In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 406 Ren Donghai, Forget-Me-Not Grass

Outside Dongyang Prefecture, a hundred miles to the east, it is surrounded by mountains.

This place is rugged and rarely visited, yet it hides a vast manor with a very large area and a strict architectural style.

High walls and deep fortifications, with numerous sentry posts.

The buildings in the manor are mostly constructed of black stone, with a rugged and oppressive style. At the deepest part of the manor, the tallest palace, entirely made of black rock, stands majestically.

The palace doors were tightly closed, and a plaque made of ebony hung above the door, with the words "Full Moon" inlaid in some kind of dark red mineral powder.

The main hall was spacious but unusually dark, with dozens of braziers arranged in a unique shape to dispel the winter chill.

At the end of the main hall, atop nine black stone steps, stands a large chair.

The chair was not made of ordinary wood or stone; its entire body seemed to be cast from some kind of dark metal. The backrest was extremely high, its shape was ferocious, and it was even carved with special patterns.

A person is sitting upright on this chair, which symbolizes the supreme authority of the round moon gate.

This man was around fifty years old, with a thin face, high cheekbones, and long, narrow eyes with deep-set sockets. His pupils had an eerie dark gold hue in the dim light, and his gaze was cold and indifferent.

His hair was gray and white, meticulously combed back, revealing a broad forehead covered with fine wrinkles.

He was dressed in a loose, dark black robe, embroidered with intricate crescent moon and cloud patterns in dark silver thread.

It was Ren Donghai, the current leader of the Round Moon Sect.

Simply by sitting there without making any movement, an invisible, heavy, and oppressive aura permeated the entire hall, making the air seem to freeze.

Below the steps, about three zhang away from the seats, stood a Yuan Yue Men elder, who was also dressed in a black robe but in a slightly simpler style, and appeared to be around sixty years old. He stood with his hands at his sides, bowing slightly, his posture extremely respectful.

At this moment, Ren Donghai's gaze was fixed on the letter that had just arrived from Dongyang Prefecture.

The letter clearly recorded what had happened at the Flying Tiger Escort Agency in Dongyang Prefecture a few hours earlier.

Ren Donghai frowned as he read the contents of the letter.

Once the last word of the letter came into view, Ren Donghai snorted coldly and unleashed a burst of energy in his hand, tearing the letter to shreds.

A voice, cold yet tinged with anger, rang out from Ren Donghai's mouth.

“Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. What’s more, He Qinghua, the Old Ancestor of Blazing Fire and the Ghost Saint are backed by my Round Moon Sect. They actually killed the three of them directly in Dongyang Prefecture. What audacity!”

As he spoke, Ren Donghai looked down at the elders of the Round Moon Sect and asked, "Have you found out their identities?"

In response to Ren Donghai's question, the elder of the Round Moon Sect quickly replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, the two people from the Flying Tiger Escort Agency, the man appears to be Gu Shaoan, the young sect leader of the Emei Sect, and the woman seems to be Huang Dong's daughter, the most talented disciple in the Heavenly Dragon Sect more than ten years ago."

Ren Donghai was not interested in the "Huang Dong's daughter" mentioned by the elder of the Round Moon Gate.

What Ren Donghai cared about was the former.

Gu Shaoan, the young leader of the Emei Sect.

An elder from the Round Moon Sect asked, "Sect Master, shall I send men to Dongyang Prefecture now?"

When asked the question, Ren Donghai did not respond. Instead, he tapped the cold armrest of the metal chair lightly with the tip of his right index finger, making a very faint but regular "tap, tap" sound, as if he were thinking.

After a short while, Ren Donghai said, "You may leave now. I will think about it first."

Although the elders of the Round Moon Gate were puzzled, within the Round Moon Gate, Ren Donghai's words were like imperial edicts, and no one could object.

After the elder of the Round Moon Sect left, Ren Donghai got up and used his lightness skill to head towards the back mountain.

Behind the Round Moon Gate, the terrain is even more precipitous and bizarre.

The area is filled with jagged rocks and towering ancient trees, yet it is eerily quiet. Even the chirping of insects and birds is almost nonexistent, except for the shrill whistling of the mountain wind as it passes through the cracks in the rocks, which sounds like the wailing of ghosts.

A narrow path, almost completely covered by weeds and vines, winds its way in, ending at a steep, knife-cut rock face.

At the bottom of the rock wall, hidden behind the creeping vines, lies a cave entrance that can only accommodate one person at a time.

The cave entrance is deep and dark, as if it leads to the underworld. The edges of the cave entrance are smooth and have obvious signs of artificial excavation, but they are covered with moss over the years.

Ren Donghai arrived like a ghost, stopping three zhang away from the cave. He concealed all his aura, and even his black robe seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness.

He faced the deep cave entrance with an even more respectful demeanor than when he faced his subordinates in the main hall, and even with a hint of barely perceptible apprehension.

He did not step into the cave entrance without permission. Instead, he stood there and, facing the bottomless darkness inside the cave, recounted the events of the Flying Tiger Escort Agency and the information his elders had gathered about Gu Shaoan and Huang Xuemei's identities in a clear and organized manner.

As soon as he finished speaking, the cave fell silent once again.

Only the howling wind and Ren Donghai's barely audible breathing could be heard.

A moment later, from the depths of the dark cave came an old, hoarse voice. "What are you thinking?"

