Chapter 560: Furnace Cauldron

On Yunfu Peak at night, everything was tranquil; lights shone from the pavilions, and looking at them from afar, they resembled an exquisite pagoda in the darkness.

In the night, Duan Rong whistled as he rode the wind, landing lightly like a falling leaf not far from the pavilion.

As soon as he landed and took two steps forward, two Guards flashed out, standing half a zhang away with swords drawn, shouting vigilantly: "Who goes there?"

The defenses of Yunfu Peak at night were always tight; in the darkness, the slightest movement would bring Guards flashing out.

"It is I!"

Duan Rong called out, then took two more steps forward, walking into a patch of dim, mottled lamplight.

The dim light from the lanterns hanging under the pavilion eaves had already shone onto Duan Rong's face from afar.

The Guard's expression turned to one of surprise, and he said: "It is Lord Duan!?"

Duan Rong said: "I have returned for a matter."

The two Guards immediately stepped aside, cupped their fists, bowed, and stood to the side, saying: "This lowly one deserves death! I have startled you, my Lord!"

Duan Rong did not speak; he walked straight past, entered the pavilion, and headed toward the Document Repository.

In the Document Repository at night, a few dim lanterns were lit; the History Supervisor on duty, Zhang Xinping, was half-reclining on a grandmaster chair, dangling his feet on the desk.

Meanwhile, several Attendants over there were busy among the shelves, filing the various documents received that day.

Zhang Xinping yawned and pulled a blanket over himself. He quite liked being on duty at night; there were no handovers, it was quiet, and it would pass once he had a sleep.

He had just closed his eyes when he suddenly heard a cough.

Zhang Xinping did not move as he lay there; he opened his eyelids and swept a glance toward the entrance. Seeing a figure standing there, he then turned his head and stared, his eyes focusing on a familiar face illuminated by the dim lamplight.

"Lord Duan!?"

Zhang Xinping was so startled he jumped up immediately, the blanket fluttering to the floor, and he did not even bother to pick it up.

Duan Rong smiled and said: "History Supervisor Zhang! I am sorry, I have disturbed your rest."

Zhang Xinping's expression was somewhat awkward as he said: "Not at all! This lowly one saw that there was nothing to do at this time, so I was just taking a small nap. Please do not blame me, my Lord!"

Duan Rong smiled, patted Zhang Xinping on the shoulder, and said: "Being on duty at night is hard work! If you don't sleep, what would you do? History Supervisor Zhang, there is no need to be alarmed!"

Seeing Duan Rong speak this way with a warm attitude, Zhang Xinping finally felt a little more at ease and said: "Many thanks for your understanding, my Lord!" His gaze then shifted, and he said: "My Lord, you have come to the Document Repository late at night; is there something the matter?"

Duan Rong said: "That is right. I wish to consult a recent document."

Zhang Xinping said: "My Lord, whatever document you wish to consult, just command this lowly one, and I will find it for you right away."

Duan Rong said: "The file sent over by the Ruling Sect Justice Division a few days ago regarding the disappearance of Xiao Qiwu and the loss of the God-Striking Whip. I would like to see it."

"The file on the loss of the God-Striking Whip? This..." A look of difficulty appeared on Zhang Xinping's face.

Such files in the Document Repository belonged to a higher level of classified documents; according to the rules, Duan Rong had no authority to access them.

Duan Rong looked at Zhang Xinping and said: "I know; according to the management rules of the Document Repository, only the Department Head and Senior Brother Wu are authorized to access classified documents of this level."

The Senior Brother Wu that Duan Rong spoke of was Wu Shidao; Zhu He had handed the management of the Document Repository over to Wu Shidao, so only the two of them could access any classified documents here.

Duan Rong said: "It is just that it is late now, and it would be inconvenient to disturb Senior Brother Wu. I wish to consult this file because I was locked in Wanxiang Cave when this case occurred, so I am quite curious about what happened on Wuliang Cliff during that period. History Supervisor Zhang, you know this as well; I was struck three times on Wuliang Cliff for violating the Sect Iron Law."

"This... this lowly one knows..." Zhang Xinping then remembered that when this case occurred, Duan Rong was indeed locked in Wanxiang Cave.

