SS CH116

Xuan Su’s journey was anxious and bumpy. By the time he finally managed to bring Ye Fusheng back to the room in the left wing while avoiding detection, it was already past the hour of Chou.

In the dead of night, Xuan Su wiped a thin layer of sweat from his forehead. Full of worry, he settled Ye Fusheng onto the bed and reached out to check his pulse. He felt the man’s qi and blood were stagnant and his internal breath chaotic, as if his internal martial arts cultivation had gone awry. Yet, observing his expression, it also seemed as if he had been poisoned. Unaware of the exact situation, Xuan Su naturally dared not act rashly. He transferred a stream of gentle internal energy to protect the man’s heart meridians before going to knock on Duanheng’s door.

Unexpectedly, Duanheng was not in his room. Xuan Su touched the bed and the teapot; both were completely cold. It seemed Duanheng had never returned since leaving for the Yunshui Hall.

Frowning, Xuan Su recalled the matter of the hidden spies that Ye Fusheng had mentioned. He didn’t disturb the other disciples who were already resting. Instead, after a moment of hesitation, he headed toward the room occupied by Xie Li and Xue Chanyi.

Because the guest rooms were already tight, and Xue Chanyi had moved over from the Luhua Courtyard, Ye Fusheng had vacated his room for the siblings and moved to Xuan Su’s room to sleep on a long bench. Mindful of the boundaries between men and women, the disciples of the Taishang Palace generally avoided going near that room, and Xuan Su had gone out of his way to detour around it earlier that day. But now, faced with an urgent situation, he had no choice but to brace himself and knock.

Although Xie Li was a boy, he was still young. Xue Chanyi, her mind troubled by events, couldn’t sleep peacefully anyway. She simply let him sleep on the bed while she dragged the long bench behind a folding screen, using martial arts meditation in lieu of sleep. Therefore, the moment the sound arose, she opened her eyes alertly.

Xue Chanyi quietly patted Xie Li awake. The siblings each gripped their weapons. When the second knock sounded, Xue Chanyi asked in a low voice through the door, “Who is it?”

A deliberately lowered, clear male voice came from outside. “This poor Daoist is Xuan Su. I apologize for disturbing Miss Xue late at night. I have matters to inquire about; I wonder if it is convenient?”

The young master of the Taishang Palace, Xuan Su. Xue Chanyi had only briefly crossed paths with him when she moved in earlier today. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a self-disciplined cultivator. Moreover, since she was currently receiving their protection, she couldn’t afford to be arrogant.

After only a moment’s consideration, she shielded Xie Li behind her, unlatched the door, and said, “Yes.”

Xuan Su breathed a soft sigh of relief. However, knocking on a door late at night was already inappropriate; entering a young woman’s room would be entirely contrary to etiquette. Seeing Xue Chanyi open the door, he instead stepped back into the shadows under the eaves and said, “Thank you, Miss Xue. This poor Daoist was out on business today. Upon returning late, I cannot find my Martial Uncle. I wonder if Miss Xue has any news of him?”

Xue Chanyi shook her head. She had busied herself with moving after meeting Ye Fusheng earlier today, and had rested in her room afterward to avoid trouble. She genuinely didn’t know Duanheng’s whereabouts. However, Xie Li poked his head out from behind her and whispered, “The Daoist should have gone to the Stupa Forest with the Abbot.”

The so-called Stupa Forest is a designated ancestral graveyard within large, prosperous temples, consisting of the tomb stupas of eminent monks through the ages. Though not an unmentionable place, it is a sacred ground within the temple. Let alone outsiders, even the temple’s own monks rarely entered it.

Wuxiang Temple had a long history and a far-reaching reputation, boasting nearly a hundred stupas. Among them were seven Pagodas, intended to imprison evil and subdue demons, urging them to lay down their butcher’s knives and immediately attain Buddhahood.

The Right Protector of the Burial Soul Palace, Zhao Qing, whose capture had sparked this martial arts assembly, was imprisoned within one of these Pagodas.

Xuan Su was startled. Xue Chanyi frowned and asked, “A-Li, where did you get this news?”

Since they reunited, Xie Li had stayed by her side. He had barely left the left wing courtyard all afternoon. How could Xie Li know something she was unaware of?

