Chapter 233: Please Enter the Jar (Revised)

A hundred-li-long canyon abruptly appeared atop the endless snowfield, stretching forward into towering snow peaks; from afar, it looked as if the entire mountain range had been split in half by a single sword strike from an immortal.

Xie Jinhuan held the reins of his horse, standing at the canyon's start, his cloak billowing in the wind behind him. Gazing forward at the straight-as-a-sword mountain gorge, his eyes widened in surprise:

"Could this have been split by a sword?"

Bu Yuehua was also visiting for the first time. Wrapped in her cloak, she looked down into the chasm. The canyon was half a li wide, stretching deep into the mountain ranges with no end in sight. Her expression was equally doubtful:

"It's likely a legend fabricated by later generations based on this geographical wonder. A sword river three hundred li long—how could that be the work of human hands?"

Ye Hongshang stood beside them, carrying a red umbrella, her expression calm:

"This canyon, in the grand scheme of heaven and earth, is merely a small crack. If one's Dao cultivation is high enough, creating such a thing is nothing extraordinary."

Xie Jinhuan's realm was still relatively low; he could not imagine how exaggerated one would have to be to split an entire three-hundred-li mountain range with a single sword strike. After a brief glance, he stopped his horse on the snowfield and proceeded on foot along the ice river, searching for clues.

Although the canyon was straight, its interior contained frozen rivers and forests. Once they entered the mountain ranges, they could see several mine shafts on the cliff walls on both sides; the terrain was quite complex.

Fortunately, the two were lucky. Following the canyon deeper for over thirty li, they discovered traces of human activity on the ice river, pointing toward a mine shaft on the cliff wall.

The reason this place was named Sword River was because of the iron ore mined here. Legend held that the ore was stained with the Sword Intent of the Human Emperor, making weapons forged from it exceptionally sharp.

Whether the legend was true remained unknown, but the ore from Lishan was indeed excellent material for sword casting. Dynasties throughout history had mined here. Currently, the mine owner was the Lishan Sword Forge, located over a hundred li away. However, by now, the open-pit mines had been largely exhausted; what remained were abandoned mine shafts, which had become hiding places for birds, beasts, and border bandits.

Xie Jinhuan led his horse to the vicinity of the mine shaft. It appeared to be an old shaft left from several centuries ago, only slightly taller than a person. On the snow at the entrance, several shoe prints were clearly visible; someone had entered or exited as late as this morning. The interior of the mine was deep, and no sound could be heard.

Bu Yuehua felt that a powerful figure capable of killing her parents was unlikely to hide in such a small place, but clues could not be ignored. Even if it was a misjudgment, eliminating a wave of demon bandits on the way would still accumulate hidden merit. She followed Xie Jinhuan inside, took a night pearl from her robe, and searched deeper along the footprints.

Meanwhile, atop the mountain ranges.

Seven figures lay prone on the mountain ridge, covered in white cloaks that blended almost perfectly with the snow.

The Helmsman, Chu Xing, held a thousand-li telescope covered with thin gauze, cautiously observing the two people entering Sword River, and asked:

"Is that person Xie Jinhuan?"

Beside him, He Can, with his entire qi acupoints sealed and bound by chains, looked on with eyes full of disbelief:

"Are you truly not afraid of death? You actually dare to lure this calamity star here? Relying on just five of you rotten fish and shrimp, you think you can kill him? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you. Was it easy for us to survive?"

Zhang Chu, also bound, with a buzz cut that had begun to grow out slightly, was chained nearby. His expression could only be described as having lost all will to live.

Previously, He Can had often scolded him, saying that evil Daoists only knew how to beat their own people when trouble arose, and he hadn't quite believed it. Now, he finally understood He Can, that jinx.

At Mount Zihui, the two had escaped with their lives only by decisively selling out their teammates and risking everything. They had originally planned to flee to the Southern Border, but halfway there, they heard news of a major disturbance at Fire Phoenix Valley.

Relying on his 'coward's intuition,' He Can judged that this incident might be related to the Great Demon Xie. Consequently, the two turned around and ran north, planning to hide their names and start anew in the north.

And what happened? Neither the righteous paths of the Great Qian nor Xie Jinhuan himself caught them. Yet, as soon as they passed Shanhe Pass, they were captured by northern evil Daoists!

The reason was that followers of the Mingshen Sect had a soul seal planted on them upon joining, facilitating tracking and management by Ghost Envoys. These northern evil Daoists could actually identify the Mingshen Sect's seal.

After Zhang Chu was captured, he was locked up for 'traditional interrogation.' They asked why they had survived, how Fa Chen was dead while they were not, and whether they had betrayed the organization.

