Chapter Thirty-Five: The Lingyu Pavilion

After pacifying Yinling, Chu Suye summoned Guo Xinyu, Muye, and Aishuo to his private residence for a council. It was time to begin preparations for his revenge.

In the secluded villa, the four of them sat around a stone table as Aishuo poured tea for everyone.

“Xinyu, prepare a sufficient amount of silver. Then, under your name, establish the ‘Lingyu Pavilion.’ I trust you understand its purpose,” Chu Suye said, his gaze settling on the three he trusted most.

“Muye, Aishuo, spread word in the martial world—say that Guo Xinyu is founding an organization. Try to gather as many experts as possible. When the time comes, I will, in the capacity of the Alliance Leader of Wulin, suppress the news just enough so it circulates only among the martial artists, delaying the court’s notice for as long as possible.”

“Understood, no problem!” The three replied in unison, their voices firm and resolute.

“Then, Suye,” Muye mused, “do you need to hold a martial assembly in the jianghu, using the excuse of re-ranking the top ten masters? It could serve as a cover for our recruitment, and with the rankings renewed, we may find the talents we seek among them.”

Indeed, Muye was the most meticulous thinker among them.

“Exactly. This way, we can also persuade some renowned, unaffiliated elders to join our Lingyu Pavilion. Besides, it will attract Ji Muyu’s attention while concealing our true intentions,” Aishuo, ever the complement to her husband, added seamlessly.

“Well then, I can only show my support for Suye’s plan through action—since you’ve all voiced my thoughts already. Suye, you release news of the assembly; Muye and Aishuo, start discreetly spreading the word about Lingyu Pavilion’s recruitment. I’ll go prepare the funds!”

With that, Guo Xinyu departed first, ever the model of efficiency.

Three days after the announcement of the martial assembly, the entire martial world was thrown into an uproar!

Ji Muyu’s mood had been foul of late—one could even call it abysmal. The twelve elites were dead, Yin Su severely wounded, and Guo Xinyu’s betrayal stung deeply.

He spent his days nitpicking in court, finding fault in everything, leaving the ministers to suffer countless unjust punishments. Naturally, he soon heard of the martial assembly, which sent him into a rage in the court hall, causing ministers to feign illness and request leave to avoid further ire.

Yin Su, aware that her position had been supplanted, merely smiled in silence. It took ten days of solitary healing to recover, and even then she could not exert her full strength—her wounds were by no means minor.

The news of Chu Suye holding a martial assembly shocked her, but she knew Ji Muyu would soon have a task for her. Sure enough, the next day, he ordered her to disguise herself and attend the assembly to gather intelligence.

The assembly was abuzz; the registration area was packed, lines trailing endlessly.

Meanwhile, at Lingyu Pavilion, only Guo Xinyu, Muye, and Aishuo lounged in the attic, sipping fine Dragon Well tea in their rocking chairs. To the uninformed, it would seem Muye and Aishuo were shirking their duties instead of spreading news.

As the sun shifted from high noon to behind the mountains, a man covered in blood crawled up the attic stairs. Upon seeing the three reclining figures, he waved excitedly, “I—I made it!”

The trio, who had been enjoying the view, turned at the voice to see a man drenched in blood, his features unrecognizable. He was the first to survive the trap array they had designed together.

“Aishuo, give him the antidote,” Muye reminded her, knowing every blade and obstacle in the array was coated with Aishuo’s handiwork—three hours without the antidote meant certain death. If he begged for his life, they would spare him, but joining Lingyu Pavilion was out of the question. The array was meant to test prospective members.

Aishuo flicked a black pill into the man’s mouth with unerring accuracy. Not long after, the trio heard strange noises from the array.

Chu Suye, dressed in dark robes, strode in leisurely. He saw the man sitting cross-legged on the floor and frowned. “Xinyu, your trap array was a bit too simple. For me, it was a walk in the park!”

The bloodied man, meditating to heal, could not help but twitch at these words—simple? He looked closer and realized the speaker was none other than the Alliance Leader. Suspicion crept into his mind—who was truly behind Lingyu Pavilion?

Muye shook his head in helplessness at Chu Suye while Aishuo cast a disdainful look his way. Did he think everyone was as skilled as he was? Comparing himself to ordinary folk was unfair.

The three had spent a day and a night poring over weapon manuals and trap blueprints, hiring craftsmen and forging the necessary mechanisms, then another day and night setting it all up—two days and nights without sleep. They had planned to create more advanced traps but worried no one would survive within five days, so they settled for this. The real reason, however, was that after completing the array, they went out to reward themselves and had no time to upgrade the mechanisms.

Guo Xinyu caught Aishuo’s glance and felt a deep sense of camaraderie.

“You there, you may withdraw,” Muye said, gesturing with a cupped hand. A door opened on the other side; the man understood, bowed respectfully, and took his leave.

“Xinyu, how many, after hearing the rumors, came here instead of joining the assembly?” Chu Suye sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea to savor.

“Not many, not few. You must have seen how many attempted the array on your way in. I think we can raise the reward, or Muye and Aishuo can scour the jianghu for suitable candidates. With personal training, we could forge them into death warriors,” Guo Xinyu proposed.

“Agreed,” Chu Suye was the first to consent. Muye and Aishuo nodded—it was an excellent idea.

“Training a force of death warriors will require more preparation. For now, let’s focus on building up Lingyu Pavilion. Death warriors can’t be exposed openly anyway; we have time,” Muye summarized the plan.

“Very well. Let’s proceed as Muye suggests. Handle these matters first. I’ll observe the assembly and inform you if I find anyone suitable,” Chu Suye said. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

The remaining three exchanged a smile and set about their tasks.

---

Writing quietly, asking for nothing in return—consider it a journey of growth.