Chapter 170 Opening the Altar: What is a Blood Alliance?
"Master Pei." Cui Jin's voice was gloomy as he lowered his single eye to scrutinize Lou Cangyu, who had been kneeling for a long time. He was also somewhat puzzled as to how the young man whose sword had been broken on the Lingbo Platform could have won the favor of the Inner Palace's Peerless Master, who had even persuaded Mu Lexiu to use him as a tool to demand this person from the Pei family. "Is it because you can't bear to part with him?"
Pei Yuan raised his red hair. "Grand Preceptor... this matter... is probably not advisable."
Cui Jin glanced down with his one eye, "Oh? Just a swordsman... I see, he's your adopted son, Pei, he's surnamed Pei now, isn't he, Pei Cangyu?"
Lou Cangyu slowly raised his head. "Cangyu is here."
“Pei Cangyu.” Cui Jin seemed to smile slightly, “Master Pei is reluctant to let go of his son.”
Pei Yuan said, "I don't understand. The Inner Workshop is a major workshop of the country. As long as they are willing, famous swordsmen from all over the world will flock to it. Why would they have trouble finding skilled swordsmen? Besides, Miss Wushuang of the Inner Workshop is unparalleled in both sword forging and sword making. She is a first-class swordsman. Why would she need someone from Xingguo Workshop?"
Cui Jin spoke cryptically in a low voice, "I wonder if Master Pei is reluctant to part with his adopted son, or with anyone in Xingguo Warehouse?"
Pei Yuan couldn't figure out Cui Jin's meaning for a moment, so he remained silent and didn't answer. Cui Jin glanced at the wall of people outside the hall and continued, "When the Emperor visited your workshop, he ordered the inner workshop to allocate twenty blacksmiths to you. As far as I know, the inner workshop picked out the best in the workshop without saying a word. These master craftsmen have helped Xingguo Workshop a lot, haven't they?"
“Yes…” Pei Yuan said with difficulty, “but…”
"Could it be," Cui Jin interrupted, "that I am too insignificant to even sway a swordsman?"
“I wouldn’t dare,” Pei Yuan’s face changed color. “That’s not what I meant.”
Cui Jin waved his hand, "I was just joking with you. Master Pei would never be that kind of snobbish person."
Pei Yuan caught his breath slightly and sighed, "Since the Imperial Advisor has spoken, I should not, and cannot, refuse, but..." Pei Yuan glanced at Pei Bi as he spoke.
Pei Bi stepped forward, clasped his hands and bowed to Cui Jin, and said cautiously, "We are grateful for the favor of the Inner Palace and the Imperial Preceptor. It is also a good thing for Xingguo Palace that the Inner Palace has taken a liking to our swordsman. However... he is already the second young master of the Pei family. He was recognized in front of the Emperor and the Crown Prince... and he was included in the Pei family genealogy that very night. Our eldest young master is disabled in both legs and lives far away on Canglang Island. He will never be able to set foot in Rongdu in this life. The century-old foundation of Xingguo Palace still depends on the second young master to inherit and manage it... It is really... unacceptable for him to enter the Inner Palace."
Seeing Cui Jin remain silent, Pei Bi knelt on one knee and earnestly said, "Please, Grand Preceptor, convey to the inner court that my second young master..."
"Pei Cangyu?" Cui Jin glanced coldly at the kneeling boy. "This Imperial Preceptor doesn't listen to what others say, and you don't need to care about your adoptive father's wishes. I'm only asking you, do you want to enter the Inner Palace?"
The question startled everyone inside and outside the main hall. Many people in the workshop had watched Cangyu grow up. The Lou family ancestors had followed Xingguo Workshop since their time, and had been lying low on Canglang Island for generations. Whether they were blacksmiths or smelters, even Aunt Lou and Da Shitou had worked diligently and without complaint in the workshop. Lou Cangyu had finally become a swordsman, and his ancestors' graves were even blessed to be taken in as an adopted son by Pei Yuan. Pei Bi had just said that this was someone who would inherit Xingguo Workshop. Lou Cangyu's ancestors had accumulated good fortune for eighteen generations. How could he possibly cause trouble at the last minute, abandoning his position as the heir to Xingguo Workshop to become a swordsman in the inner workshop?
"The Grand Preceptor's question is..." someone whispered. "How could Little Stone possibly want to enter the Inner Palace? He's just a swordsman, unless he's as stupid as his brother."
