Dual Cultivation God Returns Chapter 1063: Fresh and Old Wounds

"One young noble, causing so much trouble for an honest family of merchants", Gong Liwei sighed with a bit of melancholy as they walked back to the new Wu Family Manor in the Emerald Falls City.

"Well, it often is the case with noble families and their descendants...", Wu Long chuckled, and then added with a pondering look on his face, "...although I do have some questions about that story"

"Questions?", Gong Liwei’s green eyes turned curiously to him.

"Hmm, it’s just a vague feeling, we don’t have to worry about that since we’re going to learn everything during the course of our cooperation with them and as Guanting’s team begins dismantling the Scarlet Blade Gang", Wu Long chuckled, "For now the protection of the formation that I patched up and the protective talismans I set up will keep them safe"

"Speaking of that cooperation. Their idea of cooperating with their neighbors instead of having the Beastscale Trading House take them over is honestly a good one", Sui Luxiao added, "No need to put everything into one basket, we can just gradually add more and more stores on that entire street to our cooperation network, diversifying the shops we work with - all we care about is selling our goods here after all, it doesn’t matter which shop does it"

"Yes, it works well for us", Wu Long nodded, "It also works as a general strategy against the Thousand Treasures Hall - it is harder for them to target us if we are an amorphous mass of cooperation networks with local shops and stores.

"Hehe, if they try they will have to basically wage war on whole local markets which will certainly raise some eyebrows in the Imperial Family", Sui Luxiao chuckled.

"So, in effect, it would be like we don’t exactly exist in the city, but our goods will be sold making us profit, and our name will spread all the same", Gong Liwei’s eyes lit up, "The only place they can target us directly is the Harbor District where we will fake our supply warehouse"

"Which we can defend more easily than a store since attacks on that one have to be more direct hostile action rather than more subtle ways in which you can target a store", Wu Long nodded, far more confident in being able to shrug off any direct attacks than schemes of business rivalry, "And it serves our broader goals as well. We can even buy the influence of some nobles and bring them to our side of support for the Princess by offering them lucrative cooperation with us rather than opposing them as direct rivals which will inevitably push them to oppose her"

—

While leaving the situation in the capital to the trio of Nie Guanting, Old Yen, and Kwon Qianhong for the time being until there are major developments, after a short meeting with Chen Hui and the Princess, Wu Long and his beauties returned to the Silver Wing City.

He spent the majority of the day with Gong Liwei, who returned to the Dream Realm a bit ahead of him just like Wei Lan did the night before, to help the latter with the dinner preparations while he finished up some things.

And as Wu Long stepped onto the stone platform, his eyes caught the sight of a graceful figure sitting on the railing of the wooden bridge in the same exact spot as yesterday, her white hair illuminated by the moonlight, and crimson eyes that turned to him, as well as her beautiful face not hidden by the mask today, against the backdrop of the beautiful late evening mountain scenery, making her appearance slightly otherworldly.

A smile appeared on his lips, "It’s always a pleasant surprise to see you waiting for me, Fairy Hong Yue. You don’t suppose you can be not ready to talk today too so you can join me for an evening stroll tomorrow as well?"

A hint of a smile appeared in her eyes, "I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Daoist Wu, since I did finish putting my thoughts together before coming this time"

"Shame", Wu Long sighed with a bit of lament as he shook his head, and as he came closer she gracefully moved to turn on the railing of the bridge and landed on the floor, waiting for him to make the final few steps to her to then walk along him.

"Do you remember our conversation in the woods of the Soft Meadow Continent some time ago?", Hong Yue asked.

"Of course, it was memorable since it was among the first longer conversations we had - I’m glad they are not so scarce anymore", Wu Long chuckled, slightly throwing the beauty off by such a comment.

"...", Hong Yue took a moment to readjust, and continued, "You said back then, that there was meaning in gaining something without hurting someone... and... I’ve overheard your conversation with Butler Bang yesterday about the Theft Dao, which led me to think about it"

Wu Long's eyebrows lifted, this sudden turn in their discussion, which had begun in the woods, hadn't been anticipated. However, he found it made sense now that he was hearing it directly from her. He remained silent, listening with undivided attention as they continued their walk.

