Chapter 101: The Emerald Beauty and the Secret Canon
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan met up.
Clutching her robe, Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed, “Where did you go? You lost them! And now that little lover of yours is looking for me!”
Shi Hao asked, “Where is she?”
Xu Xiaoyan pointed, “In that alley over there.”
Shi Hao rushed over but found no one, only the sword still embedded in the wall.
He searched the area but couldn’t find Du Yuejiao. The Emerald Beauty was also gone.
He sensed several people approaching. More members of the Evil Lotus factions were converging on their location.
He and Xu Xiaoyan quickly left. Along the way, he found some new clothes for her.
Back at Floating Cloud Monastery, Shi Hao paced back and forth in the courtyard.
Xu Xiaoyan, having returned to her original appearance and changed into a Daoist robe, watched him, hands on her hips, and snorted, “She’s just a Chongxian Sect prude. Why are you so worried?”
Shi Hao said thoughtfully, “Why is the Emerald Beauty following her? What’s its purpose?”
Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head, thinking, then said, “Perhaps it wants her to inherit the Secret Canon?”
Shi Hao looked at her, puzzled, “Secret Canon?”
Xu Xiaoyan lowered her hands, bent down, and sighed, “I’ll tell you the truth. You asked before why the three Evil Lotus factions, if they’re truly cooperating, aren’t focusing on restoring the complete Night Charm Demonic scriptures, but instead on finding the Emerald Beauty.”
Shi Hao turned to her and nodded, “Yes! Even if the Emerald Beauty is the key to the Demon Empress’s treasure, restoring the complete scriptures should be more important. Their obsession with the Emerald Beauty seems… illogical.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “Because the Emerald Beauty might not just be the key to the treasure, but also to the Keeper of the Canon.”
Shi Hao asked, “Keeper of the Canon?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “The Night Charm Demonic scriptures contain countless techniques, but for the demonic sects, written records are unsafe. What if someone betrays the sect? What if the scriptures are destroyed or stolen?”
“That’s why each demonic sect has a Keeper of the Canon! Unlike the Daoist sects, the demonic sects operate in secret. But this secrecy also makes them vulnerable to losing their traditions.”
Shi Hao nodded.
Xu Xiaoyan continued, “The Night Charm Demonic scriptures are the ‘revealed canon,’ containing various techniques. But there’s also a secret canon, the true and complete scriptures, not written down, but… embodied in a person, a hidden expert of the Evil Lotus Sect who never interferes in worldly affairs, never appears in public, their identity unknown even to most members, only the sect leader aware of their existence.”
“According to tradition, only when the sect leader dies unexpectedly, without choosing a successor, does the Keeper of the Canon appear, choosing the next sect leader and passing on the true teachings.”
“But for some reason, three hundred years ago, after the Demon Empress and the Holy Jade Immortal perished together, the Keeper of the Canon never appeared, never chose a successor for the Demon Empress.”
Shi Hao’s mind raced, “So, the Keeper of the Canon only appears when the sect leader dies without choosing a successor. If the sect leader is still alive, or has chosen a successor, the Keeper remains hidden?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “That’s right. The Keeper of the Canon is bound by demonic essence. They’re forbidden from passing on the true teachings unless they’re certain the sect leader is dead and hasn’t chosen a successor. This is to prevent the sect from splintering. The Keeper’s purpose is to preserve the sect’s traditions, not to divide it.”
Shi Hao asked, “Is the Emerald Beauty the Keeper of the Canon?”
Xu Xiaoyan sighed, “It’s highly likely. After that battle three hundred years ago, the Demon Empress never reappeared. And for some reason, the Keeper of the Canon never chose a new leader for the Evil Lotus Sect.
“This is the main reason for the sect’s division. Without the true teachings, no one could become the rightful successor. And more importantly, with only the ‘revealed canon,’ the Night Charm Demonic scriptures, one can only cultivate to the fifth rank.”
“The current generation of leaders, Xuan Feng Huanzhi of the Black Lotus Realm, Yue Yaotai of the Moon Lotus Pavilion, and Sha Lingshan of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion, have all reached the peak of the fifth rank. To advance further, they either have to switch to external martial arts, like their predecessors, or obtain the true teachings from the Keeper.”
