Chapter 109: Master of the Eighteenth Tower

Looking into the distance, the Great Rain Palace resembled an ink wash painting. The clouds in the sky rolled and stretched like a scroll slowly unfurling. In the upper-left corner of this landscape lay the main palace, with four smaller pavilions scattered to the right.

Those who resided in the main building were called Palace Lords, and those in the pavilions were called Pavilion Lords. Gu Yi seemed to have grasped the naming convention of the people here.

"Is he taking us to meet the Master of the Great Rain Palace?" Shu Le asked, walking beside Gu Yi.

"How could that be? A Mo-tribe woman who has attained the Harmony-Dao Realm isn't someone we can just see whenever we want. You might have a chance, but I have absolutely none."

Regardless of anything else, the kid from Luyang Academy was certainly sharp. Zhang Weiyu thought this to himself, though his spoken words were laced with sarcasm: "Be careful, kid. In the Great Rain Palace, clever people usually die quickly."

"Are you saying that both Shu Yu and you are slow-witted?"

If they weren't currently deep in enemy territory, Shu Le would have laughed out loud.

Shu Yu, meanwhile, had returned to the state she was in when Gu Yi first met her: calm, devoid of emotional fluctuations. Her eyes were beautiful, but lacking in feeling.

Her white embroidered shoes were the first to step onto that landscape scroll. Strangely, it was as if she were stepping onto a hidden staircase, rising into the air step by step, and the flattened painting seemed to become three-dimensional under her touch.

It was less like walking into it and more like melting into it.

It was marvelous. The distant mountains and rivers, which had appeared miles away, felt as if they were right before their eyes once they stepped onto them.

"Much better than the gates of Luyang Academy."

Shu Le’s face flushed slightly. Gu Yi was referring to the time he first arrived at Luyang Academy, when she had tried to block his path. Thinking back, it felt ridiculous.

This guy should have said earlier that he was a genius scholar of the Immortal Transmission.

"Keep moving!"

Zhang Weiyu barked an order. Gu Yi really disliked this man.

Walking into the Great Rain Palace, each step covered a hundred meters, and in an instant, they arrived before the exquisite, white-glowing main palace. The area in front of the palace was filled with many flowers, grasses, and trees—mostly pagoda trees, creating a vast, pristine expanse of white.

*Tap, tap.* Shu Yu stopped and, without turning her head, said, "Zhang Weiyu, I have brought the people back. You don't need to follow us anymore."

Zhang Weiyu acted as if he hadn't heard her and continued walking forward. "You may go to pay your respects to the Palace Master, but I am taking this boy. He cannot see the Palace Master."

Shu Yu thought for a moment, then stepped forward, blocking Zhang Weiyu with her arm. "He can see her."

"Do you know what you are saying?"

"I know. He can see her."

"Left Palace Guard!"

Shu Yu argued her case, "Even if his gaze offends the Palace Master, it would only be death. Aren't you quite eager to kill him anyway?"

Gu Yi’s heart skipped a beat. A single look could lead to death?

He silently recited a Buddhist sutra. *Fancies women?* Impossible, that wasn't him.

Zhang Weiyu turned around, casting a curious, skeptical look as he circled Gu Yi several times, muttering in wonder, "I, Zhang Weiyu, have heard the name of Lady Shu Le many times—it’s like thunder to my ears. But what is so special about him, Left Guard?"

"Just let me take him and lock him away. If you insist on bringing him before the Palace Master and he accidentally annoys her, won't you be punished for nothing?"

"You talk too much." Shu Yu finally turned her head, casting an indifferent glance at Gu Yi and Shu Le. "Follow me."

Shu Yu wasn't truly trying to look after Gu Yi; she was considering his status—a status that might be of interest to the Palace Master.

"Once we go in... Shu Le, don't look around. Gu Yi, you don't want to die so easily, do you?"

*Rip!*

Gu Yi tore a long strip of cloth from the hem of his robe. Then, under the slightly astonished gazes of Shu Le and Shu Yu, he tied it over his eyes.

The two young women looked at each other. "You..."

"It’s not just about fear of death; I'm worried about tainting your Palace Master. Isn't she of the Mo tribe, like you? I respect you all."

*Is that so?* Shu Yu was skeptical. When Mo Chi had removed her mask, the look in his eyes was still fresh in her memory. Why didn't he talk about respecting the Mo tribe then?

He was clearly just afraid of dying...

