Chapter 53 - Red Leaf

Chu Jianfeng looked at Leng Yan, who seemed lost in thought, and smiled, “What? Thinking about yourself?”

Leng Yan chuckled, “Just feeling a bit contemplative. Look! There’s a restaurant up ahead. Let’s grab a good meal.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that. It’s been a while since I’ve had earthly wine, haha!” Chu Jianfeng laughed heartily.

At the Yuelai Tavern, Leng Yan and Chu Jianfeng found a seat and sat down. Chu Jianfeng slapped the table and called out, “Waiter, let’s order!”

The busy waiter heard him and quickly hurried over with a smile, bending slightly at the waist, and asked, “What would you like to eat?”

“Two Jin¹ of beef and some side dishes. Most importantly, bring us ten jars of good wine!” Chu Jianfeng replied.

“Ten jars! That’s fifty Jin! Can you really drink that much?” the waiter asked in surprise.

“We’ll finish it, don’t worry! Just bring it over,” Leng Yan waved, urging the waiter to prepare the order.

The waiter, being smart, didn’t mind whether they could finish it as long as he got paid. He smiled and withdrew to get the order ready.

The food and wine were soon on the table. Leng Yan and Chu Jianfeng used the wine jars as cups, drinking to their heart’s content and sharing jokes, bursting into hearty laughter from time to time.

Just as they were thoroughly enjoying themselves, a lady in red sat next to Leng Yan.

The lady appeared to be about twenty years old, with stunning beauty that could cast a fish into the depths and bring a bird down from the sky. She exuded a mature charm, her red dress accentuating her ample bosom, and her slender waist and curvy hips were seductive. A red leaf between her brows made her look even more captivating.

Taking a sip of strong wine, Leng Yan looked at her and smiled, “Hong Niang, are you here specifically to find me?”

It turned out this lady was a manager from the Red Leaf Alliance. When Leng Yan worked as an assassin, he received missions from her.

“That’s right! I’ve been waiting here for three days!” Hong Niang grabbed a jar of strong wine, broke the seal, lifted her neck, took two sips, gently wiped her mouth, and then smiled as she spoke.

“Three days? Do you possess some divine foresight, able to predict the future?” Leng Yan and Chu Jianfeng had just decided to stop here today, yet Hong Niang claimed she had been waiting for three days. Chu Jianfeng, full of disbelief, questioned with curiosity.

Leng Yan wasn’t too surprised that people from the Red Leaf Alliance could find him. After all, even in the mundane world, he had many interactions with them, and the strength they demonstrated had already surpassed his imagination. Red Leaf was an institution in the immortal cultivation world, and Leng Yan had long suspected this; now, he just had confirmation.

“Hong Niang may not have such abilities, but that doesn’t mean the organization behind her doesn’t, right?” Leng Yan looked at Hong Niang and said.

“Truly worthy of being the blood blade, with such meticulous thinking. It seems there’s no need for me to beat around the bush!” Hong Niang smiled, her phoenix eyes flashing pleasantly.

“That’s exactly what I prefer. Speak plainly!” Leng Yan raised his wine jar, clinked it against Chu Jianfeng’s, and gulped down the strong drink.

“This is the Red Leaf Token. My master hopes you will become an Honorary Elder of the Red Leaf Alliance,” Hong Niang said, placing a leaf-shaped red jade token on the table.

“Why should I agree? And what benefits would I gain from becoming an Honorary Elder?” Leng Yan replied.

“Haha! Let’s not talk about benefits for now. Consider the incident with Liu He. If it weren’t for my master disrupting the divine secret on your behalf, do you think with Liu Changsheng’s cultivation level he wouldn’t have deduced the real culprit?” Hong Niang said with a smile.

Hearing this, both Leng Yan and Chu Jianfeng’s expressions turned cold as they looked at each other, clearly sharing the same shock.

All along, Leng Yan thought he had done everything flawlessly, but he had forgotten the most crucial point: Liu Changsheng’s cultivation level. Cultivators who reached the Void Tribulation Realm could more or less glimpse divine secrets, and if calculated, indeed, who the real culprit was would be easily discovered.

What puzzled Leng Yan even more was, who was the master behind Red Leaf? And why help him?

Currently, his cultivation level was just at the true essence realm, while those capable of disrupting divine secrets must have exceedingly profound cultivation-how could they have taken notice of someone like him?