“But switching to external martial arts is a long and arduous process, as you know.”
Shi Hao said, “Daoist sects cultivate internal alchemy, while demonic sects refine demonic essence. Switching to external martial arts means starting from the ninth rank, training the body and breath. Even if they reach the fourth rank through years of arduous training, they’ll be older, their bodies changed, and their strength might not even be greater than what they could achieve by perfecting their fifth-rank techniques.”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “And each generation of leaders has been exceptional, hoping to be chosen by the Keeper, but for some reason, the Keeper never appeared.”
Shi Hao said, “Three hundred years… perhaps the Keeper died?”
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head, “If the Keeper died, the mid-rank experts of the Evil Lotus Sect would know. If such an accident occurred, they would abandon the Evil Lotus Sect and seek other traditions. But the Keeper is definitely still alive, just… hidden.”
Shi Hao thought, Perhaps the Keeper knows Su Mei is still alive.
According to tradition, if the sect leader wasn’t dead, the Keeper couldn’t choose a successor.
Xu Xiaoyan said, “But now the Keeper has appeared. The three leaders must believe the Emerald Beauty is the Keeper of the Canon, or at least connected to her.”
“This so-called alliance between the three factions is a joke. They’ve been fighting for so long; they can’t truly trust each other. They’re only cooperating because they know continued infighting will destroy them all. Whoever finds the Keeper will obtain the true teachings and become the rightful leader of the Evil Lotus Sect.”
“Although restoring the complete Night Charm Demonic scriptures would be beneficial to their disciples, it’s not as important to the three leaders, who are stuck at the peak of the fifth rank. Demonic cultivators are selfish and ambitious. They don’t really care about the complete scriptures.”
Shi Hao looked up and said thoughtfully, “I see. So why did the Keeper target me, and why is she with Du Yuejiao now?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “I’m not sure. I’m guessing it’s because you’re so… unusual.”
She looked at him, “Your demonic techniques are clearly from the Evil Lotus Sect, but they’re also from the divided scriptures. If the Emerald Beauty is truly the Keeper, she might suspect you’re connected to the missing Demon Empress.
“But that’s not certain. Perhaps someone left the Evil Lotus Sect before the division, passing on their knowledge secretly. After all, the techniques you know are from the ‘revealed canon,’ not the secret techniques only known to the sect leader and recorded in the ‘secret canon.’
“But you’re a man, and you also have Daoist techniques. She must be puzzled. As for why she’s with Du Yuejiao now… I suspect she might be considering her as the next inheritor of the Evil Lotus Sect’s true teachings.”
Shi Hao asked, surprised, “But Yuejiao cultivates Daoist techniques…”
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head, “That’s not a problem for the Keeper. Dual cultivation is impossible… uh…” She glanced at Shi Hao.
“Theoretically impossible… but she could destroy Du Yuejiao’s Daoist foundation and then establish a demonic foundation for her, raising her directly to the ninth, eighth, or even seventh rank, before passing on the true teachings.”
“Of course, that’s the best-case scenario. Who knows what she’s actually planning?”
Shi Hao remained silent, lost in thought…
After nightfall, Shi Hao returned to the Jade Flower Courtyard.
He stayed in Yue Ya’er’s room again that night, acting as her bodyguard.
The next morning, he asked Yue Ya’er to check if Du Yuejiao had returned to the Chongxian Sect temple.
He was still worried about her.
He waited at the foot of the mountain, and Yue Ya’er soon returned.
“They said she didn’t return last night. They don’t know where she is,” Yue Ya’er said, crossing her arms and looking at him, “What happened between you two? Did she see you?”
Shi Hao looked up at the sky and stammered, “Well…”
Yue Ya’er asked, “Were you with that Xiao Yan girl when she saw you?”
Shi Hao looked down, “Well…”
Yue Ya’er, hands on her hips, exclaimed, “You were with her?!”
Shi Hao, thinking about it, realized that the scene Du Yuejiao had witnessed must have been… easily misinterpreted.
“Hmph, men!” Yue Ya’er said, rolling her eyes.
After they left, a slender figure watched them from a distant alley, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
Even they… even they were together.
How many girls were trying to steal her Brother Shi?
She trembled with rage…
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