Zhang Chu confessed even the fact that he had bed-wet at age three, yet the other party still did not believe the two had walked out of Mount Zihui without incident. Since the branch division could not determine the reason, they prepared to hand them over to superiors, but halfway there, they brought them here instead.

That aside, Zhang Chu still hadn't figured out which branch of the evil Daoists the bandits who captured them belonged to.

Although the Mingshen Sect was an evil Daoist sect, it had orthodox lineages and factions. The first Sect Master was the Corpse Ancestor, and the deity worshipped in the Mingshen Hall was naturally the God of the Netherworld.

Even though Zhang Chu was considered mid-level, he still lacked the qualification to pilgrimage to the Mingshen Hall. He only knew that the Mingshen God slept beneath the Nine Netherworlds; when its eyes opened, it was day; when closed, it was night; it governed life and death in the human world.

All believers with sincere faith would, after death, have their 'souls return to the Mingshen Hall.' The ultimate goal of the Mingshen Sect was to resurrect the Mingshen God. At that time, all who had sacrificed themselves for the faith would rise from the dead and ascend beyond the heavens alongside the Mingshen God.

This group of bandits, however, called themselves the 'Chiwu Sect,' worshipping the Wu God. They claimed their Sect Master was the reincarnation of the Red Wu Shaman Man, who would be resurrected in recent years. At that time, all disciples would be ennobled as marquises or appointed as prime ministers, and so on—a distinct flavor of a wild, low-level cult.

Yet, strangely, this Chiwu Sect possessed terrifying power. Not only could they identify the Mingshen Sect's seal, but they also had connections reaching the heavens, somehow tricking Xie Laomo into coming here.

Zhang Chu knew well Xie Laomo's capabilities. Although they were dozens of li apart, if they lost sight of him, he could appear behind them the next second. His face had turned pale as he interjected:

"Helmsman Chu, this youth is no ordinary person. The seven of us combined wouldn't even be enough to fill his teeth. Moreover, this youth pursues criminals like a god; finding us would be as easy as playing. Please, do not tempt fate..."

After confirming their identities, Chu Xing lowered the telescope:

"You bunch of incompetent trash from the South almost had your nest overturned by a mere child. Do you think our Northern Sects are as useless as you?"

"Heh~"

Seeing another person who refused to believe in fate, He Can slightly raised his chin:

"Then go ahead. Before you go, untie my chains so I don't freeze to death in this ghost place. Afterwards, I'll burn more paper money for you."

Chu Xing had been stationed here as an observation post by his superiors. Dealing with a Southern Dynasty genius like Xie Jinhuan was certainly not a task for a lowly helmsman like him. He immediately took a bamboo tube from his cloak, inside which was a messenger pigeon.

After the pigeon emerged from the tube, it circled the snowy ground once, then flew swiftly toward the direction of the Lishan Sword Forge...

——

Step, step...

The light of the night pearl illuminated over a zhang of the mine shaft ahead. Water had accumulated inside the cave and frozen due to the extreme cold. The deeper they went, the lower the temperature became. No sound could be heard, yet traces of footprints remained on the ground and cave walls.

Xie Jinhuan carried his long spear while moving through the mine shaft, which was somewhat inconvenient. He switched to holding it in his left hand and wielded the Tiangang Mace in his right, cautiously watching his surroundings.

Bu Yuehua also held her curved blade inverted, ready for defense. However, after advancing over three li, they found no bandits or traps until they reached a relatively spacious section of the mine, where they finally noticed something unusual.

Although the mine shaft had been abandoned for a century, there were bedding, water pipes, and scraps of paper inside, along with an oil lamp placed on the ground.

Although it looked like a temporary base for mountain vagrants, a picture had been drawn on the stone wall with fresh blood.

The upper half of the picture depicted a woman with blood-red hair flying wildly, her face bearing a fierce and ruthless expression. The lower half was a snake tail. She spread her arms and looked up at the sky, the image exuding an ancient and sinister aura.

Beside the evil god statue, many ancient characters were written. As Xie Jinhuan was about to interpret them, he heard Bu Yuehua beside him frown and murmur:

"Ancestral Wu bones, buried in the abyss for a thousand tribulations; Red Wu blood sacrifice, summoning the soul from the cave... This is an offering to the Ancestral Wu Shaman Man. It means Man died but did not rot; her bones were buried underground for a thousand years. Their Sect Master is Man's reincarnation and will use the blood sacrifice method to awaken the Ancestral Wu bones and soul..."

Xie Jinhuan could actually read ancient script himself. Seeing this, he asked:

"Does Man look like this?"

Bu Yuehua shook her head: "According to records, Man was an incarnation of the Fire Phoenix; normally, she should have a human body and a bird's head. A human face and snake body belongs to another, even more ancient Ancestral Wu. This Chiwu Sect has stitched together elements of the Wu Sect and evil Daoists; no one knows where they came from."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan paid no attention to the evil god statue and instead inspected the daily utensils.

