Chapter 292: Familiarity

Inside the mountain gate of the Profound Clarity Sect, Hua Zhixiu stood in silence, paying no heed to the fact that Gao Anyu and Cao Hanyan had already paved a path of blood to within ten zhang of him.

In his hand was Gao Anyu's black ruler; a disciple had retrieved it from a corpse and presented it to him. He had been holding the ruler and staring at it for a long while, wordless, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

An elder standing beside him stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

"Sect Master... is that the weapon?"

Hua Zhixiu nodded.

"Yes, Elder Qi. You have seen it too."

"I had thought today's events were a disaster, but now it seems this might be a stroke of fortune for our Profound Clarity Sect—the 'Heavenly Human Inheritance' we have sought in vain for decades has delivered itself to our doorstep."

He suddenly looked toward Gao Anyu, who was still in the midst of battle, his eyes filled with undisguised greed.

"Elder Qi, tell me, what are our chances of capturing this boy alive?"

The elder sighed.

"I fear only sixty or seventy percent."

"Although these two young men are still of tender age, they are both prodigies capable of suppressing the entire Jianghu. Their moves, internal energy, force, and adaptability in battle are all at the peak of the first-rate."

"In a life-or-death struggle, having to hold back so as not to take their lives while also preventing them from escaping... even if we know the method to break one of their styles, I fear we only have a sixty or seventy percent chance of success."

Hua Zhixiu stared fixedly at Gao Anyu, the greed in his eyes intensifying, the corners of his mouth curling up.

"Is that not enough?"

"That is the Heavenly Human Inheritance! At the Moon Appreciation Banquet, those great sects fought until rivers of blood flowed, all just to keep this thing in their own hands. Even Shaolin and Wudang had to bow their heads to the imperial court for it."

"Elder Qi, a Heavenly Human! A Heavenly Human!"

"Eternal youth, seeing the divine without decay, regrowing severed limbs! Is that not enough for our Profound Clarity Sect to gamble everything?"

The old man was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice.

"But, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Lord Xue will be arriving shortly... We are not a 'Peak' sect; according to the rules of that Regional Commander, we have no right to possess a Heavenly Human Inheritance."

Hearing this, Hua Zhixiu frowned.

A Heavenly Human Inheritance was good, but the dead could not practice martial arts. The scheme he had just used to lure the Embroidered Uniform Guard here and frame Gao Anyu and Cao Hanyan had now become a liability.

After a long while, a look of ruthlessness appeared on his face.

"Unless—we go all the way!"

Under Elder Qi's astonished gaze, Hua Zhixiu's expression grew increasingly frantic.

"Today, thieves came up the mountain, destroyed the wooden tablets, and killed the Embroidered Uniform Guard. My Profound Clarity Sect fought them to the death, suffering countless casualties, and only then managed to surround and kill them—what do you think of this story?"

"You want to kill the Embroidered Uniform Guard!?"

The old man was shocked and lowered his voice.

"Why not?"

He was met with Hua Zhixiu's increasingly greedy smile.

"Once we attain the Heavenly Human realm, the world is ours to roam! Even if our Profound Clarity Sect moves the entire sect to the Western Regions, it would be better than being stifled here in Guangxin Prefecture! Is there any treasure in this world that can be picked up so easily?"

The words sounded fine, but the old man knew in his heart that there is no wall that does not leak. With so many disciples in the Profound Clarity Sect, no one could guarantee that everyone would keep their mouths shut; Hua Zhixiu could not possibly be unaware of this.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard would eventually discover the truth. Once Hua Zhixiu obtained the Heavenly Human Inheritance, he would likely vanish without a word. He would flee the Great Ming before the Guard discovered the truth, leaving the entire Profound Clarity Sect to face the wrath of that Embroidered Uniform Guard Regional Commander.

His feelings for the sect and his greed for the Heavenly Human Inheritance left the old man unable to make a choice.

Hua Zhixiu said slowly.

