C39

Although the Danxia Mountain was called a mountain, in reality, it was a lone mountain with a height of nearly a hundred zhang. The south slope was straight and steep, the north slope was craggy and rocky, the west slope was a steep cliff, only the east slope was slightly sluggish, and there was a rugged and winding mountain path that led straight to the top of the mountain.

"Sister Qingcheng, why don't you go hunting with them?" Lu Que asked as he looked at Gu Qingcheng walking beside him. The current Gu Qingcheng was dressed in a red hunting suit, with a red fur cloak draped over her back. She was as beautiful as a ball of fire, and even Lu Que's calmness couldn't hide the palpitation in his heart.

"What about you? You've lived in that valley since you were young, so you should be more familiar with the mountain. Why did you come here to climb the mountain?" Gu Qingcheng shot a glance at Lu Que with her watery eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"The green hills around me are lush and verdant, but this Danxia Mountain doesn't have any grass. I'm just curious about it, that's all."

"Just curious?" Seeing Lu Que smile without saying a word, Gu Qingcheng's heart trembled, "Could it be that you already have a goal in mind?"

"What target?" Lu Que feigned ignorance, "I just think that this Danxia Mountain is barren. I just want to get to the bottom of this." Sister Qingcheng, look! We haven't even seen an ant in such a long time! Isn't it weird? Maybe there are some secret treasures in this mountain.

Seeing how Lu Que was trying to reason with her, Gu Qingcheng was angered. She decided to stop trying to solve the mystery, "Don't tell me you're not trying to ask for directions?"

"That's probably the reason." Seeing that Gu Qingcheng was getting angry, Lu Que immediately admitted it.

"Whose way to go? Is there anyone in your mind? " Gu Qingcheng's eyes lit up. It had already been half a year since the last assassination attempt on Lu Que. However, the clues had been cleanly severed along with the assassin's death. Whether it was the Feng Xiang Army who was patrolling the imperial city, the Jing Zhao and Yin Residence who were under constant pressure from the emperor, or the three royal guards who were secretly investigating, none of them were able to do anything to the person behind them.

"Not yet, but father sent a message a while ago saying that this was not done by an assassin."

"It's not Sting? "Then that would mean that there are only the Eight Tribes of the Dark Phoenix, but …" Gu Qingcheng frowned. Unlike the assassinations of officials from other countries, the Dark Phoenix almost never went to the imperial court. As long as it had dealings with the government, the Dark Phoenix would never accept them. So why would it make a move against the powerful Lu Manor? Gu Qingcheng really couldn't understand.

"The Dark Phoenix is known as the eighth division. Do you know the name, Sister Qingcheng?"

"I only know that the Dark Phoenix is named after the Eight Colors and Eight Birds, but I'm not too clear on the specifics. Since you know about it, why don't you tell me about it?" Gu Qingcheng came from an extraordinary background, so she naturally wouldn't pay much attention to these martial arts organizations that were beneath her notice. Even the name of the Dark Phoenix was only known to her when her parents started talking about the assassination attempt on Lu Que.

"In this world, the assassination association and the Dark Phoenix organization are both only famous in this world in these twenty to thirty years. Although the assassins were secretive, they did things openly. As long as they were assassins, they would never hide anything. But the Dark Phoenix is different, the Dark Phoenix is very low-key, its power and strength are not even close to that of the Dark Phoenix, unexpectedly few people know of it, its reputation is not even half as famous, is that not strange? " At this point, Lu Que seemed to have noticed something. He turned his face to the side and nodded in a certain direction.

Behind a boulder not too far away from the mountain path, a figure that might not even be discovered if he got close by was quietly crouching in the shadow of the boulder. He had only heard Lu Que's words and his breath fluctuated slightly before he was discovered by Lu Que. He kept cursing in his heart. The Crown Prince of the Lu family was a monster. It was one thing for his talent to be so good, but his spiritual sense was actually so sharp.

This person was none other than the commander of the royal shadow guard. He had been invited by the eldest princess to protect Lu Que in the dark.

One must know that this Lord Commander has almost been driven crazy by the strict orders of the Emperor. From last year's festival, when Princess Tian Xiang was attacked in the Mountain Shadow County, to the test, when Lu Que was assassinated outside the Academy. Up until now, neither of these two matters had been made clear.

