Yun Ye lay in his chair, staring blankly at the empty ground outside. His young son Yun Huan hid behind him, playing with his father’s ears. He kept pressing them down, then watching his father’s ears spring back up. This was how he played with Wang Cai’s ears. As long as Wang Cai lay on the ground, he never tired of this game. Now that Wang Cai had stood up, he couldn’t reach, so his father’s ears had become the new toy. Although they weren’t as big as Wang Cai’s, he still liked them.

After playing with them for a long time, he became dissatisfied that his father’s ears weren’t as big as Wang Cai’s, so he grabbed his father’s ears and pulled hard…

A crying child was very annoying. Yun Ye had no choice but to hold his son and walk around. His ears seemed to have grown a full circle and were bright red. He couldn’t attend to these matters—first, he had to make the little ancestor happy.

Liu Jinbao was unwilling to let the young master torment his ears. Finding Old Qian was somewhat inhumane. Yun Ye had no choice but to contribute his own two ears for his son to continue grasping. Only then did peace reign under heaven.

His son was as stubborn as that annoying Li Er. Everyone said the master had already died, so why was he still uneasy? Li Chengqian and Li Tai were unwilling to come test the waters, so they sent Li Zhi over, pretending to be full of curiosity, asking about past events. If it were Li Zhi asking, Yun Ye would kick him into the bamboo forest like kicking a panda. But seeing Li Zhi’s embarrassed expression, if Yun Ye still didn’t know it was his father who wanted to ask, Yun Ye would be too stupid.

No matter what he said, Li Er would have doubts. Alive with no body seen, dead with no corpse—no one would believe it too readily. Add to this that Yun Ye’s credibility wasn’t too good, so the believability was very low…

It just so happened that Qiu Ran Ke was coming over. To clear himself, Li Jing specifically requested an inner servant to monitor this conversation. It was a good opportunity—having it come from Qiu Ran Ke’s mouth would be much more credible. Who knew this matter would actually deal Qiu Ran Ke such a terrible blow? As time passed, that forcibly inserted memory now grew firmly in his brain. The more he pondered it, the more real and believable it became. The brain would automatically supplement and perfect any gaps. Qiu Ran Ke’s current sorrow was actually evil wrought by Yun Ye.

When one does something wrong, ghosts will always come knocking. This ghost Li Er was like a disease of the bones—couldn’t be shaken off, couldn’t be removed, could only be passively dealt with. He really wanted to say sorry to Qiu Ran Ke. Of course, if he were to say it, he could only say it in his heart.

Qiu Ran Ke’s fists brought the sound of wind, striking at Li Jing blow after blow. Li Jing kept dodging and maneuvering. Seeing he was about to fail, Hong Funv jumped into the battle circle. The husband and wife joined forces against their sworn brother, barely stabilizing the situation. As physical strength was consumed, Qiu Ran Ke gradually calmed down. With a heavy punch striking the ground, he dispersed all the strength in his body.

“Zhang Zhongjian prides himself as a hero, yet was toyed with in the palms of an old man and a child. This hatred is hard to quell!”

“Yun Ye is full of cunning schemes. Among the most difficult people to deal with in Chang’an, he is one of them. If Second Brother wants to vent this anger, I’m afraid it will be very difficult. His household is filled with expert masters. That youth observing the fight today is probably an extremely terrifying expert. Wu She was an inner servant by His Majesty’s side in earlier years. Now though advanced in age, he shows faint signs of rejuvenation—absolutely not to be underestimated. The Yun family is backed by the academy, with extraordinary people emerging endlessly. The academy is filled with mechanisms and traps. Little sister once went to the Bewildering Forest. That forest has no life—it is a death ground among death grounds.”

“The academy has also recently sealed off the maze, not permitting students to enter and explore anymore. I’m afraid great changes have occurred inside—it’s not suitable to approach. Fortunately, he agreed to send troops to the Arabian Sea region. This should be able to assist Second Brother’s enterprise. A momentary humiliation need not be dwelt upon—establishing your own kingdom is most important.”

Hearing Hong Funv’s words, Qiu Ran Ke turned to Li Jing and said: “Elder Brother, I previously believed Yun Ye was an evil ghost. I still think so now. Today he brought up old matters precisely to plant a seed of fear in my heart, so that my martial arts will never advance another inch. Two years on the deserted island, I contended with heaven, I contended with the great sea, finally breaking through previous shackles and advancing further. Originally I thought that returning to Chang’an this time, when I saw Yun Ye again, I could subdue my inner demons. Who could have imagined that with a few words, he would beat me back to my original form? He is the greatest obstacle of my life.”

“Little Brother will return to Daming Temple immediately to request Master to help me eliminate disaster and resolve difficulties. I’ll also wait for the turmoil in the South Sea to settle. It’s not that I haven’t thought of demanding justice from Yun Ye. As long as I have this thought, my whole body experiences great warning signs. This is what I’ve relied on to traverse many years yet remain safe and sound. I’m afraid seeking revenge on Yun Ye would have dire consequences. Let’s see as we go!”

Li Jing neither expressed approval nor opposition. Instead, with his hands behind his back, he turned two circles before saying: “I always feel there’s something fishy here. When you were talking with Yun Ye, I clearly saw a trace of guilt in Yun Ye’s eyes. Although only for an instant, I’m very certain—he feels he’s wronged you!”