"Guan Ye." Ji Fang tugged at Guan Ye's sleeve. "Is it because Cang Yu doesn't want to, the Imperial Preceptor won't make things difficult for him, and what about us?"
“You’re stupid too,” Feng Shisan couldn’t help but say. “How could Cang Yu betray Xingguo Fang? Have you forgotten that his mother and elder brother are still on the island? And…” Feng Shisan rolled up his wrist, revealing a thin scar to Ji Fang, “The Blood Alliance, we all made a blood alliance. If we betray it, may we be struck down by heaven and earth.”
—We will walk together through life and death, and never betray each other. If anyone breaks this oath, everyone may kill him. If no one kills him, then heaven and earth will punish him.
"Cangyu," Pei Yuan called softly, "The Imperial Advisor is asking you a question, whether you want to enter the Inner Palace. Why aren't you answering the Imperial Advisor's question?"
Lou Cangyu looked up heavily. Perhaps because he hadn't slept well for several days, his eyes were slightly dark. He glanced at Pei Bi standing to the side, who nodded at him, indicating that he should answer Cui Jin's question truthfully.
"Young Master Pei?" Cui Jin's single eye was piercing, its cold light piercing straight through Lou Cangyu's body.
"Speak up quickly..." Ji Fang's palms were sweating. "Say you don't want to, you don't want to go to the inner quarters, say it now, Cang Yu, Cang Yu..."
Guan Ye looked at A Jiu, their eyes meeting with a deep meaning. If Lou Cangyu's heart was as firm as a rock, why would he be so conflicted? It seems... Cui Jin didn't come to ask for someone today, but was entrusted by someone... Lou Cangyu had already made arrangements with the inner workshop, and he had agreed to Wushuang to become a swordsman in the inner workshop.
"Replying to the Grand Preceptor," Lou Cangyu dared not look at Pei Yuan and Pei Bi again, his eyes meeting Cui Jin's single eye directly, "Cangyu is willing."
—Willing? Lou Cangyu said he was willing? In the main room, everyone's faces were filled with astonishment, rubbing their ears as if they had misheard.
"Second Young Master..." Pei Bisha's face turned pale. "What nonsense are you talking about? Willing? Willing to what?"
"Are you willing to leave Xingguo Ward and become a swordsman in the Inner Ward?" Cui Jin seemed unconvinced that he would make the decision to betray the Pei family. "Are you really sure?"
Lou Cangyu kowtowed deeply, "I am willing, please grant my request, Master."
"—Lou Cangyu!" Ji Fang finally realized he wasn't experiencing tinnitus. The usually timid man suddenly erupted in anger, disregarding the fact that the Imperial Advisor was still sitting in the main hall. He roared Lou Cangyu's name like a mad leopard, "Are you insane! Xingguo Ward, you're from Xingguo Ward, you've betrayed your promise, you've acted like a villain! Lou Cangyu, if you won't go, say you won't go to the inner ward!"
Lou Cangyu's ears were ringing, and he could no longer hear anything. He buried his head deep in the ground, wishing he could bury himself in the ground. After saying those words, he had no face to see anyone. From this day forward, from this moment forward, he could no longer stay in Xingguo Ward. He could only... follow Wushuang to the afterlife.
“Say you won’t go! You don’t want to! You’re unwilling… Cangyu, say it…” Ji Fang roared, his voice trembling with sobs. He was almost begging, but his cries went unanswered. Ji Fang spread his hands, revealing a shocking deep scar on his palm. The scene of Lou Cangyu drawing his sword and slitting his throat that night flashed before his eyes, and tears suddenly streamed down his face.
"What...what did you say?" Pei Yuan was shocked.
“He said he begged you to grant his request,” Cui Jin said softly. “He wants to go to the inner quarters.”
Pei Yuan stumbled back a few steps and was supported by Pei Bi. Incredulity filled his eyes. The Lou family had followed Xingguo Fang for generations. The little stone he had painstakingly nurtured, Lou Cangyu, whom he had publicly recognized as his adopted son, actually said in front of the Imperial Preceptor and everyone else that he wanted to leave Xingguo Fang. He was even willing to give up the Pei surname that was included in the family genealogy... Such a humiliation was comparable to the broken sword on Lingbo Terrace. Pei Yuan's heart burned like a raging fire, and he wished he could kill Lou Cangyu with a single sword.