Although the mastermind behind the attack on Princess Tian Xiang had yet to be determined, at the very least, it had been determined to be the doing of Chi Di of the Northern Frontier. However, even though he had sent out a lot of elite troops, he still failed to obtain anything regarding Lu Que. When he heard Lu Que mention the Dark Phoenix, he realized that he had overlooked something.

Moreover, he knew more about the Dark Phoenix than Lu Que. Recalling the way the Dark Phoenix acted, he seemed to have sensed that a huge conspiracy was brewing in the capital. Excited, he leaked a trace of the plot and was discovered by Lu Que.

Seeing that Lu Que and his friend had already left, this Lord Commander of the Shadow Squad did not have time to ponder over the matter. His figure continued to move back and forth in the backlight of the mountain rocks without making any sound or leaving any trace behind, as if he were a weightless shadow.

"Strange indeed." Hearing Lu Que's words, Gu Qingcheng pondered for a long time. Unknowingly, she still deliberately said, "But since ancient times, assassins who wander in the shadows, aren't they always hiding their heads and showing their tails?"

Hearing Gu Qingcheng's words, Lu Que had a strange expression on his face. Out of the corner of his eyes, he couldn't help but glance to the side and say, "Actually, that's not entirely the case. Those assassins who are well-known for their history, most of them are righteous men who sacrificed their lives.

"Then, the Dark Phoenix is one of those assassins that use money to get rid of others?" Gu Qingcheng asked.

"Quite the opposite." Lu Que shook his head, "Last year, after the Duo Yang, Mother gathered a lot of information about the Stinger City and the Dark Phoenix. We can be sure that the incident with the Dark Phoenix was only three times, but it was not to take someone's money to get rid of it."

"What's that?"

"What did Sister Qingcheng think of the Mi family, the Sha family, and the Hu family of the prairie who no longer exists?"

"These are all the giants that were not inferior to my Great Gan Hanhai's Duanmu Clan back then. They can be said to be as wealthy as an entire country. Could it be …" Gu Qingcheng seemed to understand what Lu Que was trying to say as her face turned serious. The mysterious Dark Phoenix only dared to make a move on these wealthy merchants with billions of assets. Its goal was definitely not just to gather such a huge amount of wealth. You just mentioned the names of eight parts of the Dark Phoenix, what are these eight parts then? "

Lu Que glanced at the side again and raised his voice slightly as he enunciated word by word, "Scarlet Eagle, orange cuckoo, yellow thrush, green magpie, azure phoenix, azure crow, purple phoenix and dark phoenix."

"Murderous birds red vultures, Sobbing Blood Bird orange cuckoo, Revenge Bird yellow thrush, Nestling Bird green magpie, One of the National Birds Blue Luan, Repeated Bird Blue Crow, Sovereign Bird Purple Phoenix, Undead Bird Dark Phoenix?" Hearing Lu Que's words, Gu Qingcheng began counting the names of the birds with her hands. She was shocked, "This is connecting them together?"

"Connecting them together would mean killing and weeping blood, taking revenge and seizing the nest, repeatedly doing great deeds and never dying as a sovereign."

He had long heard of the names of the eight parts of the Dark Phoenix, and even the Emperor himself knew of them. However, whether it was the Emperor or him, neither of them had considered the deeper meaning of the names of the eight parts of the Dark Phoenix from this direction.

According to Lu Que's explanation, the Dark Phoenix had a rebellious nature. However, he couldn't figure it out. It had been more than two hundred years since the founding of the Great Gan Empire, and the people's hearts had long been with them. Why did he think that a small Dark Phoenix could subvert the rule of the Yu Dynasty?

"Lu Que, how many people know about this?" Gu Qingcheng's pupils constricted as she hurriedly asked.

"The name of the Dark Phoenix's Eight Tribes is not a secret. Many people know it, but they just don't think about it in this direction." By this time, the two of them had reached the top of the Danxia Mountain. Lu Que found a seemingly clean place and sat down on the ground. At this time, he realized that the aura he had locked onto with the Spirit Controlling Cauldron had disappeared.

"Then who do you think the master of the Dark Phoenix is?" Gu Qingcheng also sat down next to Lu Que. The beautiful scenery of the clear water of the Pill Mountain was right before her eyes, but she didn't have the slightest interest in appreciating it.

