Chapter 326

Guangxin Prefecture, Huaiyu Mountain.

Kongming Sect.

Amidst the layered forest, the mountain path extended slowly upward, coming to an abrupt halt outside the mountain gate of the Kongming Sect.

A plaque hung above the mountain gate, with the three large characters "Kongming Sect" carved squarely upon it. On the other side of the plaque hung a palm-sized wooden sign, inscribed with the two characters "Ascend Peak."

A young man looked up at the wooden sign, sighed, jumped up to take it down, pulled a piece of high-quality soft cloth from his bosom, and wiped it meticulously.

After checking it in the sunlight to confirm it was clean, he used his light-body technique to jump up and hang the sign back in its original place. Beside the wooden sign, the Kongming Sect's plaque had accumulated quite a bit of dust, but the young man turned a blind eye to it.

The young man was named Liu Wenbin, and he was the "Gate-Closing Disciple" of the Kongming Sect.

The disciple responsible for closing the gate.

And the reason he had sighed earlier was precisely because of this "Gate-Closing Disciple" chore.

He had average talent and no connections, so he had originally planned to just drift through life within the sect. If it were in the past, he would certainly have been happy to do this gate-guarding job—no need to work, no need to travel, and as long as the masters didn't see him, no one would care if he squatted outside the gate reading storybooks.

Unfortunately, ever since this wooden sign was hung up, this job had become anything but easy.

The sign could not be dirty, could not be wet, and could not be scratched. He had to take it down when it was windy, take it down when it rained; not only was he never free for a moment, but he even had to be terrified if a bird flew over, fearing bird droppings might land on the sign.

It was truly a bitter chore with no rest day or night, regardless of wind or rain.

Fortunately—Liu Wenbin looked up at the position of the sun—it was almost time for the shift change. He could have a good rest this afternoon and wouldn't have to stand here on pins and needles anymore.

Planning to go down the mountain later to find some food, a relaxed smile appeared on Liu Wenbin's face.

"Wenbin, what are you so happy about?"

An aged voice suddenly came from behind. Liu Wenbin was startled and turned around abruptly. Only after seeing who it was did he let out a long breath.

"Elder Long, you've returned?"

The person speaking to him was an old man with white hair and beard, thin cheeks, and a spirited demeanor. His small eyes were squinted into two slits as he nodded with a smile.

"Mm, I went for a stroll down the mountain, but I didn't find any new food; it was quite boring—what were you thinking about just now?"

Liu Wenbin scratched his head and smiled embarrassedly.

"Just like you, I was thinking of going down the mountain this afternoon to find some food. Since you say there's nothing, I might as well just sleep inside the sect."

The old man smiled and patted his shoulder.

"In my opinion, you probably won't be able to get that sleep. Do you know why I had to return?"

"The Sect Master has issued an order: there is a major matter to discuss today. Today, the mountain gate is allowed for entry but not for exit. I expect the disciple replacing you won't be able to come out either."

Liu Wenbin widened his eyes.

He had been guarding the mountain gate the whole time; how had he not heard this news?

But this old man was the elder with the most seniority in the sect. Although his martial arts were poor and he didn't have much say, he shouldn't be here to deceive a "Gate-Closing Disciple" like him.

He could only sigh.

"Alright, Elder Long, I understand—please go in, I'll close the gate now."

The old man smiled, patted his shoulder again, and walked inside the mountain gate.

Liu Wenbin closed the large gate, shook his head slowly, and sighed again. Thinking that this nerve-wracking gate-guarding task didn't know when it would end, he felt increasingly exhausted.

With his spirit dissipated, and since the mountain gate was already closed and he didn't fear being seen by his masters, he simply sat down on the ground, plucked a blade of grass from a crack in the wall to hold in his mouth, crossed his arms, and squinted his eyes to doze off.

The autumn air was crisp, and the midday sun felt warm on his body; he drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a voice woke him up.

"Little brother, wake up."

Liu Wenbin opened his eyes abruptly and raised his head.

A young man of about twenty, with a plain and unremarkable appearance and an ordinary long saber slung at his waist, was looking at him with a frown.

"Are you a disciple of the Kongming Sect?"

He asked.

Liu Wenbin shook his head and stood up. Before he could fully collect his thoughts, he instinctively said with a smile.

"Are you here to visit the mountain? It's unfortunate; my Kongming Sect has important matters, and the Sect Master has ordered that we are not receiving guests today. Could you please leave your name card and state your purpose, and when—"

Before he could finish speaking, the young man shook his head.

"No, I'm not here as a guest. And little brother, do you even know what 'important matter' is happening inside your sect?"

Liu Wenbin was stunned.

Not here as a guest, then what are they here for? To challenge the sect?

And as a "Gate-Closing Disciple," how would I know what the "important matter" is... even if I did, is it something I should tell an outsider like you?

Just as he was feeling strange, he heard a mocking and lazy voice come from behind the young man.

"He's already slept like the dead; he probably doesn't even know if his own family has died. Little Cao, asking him is a waste of time—if he knew anything, he would probably be dead already and wouldn't have lived until now."

"Just kick the gate open and go in to see."

Liu Wenbin frowned and looked toward the source of the voice.

Just now, having just woken up, his mind was not clear, and he had overlooked the three other people behind the unremarkable-looking young man.

One was a young man in his twenties, shrugging his shoulders and tilting his head, looking at him with a smile, appearing somewhat "not quite right in the head"; standing beside him was a woman in her thirties with an ordinary appearance, frowning as she looked inside the mountain gate.

The last person was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, looking at him with a smile that was clearly malicious—it was this person who had spoken just now.

Liu Wenbin spoke with a hint of anger.

"What do you mean by this? Why are you insulting me?"

"If you are here to cause trouble, you should think clearly. This is the mountain gate of my Kongming Sect, and my Kongming Sect is a 'Peak-Ascending' major sect!"

He pointed to the wooden sign hanging on the mountain gate and puffed out his chest.

"If you want to cause trouble, my sect elders will arrive in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—I advise you to leave quickly; I will pretend I never saw you!"

Who would have thought that the other party would be completely unafraid, and instead, they said with a smile.

"When did I insult you? Oh, you mean 'don't even know if your family has died'?"

"That's not an insult; it's a statement of fact—would you like to look down at your feet?"

At his feet?

Liu Wenbin looked down at the ground.

Suddenly, he froze.

Beside his feet, there was a red, cake-shaped mark, with faint patterns on it in a grid shape—it was a bloody footprint.

He moved his gaze blankly and found the second and third bloody footprints, extending from behind him along the mountain path.

Until they disappeared at the end of his line of sight.

(End of chapter)