Chapter 120
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“This way, please.” The boy gestured, inviting Xue Yao to walk ahead towards the underground secret chamber.
Xue Yao took a few steps forward, with Lu Qian closely following, but the boy stopped him.
“The Sect Master only requested a meeting with the Sword Saint’s disciple. Young Master, please wait here.”
“Your grandpa will accompany Yaoyao.”
“Apologies, the Sect Master only wishes to meet with the Sword Saint’s disciple. Kindly wait here.”
Lu Qian refused to cooperate.
The two boys showed unfriendly expressions in their eyes.
Xue Yao immediately said to the two, “Allow me a moment with him.” He then pulled Lu Qian aside and coaxed him, “Just wait for me here.”
“Why?”
“This is an internal matter within underground sects. I’m afraid you might not understand the etiquette. It could anger the sect master.”
Lu Qian refused to budge and insisted on sticking by Xue Yao.
“Listen!” Xue Yao shifted from being stern to gentle. “I’ll finish the talk quickly and return. Nothing will happen. How could such a small faction dare to mess with the Sword Saint’s people? You said it yourself.”
Lu Qian’s icy expression loosened slightly.
Xue Yao persisted, subtly adjusting his posture. “Is it alright?”
He noticed that this communication style made the rebellious brat more cooperative.
Indeed, Lu Qian agreed.
As Xue Yao followed the boy down to the secret chamber, the wall behind him slowly sealed.
The chamber’s firelight cast eerie shadows beneath Xue Yao, creating an inexplicable sense of unease.
Outside the secret chamber, Lu Qian paced back and forth. The nearby boy approached, offering some tea.
Lu Qian avoided eye contact with the boy, his gaze wandering around the room. It finally settled on the incense burner in the northwest corner, his tea-colored eyes growing vigilant.
“Young Master?” The boy, receiving no response, raised his voice.
Lu Qian’s eyes shifted from the incense burner, suddenly turning cold as he looked sharply at the boy. “Is it just the two of you serving here?”
The boy’s face subtly changed, quickly returning to a calm expression. “Yes.”
Lu Qian stared at him. “Nine-step incense?”
The boy’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes betrayed a hint of awkward confusion as he quietly replied, “What did you say?”
Lu Qian gestured towards the incense burner in the northwest corner. “Is the incense burning in this room the nine-step incense?”
Unsure of his intentions, the boy hesitated briefly, then smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
Lu Qian repeated his previous question, “Have the two of you been the only ones serving in this room?”
The boy became slightly impatient, furrowing his brow and saying, “Yes. What instruction does Young Master have?”
Lu Qian squinted, scrutinizing the boy’s expression. “If it has always been the two of you serving, haven’t you noticed that one of the ingredients in this fragrance has dried up? Why haven’t you replenished it in such a long time?”
The boy froze, turning to look at the incense burner with a perplexed expression. He turned back, forcing composure. “It was an oversight on my part. I went to welcome the two young masters just now and forgot to add more incense.”
Lu Qian looked at him expressionlessly. “Then go replenish it now.”
The boy’s face reddened slightly, a touch of displeasure in his voice, “I have duties to attend to. I can’t leave. Young Master, please bear with it for now.”
Lu Qian stared straight at him. “Do you know which ingredient needs replenishing?”
The boy’s fists, hidden beneath wide sleeves, clenched slightly. “Certainly, I know.”
“Which one?” Lu Qian didn’t have the time to be confrontational, nor was he someone fond of fragrances. However, from the moment he entered, he sensed several peculiarities that compelled him to dig deeper.
After more than a year of constant travels and narrowly escaping traps set to curry favor with the Tong family, Lu Qian naturally couldn’t completely trust strangers.
“Is Master testing me?” The boy tilted his head, feigning a childlike expression, while three silver needles silently gleamed between his fingers hidden beneath the wide sleeves.
Xue Yao followed the boy to the lower level, navigating through intertwining passages, entering a somewhat cramped dark room at the end.
A middle-aged man, dressed in a black robe with gold-trimmed edges, sat on a northern-style chair in the dark room, toying with a teacup. He looked up at Xue Yao with little expression, gesturing towards a seat nearby, “Please, have a seat.”
