Calling for Help

Wei Yuan made a round, sealing the seas of consciousness of Lanshen Palace's Eldest Martial Brother, Youngest Martial Brother, Jade-Faced Immortal Sword, and Third Martial Sister. Then he turned to Yun Feifei. "Lock these ones up first, then come tell me about the layout of your Lanshen Palace's earth veins." Yun Feifei nodded. Wei Yuan fixed her with a glare. "In front of me, you'd better put away all your little schemes! Let me tell you plainly: I've already secured what the palace wanted, so right now you're just baggage. Whether I take you back depends on my mood. Understood?" Yun Feifei lowered her head, nodding gently twice. "Rest assured, Senior Brother, I'll be very, very obedient—just as obedient as Little Sister Wan'er. Senior Brother may do whatever you wish; I only ask that you show a little tenderness." Wei Yuan's expression darkened. "Since you're so obedient, when the Wuyu Clan arrives shortly, you can hold the front line. If you don't die, I'll show you tenderness." Yun Feifei's expression shifted slightly. In the past, this routine of hers had never failed. Even the most sanctimonious hypocrites couldn't help letting their imaginations run wild once she flashed those shapely, snow-white thighs. What was wrong with this fellow surnamed Wei? Had he cultivated some technique that made him incapable of being a man? Wei Yuan had no idea what was running through her head. "Take a look around first," he instructed. "See what else can be used and where we can establish defenses. And find out where the Wuyu Clan is likely to attack from. Once you're done, come find me!" By now, Yun Feifei also sensed the transformation in the surrounding world. Startled, she asked, "You even brought a boundary stone?" Wei Yuan naturally wouldn't tell her that an ancient boundary stone had already activated beneath the main hall. Because of that, the Wuyu Clan was bound to mobilize in full force, drawing in all nearby forces. Meanwhile, reinforcements from the Palace of Grand Beginning wouldn't arrive anytime soon, and the Xu family couldn't be relied upon at all. This battle was going to be perilous in the extreme. If he told her the truth, Wei Yuan suspected Yun Feifei would slip away in secret. Once Yun Feifei left and Xu Wan'er took charge of guarding the captives, Wei Yuan found a room that was still barely standing. He stepped inside, shut the door tight, and took out the jade pendant bestowed by the Immortal Monarch. Wei Yuan took a deep breath, steadying his violently pounding heart. As the saying went, a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Under normal circumstances, he would have fled long ago, but now that Qingming had recognized him as master and taken root, it could no longer be moved. Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains was already resonating with Qingming, fused into a single whole. Forcibly uprooting Qingming would be tantamount to damaging his own Dao Foundation. Wei Yuan would never agree to that—he would rather fight to the death. In truth, having read so many storybooks, Wei Yuan saw right through Yun Feifei's little tricks. At any other time, he wouldn't mind enjoying some sweetness delivered to his doorstep. But how could he have the mind for that now? His earlier display of soaring morale and impassioned resolve before the guards and Yun Feifei had merely been to steady everyone's spirits. Now that he had sent Yun Feifei away, it was time for proper business: calling for help! Wei Yuan began by writing down the details of Qingming, his current location, the Xu family's collusion with the Wuyu Clan, and the imminent arrival of the Wuyu army into the jade pendant. This formed the common section of the message. Then, beneath the common section, he appended a personalized line for each recipient: To the Immortal Monarch: *Qingming has suddenly recognized me as master, and what is done cannot be undone. I ask the Immortal Monarch to decide.* To Zhang Sheng: *Master, save me!* To Fenhai: *Grandmaster, save me!* To True Monarch Xuanyue: *Patriarch, save me!* To Ji Liuli: *Eldest Martial Sister, big fight here!* To Xiaoyu: *Several more immortal swords have been forged into my Dao Foundation. Dare to come take a look?* To Cui Yu: *Come fight! Bring lots of people!* To Bao Yun: *A month has passed since we parted, and I miss you dearly. This westward journey has been fraught with peril, repeatedly plunging me into dire straits, though fortunately I escaped with my life. However, another great battle looms ahead, and I truly know not if I can survive it. If luck is not on my side, I fear I will never be able to repay the immortal silver I owe you; I can only hope to make amends in the next life.