CG Chapter 179: Gongs of Li, Drums of Righteousness
On one side, An Ku was falling deeper into the demonic path, twisting into something lower than a dog or a beast, unworthy of even the butcher's knife. On the other side, a true demon walked the same road.
Aretius approached the Li Clan with his head held high. In one hand, he loosely grasped the honorary plaque gifted by Li Wuyou, while the other rested casually behind his back. This boundless composure, combined with his youthful facade, projected a refined, almost unnatural scholarly dignity.
As the next sequence of events transpired, Aretius's chosen painted skin was confirmed to be the correct one.
The Li Clan chose only the most loyal and sharpest-eyed members to be stationed as guards at the periphery of their territory. These guards were tasked with protecting the Guyue Manor from any unwelcome visitors, even if it meant putting their lives on the line.
In the instant these bloodthirsty guards caught sight of the Li Clan's honorary plaque in Aretius's hand, their killing intent waned. Their appearance shifted to indifference, showing a night-and-day difference from just a moment ago.
An elderly guard stood at the front, a jade plaque hanging from his waist that cast an eerie glow, marking him as the chief of the guards. With a cold snort and a wave, he gestured to the other guards to lower their blades.
At the same time, his other hand formed into an odd hand seal. It was an order to a certain group to temporarily disable the countless lethal restrictions and traps that lined the road to the manor like a road to the netherworld; with one step carrying you toward life, while another pushing you closer toward death.
Still, from that distance, the guards could only glimpse that he was holding the unique honorary plaque of the Li Clan. They, however, remained vigilant. The Li Clan was large enough, and these plaques held different ranks depending on who issued them.
The moment Aretius was close enough for the old guard to catch sight of the Ashoka flower symbol representing the essence of Young Master Li Wuyou, his calm, carefree demeanor melted away as if he had just witnessed a ghost.
After all, to the Li Clan, Li Wuyou's word represented supreme authority, only second to that of the Clan's Patriarch and the Elder Council.
But more importantly, as a high-ranking servant of the Li Clan, he was well aware that the Young Master Wuyou plaque was only issued to one person. That was the plaque of the most prominent rising dragon in the contemporary Jianghu of the Wu Empire, the Violet-Blood Ghost Asura.
His face turned a pale shade of white in fear of what Li Wuyou would do to him if news spread of his failure to welcome the Violet-Blood Ghost Asura.
He rasped, and with a single hand, he called for all of the guards to prepare. He pointed toward a scrawny but fast guard. "Take my plaque to Young Master Li Wuyou. Tell him that his guest has arrived."
The sharp-eyed guard nodded before vanishing into the distance. At the same moment, the chief spoke in a commanding tone, "We are welcoming the Violet-Blood Ghost Asura. If any of you show the slightest signs of disrespect, then don't blame me if I smash your head before giving you to the Young Master as a gift myself."
The chief flashed forward from the shadows. Standing in front of him, he internally nodded, feeling that the Soul-Piercing Crane was truly worthy of his name. A man acknowledged by such an expert could only be higher than his title, never lower.
As a guard of the Li Clan, what kind of experts hadn't he seen? From warlords to arrogant young masters, he had seen them all. As such, he believed that he had developed a keen eye for knowing who was truly an expert and who was but a fragile paper tiger.
Yet, this young man standing in front of him, he couldn't read, no matter how hard he tried. Within him was the aura of a blooming plum. However, underneath that scholarly feel, he sensed an eerie aura.
As if he were standing in front of a mountain of decaying corpses, greater than even that of the Li Clan, concealed only by the scent of plum blossom. The image of a plum blossom stretching its horrid roots throughout a mountain of abhorrent corpses, to conceal its true nature, overlapped with the figure of the young man standing in front of him for a second.
He shook the thought away. The idea of such a young man having such a strong, yet well-concealed, killing intent was truly horrifying. He was well aware that, as a lowly guard, he merely needed to kneel if he saw a lord and bark if he saw a lower servant.
Cupping his hands in a respectful, subservient manner, he kept his head low, not daring to look into the eyes of the young man in front of him. "This humble one greets the Violet-Blood Ghost Asura. Truly, the fame of one follows merit. A mountain can't stand without an unfathomable foundation. Seeing you today, I understand that the Young Master is destined to stand as a grand qilin, or a dragon amongst the young generation."
The moment he finished his last word, and before Aretius could speak, the sound of welcoming, joyous gongs and drums echoed throughout the area. The dim, gloomy valley seemed to have awoken all at once, lighting up with shimmering lamps and a flood of crimson lanterns that banished the death ki to the depths of the valley.
Witnessing all of this, Aretius merely nodded with satisfaction as he confidently stepped into the main manor alongside the servile chief.
Internally, however, he frowned; the Li Clan didn't seem like the type to bother with hiding their true nature with more than a paper-thin facade. The praising words of the Soul-Piercing Crane and the ability he demonstrated naturally commanded respect.
Nevertheless, that did not change the fact that he lacked any true backing force, aside from his affiliation with the Withered Shadow Hall. As such, the Li Clan wanting to win him over that much could only mean one thing.
He grinned. 'They are desperate. The Jianghu is changing, and something big seems to be about to happen.'
Unlike what some might think, to Aretius, the more muddy the waters, the better it was. After all, how could he spread his demonic seed in clear waters?
'The Celestial Fiend lays his Dao-seeds in the hearts of those who follow. Thus, a supreme is born...'
He walked into the welcoming hands of the oblivious Li Clan, unaware that they had just invited a tiger or a vicious dragon into their homes.