Chapter 16: Meeting at Mount Shu

The Nine Provinces continent is vast and boundless, with countless famous mountains and scenic spots, but if we were to talk about the most special famous mountain, it would undoubtedly be Mount Shu.

Mount Shu is located inland on the continent of Jiuzhou. In terms of steepness, it cannot compare to Mount Tianshan.

In terms of mystery, it cannot compare to the Kunlun Mountains.

However, in terms of fame and influence, Mount Shu is undoubtedly number one in the eyes of the people of the Nine Provinces.

This is because for thousands of years, Mount Shu has been the spiritual leader of the righteous path, and its position has remained unshakable for nearly a thousand years.

In addition, the current leader of the Shu Mountain Sect, Master Qingyi, is one of the two most powerful martial arts masters on the continent, making him the object of countless people's longing in the martial arts world.

Looking around, the mountains and fields are covered with lush and verdant pines and cypresses.

Although Mount Shu is not steep, it boasts beautiful scenery in all four seasons, with mist and haze creating a picturesque landscape that attracts a large number of tourists every year.

Today, Mount Shu welcomed a group of special guests, so much so that all the disciples of Mount Shu who had received the news in advance gathered early at various places around the mountain gate, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

"They're here, they're here! The people from Penglai Palace have already reached the halfway point of the mountain."

"So fast!"

"As expected of the renowned Penglai Sword Maiden, even the Grand Elder and the other six elders personally came to greet her."

"Wow, so many people have arrived! Could the one in the white dress at the front be the Sword Maiden of Penglai?"

"Ah, where is it? Where is it?"

A six- or seven-year-old Taoist boy shouted excitedly.

He leaned against the stone railing and stood on tiptoe, but because of his short stature, he could never see the mountainside below.

Seeing all the fellow disciples around him staring wide-eyed, the young Taoist priest paced anxiously.

"Senior brother, I want to see Fiora, I want to see her..."

The junior brother's shout brought a young man in Taoist robes to his senses. His eyes still gleaming with amazement, he looked at the little fellow beside him, smiled, picked him up, and said, "Is this alright?"

The young Taoist priest did not answer him, his large eyes fixed on the mountainside not far away, where a tall, beautiful woman in a white dress stood.

He felt that he had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life, and the young Taoist priest blushed.

The whispers of his fellow disciples reached the young Taoist's ears.

"That's the world-renowned Sword Maiden of Penglai! Heavens..."

"it's beautiful!"

"She's more than just beautiful, she's like a goddess descended from heaven."

"That's right, look, the usually stern and unsmiling Elder looks so kind and approachable now, especially towards the Sword Maiden!"

"It's unbelievable that her son is already so grown up, yet she's still so beautiful."

"Fiora is only in her thirties, don't make her sound so old."

"Exactly, otherwise why would so many heroes and warriors on the continent pursue her after she publicly divorced her husband?"

"I really envy Lu Zhongming..." Qin Yuning strolled along the stone steps of the mountain path, accompanied by several high-ranking elders of the Shu Mountain Sect. Apart from Hua Niang, the entourage of Penglai Palace lagged behind at a distance.

It has been six years since my last visit to Shushan, and the place has not changed much since then.

The last time she came to Shushan, she was also greeted by these same elders. They were all old acquaintances of Qin Yuning, so the two sides had a very pleasant conversation.

Along the way, Qin Yuning also saw many young disciples of Mount Shu, who stopped and watched them from afar.

Such a scene was commonplace for her, as she saw similar scenes everywhere she went and didn't think much of it.

Upon reaching the mountaintop, a magnificent hall stands before us. The large square in front of the hall is spotless, and several young Taoist disciples, who look no more than five or six years old, are chasing and playing among themselves.

One of the youngest-looking Taoist boys, engrossed in playing, took too big a step and accidentally fell to the ground, immediately bursting into tears.

Several children stopped playing and ran over.

An elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, wearing a dark gray Taoist robe, and with a kind and amiable appearance, appeared in the room.

He picked up the young Taoist priest, patted the dust off him, and comforted him with a smile. The young priest stopped crying and started laughing. The old man then patted the boy's head and turned his gaze to the crowd approaching him.