Seeing that Zhang Xinping still would not give in, Duan Rong stiffened his expression and said with an angry tone: "Since it is inconvenient for History Supervisor Zhang! Then I shall come back tomorrow after obtaining a written order from Senior Brother Wu!"

Seeing Duan Rong's angry tone and gloomy expression, Zhang Xinping's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately piled on a smile: "It is not inconvenient at all!? Lord Duan, you only wish to consult a file, how could that be inconvenient! My Lord, please wait a moment, this lowly one will go get the file for you right now."

Duan Rong flicked his sleeve and sat down before the desk with a cold face.

If this person did not know how to be flexible, he would have to see Wu Shidao tomorrow to consult the file. In any case, he had to see this file. Moreover, this case had occurred while he was locked in Wanxiang Cave, so it was only natural for him to want to see the file.

It did not take long for Zhang Xinping to bring the file over; Duan Rong took it with a cold face, not even glancing at Zhang Xinping.

Zhang Xinping presented the file, and seeing that Duan Rong had no intention of speaking, he carefully retreated. After walking a few steps, he looked back at Duan Rong's back and could not help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He deeply regretted being too rigid just now and agreeing too slowly, as he had clearly displeased this Lord Duan, who had quite a background.

Duan Rong had already put the matter of Zhang Xinping aside in his heart; the cold face he had shown him earlier was merely to warn him.

Duan Rong spread out the file and began to read with focused eyes.

The disappearance of Xiao Qiwu and the loss of the God-Striking Whip could be considered a major case within the Taiyi Sect. Thus, the file was written in great detail.

Duan Rong scanned the first few pages and flipped directly to the end to look at the conclusion; as expected, it was being handled as an unsolved case.

Then, he began to read the detailed analysis of every clue in the file, one by one...

"Jing Chou?! Ge Rusong's personal old servant!?"

This person named Jing Chou had actually come to Wuliang Peak to pay respects to Xiao Qiwu two days before he himself received the three lashes on Wuliang Cliff; even more bizarrely, after this fellow returned, he had hanged himself the night before his own punishment!

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon!

This Jing Chou was so strange; Duan Rong absolutely did not believe that he had no ulterior motives!

"It seems the root of this matter lies with Ge Rusong! Truly, a centipede dies but never stiffens!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered as he recalled the booklet he had found on Xiao Qiwu, as well as the Yang Fish of the Yin-Yang Fish.

He pondered for a moment and continued reading downward.

The further he read, the greater the suspicion in Duan Rong's heart became.

It turned out that this Jing Chou had not only paid respects to Xiao Qiwu, but the day before he died, he had also paid respects to another Sect Elder: Shentu Ying of the Purple Bamboo Forest.

"Shentu Ying?!" Duan Rong knitted his brows, his eyes revealing a look of deep contemplation.

"If the Yang Fish of the Yin-Yang Fish is in Xiao Qiwu's hands, then the Yin Fish..."

Suddenly, a shocking answer emerged in Duan Rong's heart.

Based on this answer, he could almost conclude that this Sect Elder named Shentu Ying, just like Xiao Qiwu, was a sword hanging over his head—very dangerous.

"I must find a way to resolve this hidden danger!" Duan Rong's expression was somewhat grave.

This Shentu Ying was a Sect Elder and a powerhouse of the Dongming Realm; resolving this hidden danger would likely not be something he could accomplish in a short time. Duan Rong subconsciously touched the Yinlu Cicada hanging around his neck. For him, the most urgent problem right now was that he was about to enter the God-Demon Relic; the matter of Shentu Ying could only be dealt with after coming out of the God-Demon Relic.

As Duan Rong thought this, he realized the file had already been flipped to the last page.

He closed the file, rethought the few important pieces of information, and confirmed that there were no loopholes in his reasoning before rising and walking out of the Document Repository without a word.

The moment Zhang Xinping saw Duan Rong stand up, he immediately rose to his feet. He smiled awkwardly, wanting to offer a greeting, but seeing Duan Rong's gloomy expression as he walked straight past, he had no choice but to sheepishly keep his mouth shut and go over to put away the files.

After tidying the files, he called over the Attendant who was busy among the shelves nearby, swept a cold gaze across them, and said in a low voice, "Regarding the fact that the lord just came to review the documents, no one is to speak of it. If anyone lets word leak out, don't blame me, Zhang, for being impolite!"

