Blue Phoenix

Hearing Wang Ju Long's voice, Hui Yue instantly stopped everything he was doing and turned to the door. He ripped it open and looked at his lover with blazing eyes and high hopes.

"Sha Yun?" He asked shocked, his voice trembling. He was not sure if it was good news or bad news, but looking at Wang Ju Long’s excitement, Hui Yue quickly determined that it was good news, and his heart skipped a beat. Excitement flooded his entire body making every muscle taut and his eyes blaze with hope.

"Here," She said as she handed him a piece of paper rolled into a scroll. "Paper scroll?" Hui Yue questioned curiously. Usually, no one would use paper scrolls as they had memory stones which were much better than scrolls. The stones were a lot safer and a lot more practical, yet this person decided to send a paper scroll. This made Hui Yue curious about who would send such a thing.

Opening the scrolls, Hui Yue read out loud. "Dear Hui Yue, I am writing to you because a friend of yours is in my care. She is behaving nicely like a real lady, and we are greatly pleased to have her company. That being said, it is obvious that she wishes to return to your side, though, sadly, I cannot allow her to do so easily. I mean, I went through quite some trouble getting her here in the first place, letting her leave would be such a waste." Frowning Hui Yue wondered why this person had even kidnapped her, but instead of pondering on it for too long, Hui Yue returned to reading out loud what was written in the letter.

"Although Sha Yun is our dear guest, we feel that we should give you a chance to have her returned to you. I do not ask for much. Just win the alchemist's contest and present the rewards to me. If you accept the arrangement, make sure to contact Zhong Wei and inform him. He will be my eyes and ears during the competition, and you are not allowed to cheat. I’ve already heard about your outstanding results in the alchemy exam; I have high expectations for you."

Hui Yue was quiet for some time as his insides twisted in anger and guilt. It was now clear that Sha Yun had survived the ordeal in the grave. However, she had been kidnapped and even worse, kidnapped because this person wanted something from him.

Although he was guilt ridden, he was also relieved to know that Sha Yun was alive.

"It seems that Zhong Wei has something to do with this." He mumbled to himself as his killing intent started to surge. In spite of this, he quickly forced himself to suppress his hate. Killing Zhong Wei would not accomplish anything other than ensuring that Sha Yun would die.

Sighing deeply, he was uncertain what to do for some time; however, after considering the issue, he left Wang Ju Long behind. He left the mansion and summoned his sword. Pushing Wu Wei into it, he soared into the sky above. Unlike the last many times he flew on the sword, he no longer wasting any time. He turned into a beam of light; a beam so swift that no one noticed him passing by, all they felt was a comfortable breeze on their face.

It took him less than a moment to reach the Black Lion Inn. Although his face was grim and he was struggling with his killing intent, he quickly entered the inn and went towards the counter.

The innkeeper was surprised. Hui Yue had arrived many times before, but every time he would head to the rooms above belonging to Gao Yan. This time, however, he came to ask for assistance.

"I need to know which room belongs to Zhong Wei." He said casually, but he was fully aware that everyone within the inn was listening to his words, eager to be the first to inform Gao Yan that Hui Yue had arrived to speak with someone else.

Even though these people looked at Hui Yue as though he were a money making machine, he did not care. He knew that although Gao Yan would find it confusing why Hui Yue came to visit a guest, he would soon be told by Wang Ju Long that it had to do with Sha Yun. By that time, he would be busy finding all the information he could about this unknown expert, Zhong Wei.

"Zhong Wei is on the third floor. His room is fourth from the stairs." The innkeeper said right away, not hiding anything from Hui Yue. Although Hui Yue's face was much more grim than usual, and a slight killing intent kept spreading from his body, it did not seem to matter to the innkeeper if a fight broke out. Hui Yue was capable of paying for the damage and the innkeeper owed nothing to Zhong Wei.

Hui Yue nodded towards the innkeeper and tossed him a gold coin before he moved upstairs. Although gold coins were not much to Hui Yue, for an innkeeper like him it was a decent amount of money. Even an innkeeper who was in charge of the Black Lion and its secret information service.

Hui Yue rushed up the stairs and halted only for a short moment on the second floor, unsure if he should inform Gao Yan first. Although he wanted to, he shook his head and continued upwards. This was because of him, therefore, it was naturally his job find and rescue Sha Yun.

Reaching the highest floor, the third floor, Hui Yue went to the door the innkeeper told him about. Standing outside the door he suppressed his killing intent back, and although his face was still full of anger, he knew that this young man was his only link to Sha Yun.

