Dance Of The Phoenix
53. Blood is thicker than water

At the moment when everyone was wondering who would dare to go against the Peak Bright Elder, a female voice echoed in the Wine Pavilion.

"Dare to bully my students? Old man, you have great courage."

"Who?" The Peak Light Elder put on a wary attitude.

This aura, is impossible ....

"Have not met for a long time. Have you been unemployed since being appointed as an elder? Your attitude doesn't match your appearance."

The voice came from the figure of a beautiful woman with a strong aura as well as the intoxicating aroma of wine. Her beauty fascinated many students. Apart from the young Gu Yuena, she was the prettiest woman they had ever met.

Even the Bright Peak Elder could not help but drop his jaw. When he closed his mouth, he unconsciously downed his own saliva with great difficulty.

The woman ....

"You ...."

Yan Shuiyin looked at the old man with narrowed eyes as well as a mysterious smile. "Are you so happy that you've forgotten my existence? Don't you miss our trip?"

The old man shivered for a moment. What journey? It cannot be called a journey. When in the secret task of Yuansu Palace, he was made a bloodhound and bait monster by Yan Shuiyin as if he had no self-esteem.

If not for him continuing to lose to Yan Shuiyin, he had already killed that woman since entering Yuansu Palace!

Unfortunately, it can only be wishful thinking. Can be seen now. He used to be young and dashing so he dared to challenge the beautiful woman. But now ....

When she had aged and was about to become a helpless elder, the woman instead remained young as if she was an immortal. It's really unfair!

"Yes, you look so different like this. It turns out time goes so fast that I don't realize it." Yan Shuiyin touched her own face gently, as if checking whether her face was wrinkled or not.

Though clearly he was showing off in front of the parents he had raised it.

Not raised directly either, anyway.

"Chairman Angung Yan, apologize for my leniency." The Peak Light Elder hurriedly bowed respectfully fearfully.

It made the disciples stunned for a moment.

This woman ... teacher Gu Yuena?

Grand Elder of Yuansu Palace?!

Yan Shuiyin snorted. "It is good that you recognize me. I thought you'd forgotten my ethin because it never showed up."

"Where could I possibly forget Grand Elder Yan?" He glanced at the students who were still stunned, then snorted in annoyance while glaring at them, gesturing to quickly salute.

They all bowed in unison to pay their respects.

This situation ... is completely unexpected. Gu Yuena was even speechless.

What was the position of the Great Elder so respected that another elder also had to pay his respects?

Yan Shuiyin glanced at Gu Yuena next to her, then said, "I never taught you to kneel."

Gu Yuena instantly came to her senses and stood up straight. Who wants to kneel anyway? He was pressured until he could do nothing. But thanks to Yan Shuiyin arriving on time, he was not so executed on the spot by the shameless old man.

"Thank you." Gu Yuena said in a low tone, whereas Yan Shuiyin only nodded indifferently.

"In the future, don't give forgiveness to someone who's making trouble for you. If you can't handle it, tell me. I'll let him know the consequences of provoking my man."

Gu Yuena could do nothing but nod. Apparently, Yan Shuiyin was not bad either. He even said it blatantly in front of everyone as a warning.

"Great Chief Yan, for this matter ... Gu Yuena had infiltrated the captive forest and caused many monsters to craze. The captive forest is currently in crisis because of the crazed monsters, even killing some of my students."

"The matter is my disciple, let me take care of it. You as an elder, should be able to handle your students well. Why let someone bring unqualified disciples to enter the monster captive forest? It's even threatening and bringing danger to my students. You think I just drank and slept in the pavilion without knowing what happened?"

"Isn't that usually?" The Peak Light Elder wanted to say so, but he immediately swallowed the sentence. He still loves life.

But unfortunately, the Peak Light Elder could only say, "This is indeed my fault. These students were young and often careless. Next time, I won't let them disturb the Great Elder and his disciple anymore."

"It's good if you're self-conscious." Yan Shuiyin crossed her chest, then looked at Qin Haotian with a cold smile. "You, as a man, must obey your words. Didn't you lose the bet?"

"Grandfather, this is just a children's game. They don't mean to bet with life." The Peak Light Elder felt like crying blood. Why does that woman keep making trouble runnyam?

"Oh? So what if the loser of the bet is my student?" Yan Shuiyin looked at all of them sharply. "Are you going to force him to voluntarily end his life?"

"Of course not. It's a matter of life and death, it shouldn't be a bet." The Peak Bright Elder glanced at Qin Haotian sharply, hinting him at something.

Qin Haotian immediately understood and said doubtfully. "Grandfather, this is my fault. Please forgive." Although reluctant to say it, he had to say it because of the unusual identity of the woman in front of him. Otherwise, even the Lin Clan could not help.

"Because you have admitted your mistake, I will not dispute it. But planning the murder of my student, I can't just let go. As a punishment, I will ask the Lin Clan to punish as a form of my respect for the Lin Clan. If this happens again, I'll punish him myself." Yan Shuiyin's sharp gaze directed at the Lin brothers intensely. "You included."