"I suppose that works," Shu Le said, unable to find the right words. If he were a proper student of Luyang Academy, she would have lectured him.

A real man stands between heaven and earth; if death comes, so be it—what is there to fear? Moreover, being in enemy territory, one should hold their head high, never yield, and show the unyielding backbone of Luyang Academy!

Acting like this was just blatant cowardice...

Gu Yi’s reasoning was simple: although every man wants to see the most beautiful woman in the world, it wasn't worth it if staring for a second meant losing his life.

He didn't have that much confidence in his self-control. Shu Yu had already stunned him with her beauty, and the Palace Master of the Great Rain Palace was a Harmony-Dao Realm expert.

Who knew what she might look like?

"You are the first person to come up with such a method. Actually, the Palace Master wears a mask; you wouldn't see anything anyway." Shu Yu muttered to herself. This man was truly the strangest person she had ever met.

Gu Yi replied, "Experienced people can appreciate beauty just from someone's figure. 'No censorship in the heart' naturally yields high definition, so it's better to cover up."

Shu Yu understood the first half and immediately felt it was vulgar. This guy was exactly like all those other men—there was no difference at all!

Shu Le was much more accustomed to his style. *Gu Yi, you truly live up to your reputation.*

*Rip!*

Gu Yi tore off another piece of cloth. "Shu Le, hold this and lead me."

Shu Yu said, "No need. The palace is spacious and has no obstacles, and even if you can't see, you can perceive things. Just go in honestly."

"Silly girl, this is to show your Palace Master, so she knows I really can't see."

Shu Yu: "..."

Where did this guy get so many bizarre ideas?

She couldn't take it anymore and, without another word, turned and walked inside.

"Don't be afraid," Gu Yi said to Shu Le.

Shu Le was a bit confused. "Aren't you the one who's afraid? What do I have to fear? At most, it's just death."

***

Following the sound of Shu Yu’s footsteps, they approached the main hall of the Great Rain Palace step by step.

Gu Yi couldn't see anything; he could only smell a lingering, delicate fragrance swirling in the space. Once inside the main hall, he felt the presence of people on either side—one on the left, one on the right. Judging by their breathing, they were girls.

"Shu Yu pays respects to the Palace Master."

"Why have you returned? Were you not sent to retrieve the corpse of He Yu?"

Gu Yi’s ears twitched. The Palace Master’s voice carried a crisp, dainty quality, like the gentle murmuring of a spring—melodious and soft.

The outside world rumored that the Palace Master of the Great Rain Palace was powerful and cruel, largely because she had killed all of Emperor Xu’s princes.

Gu Yi had expected a voice of authority, high-pitched or even cold, much like Shu Yu’s, but to his surprise, it was none of those. Instead, it was soft and tender, like a mature neighbor.

Gu Yi could only hear, not see, but Shu Le could. As a student of Luyang Academy, she didn't care for Shu Yu’s warnings. She held her head high, staring intently at the person behind the curtain wearing the mask.

"Please forgive me, Palace Master. Shu Yu fell into the scheme of a man named Qing Feng. I failed to retrieve He Yu’s corpse and almost lost my life to Mo Chi."

"Mo Chi?" That voice echoed again. "That guy is still alive?"

"Yes. It seems he is hiding from you in a folded space within some mountain range."

"Who is the person behind you?"

"Shu Le of Luyang Academy!" Shu Le announced herself.

"Who?"

The Palace Master didn't know? Gu Yi found this strange.

Shu Yu explained, "Luyang Academy also sent students to seize He Yu’s tomb. Shu Le is their most outstanding student, and the Xu Kingdom intends to name her a Palace Lord."

"Can one become a Palace Lord just by being outside these days?" The tone wasn't heavy with sarcasm, merely a faint, indifferent question.

But Shu Le gritted her teeth in anger. The more casual the retort, the more it irritated her.

She knew that as a leader of the new generation, she was inferior to Shu Yu and Zhang Weiyu, the two Palace Guards. This appointment as Palace Lord was indeed something that made her rivals scoff.

This was, in fact, her greatest source of pressure. On the very first night after leaving Luyang City, she had briefly told Gu Yi that she wasn't afraid of falling behind Shu Yu—only that she feared being a Palace Lord who was less capable than a Pavilion Lord.

"The people of Xu Kingdom intend to do so," Shu Yu reported honestly.

"Fine. Forget about the tomb of He Yu; there will be other opportunities."

