Then the Southern Domain Immortal Families will disperse without a fight.”
Yun Jiujiu frowned and raised her voice, “Then!!”
“So, this is also one of the reasons why Feng Shi Jie and I are here.” Ye Anping shrugged and smiled. “When the Sword Sect arrives at the city gates, I will open them to welcome your father and the Sword Sect elders into the city. Then you can do whatever you want… But until then, you must recover your health, understand?”
Yun Jiujiu nodded weakly, hugging her pillow over her head. She looked at Ye Anping, then at the messy bedsheet, and finally back to Ye Anping. —This person…
“Then…”
“Hmm?”
“Brother-in-law, can you stop stabbing me…?”
“No.”
“… …” Yun Jiujiu froze, spat, and then threatened, “If you stab me again, I’ll tell my older sister!”
Ye Anping patted her head playfully. “Your older sister will probably praise me, saying I’m doing a good job.”
Yun Jiujiu immediately puffed out her cheeks like a little girl and complained, “… Wuwu—”
“Heh…” Ye Anping chuckled and prepared to go out to fetch a basin of hot water for Yun Jiujiu to bathe.
However, at this moment, two small figures, one black and one gold, rushed in directly through the roof. Xiao Tian and Xue E had been used as Ye Anping’s eyes these past few days, sent to observe the surroundings. Seeing them enter, Ye Anping knew something was up.
“Ye Anping, that…” Xiao Tian quickly interjected, “『… Gong Yimo is coming this way with a female demon cultivator.』”
Xue E scoffed at Xiao Tian, who was trying to steal her thunder, and added, “『I took the opportunity to check her Storage Bag just now. It seems she’s the daughter of the Lord of Tian Bei City.』”
“Ah… when did you check?”
“None of your business! Hmph!”
Seeing the two small creatures about to fight again, Ye Anping felt like an orphanage director, sighing wearily.
“Sigh…”
Yun Jiujiu frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“After seven days at the brothel and seven days of tormenting you, Gong Yue has finally taken the bait.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll just have to pretend to be forced by me, resentful but helpless, just like a woman.”
? Yun Jiujiu frowned and asked, “Ah?! What are you talking about?”
“… …” Seeing her expression, Ye Anping was silent for a moment and reached out to grab the silver needle he had just put away.
Upon seeing the silver needle, Yun Jiujiu took a deep breath, hugged her pillow, and retreated to the foot of the bed, curling into a ball in fear.
Ye Anping nodded, “Yes, just like that…”
