13: Chapter 13 Rebellious Disciple

"Stop the carriage."

Gu Yelian's hand peeling grapes paused. Though puzzled, she immediately sent a voice transmission.

Ang—!

The nine bone dragons braked in unison. The massive inertia caused the entire palace to jerk violently in the air before hovering ten thousand meters high.

"Revered Master, what's wrong?" Gu Yelian asked, stuffing a grape into her mouth and puffing out her cheeks. "Are we not going to save Fourth Senior Brother anymore? If we're any later, that medicine jar might actually be refined into a pill by someone."

"He needs to be saved, but not now."

Bai Yu tossed the map onto the table and tapped his finger on it. "How much do you know about your Eldest Senior Brother?"

Gu Yelian curled her lip with a look of disdain. "He's full of bad ideas and always acting all mysterious. Back when we used to eat together, he'd even perform a divination just to decide where to sit. It was annoying as hell."

"Exactly. That kid has more schemes than a sieve has holes."

Bai Yu sneered and leaned back against the soft couch. "I haven't seen him in five hundred years, yet the moment he shows up, he points the way for me. He says Old Fourth is in trouble and wants me to go east. It sounds fine, but it's too smooth."

"Too smooth?"

"Qian Ji never makes a losing deal. Since he's willing to show his face, it means the situation has either slipped out of his control, or..." A glint flashed in Bai Yu's eyes. "He's luring me into a trap."

If he followed Qian Ji' script and went to Medicine King Valley, he might save Old Fourth, but he would definitely fall into another, even bigger pit.

Bai Yu didn't like being led by the nose.

Even if that person was his Eldest Disciple.

"Then what do you mean, Revered Master?"

"Turn around."

Bai Yu reached out and tapped heavily on the northernmost tip of the map, his fingertip landing on a vast, white ice field.

"Go to the Northern Border, the Extreme Cold Land."

Gu Yelian leaned in to look and was somewhat surprised. "To find Third Senior Sister?"

"Yes." Bai Yu nodded. "Although Old Third has a bit of a foul temper—cold and stubborn—she holds three hundred thousand troops of the Demon-Suppressing Army in the Northern Border. That's real military power, far more useful than Old Fourth's few scalpels."

Without soldiers in hand, one feels uneasy.

Now that the Heavenly Dao Alliance has been alerted and Shadow Demon Venerable is hiding in the shadows, it would be too exhausting to fight alone with just two Disciples.

Since he was going to flip the chessboard, he had to find a helper who could crash the party first.

"And..." Bai Yu stroked his chin. "With Old Third's stubborn mule temper, if she finds out I'm back, she'll probably charge over with a blade. Instead of letting her run wild, I might as well go and intercept her."

"I'll listen to Revered Master."

Gu Yelian didn't care where they went as long as she was with her Revered Master. She stood up and waved her red sleeve. "Turn around! To the Northern Border!"

The nine bone dragons let out a low growl of dissatisfaction. Their massive bodies carved a huge arc in the sky, abruptly veering from their eastward trajectory toward the north.

Just as the Dragon Carriage turned.

Buzz—!

The bronze disc in Mo Chi's hand, which had already turned into scrap metal, suddenly vibrated again.

This time, there was no blue light or projection.

Only an extremely powerful surge of Divine Sense rippled out, directly and arrogantly breaking through the Dragon Carriage's defensive Formation and echoing within the palace.

"Revered Master."

It was still Qian Ji' voice.

But in this voice, there was no longer the previous warmth and banter; instead, it held a suppressed rage and dominance.

"You are going in the wrong direction."

Bai Yu didn't even lift his eyelids. He reached out and grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the fruit plate. "The legs are on my body; I'll go wherever I want. What, do you want to install a navigation system for me?"

"Medicine King Valley is in imminent danger. Old Fourth won't last three days."

Qian Ji' voice turned a few degrees colder. "Going to the Northern Border now is meaningless and a waste of time. Old Third is guarding the 'Abyssal Demon Eye' and can't get away at all. Your going there will only cause her trouble."

"Cause trouble?"

Bai Yu laughed.

He spat a melon seed shell onto the floor, sat up straight, and spoke to the Void Realm. "Qian Ji, have you become stupid after being the Pavilion Master for five hundred years?"

"Your Disciple wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't dare? I think you dare quite a lot."

Bai Yu stood up. Although his aura was only at the Nascent Soul Stage, his authority as a Master made the surrounding air freeze slightly.

"You immediately started arranging my route, telling me who to save and who not to save. What, is it your turn to be the player in this game of chess?"

Qian Ji on the other end was silent for a moment.

Then, a clearer voice came through, with an unquestionable tone:

"Revered Master, times have changed."

"The ways of five hundred years ago no longer work. In today's cultivation world, problems can't be solved by fists alone. You've just woken up; there are many things you can't see clearly."

"Come to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion."

Qian Ji finally revealed his true intentions. "I'll wait for you at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. There are some things I need to explain to you in person. And... the truth about what happened back then."

"As long as you come, I guarantee that Old Fourth won't die, and Old Third will be safe and sound."

This wasn't just an invitation.

This was a threat.

He was even using the lives of the other two Disciples as leverage.

The Red Lotus Karmic Fire in Gu Yelian's eyes surged instantly. She stared at the disc with murderous intent. "Eldest Senior Brother, do you want to die?"

Even Mo Chi, who had been grinning foolishly, stopped polishing his sword and looked up. A fierce light flashed in his pitch-black demon eye. "Eldest Brother, don't be mean to Master."

Bai Yu waved his hand, signaling the two to stay calm.

He walked over to the bronze disc, raised his foot, and stepped on it.

"Qian Ji, oh Qian Ji."

Bai Yu sighed, his tone somewhat disappointed. "When you were young, I taught you 'Impeccable Calculation,' but I also taught you 'Respecting the Teacher and the Way.' It seems that in these five hundred years, you've been so busy calculating that you've forgotten how to be a human."

"Revered Master..."

"Shut up."

Bai Yu suddenly applied force with his foot.

Crack!

That was the power of the Archaic Sacred Body.

The incredibly hard bronze disc let out a wail under his foot as a crack split right through it.

"Now you listen to me."

Bai Yu's voice was calm, but incredibly arrogant. "I don't care how big this game is, nor do I care about whatever bullshit grand plan you're plotting."

"Want to see me? Fine."

"Wash your neck and wait."

"Wait until I bring Old Third back and rescue Old Fourth, then I'll take them both to go and smash your wretched pavilion!"

"At that time, we'll settle this score properly!"

Bang!

Bai Yu crushed it under his foot.

The bronze disc was completely shattered, turning into a pile of scrap.

Qian Ji' voice on the other end stopped abruptly.

The world was finally quiet.

"Phew..." Bai Yu let out a long breath, feeling refreshed. "Talking to that riddler is such a chore; acting is much more satisfying."

Gu Yelian looked at the debris on the floor, somewhat worried. "Revered Master, if you snub Eldest Senior Brother like this, will he do something desperate?"

"He won't."

Bai Yu reposed on the soft couch and crossed his legs. "That kid is best at weighing pros and cons. Before he's certain of victory, he would never dare to turn against me. Besides..."

He glanced at the clouds flying past outside the window, a playful smile curling on his lips.

"The more he rushes me to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, the more it shows something is wrong there. On the contrary, the Northern Border..."

"He doesn't want me to go there."

"Since he doesn't want me to go, then I absolutely must go!"

"Full speed ahead!"

"Yes!"

The nine bone dragons accelerated again, turning into a streak of crimson light, booming toward the depths of the wind and snow in the far north.