My disciples are all villains.

Dusk in the Divine Capital.

In the Prince of Qi Mansion.

The old butler, Hong Fu, prepared rooms for the guests and waited at the main door. He was fidgeting like ants in a hot pan. He paced back and forth in front of the doors.

When Old Hong saw a servant running over, he did not wait for the servant to come closer before he asked, "Is master back yet?"

"No. I've tried to search for information, but it seems like there's an important matter. Master won't be leaving the Imperial city yet."

"Send someone to tell him it's urgent."

"Butler Hong, commoners can't go in. How can I tell him it's urgent?" The servant appeared helpless.

Old Hong nodded and sighed. There was no way to force these things. The servants were of low birth. It was already a grace for them to be granted entry into the Imperial city. They should not be asking for the moon.

"Old Hong."

"Young Master?" Old Hong regarded his young master, Qin Shuo, with a puzzled look.

Qin Shuo approached Old Hong. He looked around in surroundings before he whispered, "Tell me, who are these honored guests? Nobody's here right now."

Old Hong seemed to be caught between a rock and a hard place when he heard this. He said, "Young Master, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but this matter is extremely important. Even if I die, I can't cause trouble to the Prince of Qi Mansion. Please don't ask me about this again, Young Master!"

"The more you act like this, the more curious I get… The Divine Capital is so vast, and yet, I can't think of anyone who's able to make you so nervous. You even served him father's Great Red Robe!" Qin Shuo said in a hushed tone, "If you can't explain this, father is sure to punish you."

Old Hong said, "Young Master, I dare to guarantee with my head that this matter of great importance, When master returns, everything will be cleared up."

"Alright. I'll wait then." Qin Shuo decided to wait with Old Hong.

Old Hong was highly valued by the Prince of Qi. Even if Qin Shuo was angry at Old Hong, there was nothing he could do to Old Hong. At most, he could only scold Old Hong, and Old Hong would unlikely hold it against him, considering their statuses. However, that would be childish and meaningless. Qin Shuo was the young master of a noble family after all, he had a sense of propriety.

Clop! Clop! Clop!

A horse-drawn carriage came into view.

When Old Hong heard the sound, he cried out joyfully, "Master is back!"

The other servants came out as well and waited there for their master.

The carriage moved toward Old Hong, Qin Shuo, and the others.

The carriage finally came to a stop.

"Master, you're finally back!" Old Hong was the first to speak.

A middle-aged man in an official outfit and cap alighted from the carriage.

"Father." Qin Shuo bowed.

Qin Jun waved his hand. He looked at the anxious Old Hong and said, "Old Hong, what's wrong? You've always been calm and level-headed. Why are you acting out of character today?" Qin Jun frowned when he saw the anxious expression on Hong Fu's face.

Qin Shuo smiled and said, "Father, we have an honored guest in the mansion. Old Hong served him your precious Great Red Robe… You can't blame him for feeling nervous."

'Hm?' Qin Jun frowned slightly. "What's the meaning of this?"

Old Hong came to Qin Jun's side and was about to whisper into his ear.

Feeling helpless, Qin Shuo turned away.

Qin Jun bowed slightly and moved his ear closer to listen.

As soon as Qin Jun heard Hong Fu's words, his exhaustion seemed to have vanished and became energetic as his eyes widened in surprise. "Is it true?"

"Master, I won't make a mistake when it comes to this," Old Hong said confidently.

Qin Jun's hands trembled slightly.

His son, Qin Shuo, noticed this. His heart sank as he wondered, 'Is the old guest really some notable figure?'

Qin Jun hastily said, "Summon our direct kinsmen into the mansion, and make it quick."

"Understood!"

Qin Shuo was even more baffled when he saw his father running into the mansion with an anxious expression on his face. Even when the Emperor visited, his father was not even flustered. Was this person even greater than the Emperor? Fear rose in his heart and he trailed after his father. He was a direct member of the family so he, naturally, had to be there as well.

...

The sun was setting.

The Prince of Qi's direct kinsmen had gathered in the courtyard in neat rows in a short amount of time. His wife, concubines, and the elite cultivators appeared confused.

"Why did master summon all of us here?"

"I heard that there are some important guests in the mansion."

"However, is there a need to make a big deal out of it? Moreover, this is too sudden!"

They remembered that the last time they laid out such a big welcome party was when the Emperor visited. How could they not feel puzzled?

"Silence." Qin Jun's voice rang in everyone's ears. "Without my permission, no one is to speak."

The others bowed.

Qin Jun turned around and headed toward the courtyard where Lu Zhou was staying.

The others followed carefully behind him. They soon arrived at the courtyard.

Old Hong spoke softly, "The old mister is inside…"

Qin Jun nodded. He walked up to the doors. Then, he bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, old mister."

The entire place was as quiet as a graveyard.

The others could not understand why their master was behaving so respectfully. They wondered about the identity of the person in the room? Who was it that warranted such respect and courtesy from their master? Naturally, none of them dared to verbalize their thoughts. They kept quiet and waited for the reply. 

"Enter." The voice was calm and light. Soon after, he added, "Alone."

"Understood." Qin Jun dared not be careless. He turned, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "That's all for today. Go back to whatever you're doing."

After going through so much trouble to summon everyone here, they were now dismissed without being given a reason, They became even more confused. Even then, nobody dared to disobey their master.

When the courtyard was finally cleared, Qin Jun respectfully opened the door. When he walked up to Lu Zhou, he kept his back bent as he looked at the floor and greeted him, "Greetings, old mister."

Then, Qin Jun stole a quick glance at Lu Zhou was admiring the paintings and literary works in the room. 'It's him.' Although Qin Jun had already been told about Lu Zhou's arrival, he still felt nervous,

Lu Zhou scanned the works in the room and quickly lost interest.

"If you like them, old mister… I can give it to you as a gift from my humble mansion," Qin Jun said.

Lu Zhou had no care for these secular things. He shook his head and said, "Sit."

"I dare not. I'll stand." Qin Jun's heart trembled in fear.

"It's been 20 years. Has your cultivation base improved?" Lu Zhou asked, not bothering to probe Qin Jun's cultivation base.

"Thanks to your instructions many years ago and after diligently cultivating, I managed to enter the Divine Court realm. I'm not talented, I'm afraid I've disappointed you, old mister," Qin Jun said.

Lu Zhou nodded. He walked up to the table and sat down. He looked at Qin Jun.

"I'm honored that you came to visit my mansion. If there's anything you need, old mister, I'll do my best to help you," Qin Jun said bluntly.

"I'm pleased with your achievements." Lu Zhou did not beat around the bush as he said, "Do you know Li Yunzhao?"

When Qin Jun heard this, he was slightly stunned. He asked, "Li Yunzhao is a prominent figure by the Empress Dowager's side. It's only natural for me to know who he is."

"Very well, "Lu Zhou continued to say, "Tell him to meet me here."