Xue Yao calmly walked over and sat down, waiting for the man to initiate the conversation to avoid appearing overly humble or rash.
“What should I call you, Younger Brother?” the middle-aged man asked.
Seeing his relatively mild temperament, Xue Yao responded in a relaxed manner, mixing truth and fiction in his reply.
The man didn’t seem in a hurry to address important matters. He inquired about Xue Yao’s parents and relatives before casually bringing up Gu Qingyuan. “Master Gu says he doesn’t have a junior brother like you at all.”
“Gu Qingyuan has been absent for a long time. I joined the sect only a year ago. We indeed do not know each other,” Xue Yao said.
The man lowered the teacup lid, still speaking in a leisurely manner, “Hmm, do you know that your senior brother has detained our deputy sect master?”
“Is that so?” Xue Yao feigned surprise. “Why would Master Gu do such a thing?”
“He wants to restrain us.” The man raised his eyes, smiling strangely. “He claims our people are up to no good and lack discipline.”
“This is a matter for the authorities. He has no right to detain a hostage privately,” Xue Yao declared, indicating that he would not interfere in such matters in the future, to avoid the sect master taking drastic measures.
“Younger Brother, you’re quite understanding.” The man set down the teacup, stood up, and smiled at Xue Yao. “To put it bluntly, we like making friends with people who understand things.”
Out of courtesy, Xue Yao also stood up, bowing to the man. “Where would the sect master’s words take us? If we can form a connection with your faction, it would be my great honor.”
“Hahaha…” The man laughed heartily, giving a somewhat cryptic response, “You’re fortunate to be accepted into the Sword Sect, and today, you’ve also encountered me. Let’s exchange a little greeting, all of us sharing this ‘good fortune.’ What do you say?”
“What does the sect master mean?” Xue Yao became cautious.
After all, he was a sect master. He couldn’t possibly be extorting money, could he?
What kind of greeting did he want?
“Younger Brother, don’t be nervous. Please come here.” The sect master turned and walked to the east side of the dark room, signaling to the boy standing nearby.
The boy immediately approached, took a painting hanging on the wall, and manipulated a mechanism on the wall.
The stone wall slowly opened to the sides, revealing a mahogany bookshelf.
Most of the shelves were empty, with only two boxes scattered about. In the central compartment lay an ancient book with rolled edges.
“Younger Brother, take a look at this book.”
Xue Yao stood there, frozen.
From moments ago until now, he had an indescribable sense of unease. The events of tonight felt odd, and the sect master’s actions added to the strangeness.
The novel mentioned that Xuanye Sect had an underground chamber, but even Lu Qian had never entered it.
Why did the sect master choose such a confidential location for the first meeting with the Sword Saint’s disciple?
Even if the sect master didn’t care much about revealing the secret chamber, it was unlikely that he would repeatedly demonstrate the mechanism in person.
What kind of act was unfolding now?
“What’s the matter?” The sect master, with the sharpness of a hawk, stared at the bewildered Xue Yao.
“No problem.” Xue Yao suppressed his panic, casually approached to inspect the ancient book on the shelf. He was surprised to find the words “Mystical Scriptures” written vertically on the book cover. He stepped back in astonishment, looking at the sect master.
This book was the sect’s top-secret cultivation technique!
Why would he be shown this?
The sect master raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong? Is the younger brother not interested in this?”
Xue Yao steadied his racing heart, forced a smile, and said, “Sect Master must be joking.”
“Who has time for jokes?” The sect master nodded towards the manual. “This is my gift to you.”
Xue Yao replied in a low voice, “This gift is too valuable. I dare not accept.”
The sect master laughed. “Just return a gift. It’s not like I’m giving it away for free.”
Xue Yao looked up, puzzled. “I don’t have an equivalent item to reciprocate.”
“How can you not?” The sect master’s expression turned cold, a menacing glint in his eyes as he threatened, “Copy the Tai Chi Mental Cultivation Technique for me, and we’ll call it even.”
Xue Yao was momentarily stunned, then, upon realizing the situation, he breathed a sigh of relief.
So, this guy wanted to exchange for a Sword Saint’s cultivation technique.
This made things easier. With the possibility of an equivalent exchange, there was essentially no threat to his life.
