Chapter 14: I

After a brief pause, Zhou Qing said: “I’ll ask him if he hates me. If he says yes, this boy will surely seek revenge later—cannot be spared.”

“What if he says no?” the voice asked.

Zhou Qing snorted: “If he says no, this boy is already deceptively cunning at such a young age—cannot be spared.”

“What if he chooses not to answer?” the voice suddenly grew playful.

Zhou Qing said: “If he doesn’t answer, this boy has profound scheming—sure to become formidable later—cannot be spared.”

After Zhou Qing finished speaking, the voice burst into loud laughter.

“Fascinating, truly fascinating. Morality may have flaws, but life cannot harbor threats. I like this answer. Congratulations—you’ve passed. Take this bowl and leave quickly. The tide is about to surge.”

Zhou Qing stared at the floating broken bowl, bewildered.

Wait, is this too hasty? You’re letting me pass just because I made up nonsense?

And this reward—it’s clearly just fooling a fool.

But suddenly, the entire space grew chillingly dark, and Zhou Qing felt someone whispering into his ear—his hairs stood on end.

He grabbed the broken bowl at once—better to have it than not.

“Aha! Finally, a vessel to carry me out!”

As Zhou Qing gripped the bowl, an excited voice echoed from all around.

Zhou Qing’s face changed instantly—he tried to drop the bowl—but the surroundings rapidly receded again.

“Ugh~~”

It seemed like only a blink—and Zhou Qing reappeared at the grinding key, collapsing to his knees and vomiting.

The broken bowl in his hand blazed with brilliant golden light, then shot free, cackling as it raced straight toward the tunnel.

At that moment, Zhou Qing understood exactly who it was—he felt stifled, and more than that, furious.

He’d unwittingly become an accomplice to a thief—stealing from his own home.

“Who are you?” Zhou Qing cried out in anguish.

The broken bowl instantly halted, and a blurred figure flickered in its center.

He chuckled: “Kid, you can call me Second Uncle!”

“Go to hell with your Second Uncle, despicable worm!” Zhou Qing cursed.

The other wasn’t angry—instead, he seemed delighted.

"Little brat, since you got me out, I’ll gift you this supreme water-element spirit stone. Oh, and for now, I won’t leave Taiqingmen. Later, guess who I am—get it right, and you’ll be rewarded."

As he finished, a streak of blue light shot from the bowl—Zhou Qing instinctively caught it.

Instantly, an indescribably pure energy surged from his palm—he opened his hand to reveal an oval, deep-blue stone.

Its texture was fine, its luster soft and warm, like moonlight on still water.

Zhou Qing stared, unable to believe it.

A supreme spirit stone—a rare strategic asset even within Taiqingmen, typically stored only in the inner vaults.

Not even core disciples like him, let alone peak masters, used them in daily cultivation—only ordinary spirit stones.

This… this… this is outrageous!

When he looked again, the broken bowl had vanished through the passage.

“Done for—now I’m not just an accomplice, I’m sharing the loot. No way to explain this.”

Zhou Qing stared at the supreme spirit stone in his hand—yet couldn’t bring himself to turn it in. Water-element supreme spirit stones emitted the gentlest energy: pure, absorbed like a slow, soothing tide—a true luxury.

Don’t refuse free stuff!

He gritted his teeth and shoved it straight into his storage pouch.

Then, after formulating an excuse, he quickly turned the grinding key…

…………

“The clue you provided is vital. Remember—tell no one.”

“Understood, junior will keep this secret.”

“Good. Your performance was commendable. Choose one of these three secret techniques.”

“Junior is dull—please, Supreme Elder, guide me.”

“Clever boy. Among the three, the Silver Dragon Hand suits you best—balanced offense and defense.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

…………

Little Spirit Peak!

As soon as Zhou Qing returned, Mo Xingjian arrived with Yan Xiaohu in haste.

“Master, I truly swore to the Supreme Elder—I can’t tell anyone.”

“Fourth son, what nonsense are you spouting? Am I ‘anyone’? Is your third brother ‘anyone’?”

“Otherwise?”

“Good, good—a boy who keeps his word. All my years of teaching weren’t wasted. Oh, this chair’s poking my butt—whose fifty spirit stones are these?”

“Mine, mine—I accidentally dropped them. Third brother, if there’s nothing else, please step out. I need to speak with Master.”

“Fourth, you’ve broken my heart. Truly heartless. Put your hand on your chest—how have I treated you? Fourth, have you gotten rich lately? Why are you tossing spirit stones around? Are these thirty yours?”

“Ah, after the cavern incident, I’ve been distracted, forgetful. Just joking! Others are others—but you two are my dearest kin. This time, the magnetic tunnel suddenly filled with wandering souls—I braved danger and crept in bit by bit…”

As time passed and Mo Xingjian finished recounting the whole tale, his brow furrowed deeply; Yan Xiaohu was stunned.

Taiqingmen’s cavern realm was utterly mysterious—only peak masters and the Supreme Elder knew its location.

Fourth’s trip was worth it—he got a secret technique and now access to the No.3 Flame Spirit Blood Pool.

After a brief pause, Mo Xingjian sighed deeply: “I never thought that bastard was still alive in Taiqingmen. I assumed he’d died long ago—so he really pulled off the Golden Cicada Escape.”

“Who?” Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu asked at once.

Mo Xingjian smiled bitterly: “Who else? The one who dug the tunnel.”

“Second Uncle?” Zhou Qing was shocked—his master knew him?

Mo Xingjian said: “Yes, Second Uncle. That shameless scoundrel—he took advantage of us for years after joining Taiqingmen.”

As Mo Xingjian recounted, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu slowly pieced together the truth.

Second Uncle’s real name was Er Daye—no one knew if it was real—but by pun, his name added two generations to his title.

He joined Taiqingmen at the same time as Mo Xingjian and the other peak masters. Sharp-witted, talented—even the former Sect Master intended to pass the entire sect to him.

But during a convoy mission, he was ambushed and died—leaving all the peak masters heartbroken for a long time.

Two years later, powerful outsiders came searching—only then did they learn the truth: this shameless man had stolen cultivation arts from countless sects.

He changed his face and name, infiltrated every major sect, rose to high rank in each—nine sect masters had planned to make him their heir.

But each time, some “accident” killed him.

Mo Xingjian fell silent, lost in thought.

Though everyone despised his actions, his personal charm was unmatched.

Fellow disciples gladly drank with him.

Senior sisters and junior girls loved to stroll past his quarters every night.

He simply had a unique magnetism.

Even after learning the truth, while they cursed him, they secretly hoped he was still alive.

Yet they’d seen his corpse with their own eyes—no one knew how this shameless man had done it.

Time passed—they became peak masters, standing on their own. Yet now, this man was trapped inside the cavern realm.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu listened, utterly stunned.

So he must possess countless top-tier techniques?

“Master, what’s inside the cavern realm that trapped such a man for so long?”

Zhou Qing recalled what he’d seen and couldn’t help asking.

(End of Chapter)