Chapter Thirty-Seven: Secret Whispers

“In truth, I have watched everything from beginning to end.”
The two walked in silence, and only once they entered the City Lord’s Manor did Gongsun Yan suddenly speak.
Tu Lu was slow to react at first, but when he realized what she meant, his scalp tingled. “Th-thank you, City Lord!”
But Gongsun Yan paid no mind, shaking her head as if uninterested in pursuing the matter further. Instead, she uttered something that left Tu Lu baffled.
“Do you know why I rarely set foot in Tianlong Pavilion?”
Tu Lu paused. Indeed, he could not recall hearing tales of the City Lord ever entering Tianlong Pavilion.
Gongsun Yan continued, “Tianlong Pavilion… was not always called that. In the beginning, its influence extended only to the provincial seats of various divine kingdoms. Back then, it was known as the Ziyun Merchant Guild, until something happened.”
At this, she slowed her pace, her expression uncharacteristically solemn.
Tu Lu remained silent.
Seeing his demeanor, Gongsun Yan shook her head with a smile and walked on, speaking as she moved.
“Some elder cultivators might still remember. Though the Ziyun Merchant Guild was one of the major guilds at the time, it was nowhere near as powerful as it is now. Its leaders were seven Profound Heaven cultivators. Those days, the Divine Continent had yet to be blessed with Thunder Meteorites, and cultivation was far more arduous than it is now. Profound Heaven… was already the pinnacle.”
Tu Lu nodded quietly.
He knew of this; it had been three hundred years ago.
Three hundred years ago, Thunder Meteorites first appeared on the Divine Continent, ushering in a period of rapid advancement in the world of cultivation.
Back then, cultivators dwelled mostly in provincial and state capitals, or hidden among mountains. A small place like Divine Wind City had no cultivators at all—only ordinary folk.
As Tu Lu pondered this, Gongsun Yan continued:
“The event happened precisely when the first Thunder Meteorite descended. Not only did it bring the meteorite, but also a dragon—a seven-colored giant dragon at the demigod realm!”
At that moment, the seven-colored dragon scale within the Tianlong Token sent out a pulse, startling Tu Lu.
Yet Gongsun Yan ignored his shock and went on:
“You may have no concept of the demigod realm, but I can tell you—it is vastly superior to primal beasts, an existence unrivaled in this world. Its mere aura can paralyze primal beasts.
Normally, such a being would dominate the world upon arrival. But that was not the case. The dragon was grievously wounded, on the verge of death!”

At this point, Gongsun Yan frowned slightly. “What happened next was simple—the dying seven-colored giant dragon was captured by the Ziyun Merchant Guild. Though the seven Profound Heaven cultivators could not kill the dragon, they devised a method to seal it using formation arts. They split the dragon’s soul into a thousand fragments, each forming the core of a Tianlong Pavilion. Then, using its seven-colored scales as the formation’s anchor, they forged the Tianlong Tokens and built an army of hundreds of thousands of guest elders.”
“Do you know, the Tianlong Token, for all its power, enslaves those who refine it? Once the master token is activated, you lose all autonomy, bound to obey Tianlong Pavilion’s commands.”
“What!”
Tu Lu’s face changed dramatically, but he quickly shut his mouth.
He sensed something was amiss—surely it couldn’t be so straightforward, or else his sister wouldn’t have insisted he obtain the Tianlong Token by any means.
Yet Gongsun Yan suddenly burst into laughter, throwing an arm around Tu Lu’s shoulder. The gesture nearly made Tu Lu’s fur stand on end, and even the silent Azure-Faced Tiger behind them was so shocked his eyes nearly fell out.
Before Tu Lu could react and pull away, she produced a dozen or so tokens, making his heart tremble.
They were all Tianlong Tokens!
“Haha, surprised? These are my own Tianlong Tokens, collected from dozens of cities over years of struggle—openly and covertly, changing identities, hard-won.”
Gongsun Yan said, “Not just anyone can get their hands on these. Many people know the Tianlong Token marks a guest elder of Tianlong Pavilion, but they forget the price. Some, however, remember—the token’s core is the dragon scale, which is controlled by the dragon soul. As long as the dragon soul remains sealed in Tianlong Pavilion, guest elders are nothing more than hired hands.”
She paused, and a glint flashed in her eyes. “If only one could seize a Tianlong Pavilion, then one would be free.”
Tu Lu was completely stunned. He felt certain Gongsun Yan was not lying.
Yet he refused to believe his sister would deceive him.
Unless, she too was unaware of the token’s true cost.
As this thought struck him, his scalp tingled and every hair stood on end.
“You… you… are you planning to move against Tianlong Pavilion?”
Gongsun Yan paused, staring at Tu Lu for a long while before nodding. “That’s a fine idea, especially since this is but a branch.”
Tu Lu broke out in a cold sweat, quickly saying, “Please don’t—just joking, just joking. I’m not sure why you’re telling me all this, City Lord.”
“Haha!”
With a wave of her hand, Tu Lu’s expression changed again as his Tianlong Token flew instantly into Gongsun Yan’s grasp.
“Though the tokens cannot sense each other’s exact location, you’re standing right beside me—how could I not know?”

After saying this, she tossed the token back to Tu Lu and released him, walking ahead.
Tu Lu hurriedly caught it.
“Rest assured. Besides taking over a Tianlong Pavilion, I have other ways to sever the link between the token and the pavilion, though I’d rather not expose them to Wang Daozong. Earlier, I asked you why I rarely go to Tianlong Pavilion, did I not?”
She turned and smiled charmingly. “That’s the reason!”
Tu Lu was momentarily dazzled.
But he quickly recovered, sensing that things were far less simple than Gongsun Yan made them out to be, though he could not say why.
He had a feeling something major was about to happen.
While he was thinking this, the two had already arrived outside a secret chamber.
“This is the inscription room I’ve prepared for you. The artifact is inside. Until the inscription is complete, Azure-Faced Tiger will remain outside to guard you. Should you need anything, speak to him directly. As for your shop’s staff, I have arranged quarters for them in the manor. Do not meet with them until the inscription is finished.”
With that, Gongsun Yan turned to leave.
Tu Lu sighed, about to step into the chamber, but for some reason, Gongsun Yan suddenly stopped and turned back.
“By the way, Master Lu, you speak often of your esteemed teacher. Why has he not appeared?”
Tu Lu’s expression changed, about to answer, but Gongsun Yan teased, “Never mind, no need to explain. I care not who does the inscription for me, nor anything about Yintong Zhi or Tianlong Pavilion. All I require is success!”
With those words, she finally departed.
Tu Lu’s mind was in a daze, his heart pounding as he stood outside the chamber for quite some time before calming himself.
“You truly are fortunate.”
It was then that Azure-Faced Tiger spoke.