My disciples are all villains.

When Si Wuya saw his master suddenly stop moving, he followed suit and surveyed his surroundings. At the same time, he used his cultivation to sense for movements around him.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou silently chanted the incantation for the power of hearing. In a moment, the range of his hearing covered thousands of meters in the royal palace. The sound of every movement of the eunuchs, palace maids, officials, and cultivators entered his ear immediately. Following that, he concentrated on the creaking noises from the roof 300 meters to the back of the Preservation Hall. After a moment, the noises were 200 meters away.

Soon enough, a familiar voice rang in Lu Zhou and Si Wuya's ears.

"Mister Seventh! Mister Seventh! Did you take advantage of Senior Ji's absence to hide a man? I didn't know you swing that way!"

Lu Zhou called out with the power of speech, "Jiang Aijian."

The words rolled out like a clap of thunder toward the back of the Preservation Hall. All the buildings within 200 meters were instantly destroyed by the sound technique.

When the soundwave rolled over Jiang Aijian, he was still holding a blade of grass in his mouth and Dragonsong in his arms. His eardrums felt as though they were being pierced, and he felt a stinging pain on his cheeks.

Boom!

Jiang Aijian was sent flying back before he fell to the ground. After a while, he finally sat up after much difficulty. His ears were still ringing, causing him extreme discomfort. Based on the sound technique, it seemed like Si Wuya not hiding his lover. There was no doubt the Pavilion Master of the Evil Sky Pavilion had returned!

Lu Zhou transmitted his voice. "The runic passage between the red lotus domain and the golden lotus domain has been opened. You should return to Penglai Sect. The island is very good; there'll definitely be a lot of fierce beasts. Your cultivation is so weak; you return and reflect on yourself."

"..."

Jiang Aijian nodded repeatedly and said, "Senior Ji is wise. In fact, I came here to bid you farewell…"

Following that, Lu Zhou no longer paid attention to Jiang Aijian and left the Preservation Hall with Si Wuya.

After Lu Zhou left, Jiang Aijian scratched his head and muttered to himself, "He can hear me from so far away... I better go and look for Zhao Hongfu. Nothing's more important than preserving one's life! Moreover, staying in the red lotus domain isn't conducive to my cultivation."

…

It did not take long for Lu Zhou and Si Wuya to arrive at the Hall of Runes.

After stepping into the runic passage, Lu Zhou turned around and asked, "Old Seventh, what's your current cultivation base?"

An embarrassed expression appeared on Si Wuya's face as he said, "I'm sorry for letting you down, master. I'm still looking for a chance to break through to the Ten-leaf stage."

Lu Zhou nodded. "It's not easy for you to find time to cultivate amidst your busy schedule…"

Since Si Wuya was with him, he could take advantage of the effects from 'Eternal Paragon' and 'Mentor'.

After Si Wuya placed his palm on the ground, the runic passage lit up before a pillar of light shot into the sky.

Soon enough, the duo disappeared.

…

15 minutes later.

Lu Zhou and Si Wuya appeared at the entrance of the capital of Great Yuan.

Si Wuya said, "Master, we've arrived. This is the capital of Great Yuan. Zhao Hongfu is very familiar with this place. Since I handed her the Magistrate Brush, her ability has more than doubled. Just by relying on her memory, she found the Runic Academy's runic passage and snuck here to make the runic passage ours…"

Lu Zhou looked at the capital as he said, "Pay attention to her loyalty…"

"Understood."

The importance of a runemaster was obvious. Proportionate to the importance of a runemaster, the consequences would be disastrous if they were betrayed by a runemaster. It would mean all their runic passages would become someone else's runic passages.

After entering the capital, Si Wuya said, "Shen Xi had enquired about Lu Qianshan two days ago. He's original a capable officer and general of Great Yuan. He managed to fend off the foreign tribes and had many outstanding military achievements. However, his achievements were too much for the emperor. In order to weaken his military power, the Black Emperor summoned him back to the capital and demoted him. In less than 500 years, he became a general whom no one cared about…"

Lu Zhou did not care about anything else but the blue crystals. He asked, "The Black Emperor didn't confiscate his blue crystal?"

