When Wei Hongqing asked that question, Liu Xiaolou finally understood. Something serious had happened. He just didn’t know exactly what went wrong.

“Brother Wei, why are they suspecting you?” he asked.

Wei Hongqing let out a long sigh and stared blankly for a while. “What a ruthless woman,” he finally muttered,

“Lu Yan?” Liu Xiaolou guessed.

Wei nodded. “Yeah. Looks like I fell right into her trap. Xiaolou, do you still remember Lu Zi’an from back in the day?”

“Of course,” replied Liu Xiaolou.

Wei went on, “Back then, the sect was going to choose one person from the outer disciples to become an inner disciple. Both Lu Yan and Lu Zi’an were among the best candidates, but everyone thought Lu Zi’an had the edge. Then, half a year later, all the signs pointed to him being out of the running. Frustrated, he stole a freshly refined Foundation Establishment Pill. You remember what happened after that. Lu Zi’an died, and Lu Yan got promoted to the inner sect. But do you know why Lu Zi’an suddenly took that desperate step? Heh…”

Liu Xiaolou suddenly remembered the letters he’d found later in that abandoned house by Yangliu Bay. He paused for a moment. “So it was all that woman’s doing?”

Wei Hongqing nodded. “Yeah. She set everything up. Made it look like the elders had given up on Lu Zi’an. She even exaggerated a few small mistakes to make him think they were going to punish him. And on top of that, she spread a rumor about some ancient immortal’s cave in Bashu. Heh, that rumor was actually my doing. But in the end, the one who was supposed to guard the Foundation Establishment Pill was Lu Yan herself. She faked an illness and had Lu Zi’an take her place.”

“So then what happened?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

Wei Hongqing coughed twice, then suddenly burst into laughter. “So all that talk about her marrying Lu Zhongqiu; it was all a lie! She tricked me, and she tricked him too! She never intended to marry him. She told me that story just to get me on her side. That bastard Lu Zhongqiu kept pestering her. I even suspect he knew some secret about her. She just used me to get rid of him. Borrowed my blade to kill him!”

Liu Xiaolou’s eyes widened in realization. “So no matter how much we tried to cover it up, it was useless? She planned everything from the start. Made sure you’d be the one to strike? And Lu Zhongqiu’s whereabouts… she was the one who leaked them to you?”

Wei Hongqing murmured blankly, “Even the weakness of the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl; she’s the one who told me about it.”

Liu Xiaolou stared at him in shock. “No way, Brother Wei. Didn’t you say she mentioned how to counter the Lotus Beads by accident two years ago? Back when you two were still close. She told you that… in bed, right?”

Wei Hongqing clutched his head, yanking at his hair. “I don’t even know anymore, Xiaolou! Two years ago! Could she really have been planning all this even back then? I treated her so well. So damn well! Like a dog! A loyal, stupid dog!”

The secret cave fell silent. A chill crept up Liu Xiaolou’s spine, making every hair on his body stand on end. He slowly turned his head toward the cave entrance, feeling as if a woman’s figure might emerge from the dark pool at any moment.

As he moved, Wei Hongqing froze too, his hands lowering, his wide eyes fixed in terror on the entrance of the cave.

The two of them stood frozen for what felt like forever, barely daring to breathe. Finally, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t help glancing back, only for their eyes to meet, scaring both of them half to death.

“Brother Wei, what’s wrong with you?”

“What were you looking at, Xiaolou?”

“I just wanted to see if someone came in.”

“And? Did you see anything? Sense anything?”

“Uh… no, I don’t think so. What about you?”

“Nothing! I just saw you staring at the entrance and thought you saw something!”

“Alright then, let’s not freak ourselves out.”

“You’re the one freaking me out!”

After a bit of nervous bickering, their voices echoing off the walls brought some life back to the cave. Bit by bit, their courage returned. They tried to reassure each other, then crept toward the tunnel entrance. Hearts pounding, they checked the area outside the pool, retraced their steps to make sure no one was there. And only then finally breathed a sigh of relief and headed back inside.

Liu Xiaolou asked, “What about now? I get that what happened two years ago is complicated, but what’s she thinking these days? You treated her so well, and she just tossed you aside like you were nothing? Borrowing your knife cost her a lot, what’s in it for her?”

