Han Fei's residence was brightly lit.

In the main hall, Chu Li and Han Fei sat by a purple wood round table. The round table was extremely large and could sit more than ten people. Its width was especially prominent when the two men sat down across from each other.

The silver cup sparkled and glittered under the light. Han Fei was slightly inebriated, feeling highly spirited and uninhibited.

Bi Lan had donned a dark green gown which had masked her graceful figure. She looked more elegant but less enchanting than before. It was as if she had turned into a different person.

Her delicate hand grasped the silver pot and poured wine for the two. She pursed her lips to hide a smile and did not attempt to interrupt the conversation.

"I say, Brother Chu, do you really have no interest in that Lady Yu Qing?" Han Fei smirked and shook his head. "I really don't believe that. How would a man be able to resist someone like her!"

Chu Li shook his head and smiled. "Thank goodness you didn't call her here. If she really came here, I would have to leave after a moment."

"Why!" Han Fei said in dissatisfaction, "Your way of thinking really is strange. She's such a beautiful lady who's gentle like water, but you're not interested in her at all. On the contrary, you avoid her as if she's a snake or a scorpion. Could it be because of her ident.i.ty?"

Chu Li glanced at Bi Lan.

Bi Lan forced a smile.

Chu Li laughed. "It is indeed because of her ident.i.ty."

Han Fei heaved a sigh as he wagged his finger at him. He raised the silver cup to down the drink in one go. "Brother Chu, since when were you this well-disciplined? I remember when you're a regular customer at the New Moon Brothel, and you're very popular among the ladies!"

Chu Li waved his hand and laughed. "Do you know about Lady Yu Qing's ident.i.ty?"

"What ident.i.ty?" Han fei said with a smile. "Don't tell me that she's an insider?"

Chu Li smiled. "Not exactly."

Han Fei straightened himself up. His eyes flas.h.i.+ng brightly. "Can it be? She really has another ident.i.ty?"

Bi Lan secretly sighed in relief and glanced at Chu Li gratefully.

She initially thought that Chu Li was bothered by Younger Sister Yu Qing's ident.i.ty as a lady from the Verdant Cloud Brothel, but it seemed that he meant another ident.i.ty of hers. She finally lowered the guard that she was putting up.

She poured wine for Han Fei and Chu Li again.

Han Fei immediately raised his hand to take a sip.

Chu Li said, "A disciple of the Amethyst Mountain."

"Pfft!" Han Feng spit out the wine in his mouth and started coughing.

Bi Lan put down the silver pot hurriedly and patted his back lightly.

Han Fei let her service him, but his eyes were trained on Chu Li. "Brother Chu, stop joking!"

He would never believe that a disciple of the Amethyst Mountain had become

a lady in the Verdant Cloud Brothel. It was like a princess becoming a beggar. Unbelievable! The difference between these two ident.i.ties were simply too great.

Chu Li lightly said, "She's such a beautiful lady. Why would I avoid her like I was avoiding snakes and scorpions?"

"And I thought that she was that first beauty from the Great Ji Dynasty." Han Fei laughed.

Chu Li glared at him.

Han Fei said, "No one would believe these words of yours! A disciple of the Amethyst Mountain, huh. It's completely unattainable. How could she have become a lady in the Verdant Cloud Brothel? Right, Bi Lan?"

Bi Lan shook her head lightly. "Chief Chu, are you sure you're not mistaken? Younger Sister Yu

Qing doesn't know martial arts."

"If she could not even conceal herself from you, what would she be doing in the Verdant Cloud Brothel?" Chu Li shook his head and laughed.

Han Fei heaved a sigh and thought about it. He finally accepted it at the end. "Yes, she managed to lie to us but she was not able to fool you, the secret guardian from the imperial house. It's no wonder that you excel at your work. It would take a cold heart for one to be able to find this out. I can't believe that you're still able to suspect her after seeing such beauty."

Chu Li gave a small smile. He could not say that it was not the Secret Guardians Hall that found out about this but he himself who did.

He had always been keeping an eye on the Amethyst Mountain. The disciples of the Amethyst Mountain also had the skill to conceal their Martial Art. The skill was not inferior to the Holy Church of Light.