In response to the voice coming from inside the cave, Ren Donghai said, "The orphan of the Huang family appeared in Dongyang Prefecture in such a high-profile manner, and killed He Qinghua, the Fiery Ancestor, and the Ghost Saint in front of everyone. He was also accompanied by Gu Shaoan, who has been the most prominent figure in recent years. I am worried that the other party is deliberately trying to lure me there."

After a few moments of silence, the sounds from inside the cave resumed.

"The divine seed within me will condense into a flower in a few days, and in at most half a month, I will be able to use the Great Three Harmony Method to unify the three elements and step into the Celestial Realm. At that time, I will personally accompany you on this journey."

“It’s just right. Back then, because of Guo Xiang of the Emei Sect, my Yuanyue Sect was almost wiped out. Now that Guo Xiang is gone, this Gu Shaoan can be considered the interest on what happened back then.”

Upon hearing the words from the person inside the cave, Ren Donghai replied, "Grandson understands! I will order someone to keep an eye on their movements shortly."

The next day, around noon, the clouds over Dongyang Prefecture grew thicker and hung lower, with lead-gray clouds churning and obscuring most of the daylight, casting a somber and oppressive atmosphere over the entire prefecture, truly giving the impression of "a storm brewing."

After having a simple lunch at the inn, Gu Shaoan, Cheng Shifei, and Fan Sanshan headed to Wanchui Workshop in the west of the city as agreed.

Led by the shop assistant, the three of them passed through the front hall and arrived at a quieter side hall.

The side room was simply furnished with a few rosewood chairs, a square table, and several landscape paintings with a profound artistic conception hanging on the wall. It did not resemble a blacksmith's shop, but rather had the feel of a scholar's elegant room.

However, when Gu Shaoan stepped into the side hall, his steps paused almost imperceptibly.

The reason was that, in the side hall, besides Feng Wanchui, who was dressed in a coarse cloth short jacket, had a fierce face, and large knuckles, there were also several women sitting there.

The leader had long, flowing black hair, partially tied back with a simple wooden hairpin. She wore a simple white Taoist-style robe and had a beautiful face.

It was Qin Mengyao from Cihang Jingzhai.

However, in Gu Shaoan's eyes, although Qin Mengyao's face was still fair, there was a faint bluish-gray tinge.

Moreover, there were several faint purple lines between his eyebrows.

Behind her stood two young women, also dressed in white and holding long swords, who were clearly disciples of Cihang Jingzhai.

During their meeting at the Golden Summit of Mount Emei last year, Gu Shaoan and Qin Mengyao had a verbal exchange, but considering the Cihang Jingzhai behind her, they ultimately didn't go so far as to completely break off relations.

Unexpectedly meeting here, Gu Shaoan did not show much emotion on his face, but his gaze calmly swept over everyone in the hall.

Qin Mengyao clearly saw Gu Shaoan as well. Her expression shifted slightly on her pale face, and a fleeting emotion crossed her clear eyes.

She did not get up, but simply nodded slightly in greeting to Gu Shaoan, maintaining the aloofness and reserve of a Cihang Jingzhai successor.

Gu Shaoan merely nodded slightly in return, a polite but distant greeting, without a trace of warmth.

He then turned to Feng Wanchui, who looked somewhat embarrassed and troubled, and said in a calm tone, "It seems that I have come at the wrong time. Since Master Feng and the people of Cihang Jingzhai have something to discuss, I will visit again tomorrow."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave with Cheng Shifei and Fan Sanshan, who were looking at Qin Mengyao and the others with curiosity.

"Young Master Gu, please wait."

Just then, Qin Mengyao's cold voice rang out from behind her, her tone seemingly carrying a hint of urgency and weakness.

Gu Shaoan paused slightly, slowly turned around, and his gaze returned to Qin Mengyao's face.

"Is there something you need, Miss Qin?"

Gu Shaoan's tone remained calm, yet carried a clear sense of detachment.

Qin Mengyao met Gu Shaoan's gaze, took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady as she said, "To be honest, not long ago, Mengyao was accidentally poisoned by a strange poison. This poison is peculiar, and neither the antidote pills of my Cihang Jingzhai nor the martial arts can remove it. My junior sister who accompanied me was also helpless."

"I had heard that Young Master Gu's medical skills were extraordinary. I happened to know that Young Master Gu was in Dongyang Prefecture at the moment, so I took the liberty of coming to Master Feng's place to wait, hoping to meet Young Master Gu."

She spoke clearly, but with every few words, her breath grew weaker almost imperceptibly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Clearly, she was enduring pain, and it didn't seem like she was faking it.

Gu Shaoan's gaze lingered on Qin Mengyao's face for a moment, but he didn't rush to speak.

With Gu Shaoan's medical skills, the moment he saw Qin Mengyao, he could tell from her breathing and complexion that she had been poisoned.

As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, twice shy.

Cihang Jingzhai has too many tricks up its sleeve; their very existence signifies scheming.

Gu Shaoan was unsure whether Qin Mengyao's appearance today was simply for medical treatment.

At this moment, Qin Mengyao spoke again: "Mengyao knows that when Young Master Gu is away from home these years, he often collects rare flowers and herbs. Several years ago, Mengyao accidentally obtained a Forget-River Grass and is willing to use it as payment for medical treatment. I hope that Young Master Gu can lend a helping hand."

"Forget-Me-Not Grass?"

(End of this chapter)