My disciples are all villains.

Lu Zhou stayed in the inn in Rubei City. While the sun had not completely set, he said to Little Yuan'er, "Send a letter to Jiang Aijian. Tell him to meet me here."

"Will he come, master?"

"Go to a nearby information station and have a mortal send the letter," Lu Zhou replied.

"Huh?" Little Yuan'er found this strange. Surely, a messenger bird would have been quicker. Why would they choose to use the methods of the mortals?

"Go."

"Oh." Little Yuan'er left the inn.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and walked up to the window. He looked at Rubei City.

Rubei and Runan were originally the same city. There was not much of a distance between them. Knowing Jiang Aijian, he would not stay in the Divine Capital all the time.

Little Yuan'er returned to the inn after running her errand. She said, "Master, it's done."

"Mhm… You can go and rest now."

The stars shone brightly in the sky, but Lu Zhou did not sleep. Instead, he spent the entire night meditating on the Heavenly Writing scroll.

...

Early the next morning.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Someone was knocking on Lu Zhou's door.

"Old senior… It's me…"

Lu Zhou opened his eyes and said, "Come in."

Creak!

Jiang Aijian opened the door and hopped in like a monkey. Then, he poked his head outside, looking up and down the hallway. When he was certain no one was around, he carefully closed the door. He leaned on the door and patted his chest. He heaved a long sigh before he said, "That scared the hell out of me… Thank goodness no one's following me. I'm a f*cking genius!"

"Jiang Aijian!" Lu Zhou raised his voice slightly.

"Old… old senior." Jiang Aijian immediately bowed before he scurried over to the table. He chuckled before he said, "Stay your anger…"

"Tell me, what is the meaning of all this?"

"What else? The Second Prince wants to move against the Fourth Prince. This is all a setup. It has nothing to do with the Evil Sky Pavilion, and Zhao Yue's very safe," Jiang Aijian said with a smile.

"Hm?" Lu Zhou frowned slightly. "As expected."

"As expected?" Jiang Aijian looked at Lu Zhou, puzzled and unsure of himself. He wondered what Lu Zhou's words meant.

Lu Zhou said, "Someone impersonated you and sent a message to the Evil Sky Pavilion…"

"Huh?" Jiang Aijian shuddered. He scratched his head. "So that's what happened. I was wondering why you suddenly used the mortal's mail service, old senior. It's true that the dumbest way is the safest way… Uh, no, no, that's not what I meant. What I'm trying to say is, you suspect that someone knows about my existence, old senior?"

Lu Zhou merely glanced at Jiang Aijian before he rose to his feet and walked to the window.

The sun was rising from the east.

"Could it be your seventh disciple, Si Wuya?" Jiang Aijian continued to speculate. "He found out about me long ago… He even killed many of my informants. I've yet to get even with him, how dare he lure you here. Is he trying to kill his own master? The audacity!"

Lu Zhou remained silent. He did not rule out that possibility. However, if Si Wuya was on Yu Zhenghai's side, they would never help the Imperial family to work against the Evil Sky Pavilion. It did not make sense. They had no motives and reason to do such a thing. Hence, it was highly improbable for the culprit to be Si Wuya.

"Are you certain that your people can be trusted?" Lu Zhou looked at Jiang Aijian.

Jiang Aijian was stunned. Usually, they would never suspect anyone they employed and would not employ anyone they suspected. However, nobody could be absolutely sure that their agents were completely loyal.

Jiang Aijian regarded Lu Zhou with a curious expression before he said, "If it isn't Si Wuya, it must've been someone else. Heh… Who's the brave fool who dares to impersonate me. However, since you've seen through that, old senior, what are you doing here in Rubei?" Without waiting for Lu Zhou's reply, he guessed. "Trying to kill Mo Li?"

Lu Zhou stroked his beard as he looked at the scenery outside the window. "Someone else will kill Mo Li."

"Wow. Shall we go and witness it, old senior?" Jiang Aijian said with a grin.

"Hm?"

"The Empress Dowager is resting in the Obedient Villa. The Second Prince and the Fourth Prince have already departed for the enclosure… I'm betting that the Second Prince will win. How about you, old senior?" Jiang Aijian said.

Lu Zhou stared at him. His expression did not change. He merely fixed his eyes on Jiang Aijian.

Jiang Aijian was unnerved by this silent stare. He hastily waved his hands and said, "It was a joke, a joke…"

At the end of the day, Jiang Aijian was their brother. Was he truly alright making a bet about them?

"Are you going to take me there?" Lu Zhou did not expect this. His original plan was to stay put in the inn. He planned to wait for Leng Luo's report. After all, Leng Luo was an Eight-leaf elite. If Leng Luo were to go on a rampage, not many people would be able to stop him.

"I heard that there's a Formation under Rubei City… However, I can sneak in and out of it. I've studied Mo Li's tricks thoroughly," Jiang Aijian said, "Don't worry, old senior… There are many secret passages connected to the villa. Not even Liu Huan knows about them. At that place, so long as I want to escape, I can do so at any time. Oh, wait… With your cultivation base, old senior, there's no need to run."

Lu Zhou remained unmoved. He recalled Qin Jun's words. Someone had set fire to Jing He Palace. Clearly, Jiang Aijian had done many things to oppose Mo Li. In that case, everything made sense now.

Lu Zhou had been suspicious before this. Since Jiang Aijian had left the palace, why was he still interested in the palace's affair? It seemed like Jiang Aijian intended to avenge the 1,000 lives that were lost.

Lu Zhou regarded Jiang Aijian carefully. This fellow always had a smile on his face. Who knew he had such a dark past? As the saying went, 'Hit a man but not his face'. He would not bring the incident in Jing He Palace up. In the end, he said apathetically, "Lead the way."

…

In the afternoon. At the entrance to Rubei City.

Two troops of soldiers entered the city majestically.

The civilians parted and made way for them.

Liu Huan, the Second Prince, sat on horseback and said with a smile, "Fourth brother, I think I've spent too much time in the palace. I'm no match for a seasoned veteran like you."

"You're exaggerating, brother. Those are just ordinary skills… All I did was kill some beasts," Liu Bing, the Fourth Prince, replied with a smile.

In other words, the real battlefield was much more vicious than wild beasts.

Liu Huan nodded. "You're right, fourth brother… It's just for fun anyway. Grandmother wishes to rest in the villa for a few days. This is the only way for us brothers to have some fun."

"Yes, let's not speak about trivial matters… Brother, I heard you prepared something from grandmother?"

"There's no need to rush, fourth brother. You'll see when we get to the villa."

"Alright!"

The two brothers spurred their steeds to the Obedient Summer Villa.

…

The second floor of the Obedient Summer Villa.

"Sect Master Si, did you have a good rest last night?" Han Yuyuan walked over and sat down with an indifferent expression on his face.

Si Wuya looked out at the peaceful villa through the window and said, "It wasn't a bad night… I'm just curious when this show of yours will begin?"

"Are you feeling anxious?" Han Yuyuan said jokingly.

"Maybe I am…" Si Wuya turned around and raised his hands toward Han Yuyuan. "General Han, with your magnanimity, I'm sure you can, at least, untie me, right?"

When the subordinates at the side heard this, one of them cursed, "Refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! General… let's not waste words with this one. We should end his miserable life with a saber right now!"

Han Yuyuan glared at him. "Mind your manners!" After he said that, a smile bloomed on his face, replacing the darkened expression on his face. He waved his hand and said, "Untie him."