The Palace Master’s leniency exceeded both Gu Yi and Shu Le’s expectations. Gu Yi had assumed there would be a one-sided, bloody beating, similar to when Fan Ling met the Fourth Princess.

Her gaze shifted slowly to the person beside Shu Le. "He is a man? With his eyes covered? Did you do this?"

Shu Yu broke into a cold sweat. "This person is named Gu Yi. Because he heard that the rules of our Great Rain Palace are extremely strict, he knew he could not restrain himself from looking at the Palace Master’s appearance, so he covered his own eyes."

"Heh, how interesting." The figure behind the curtain stepped out. "Can you really not see?"

*Whoosh!*

The Palace Master flicked a petal-shaped burst of spiritual energy. It was silent, incredibly fast, and bright, flying toward Gu Yi in the eyes of Shu Yu and Shu Le.

"Care—" Before Shu Le could finish, the energy had already passed.

A lock of Gu Yi’s hair fell, but he hadn't moved an inch.

Even though he couldn't see, he could perceive the fluctuation of spiritual energy, but the Palace Master’s strike had been completely imperceptible.

Her strength...

"It seems it is true."

Gu Yi spoke, "Of course it must be true. In this matter, faking it would be like joking with my own life."

"Then do you truly not want to see me?"

"I want to see, but I dare not."

"And if I were to spare your life?"

"Then, naturally, I would look."

The interest that had just sparked in the Palace Master’s eyes faded. "A boring man. I don't like dealing with these things. Shu Yu, take them away."

"And how... should they be settled?"

"I don't know."

These three words were met with a slight bow and an answer: "Shu Yu understands."

*Just like that?*

Gu Yi couldn't help but feel that this so-called Palace Master didn't care at all about the management of the Great Rain Palace.

"Oh, right, Palace Master."

The Palace Master’s voice was slightly impatient. "You’re still bothering me?"

"Forgive me, Palace Master. It’s just that I happened to learn something—this Gu Yi is the successor of Little Yuan Mountain."

"Little Yuan Mountain has no successor. So he’s just a fraud. Take him away." The Palace Master waved her hand, dismissing them with that simple sentence.

Hearing this, both Shu Le and Shu Yu felt a sense of confusion.

*Little Yuan Mountain has no successor???*

At first, there was talk of an "Immortal Transmission Scholar," and the people at Luyang Academy acted as if it were real. Later, Shu Yu had truly believed it, which was why she had gone to the trouble of bringing a man before the Palace Master—a grave transgression.

*So, so he was a fake?*

For Shu Yu, believing her own Palace Master was far better than believing him!

"Yes," Shu Yu said, feeling irritated. In the eyes of the Palace Master, she had just acted foolishly once again, being deceived by someone?

Shu Le wanted to use her eyes to signal to Gu Yi, asking "What's going on?", but she realized Gu Yi couldn't see her.

"Let's go," Shu Yu turned away.

Shu Le shouted, "Palace Master! Ever since I entered Luyang Academy, I have heard that the Eighteenth Palace Lord has been trapped in the Great Rain Palace. I have heard Shu Yu mention that he is still alive. Now that I am also trapped here, I fear it will be difficult to escape, so I only ask to pay respects to the Eighteenth Palace Lord."

"Granted."

*Granted again?*

*This is granted too?*

Gu Yi was truly amazed. Was this big sister really so easy to talk to?

Could he make a request, too?

But Shu Yu didn't dare. She practically dragged them away from the main hall.

Once outside, Shu Le tore the cloth from Gu Yi’s eyes and demanded, "Gu Yi! What is going on? Why did the Palace Master say there is no such thing as a successor to Little Yuan Mountain? Who exactly are you?"

Gu Yi had many questions of his own. He asked Shu Yu almost simultaneously, "Is your Palace Master always so good-tempered? What is she going to do with us?"

Shu Yu didn't want to answer him; she wanted the answer to Shu Le’s question just as much.

"The name of Little Yuan Mountain is indeed prestigious, but to impersonate its successor, tricking Luyang Academy, the Emperor of Xu, and even me, only to be exposed upon reaching the Great Rain Palace—isn't that a bit too fantastical?"

Just how much nerve did he have?

"Oh, that question isn't important," Gu Yi tried to gloss over it. "Shu Le and I have been captured by the Great Rain Palace, and your Palace Master hasn't said what she plans to do with us. She just said 'I don't know,' and you said 'I understand.' What did you understand?"

Right, that was the primary question now. Shu Le also looked at Shu Yu.

