Song Ci was not worried at all. He believed Wen Changchu had the ability to bring about the downfall of the State of Lan.

The only thing giving him a headache was all those pretty concubines that came in all sizes in the general’s residence. This boorish general was most fond of indulging in drinking and womanizing. Even ten fingers were not enough to count the amount of wives and concubines he had in the house. All those chattering. Annoying.

The moment Song Ci entered the house, there would be concubines coming up to him and groping him all over. But it was a little special today.

The concubines craned their heads and stared with widened eyes as they waited a long time for the general’s return. But then, the returning general had a guest with him when the doors to the main entrance finally opened.

Those noisy concubines were instantly frightened into silence. They lowered their heads and retreated to a side.

The general’s residence had always observed propriety. What’s more, the one who came was none other than the infamous traitorous prime minister of the State of Lan.

Rong Bai’s eyes were nearly blinded by the sight of this entire garden of pretty flowers in full bloom. He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Song Ci, only to see Song Ci saying with an unperturbed expression, “No one is allowed to remain in the front courtyard. All of you go to the back courtyard.”

This was a tone accustomed to bossing others around.

Considering that the general was a hot-tempered man, Song Ci ‘naturally’ lost his temper. “I’ve been spoiling all of you too much. Every one of you will be punished by copying the ‘Instructions for Women’ three times. You are not allowed to enter the front yard until you are done copying it all!”

None of the concubines dared to cry and make a commotion.

The only thing was that Song Ci did not realize that he was still holding Prime Minister Rong’s hand as he said all those words.

And so the next day, news that the General had led the Prime Minister by his hand back to his own residence, and that the latter had even stayed the night, spread like wildfire. Everyone lamented over how the Prime Minister and the General might seem to be irreconcilable adversaries on the surface, but in truth, the Prime Minister had already been bowled over by the General’s manliness and was willing to be his male lover.

Song Ci did not know whether to cry or laugh when he heard of this. He said, “Nonsense.”

Actually, it was not that far from the truth.

No one could really interfere when Rong Bai swaggered his way into the general’s residence to live in. Some people seized the opportunity to present memorials repeatedly to Wen Changchu. But Wen Changchu only wanted to barf blood every time he saw those heaps of petitions. He did not even read a single one of them.

Wen Changchu also did his duty, dragging along his broken, wretched body to torment himself further. He halted the morning court sessions for over ten days in a row, ditched the medicine, and fooled around in the palace all day long.

As for the beauties in his harem, he did not get to touch even one of their fingers. Instead, it was Zhu Yishu who proved to be an eyesore the entire time. Whenever Wen Changchu saw him, the blood he coughed out increased.

In fact, Wen Changchu did not have to make a conscious effort to do anything. All he had to do was to speed up his own death. Because the monarch had no heir, a mighty battle for the throne would erupt after his death. The power in the country would be divided into several factions. With continuous internal strife and unabated foreign invasions, the State of Lan would completely disintegrate.

All Wen Changchu had to do was to eat, drink, and play.

The four of them had a merry and carefree time playing in the book for more than ten days. But before they could wait until the death of the monarch, Feng Zhuojun lifted them out. “The four of you sure know how to have fun.”

Song Ci looked wan, feeling as though he had not enjoyed himself to the fullest.

Wen Changchu was so happy that he almost wanted to become sworn brothers with Feng Zhuojun. He really detested that sick and weak character who was always vomiting blood at every turn.

However, Feng Zhuojun was here on business. He took out a book from his bosom and looked solemn. “I know where the Divine Emperor has gone.”

The four of them simultaneously looked at him.

The disappearance of the Divine Emperor was the key in changing the current situation of the Six Realms. With Mo-zun’s return to the world at this juncture, all acts of biding one’s time was merely a facade.

All the smart ones knew that the next pivotal moment was when Lou Muge exposed his tracks. At this point, he was hiding among the Six Realms like a mayfly. There were countless people who wanted to kill him or draw him to their side. He was not a stupid man, so he knew to hide his own tracks.

But once his tracks were discovered, the Six Realms would descend into a period of great turmoil.

What’s more, the era of peace in the Six Realms might be shattered because of this, reverting the Six Realms into a state of primal chaos like in the ancient times.

It was of utmost importance to find the Divine Emperor. Thus, the moment Feng Zhuojun said this, he instantly captured the four men’s attention.

Song Ci noticed that the book in his hand was the color of aged cowhide. The cover of the book was even damaged. He could tell at a glance that it was ancient.

But when Feng Zhuojun opened the book, Song Ci realized that this book was even more battered than he had imagined. There was almost no intact page inside the book, and flipping through it was like flipping through a heap of tattered papers. Large portions of the strange writings in the book were also indistinct. Song Ci moved closer to look at it and realized that he could not read the words in the book.

The shape of the characters were very structured, but they differed completely from the words he recognized. He could not even find a trace of similarity between them. Feng Zhuojun’s intent in bringing along this tattered and incomprehensible book was beyond him.

“What’s this book?” He asked.