He was only guessing at this matter, and even if his speculations were accurate, it would still be a feud between the previous generation. Moreover, the reason he had come out to play this time was undoubtedly to ask for directions; he wanted to see if the other party would make a move, so as to verify the other speculations in his mind.

On the other hand, he had a hunch that if the other party didn't succeed last time, they wouldn't make a move against him. But regardless of the other party's intentions? And no matter how it was arranged, the location of the operation would be in the capital city. His uncle, the emperor, must have felt something too, which was why he transferred the Evergreen Army back to the capital after the New Year.

Lu Que looked at the Soundwave Lake beneath the mountain and remained silent for a long time.

Gu Qingcheng looked at Lu Que's frowning face and suddenly felt a pang in her heart. Under Lu Que's stunned gaze, she stretched out her jade hand and gently smoothed out his frown, as if she was trying to wipe away the haze in his heart.

Seeing Lu Que hide awkwardly, Gu Qingcheng smiled and retracted her hand. Looking at Lu Que, he let out a long sigh, "Lu Que, you must be very tired."

It was a gaze that Lu Que had never seen before. There was a trace of heartache within the gentleness, as if there was an indescribable feeling. He turned his gaze towards the lake in the distance, took a deep breath and said, "I've just enrolled into the academy, so it's not that tiring. However, the academy does have quite a number of courses in a year, so I think I'll be tired in the future."

Gu Qingcheng didn't pay much attention to Lu Que's words. Instead, she continued to speak, "Lu Que, the current you and the you that aunt spoke of are a little different."

"What's the difference? "Isn't it all because of me? Am I more outstanding than the one that Auntie Gu spoke of?" At this moment, Lu Que had a feeling that he had been seen through. He couldn't describe what it felt like in his heart, so he instinctively opened his mouth to cover it up.

"You're asking for a beating." Gu Qingcheng was slightly afraid of Lu Que and continued, "The Lu Que that aunt has mentioned, although he lives in a place where he doesn't return to the dead end, he is happy and carefree every day. He has interacted with spirit beasts, and with mountains and rivers as his friends, it would not be wrong to call him pure heart and clear mind."

"How could I be so good? Auntie Gu is exaggerating." Lu Que felt a little awkward.

Gu Qingcheng ignored him and continued, "You're different now. Although you're still kind to people and your heart is calm, ever since I've met you for the first time, I've always felt that you're very depressed. You don't have to be in a hurry to deny it, this is a woman's intuition, it can't be wrong."

Lu Que looked at the floating white clouds and let out a long sigh.

"Lu Que, you are giving me a feeling of being weighed down by a heavy burden. Although you have hidden it well, I can feel it, because the feeling of someone forcing on you something that you don't like has been on my back for 15 years. I am very familiar with it." Gu Qingcheng hugged her legs as she rested her head on her knees. She turned her head to the side and looked at Lu Que, her gaze roving about.

"Sister Qingcheng ~ I told you ~"

"I know." Before Lu Que could finish his words, Gu Qingcheng interrupted him, "I know what you want to say. I've already told you before when I went to visit you about this matter. There's no need to talk about it now." Lu Que, have you noticed that you're different from your peers? What I'm talking about is not your experience, nor is it your talent. "

"What's that?" Lu Que was puzzled.

"Look at Zhuge Yan." Gu Qingcheng pointed towards the center of the lake.

Lu Que followed Gu Qingcheng's finger and saw that Zhuge Yan had found a small boat somewhere. At this moment, he was boating with Wu Yun Chang in the middle of the lake. Even though they were some distance away, Lu Que could tell that they were laughing and talking. In Lu Que's impression, the somewhat cold and aloof Wu Yunchang, who did not like to talk much, was smiling like a flower.

"The reason you invited us here today is for that Lin Qingyu that you know. I can see that the look in Princess Lin's eyes is different from the others."

"Yes." Lu Que did not deny it.

"Zhuge Yan, Duanmu Ye, these are your best friends. However, I can't see any signs of youthfulness in them. Lu Que, you must be tired from living."

Hearing Gu Qingcheng's words, Lu Que lowered his head and smiled bitterly. He also wanted to be like Zhuge Yan and the others, able to easily and comfortably spend the rest of his life in the academy. However, he couldn't do it. Ever since he was assassinated, he had been reading the information his mother gave him.