Qin Yuning stepped forward with a smile, gave the old man a slight curtsy, and said with graceful bearing, "It's been several years, but you still have the same charm. Yuning greets you, Master."

This ordinary-looking old man with white hair and a youthful face is none other than the renowned Master Qingyi, the martial arts master of the Shushan Sect, who has been famous on the mainland for a long time.

Master Qingyi laughed heartily: "This old man's bones have no charm to speak of. On the contrary, Sword Maiden, you, the number one beauty of the Nine Provinces, are even more charming than before, unmatched by anyone."

"You flatter me."

Qin Yuning smiled sweetly.

After catching up for a while, Qingyi Zhenren said, "I have already received your letter. My Shushan sect has also heard about these matters. They are of great importance and we need to discuss them carefully."

Qin Yuning nodded and said, "Everything is up to you, Master."

Afterwards, an elder from Mount Shu personally arranged for the Penglai Palace entourage to stay in their rooms, while Qin Yuning held a private meeting in the main hall with Master Qingyi and several elders from Mount Shu.

Penglai Palace and Shushan Sect have been on good terms for generations. When Qin Yuning was still young, Master Qingyi was a frequent visitor to Penglai Palace. It can be said that the latter watched Qin Yuning grow up.

Therefore, in Qin Yuning's eyes, Master Qingyi was not only the spiritual leader of the righteous path on the mainland, but also an elder whom she had respected since childhood.

Unlike other sects that exchange pleasantries upon meeting, the two sides went straight to the point.

The Blood Skull organization has resurfaced, threatening to shatter the balance of power among the major factions on the continent. This infamous assassin organization possesses the strength to destroy any reputable sect.

Otherwise, given the resources of Penglai Palace, why would they need to travel thousands of miles to Shu Mountain to request Master Qingyi's help?

The Blood Skull faction is vast, possessing not only numerous assassins but also shadow assassins who are elusive and skilled in assassination, as well as a Skeleton Elder who is comparable to a Martial Grandmaster.

With the addition of an extremely mysterious Skeleton Venerable, even with the strength of Mount Shu, they dared not be arrogant.

The Second Elder snorted coldly: "If we confront them head-on, what do we, the Shu Mountain Sect, have to fear from their Blood Skull?"

He had the confidence to say this because all twelve elders of Mount Shu were exceptionally skilled in martial arts.

Although they dare not compare themselves to a Martial Grandmaster like the Penglai Sword Maiden, the strength of each of their subordinates is not much weaker than that of a Martial Grandmaster.

To put it bluntly, every elder of Shushan is a renowned master in the outside world, even surpassing the leaders of major sects.

In addition, the younger generation of Shushan has gradually grown up, and several outstanding successors of the sect have emerged. With proper training, the future prosperity of Shushan is foreseeable.

Not to mention that one of the two strongest experts in the Nine Continents is their sect leader. In terms of overall strength, the Shu Mountain Sect is more than capable of suppressing the Blood Skull.

The Grand Elder shook his head upon hearing this. "Our Shu Mountain is not afraid of such evil forces. The problem is that we have absolutely no clue where the Blood Skull's headquarters is hidden. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, which is very disadvantageous for us."

Master Qingyi stroked his beard and nodded. "The Blood Skull has a mysterious origin. Long before my master passed away, this organization was already rampant on the continent, assassinating a large number of righteous martial arts masters. The righteous martial arts world has never been without the intention of eliminating them, but to this day, we still have no idea where their headquarters are located."

He took a sip of tea and continued, "Twenty years ago, I had a chance encounter with the Palace Master of Qingcheng Palace in Kunlun Mountain. We traveled together for three days, and during that time, we inadvertently talked about the origins of the Blood Skull. It turned out that the Palace Master of Qingcheng Palace at that time had fought with the Blood Skull and had even killed the strongest of the four Skeleton Elders with her sword."

As soon as Master Qingyi finished speaking, a moment of silence fell over the main hall.

"Qingcheng Palace? That mysterious sect located in the Kunlun Mountains, where they are rarely seen?"

"The sect leader actually knows their palace master?"

"I heard that the Palace of Allure only produces one female successor in each generation, and she lives in seclusion. No outsider has ever known the true identity of the Palace Masters of the Palace. It has been more than ten or twenty years since I have heard any rumors about the Palace of Allure on the mainland."

