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墨書 Inktalez
The stone door closed behind them.
Chu Xi did not gain the benefits she sought within the Li Fire Formation, but there was no trace of disappointment on her face; she appeared quite satisfied.
Li Hong couldn't help but ask, "Why do you look so happy?"
"Because I've learned another secret about the Cultivation World," she replied, looking up at Li Hong. In the darkness, her eyes sparkled like stars in the sky. She added with a slight smile, "Don't think these things are useless. Perhaps knowing more than others at a crucial moment can save your life and make you stronger. In fact, knowledge is also a form of power."
Li Hong acknowledged that Chu Xi was right, but there were more important matters at hand. He stared into the darkness ahead. Gradually, the pitch-black Passageway began to brighten, revealing everything clearly, even the tiny gaps between the blue stones.
But… where was his second brother? Li Hong felt a bit uneasy.
Just then, a shadow appeared at the fork ahead; it was Chuxiong. Li Hong grasped Chu Xi's hand, and they swiftly flew down the Passageway to confront Chuxiong.
Chuxiong felt a breeze brush against him and suddenly found two people standing before him, startling him so much that he shuddered.
"Shh! It's me," Li Hong said.
Chuxiong sighed in relief and whispered, "I almost got caught by the guards just now. That was close! Let's hurry and talk outside."
They ran quickly down the long Passageway. Chu Xi occasionally took out the White Jade Bottle to guide their direction. Soon, the large stone door at the exit came into view.
Chuxiong reached out to push it open. Li Hong grabbed him and said in a low voice, "Wait, there might be someone outside."
"There shouldn't be," Chuxiong whispered back. "After you went in, something strange happened here. Someone helped divert the guards. I just went to check on it. There were four guards in total, all led into different passages. It's really odd—who could it be? Could Sister Chu Yan have come in as well?"
"That’s impossible," Chu Xi replied firmly. "I already made it clear to Sister Chu Yan that even if we got caught, we wouldn't involve her. She definitely wouldn't come in; besides, she doesn't have that level of cultivation. Enough talk; it's past midnight. If we don't leave now, it will be too late." With determination, she pushed open the stone door.
Outside, it was eerily quiet, and the strange chaotic gray mist still quietly enveloped the area. Familiar with the surroundings, I made my way through the mist and rushed up the dirt mound.
Just as I reached the back of the mound, two figures suddenly burst out from the gray mist. After emerging, they looked around cautiously, forming hand seals as if on high alert, seemingly wary of something.
One of them had a small crimson feather-like sword hovering above his head, slowly circling around him. He said to his companion, "This is incredible; we can't even catch a glimpse of his shadow!"
The other person raised his hand, a dark blue small sword floating in his palm. He brought the sword close to his nose and sniffed it. "Someone has definitely been here; my 'Refined Azure' has detected it. This person is highly skilled; we are no match for him. We need to quickly send a message for our master to bring people over!"
"Alright," agreed the owner of the Crimson Feathered Sword. He then said, "I'll do it!" He formed a hand seal and lightly tapped the Crimson Feathered Sword that was circling above him with his fingertip. The small sword resonated with its master’s intent, flashing red light before shooting straight up into the sky.
The three behind the dirt mound felt their hearts race as they watched the Crimson Feathered Sword fly higher and higher. It paused mid-air as if determining its direction before a streak of red light shot northward like lightning.
In an instant, there was a crackling sound from within the gray mist, and a lightning-like Black Light swiftly pierced through the clouds and mist, surprisingly arriving first.
With a clang, the Crimson Feathered Sword was struck directly by that Black Light, instantly sustaining damage. The sword emitted a continuous wailing sound as it flew back toward its master. The man gasped in shock and leaped into the air, catching the small sword several yards above the ground. However, he immediately lost balance and fell downward.
His companion below was terrified and jumped up instinctively to catch him. The two tumbled down together into the dust.
After hitting the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale as he collapsed onto the ground. He stored the Flying Sword into his Dantian and gasped, "This is too powerful! My 'Crimson Feather' is injured; it needs to be nurtured back in my Dantian. Junior Brother, don’t worry about me; hurry and inform Master!"
"No way! I can't leave you here alone," gritted his companion as he dragged his injured friend back into the gray mist. Soon after, calmness returned to this chaotic area.
The three behind the dirt mound were left dumbfounded. Everything had happened so quickly that they could barely see what transpired. Only Li Hong vaguely noticed that after the Black Light struck down the Crimson Feathered Sword, it swiftly retreated back into the gray mist.