* In the blink of an eye, the letters were finished. Wei Yuan crushed the jade pendant, and a streak of clear light shot straight into Qingming, vanishing in an instant. These messages would be transmitted all the way back to the Palace of Grand Beginning and delivered into the hands of their respective recipients. Thinking over what he had written, even Wei Yuan's thick skin couldn't help but grow warm. But his life was on the line; what did a bit of shame matter? Besides, Wei Yuan had proper self-awareness. This place was certainly not something he could hold on his own. There were plenty of disciples in Sky Azure Hall who hadn't expanded territory yet anyway; since they were idling about, they might as well come to the Western Regions to harvest some merit points. Those fellows were mediocre at making money but ruthless at spending it; even after saving for fifty years, they might not afford an ordinary boundary stone. Qingming was, after all, an immortal artifact—an ancient boundary stone. Even if Sky Azure Hall and Water Moon Hall pawned everything they owned, they still couldn't afford it. To use Qingming to expand territory was a luxury that, from True Monarch Xuanyue on down, the paupers of both halls had likely never experienced in their lives. Once the distress calls were sent, Yun Feifei returned from inspecting the sect grounds. Having lived in Lanshen Palace for many years, she was intimately familiar with it, completing her patrol after a single circuit in flight. Knowing the urgency of the situation, she had moved swiftly. In her rush, half of her skirt had been torn and she had lost a shoe, exposing a delicate, snow-white foot. She stood before Wei Yuan, breathless. "There is still one secret vault that the enemy hasn't discovered. Its grade isn't high, though—it's mostly just materials." Wei Yuan was overjoyed. "Let's go take a look." Yun Feifei nodded, her delicate brows knitting slightly. She took a step with her bare foot, then shrank back. Wei Yuan glanced at the pale, bare foot and said, "Let's fly there." This response caught Yun Feifei completely off guard, and she couldn't help rolling her eyes internally. In the past, as long as she revealed just a sliver of her long, shapely, snow-white legs, which of those promising young talents wouldn't be left dazed? Back then, the Youngest Martial Brother had been arrogant and looked down on everyone. Yet during a private sparring match, her bare, impossibly soft little foot had kicked him to the ground and pinned him down. From then on, he had fallen head over heels for her, spending his days consumed with jealousy against the Eldest Martial Brother, casting aside his original undercover mission, and in the end gaining nothing at all. Yet what was wrong with this fellow before her? She had brought out all her tricks, and he still remained utterly indifferent. Did everyone who came out of the Palace of Grand Beginning lack a part? Yun Feifei ground her teeth in secret. *You're forcing me to use my ultimate move! We'll see what happens in the vault!* Just as the two were about to set off, Xu Wan'er came running over in a hurry. "Those people have all been dealt with, but... where is Brother Wenwu?" Only then did Wei Yuan remember that such a person existed. While exploring the main hall earlier, Wei Yuan had seen him cowering in a corner. Worried he would prattle on endlessly, Wei Yuan had simply sealed his mouth with Dao power. Right after that came Xu Guanwen's attack, followed by Wei Yuan's successive battles against Xu Guanwen and the Wuyu flesh mountain, which ultimately brought the hall crashing down. With Xu Wenwu's meager abilities, he could never have escaped the hall; even the slightest gust of residual wind from a shattered dharma idol would have stripped his flesh to the bone. A wave of remorse rose in Wei Yuan's chest, knowing there was no chance the man had survived. Though that fellow was talkative, unreliable, lecherous, and lacked restraint, he had followed Wei Yuan all the way here. Wei Yuan possessed an instinctive protective urge toward those around him, especially the weak, much like an old hen looking after her chicks. Now that Xu Wenwu had died due to his momentary oversight, his heart was inevitably laden with guilt. "He was in the hall. Let's go find his body first." Wei Yuan immediately turned around, with Yun Feifei and Xu Wan'er hastily following behind. Standing atop the ruins of the main hall, Wei Yuan amplified his divine sense with Qingming's power and swept through the rubble. To his astonishment, Xu Wenwu wasn't dead at all. Right now, down in the underground stone chamber, he was clinging to Qingming and shaking like a sieve, incessantly chanting prayers to seventeen or eighteen different holy titles in a single breath—not one of which Wei Yuan had ever heard of.