Wei Hongqing slumped again. “I don’t know.” His voice low. “I really don’t. None of it makes any sense.”

Liu Xiaolou sighed, trying to calm him down and stop him from pulling at his hair. “Alright, alright. Let’s think this through. What about me then? Have we been exposed? Does she know anything?”

Wei Hongqing shook his head. “Don’t worry, Xiaolou. She doesn’t know who else was involved in killing Lu Zhongqiu. After that bastard died, the Xie family went to Tianmu Mountain, saying their master and Lu had gone out together and never came back. They’d been missing for days. Tianmu Mountain sent people to investigate at the Xie family estate near Jiashan. All they found was that three masked bandits from southern Xian had robbed a few hundred taels of silver. The Xie family didn’t know anything beyond that.”

Liu Xiaolou frowned. “Then how did she end up accusing you?”

Wei Hongqing’s face darkened. “Wasn’t I supposed to be in seclusion, healing my wounds? While I was down the mountain those few days, she happened to check in on me. But since I wasn’t there, she complained to a few inner sect stewards. Said something like, ‘He’s injured, so why are you still sending him out on missions?’ Nobody paid attention at the time… but when the investigation into Lu Zhongqiu’s death started, one of those stewards suddenly remembered her complaint. Then the sect master sent people to question me.”

“So that’s when you ran?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

Wei Hongqing nodded. “Yeah. If it had been anyone else saying it, I could’ve denied everything. But it was her. The moment I heard her name, I thought of Lu Zi’an… and then it all clicked. She set me up, just like she did him. There was his case right in front of me, and I still didn’t see it coming. I was a complete fool!”

“No one could’ve seen that coming,” Liu Xiaolou said matter-of-factly. “Back when we ambushed Lu Zi'an, did she know it was me, Bajhang, and Brother Zuo involved?”

Wei Hongqing shook his head. “No. She never asked, and I never told her who you were. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“How did you get away?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

“Those two stewards who came to question me probably didn’t expect me to act without explaining. I sprung on them before they could react. Still, Zuo and Yuan are both at the peak of Qi Refinement. Getting off Tianmu Mountain wasn’t easy. I waited until my wounds healed and slipped away so they wouldn’t keep watching me. If they launched a full search of the mountain, hiding wouldn’t last long.”

Liu Xiaolou said, “Don’t worry about that. You’ve been on Tianmu Mountain so long you might not know how things are now. Wulong Mountain is a border mountain. Major sects can’t openly climb it; the other side wouldn’t allow it. Not long ago some bandits from Badong tried to sneak up the mountain. We chased off two and killed one. If they pull something like that again, I’ll call the men and deal with them myself.”

Wei Hongqing frowned. “What if someone stronger comes? What if you can’t handle them?”

Liu Xiaolou chuckled. “If it’s someone we can’t beat, then I won’t hesitate to report them to the Badong bandits. See how they like being ratted out.”

Wei Hongqing blinked. “So Wulong Mountain’s really like that now?”

“Just rest and heal. I’ll keep an eye on what’s happening outside,” Liu Xiaolou said.

He pointed to the food he had brought back last time. “There’s rice and meat. Fill your stomach first, you’ve barely eaten these past few days. I’m going out for a bit to look around. If anything happens, I’ll come back and let you know.”

Wei Hongqing nodded, took the spirit stone Liu handed him, and sat back down to continue healing. Liu Xiaolou left the secret cave, made a quick circuit around Ghostdream Cliff, and seeing nothing unusual, went down Wulong Mountain to ask around in the nearby villages.

What he found, though, was definitely not right.

Uncle Tian, the villager, told him, “These past few days, there’ve been more cultivators outside the mountain. Just circling around, not coming up. The villagers think one of the major sects is planning a raid again, so word’s already being sent to other mountain groups.”

“I went up to Qianzhu Ridge twice recently and didn’t see you,” Uncle Tian added. “Funny to find you here today. Listen, if you can leave, then go. If not, hide. Just be ready, or you’ll get caught in the purge when the big sects move.”

“I understand, Uncle Tian. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t take it lightly,” the old man warned. “I heard there’s supposed to be a rule. No sect’s allowed to attack. But rules are made by people, and people can break them. You never really know.”