Chapter 232

Qingzhou, Five Lingshan.

A sudden blizzard turned the mountains white-headed, and many pilgrims walked along the mountain path toward the main peak's Golden Summit.

Lu Yan, clad in a black-and-yellow Taoist robe, sat cross-legged on the rear cliff of the main peak; the sword and blade scars on his body still throbbed faintly, but compared to the pain in his heart, this physical injury truly counted for nothing.

After Zhe Ji's defeat in the Fire Phoenix Valley, Lu Yan abandoned the useless junior nephew who was of no use, and rushed back to Northern Zhou; the encounter in the Southern Border was too shameful, and now even the pilgrims offering incense were whispering behind his back, saying:

"I heard the Five Lingshan Zhang Sect leader got beaten up outside..."

"Bruised and swollen, bedridden and unable to rise..."

Lu Yan, a cultivator whose primary practice was the Five Elements Fire Method, had an equally explosive temper; hearing these words truly ignited a nameless fire, but the fact remained as it was; he, the prestigious second-in-command of the Northern Zhou Taoist Sect, could hardly say:

"This Taoist cannot deal with Xie Jinhuan of the Southern Dynasty, yet cannot deal with you lot of our own people?"

If he truly did so, he would be utterly ruined in reputation and fame; for now, he could only stew in anger at home, while secretly pondering how to get his revenge.

Going to the Southern Dynasty to settle the score with Xie Jinhuan was definitely out of the question; if he ran into Lu Wu Zhen, not only would the score not be settled, but the Imperial Fire Token would have to be handed over.

But if he didn't go, this grievance would follow him into the coffin and never be resolved; keeping it bottled up like this, it was uncertain whether he would live ten years less...

However, it was unknown whether Heaven had eyes.

Just as Lu Yan was secretly fuming, a Taoist boy suddenly ran over, holding a letter in his hand, and handed it to Lu Yan:

"Grandmaster, an urgent message has arrived from the Zhang Sect leader."

Although Lu Yan had been severely beaten outside because he helped the Zhang Sect leader's disciple guard the Dao, the Zhang Sect leader's divination was correct; he himself had been careless for a moment, so who could he blame? Deep in his heart, he still held great respect for the Zhang Sect leader; he took the envelope and examined it, and then his gaze froze:

According to the report, Xie Jinhuan has traveled north out of seclusion to Yanjing and may be in the Lizhou area...

The letter did not say what he intended to do, but with such a humiliating shame right before his eyes, now that he had found the location of this cunning brat, what else could he do?

Lu Yan immediately put away the paper, no longer bothered to mind his injuries, turned back to retrieve his magical artifact, and then leaped into the air, rushing toward the Lizhou direction...

—

"Giddyup—!"

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

Two swift horses galloped across the snowfield, arriving at Bai Hua County town in the afternoon.

Bu Yuehua, acting against her usual nature, walked in front; she said nothing along the way, her mind constantly replaying scenes from her childhood.

That was when she was seven years old; at that time, she was still the Young Lady of Queyue Manor, dealing with poisonous scorpions and venomous snakes all day long; protected by her parents, she felt no pressure, was innocent and lively, and curious about everything in the world.

But one afternoon, her senior brother Bu Hanying suddenly came running in a hurry, his face filled with sorrow and anger, saying something had gone wrong.

Bu Yuehua followed the disciples out to the manor gate, only to see several senior uncles holding a broken magical artifact.

The artifact had originally belonged to her father, but it had been reduced to fragments; she asked about the reason and learned that her father had originally gone inside the pass to discuss business with someone; the process was quite normal, but upon his return, he had been targeted by someone, and an encounter battle had occurred in the mountains of the Southern Border.

By the time nearby cultivators ran to investigate, only traces of the fight remained on the ground; according to the examination by the elders of the Wu Alliance, Bu Qingya had been ambushed and killed by a Soul-Binding Chain, and his body had been taken away, but it was unclear who the murderer was.

Bu Yuehua did not believe that her father, who had once been the powerful second-in-command of the Wu Alliance, had simply died, but the fact was as it was; from that day on, she became the young master of Queyue Manor; Master Sikong, the Zhang Sect leader of the Three Corpses Cave, and others even came to visit her.

She was heartbroken at the time, but then pulled herself together, buried herself in diligent cultivation, discovered that Wu women could only use poison, so she also cultivated martial arts, trying to grow quickly and find the blood feud of those who killed her father.