“In that case, I must thank your master. I just don’t understand what makes me worthy of your master’s attention, to the point of making me an Honorary Elder?” Leng Yan quickly calmed his mind. Since they had found him, it seemed unlikely they would expose this matter. Now, what he needed to know was what their intentions were.

“That? I only handle completing my mission. As for the reasons, that’s beyond my knowledge,” Hong Niang said apologetically.

“Alright, I’ll accept the token! Now, can you tell me what being an Honorary Elder involves and what benefits come with it?” Leng Yan picked up the token, placed it into his storage space, and smiled.

“Benefits! You really are a practical person!” Hong Niang laughed.

“Everyone understands such a simple principle-looking out for oneself is only natural,” Leng Yan shrugged.

“Fine, let me tell you about the benefits of this token! The Red Leaf Alliance has branches on any planet within the immortal’s abode realm. With this token, you can enjoy VIP services for free at any auction house or inn. Also, you can collect a monthly supply of primordial spirit elixirs from any Red Leaf branch.

Given your current realm, you can receive one hundred thousand primordial spirit elixirs each month.

Moreover, the rewards for any mission you undertake through Red Leaf will be tripled. So, what do you think? Pretty good benefits, right?” Hong Niang said while fiddling with her garment.

“One hundred thousand primordial spirit elixirs a month! That is indeed impressive. I wonder if gathering information is also free?” Leng Yan was quite shocked by Red Leaf’s influence, yet he showed little change in his expression.

“Of course it’s free! I actually have some information to share with you right now,” Hong Niang replied, her face slightly flushed from the strong wine.

“What information?” Leng Yan asked with curiosity.

“It’s about your brother, Leng Yu.”

“What about him?” Leng Yan’s expression changed at the mention of Leng Yu, and the tension in his demeanor was obvious.

“He’s fine. He just left this for us to pass on to you,” Hong Niang turned her hand, revealing a green jade slip, and handed it to Leng Yan.

Leng Yan took the jade slip and inserted his spiritual awareness into it, hearing Leng Yu’s voice in his mind.

“Yan-ge, it’s been three months since you left. During these three months, I’ve been unsure how I’ve managed to get by. I grew up under your protection, and now I want to help and protect you.

I’m sorry! I didn’t follow your advice. Recently, I met a cultivator, and I’ve decided to follow him to cultivate dao, so that someday I can battle alongside you.

Forgive me, forgive me for not listening to your words.

Today, I’m going to leave Longmu Star with my master. Consider this jade slip a farewell letter. I hope when we meet again, Yan-ge, you won’t blame me!”

After hearing Leng Yu’s words, Leng Yan’s eyes grew moist, and his hand holding the jade slip trembled slightly.

He had thought he understood Leng Yu well and believed he could protect him. However, Leng Yu’s wish was to battle alongside him. Perhaps he had been too self-centered and hadn’t considered Leng Yu’s feelings.

But Leng Yu had left just like that, without telling him who his master was or which sect he belonged to. The immortal’s abode realm was so vast-how could he find him?

Since Leng Yu had chosen his own path, Leng Yan had nothing more to say. He could only hope for the day when he would see Leng Yu again.

Wiping away the moisture at the corner of his eyes, Leng Yan smiled and said, “Thank you for giving this to me.”

“Seeing the blood blade shed tears makes this all worthwhile,” Hong Niang joked.

“Careful, or I might have to silence you!” Leng Yan teased.

“Alright, having delivered this message, there’s one more thing. An inner disciple from the Heavenly Realm of the Jin Sect is looking for you. It seems he wants your Purple Gold Emperor Technique. You should be cautious.”

“Oh, that is indeed useful information. I’ll keep an eye out,” Leng Yan replied. He didn’t expect that Jin Kuang hadn’t come himself but instead sent an inner disciple to cause trouble. If his cultivation level hadn’t reached the Heavenly Realm, he might not have been able to handle it; but now, hmph! It was merely someone coming to throw their life away.

“By the way, you haven’t told me what you need me to do?” Leng Yan furrowed his brow and asked.

“There’s nothing I need from you now. When there is, I’ll let you know,” Hong Niang said as she stood up to leave.

“Wait! There’s one more thing!” Leng Yan rose to stop Hong Niang, nearly bumping into her in the process.

Footnote:

1. Jin(斤):In Chinese, “Jin” (斤) is a traditional unit of weight, equivalent to 0.5 kilograms.