“This person Yun Ye is a true eccentric. If you say he’s benevolent, you’re right. If you say he’s cruel and poisonous, you’re also not wrong. His heart is soft, but his methods are exceptionally vicious. I feel he walks two extremes. This kind of person has an unstable mind, good and evil are hard to distinguish, his actions have no order. One moment you see him worrying about the country and the people, the next moment he displays the face of a treacherous merchant. Your elder brother has seen countless people, but this is the first time I’ve seen such an exceptional specimen.”

“I always feel he’s completely incompatible with the Great Tang. Could it be that he truly fell from the immortal realm to the mortal dust? Second Brother, think again about the circumstances when you first met the master and disciple, then we’ll make our judgment.”

Qiu Ran Ke shook his head irritably and said: “In the previous moment’s memory, I was still on the great ocean. The next moment I was in Longyou. Don’t ask me how I know that place was Longyou—I just know. I trampled a clump of green grass, passed through a patch of shrubs, and on a withered grass beach, I saw an old man with an immortal bearing doting on and speaking to a youth about something. The old man’s face I seemed unable to see clearly. When he saw me approach, he wasn’t surprised, only saying to me, ‘You’ve come?'”

“But Yun Ye’s face I could see crystal clear. A very mischievous youth, bouncing and jumping as he walked before me to pour me a cup of fresh water, then went to rummage through my bundle. He was kicked by me. Then I spoke many words with the old man. I don’t remember—I don’t remember any of it. The next memory is of me leading my brothers contending with the ocean waves. Mountain-like ocean waves pressed down. Liu Dinggu’s miserable howls as he fell into the sea—I still remember them crystal clear even now.”

After hearing Qiu Ran Ke’s account, Li Jing was thoroughly confused. When Yun Ye initially said in the great hall that he had seen Qiu Ran Ke, it was still fifteen years ago. Li Jing remembered every word Yun Ye spoke at that time. Comparing the two accounts, this matter indeed occurred. Now Qiu Ran Ke also confirmed Yun Ye’s words. But who had Qiu Ran Ke deliver the bundle?

“Second Brother, how much do you remember about the bundle?”

“I don’t remember. I completely don’t remember. I completely don’t remember how that damned bundle got onto my shoulder. I don’t even understand why I went to Longyou. I only remember the wilderness, but don’t remember those market towns I passed through. Could it be that in one night I crossed ten thousand miles?”

Qiu Ran Ke became furious again. If Yun Ye were here, he would know this was purely a symptom of mania. But Li Jing believed this was Qiu Ran Ke getting angry. Unable to figure it out after much thought, he could only comfort his brother with gentle words.

The Qiu Ran Ke who entered Chang’an had been full of heroic spirit. The current Qiu Ran Ke only wanted to quickly run to Daming Temple in Yangzhou to have his master recite countless repetitions of the Purifying and Benevolent Heart Mantra for him.

Those feeling troubled weren’t only Li Jing. Li Er and Zhangsun were also listening to Duan Hong’s account. Duan Hong had already recounted this section three times, still not differing by a single word.

Zhangsun sighed and asked the Emperor: “Second Brother, didn’t you already stop entangling yourself with Yun Ye’s master’s lineage? Why bring up old matters now? This isn’t your principle of conduct.”

“I don’t want to know who Yun Ye’s master is. I only want to know what exactly White Jade Capital is all about. White Stone Palace, which previously opposed us, recently changed masters—that person called Han Zhe. They have now abandoned their transcendent position outside the world and begun fully integrating into Great Tang society. News came from Yuezhou that the great merchant He Shao, entrusted by Yun Ye, sold cinnabar brought by Han Zhe to Longhu Mountain and acquired sixteen shops in Yuezhou for White Stone Palace. Recently a Heluo merchant called Pang Zhun has begun taking them over. Do you know what business Pang Zhun used to do?”

“Human skin! On the surface he specialized in the jewelry business, but secretly they transported human skin to shamans in the Central Plains! Used to make human skin drums. I heard the human skins they transported were made extremely exquisitely.”

“He deserves death! Why would Your Majesty still tolerate such a beast living in this world? Ten thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough to redeem his crimes!” Zhangsun was shocked, stood up, and loudly advised the Emperor. Her hands trembled involuntarily. Her own subjects were being skinned and sold—killing such a person ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough to relieve her hatred.

“He cannot be killed, because those human skins were all personally made by Tubo’s high priests. In Tubo they are originally a kind of spiritual object, a kind of commodity. I ordered secret agents to carefully investigate. As long as there was one Tang person among those human skins, I would cut him into ten thousand pieces. But ah, Empress, I don’t know whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate—Han people don’t qualify. Only the human skin of the most devout believers is qualified to be made into human skin drums. Ordinary human skin simply cannot be used. This is very taboo in Tubo. Each piece of human skin is an extremely rare treasure worth a thousand gold. Every shaman is proud to possess a human skin drum.”

Zhangsun had also seen much of the world. Hearing the Emperor say this, she calmed down again and said: “Even so, he still deserves death!”

Li Er laughed and said: “The Empress doesn’t know this, but the person being skinned is willing! I specifically asked Ludongzan. Although Ludongzan was very unwilling to mention this matter, he finally told me it was indeed so. Those people being skinned were indeed willing. They believe this is the best way to offer themselves to the heavenly gods.”

“Out of concern about skinning, I must investigate clearly—what exactly is the nature of White Jade Capital and White Stone Palace? If White Stone Palace truly begins to transform, I will give them some preferential treatment. If it’s a malicious religious invasion, I will immediately uproot them completely, killing until not a blade of grass remains.”