"Besides, we don't just have a sixty or seventy percent chance of winning. There is another force we can borrow—the Prefecture Garrison!"

The old man frowned.

Today was the day the Prefect of Guangxin Prefecture was to "inspect" the Profound Clarity Sect.

At the beginning of this year, the imperial court was in turmoil, which had affected the previous Prefect of Guangxin, leading to his family being wiped out and his property confiscated. The new Prefect had only arrived a few months ago, and it was said he was a failure who had been kicked out of the capital.

After spending months confirming that neither he nor the Prefect were good people, they had set today for an official "inspection"—which was actually a cover for secret benefit exchanges.

The Prefect was coming in person, and this was not a secret visit; he would certainly bring a garrison escort. If these garrison troops were added... they would likely have an eighty or ninety percent chance of keeping these two boys here!

Hua Zhixiu said slowly.

"First, kill the Embroidered Uniform Guard and pin the disaster on these two boys."

"Then, we will swarm them with the whole sect and see if we can take them down. If we fail, we will drag it out until the Prefect arrives. Compared to these two boys of unknown origin, he will certainly trust our Profound Clarity Sect more."

"With the full strength of our Profound Clarity Sect, plus the garrison, this matter is as good as done! Elder Qi, opportunity knocks but once!"

The old man gritted his teeth; such an opportunity was indeed hard to come by.

"Fine! Let's do it!"

"Good!"

Hua Zhixiu smiled with satisfaction.

As the two spoke, footsteps could be heard from the direction of the back hall. The disciple sent to the back mountain to deliver the message ran over first, followed by a middle-aged man in black martial attire, carrying an Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, walking over with a frown.

"Lord Xue."

The two bowed.

This man was Xue Zhongjing, an Embroidered Uniform Guard Platoon Leader under An Ziyang, who had been stationed at the Profound Clarity Sect after the Moon Appreciation Banquet to count heads and distribute rewards.

"What is going on? Who dared to destroy the wooden tablet issued by my Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

By now, he was furious to the extreme.

With the tablet destroyed, his mission was a complete failure. Given how much his superior, An Ziyang, valued Li Miao's rules, he would certainly not show him any mercy; keeping half his life would be a luxury.

If not for the desire to make amends and earn a path of survival for his wife and children, he would have packed his bags and fled long ago.

Xue Zhongjing was burning with anxiety, his eyes bloodshot, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade, looking at everyone with murderous intent.

"Sect Master Hua, what is going on! Can your Profound Clarity Sect not even guard a single wooden tablet! How do you have the face to stand in the Jianghu!"

He cursed angrily.

Hua Zhixiu put on a fawning and aggrieved expression.

"My lord, it is not that my Profound Clarity Sect did not try our best, but the thieves are too fierce! Look—"

He gestured, drawing Xue Zhongjing's gaze toward the battle circle.

"The thieves are these three people."

Xue Zhongjing followed his gaze.

During this time, Gao Anyu and Cao Hanyan had forced their way another three zhang closer to the main hall, leaving blood, broken swords, and rolling, wailing bodies in their wake.

Xue Zhongjing first glanced at the two young men. Although his martial arts were mediocre and he could only serve as a Platoon Leader, he had served in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for many years and had a sharp eye.

At a single glance, he knew these two were prodigies who would surely become top-tier experts in time. If they had the opportunity, they might even attain the Heavenly Human realm.

The Profound Clarity Sect had no top-tier experts to suppress them, so it was understandable that they could not stop them.

He turned his gaze toward Li Miao, who was being protected in the middle by Gao and Cao and walking slowly toward them, and frowned.

Li Miao was also looking at him. As their gazes met, Xue Zhongjing's heart skipped a beat for no reason, and his knees felt weak.

He had no impression of the face.

But the manner of walking with hands behind his back, the narrow, casual smile—it made him feel inexplicably familiar—a familiarity that went deep into his marrow and was carved into his nerves.

A familiarity that terrified him to the bone.