Chapter 610: The Cause of Enmity, A Tarnished Name

Unlike Luo Guzhu, whose reputation in Jishan Sect was of strict fairness and an iron face, Feng Han was known for his good relations and smooth dealings.

This was the stereotype that most cultivators of Jishan Sect held of the two hall masters. The Law Enforcement Hall Master had to uphold justice, while the Merit Hall Master naturally needed to be accommodating and sociable.

So when Wei Tu left seclusion, based on Feng Han’s character, it was highly likely he would send a secret letter, urging him to betray Luo Guzhu and switch sides.

After all, if the attempt to lure him failed, the worst outcome was wasted words. The cost wasn’t heavy.

This was Sect Master Zhu’s prediction from the start.

Now, it had come true.

The moment Wei Tu finished his retreat, Feng Han sent a secret letter inviting him to visit the Merit Hall.

Wei Tu didn’t reject the invitation. After a brief thought, he drafted a letter and used his mana to deliver it to the Merit Hall disciple waiting outside the peak, asking him to pass it to Feng Han.

This time, the trap laid by Sect Master Zhu, Wei Tu, and Luo Guzhu to kill Feng Han wasn’t as simple as provoking him into a chase, then turning around to kill him.

According to Sect Master Zhu’s understanding of Feng Han’s personality: once the inner strife began, unless absolutely necessary, Feng Han would never lightly leave the sect and put himself in danger.

As long as there was no direct evidence proving he had kidnapped Luo Mingzhen, even Venerable Hanyue would find it hard to strike within Jishan Sect and kill him.

Killing without evidence would only leave a hidden danger in the sect.

So this time, Wei Tu’s role as bait was to act as an insider, creating the chance for Feng Han to kill Luo Guzhu, luring him into bringing out his entire force to attack.

Only Luo Guzhu’s life could make Feng Han risk everything and leave the sect.

As for whether Feng Han would believe him… Wei Tu wasn’t sure.

But he knew Feng Han’s attempt to recruit him was aimed at finding an opportunity to kill Luo Guzhu once and for all.

When Feng Han learned Wei Tu had accepted the invitation and was preparing to visit the Merit Hall, his gloom instantly vanished. His face was full of joy.

He hadn’t expected it to be so easy to draw Wei Tu in.

"Of course. Wei Tu and Luo Guzhu were never close. The reason he helped rescue Luo Mingzhen was mainly to stir up strife in the sect, so that the Lüqiu clan could escape blame…"

Talking to himself, Feng Han grew more at ease.

In his eyes, if Wei Tu could "betray" the Lüqiu clan so easily, then for profit, he could naturally side with him as well.

What’s more, in the secret letter, he had promised Wei Tu a pill that could help break into late Nascent Soul! That price was no small thing.

If it were him, he would also be tempted.

"Luo Guzhu, now not only does the Sect Master support me, but even… your ally has turned to my side. What will you fight me with?" Feng Han sneered inwardly.

As Merit Hall Master, he had always been one of Sect Master Zhu’s trusted men. His standing in the Sect Master’s heart far outweighed that of the isolated Luo Guzhu.

"Go! Bring out my treasured fourth-rank pheasant meat from the spirit vault, and that jar of Seven Immortals Wine. Tonight, I will hold a feast to entertain an honored guest."

His lips moved as he spoke to the woman in the next room, a female cultivator in colorful dress with worry written on her face.

Because this matter was of utmost secrecy, aside from his disciples and children, he trusted no one. So this banquet with Wei Tu would only involve his daughter, Feng Yuxiang. No other cultivators were to be invited.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the worried, hesitant look on her face.

His brows furrowed. With a wave of his sleeve, he instantly appeared before Feng Yuxiang.

"Are you blaming your father, thinking I shouldn’t fight your Uncle Luo?" Knowing his daughter best, Feng Han guessed her thoughts at once, his expression turning displeased.

As high-ranking members of Jishan Sect, he and Luo Guzhu inevitably dealt with each other and once shared some friendship.

Their two families had even been close.

If not for Luo Guzhu’s rigid enforcement back then, cutting off his son’s cultivation path and causing him to die before forming a Golden Core, he would never have broken ties with Luo Guzhu, nor harmed Luo Mingzhen.

"No, it’s not that."

Feng Yuxiang shook her head, not daring to say more.

"The rumors outside… they should just be lies. Father, you wouldn’t do such things," she whispered.

As a daughter of a prestigious family, she had never seen much of the darkness in the world. Even when her father taught her, it was always to "advocate goodness," not "pursue evil."