“Sect Master is truly generous,” Xue Yao smiled, “I won’t beat around the bush. Exchanging techniques is no issue. However, I’ve only been in the sect for a year, and the technique hasn’t fully integrated. If I rely solely on memory, there might be omissions. Could I ask for permission to go back, transcribe another copy, and then exchange it with the sect master?”
“You may.”
The sect master, straightforward once again, left Xue Yao in bewilderment.
“You can also transcribe this Mystical Scriptures. When you return, hand it over with the handwritten Tai Chi Mental Cultivation Technique.”
Xue Yao was utterly flabbergasted. Was this the so-called Long Aotian’s good fortune?
How could this leader of the unorthodox gang be so recklessly impulsive? He was giving away a top-secret cultivation technique just like that?
The sect master revealed that peculiar smile again, as if he could see through Xue Yao’s thoughts. He chuckled softly. “If this matter leaks out, can you explain it to the Sword Saint? If we don’t make a deal, would I easily give you the Mystical Scriptures? I’m not afraid you’ll run away. I’m afraid you won’t accept.”
Xue Yao understood now, finding this old fox more troublesome than he had imagined.
So, taking on this hot potato meant he couldn’t refuse to provide the Tai Chi Mental Cultivation Technique?
Would the Sword Saint believe that he hadn’t exchanged cultivation techniques?
Xue Yao only intended to go through the motions and had no intention of truly jeopardizing Lu Qian’s martial arts journey. So, when the sect master brought the conversation to this point, he hesitated.
“What’s this?” The sect master’s expression darkened. “Younger Brother, are you lacking sincerity?”
“No,” Xue Yao explained, “I’m just thinking that since the technique isn’t in my possession, the matter might not be accomplished smoothly. If I were to directly accept the sect master’s gift…”
“Accept it.” The sect master stared at him. “Even if it fails, we’ll make it work.”
Just as Xue Yao was about to respond, the sect master’s expression suddenly changed. He turned and scolded, “Who dares to trespass into the forbidden area!”
The boy behind Xue Yao immediately looked around warily, but saw no one inside the room.
The sect master looked outside with a dark expression.
The boy flipped his hand beneath the wide sleeves, revealing three silver needles between his fingers. He walked towards the door, his steps measured.
A figure stumbled into view at the doorway, startling the boy, who almost released the hidden weapon. However, he saw that it was the other boy standing at the entrance.
“It’s you?!” The boy inside the room frowned. “Why are you skulking around?”
The boy outside the door awkwardly explained, “The young master ran away! I… I couldn’t stop him!”
“Ran away? You didn’t activate the mechanism?”
“I hadn’t had the chance…” The boy outside the door trembled, not because of his own negligence but because, at this very moment, Lu Qian was actually hiding by the door, waiting for him to finish this lie.
The silver needles he had used for the sneak attack were all now held in Lu Qian’s hand. If one pricked his body, he would immediately succumb to the poison. This made it impossible for him to remain calm.
The sect master, thinking his fear stemmed from a mistake, furrowed his brow and scolded, “You two, go after him separately!”
“Yes!” The boy obeyed and walked out of the door.
In the moment he left, the sect master turned back to look at Xue Yao.
It was in this fleeting moment of relaxation that Lu Qian, taking advantage of the cover provided by the two boys at the door, swiftly attacked. A silver needle flew towards the man inside the room—
Sensing the danger, the sect master’s eyes widened as he turned his head. However, in that instant, a silver needle had already pierced his forehead!
“Master!” The two boys turned around in shock.
“Bang, bang.” The boy struck by Lu Qian fell to the ground.
From Xue Yao’s perspective, he could only see the motionless sect master.
“Come over here!”
Just as Xue Yao was about to approach, the sect master suddenly turned around, with black blood unexpectedly flowing from his eye sockets. His expression was horrifying as he raised his hand to grab Xue Yao!
Xue Yao’s body erupted in cold sweat. He quickly stepped back, his back colliding with the antique shelf.
The sect master seemed to step forward but remained immobile. Lu Qian swiftly arrived and kicked him to the ground. The sect master maintained the posture of reaching out to grab, lying stiff on the ground.
“Let’s go.” Lu Qian grabbed Xue Yao’s wrist.
Xue Yao stared in shock at the wide-eyed sect master lying on the ground. “Is he dead?!”
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