novelraw Chapter 141 - 103: Settling Down (Part 2)
Chapter 141 - 103: Settling Down (Part 2)
This message must be sent home quickly so that Father can inform the second brother of the Chu Family.
Seeing her anxiousness, Zuo Wenchuan smiled and said:
"Junior Sister Wu, don’t be in such a hurry, the truth of this information is yet to be determined.
"Moreover, it involves much more than just the Taiyi Sect... My descent from the mountain is also for this matter."
"Senior Brother Zuo, please take your time and explain."
She took a step back, invited Zuo Wenchuan into the pavilion, and the two sat opposite each other. Only then did Zuo Wenchuan slowly speak:
"It seems that this matter started more than a month ago, with news claiming that the lost Earth Scroll was obtained by a peculiar stranger in the martial arts world.
"This person calls himself the ’Tianji Hermit’. His life is unknown, but after obtaining the Earth Scroll, he did not return it to the Taiyi Sect.
"Instead, he kept it for himself..."
"The Tianji Hermit?"
Wu Qianhuan frowned slightly. Having been exposed to these matters of the martial arts world since childhood, she was well informed.
But this Tianji Hermit, she had never heard of.
She glanced at Zuo Wenchuan:
"Where has this Tianji Hermit hidden the Earth Scroll?"
"This is unknown..."
Zuo Wenchuan gave a bitter smile:
"I descended the mountain also for this matter.
"The news claims that the Tianji Hermit possesses extraordinary Martial Arts skills.
"But he has been a solitary figure all his life, and the martial arts world knows little about him.
"In his later years, with no one around, he suffered from a mishap during martial arts training, becoming mad and wandering the martial arts world for years...
"Finally, by chance, someone saved him and put him in good care.
"Perhaps because of the good care, the Tianji Hermit regained his sanity before passing away.
"He gave that person a ’Celestial Secret Order,’ telling him, ’With this Celestial Secret Order, you can enter the Celestial Secret Valley,’ and said that everything he acquired during his travels in the martial arts world was inside the valley.
"His half-life of solitude and wandering, everything in the Celestial Secret Valley was a gift for the care that person gave him."
"...Who is that person?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Qianhuan naturally realized that this person was the key.
Zuo Wenchuan softly said:
"Many years ago, the ancestor of Luochun Manor, Wen Tianheng!"
"Luochun Manor, 128 li away..."
Wu Qianhuan’s hand clenched suddenly as she knew that Chu Qing’s first stop in his journey in the martial arts world was Luochun Manor.
If Zuo Wenchuan’s news spreads, Luochun Manor might already be a place of trouble.
She looked up at Zuo Wenchuan:
"Senior Brother Zuo, are you heading to Luochun Manor?"
"Exactly."
Zuo Wenchuan nodded: "This matter is significant, not only involving the Taiyi Sect’s Earth Scroll Celestial Book but also relating to the treasures and heritage of the Tianji Hermit, causing a stir throughout the martial arts world.
"My master is concerned there might be other mysteries involved and sent me to investigate."
Wu Qianhuan slowly closed her eyes and after a moment opened them and said:
"Senior Brother Zuo, this matter is indeed no small affair. Take care as you go alone."
Zuo Wenchuan smiled freely:
"Success and failure come with fate, but thank you for your concern, Junior Sister."
With that, he stood up to leave.
The message he intended to convey was this, and having visited his uncle-master and this junior sister, he could now descend the mountain.
Because Wu Qianhuan was in seclusion at the Moon Viewing Pavilion, it was inconvenient to escort him out, so she gave him a distant salute from within the Moon Viewing Pavilion.
Once Zuo Wenchuan left, she furrowed her beautiful eyebrows into a "川" character.
In that moment, her first thought was to descend the mountain immediately and head to Luochun Manor.
But she quickly calmed down.
Chu Qing’s Martial Arts prowess was far superior to her own.
Even if she went, it would be no help to Chu Qing and might become a burden to him.
Wu Qianhuan, who had been self-reliant since childhood, was unwilling to burden Chu Qing.