After a long silence without a response from Pei Yuan, Lou Cangyu struggled to raise his head and coughed three more times at Pei Yuan. "Three generations of the Lou family have followed Xingguo Workshop. My great-grandfather, Lou Zheng, forged the Flowing Gold Sword, but it broke before the Emperor, and he died by striking his head against it. Since then, the descendants of the Lou family have been ashamed to continue as blacksmiths. My grandfather, Lou Guang, and my father, Lou Bin, both worked in the workshop for decades... If it weren't for the workshop master's favor, I, Lou Cangyu, would definitely be a blacksmith as well, and I wouldn't be qualified to touch a sword..."
"You know, you all know... Since you know..." Pei Yuan looked up at the sky with hatred, "Your Lou family has been protected by Xingguo Ward for generations. When has the Pei family ever mistreated you? I took you in as my adopted son, and yet you... want to abandon everyone! Pei Cangyu, Heaven above, how can you face Xingguo Ward!?"
"Master of the Workshop." Lou Cangyu kowtowed several times, and when he looked up, his forehead was covered in bruises. "To be favored by the inner workshop is a blessing that I, Lou Cangyu, have accumulated over several lifetimes. If I miss this opportunity today, there will be no next time. Master of the Workshop, for the sake of the Lou family's hard work in Xingguo Workshop for generations... I beg you, I beg you to grant Cangyu's wish... I beg you to grant my wish."
"Hahahaha." Pei Yuan laughed loudly, "You want me to grant your wish? Being favored by the inner court is your good fortune? Your Lou family has been slaves for three generations. Being favored by me and taken in as my adopted son is your destined calamity, Lou Cangyu? And you still dare to ask me to grant your wish? What a Lou Cangyu, I really underestimated you."
"He's gone mad..." Feng Shisan muttered to himself in the crowd, "He's gone mad..."
Guan Ye found A Jiu's hand and held it tightly, their fingers intertwined. Both of their palms were wet. Guan Ye knew that although Pei Yuan feared Cui Jin, he hated Lou Cangyu's betrayal even more. Cui Jin was like Mount Tai, oppressive and impossible to refuse. But Pei Yuan would never let Lou Cangyu leave so easily. If this precedent were set in front of everyone, how could he convince the public? What would become of the blood oath?
—A blood oath… We made a blood oath.
Cui Jin observed the two locked in a stalemate with interest. "One is determined to leave, the other is reluctant to let go. Interesting. Today, my own tutor has come to Xingguo Ward. Since he has spoken, Ward Master Pei will surely give me some face. But..." Cui Jin gave Lou Cangyu a look with his single eye, "If Ward Master Pei agrees immediately, others might follow suit... Cangyu can leave, but I'm afraid... he'll have to do something... Judging from Ward Master Pei's intentions, he has already made a decision."
Lou Cangyu looked timidly at Pei Yuan, and seeing the fire in his eyes, she panicked and lowered her eyes again. "Master...what do you want Cangyu for..."
Pei Yuan's eyes darkened. "When you left Canglang Island, you made a blood oath with everyone in the Pei family ancestral hall. What is a blood oath, Lou Cangyu? Do you still remember?"
Lou Cangyu's high cheekbones seemed to burst through his skin, oozing a terrifying bone-white color. "What is a blood oath... to walk together through life and death, never to betray each other. If anyone breaks this oath, anyone can kill them. If people don't kill them, then heaven and earth will destroy them."
“He still remembers.” Pei Yuan’s lips curled up as he glanced at Pei Bi and said, “I told you long ago that Lou’s little stone is capable of accomplishing things. He recited the blood oath word for word. It seems that he has this covenant firmly in his heart and dares not forget it for a moment.”
Pei Bi clearly understood the meaning behind Pei Yuan's words, and the lines on his face were furrowed and looked rather unsightly. Pei Yuan coughed and said again, "Pei Bi, tell them how to deal with those who violate the blood oath, according to the rules of Xingguo Ward?"
"If this oath is broken, anyone may kill him." Guan Ye felt a chill run down her spine. Could it be... that Lou Cangyu was to be killed?
Pei Bi stared at Lou Cangyu, who was kneeling and unable to rise, his narrow eyes filled with deep regret. He raised his arm and roared, "Open the altar!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
