novelraw Chapter 364: Junior Brother Ji, I Was Acting Odd Just Now
Chapter 364: Junior Brother Ji, I Was Acting Odd Just Now
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation.
“Senior Brother Lou, I am Ji Han Zhou, a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect. I have a friend named Yu Zhao, a disciple of Master Qing Yan from the Five Elements Dao Sect. She was entrusted by Elder Gu to venture into the Desert of Lost Souls in search of your whereabouts.
She also carries the scroll you and Elder Gu discovered together. If you doubt my words, you can confirm this after we leave.”
Ji Han Zhou, fearing Lou Yu Shan might get so enraged that he’d die on the spot, blurted out everything in one breath.
Lou Yu Shan was silent for a while before suddenly asking, “Master Qing Yan took on disciples?”
Ji Han Zhou, already accustomed to Lou Yu Shan’s peculiar way of questioning, calmly replied, “Yes. During the two centuries since your disappearance, Master Qing Yan has taken in seven disciples. My friend Yu Zhao ranks sixth.”
As he spoke, he inwardly apologized to Senior Sister Yu.
Of course, he knew that Senior Sister Yu was no longer under Master Qing Yan. To gain Lou Yu Shan’s trust, he had to slightly stretch the truth.
Lou Yu Shan nodded. “You called Fan Yin ‘Elder Gu’ earlier. What is his current position?”
“Currently, Elder Gu oversees the Archive Pavilion.”“Guarding books?” Lou Yu Shan smiled faintly. “That does suit him.”
Then he asked, “What about Master Wan Xiang? How is he?”
Master Wan Xiang was Lou Yu Shan’s nominal master.
After some thought, Ji Han Zhou replied, “Master Wan Xiang passed away a hundred years ago.”
Lou Yu Shan’s lips trembled slightly, but he said nothing. A glimmer of tears flickered in the corner of his eyes.
Ji Han Zhou waited quietly.
After a long pause, Lou Yu Shan wiped his face and forced a rather exaggerated smile. “Junior Brother Ji, I was acting odd just now. Did I scare you? Hahaha!”
“Senior Brother Lou, did you mean to say… you were out of sorts?”
“No, no. Same thing,” Lou Yu Shan replied heartily, waving it off. “But just now, you mentioned you could help me leave here. Were you serious?”
“Of course.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Get me out of here! I’ve been sick of this place for ages!” Lou Yu Shan rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Ji Han Zhou, however, countered with a question, “Senior Brother Lou, are you completely calm now?”
Lou Yu Shan gave a bitter smile. “Junior Brother Ji, there’s no need to test me. I had a momentary lapse, but I’ve regained my clarity. I promise I won’t lose control again.”
He had believed for years that everyone had forgotten him. Coupled with repeated hardships, despair had nearly consumed him.
But Ji Han Zhou’s words, revealing that someone still remembered and had never given up on him, reignited his will to live.
He could hold on until he escaped!
He had to return and tell Fan Yin himself: Lou Yu Shan is back!
“Senior Brother Lou, listen carefully. Whatever I say next, stay calm.” Ji Han Zhou reminded him once more.
Lou Yu Shan nodded firmly, only to hear Ji Han Zhou say, “Actually, I haven’t figured out how to leave yet.”
Lou Yu Shan: ?
Lou Yu Shan: !
Lou Yu Shan: !!!
“Senior Brother Lou, you promised to stay calm,” Ji Han Zhou warned, taking a step back cautiously.
Lou Yu Shan clenched his jaw, his eyes practically blazing with fury!
Ji Han Zhou’s confident claims that he could help him escape had been a lie. The realization that he had been tricked filled Lou Yu Shan with rage. If it weren’t for Ji Han Zhou’s earlier reassurances, he might have already tried to kill him.
Yet Ji Han Zhou appeared unfazed.
While Senior Sister Yu had been growing rapidly in skill, he hadn’t been idle either. His ability to lie with a straight face had significantly improved.
“Senior Brother Lou, hear out my theory first. If you disagree, you can refute me later,” Ji Han Zhou suggested.
Lou Yu Shan snorted and ruffled his unruly hair, curious to hear what kind of nonsense Ji Han Zhou might come up with.
“Senior Brother Lou, I think you may have misunderstood Xuan Yuan Unbeaten’s instructions. He likely didn’t require you to pass all the trials to leave but set other conditions that you overlooked. Can you recall exactly what he said to you?”
Lou Yu Shan followed the prompt, recounting what had happened when he entered the stone chamber.
“I remember opening the stone door and seeing Xuan Yuan Unbeaten’s projection. He told me he had set up eighty-one trials in the stone chamber. If I could pass his tests, I would be allowed to leave. Then he vanished.”
Lou Yu Shan had been stuck in the chamber for so long that he had replayed the events countless times in his mind, recalling every detail clearly.
Ji Han Zhou thought for a moment. “Then the issue may lie in how the trials are initiated. Senior Brother Lou, how do I start one?”
“It’s simple. Just kneel and shout, ‘Master, I’ve come to be beaten again,’ and the trial will start automatically.”
Ji Han Zhou gave him a suspicious look.
Lou Yu Shan protested, “I’m not lying to you! You think Xuan Yuan Unbeaten is some proud and aloof sword cultivator, but he’s actually an old prankster.
The scroll that Fan Yin and I discovered? A fake! It was a prop Xuan Yuan had someone make to deceive people. That’s how he tricked me into coming here!”
Ji Han Zhou was dumbfounded.
He had seen that scroll himself. It was so authentic-looking that he and Senior Sister Yu had believed it without question.
It turned out to be bait crafted by Xuan Yuan.
Using the scroll to lure people, he would first let them despair at finding no ancient Dao Field. Then, just as they were ready to leave, he’d reveal this place as the inheritance site of War God Xuan Yuan, piquing their interest anew.
No wonder Lou Yu Shan bore so much resentment toward him—he must have been toyed with countless times.
Ji Han Zhou bowed respectfully and declared loudly, “Junior Ji Han Zhou of the Heavenly Sword Sect humbly requests guidance from Senior Xuan Yuan!”
Silence.
No response.
Lou Yu Shan spread his hands. He wasn’t surprised. He had long known that both the words and actions had to align for the trials to activate.
But Ji Han Zhou refused to compromise.
He was willing to acknowledge Xuan Yuan as a master, but only if Xuan Yuan taught him something. Without even witnessing a move or technique, how could he sincerely call Xuan Yuan his master?
To do so would dishonor his true master.
“If Senior Xuan Yuan has no intention to guide me, please let me leave. I swear never to step foot here again.”
Lou Yu Shan rubbed his ears. Did he hear that right?
Not only did Ji Han Zhou refuse to plead with Xuan Yuan Unbeaten, but he also dared to threaten him?
Such arrogance from youth, thinking he was irreplaceable. He had no idea…
A beam of white light suddenly descended, interrupting Lou Yu Shan’s thoughts.
A man, child-sized but with an aged face, appeared. Lou Yu Shan’s jaw nearly hit the ground.
Ji Han Zhou had actually summoned him?
Lou Yu Shan suddenly felt an intense wave of jealousy.
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