Chapter 1323: I Want to See What's Really in the Boundless Desert

Shang Youlan walked to the basin, turned the scroll over, and hung it on the stand above the water with the blank white backing facing her. She dipped a towel into the basin, then wiped the back of the scroll with it. A thin film of water was enough.

Wherever the water touched, pale blue-green writing immediately appeared.

Once all the writing had emerged, Shang Youlan gripped the towel in both hands and leaned closer to read. She was old now, and her eyesight was no longer good.

After reading the message on the white backing, she choked up and began to weep. She pressed the towel over her mouth and nose, not daring to let herself cry aloud.

The letter was from her son, Hai Wuji.

It was his mother's birthday. As her son, he missed her, yet did not dare come to see her. He did not dare exchange letters with her normally, much less maintain frequent contact over long periods. He could only send one letter each year on her birthday, mixed among the congratulatory gifts, both to ask after his mother and to let her know he was safe.

Nor could she write back to ask the questions she wanted answered, because Hai Wuji did not dare provide his mother with any means of contacting him. Only he could send letters to her. The contact went one way.

The glory of princes and emperors, of dominion and hegemony, was dazzling enough, but ordinary people could never understand all the unspeakable humiliations and compromises that came after the glory had passed.

Even reading a simple letter asking after her welfare had to be done like this. The desolation in Shang Youlan's heart was beyond words.

She had experienced far too much in this lifetime. She had originally been a princess of Yan, then had been sent in a marriage alliance to Zhao. She had followed the Emperor of Zhao through rise and fall and endured countless dangers and hardships before becoming Empress, then Empress Dowager. Honor and disgrace beyond counting had accompanied her throughout her life.

Now she was old. She wanted nothing anymore and had thought she could simply live out her final years in peace. Who could have known that her children and grandchildren would end up some dead, some gone, some fled? Her home had truly been shattered and her family scattered.

All she wanted now was for the children and grandchildren still alive to live well. She asked for nothing else.

The writing on the white backing gradually faded. It had been designed to last only a limited time for secrecy. Once it disappeared, wetting the paper again could never make it reappear. Such caution was necessary because Hai Wuji's side feared his mother would be unable to dispose of the evidence properly and that someone might discover it.

Once the writing had vanished completely, Shang Youlan wiped away her tears, fetched a dry towel, and carefully dried the water from the back of the scroll.

After putting the towel away, she carefully rolled the painting up again and returned it to the pile of birthday gifts.

She patted her chest, looked around, then went to the dressing table. She was afraid her tears had ruined her makeup and that someone might notice something.

Her eyesight was poor. Bending over, she brought her face close to the mirror and touched up her makeup little by little. Normally, servants handled such things for her.

Once everything was in order, she made a determined effort to calm herself before opening the door and leaving.

Today was her birthday celebration. It would be inappropriate for her to remain out of sight too long, while reading the letter at night would risk the light drawing suspicion.

After she left, the person hidden inside a cabinet in the corner turned, opened a movable panel, pushed open a concealed door in the wall, and departed as well...

Inside a pawnshop elsewhere in the city, an assistant entered a secret room to report to the shopkeeper. "It's confirmed. Shang Youlan received another secret letter this year."

The shopkeeper, bent over a desk writing and making notes, asked, "Are we watching the person who presented the painting?"

"We are. But the person who sent the painting this year is different. It was Governor Cheng of Changtian Commandery. According to our covert investigation, Governor Cheng himself doesn't seem to know there was anything wrong with the painting he sent."

The shopkeeper said, "A centipede may be dead, but it does not stiffen at once. It seems there are still plenty of Zhao remnants on this side. He couldn't have sent that painting for no reason. Who offered it to him, or who suggested it? If neither happened, then find out who had contact with the painting."

The assistant said, "The moment we obtained the list of calligraphy and paintings among the birthday gifts, we began watching them. We found an instructor in the Governor's residence suspicious. According to our investigation, he was the one who suggested sending the painting. Should we arrest and interrogate him now?"

The shopkeeper abruptly stopped writing and looked up. "Do not act rashly! The reason we haven't arrested Shang Youlan is because we know arresting her would be useless. Hai Wuji's side must have precautions against anyone following the vine back to the melon. If we start arresting people recklessly, we'll immediately alert the snake by striking the grass. Finding him afterward will become far more difficult."

"But that instructor carries on as though nothing has happened. We haven't detected any sign of him passing information."

"Watch him. If his eyes so much as look wrong when he meets someone, record it. Even what his farts smell like goes into the file for later analysis."

"Everyone who comes into contact with a suspicious person is to be watched secretly, no matter how broad the net becomes. Under no circumstances are you to alert the snake by striking the grass lightly."

"If one year isn't enough, watch for two. If two years aren't enough, watch for ten. Whatever it takes, we must eventually drag the target out."

"As long as Hai Wuji still has eyes and ears outside, as long as he still wants information from the outside world, that's good. It means he still has a tail he cannot hide."

"The people above are already combing through Zhao's former intelligence network. Open lines, hidden lines, and our own people will all work together. With a comprehensive investigation from every direction, we will find clues."

"And what we have before us now is already a major clue. Whoever sent the painting last year or this year, every one of them is to be watched relentlessly for the long term. Each time one line is exposed, put the entire line under surveillance. Sooner or later, one of those lines will make contact again. As long as we keep watching without letting up, we'll find the person above them. Follow it all the way and we will eventually drag out the target!"

"You know what those above have said. Whatever material resources, money, or manpower we need, we get. Everything will be provided!"