Those few Attendants all timidly agreed.

Only then did Zhang Xinping, with an ugly expression, go to sleep on the grand armchair in the front, but for some reason, he could never sleep soundly and kept having nightmares...

On this day, as the night deepened, Chu Wushang walked slowly into the deep valley and entered Lv Yinlin's Cave Abode.

Chu Wushang walked into the Cave Abode and discovered that Lv Yinlin was not in the depths of the cave; he was not in a hurry and just stood there waiting silently.

About a stick of incense later, a stone door on a stone wall deep within the Cave Abode trembled and then sank down, and Lv Yinlin walked out with a weary expression.

Every three days, he had to channel his energy for Lv Qingzhu to control his injuries.

As soon as Lv Yinlin exited the Secret Chamber, he saw Chu Wushang standing there and asked with a fixed gaze, "What is it?"

Chu Wushang took out a document and said, "The preliminary list for entering the God-Demon Relic has been drafted. This was just sent over by Chu Qiushan."

Lv Yinlin's gaze shifted; only then did he remember that he had given Chu Qiushan five days to finalize the list of candidates to enter the God-Demon Relic, and tomorrow was the final day.

Lv Yinlin said, "Leave it there."

He did not actually care about who specifically entered the God-Demon Relic. Although the candidates on the list were surely the outstanding talents of the Sect in recent years, to tell the truth, the only one who caught his eye was Duan Rong.

For an Ancestor of the Sect like Lv Yinlin, he only cared about seedlings with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul Realm. The cultivation of other talents had absolutely nothing to do with him; that was the business of Chu Qiushan and the others.

Chu Wushang placed the document on the Stone Table and then remained standing there, motionless.

Lv Yinlin gave him a strange look and asked, "Anything else?"

Chu Wushang said, "Shentu Ying has been waiting at my place for an hour, saying she wants to see you."

"Shentu Ying?!" A strange look appeared on Lv Yinlin's face.

Over a hundred years ago, because he was practicing a cultivation technique—the very same technique associated with the Black Jade Coffin that Lv Qingzhu was currently lying in—called the Cold Evil Technique.

This technique had a certain nourishing effect on a Nascent Soul, but it was quite difficult to master.

He had spent quite a bit of effort to master this technique. That Black Jade Coffin had once helped him break through a bottleneck, and there was another bottleneck he had broken through with the help of Shentu Ying.

Calling it "help" was actually just him using Shentu Ying as a cultivation cauldron at the time.

However, afterward, he did not treat Shentu Ying unfairly; he kept her by his side to cultivate and helped her advance to the Dongming Realm. It was just that this woman's talent was mediocre, and she remained at the early stage of the Dongming Realm, with no further breakthroughs for over a hundred years.

Back then, when she achieved the Dongming Realm, Lv Yinlin had her leave the valley.

Over a hundred years had passed, and there had been no contact between the two. Lv Yinlin had almost forgotten their past entanglements; if Chu Wushang hadn't suddenly mentioned the name, he wouldn't even have remembered it.

"Tell her to come in," Lv Yinlin said after a brief pause.

After all, this woman had never come to find him in these hundred-plus years, so she could be considered to know her place. Since she had come this time, no matter the reason, he should at least listen.

Upon hearing this, Chu Wushang turned and walked out of the Cave Abode.

Not long after, he led a slightly hunched, aged figure out of the Deadwood Forest and into the quiet deep valley.

At this moment, the bright moon spilled silver radiance, illuminating the valley entrance. One could see that the person following behind Chu Wushang was an old woman with a trembling gait, her hair white and the wrinkles on her face deep as ravines. This person was Shentu Ying, who lived in seclusion in the Purple Bamboo Forest and was known as Poison Granny.

As soon as Shentu Ying stepped into the deep valley, her expression shifted. She had not stepped into this deep valley for over a hundred years; revisiting the old place, her heart was suddenly filled with mixed emotions.

In truth, back then, she had felt both love and hate for Lv Yinlin.

What she hated was that Lv Yinlin had only treated her as a cultivation cauldron, discarding her once used and driving her out of this deep valley.