Thus, what she needed to do now was not descend the mountain to cause trouble for Chu Qing, but to diligently practice the Moon-Pointing Profound Skill.
Only when the Divine Skill is accomplished can she stand beside Chu Qing and face enemies from all directions together.
Settling her mind, she sought out pen, ink, paper, and inkstone and began to write home.
She recounted everything Zuo Wenchuan had just said.
After checking three times to ensure nothing was missed, she sealed it with wax and had it sent away.
However, looking at the brush in her hand and the blank paper before her, she hesitated slightly, then began to write again on the paper.
But this time, the letter was not to her family.
It was to Chu Qing.
She began writing with careful brushwork, but slowly she relaxed.
She presented her experiences on Gu Yue Mountain in a haphazard fashion on the paper.
At the end, she inquired in the letter, asking if Chu Qing was well, if he was healthy, if his Divine Skill had made any progress.
She wanted to know many things, filling several sheets of paper densely.
The myriad chaotic thoughts in her heart slowly settled during this process.
Gazing at these things, she suddenly realized.
The words on the paper spoke much, but it all boiled down to two words... longing.
But longing alone cannot bring them together; only by firmly resolving and mastering the Profound Skill can she face Chu Qing’s crisis with him.
Even if she isn’t as strong as Chu Qing then, she won’t become a burden to him.
Only then would she not squander this journey to the sect, nor the grace of her master’s teachings.
Thinking of this, she laid down the brush and carefully stored the sheets filled with words.
Then she opened the Moon-Pointing Profound Skill book... Perhaps, because the chaotic thoughts decreased, upon looking again, the once obscure content suddenly became clear.
She gradually became absorbed, unmoving.
At a corner of the mountain path, Master Yetan, dressed in Cyan Robe, gazed at Wu Qianhuan in the pavilion with complicated eyes.
After a long while, she softly chanted:
"Amitabha."
And turned away...
...
...
Night, clouds veiled the moon, no wind.
Inside a dilapidated dwelling, Chu Qing and his companions sat around a fire.
Bian City turned the stick in his hands, roasting a flatbread over it, while Gentle’s small pot beside it bubbled, asserting its presence.
A tempting aroma wafted from within.
Mo Duxing did not sit; he stood by the door, pressing the hilt of his sword, gazing into the night with a heavy face.
Chu Qing yawned, staring blankly at the firelight.
At noon, they had bid farewell to Du Hanyan and others from Mist Rain Tower and left Divine Blade City.
Only in the evening did they find a place to rest.
"Jiang Divine Saber died too easily."
Bian City muttered as he roasted the flatbread:
"Look at what he did? I’ve seen many tragedies in my travels, but rarely as tragic as what happened within Divine Blade Hall territory.
"Leaving us with money but nowhere to spend it, wanting to stay at an inn, yet no inns to stay at!
"Truly absurd."
Chu Qing glanced at him but said nothing in response to his complaints.
He was still pondering some matters.
Most of what happened within Divine Blade Hall these years had become clear.
But there were still aspects of the whole affair that concerned him.
The most perplexing to Chu Qing was Dong Xingzhi.
This person truthfully died at his hand... twice!
Chu Qing could not understand how he came back to stir trouble?
He suspected it had to do with the martial arts Dong Xingzhi practiced, and the person discovered in Qingxi Village was likely behind it all.
Unfortunately, this person hid too well.
Even Gentle did not detect this person’s presence.
And yesterday, the reappearance of the ’Nine Profound Divine Skill’ at the First Grade Conference was undoubtedly his doing.
This news has likely already spread throughout the martial arts world.
God knows what upheaval it will cause.
He lifted his head, gazing toward Divine Blade City.
Today, as they left, those silent Grave Diggers finally began to act.
Carrying away and burying those unclaimed bodies.
Later, the news Bian City and they brought back confirmed that what Chu Qing heard last night was indeed true.
Ultimately, it was all due to a Celestial Secret Order from Luochun Manor.
Since the matter involved the Taiyi Sect, originally, Bian City and Mo Duxing should have returned to report to the mountain, but instead, they accompanied Chu Qing and Gentle to Luochun Manor.