They could no longer twitch after Yan Shuiyin said so. The Elders of the Bright Peak quickly dispersed them from the Wine Pavilion in order to avoid another matter from occurring. With Yan Shuiyin, who would dare to speak so casually as before?

Seeing their further departure and disappearing, Yan Shuiyin sighed.

"People are troublesome fools."

Gu Yuena who was still a henchman stood up without saying anything suddenly called out.

"Xiao Yuena, do you have a lot of questions on your head?"

Gu Yuena was aghast. He remained silent for a while, then said, "Sorry for letting you uncover the secret."

"That's not a question. Lagupula, what I'm doing isn't revealing secrets. Rather than giving you an important position in the academy so that no one else would dare bully you, especially the Lin Clan children. I remain the 'crazy man' that the pavilion guards consider by them, no one will know."

"So that's it." Gu Yuena smiled. "I thank you for this."

"I gave you a chance to ask, but you kept saying thank you and apologizing."

Gu Yuena chuckled. "Are you going to answer everything?"

"Yes"

"Why?" The woman had previously refused to answer her question.

"because you are my disciple" Yan Shuiyin replied.

Gu Yuena was flabbergasted for a moment. Right, now he was a disciple of Yan Shuiyin, a disciple of the Great Elder of Yuansu Palace who was a mage from Linghun Palace.

"Actually, my question contains a little privacy." Gu Yuena said frankly.

"Tell me." Yan Shuiyin walked into the pavilion, gesturing for Gu Yuena to come along.

Gu Yuena followed him while preparing to ask a question. When they entered the pavilion, Yan Shuiyin again picked up a wine bottle and sat on a chair while lazing around.

Gu Yuena sat down on another chair, then started the question. "How did you get here? The Yuansu Palace King, was very much against witches. It must be difficult for you to be able to occupy such an honorable position that even the elders and deans of the academy cannot offend you."

Yan Shuiyin looked at Gu Yuena in silence. This made Gu Yuena feel that her words were completely wrong. He said, "No need to answer if you don't want to."

"Do you really want to know me?" Yan Shuiyin said with clear interest.

Yan Shuiyin laughed. He dipped the wine in a bottle. After being silent for a while, he just spoke. "When I was a little older than you, I met someone. A great man, a great leader, and a near-perfect figure. Although he was a bit stiff, I admired him greatly both in terms of attitude and strength."

"Is he a man?"

"You can guess it." Yan Shuiyin sat down while looking at the wine bottle in her hand. It was like looking at someone. "He knows I'm a witch, and bringing me here to live is better than being involved in the chaos of Linghun Palace. But for some reason, she had to marry another woman. He died in front of me, having given me the title of Great Elder. That's why I hid in the pavilion, and disguised myself as a coward."

Gu Yuena did not know what it would be like to be Yan Shuiyin, but she could clearly see the pain. Is this also the reason why Yan Shuiyin spent my time with wine? To distract his bereaved mind?

"It's been a long time, don't know how long. Suddenly everything changed. I was surprised when I came out." Yan Shuiyin laughed to break the mellow atmosphere. He then glanced at Gu Yuena, then said, "I know what you really want to ask is none other than Linghun Palace, but I diverted it that far. That okay?"

"At least you have a chance to tell a story. That'll be a relief." Gu Yuena was no problem at all. If he could, he also wanted to tell her the story and the problem. But he knew, he couldn't lean on anyone.

At least for now.

"Very relieving. In return, I'll tell you what you want to know."

Gu Yuena listened carefully.

"When I was in Linghun Palace, the King of Linghun Palace had a son who had dragon blood. It had been a very long time, until I did not know when and since when the King of Linghun Palace died and his son succeeded him. When that happened, the previous King of Linghun Palace sent me and a few people to deploy an army of witches and bring the souls of various beings for a purpose. But it looks like the operation's been down since his death, and I'm not there."

"Based on what I've heard, the son of Palace King Linghun married a Princess from Wyvernia who had run away from the empire." When he said so, his gaze was directed at Gu Yuena with various meanings. "Do you know the special characteristics of the Wyvernia royal family?"

"Is there anything like that?" Gu Yuena did not know.

"It is only natural that many do not know it, especially the people of the Yi Empire. During this time only a few important people are aware, because they often meet with the royal family. Characteristics of the blood red iris symbolize the dominant fire power and pride of the royal family. That's why I asked you about your eyes when you first met."

"Royal family?" Gu Yuena was stunned for a moment. How can this be connected to Wyvernia?

Iris as red as blood ....

He and Gu Yuan also had it and it was passed down from their mother. Is her mother a member of the royal family?

Actually it is a natural thing, because every noble will definitely experience a political marriage. It must be what happened between his mother and Duke Gu.

Compared to thinking of her identity as part of the royal family, Gu Yuena was curious about something else.