"We thought there were always three Skull Elders, but we never imagined that there was one who was beheaded by the Palace Master of Qingcheng Palace twenty years ago. The Palace Master of Qingcheng Palace's martial arts are truly terrifying."

According to existing intelligence, the strength of the three Skeleton Elders is roughly equal to that of the Shu Mountain Elders present. This conclusion was reached after Martial Sect Master Lu Zhongming exchanged blows with several elders present.

Lu Zhongming once stated that fighting the Skeleton Elders already carried the risk of injury, and killing them was even more difficult; even he, as a Martial Grandmaster, was not entirely confident.

The Palace Master of Qingcheng Palace, alone with her sword, was able to kill the Skeleton Elder, who was the most skilled martial artist at the time. Her martial arts skills were probably even stronger than those of a Martial Grandmaster.

The secrets revealed by the sect leader today not only shocked the elders present, but even Qin Yuning listened intently, holding her breath.

At this moment, Qin Yuning spoke up: "This morning I received a letter from Wan'er, which confirmed that the Situ family is indeed colluding with the Blood Skull organization. If we want to find out the location of the Blood Skull, Yuning thinks we can start with the Situ family."

"The Blood Skull has actually colluded with the power of aristocratic families, which is completely unexpected."

"If the truth is as the Sword Maiden said, it would be much simpler and easier to start with the Situ family."

"This information about Fiora is very useful."

The elders were overjoyed upon hearing this.

Qin Yuning nodded and said, "Wan'er and the others are currently on their way to Mount Shu. You can ask them for more details later."

Qin Yuning's gaze fell upon Master Qingyi, who was deep in thought, and she asked with some doubt, "Master, is there something amiss?"

Master Qingyi came to his senses and said in a daze, "I just suddenly remembered something."

He paused, a look of reminiscence crossing his face, and said, "That must have been about seven or eight years ago. I was a guest at Penglai Palace then, and I chatted with Brother Tianhao about the Blood Skull organization. At the time, Brother Tianhao talked about some secrets of the Blood Skull, but I thought his words were too shocking and didn't take them to heart. Now that I think about it, perhaps what Brother Tianhao said back then was actually true."

The elders of Shu Mountain present were all shrewd and experienced. As soon as they heard the sect leader mention the man who had been publicly divorced by the Sword Maiden, they all lowered their eyes and shut their mouths.

That day, with red eyes, the Sword Maiden drove the man named Lin Tianhao out of Penglai Palace in front of countless sects. Everyone present still vividly remembers that scene.

They were all present at the time, so how could they not see that the Sword Maiden hated so intensely because of her deep love?

Who on the mainland doesn't know that the Sword Maiden of Penglai is like her sword? Who dares to provoke her? Their sect leader is probably the only one who dares to talk about her ex-husband to her face without angering her.

Therefore, they absolutely will not engage in such discussions.

Unexpectedly, Qin Yuning looked extremely surprised and asked, "What did he say?"

Master Qingyi took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Brother Tianhao said that the Blood Skull organization is just a henchman and lackey of another, much larger evil force. Besides the Blood Skull, there will probably be other evil sects that will be subdued by that force in the future, such as the Yin Yang Sect..."

Qin Yuning's beautiful phoenix eyes suddenly snapped open. "Yin Yang Sect? Blood Skull?"

The elders of Shushan present looked at each other in bewilderment.

It should be noted that not long ago, the Dual Cultivation Pavilion suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the Yin Yang Sect, which had reappeared on the continent after many years.

If, as the sect leader says, this evil sect and the Blood Skull assassin organization are in the same camp, then the nature of the matter becomes even more serious.

"Sect Leader, what's next?"

The Grand Elder consulted with Master Qingyi.

Master Qingyi stroked his long beard and pondered, "In my name, send invitations to the Buddhist Sect, the Holy Sword Sect, and the Weapon Refining Sect respectively." ... Night.

Master Qingyi, holding a chess piece in one hand and gazing at the stunning beauty opposite him, said leisurely, "In the second game, Sword Maiden, you've lost to this old man again!"