There was a powerful expert hidden in that mist! With one move, they defeated a guard at Golden Core Stage! Li Hong shivered; who could this person be? How could they coincidentally enter Li Fire Formation at the same time as them? Were they friend or foe? Could it be that this was indeed someone mentioned by Chuxiong who diverted the guards? What if they were one of those enemies from the Demon Sect that Master often warned about?
"Senior Sister is here! We need to hurry!" Chu Xi whispered urgently.
The Wingless Ship appeared overhead, and standing at the bow was the pale-faced Chu Yan. She anxiously urged, "Get on quickly!"
The three jumped onto the Wingless Ship. Even after flying several miles away, their hearts continued to race. They exchanged glances, all feeling that what had just happened was truly unbelievable.
After a moment, Li Hong asked, "Could it be that enemies have broken in?"
"I don't know," Chuxiong replied, looking uneasy and hesitating. "It can't be that coincidental, right?"
"It's hard to say. From what I gathered from Chuxiong earlier, I thought it might be some fellow disciple secretly helping us, but since we injured the Guardian Master, that's difficult to determine." Chu Xi said worriedly, her delicate brows tightly furrowed.
Inside the Wingless Ship, it was quiet except for the sound of the wind howling.
As dawn approached, they arrived at the small Gorge. They hurriedly said their goodbyes and parted ways, each heading back to Nine Vermilion Peaks and Nine Purple Peak.
For several days afterward, Li Hong and Chuxiong were filled with anxiety, always on high alert. With the Spirit Stone not at Nine Vermilion Peaks, Li Hong had no way to inquire about it. However, Chuxiong took the opportunity to visit Chuxuan under some pretext and indirectly asked about it. Chuxuan was completely unaware. Chuxiong had no choice but to give up.
Thus, they spent many days in a state of unease. One day just past noon, Senior Brother Chuming arrived and said that their master had returned and wanted them to meet at Three-Story Pavilion.
Li Hong's heart raced; could it be that their master found out?
In the Quiet Room, Spirit Stone was dressed in the same tattered clothes he wore when they first met, looking travel-worn. He smiled as he twirled a mouse whisker and said, "Long time no see you two! You came quickly. Old Seven, how's your talisman drawing going?"
Upon hearing about drawing talismans, Chuxiong looked as if he had a mouthful of tangled hemp rope, his face full of distress. He scratched his messy hair and stammered, "Master, um... these past few days while you were away, I only remembered to practice my skills..."
Spirit Stone glared with his yellow eyes and said, "Well, you Old Seven! You slacked off while I was away!" Chuxiong was speechless, looking down. He then turned his gaze to Li Hong, sizing him up before nodding and saying, "Old Six, it seems your cultivation has improved. Good."
Just as Chuxuan walked in, he caught the last part of the conversation. His expression stiffened, but he said nothing and quietly stood beside Chuxiong. Chu Liang followed him in. The four of them stood in a row.
Spirit Stone twirled a mouse whisker while examining each of them, finally saying, "Very good. It's clear that you all have been working hard during Master’s absence, except for you, Old Seven. You need to get a grip on that talisman! If you still tell Master you can't do it, he will surely punish you severely."
With each remark from Spirit Stone, Chuxiong obediently responded. Perhaps Spirit Stone liked Chuxiong's honest demeanor; he finally stopped picking on him and turned to ask Chuxuan and Chu Liang about their studies.
Seeing Master in this relaxed state, it didn't seem like there was any external threat or that he knew about the secret actions taken. Only then did Li Hong feel his anxious heart settle back down. Just then, he heard Spirit Stone say, "Alright, you all can leave. Old Six, stay behind."
Huh? Li Hong's mouth opened silently as his heart began to race again.
Spirit Stone comfortably took off his worn shoes and settled into his usual Grandmaster Chair, saying, "Pour me a cup of tea. After all, home is the most comfortable place."
Li Hong walked over to the table, reached out to touch the teapot, which was still hot. Senior Brother Chuming had already prepared fragrant tea for him. Li Hong rinsed the teacup and filled it with steaming fragrant tea before presenting it to Master with both hands.
Spirit Stone watched his actions closely; seeing him test the tea temperature first and rinse the cup showed great care and caution. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He took the teacup, sipped from it while holding it in his palm, gazing at the emerald green tea soup as if speaking to Li Hong or perhaps talking to himself: "This time Master has really worn himself out!"
He paused for a moment, his expression turning serious: "I have an important task for you; you must listen carefully."
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