Chapter 110: Twenty Years Without Seeing a True Face (Nearly Reached Ten Thousand Updates, Begging for Subscription)-Benefiting the World(Illusory Feathers)

People miss the past not so much because of the people from those days, but because of the memories of that era. In truth, people are not nostalgic for the past itself; they are nostalgic for the beauty that once was.

The "Eighteenth Tower Master" described by Shu Le—a man capable of defeating the great generals of the Liang Kingdom and overcoming three pavilion masters of the Great Rain Palace in succession—must have been a figure from a stirring, vibrant era. This stands in stark contrast to the present-day Xu Kingdom, which must resort to sealing off Little Garden Mountain and fabricating the myth that the Immortals of Little Garden Mountain still reside there.

Yet, a man such as he was trapped by the Great Rain Palace. It seems that even back then, the people of Xu knew that the Mistress of the Great Rain Palace was an enemy they could never hope to conquer. That is why she could walk into their lands as if no one were there, killing the prince of the Xu Kingdom. And that is why the people turned to worshiping the Immortals of Little Garden Mountain.

Everything in this world is interconnected, and Gu Yi seemed to grasp a great deal now. The Immortals of Little Garden Mountain became another spiritual pillar for the dispirited people of Xu after the Eighteenth Tower Master was captured. That is why they worshiped Little Garden Mountain as if it were the heavens themselves. In a sense, Gu Yi felt he had formed a tenuous, generational link of inheritance with the Eighteenth Tower Master.

"Gu Yi?"

"Hmm?"

Shu Le spoke with sincerity, her tone soft. "If you are not the successor to Little Garden Mountain, then what you told us that day—that the Immortal of Little Garden Mountain is your older brother—that was a lie too, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't entirely a lie," Gu Yi replied.

"What part was true?"

"That he is truly handsome—that part is true."

He always had a way of making Shu Le lose the desire to continue the conversation, allowing him to skirt around the issue. He succeeded; Shu Le no longer wanted to pay him any mind. To be inside the Great Rain Palace and still have the heart to crack such jokes—it was truly excessive.

Gu Yi looked around, observing everything. Beyond the magnificence of the main palace, the rest was much like a landscape painting: natural scenery, and very few people.

"Instead of dwelling on me, you should think about what Shu Yu said. She mentioned that we cannot get out, and that even the Eighteenth Tower Master cannot get out. Why?"

Though Shu Le had remained composed, she was naturally filled with anxiety. "I wonder how things are at Victory Pass."

"Worry about yourself," Gu Yi said, rarely one to burden himself with too much concern. "If she lets us wander around so freely because she is powerful, it means she is aware of any attempt we might make to escape."

Shu Le came to her senses. "The Mistress of the Great Rain Palace entered the Dao-Union realm a very, very long time ago. Didn't you hear? She doesn't even hold the Mo-Chi of the Dao-Union in any regard."

"What about the Eighteenth Tower Master? He entered the state of 'Returning to Simplicity' overnight; surely he must have entered the Dao-Union realm later? Do you think he would be a match for the Mistress of the Great Rain Palace?"

In Shu Le's heart, the Mistress of the Great Rain Palace was terrifyingly powerful, yet the Eighteenth Tower Master held a special significance for the people of Xu. Gu Yi had too many questions, and to answer them, the first step was to find the Eighteenth Tower Master. He was a relic of the Luyang Academy and might be able to help them.

Though there was no immediate danger, being in enemy territory with no danger felt even more perilous. And then there was Little Yiyi... After that girl had left his side, Gu Yi had first been running for his life in Luyang Academy, and now he was adrift in the Great Rain Palace... Damn it!

***

Zhang Weiyu waited before the main palace, awaiting an audience with the Mistress. For the first time in all these years, he felt nervous. The image of Shu Yu in her weakened state flashed through his mind, and the Mistress he was about to meet was far more powerful than her. To what level of beauty would a member of the Mo tribe, who had refined the non-dispersing spirit mist to the level of a Palace Mistress, have attained?

All of this was that fellow Gu Yi's fault! "The Palace Guardian must have never seen what Shu Yu looks like without her mask, right?" That sentence still echoed in his ears. Damn him!

Before long, he was summoned inside. Zhang Weiyu kept his head bowed, not daring to look. In the Great Rain Palace, many things were free, but as a man, one had to keep his eyes in check.

"Weiyu, paying respects to the Mistress."

"Hmm." The person behind the curtain hummed softly, then asked, "I sent you to investigate the affairs of the two peaks; why have you returned?"

Zhang Weiyu replied, "At the old site of the Great Rain Palace, I happened to encounter the Left Envoy and people from Luyang Academy. The Left Envoy was already injured, so I escorted her back to the palace."