Xie Li replied, “In the evening, while sister was organizing the room, I was pacing in the front courtyard and met a monk. He originally came looking for Daoist Xuan Su, but since you were away, he asked me to pass a message. He said Daoist Duanheng would not return today, as he went with Abbot Sejian to the Stupa Forest to see the imprisoned demon.”

Xue Chanyi’s brow didn’t unfurrow. “Then why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

Xie Li glanced at Xuan Su and said, “That little monk said… I must only tell this directly to Daoist Xuan Su, and must not speak a word of it to anyone else.”

Xue Chanyi felt something was strange. This matter didn’t sound particularly crucial. Logically, anyone could have been asked to pass the message or leave a note; there was no need for such caution. Yet the other party acted so carefully, entrusting the message to a child to pass on to Xuan Su. No matter how she thought about it, there seemed to be a problem.

She pondered for a moment but couldn’t make heads or tails of it. She could only say to Xuan Su, “This matter seems somewhat peculiar, Daoist, you should consider it carefully. If there is anything I can help with, please do not hesitate to ask.”

Xuan Su’s brow slowly relaxed. “There is indeed a matter I require Miss Xue’s assistance with.”

Hearing this, Xue Chanyi actually felt relieved. After all, the Duanshui Manor had no ties or relations with the Taishang Palace. Although she and her brother had a relationship with Ye Fusheng, they ultimately had no connection with the Taishang Palace itself. Now that they were receiving their protection, they had to contribute in some way.

She watched as Xuan Su reached into his robes and pulled out a pendant. It was woven from red string and a silver lock, though unfortunately, it was stained with blood and mud, looking filthy and unappealing.

He had yanked this from the neck of a crazed human sacrifice in the Du’e Cave. The man’s hair had been wildly disheveled and his clothes in tatters, making it impossible to recognize him; only this pendant remained relatively intact. Xuan Su had taken it out to examine on the way back but found no obvious markings, save for the words “Long Life of a Hundred Years” carved into the silver lock. The carving was rough, not resembling the work of an artisan.

He wrapped the pendant in a handkerchief, handed it over, and said, “I ask Miss Xue to help investigate whose possession this might be.”

The Taishang Palace had just arrived and attracted too much attention, so Xuan Su couldn’t easily dispatch his fellow disciples to investigate. He could only borrow the strength of the Duanshui Manor. After all, the Xie family was now reduced to an orphaned girl and boy; wandering around and gathering some news wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

Xue Chanyi didn’t ask further questions. She accepted the item and said, “I will personally take people to investigate.”

Xuan Su felt slightly relieved. Ye Fusheng had once told him that Miss Xue of the Duanshui Manor was meticulous despite her rough exterior, possessed her own measure of judgment in all things, and would not fail to be a good source of help in emergencies. It seemed it was indeed true.

After the matter was settled, Xuan Su didn’t linger. He turned and returned to his room.

Ye Fusheng had not yet awakened. Judging by his tightly furrowed brow and the hands unconsciously clutching the bedding, he wasn’t sleeping peacefully. Xuan Su reached out to feel his forehead; it wasn’t burning, but rather alarmingly cold and drenched in a clammy sweat.

Worried but helpless, Xuan Su could only sit by the table, resting his chin on his hand. However, the taut string in his mind didn’t relax. While keeping an eye on Ye Fusheng’s condition, he mentally connected all the events that had occurred recently.

As his fingers stroked the bronze flute, he recalled the scene he had witnessed in the Du’e Cave, and murderous intent surged in his chest once more.

This murderous intent came fiercely and aggressively. Xuan Su’s fingers trembled uncontrollably, his gaze becoming as ruthless as a venomous wolf. Yet in the very next moment, he suppressed it, skillfully reciting the heart-calming mantra in his mind.

He had indeed become quite adept at controlling his own murderous urges.

Cultivators are supposed to calm their minds and nourish their qi, but Xuan Su was an exception. He was once a foolish, crazed idiot. When Daoist Duanya brought him back to Wangchen Peak at the age of eight, half his body was covered in wounds. He was like an abused, wild little dog—fierce towards anyone he saw, understanding nothing.

Logically, even if a young child went mad, they shouldn’t be able to cause much trouble. But barely two days after arriving on the mountain, the young Xuan Su had injured several people. Although they were all low-level disciples and odd-job workers with superficial martial arts, the youngest among them was still a half-grown teenager. No matter how one looked at it, they shouldn’t have been beaten bloody by a small child.