"Your chess skills have always been evenly matched with mine, yet you've lost two games against me this time. Tell me, what's causing your unease?"

Master Qingyi looked at her with a smile.

No way.

Qin Yuning smiled slightly.

After a while, she parted her fragrant lips slightly and said, "Master, you intend to invite the leaders of the three major righteous sects—the Buddhist Sect, the Holy Sword Sect, and the Weapon Forging Sect—to come. Do you also believe what that cynical fellow said back then?"

Instead of answering, Master Qingyi asked, "What are your thoughts on what Brother Tianhao said about Sword Maiden?"

"Of course I don't believe it."

Qin Yuning replied with a cold expression.

Master Qingyi looked at her angry, petty woman-like appearance, but smiled without saying a word.

Silently, a new game of chess began. After a dozen or so moves, Qin Yuning asked, seemingly casually, "Speaking of which, that guy's martial arts skills are mediocre. Given his status as a True Person, why have we been addressing him with such respect from the very beginning?"

"Hehe, this question must have been on Sword Maiden's mind for a long time. You are Brother Tianhao's wife, so if you really want to know, then I will make an exception and answer your question."

"I have had nothing to do with that man for a long time."

So, are you going to listen or not?

「……」

A brief silence fell over the chess room.

"Listen, please speak, real person."

Qin Yuning managed to reply, preparing to wait for Master Qingyi's response, but after waiting for a while without any reply, she finally looked up and saw Master Qingyi's serious and earnest face.

"Does Sword Maiden think that Brother Tianhao is just a useless coward?"

Qin Yuning retorted angrily, "Isn't he the same? I only blame myself for being young and ignorant. I knew he was mediocre in martial arts, but I still fell in love with him wholeheartedly. There were so many people pursuing me back then. Any Tom, Dick, or Harry would have been a hundred times better than him."

However, Master Qingyi shook his head upon hearing this and uttered a statement that shocked Qin Yuning: "Although I have never fought with Brother Tianhao, I am certain that Brother Tianhao's martial arts are definitely not below mine."

"Clatter"

The chess piece in Qin Yuning's hand fell onto the chessboard. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she looked on incredulously: "This is impossible! Real person, you're lying to me, right?"

Master Qingyi shook his head again and said, "You know, I never lie."

"That's impossible. We've been husband and wife for so many years. If he possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed."

Qin Yuning still couldn't believe it.

Master Qingyi looked at her and answered seriously, "I can judge your strengths and weaknesses at a glance, like Sword Maiden or Zhongming. Even with Master Bailu, although I cannot judge his strengths and weaknesses, I can sense that he is a master of the same level as me. Only Brother Tianhao, the moment I saw him, I found that I could not see through him at all."

Master Qingyi said in a deep voice, "It is a mysterious and profound feeling. Brother Tianhao's every move seems to be perfectly natural, without the slightest trace."

Qin Yuning was taken aback, but then she shook her head and said, "Perhaps that guy accidentally gave Zhenren the illusion that he is very powerful. I have lived with him for so many years, and no one knows him better than me. It is hard for Yuning to believe that Zhenren's judgment of him is based on me alone."

"Hehe, what if I told you that Mr. Bailu's evaluation of Brother Tianhao is exactly the same as mine? What would Sword Maiden say then?"

Master Qingyi finally said something lightly.

Qin Yuning's full, firm chest heaved rapidly, clearly indicating that the news had a tremendous impact on her.

If she were to rely solely on the judgment of one person, she would still have some doubts. But with Mr. Bai Lu's opinion added, she had no choice but to believe it.

Because Mr. Bailu did indeed visit Penglai Palace once, accompanied by Master Qingyi.

The fact that the two people with the highest martial arts skills on the Nine Provinces Continent gave similar evaluations of her incompetent husband proves that Lin Tianhao was not incompetent, but was pretending to be.

The anger in Qin Yuning's heart was truly something that even the waters of the five lakes and four seas could not wash away.

Seeing her like this, Master Qingyi said helplessly, "I know that you resent Brother Tianhao in your heart, Sword Maiden. He clearly has superb martial arts skills, but he is unwilling to show them at all, let alone help you. But perhaps Brother Tianhao has his own reasons?"