But unfortunately, day after day, year after year, while her strength grew rapidly for the sake of revenge, the enemy seemed to have vanished into thin air; no matter how she investigated, she could not find a single clue, and the Soul-Binding Chain had no trace left.

She searched everywhere and even asked that noble lady who taught her martial arts, but that Nangong Xianzi knew nothing about it either, only telling her that her current diligent cultivation was all preparation for future revenge; the higher her cultivation level, the greater her chance of victory.

She followed the advice, but was very afraid that her whole life would pass like this, and she might never even find out who killed her parents; at eighteen or nineteen, she even made a very childish vow—whoever could help her find the enemy, she would devote herself to them for life, working like an ox or a horse...

But Heaven obviously did not care about her vow; afterwards, she continued to search in vain, until she reached today.

Bu Yuehua came only to accompany Xie Jinhuan in finding breakthrough realm medicinal herbs, to repay the favor granted by Ling Guang Shen; she truly did not expect such an unexpected discovery halfway along the road...

Could it be that Xie Jinhuan is truly a lucky star? Since meeting him, all sorts of good fortune, opportunities, connections, and clues have come, more than one could ever hold...

No wonder that flirtatious Taoist nun has fallen to such a state; if anyone else were in her place, they too would be unable to leave...

Realizing her thoughts had wandered off, Bu Yuehua quickly reined in her distracting thoughts and glanced at Xie Jinhuan, who was riding beside her.

Along the way, Xie Jinhuan had held Meiqiu up in front to block the wind, as punishment for being frozen silly last night; but unfortunately, this little broken bird seemed to be a species of the snowfield, standing out for not fearing the cold at all, and even spread its wings and played Titanic with him.

Noticing Nangong Xianzi looking over, Xie Jinhuan finally put Meiqiu away, and together they entered Bai Hua County town...

—

Bai Hua County is located on the frontier; the county town is not large in scale.

The sudden appearance of more than a dozen murder cases was enough to make the entire county town panic-stricken; even during the day, no pedestrians could be seen on the streets.

In the front courtyard of the county government office, more than a dozen Constables surrounded a wooden cart, examining the three corpses just delivered.

The leaders were three Criminal Investigators wearing green robes embroidered with cloud-and-thunder patterns, with standard-issue goose-feather knives and gold-and-silver nameplates hanging at their waists; they were significantly different from the county government office Constables, and their demeanor was entirely distinct.

The three had come from Jingcheng, from the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice; in Jianghu terms, they were the my lords of the Six Fan Gate; among them, the one with the gold nameplate was named Shen Cang, one of the capable officials under the Empress Dowager, with imperial permission to execute first and report later; normally, he would not come to this small county town to handle cases; this trip was because the Young Emperor's birthday banquet was approaching, requiring stability throughout the court and the country, so he was specially dispatched to personally investigate the serial murders.

Shen Cang was in his early forties; besides his partner, he also brought a newcomer, and a female Constable, which was relatively rare in both the North and the South.

The female Constable also wore a green robe, but had no nameplate; she had a childlike face and large breasts, looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, wore a rather wild-looking small braid, and carried a horse-chopping sword on her shoulder; her appearance was more like a wild girl just entering the Jianghu, and her words and actions indeed showed a bit of youthful vigor; with one hand on her hip, she spoke angrily:

"Before I arrived, these demon bandits killing people was one thing; but now that I have arrived, they still dare to kill people! If I do not chop this bunch of scum into four pieces, horizontally and vertically, what face do I have to return and report to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager..."

Because her voice was light, sweet, and lively, and her appearance was like that of a girl who had not yet grown up, the Constables of the surrounding county town all looked at her with rather strange eyes.

But Criminal Investigator Shen Cang felt no dislike at all for this Miss's words; on the contrary, he greatly appreciated them and even held high expectations for her.

After all, this Miss was named Jiang Xian, from the Jiang Family Fortress of the East Sea; her great-grandfather, Jiang Hehai, had followed the righteous cultivators south to fight the Wu Sect rebellion; although his merits could not compare to those of the Northern Border Three Immortals and other elders, he was still one of the countless righteous men who rushed to the great calamity of the common people, and his name remains on the merit stele of the Martial Temple to this day. And Jiang Xian could truly be called a tiger's father and a bold daughter; although she had no reputation before, being young and on the edge of the East Sea, since arriving in Jingcheng, her name had risen rapidly.