"The Palace Master means you can stay and move about the Great Rain Palace as you please. Actually... the Eighteenth Palace Lord is currently moving about as he pleases."

"Really?" Gu Yi was doubtful. "But you said earlier that we would only have a chance to escape on the road."

"That is correct. You can't get out now, and neither can the Eighteenth Palace Lord." Shu Yu’s gaze shifted to Shu Le. "Do not attempt to escape. The Palace Master’s strength is beyond your imagination."

"If no one is restricting our movement, why can't we leave?"

Shu Yu didn't answer this question. She turned and walked away. "When you tell me why you impersonated the successor of Little Yuan Mountain, I will give you the answer to that."

*She left too?*

"Is it really okay to manage the Great Rain Palace this way?"

"It is, because the Palace Master is very strong. You can go find your Eighteenth Palace Lord and ask him; you'll understand then."

*Eighteenth Palace Lord...*

"Have you ever seen him?" Gu Yi certainly didn't know him.

To his surprise, Shu Le shook her head as well. "The Eighteenth Palace Lord has been trapped in the Great Rain Palace for twenty years. Back then, I wasn't even born..."

At this point, the situation felt strange to Shu Le. "I don't think they would be this kind to us. On the road, Zhang Weiyu kept saying we were captives and that our survival was uncertain."

Gu Yi frowned. Yes, there were too many unknowns, the first being that he didn't know where to find the Eighteenth Palace Lord.

"Let's look for him," Gu Yi said, walking away from the main hall. "Shu Le, in all your years at Luyang Academy, have you never heard any description of the Eighteenth Palace Lord’s appearance?"

"Even if I had, twenty years is enough to change a person."

"Then what kind of person was he?"

"The Eighteenth Palace Lord?" Shu Le talked as they walked. "He was born on the eighteenth day of the eleventh year of the late Emperor. His parents were a pair of vegetable farmers on the outskirts of Luyang. As a child, he was like any other boy in the Xu Kingdom, dreaming of being selected for Luyang Academy. And like many other boys, he was rejected by the Academy time and time again."

"Rejected??"

"Yes. Luyang Academy selects students based on talent, and the Eighteenth Palace Lord was rejected because he lacked it. This went on for eight years, year after year of failure. In the eighth year, his parents passed away during the autumn and winter months. It was then that he met someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know." Shu Le shook her head slowly. "The seniors never told us who he met, or perhaps they didn't know either. In any case, that person changed his life. It was a snowy night; he had been mourning his parents for over three months, and his own life was fading away, so that person stayed to take care of him. The following year, when he went to take the grand exam at Luyang Academy, he was already at the Return to Truth Realm."

"At the time, someone asked him how he had done it. He replied: 'On that snowy night, I saw my Immortal in that person.'"

*On that snowy night, I saw my Immortal.*

Gu Yi felt he understood. It was just like the Poet Immortal or the Wine Immortal—an epiphany that allowed one to break through a bottleneck overnight.

"And then?"

"Then he was recruited into the Academy and immediately named a Palace Lord shortly after. The late Emperor was so impressed by his stunning talent that he granted him special permission not to inherit another position, but to name his own. Perhaps because he was born on the eighteenth day of the new year, he named himself: The Eighteenth Palace Lord."

"He was also the only Palace Lord to be titled upon entry. After that, he followed orders to fight abroad. In the first year, he defeated a great general of the Great Liang Kingdom. The second year, he killed Xu Chun, the number one sword cultivator of the Li Kingdom, and defeated three of the four Pavilion Lords of the Great Rain Palace at the time. In the third year, he entered the Great Rain Palace alone and was never heard from again. However, by tradition, he had not yet truly graduated from Luyang Academy."

In just three short years, he went from stunning the entire city of Luyang to being trapped in the Great Rain Palace with no way out.

"He truly is a legendary figure. It's just a shame we don't know what he encountered on that snowy night."

"I once asked the Seventeenth Palace Lord that very question," Shu Le recalled. "She told me that any immortal cultivator would want to investigate that night of the Eighteenth Palace Lord, including herself, but he never spoke of it. No one dared to question his status, and since those three years passed in the blink of an eye, the nature of his opportunity remains unknown to all of Luyang."

Gu Yi suddenly felt a surge of curiosity. "So, perhaps coming to the Great Rain Palace isn't entirely a bad thing."

Although Gu Yi said this, Shu Le couldn't be sure.

Twenty years had passed; would the Eighteenth Palace Lord really tell her the answer just because she was from Luyang Academy?