Actually, he should know just by thinking about it. The Amethyst Mountain's martial arts were used for a.s.sa.s.sination. How would they not have the ancient study of the concealment skills?

"In other words, she approached you with malicious intentions?" Han Fei drank another mouthful of wine to stifle his surprise.

Chu Li said, "Who knows? It's really hard to tell whether someone's a friend or a foe sometimes. She might be a friend now, but she might become a foe in the next moment. She might be a foe now and become a friend in the next moment."

Lu Yurong was like that and so was Fa Yuan.

"These words of yours give me the creeps. It's like we might become enemies as well." Han Fei waved his hand and said, "So what will you do? Just continue to avoid her?"

"I'll avoid her for now," said Chu Li. "She doesn't know I have seen through her."

"Who would've known!" Han Fei shook his head and said, "I was completely kept in the dark."

"That's why you should be careful," Chu Li said with a smile. "The waters of Fairy's Capital are too deep. Anyone would be able to deliver a finis.h.i.+ng blow to you. You're lucky that you met Lady Bi Lan. If it was Lady Yu Qing, she would've toy with you before she killed you!"

Han Fei laughed. "Don't scare me!"

Bi Lan said, "I couldn't tell at all. Younger Sister Yu Qing is pretty reputable, but she had seen a lot in the world already, so she usually doesn't go out with anyone at all."

"The Amethyst Mountain, huh…" Han Fei shook his head again.

Although he was a Grandmaster, he still had to raise his head to look at the Amethyst Mountain. There were countless Grandmasters in a sect like the Amethyst Mountain. Someone like him was not even worth mentioning to the Amethyst Mountain.

Chu Li said, "My grudge with the Amethyst Mountain is not trivial. It would be better for us to have as little contact with each other as possible. Come, let's drink."

"Cheers!" Han Fei raised his cup and drank with gusto.

　　——

Chu Li returned to his courtyard in the dead of the night. Everything around him had already fallen asleep. The moon was especially bright.

Everyone in the Tianshu Courtyard was already asleep. Xiao s.h.i.+ was in a deep slumber.

Zhu Tianhua and the others were guarding the courtyard beside Xiao s.h.i.+'s, but no one realized that there was a person sitting inside the courtyard. The person's clothes were as white as snow. Her whole being looked as if it was made of white jade. It was Lu Yurong.

Lu Yurong sat quietly at the stone table, deep in thought.

Chu Li suddenly sat across her.

Lu Yurong raised her glimmering eyes to look at him. She said lightly, "I have something to tell you."

"You wouldn't have approached me if you didn't have anything to tell me," said Chu Li.

"Have you heard about the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Grand Ancestor?"

Chu Li thought about it for a moment and shook his head.

Lu Yurong said, "He was a legendary figure from five hundred years ago… He was similar to you, he grew from an ordinary mortal who didn't know martial arts to a Grandmaster in a matter of years. His power was unparalleled, and he carried within him the knowledge of ancient studies."

"I'm not that legendary." Chu Li smiled and shook his head.

Lu Yurong shot him a look.

Chu Li smiled. "Alright, what else?"

Lu Yurong scoffed, "Before the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Grand Ancestor died, he left behind a Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Treasure Manual which has recorded all that he had studied in his life."

"The Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Treasure Manual…" Chu Li shook his head. He had never heard of it before.

Lu Yurong said, "It's said that the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Treasure Manual had recorded the martial arts encountered by the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Grand Ancestor by chance that are superior to the martial arts studies of the four major sects. He wouldn't have accomplished so much otherwise."

"You believe that too?" Chu Li said.

Lu Yurong said plainly, "This might not be false."

Chu Li raised his eyebrows. "Could it be that someone had successfully completed his cultivation using the secret manual?"

Lu Yurong nodded her head slowly and sighed. "Three hundred years ago, someone obtained that secret manual. He managed to cultivate the sword technique and ruled over the whole world. That person had been widely known as the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Swordsman. It was a shame that the secret manual disappeared along with him."

"The Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Swordsman…" Chu Li muttered and slowly shook his head. He had heard of the man before.

Lu Yurong said, "This secret manual had now reappeared once again in the martial arts world."