Feng Zhuojun turned over a few pages. “This is a book preserved from ancient times. It records those famous figures in ancient times. Because of their age, the other books in the same series either couldn’t be found anymore, or they aren’t readable due to a lack of preservation efforts. This is the only one in which we can still make out some of the words.”

He ran his fingers gently across the surface and stopped at two characters that seemed to be deliberately emphasized. He tapped at it and said, “Here …”

All of them simultaneously looked at the two words Feng Zhuojun was pointing at. They heard him say, “Written here are precisely the two characters, ‘Yan Song’.”

Song Ci was startled. Although Feng Zhuojun did not say it outright, it was still enough for them to understand that since Yan Song’s name was recorded in this book, which was written in ancient times, then obviously Yan Song had also existed in that era. What’s more, he was a famous figure.

Disregarding the possibilities that someone else had the same name and that Feng Zhuojun had misread the words, then there was only one conclusion left.

The Yin Yang Time Reversal Array had sent Yan Song back to the ancient times.

That was a turbulent era eons ago in which the invincible Great Devil King ran rampant, when the Four Great Clans were at their peaks, and where the Six Realms were still one.

They did not know why, but it was already impossible to find and get him back. A strange silence descended upon the few men.

Rong Bai raised his eyebrows lazily. “No hurry. We just have to find Xiaolou1 before the Zhu Clan.”

Zhu Yishu chuckled, “If you hadn’t said it, I’d have almost forgotten my mission this trip down to the Mortal Realm.”

Hearing Rong Bai’s intimate address of Lou Muge, Song Ci suddenly recalled that the Demon King had saved Mo-zun’s life when the latter was on the verge of death. Presumably, their relationship was pretty good. He asked, “Even you can’t find Lou Muge?”

“Xiaolou has only just returned to the world. His soul is at the period where it’s unstable and weak. Concealing himself among the Six Realms is the best choice. If his whereabouts were to be discovered, he will very likely end up being besieged.” Rong Bai said, “Once he has the ability to protect himself, he will naturally appear. With his personality, there’s no way he will remain in hiding.”

“That’s right.” Feng Zhuojun closed the book and said to Song Ci, “If the powers of the Six Realms were to be split, then it could more or less be split into six great factions. Two of the Divine Realm, one of the mortals and immortals, one of the demons and devils, one of the Underworld, and the last one, Lou Muge.”

“Lou Muge alone monopolizes a portion?” Song Ci asked in surprise. He could not really believe it, but the others did not refute either. Clearly, Feng Zhuojun was right. At least, those few present agreed with him.

“Not just him. There is still someone behind him that no one can touch.”

Song Ci knew that he was referring to Ning Shaosi.

“But to make it clearer, Luo Muge’s faction includes you.” Feng Zhuojun patted Song Ci on the shoulder. “And me too.”

“Me?” Song Ci looked perplexed. “I don’t know Lou Muge.”

“Because your Master Rong belongs to Lou Muge’s faction.” Wen Changchu answered.　　

It instantly dawned on Song Ci. Rong Bai had earlier shattered the Devil Seal. Later, when Lou Muge returned to the world, he had taken out the Devil Seal Fragment and took control over one piece. This was to prevent someone else from gathering all the fragments to recast the seal, thereby ensuring that this major threat to Lou Muge would never reappear in the world.

Rong Bai was one of the Divine Clan, but he did not stand on the side of the Divine Realm. As a Demon King, he did not stand with the Demon Realm either. Yet, he stood on Lou Muge’s side. There must be a stronger reason for it than it seemed.

Song Ci knew that they had many more days ahead of them, so he wasn’t too anxious to ask about it now. He nodded his head to indicate his understanding, and his obedience surprised the other four.

Song Ci asked, “Then what about you? Why did you choose us?”

Feng Zhuojun winked at him. “Because we are buddies.”

Wen Changchu mercilessly exposed him. “You definitely have an agenda.”

“It’s like this.” Feng Zhuojun let out a dry cough and said seriously, “The Kunlun Mirror has never been able to predict the future. The world is about to be split, and the victor will emerge king. Since I have a divine consciousness, I’d have to join a side among the Six Realms. It isn’t wrong for me to choose my friend, is it?”

Song Ci was touched. “My good buddy.”

Feng Zhuojun said, “You’re welcome.”

Rong Bai swept a glance at him, and Feng Zhuojun immediately behaved himself. He put the book back into his bosom and stood up to cup his hands to Song Ci. “Today, I bid you farewell. I hope you will stay safe and sound in time to come. A hundred years later, when turmoil rises again, our story will continue.”

Just then, a coincidental gust of wind sent the treetops rustling. Grasses billowed in waves, and green leaves gently drifted down upon them. The passage of the wind sent their long hair and robes fluttering as it quietly made its way to the other end of the sky.

The wind was always this carefree as it swept towards every corner in the world.

Song Ci’s eyes arched as his handsome face lit up with a heartfelt smile—a smile as warm as the balmy sun and gentle wind of their first encounter, and as wide as the broad sky and vast fields of their parting. He cupped his hands in response. “I wish you the same.”