"Is it only the royal family in this world that has red irises? It could be, there's someone who has a gene deviation that changes the color of his eyes." Gu Yuena thought it could have happened as part of the abnormality.

It seemed like Gu Yuena had forgotten what world she was in.

"There's no such thing. The red iris was a special blessing to the royal family as the possessor of the purest fire element. Whoever owns it, then has the right to occupy the position of candidate for the throne of the kingdom."

"What about the color of the other eye?"

"In general, humans have dark eye colors such as black or brown. There are some differences for talent and family. One of them was the blue iris of the Bai family, the green of the successor of the Luye— Palace family"

"Wait a minute, Bai Family?" Gu Yuena suddenly remembered something.

"The main family of Tianshuang Palace. Rumor has it, there is only one successor left after the Linghun Palace invasion."

Gu Yuena was silent. Bai family ... blue eyes ....

Suddenly he remembered the blue iris of the night that often trapped him with an alluring gaze. What if it turns out he's?

"You know the relationship of the Luo Clan with Tianshuang Palace?"

"Okay, do they have a relationship? I only heard from the news of the bird, it is not certain the truth because Tianshuang Palace has been very closed since the war. They haven't been seen for over 100 years."

"Ah, so." Gu Yuena still could not believe what he heard. It seems he has to make sure of it himself. He also asked something else. "Then, regarding the relationship of Wyvernia and Linghun Palace ...."

"Ah, that. Since I wasn't there in person, I only heard the news that Palace King Linghun and Imperial Princess Wyvernia have two children." He was silent for a moment. "Wait first. The Wyvernia Empire only had one red-eyed princess, her name was Princess Vanya."

Gu Yuena's heart suddenly beat too hard to feel pain. The name ... is similar to her mother's name in other worlds.

Just like her, her entire family has two names. If she is Valentina and Gu Yuena, then her mother is Li Hua and Vanya.

Yan Shuiyin's gaze narrowed when she saw Gu Yuena's red iris. "You are the son of Princess Vanya."

Gu Yuena could not say anything. If she was the son of Princess Vanya, Princess Vanya ran away from the empire and married the King of Linghun Palace. But on the other hand, he and his mother were clearly in the Duchy of Gu. Who is Princess Vanya's son with?

Gu Shan or the King of Linghun Palace?

"It's not true, I'm not my father's son, '" muttered Gu Yuena.

Yes, he and Gu Yuan had no feelings between son and father with Gu Shan, let alone being similar. They were even like everyone else in the residence. Where was Gu Shan who threw it away and showed a strange concern to Gu Yuan.

Gu Shan must know a lot.

It also answered his question regarding the fog figure of the Linghun Palace as well as the book on witch research and phoenix blood in the Duke's Midwives.

The fact that she was the daughter of the King of Linghun Palace.

What does that mean, his father in another world is similar to the King of Linghun Palace?

What is brrarti, she is the Princess of Linghun Palace?

***

In a place, far away from the two empires and palaces. A place filled with coldness and silence, as if it was the only place in the world.

A beautiful place like a kingdom. It was a palace that stood far above a mountain filled with high-level monsters. A terrible and beautiful mountain.

There was no sign of the palace's name exactly. The palace was so gloomy and desolate, there were only a few servants in white uniforms pacing around carrying items with poker faces. They seem to have no emotions.

When they heard the palace gates opening, followed by the sound of swift footsteps, their eyes immediately shifted to see who had come on this silent night.

The sound of horseshoes broke the silent atmosphere of the palace. There were four horsemen with one of the black-robed men leading in front entering the palace street.

When they saw who had just come, they all immediately lowered their heads to pay their respects.

The four horses stopped as the rider pulled the saddle right in front of the palace door. They got off the horse. One of them who led directly into the palace just like that with a flat face and a dazzling blue iris of the night.

The three people behind him followed in silence. One of them was a beautiful and petite girl, yet she looked as cold as the two men by her side. They went inside escorting their superiors into the palace.

When he reached a room, the black-robed man with blue irises of the night so coldly looked at the figure of the old man sitting on his great chair in his closed eyes. He half-knelt down, giving him his regards.

"Grandfather."

Old man with white hair and beard overall. He looked to be very old, yet his aura was enough to make the entire palace tremble. When his eyes opened, revealing the shady blue irises of the night, he saw the cloaked man half-kneeling before his throne.

"Stand up, Bai Youzhe."

Bai Youzhe, otherwise commonly known as Luo Youzhe of the Luo Clan. Who would have thought that the Luo Youzhe who had such a chaotic reputation in the empire had the background of the Tianshuang Palace and the respected Bai clan?

All this time he shut himself off as to survive the hunt. With his nonchalant attitude, he had to make an effort to act at all times in order to create a bad reputation so that the enemy could ignore.

Right now, he had let go of that strange and childish demeanor, fully becoming Bai Youzhe and taking his position after so many years of hiding.

To him, Luo Youzhe was already dead.