Poison Genius Consort

afety.
He’d rather owe Gu Qishao a favor than force himself to put on such a stupid act.
When he imagined how Han Yunxi would misunderstand, a sliver of…fear rose up in his heart!

The sword sect master nodded thoughtfully.
“Hehe, Feiye, you’re a wolf hiding a fox’s heart!” He was a martial arts practitioner who had become the sect leader of the sword sect based on his pure power.
Although he’d seen his share of the world and had plenty of personal experience, he couldn’t compare to Long Feiye when it came to political schemes and trickery.

The sword sect master immediately sent someone to pick up Baili Mingxiang before master and disciple left the room via a secret passage while chatting.

“Feiye, tell your master the truth.
The matter of East Qin…why hide it from that lass Yunxi?” the sword sect master muttered.

Perhaps this was the first time anyone had questioned him so directly.
Tang Zijin and Aunt Ru, even Lady Tang and Tang Li, were all curious about the fact.
They even suspected that it was because Long Feiye didn’t trust Han Yunxi enough.
East Qin’s matters were indeed secret, so there was no need to publicize the news until the best moment.
This status was his pride, but also his burden and responsibility.
Even if he dreamed of creating a new dynasty and opening a new era on Cloud Realm Continent, he still had to acknowledge his roots and respect East Qin’s history.
There were too many hopes resting on his shoulders.
He could say he was tired, but never complain that he was wronged, because this was all determined by birth.
As East Qin’s imperial crown prince, he had to undertake his duties.

Why not tell Han Yunxi?

Even he didn’t know the reason.
If Han Yunxi knew his identity, how would she react? Judging by what he knew of her, she would be pleasantly surprised and happy for him.
But if she knew of her own identity, what would happen then? He couldn’t guess.
He always had a handle on everything and its conclusion before it began.
But something like this went beyond his control.
He didn’t know whether he couldn’t control himself, or her.

Seeing Long Feiye turned distracted, the sword sect master nudged him.
“What are you thinking about? The way that lass protected you at Abstinence Hall was obvious to anyone who had eyes.
What, are you guarding against her as well?”

Long Feiye didn’t want to talk about this topic, so he only went through the motions.
“My life is in her hands.
Why wouldn’t I be on guard?”

The sword sect master broke into laughter.
“If you were really on guard against her, she wouldn’t be capable of hurting you! Haha!”

That was true.
If his heart still harbored reservations against her, then it wouldn’t be a true exchange of feelings.
If that was the case, how could Han Yunxi ever have the skills to eliminate his Lustbite energy?

“Then isn’t that just perfect?” Long Feiye spoke, though it was against his feelings.
He would even hide the origins of Han Yunxi’s identity from the sword sect master.
After Mute Granny’s death, he was the only one in the world certain of her status.
But recently, he realized that someone else knew, too.
Although they were of different paths, he only hoped that person wouldn’t let down his trust in him.

Master and disciple fell into silence until they left the secret passage.
After walking through some mountain paths, they reached the Honored Elders’ Profound Ice Cave.
Even at the height of summer, frosty air emanated from its depths like the northern winds of the twelfth month, chilling one to the bones.

One of the Honored Elders was already waiting by the entrance.
As cultivators dedicated to their craft, they didn’t care about the affairs of the mundane world, much less meddle in them.
They were only helping this time because of the Lustbite energy, which had no peer in the martial arts world.
No one from the East Qin imperial clan had ever cultivated it successfully.
Before the Lustbite energy fell into East Qin’s hands,[1] even fewer members of the martial arts community had mastered it.
The Honored Elders hoped that a day would come when Long Feiye witnessed its true power in his body.

The sword sect master sent Long Feiye all the way to the cave entrance, but couldn’t help but ask, “When will you be able to find someone capable of dual cultivation with you?”

The one who could help Long Feiye reach unparalleled heights in his skills via dual cultivation had to be a martial arts genius.
Only he or she could bear the dantian of his Lustbite energy.
The true reason that the sword sect master doted on Duanmu Yao was because her innate talents were very similar to the late Luo Qingling.
But he was thinking for Long Feiye’s sake as well.
Although Duanmu Yao hadn’t reached a level where she could bear the burden of the Lustbite energy yet, he always hoped that she could build a solid foundation and dual cultivate with Long Feiye one day.
If he could see her settle down and live better than Qingling then, he would be comforted by the sight.

Unfortunately, Man proposes but God disposes.
After that night of madness, he had never mentioned Duanmu Yao again.
That didn’t mean he had healed from his wounds.
His insanity exposed his injuries, laying bare the pain that he had always suffered.
If he didn’t go mad, then he would have to hide the suffering and agony within himself!

Was it better to remain sane, or go crazy? Self-awareness came from within; the person who drinks knows best whether the water is hot or cold.

Long Feiye was ready to enter the cave when he suddenly turned around.
“Master, I’ve already found that person.”

The sword sect master was shocked.
“Who is it?” he blurted out.

Various martial arts experts rose in his head, each possessed of natural gifts and talents.
All of them were top tier candidates, but he couldn’t figure it out even after mentally reviewing the list…

1. Before the Lustbite energy fell into East Qin’s hands – little factoid foreshadowing, keep this in mind! It’ll be relevant…eventually.