So deep down, she couldn’t believe her father Feng Han would stoop so low, crossing the line by selling Luo Mingzhen to Ruyi Tower to suffer humiliation.

"No! Those are not rumors. They’re true."

Feng Han didn’t deny it. He fixed his gaze on his daughter, speaking each word with weight.

At that, Feng Yuxiang froze for a long moment. Then her face turned as pale as paper.

Feng Han still didn’t speak. He only stared silently at his daughter.

He wasn’t a ruthless, heartless man.

But if Feng Yuxiang couldn’t tell where she stood, couldn’t distinguish who was family and who was the enemy, then he would never show mercy.

"Your daughter won’t be foolish."

After a short pause, the pale-faced Feng Yuxiang snapped back to herself. She bowed respectfully and answered softly.

Hearing this, Feng Han’s expression eased somewhat.

"Yuxiang, this world isn’t divided into black and white. Back then, when I begged Luo Guzhu to spare your younger brother, he refused. I didn’t blame him."

"But do you know… 200 years ago, when the descendant of Venerable Hanyue committed a crime, what did he do?"

Feng Han spoke flatly.

"Your daughter does not know."

Feng Yuxiang shook her head.

"That day, everyone in the Law Enforcement Hall turned a blind eye and allowed Tu Xingfeng to escape."

"So, it wasn’t that he was impartial. It was that your father wasn’t worthy, not worthy of his mercy, not worthy to be spared."

Feng Han’s tone turned icy.

When his words fell, Feng Yuxiang froze, and at once understood why her "good-natured" father held such deep hatred for Luo Guzhu. To the point of taking risks, leaving behind Luo Mingzhen as a hidden danger, making her a slave and a courtesan.

But soon, she shook her head again.

If Venerable Hanyue had spoken to plead for mercy, would Luo Guzhu dare defy him?

The Law Enforcement Hall, which in the eyes of Jishan Sect’s cultivators was a tool of fairness, was nothing but a toy in Venerable Hanyue’s hand.

The so-called laws of the Law Enforcement Hall were just what Venerable Hanyue decreed.

At that time, Luo Guzhu probably had no second choice but to comply.

Defying power was rare after all.

Most of the time, just being able to uphold fairness already made one a good official in the world.

"Father, don’t worry. Your daughter knows she is of the Feng family."

After learning the true causes of the feud, Feng Yuxiang didn’t hesitate. She immediately declared her stance firmly.

Yes, in her eyes, Luo Guzhu’s "inconsistency" was something she could understand.

But understanding didn’t mean approving.

Now that the two families were already locked in strife, she would never be so foolish as to stand on the side of the "murderer of her brother."

The causes behind the feud between the Feng and Luo families—Wei Tu had already learned of them back when he served as envoy for the Lüqiu clan.

But what he didn’t know was that Venerable Hanyue was also involved.

So when Feng Han mentioned this old incident during the banquet, a flicker of surprise showed on Wei Tu’s face.

"To think… Luo Guzhu turned out to be such a double-faced man."

Seated beside him, Wei Tu set down his cup, shook his head, and sighed.

At that moment, he also realized why Venerable Hanyue had owed his subordinate Luo Guzhu a favor 200 years ago.

That favor was because this act had "sacrificed" part of Luo Guzhu’s reputation.

If not for this, Feng Han might not have borne such vengeful thoughts, leading him to harm Luo Mingzhen.

But as for the matter itself…

Unlike the words of criticism he had just spoken aloud, Wei Tu found it hard to judge.

Could one mistake really erase all of Luo Guzhu’s past achievements? That would be unreasonable.

But then, was Feng Han’s vengeance wrong? The man he sought revenge on was the very Luo Guzhu who had once shown partiality for Venerable Hanyue’s descendant.

One could only say Feng Han’s revenge had gone "too far," crossing the bottom line the upper ranks of Jishan Sect could tolerate.

And so—

As a disruptive element, he was marked by Sect Master Zhu’s faction to be eliminated.

Yes, Wei Tu now noticed that Sect Master Zhu’s support of Luo Guzhu wasn’t only because Luo Guzhu had suffered or because Feng Han had crossed the line.

It wasn’t about standing on the side of justice.

A big reason was that Feng Han’s grudge touched on Venerable Hanyue.

That was taboo!

"Unfortunately, Feng Han hasn’t realized this yet. He doesn’t know he’s touched on taboo."

Wei Tu shook his head inwardly.

Of course, this didn’t mean Feng Han lacked cunning.

It was just that, as a double agent standing with the perspective of an outsider, Wei Tu could piece together the real reason.