"I see. Very well. Now that she has returned safely, you should depart at once. Do not return to the palace without authorization before your mission is complete next time."

Zhang Weiyu did not fear this; the Mistress would not reprimand him for this. "Understood, Mistress." He rose but remained hunched, his head bowed.

Time flowed silently. The Mistress suddenly felt that her Right Palace Guardian was acting strangely. "Zhang Weiyu."

"This subordinate is here!"

"Why do you keep your head bowed?" The Mistress, whose voice had always been gentle, turned stern.

Zhang Weiyu’s heart skipped a beat. Everyone in the palace knew this was the Mistress's taboo. He usually acted normally, but his conscience was guilty now, so he dared not look up. Because once he looked up, whether there was a problem would be up to the Mistress to decide. The uncertainty made him afraid to take the risk.

"Mistress! My subordinate... my subordinate is filled with a reverence for you that is greater than ever before!"

The woman behind the curtain stood up. "You—what happened? Speak. I do not like men who lie, even if you are a Palace Guardian. Speak."

Zhang Weiyu was terrified, and his resentment toward Gu Yi deepened. "It is that brat named Gu Yi!"

"What about him?"

"He set a trap with his words, trying to induce me to see the face of the Left Palace Guardian!"

The Mistress's voice grew colder. "Did you?"

"No! How would I dare violate the palace rules?"

The eyes behind the mask narrowed. Though he hadn't done it, it was out of fear, not a lack of desire. Her fingers twitched imperceptibly. In the silence that followed, Zhang Weiyu trembled.

"Leave the palace and complete the task I assigned you."

"Yes!"

Zhang Weiyu practically fled the main palace, only then realizing his back was soaked with sweat. "...Gu Yi!" He knew that fellow was still in the Great Rain Palace.

Inside the main palace after Zhang Weiyu left, the Mistress clutched her head and slumped down. Her mask slid off, though no one was there to admire her. A perfectly good Right Palace Guardian, gone...

*Gurgle, gurgle.*

As her emotions fluctuated, red spiritual energy began to seep from her body. It was liquid spiritual energy, forming beads that soon coated her entire frame. Before long, the energy overflowed, dripping off the edge of the bed onto the floor. Simultaneously, the pressure within the palace increased noticeably; everyone felt it.

"Mistress!" Zhang Weiyu stared in terror toward the main palace. He had wanted to find Gu Yi, but now he only wanted to get out of the palace! He was the one who had just seen the Mistress, and now that she was in a rage, he was the most likely target!

Shu Yu, who had just returned and changed her clothes, felt it too. She was in no danger, but she knelt respectfully, crossing her arms in a salute. "Please, Mistress, calm your anger."

"Please, Mistress, calm your anger."

...The chant echoed from many directions toward the main palace.

"What is this?" Shu Le could see nothing, but she could feel this substantial pressure with every inch of her skin.

Gu Yi, however, looked puzzled. "This is Holy Might. The Holy Might that belongs only to the Sage of Yun." But if this were the Sage's might, it was too weak; it only caused them some chest tightness. When he had encountered the Sage of Yun before, while stopping the war between Xu and Liang, the Sage had used this to subdue everyone in the entire region. Or perhaps the Mistress of the Great Rain Palace was holding back intentionally. Gu Yi could not be sure.

But to Shu Le, this was soul-shaking terror.

"Let's go find the Eighteenth Tower Master first," Gu Yi said. He had many questions.

The fastest way to find someone in a strange place is to grab someone and ask. That was his plan, and that was what he did. The Eighteenth Tower Master was in the Bo Pavilion—the Bo Pavilion among the four pavilions of River, Lake, Wave, and Anchorage.

The Great Rain Palace was full of mysteries. The Bo Pavilion looked far away, yet it appeared as if it were right before them in a painting. With every step, he and Shu Le moved closer, and in an instant, they arrived. The Bo Pavilion stood on a mountain peak, with an old pine tree standing tall amidst the clouds and mist.

"Will the Master of the Bo Pavilion be here?" Shu Le was on high alert.

Gu Yi doubted it. "According to what you said, the River Pavilion Master rebelled and killed the Lake Pavilion Master. If only the River and Bo Pavilion Masters remain, and the war between Xu and Liang is intensifying, they must have sent people out."

A man and a woman stood before the pavilion. "Let's go in and see," Shu Le said.

However, after taking two steps, Gu Yi felt something was wrong. It seemed that no matter how much they walked, the pavilion remained just ahead, unreachable. Soon, a voice came from nowhere, sounding somewhat weary. "Who are you? Did the Palace Mistress send you to see me?"

