novelraw Chapter 20 – Leave
Chapter 20 – Leave
"Disappeared ten months ago... wasn't that just when I joined the Alpha Battalion?"
Chen Shi stared at the simulated text.
Countless speculations flashed through his mind.
Lin Qiushui's disappearance was somewhat related to him. After he joined the Alpha Battalion, his identity was exposed. Even the most foolish mastermind would understand that using a beauty trap was a low-level tactic that would hardly work on him anymore.
Logically, after losing her value, Lin Qiushui should have been safer.
So why did she disappear?
Chen Shi pondered and could only crudely interpret it as Song Fan, the Child of Fortune, having an unlucky attribute that caused those around him to meet unfortunate ends.
Or perhaps, Lin Qiushui still harbored some secret that held value for the mastermind.
With this thought, an idea suddenly formed in Chen Shi's mind.
Since Lin Qiushui would disappear in a few days, could he stake out in advance and use her to trace back to the mastermind?
"This is a good plan, but it's not feasible at the moment. Without sufficient strength, I might end up sacrificing myself."
Chen Shi shook his head.
Then, he turned his attention back to the simulated text.
[After Song Fan learned about his mother's news, he was very excited and wanted to ask you for more details. However, you said you only knew this much and suggested he investigate Elder Wang for more information.]
[Before leaving, you earnestly asked Song Fan to keep today's conversation confidential, as you didn't want to get involved and delay your sword training.]
[Song Fan agreed and thanked you.]
[In the following days, you stayed in Lu Yi's courtyard, spending every day with your sword, focusing solely on that one move, practicing tirelessly through the harshest winters and hottest summers, day after day, year after year...]
[One year later, you had mastered that move in your mind, having swung your sword over a million times, yet you still couldn't grasp the essence.]
[Two years later, you swung your sword five million times, still unable to find the key.]
[During this time, Lin Manqing asked you to go with Song Qingwei to the Spirit Sword Sect for training. You refused. She then asked you to assist Song Qingwei in winning the True Dragon Selection a year later, which you also refused. This made her extremely angry, and she openly and secretly mocked you as an ungrateful person.]
[You turned a deaf ear to this.]
[On October 12th, two years later, Lu Yi found you and said the time had come for you to leave.]
[You were very confused by this.]
[Lu Yi told you that the Heaven and Earth Sword Slash is easy to learn but difficult to master, requiring more than just hard practice; it also depends on fate.]
[You asked where fate comes from.]
[Lu Yi pointed to the courtyard gate, sighing, "Fate is outside."]
[You fell silent.]
[Then, you revealed the matter of the mastermind and Elder Wang, stating that if you left the Divine General's Manor, your life might be in danger.]
[Lu Yi was somewhat surprised, not expecting that someone as detached from worldly affairs as you would have such enemies.]
[He promised to help you resolve it.]
[Late at night, Lu Yi suddenly found you and told you to leave the Divine General's Manor immediately, as far away as possible.]
"Hmm??"
Chen Shi's eyes narrowed as he looked at the simulated text.
He had just confessed about the mastermind and Elder Wang during the day.
And now Lu Yi was telling him to leave overnight?
Did he discover something?
Chen Shi's brows furrowed even tighter.
He recalled the last simulation when he inexplicably died in the Inner Court.
According to the timeline in the simulation, there were less than two months left until this event occurred. Could it be that Lu Yi was urging him to leave the Divine General's Manor because of this?
If so, that would be quite terrifying.
This would mean that the person who wanted him dead was very powerful, so much so that even Lu Yi, a Perfected Innate Realm devotee of the Song family, couldn't protect him!
With a heavy heart, Chen Shi continued to read the simulated text.
[You were stunned for a moment, realizing that Lu Yi might know something, and quickly asked him why.]
[Lu Yi's expression was very serious, telling you not to ask further.]
[Then, he gave you an unknown piece of ancient jade and three sword talismans. The ancient jade could conceal your aura and change your appearance, making it impossible for even those in the Heaven-Human Realm to detect you without close contact. The sword talismans contained his recently stored sword energy, which could be activated by crushing them, equivalent to a full-strength strike at the early Innate stage. You were advised not to use them unless absolutely necessary, as doing so would make it impossible for you to master that move for life.]
[Subsequently, your consciousness fell into darkness.]
[In a deep sleep...]
[In a deep sleep...]
[When you woke up, your vision was pitch black, the air was stale, and the surroundings were extremely cramped.]
[After some exploration,]
[You discovered you were lying in a coffin.]
[You understood that this was likely arranged by Lu Yi, with the purpose of avoiding the mastermind's eyes and ears, to secretly and quietly send you out of the Divine General's Manor.]
[You waited for a long time, realizing that lying there wasn't an option, as it was delaying your sword practice. So you activated your Vital Qi and Blood, pushing open the coffin lid that was as heavy as a thousand pounds.]
[Instantly, a large amount of soil poured in.]
[It was then that you realized you had been buried underground.]
[You took your sword and climbed out of the grave, finding yourself in a mountain forest, staring at the ten-meter-high grass on the grave mound, gradually realizing something was amiss...]
[...You filled the grave pit back in,]
[...You discovered a village nearby.]
[...After talking with the villagers, you obtained some information.]
[It turned out this place was called Mang Village, located in the You Prefecture of Great Wei, deep in the vast mountains. The villagers gathered here were impoverished people who couldn't survive due to heavy taxes and labor duties...]
Seeing this, Chen Shi was momentarily stunned.
You Prefecture!
It was over a thousand miles away from Liang Prefecture!
For an ordinary person, just traveling that distance would take several months. How did Lu Yi manage to bury him so far away?
And based on the ten-meter-high grass on the grave mound,
The simulation suggested that he had likely been asleep for more than just a few days.
[...After inquiring, you learned that your grave mound was buried two years ago, meaning you had been asleep in the tomb for two years without eating or drinking.]
[You didn't know what had happened.]
[And you didn't really care.]
[Because you needed to continue studying that sword move.]
[On April 5th, four years later, you built a hut out of straw in Mang Village and settled down. Since you didn't clear land or farm, except for occasionally hunting in the mountains, you spent all your time practicing swordsmanship in the bamboo forest behind the village. The villagers of Mang Village thought you were a strange person and didn't want to associate with you. However, they didn't dare offend you either, because your sword was very sharp.]
[During this time, you also discovered that your appearance had undergone a drastic change.]
[But when you removed the ancient jade given by Lu Yi from your body, your appearance would return to normal.]
[On August 5th, four years later, you killed an eight-hundred-pound wild boar with your bare hands. Due to the hot weather, which made preservation difficult, you only took a hundred pounds and gave the rest to the villagers of Mang Village.]
[The villagers' goodwill towards you increased.]
[On April 6th, five years later, you had swung your sword seven million times, still unable to grasp the essence.]
[You decided to pause your training.]
[You took out the sword manual you had brought from the coffin and studied it carefully.]
[Heaven and Earth Sword Slash.]
[Preface: There is nothing in this world that cannot be cut with a single sword. If there is, my advice is to run.]
[Just from the preface, you could clearly feel that the creator of this move, the world's number one sword, was an extremely obsessive person. In this sword manual, the world's number one sword believed that anything in the world could be cut with a single sword, including heaven and earth.]
[And also including enemies.]
[Any unnecessary moves and fighting were an insult to the way of the sword.]
[After months of contemplation, you summarized eight words of insight in your heart.]
[Focus on one point, reach the pinnacle!]