First, she entered the county government office with a recommendation letter; in three days, she delivered more than a dozen bandits inside, shocking the officials, the judicial officers, and the Vice Director of Punishments, Guo Deng, my lord; upon seeing her resume, she was a righteous cultivator with a pure origin and red roots, and also greatly admired Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, so the matter was reported to the Fengyi Bureau.

And Jiang Xian's resume did not end there; in Jingcheng, she made arrests almost every day; her speed in catching people was so fast that the government office could not keep up at all; for this reason, she was rapidly promoted, rising from the county government office to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, and then selected by the Fengyi Bureau; once she finished this case, she could return and become a female official under Her Majesty the Empress Dowager; the Empress Dowager held the entire empire in her hands, and this position was equivalent to the emperor's trusted confidant; one could imagine the status and power involved.

However, Jiang Xian also had flaws; just entering the Jianghu, she was too eager to establish merit and become the right-hand and left-hand of her dream idol, Empress Dowager Guo; every day, she was either investigating cases or on the way to investigate cases, almost exhausting Shen Cang and other veterans; moreover, she dared to charge into bandit hideouts with unknown details, shouting "Wah-kaka!" and raising her sword, and was so fierce that she could kill everyone alone, terrifying the veteran leaders who accompanied her; even her nickname was given by Vice Director Guo of the Judicial Office as 'Jiang Xiao Biao'.

At this moment, Shen Cang slightly examined the corpses and felt the clues were quite obvious, but he did not say so directly; instead, he turned his eyes and asked:

"Jiang Xian, have you seen anything?"

Jiang Xian, carrying the horse-chopping sword, was already impatient to rush out; hearing this, she straightened her chest and replied:

"The three were stripped of their souls by a chain-type magical artifact; the corpses were found on the snowfield, with footprints pointing toward Jianchuan direction; if the bandits have not fled, they may be hiding in the Jianchuan area. Why don't you, my lord Shen, go to the relay station to rest first, and I will go to Jianchuan to check; within three hours, I will definitely..."

"Eh!"

Shen Cang knew Jiang Xian's capabilities, but he also knew how reckless this girl was; as long as there was a chance to establish merit and serve the country, her eyes would turn green, and she would wish to open a new page in the family tree on the spot.

In Jingcheng, they only encountered ordinary minor evil paths and bandits, but the borderlands were different; peak demons and bandits from both the Northern and Southern dynasties could appear. Where could Shen Cang feel at ease letting this girl go search the mountains alone? He replied:

"Jianchuan is within Lishan, surrounded by hundreds of li of wild mountains. How can you search alone? Eat first. Later, I will lead a team to take a look. Since these bandits left obvious tracks, they probably aren't powerful figures..."

"The sky hasn't even darkened yet; demons and bandits could harm people at any time. Eating wastes too much time. I'll go buy a few meat buns..."

"Don't run around!"

Deputy Old Wang hurriedly blocked the path of the little girl with the queue, after all, this girl said she was going to buy buns, but later she would definitely disappear; either she would return dragging bandits, or she wouldn't return at all.

Jiang Xian, carrying a six-foot horse-chopping blade, seeing her plan exposed, could only give a sheepish smile, then started urging the two leaders to set off quickly...

Meanwhile, on a roof far from the county government office courtyard.

Xie Jinhuan lay silently behind the roof ridge, peering out to observe carefully. Because the distance was a bit far and he couldn't see clearly, and he couldn't go ask about the case using a Southern Dynasty identity, he currently looked toward A Piao.

Ye Hongshang lay nearby, her gaze fixed on the lively and cheerful green-robed female constable in the courtyard, her eyes holding a hint of confusion. Hearing the sound, she only then shifted her gaze to the corpse:

"This female constable is quite skilled. The corpse was indeed drained of its soul by a chain-like magical artifact. As for whether it was a Soul-Grasping Lock, I am not clear. The Corpse Ancestor only used this thing in the early stages; by the time True Person Qixia met them, they had already switched to the Demon Blade Na Xie."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan leaned close to Bu Yuehua's ear and whispered:

"Indeed, it was injured by a chain artifact. Whether it is a Soul-Grasping Lock is still uncertain. Shall we go check Jianchuan?"