The reason was none other than this: though Xuan Su was only eight years old, he possessed a martial arts foundation established very early on. He had likely practiced martial arts since early childhood, and the techniques were carved into his very flesh and bones. Even if he remembered nothing, his body retained the deepest impressions.

Moreover, that particular set of martial arts lacked mental cultivation formulas; it was pure physical instinct, like the life-and-death struggle of a wild beast. The moment he grew angry, murderous intent would arise—every strike ruthless, vicious, and unpredictable.

At the time, who knows how many people in the Taishang Palace opposed his entry into the sect because of this. Ultimately, Duanya forcefully overruled the dissenting opinions in a rare display of dominance, taking him out to wander the world and seek medical treatment. They were gone for two years. Finally, his brain was cured somewhere unknown. Able to understand matters and listen to orders, he was then brought back to the mountain.

Xuan Su’s memories only began from the age of ten.

With his brain cured, the idiot turned out to be an intelligent and pure child. He seemed to retain his beast-like instincts, relying on intuition to judge people and events. Unable to learn overly complex, convoluted ways of thinking, his straightforwardness made it impossible to bear down on him too harshly. Xuan Su also possessed high talent in the martial path. Guided painstakingly by Duanya and willing to put in hard work himself, he never made things difficult for his masters.

It was just that the set of martial arts couldn’t be discarded. Duanya originally intended for him to learn martial arts from scratch, but those techniques had been hammered into his bones through terrifying methods when he was oblivious, making them impossible to forget or cast aside. Seeing that the “murder weapon” couldn’t be destroyed, Duanya simply had him learn how to “conceal his edge.” He used scriptures and Daoist principles to guide his mind on the right path, setting down various rules and restrictions to govern his behavior. Although this made him somewhat rigid and inflexible, it ultimately prevented him from straying onto the wrong path.

Unfortunately, Duanya passed away before he could teach him how to establish himself in the world, only having taught him how to conduct himself.

To Xuan Su, Duanya was both a master and a father. Without Daoist Duanya, Ji Qingyan, there would be no Daoist Xuan Su, Ji Yunshu in this world. He would either still be a foolish idiot wasting away his days, or he would be rotting into a pile of bones somewhere, untouched even by dogs.

Because of this, Xuan Su always viewed the Taishang Palace as a responsibility he had to shoulder. It was only natural, and he never shirked it. It was just that his martial arts were excellent, but his shrewdness was lacking. In this chaotic world, he struggled to shoulder the heavy burden, which was why he had stumbled along until now without taking great power.

The fierce undercurrents of this martial arts assembly were indeed, as Duanqing had said, a test and an opportunity for him.

Xuan Su’s mind was full of chaotic thoughts when he was suddenly startled by the distant sound of clamor outside. He pushed open the door and saw that the other people in the left wing had also been disturbed. They gathered in the courtyard, murmuring among themselves while looking toward the sudden flare of firelight in the east.

Someone shouted, “The Sutra Depository is on fire!”

The Sutra Depository, located in the rear-east section of the main hall, housed countless scriptures and ancient texts, as well as the inherited martial arts manuals of the Taishang Palace.

The moment these words were spoken, everyone’s expression changed drastically. Xuan Su barely regained his senses. Seeing the disciples hadn’t reacted yet, he sank his breath to his dantian and shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Hurry to the Sutra Depository and help put out the fire!”

The thirty-odd disciples crowded in the courtyard finally awoke from their stupor and rushed toward the courtyard gate. The sharper ones grabbed wooden buckets and bedding. Xuan Su frowned as he watched them file out. Hearing the chaotic shouts and running footsteps, he figured the entire temple had been awakened and was swarming toward the scene.

His raised foot paused. Catching a glimpse of Xue Chanyi and Xie Li emerging from their room, he walked over and whispered, “I must trouble Miss Xue to go over and help keep an eye on things. I will be right back.”

Xue Chanyi’s mind was sharp. “You fear someone is making a feint to the east while attacking in the west?”

Xuan Su replied, “It is always best to be careful. I will trouble the Miss.”

Saying this, he tapped his foot on the ground, vaulted onto the roof, and vanished into the night in a few bounds.