Taboo was taboo, but sometimes it wasn’t so frightening… As Sect Master Zhu’s so-called confidant, how could Feng Han ever imagine that just this single taboo would be enough for Sect Master Zhu to no longer tolerate him, to secretly plan his death?

Most people had more tolerance for their trusted aides.

No matter how clever Feng Han was, he couldn’t foresee that this time he was the donkey about to be "slaughtered after grinding the mill."

"Looks like as bait this time, I not only need to be wary of Feng Han, but also of Sect Master Zhu, so I don’t end up like Feng Han."

Wei Tu’s eyes flashed as he reorganized the information in his mind.

Though Feng Han’s words slandered Luo Guzhu again and again, in a roundabout way they proved that apart from that single stain of helping Venerable Hanyue’s descendant, Luo Guzhu had no other blemishes.

In other words, under normal circumstances, Luo Guzhu wasn’t likely to betray the man who had saved him.

So among his allies, Wei Tu only needed to be cautious of Sect Master Zhu, the truly dangerous one.

Even then, he thought the chance of Sect Master Zhu turning on him wasn’t high.

If it was about silencing, it couldn’t be just him alone while sparing Luo Guzhu.

And if Luo Guzhu was killed as well…

Then the upper ranks of Jishan Sect would suddenly have a gaping hole.

No sect leader would commit such stupidity.

On the contrary, once this mission was complete, he had a very high chance of replacing Feng Han as Sect Master Zhu’s confidant.

After all, he had no backing within Jishan Sect. His only connection was Luo Guzhu, who was himself an isolated figure.

That made him… another solitary official.

Therefore, in this matter, he only needed to keep some caution toward Sect Master Zhu afterward. No need for excessive worry.

Even taking the worst case—if Sect Master Zhu truly wanted him dead—just like with Feng Han, it would have to be outside the sect, away from prying eyes, to avoid shaking others’ hearts with a sense of "if the rabbit dies, the fox mourns."

And he—was not someone who could be killed so casually.

Wei Tu didn’t believe Sect Master Zhu would be so foolish, discarding Feng Han only to throw him away as well.

This time, Feng Han was abandoned because "paper couldn’t wrap fire." He had provoked Venerable Hanyue and most of the Jishan Sect elders, forcing Sect Master Zhu’s hand. But he, Wei Tu, was still spotless.

"Indeed, such a two-faced man, Feng truly despises. I wish I could tear his flesh apart with my teeth."

Hearing Wei Tu’s response, Feng Han’s face lit up with joy. He praised him enthusiastically.

But with Wei Tu’s next words, his smile froze, and he thought to himself that Wei Tu was indeed a man who forgot loyalty for profit.

"Rest assured, Elder Wei. Once Luo Guzhu lies dead, the spirit pill to break through to late Nascent Soul will be handed over at once."

Feng Han pounded his chest in assurance.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew the truth of "meat buns thrown to a dog—gone for good." Without seeing actual benefits, how could he give Wei Tu a breakthrough pill up front?

Of course, Feng Han also understood that without tempting Wei Tu with profit, the man would quickly turn cold and disloyal.

So after saying this, he clapped his hands and called Feng Yuxiang forward.

"This is my little girl, Yuxiang. She is in late Golden Core stage, still untouched. If Elder Wei does not find it beneath him, you could form a marriage pact with her."

"That way, Elder Wei need not worry that I would ever break my promise."

Feng Han laughed lightly.

This time, he wagered everything in the internal strife—even his daughter Feng Yuxiang.

The Feng clan’s fate was tied to his. If he lost, the Feng family’s downfall was certain.

"This concubine greets Elder Wei."

Feng Yuxiang bowed gently, her cheeks flushed with shame.

"A marriage pact?"

Wei Tu arched a brow slightly. ‘A good move,’ he thought. If he hadn’t already received Sect Master Zhu’s sanction and was truly betraying them, then marrying Feng Yuxiang would have chained him irreversibly to Feng Han’s ship of thieves.

Even if he later wished to leave, he couldn’t.

"At present, Wei has no thought of marriage. I ask Hall Master Feng’s understanding."

Wei Tu shook his head and declined.

Even if marrying Feng Yuxiang might not bring him much harm right now—since both Luo Guzhu and Sect Master Zhu knew he was acting as a double agent—who could say with certainty that either of them trusted him completely, sure he wouldn’t be swayed by soft fragrance and tender embraces?

This suspicion, he had to avoid as much as possible, especially since Sect Master Zhu was no benevolent man.