Bu Yuehua had never seen a Soul-Grasping Lock either, but chain-like evil artifacts were generally used by the Corpse Witch Sect, and high-grade ones were few and far between. With clues suggesting a father's murderer, it naturally had to be investigated. Immediately, she and Xie Jinhuan quietly descended from the roof ridge...

——

Lishan Sword Hut.

Within the manor passed down for three hundred years, nestled among the mountains, stood a thousand buildings inside, yet only six hundred disciples remained. From the inside out, it revealed an air of Mount Riluoxi.

Wind and snow days, bitter cold years.

Before the sword-forging furnace behind the manor, Li Huaichuan, the current sect master, bare-chested, hammered a red-hot sword strip. Sparks suddenly burst forth, then quickly dissipated into the wind and snow. That fleeting flash of light was just like the portrayal of Li Huaichuan's entire life.

As the overlord of Lizhou, Lishan Sword Hut rose from the founding of Northern Zhou, reaching its peak a hundred years ago, when the sect master led three hundred elites from the sect, following True Person Huang Lin, the Valkyrie, and other heroes of the mountain peaks south to suppress the calamity of world destruction.

But after that battle, only a dozen of those who went out returned; the rest of the fellow disciples all sacrificed themselves for the Dao, and even the Ancestor fell in the battlefield of blood and fire.

Li Huaichuan inherited the position of sect master at seven years old. Relying on his father's merits, he received care from the imperial court and even the Righteous Path. His cultivation path could be described as smooth sailing; sixty years ago, he was considered one of the more shining martial arts new talents in Northern Zhou.

But talent is talent. No matter how favorable the environment was to him, it could not change the fact of his own mediocrity.

Whether in sect tournaments or battles for treasures in the wilds, he had never won once. He watched helplessly as his peers who once competed on the same stage one by one became Super Ranks presiding over their own regions, while he could only stay in the mundane martial world. At major alliances, he could even only sit with second-rate sect masters, too embarrassed to sit at the Super Rank table.

The sect master's inability to achieve great things led to the decline of Lishan Sword Hut; fewer and fewer promising talents came to seek apprenticeship, leading to a vicious cycle.

To prevent the sect from falling into a state of eternal damnation, Li Huaichuan took out the ancestral famous sword 'Wen Chuan', offered it to Emperor Jing as a tribute, and obtained treasures such as Hu Gu Teng and various other riches, as well as sect privileges, temporarily prolonging its life.

But after reaching the Super Rank, he did not see the clouds part and the moon appear; instead, he entered a bloody Gu arena.

Those who could fight their way to the Super Rank by skill were considered 'legends' by ordinary martial artists. Even Yan Lang of the Black Ghost Gang, who could not last ten moves against Lu Yan, was once the Pirate King roaming the Eastern Sea; Jiang Qizi of Linglu Valley, who died upon their meeting, had once led a team of several hundred evil cultivators in his youth and caused great turmoil in Luojing.

When Li Huaichuan was young, he also wanted to make a name for Lishan Sword Hut, but he challenged Wei Wu Yi in the south and only brought shame upon himself; as a second choice, he challenged Mu Yunling, and again brought shame upon himself; helplessly returning to the north to trample local martial artists, he didn't know how long he searched before he managed to trample an old man of advanced age, barely making a name for himself.

But having reached this point, his martial Dao ended here. Without the Five Directions Divine Gifts, relying solely on the Heaven-Earth Bridge built with Hu Gu Teng, it was impossible for his talent to enter the Five Realms.

Li Huaichuan searched from his forties until he reached the advanced age of eighty, finding nothing. Seeing that he had reached this age, Li Huaichuan felt he was like the sparks bursting before him, striking with all his might, trying to bloom once more with a brilliant light.

But Heaven and Earth are heartless; in the blink of an eye, he was swallowed by the wind and snow, turning into dust scattered by the wind.

Ding, ding...

Fortunately, Heaven seems not to be so unfeeling.

Just as Li Huaichuan was silently reviewing the past, a messenger pigeon flapped its wings and landed on a wooden rack beside the high furnace.

Li Huaichuan frowned slightly, took down the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, unfolded the paper and glanced at it. His brows furrowed, and in an instant, he looked out at the sky full of wind and snow outside the manor...

(End of this chapter)