Qin Yuning said coldly, "Difficulties? If he truly possesses unparalleled martial arts skills, where was he when I fought eight top underworld masters and was severely injured? Since marrying me, he has stayed on Penglai Island day and night, unwilling to even step out. Master, how can you expect me not to resent him?"

Master Qingyi sighed, "As the saying goes, it takes ten years of cultivation to share a boat ride, and a hundred years to share a pillow. Since you and Brother Tianhao can become husband and wife, it must be a blessing from your past lives. Moreover, Xuan'er has grown up now. Some things don't need to be held in your heart. Wouldn't it be better to let go?"

Quiet silence.

A moment later, Qin Yuning raised her head, and a smile returned to her beautiful face.

"I've already let go of it, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted Zhongming's pursuit."

Master Qingyi nodded and said, "Zhongming's status and position are indeed worthy of you. I will definitely attend your wedding."

Qin Yuning shook her head upon hearing this: "He must pass my test. If he fails, I will kick him aside."

Master Qingyi laughed heartily: "Having encountered the Sword Maiden of Penglai, this old man is truly sweating for Zhongming."...

…The moment Lin Zixuan opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashed in them.

Feeling the more refined and solid internal energy within his body than ever before—no, it should now be called spiritual energy—Lin Zixuan felt exceptionally joyful.

A few days ago, he successfully broke through to the Qi Condensation stage, reaching the second major realm of the "Cultivation Divine Technique".

In just a few days, his spiritual power was growing at an astonishing rate, so fast that it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was increasing by leaps and bounds.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate that he possessed the bloodline of the Xuanyuan royal family; otherwise, he would never have had such an opportunity.

At this rate, he might reach the peak of the Qi Condensation stage in less than half a year. At that time, he will have the strength to rival that of a Martial Grandmaster and truly enter the ranks of the top experts on the continent.

Of course, it is said that there are a very few sects on the mainland that can transfer a person's lifelong internal energy to another person.

If he were to encounter a genius youth who had received the transmission of skills from a great master, Lin Zixuan would naturally be no match for him.

However, such cases only occur occasionally, perhaps once every few decades or even centuries, and cannot be used for comparison.

Lin Zixuan is now certain that no one of his age can rival him in the entire Nine Provinces Continent, or even the Western Regions. He has every right to be pleased.

Pushing open the door, Lin Zixuan entered the courtyard and saw Lu Zhongming returning with a radiant face from afar.

Upon seeing Lin Zixuan, the latter greeted him with a smile.

Lin Zixuan naturally understood why he was so happy.

Two nights ago, Lu Zhongming, along with several highly capable friends, finally captured Blood Skull's intelligence agent planted in the capital, an old man who was afraid of death.

Under severe torture, the old man quickly confessed everything he knew.

Lu Zhongming then swiftly and decisively apprehended the two shadow assassins hiding in the capital.

Lu Zhongming originally ordered them to be captured alive, but when the two shadow assassins realized that there was no hope of breaking through, they bit off the poison pills hidden in their mouths and died from the poison.

Fortunately, Lu Zhongming later found some valuable information about the Blood Skull on the two men and had his trusted confidant send it to Mount Shu overnight.

Lin Zixuan knew that his mother would be overjoyed this time, so Lu Zhongming had been looking radiant these past few days.

Lu Zhongming greeted Lin Zixuan and was about to go to his room to rest, but the latter frowned.

Because Lu Zhongming not only smelled strongly of alcohol, but also carried the pleasant scent of women's cosmetics, it was obvious what he had been up to last night.

Lin Zixuan wanted to call out to him, but after thinking about it, she left in the end.

Upon arriving at the front hall, he found a pretty maid waiting for him.

"Young Master Lin, my young lady requests your presence."

Lin Zixuan asked in surprise, "Jin'er, is there something you need?"

"Yes, young master, please follow me." To be honest, Lin Zixuan hadn't seen his stunning fiancée for several days.

The latter's infidelity was like a thorn in Lin Zixuan's heart, causing him great pain. Therefore, he had been hiding in his residence practicing martial arts for the past few days, ignoring everything else.

Upon hearing that Sima Jin'er had sent someone to invite him over, Lin Zixuan knew she must have something to discuss with him. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Please lead the way."