But Lv Yinlin had, after all, helped her cultivate and allowed her to break through to the Dongming Realm; otherwise, after these hundred-plus years, she would likely have already passed away.

Chu Wushang stood before an ancient pine and pointed to a Cave Abode three zhang away, saying, "Shentu Ying, that is the Cave Abode; go on your own."

Shentu Ying nodded and said, "Master Chu, thank you!" Her voice was somewhat hoarse, the very voice of an old woman.

Chu Wushang did not speak and turned to walk toward the valley entrance.

Shentu Ying glanced at the Cave Abode three zhang away but did not walk over immediately; instead, she stared blankly at the ancient pine beside her under the moonlight.

Over a hundred years ago, when she had just left this deep valley, this pine tree had only just been as tall as a canopy, but now, it was unexpectedly this ancient and secluded...

Shentu Ying stood there for a good while before finally walking toward the Cave Abode with a trembling gait.

She stopped at the entrance of the Cave Abode, hesitating slightly, when she heard a voice drift out. "Come in."

The voice was devoid of joy or sorrow, yet it crossed a hundred years of time to tremble her eardrums once more. But Shentu Ying's heart was already cold as stone, no longer to be moved.

She stepped slowly into the Cave Abode!

In the deep valley of the Cave Abode, Lv Yinlin sat before the Stone Table, looking down at a document.

On the stone wall, mushrooms emitted a greenish, ghostly light, illuminating his profile.

Shentu Ying stood there, staring blankly at Lv Yinlin's profile. Having not seen him for over a hundred years, Lv Yinlin had hardly changed at all.

Shentu Ying knelt down of her own accord and called out, "Shentu Ying pays respects to the Ancestor!"

Lv Yinlin only looked at the document in his hand and did not answer. After a while, he said leisurely, "Have you been doing well all these years?"

As Lv Yinlin spoke, he turned his head to look at Shentu Ying, only to see an old woman with a face full of wrinkles kneeling not far away. Lv Yinlin frowned; this woman had been a great beauty back then, and he had not expected that a hundred years of time would make her look so aged.

Truly, the twilight of a beauty...

Shentu Ying said, "Thank you for your concern, Ancestor. There is no 'well' or 'not well,' just struggling through the days."

Seeing Shentu Ying in this state, Lv Yinlin had no desire to reminisce and asked impatiently, "What is your business in seeing me?"

Shentu Ying said, "It is regarding the opening of the God-Demon Relic. Ten years ago, I took in a disciple named Su Xinjue. This child, Xinjue, has excellent talent and is filial, and she has won my favor. The opening of the God-Demon Relic this time is a rare opportunity, and I would like for her to participate as well..."

Upon hearing this, Lv Yinlin's expression turned gloomy. The list Chu Qiushan had sent him did not contain the name Su Xinjue. It would naturally be very simple for him to add a name to this list, but he really did not want to interfere in such matters.

Lv Yinlin remained silent.

Shentu Ying had served Lv Yinlin for many years; the moment she saw his expression and reaction, she knew his thoughts and said, "All these years, I have never asked you for anything. Just this one thing; once this is over, I will never see you again in this life!"

Upon hearing this, Lv Yinlin's eyelid merely twitched, but he still did not speak.

Shentu Ying sighed suddenly and said, "A hundred years of time, the sentiments of the past, are ultimately nothing more than fleeting shadows."

With an old woman with a face full of wrinkles saying such things, a sense of disgust could not help but rise in Lv Yinlin's heart.

But at this very moment, a 'pop' sound erupted from all over Shentu Ying's body; her clothes and scalp actually exploded, and fragments flew everywhere...

Lv Yinlin felt a shock in his heart and turned his head, only to see a body with exquisite curves and smooth, lustrous skin standing not far away; the eerie cyan glow of the mushrooms on the stone wall added even more allure to this perfect body.

Lv Yinlin's pupils constricted slightly as he looked toward Shentu Ying's face.

It was a beautiful and stunning face, like that of a young woman in her twenties; a hundred years of time had left no traces on that face, save for two faint, barely visible crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.

Lv Yinlin could not help but let his lips tremble slightly, because Shentu Ying was already walking toward him, her smooth legs crossing as she moved with an indescribable charm...

(End of chapter)