"Very few people know that he has a blue crystal in his possession. Moreover, he has made great military achievements. Although he's now a shadow of his former self, the Black Emperor wouldn't be able to truly harm him if push comes to shove. According to Shen Xi, in order to show his loyalty, 500 years ago, Lu Qianshan donated all his family assets to Great Yuan. There was nothing said about a blue crystal…"

Somehow, Lu Zhou was reminded of the historical figure on earth, Zhang Liang. He felt there were similarities between the two.

…

At the Lu clan's estate in the capital.

Si Wuya stepped forward and said, "My master wishes to see General Lu. Please inform him of this." As he spoke, he stuffed a gold ingot into the gatekeeper's hands.

For a cultivator like Si Wuya, gold, silver, and money were no longer useful.

The gatekeeper's eyes lit up as he said, "Please wait for a moment."

Soon enough, the gatekeeper returned with an old butler with a big belly.

It had to be said that the Lu clan was not ordinary despite losing much of its prestige. Its estate was not like those of ordinary people; it occupied a prime area in the capital. The buildings in the estate were magnificent and huge. Most importantly, there were many steps in the estate. In the capital, the number of steps was a symbol of status.

The old butler asked, "Who wants to see the master?"

Si Wuya shook his head. It seemed like there was an extra person to bribe.

Unexpectedly, the old butler stood at the entrance and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Si Wuya and Lu Zhou. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. 'He looks familiar…'

The old butler was a cultivator and one of the top experts in the Lu clan's estate. He had followed Lu Qianshan for many years and had learned to be cautious. He felt the young man in front of him look very familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen the young man before.

At this moment, the gatekeeper asked, "Sir, should I send them away?"

The old butler waved his hand, dismissing the gatekeeper and the other servants. Then, he quickly walked down the steps. When he came to a stop a few meters in front of Lu Zhou, he muttered, "How familiar…"

"Do you know me?" Lu Zhou asked curiously.

The old butler scratched his head. For the sake of being cautious, he asked, "May I ask for your name, sir?"

"My surname is Lu," Lu Zhou replied.

Upon hearing these words, it seemed like a bolt of lightning had hit the old butler. He seemed to have vaguely thought of something before he said, "Please come in. I'll inform my master of your visit…"

With that, the old butler led the duo into the Lu clan's estate. The corridor alone stretched hundreds of meters long; it was comparable to those in the royal palace.

...

After leading the duo to a hall, the old butler left in a hurry to Lu Qianshan's study. However, when he pushed the door to the study open, he discovered Lu Qianshan was nowhere to be found.

Although Lu Qianshan had repeatedly stressed that his study was an important place and outsiders were not allowed to enter without permission, the old butler felt the current situation warrant for the breaking of the rule this one time. He gritted his teeth and entered the study.

When he lifted his head, his eyes coincidentally fell on the portrait of a handsome young man with an aloof air about him. He was painted standing with his hands resting on his back, and even through the portrait, one could see his bearing was extraordinary.

The old butler trembled before he fell limply to the ground. "This… How's this possible?!"

…

In the spacious and bright hall.

Si Wuya said thoughtfully, "Master, I suspect there's a trap here."

"A trap?"

"With Lu Qianshan's identity, it goes without saying it's difficult to meet him. Therefore, I've come up with three ways to ensure master will be able to meet him. However, so far, I only spent one gold ingot to meet him. Something doesn't feel right…" Si Wuya said.

"It doesn't matter. I'm only here to get the blue crystal," Lu Zhou said.

"You're right, master. Petty tricks and schemes are useless in front of you," Si Wuya said with a smile.

With that, the duo continued to wait. However, after waiting for a long time, the old butler still did not return to the hall.