"I am Shu Le of Luyang Academy, and this is Gu Yi. With the permission of the Mistress of the Great Rain Palace, we have come to see the Eighteenth Tower Master of our academy!"

Gu Yi thought the senior might be trying to pull some supernatural stunt to test them, but in the next second, a middle-aged man with silver hair appeared in the pavilion, wearing a long gown with a warm smile.

"Since the Mistress said you could see me, you could have just said so. Why walk into my array?"

The silver-haired man waved a hand, and the scenery shifted rapidly. The mountain peak turned into a lake, the pine tree transformed into peach blossoms, and a small pavilion appeared amidst the flowers. Even the Holy Might from the Mistress vanished with the flick of his sleeve.

"Children of the Luyang Academy, how did you end up in the Great Rain Palace?"

"We arrived here by accident," Shu Le said, looking at the man with inexplicable excitement. "May I ask, are you the Eighteenth Tower Master of our academy?"

"I am."

Shu Le immediately bowed. "Shu Le of Luyang Academy pays respects to the Eighteenth Tower Master."

"No need for formalities. I didn't expect anyone from Luyang Academy to remember me," he said, turning his gaze to Gu Yi. "Child, what do you wish to ask?"

Gu Yi found it strange. "Outside the Great Rain Palace, we faced many difficulties, but once inside, everything went smoothly. No one bothered two people from Luyang Academy, and seeing the Eighteenth Tower Master was as simple as asking." Even the array he had just walked into had been dispersed with a wave of a hand.

"You two have had a hard time. But you can set your minds at ease; the Great Rain Palace is indeed a strange place." The man had silver hair and was no longer a youth, yet his skin was firm, with only a few fine lines. He looked not like an old man, but like someone in his prime. "The strangeness of the Great Rain Palace is that it doesn't lock anyone up. I have been here for twenty years and can go wherever I please. As long as one condition is met."

"What condition?" Gu Yi pressed.

Shu Le was worried; was such a tone appropriate for the Eighteenth Tower Master? But the senior seemed humble and didn't mind at all, maintaining a faint smile. "Let’s sit in the pavilion and talk. I rarely have children from Luyang Academy visit."

Gu Yi and Shu Le exchanged glances; they had no other choice.

In the small peach blossom pavilion, the senior sat in his long gown, exuding the air of a sage.

"You asked what condition. It is the rule of the Great Rain Palace: you must not look at the Mistress’s face. You said you have seen her—the young lady is fine, but you... did you look up?"

Gu Yi was blunt. "I guessed that the Mo tribe might have such a taboo, so before entering the main palace, I covered my eyes with this cloth."

The Eighteenth Tower Master was slightly stunned, then laughed. "That works. A clever method."

"So, as long as one doesn't see her, one can live here in peace?"

"Do you think that is easy?" the Eighteenth Tower Master asked.

Gu Yi pondered and shook his head. "Not very. Everyone wants to see the number one person in the world."

"True. And one day is easy to endure, a month is also easy, but a year or ten years is very difficult. Many people have died because of that."

"And you?"

"Me?" The silver-haired man looked relaxed. "I haven't seen her in twenty years."

Gu Yi and Shu Le were shocked. "So you still don't know what the Mistress of the Great Rain Palace looks like?"

"I don't." He said it as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

Shu Le couldn't understand. "Even so, if your life is at stake, is it really that hard to just not look?"

The Eighteenth Tower Master chuckled. "It’s related to leaving the palace. The Great Rain Palace isn't a building constructed between mountains; it is an ancient painting. This treasure recognizes the Mistress as its master, and entry and exit are decided by her will."

Gu Yi finally understood. "That’s why they dare to let us walk around; because we can’t even find the door."

"Yes," the Eighteenth Tower Master nodded. "But there is a way to leave: see the Mistress. If your heart remains unmoved, you can leave."

"And if your heart is moved?" Shu Le asked.

"Then you die."

Gu Yi frowned. "This is like a test."

"Exactly. So what you said about enduring not to look—it’s not just about not seeing the Mistress; it’s that if you don't look, you are trapped here forever."

"At this rate... damn, I don't have the confidence in myself either!"

Gu Yi realized the Eighteenth Tower Master had likely never tried to leave that way. Gu Yi thought again, "What about Shu Le? She’s a girl."

"So she can leave already. Didn't you tell the Mistress?" The Eighteenth Tower Master looked puzzled. "The Mistress seeks only the Dao and cares little for worldly affairs. She is actually quite reasonable. If you go and tell her you want to leave, she will let Shu Le go."

Shu Le: *Emm...*

Gu Yi: *Then what about me???*