'I bet he is a part of the Frozen Brigade.' Lan Feng commented, and Hui Yue nodded. He had previously assumed that this young man had something to do with Zhong Fai, mainly because their last names were the same.

'I agree, but let’s not mention it when we speak with Zhong Wei. All we can do is wait and hear what he has to say.' Hui Yue decided as he heaved a heavy sigh before he knocked on the door a few times.

As he knocked on the door, he suddenly heard clattering sounds as though someone had risen swiftly and as a result had dropped various items on the ground.

The door opened moments after and Zhong Wei looked out with large eyes filled with excitement. "I knew you'd show up!" He said excitedly and Hui Yue was almost swearing. Of course, he would show up. This concerned the life of his best friend. He was not willing to risk anything.

"Come in, come in!" The eager young man in front of Hui Yue said with excitement while showing Hui Yue into the room. Looking around, he found that on the floor many medicinal herbs, pills, and ingredients were spread out. Vials were placed all over, and a heavy scent of medicinal pills assaulted his senses the moment he entered.

"Sorry about the mess, I am preparing for the alchemist's contest." He said with the same excitement as before.

"You being here, must mean you will be joining the alchemist's contest too! I guess that snake woman really means something to you after all." He laughed and although his voice did not contain any mockery, Hui Yue felt enraged listening to this idiotic person in front of him. He had no idea how much Sha Yun meant to him.

"I am here to join the alchemist's contest only if you can guarantee that Sha Yun will not be hurt." He said seriously, swallowing the anger he felt and constantly fighting to keep back his killing intent.

"She'll be safe as long as you do your best in the alchemist's contest." Zhong Hei laughed. "Don't worry my master is not someone who goes back on his word. Since he already said that he would keep her alive as long as you participate in the contest, then there will be no problems with Sha Yun, as you call her."

"Your master is Zhong Fai?" Hui Yue suddenly asked. He had intended to stay calm and not ask, but hearing his words, he could not help but suddenly ask the question. It was only after he had said it that he knew what he had done.

Zhong Hei's face turned as white as the face of a dead person when he heard what Hue Yue said. His eyes blazed with fury, and he grit his teeth. "My master's name is not something a person has the right to say!"

"That is not for you to decide. Your master told me his name was Zhong Fai, and he told me to call him by his name. Should I disrespect his request then?" Hui Yue asked with a smirk on his face. He was not lying. When he had met Zhong Fai in the Dungeons of the Divine he had indeed asked for Hui Yue to call him by his name, and Hui Yue had to admit that he enjoyed the hostility he saw in Zhong Hei's eyes. If he could he would taunt this young man into trying to kill him; Slaying him in self-defense would not be a bad thing.

'Calm down and don't insult him too much,' Lan Feng said with a sigh. 'We need him for the sake of the alchemist's contest. Without a guide, we will never manage to find the Frozen Mansion where the Frozen General and the Frozen Brigade live.'

Sighing, Hui Yue knew that Lan Feng was right, so he became quiet as he decided no longer to taunt the man in front of him. His white porcelain face had turned red from anger, and his eyes were dark with hostility, but he said nothing. He could not change a request that his master had made, even if it were something that he could not accept.

"Well since he is not here, let us just use his title, the Frozen General." Hui Yue sighed, and the tense atmosphere subsided. His taut body relaxed, and the anger that had been evident slowly subsided as well.

"I appreciate your efforts." The young man said as he sat down on the ground and Hui Yue found a chair to sit on.

"Well, this is simple. I will inform my master that you are willing to enter the alchemist's contest and he will ensure Sha Yun's safety. If you win, you can give the rewards to master and trade it for the snake woman's life."

"There are no hidden problems, no hidden schemes, just win and she will be safe." Zhong Wei said with a smile on his face again. It seemed as if his fit of anger from before had never happened.

"If that is all then I'll get going," Hui Yue said and left the room. He planned to rush towards the Alchemy Guild to enter into the alchemist's contest. Anyone who had become an alchemist in the last year was allowed to participate, so Hui Yue knew that he would need to do quite a bit of practicing before the competition.

"Why is master so keen on this particular individual. He is not all that outstanding," Zhong Wei said while looking out the window. His eyes were once more filled with hostility and a killing intent no weaker than Hui Yue's pulsed from his body.

"I am going to win the alchemist's contest, provide the rewards to master, and personally slay that disgusting snake woman back at the Frozen Palace. I want to see how he looks then." He said as a sinister smile appeared on Zhong Wei's face while he once more focused on the many ingredients on the floor in front of him.