She elaborated on her insights, noting the Bahshi Assassination Techniques were exceptionally suited for individuals involved in assassination and thievery. Towards the end of her explanation, a subtle nervousness, detectable only by him amidst her otherwise composed demeanor, caused her to add, "...it's not too much of a stretch, is it?"

"Indeed," Wu Long affirmed with a nod. "The effectiveness of these techniques is so profound that the Hong Family, who held dominion over the Bahshi Assassination Group and operated within both the assassination and theft sectors, attempted to either broaden the scope of the Bahshi Group or facilitate the transfer of some of their skills to the other branches under their influence."

"Attempted?" Hong Yue's brows furrowed. "Was it unsuccessful?"

"The attempts themselves would have been immensely successful, but the central issue wasn't there," Wu Long explained, a faint smile gracing his lips as he shook his head. "The sole authority overseeing the Bahshi Group was Old Man Bahshi. The Hong Family recognized his potential and offered him patronage when he reached a stage necessitating a powerful backer. They then dispatched their own descendants to join the group. Nevertheless, he maintained an unyielding command over them. The only reason he permitted the integration of Hong Family descendants was his ultimate leverage over them through the Bahshi Ghost Ruler Eyes."

"So, he thwarted those endeavors," Hong Yue deduced, her expression clarifying. "Perhaps due to an ideological conviction that the techniques were exclusively for assassination, or a pragmatic fear of losing control over these valuable skills to other factions..." She paused, then continued, "And the Hong Family found themselves unable to remove him, as he was the linchpin holding the entire organization together, compelling them to tolerate his position."

"Precisely," Wu Long confirmed. "Ultimately, that was the very reason for his downfall. He had indeed irked them with his assertive demeanor. Consequently, when I acquired his paramount technique, the Bahshi Ghost Emperor Codex, which was the source of his authority within the organization, and proposed a leadership transition to a Hong Family descendant of my choice, they readily assented. Their plans to repurpose those techniques for the Theft Dao, however, were cut short, as it wasn't long after that their entire faction met its demise."

"But you intend to re-establish the Bahshi Assassination Group, correct?" Hong Yue inquired, her voice carrying a barely perceptible note of nervousness as she approached the heart of her query. This subtle shift did not escape Wu Long's notice.

"Yes, I do plan to regroup whatever remnants I can locate," he replied with a nod.

"Then, would it be permissible... for Ye'er to lead a contingent of those Bahshi Assassins, integrated into the Thief Guild you intend to establish? Not as part of the Assassination Group itself..." she finally articulated, coming to a halt at a stone platform that marked a turn in the mountain path. This caused him to stop as well, his attention shifting entirely to her.

The wind of the late evening stirred her hair, coaxing a stray lock to brush against her face. As her vision cleared, she encountered an expression on his features that she had not anticipated.

It wasn't the coldness or anger she had braced herself for; instead, it was a look of profound and utter bewilderment.

"Ye'er? She wishes to lead Bahshi Assassins?" Wu Long questioned, his tone laced with a distinct bewilderment. "As in... taking on a leadership role? With... responsibilities and all that? Are we perhaps discussing the same individual...? I must admit, I'm somewhat confused..."

"Eh? But... didn't you... intend for that when you..." Hong Yue's own eyes began to reflect confusion as she spoke. Although her usual tone remained, her words became somewhat fragmented.

"Me?" Wu Long's eyebrows climbed higher, his entire countenance now radiating bewilderment as he pointed a finger towards his own chest. Then, a sudden realization dawned upon him. He understood the crux of their conversation, her subtle reactions, her hesitation, and the complete picture of what was transpiring.

The urge to laugh welled up within him, but recognizing the sincerity and seriousness of her current disposition, he suppressed the impulse.

"Ah~, I comprehend the root of this misunderstanding. While I did impart to you the techniques that could be employed to command other Bahshi Assassins, this was partly to alleviate your concerns regarding such controlling methods being used against you. Furthermore, having given them to you, I also extended them to Ye'er."

"Ah..." A soft exclamation of understanding escaped her lips. She suddenly recalled her initial suspicion and wariness towards Wu Long, stemming from his demonstrated ability to control individuals through the Bahshi Assassination Techniques. It was only now that she grasped that her apprehensions had dissipated subsequent to him bestowing those techniques upon her and detailing their operational mechanics.

