Chapter 2552

The leader is named Duan He Yun.

Hearing this name, Dong Rui was startled: "It's actually him?"

But then he immediately said: "Yes, it should be him."

Ling Jinbao asked curiously: "Have you heard of this person?"

Anyway, he hasn't.

"You're laypeople, of course you haven't heard of him." Dong Rui exhaled, "Cangyan once received intelligence: the one who expelled Cao Wenda from Beijia in the past was Duan He Yun. In the field of puppet research, he is the most authoritative expert in Tiangong. We have destroyed several puppet experiment sites, and many puppet and divine body studies are said to have been designed according to his ideas. I've seen them, and they are quite... impressive."

To be praised by him as impressive, one must truly be capable.

"Cangyan has been searching for Duan He Yun's whereabouts for over ten years, never expecting he was hiding in Yunxia Bay." Dong Rui continued, "This method of severing the Hidden God Lord to prevent newborn consciousness from rebelling—I believe it is ninety-nine percent proposed by Duan He Yun. Cao Wenda's level and influence, compared to him, differ greatly."

Zhu Xiuer grasped the key point:

"In other words, as long as we kill this person, we can hinder Tiangong's divine body research progress?"

"To some extent." Dong Rui frowned, "He personally taught several major disciples, who should have inherited his mantle and received his true transmission. Merely killing him might not be enough... Tiangong has many true talents under its command, puppet research has long become a vast system. Even if we kill Duan He Yun, we cannot completely halt divine body research. But Auntie is right—if we really do this, it will surely be a heavy blow to Tiangong."

"Matters have priorities." He Lingchuan said softly in the rare quiet surroundings, "Our primary target is still the Hidden God Lord; the secondary target is people."

They had just arrived and were unaware of how much divine power was hidden within the Lingyun Palace, so they first carried out their original plan.

"Moreover, Duan He Yun is quite legendary—I heard many anecdotes about him in my youth in Lingxu City."

Everyone: "Eh? Tell us in detail!"

"Duan He Yun is from a noble family, exceptionally intelligent and outstanding, called a child prodigy from childhood, later even recognized within Tiangong as a heaven-defying genius, his spirituality far surpassing Dong Rui's."

Zhu Xiuer then smiled: "Tiangong loves to recruit talents, but back then they didn't even notice our Dong Master."

"Pah!" Dong Rui flared up, "That's because they have eyes but no pearls!"

He came from grassroots origins, struggled in the mud for half his life, and was not a noble from Lingxu City—how could Tiangong possibly notice him at first?

He Lingchuan's following words were not so proper:

"However, this person is promiscuous by nature. The upper-class people of Lingxu City evaluate him as gentle in temperament and sincere in dealing with others, because every one of his romances is a love to the death."

"Each one?" Everyone looked at each other, "How many exactly?"

"It's unclear, but at least thirty or forty. Each affair is rich in content, the talk of Lingxu City. It's said that whenever Duan Master begins his romantic escapades, the dinner table conversations in Lingxu City become especially abundant." He Lingchuan shrugged, "Until his forties, he believed friends' words, went all-in twice in business, both failed, and the Duan family's wealth was squandered clean, leading to decline. Fortunately, Tiangong valued his special talent and recruited him to serve."

Dong Rui clicked his tongue twice: "Venerable and respected."

But in fact, everyone clearly knows virtue and talent have no relation at all.

"He especially likes to provoke young beauties just entering love's realm. Before, when he served as the Yun Envoy in Lingxu City, there were always fragrant rumors, and even young ladies fought over him. However, in the year before I went to Lingxu City, he was transferred away, likely because he became involved with the Grand Minister of Works' granddaughter."

Dong Rui gasped: "Such a thing, you didn't tell me earlier! How old is the Grand Minister of Works' granddaughter?"

"At that time, she was only sixteen, Duan He Yun was already seventy-one, though it's said his appearance was also only in his early thirties, graceful and elegant, his speech sincere and gentle, and toward women he was also tender and considerate. The Grand Minister of Works didn't know about their relationship until his granddaughter felt unwell and was diagnosed with pregnancy, which caused the whole family to panic, because Duan He Yun's age is actually greater than the Grand Minister of Works'."

Dong Rui listened with a squinting smile: "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... old and shameless."

"What's wrong with that?" Mingke Xianren said indifferently, "In ancient times, let alone an age difference of half a sixty-year cycle, even differences of three or four hundred years, seven or eight hundred years, could become Dao partners—it all depends on appearance, cultivation, strength, and innate endowment."

Ling Jinbao laughed: "In ancient times, even thousands of years could maintain eternal youth. Everyone had youthful faces, so age wasn't an issue. But in the past five hundred years, human powerhouses find it hard to live past one hundred forty, people under forty get white hair, under fifty get wrinkles, under sixty lose teeth, so age becomes important. This Duan He Yun is old in body but young in heart, flirting with ministers' heirs—even if placed in the Demon Kingdom's capital, it would probably be quite explosive."

"This is just a rumor, not widely spread, nor transmitted to the common folk." After all, the Grand Minister of Works wouldn't want family disgrace exposed, "But paper can't contain fire, whispers circulate in upper circles, unconfirmed. So, this matter remains an unsolved case to this day, known only to the parties involved."

Back then, He Lingchuan clung to the tiger skin of the Red Yan Crown Prince, Fushan Yue, to blend into Lingxu City, listening to gossip from the upper and lower nine flows for over ten baskets, Duan He Yun was also one of the colorful figures. I never imagined that twenty years later today, I could actually connect the dots and match the context.

"Also thanks to Duan He Yun being truly talented, Tiangong couldn't bear to let him go, otherwise the Grand Minister of Works couldn't have let it rest. Tiangong then transferred him out—on one hand to pacify and calm people, on the other hand likely as punishment, it's said he indulged in pleasure, and even if the Lotus Valley of Lingyun Island is made exquisitely beautiful, it still cannot compare to Lingxu City."

Ling Jinbao laughed: "Not to mention, there are no graceful beauties like shy flowers here."

Dong Rui coughed: "How do you know there aren't any? In Baishong City, aren't they all young men and women? With his power and influence, finding a hundred or so fair-skinned and beautiful ones wouldn't be difficult? If you don't believe it, Hu Xin, you say."

Duan He Yun deeply valued by the Tiangong artifact, with his strength and status, "beauty" is merely a resource at hand.

Zhu Xiuer looked at them suspiciously. When these men talk about useless gossip, they seem especially happy—did they forget the main business?

"Ah... there are other circumstances." Hu Xin gasped, barely able to speak. The few wounds on his body that had been oozing hurt so much they had gone numb.

Dong Rui took out a bottle of medicine powder from his pocket, casually sprinkled it on his wound, and saw the wound hiss a few times, green foam rising, almost scaring Hu Xin to death.

(End of chapter)