...

"Xiao Tianzhen? Hai Ruyue's sickly son from back then?"

Inside the secret chamber in Nanzhou, Niu Youdao was greatly surprised by the report.

Guan Fangyi nodded. "There shouldn't be any mistake. If the Xiao Tianzhen beside the Ghost Doctor isn't Hai Ruyue's son, who else could it be?"

Niu Youdao paced. "I personally examined Xiao Tianzhen's body. He was completely unsuited to cultivation. Even if he could cultivate, it's only been a few years. Yet the moment he makes a move, Yucang can't even fight back. That's a little too incredible."

"The Ghost Doctor's medical skill has always been able to accomplish what others cannot. Whatever he did to Xiao Tianzhen wouldn't be too strange. Besides, the name Misty Pavilion announced on the Golden Core Ranking shouldn't be wrong. They wouldn't publish it lightly if they weren't certain. Once they published it, there shouldn't be any mistake."

Niu Youdao slowly stopped walking. "Misty Pavilion truly gets into every crack. It seems there are Misty Pavilion people beside the Ghost Doctor as well."

"How can you tell? Just because Misty Pavilion knew Xiao Tianzhen's name?"

Niu Youdao shook his head slightly. "Who would believe Xiao Tianzhen could possess this level of cultivation after only a few short years? How could Misty Pavilion publish his ranking so quickly without questioning it? That means Misty Pavilion must have known something long ago. And the Ghost Doctor's method of raising one person's cultivation so rapidly is genuinely frightening. How could it fail to alarm Misty Pavilion? Yet Misty Pavilion showed no real reaction, and the Ghost Doctor dared bring Xiao Tianzhen out openly. That can only mean either Misty Pavilion considers it no cause for concern, or everything is already within Misty Pavilion's grasp."

Guan Fangyi nodded thoughtfully.

Niu Youdao turned to her. "There are several matters now. Get them handled as quickly as possible. First, contact our side in the Sacred Realm and ask whether they know anything about what happened with the Ghost Doctor."

"Second, if I can think of the implications surrounding the Ghost Doctor, then Shao Pingbo will certainly think of them too. I don't know whether he'll get any ideas about Wuxin. Contact Jia Wuqun and have him keep watch. If Shao Pingbo wants to play, let Jia Wuqun play with him. I don't have time to bother."

"Third, contact Monkey. I'm taking him on a trip. Arrange a time for us to meet and tell that side to maintain secrecy."

Guan Fangyi could understand the other two, but the matter with Monkey puzzled her. "What requires you to meet Monkey in person?"

Niu Youdao found this woman simply had more troublesome habits than Yun Ji. Yun Ji would never ask so many pointless questions. "Judging from Zhao Xiongge's messages, Monkey's situation with the Demonic Sect should have stabilized by now. I'm taking him to the Boundless Desert."

Guan Fangyi grew curious. "What for?"

Niu Youdao said, "I want to see what's really in the Boundless Desert."

As for Yucang's humiliation, Niu Youdao did not care much about it at all. Outsiders could hardly feel such a thing as the person involved did. At most, they would laugh and move on. Everyone had their own affairs to worry about; no one spent every day dwelling on someone else's humiliation. The person involved, on the other hand, might be unable to get past it and nurse the grievance endlessly.

...

At the Ice and Snow Pavilion, Chuan Ying stood at the rail of a high pavilion like a jade tree in the wind, gazing toward the distant snowy mountains. From time to time, worry flickered across his face.

Xue Luo'er approached gracefully with an infant in her arms and came to his side without him noticing.

She watched his handsome profile for a moment. Motherhood had lent her expression and bearing a greater serenity. Softly, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Chuan Ying came back to himself at her voice. He turned, smiled faintly at her, then looked at the child in her arms. "Asleep?"

"Mm." Xue Luo'er gazed lovingly at the pink-cheeked infant for a moment, then looked back up. "What's been wrong with you lately? I keep feeling like something is weighing on your mind."

Chuan Ying shook his head. "Nothing. I was only remembering some things from the past."

"Is there more gossip again? We live our own lives. There's no need to pay attention to people chewing their tongues."

She knew something of the gossip herself. People said her husband depended on a woman, that he was a pretty boy living off his wife, and other such things.

She did not care much about the ugly talk. She knew perfectly well that without her status, she would never have obtained this man in the first place. What worried her was that Chuan Ying might brood over it himself.

Chuan Ying still shook his head. "It's really nothing. I've simply been here too long and was wondering whether I should go out and travel for a while."

Xue Luo'er smiled. "It does get stifling after staying too long. If you want to go out and travel, then go."

Chuan Ying smiled elegantly and wrapped one arm around mother and daughter. Yet the gloom in his heart would not lift. Did he truly want to go out?

He did not want to leave at all. He only wanted to remain here quietly. If he could pass the rest of his life in peace this way, there would be nothing wrong with that.

But the tree may wish for stillness, but the wind will not cease!

The people behind him had suddenly sent word. There was another mission. They wanted him to borrow Han's State-Protecting Divine Artifact, the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron.

How could Han possibly hand over something like that lightly? One careless move might draw the Nine Saints' attention. What would happen if Granny Xue saw through his identity?

In the past, he would have carried out the order without the slightest hesitation. But now, with the birth of an infant, many of his old thoughts had changed. Suddenly, he was afraid.

And this was not merely about the mission before him. There might be other missions in the future. Sooner or later, there would come a day when he slipped. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became, until the future filled him with an inexplicable dread.

[End of Chapter 1323]