"I never intended for any of you to be involved in controlling the Bahshi Assassins", Wu Long chuckled, "That is why I recruited Xin Ren who’s now doing his job in the Boundless Mortal World."

"But aren’t your wives... ehm...", Hong Yue then inquired.

This brought a wider smile to his face as the conversation veered off the serious note due to all the confusion. "Hehe, they’re all doing it because they want to help me. While I am grateful, I don’t require it of them, and not doing so wouldn’t make any of my ladies less precious to me."

Hong Yue became silent as she was processing everything. Then, a small feeling began to grow in the back of her head, gradually filling her entire mind. It was the embarrassment of imagining a problem that didn’t exist and spending so much time, emotional turmoil, and mental effort to solve that imaginary problem, making a huge fuss about nothing.

Her hardened resolve from this morning, as she looked at her little sister eating that peach—a resolve to protect her from that imaginary problem—suddenly became incredibly embarrassing.

Wu Long, on the other hand, was treated to a rare view as the beauty’s cheeks became slightly rosy, and then that blush spread out until even the tips of her ears were tinged with rosy color.

’Hehe, cute’, he inwardly savored the picture, trying to etch it into memory in as much detail as possible.

But he saw that she needed a way out of her embarrassment. Offering her help with that, he turned his gaze away and said, "Though since you seem to have interest in the Theft Dao, I suppose it is a viable path if you wish to explore it. Both you and Ye’er. Hmm, let’s see, Qian Ying will be doing a job tomorrow night, so it might be a good demonstration."

"Eh? Ah~... but wouldn’t that be an inconvenience..." she saw that he was offering her an off-ramp from the embarrassment, her heart filling with gratitude for his thoughtfulness. Then, she became worried about disrupting important work.

"Not at all, with your and Ye’er’s stealth techniques you wouldn’t be a burden, and obviously, I will accompany you to make sure that no problems arise. We won’t be doing much and will just tag along as observers anyway, like a little excursion", Wu Long smiled. Hong Yue became slightly dazed at such a peaceful term as ’excursion’, used here as if this was a leisurely tour through an open-doors-day workshop to observe how a professional craftsman worked. He then made a gesture to invite her to continue their walk. "Shall we?"

She nodded, walking next to him as they spent some time in silence.

But when her slightly chaotic thoughts settled, his voice reached her ears again, his tone slightly more somber. "It is a beautiful and precious emotion—the wish to protect someone you hold dear. But there are ways to do it right, and ways that may be more harmful than helpful."

Hong Yue instantly realized that Wu Long saw through the reason she brought up Hong Ye in their earlier conversation and wasn’t talking about herself. She turned her gaze to him.

"Take Ye’er, she certainly protected you from some emotional turmoil early on by keeping the secret of the ritual for all that long time. But think of how it made you feel when you learned the truth", Wu Long continued, causing Hong Yue to widen her eyes.

And then he turned with a gentle smile to her as well. "Though perhaps, you made that decision partially because you two haven’t properly faced what you went through, or rather haven’t confronted the decisions that Ye’er made for both of you without your consent. But this is a good opportunity—since you can breach that topic through discussing the decision you came to talk to me about today, since I hope you will honestly tell Ye’er about it. That could allow you to talk about the past as well. I think it’s time you two have an honest and open conversation about it. It wasn’t possible before because the wounds were still fresh, but now that it is possible as some time passed, it is better not to delay."

"... I see", Hong Yue nodded, as she realized that they have indeed ignored that important conversation, subconsciously avoiding it because of its uncomfortable nature, for far too long. Perhaps, there was something in that truth that caused her to reach that decision and resolve, this time wishing to be the one to sacrifice to perhaps cover for the guilt she felt. She then added in a warmer tone, "Thank you, Daoist Wu."

"It is my pleasure. And you have to remember that you are not the only one who cares about Ye’er, so I had my own selfish reasons as well", he chuckled.

They spent the rest of the way in a peaceful and comfortable silence, as Hong Yue had some time to think about everything they talked about and about talking to her twin. Wu Long simply enjoyed the time.