The imperial family, the eight great Duke Palaces, the thirty-six civil and martial families, the nine great aristocratic families, and even the marquises of various counties and counties, as well as the information regarding the officials above the fifth-grade, were all handed to him by his mother one after another. Some of the information came from the Ministry of Public Affairs, some from the secret forces, some from the Internal Affairs, and some even from the intelligence department of the direct emperor.

Naturally, he knew his mother's intentions. His parents had already reached the peak of the great calamity, and it wouldn't be long before they left to search for the path to becoming someone else. Thus, both his father and mother hoped that he would grow faster so they could leave without worry. Even the emperor's uncle in the palace should have the same thought.

Taking the fact that he broke through the seven orifices of the Heart of Fire during the new year for example, even though he had some energy left over after breaking through the six great chakras, he should still have stopped and consolidated a little. However, he didn't. He took the risk of being affected by the backlash of the spiritual energy to break out of his body. Perhaps only he and Little White knew the risks, but so what? Although he was the second Foundation Establishment cultivator from Da Gan, he didn't have much time left to grow.

This was the only way he could get his parents to leave in peace. And only by doing so would he be able to shoulder the heavy burden of the Duke of Wei's estate in a few years. His father used the Humble Class to lead the army and wipe out the country. He could do what his father had done back then, and he would do it even better. It wasn't because he was the son of the Duke of Wei and the Grand Princess, but because he was Lu Que.

"What's wrong with you?" After waiting for a long time, Gu Qingcheng noticed Lu Que had a strange expression on his face and asked worriedly.

"It's nothing, thank you, Sister Qingcheng." Although he would continue walking forward in the future, he already knew where his problem lay. At this moment, his heart was in a carefree mood, and Lu Que suddenly felt that his spleen's blood vessels were pulsing non-stop. The seven orifices of his Heart Flame seemed to sense something, driving his heart to beat vigorously again and again.

Lu Que smiled at Gu Qingcheng before sitting down cross-legged. He closed his eyes and made a 'Spirit Gathering Seal' in his hand. Under Gu Qingcheng's astonished gaze, a jade-like glow flashed and instantly blended into the air. Boundless spiritual energy condensed in the sky, causing the entire mountain to tremble under the impact.

"This … this is …" A surge of pure spiritual energy gushed down from the sky and entered Lu Que's body. Gu Qingcheng, who was sitting to one side, was pushed ten meters away by this spiritual energy. She looked at Lu Que who was about to break through with a gaping mouth.

"Damn! Immortal! This is truly a huge blow to us!" Zhuge Yan, who was swimming on the lake, also noticed the change in the spiritual energy. He raised his head and saw a huge spiritual energy whirlpool forming on top of Lu Que's head. He was shocked.

Wu Yunchang, who was sitting in the bow, was also curiously looking at the summit of Danxia Mountain. She was at home in Fragrant Sky country during the New Year, but she had heard the news that Lu Que had broken the seven orifices of Heart Flame. She didn't know what had happened at the top of the mountain that made Lu Que choose to make another breakthrough at this time.

At the same time, everyone hunting at Little Qingshan turned their heads to look. The oldest Gu Xiuxue was already in the Qi Manipulation Realm, but even though he had broken through the peak of the Blood Meridian Realm and entered the Qi Manipulation Realm, he did not have the same momentum as Lu Que.

"So ~ so powerful." Lin Qingyu could not help but smile as he replied, "That's right." Lin Qingyu then turned around and looked at Lin Qingyu.

"My first meridian, I don't know where Brother Lu Que broke through to." The Canton Princess Yu Qinglin looked somewhat enviously at the spiritual energy whirlpool that had suddenly expanded and shrunk.

"Judging from its aura, it should be spleen earth." Yu Tian Xiang said before she suddenly thought of something. With a stern look in her eyes, she stared into the shadows of the forest and shouted, "Three guards, listen up! Immediately go and guard Lu Que! Kill anyone who tries to get close to the mountain!"

"Okay." A muffled voice came from the shadows.

"You guys can go as well." The Canton Princess, Yu Qinglin, also said, "Remember to protect Big Brother Lu Que."

"Understood." A deep voice came from the top of everyone's heads.

Duanmu Ye and Lin Qingyu were both startled by the sudden voice. They kept looking around, but didn't see anything.