Judging by the traces inside the mine shaft, this group of bandits must have been here this morning. They had taken all their magical artifacts and clothes, and burned the papers. Without doubt, a Gold Badge Captain from the Ministry of Justice had arrived, and they had fled upon hearing the news.

Xie Jinhuan searched briefly and approached the oil lamp. He discovered that this group of bandits had left in quite a hurry; the burned papers were not completely destroyed. Judging by the handwriting, it was a letter communicating with superiors, from which the following information could be roughly discerned:

The Noble One returns to the capital early, her health failing; before the Young Emperor's birthday banquet, gather one hundred more refined souls for unforeseen needs...

Southern report: the Master of the Waning Moon Manor is suspected to have come north; this person holds a blood feud with the Noble One, so keep an eye on his movements...

??

Bu Yuehua caught sight of the handwriting, immediately squatted down, illuminated it with a night pearl to inspect carefully, and a trace of killing intent flowed through her peach-blossom eyes. Yet remembering she must keep the secret for Nangong Ye, she spoke tactfully:

"My father and the old Master of the Waning Moon Manor were both harmed by the Soul-Restraining Chain, but the perpetrator could not be found. The 'Noble One' mentioned here must be the culprit."

Xie Jinhuan, who had previously thought this was merely an ordinary bandit raid, now bore a trace of solemnity between his brows; he turned to look at the human-faced, snake-bodied figure:

"I feel our whereabouts have been exposed. Who else knows your movements?"

Seeing her own message here, Bu Yuehua naturally knew her location was compromised; she frowned tightly, deep in thought:

"I only informed my disciples before leaving; after departing the capital, I contacted no one else. Except for Junior Sister Mu, no one should be able to guess my destination..."

Xie Jinhuan did not believe Seeing Bing Tuozi had leaked their whereabouts; suspecting a spy from the Waning Moon Manor, he immediately inspected the burned transmission documents more closely:

"This group wants to urgently gather refined souls before the Young Emperor's birthday banquet; their purpose must be linked to the Young Emperor assuming full power. This 'early return to the capital, health failing'..."

Although Bu Yuehua was in the Southern Border, she had traveled the world for years and was far from ignorant of the top-level politics of both dynasties.

Rumor has it that Empress Dowager Guo, worn down by constant governance, suffers from a brain ailment; every year before the Winter Solstice, she must return to her hometown to recuperate for over a month, leaving affairs to the Young Emperor and the Council of State. Yet this year, for some reason, Empress Dowager Guo returned to the capital early.

The Chiwu Sect gathers refined souls, and this substance serves ghost cultivators in their practice and the Wu Sect in strengthening their divine souls. If the 'brain ailment' lies within the divine soul, this substance could cure it.

The Young Emperor has reached adulthood; according to ritual law, he must be restored to full imperial power, yet Empress Dowager Guo delays returning power. Discontent is already widespread in court and among the people; chaos will likely erupt then.

Thus, the phrase 'the Noble One returns early, health failing, gathering refined souls before the Young Emperor comes of age for unforeseen needs'—who it refers to is now obvious!

Bu Yuehua stared at the paper, her eyes filled with disbelief:

"The one who killed my father back then was Empress Dowager Guo?"

?

Xie Jinhuan felt this was impossible; he had seen the Red-Haired Big Sister before. If she truly wanted to kill a second-in-command of the Wu Alliance, why would she need a Soul-Restraining Chain? A single finger could snap her into blood mist.

But if he did not know Empress Dowager Guo and lacked absolute trust in the Red-Haired Big Sister, seeing only these words would surely lead him to mistake Empress Dowager Guo for the shadowy mastermind behind the Chiwu Sect.

Coincidentally, this matter is tied to Bu Yuehua's deep blood feud; he would certainly rush to Yanjing to investigate Empress Dowager Guo.

And thus, he would fall into the demon daoist's scheme of driving the tiger to swallow the wolf...

Xie Jinhuan felt this leftover handwriting might be a trap set for him, but setting a trap presupposes knowing he would come here, and even knowing he was with Bu Yuehua...

"Terrible!"

Xie Jinhuan realized something was wrong; he grabbed Bu Yuehua and pulled her outside:

"This place is not right. Let's go."

"Ah?"

Had Bu Yuehua known Empress Dowager Guo was her master who taught her the arts, she would have immediately realized these clues held major problems.

But Bu Yuehua did not yet know this, so she was somewhat bewildered; however, she absolutely trusted Xie Jinhuan's judgment. She quickly stowed the torn paper and followed him out...

——

The rest hasn't been revised or 2 yet!

(End of Chapter)