Chapter 58: The Defected Perfected One
Shi Hao, hidden above, listened intently.
He guessed that the authoritative voice belonged to Luo Yichen, the Perfected One of the Mystic Capital, one of the Chongxian Sect’s Twelve Perfected Ones.
The lower voice was likely that of Jing’an Monastery’s abbot, whose status within the Chongxian Sect was lower than the Twelve Perfected Ones.
And the two women were Zhuo Mulan and Du Yuejiao.
He heard Zhuo Mulan whisper, “Senior Brother Lan Ke… has defected!”
The abbot’s voice was filled with disbelief, “Senior Brother Lan Ke? Defected?!” The news was so shocking that he almost roared, his voice laced with internal energy.
Even Shi Hao was stunned… Daoist Lan Ke had betrayed the Chongxian Sect?
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital said solemnly, “Although Lan Ke dislikes interfering in worldly affairs and doesn’t always agree with the sect’s decisions, he’s always been peaceful and has few connections in the martial world. This defection… someone must have influenced him. Yuejiao, tell me, who did he meet before this?”
Du Yuejiao stammered, “Well, that…”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital said coldly, “If you continue to hide information, even you and your master will be implicated.”
Zhuo Mulan said softly, “Yuejiao, tell us everything.”
Du Yuejiao said hesitantly, “That day, when Uncle and I were gathering herbs on the back mountain, someone appeared…”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital asked, “What kind of person?”
Du Yuejiao said, “An old man, slightly hunched, looking frail. But the moment Uncle saw him, he shielded me, looking very nervous. And the old man emerged from the forest, appearing almost instantly before us. He must be a powerful expert.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital asked, “What did he say?”
Du Yuejiao shook her head, “I don’t know. He told Uncle he meant no harm and just wanted to talk. Then, Uncle sent me away.
“From a distance, I saw them talking. The old man sat on the grass, while Uncle paced back and forth, looking agitated.”
Zhuo Mulan asked in surprise, “Yuejiao, why didn’t you tell us this before?”
Du Yuejiao said, “Uncle specifically told me not to tell anyone.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital pondered, “Did this old man have any distinguishing features?”
Du Yuejiao thought for a moment, “He looked like an ordinary old man, but he carried a sword.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital asked, “What kind of sword?”
Du Yuejiao said, “It looked like a wooden sword, slightly thick, with some patterns carved on it…”
The abbot of Jing’an Monastery’s expression changed, “An old man, slightly hunched, carrying a wooden sword… could it be…?”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital said grimly, “It seems we have our answer… Zhao Gucheng, the ‘Sword King!’”
Zhuo Mulan gasped, “The Sword King? Number six on the Blacklist, the one who was once known as the greatest swordsman in the world?”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital said, “It must be him. Eight years ago, he attacked the capital, attempting to assassinate the current Emperor. Fortunately, the Supreme Emperor intervened, severely injuring him, but he escaped.
“We thought he had gone into hiding to recover, but recently, a rebellious organization called ‘Dark Thunder’ has emerged, and even Fu Shiyuan, the Heroic Iron Eagle, is one of them. According to the sect’s investigation, Zhao Gucheng is their leader.”
The abbot frowned, “The ‘Dark Thunder’ that attacked the transport at Civilian Martial Ridge? These rebels are like a silent thunderclap. Now, with unrest spreading everywhere, this is becoming quite troublesome.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital pondered, “If Lan Ke was persuaded by Zhao Gucheng to join Dark Thunder, that is indeed a problem for the sect. But there’s no need to worry. The sect has sent someone to deal with Zhao Gucheng.”
“Zhao Gucheng is still recovering from his injuries, and this person knows him well. This time, Zhao Gucheng will surely die.”
He paused, “Ming Kun Monastery reported that Lan Ke had an outer disciple named Shi Hao, who stayed at the monastery for a few days. Shortly after he left, the incident at Civilian Martial Ridge occurred…”
Du Yuejiao said quickly, “Brother Shi… Shi Hao is just an outer disciple. He doesn’t know anything. Uncle just met him in the mountains last year and taught him some techniques.”
Zhuo Mulan sighed softly, “I think you’re overthinking this, Senior Brother. Shi Hao’s background is easily verifiable. And Senior Brother Lan Ke has always been unpredictable. It’s not surprising that he would take on an outer disciple.”
“But he couldn’t possibly know about the God-Sealing Stones. And Senior Brother Lan Ke was approached by Zhao Gucheng after the Civilian Martial Ridge incident. Before that, he probably hadn’t even considered betraying the sect.”
“Besides, that mysterious female thief infiltrated Ming Kun Monastery and stole the information about the God-Sealing Stones before that. She’s probably the one working for Dark Thunder.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital said, “Hmm… our priority now is finding Lan Ke. The Six Gates have placed him on the Blacklist, which is detrimental to the sect’s reputation. If you have any information about him, report it to the sect immediately.”
Zhuo Mulan and Du Yuejiao said, “Yes, Senior Brother.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital said, “You may leave now.”
After the two women left, only the Perfected One of the Mystic Capital and the abbot remained.
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital’s voice turned cold, “Tell your men to restrain themselves. I usually don’t interfere with your management, but these are extraordinary times. Don’t cause any more trouble for the sect. Look at the kind of people you’ve recruited, bullying and exploiting the common people. Our Chongxian Sect is supposed to be the orthodox leader of the Daoist sects, but our reputation is declining because of people like you.”
The abbot said nervously, “You’re right, Senior Brother. I’ll keep a closer eye on them.”
The Perfected One of the Mystic Capital snorted and left. The abbot wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed in relief.
After a while, several disciples entered and whispered, “Master…”
The abbot scolded, “You fools! Inform everyone to behave themselves while Senior Brother Xuandu is here.”
The disciples hurriedly replied, “Yes, Master!”
The abbot paused and muttered, “I also need to prepare a generous gift for Senior Brother Xuandu. Hmm, I’ll think about it myself… I remember he doesn’t care for mundane things but prefers jewelry, paintings, and calligraphy…”
The disciples left, taking the torches with them.
The room was plunged into darkness as the sound of their footsteps faded away.
Xu Xiaoyan, still clinging to Shi Hao’s back, whispered in his ear, “Is that ‘Yuejiao’ girl your lover?”
Shi Hao said, “No.”
“Don’t lie,” Xu Xiaoyan chuckled, “She looked quite worried when that Xuandu guy suspected you. She didn’t even look that worried when her uncle betrayed the sect.”
Shi Hao remained silent, thinking.
Xu Xiaoyan continued teasingly, “So, you seduced her to get information about the God-Sealing Stones, and now you’re abandoning her?”
Shi Hao said, “I didn’t seduce her…”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “You men are all the same, acting all virtuous after stealing a girl’s heart.”
Shi Hao whispered, “She and I are not the same kind of people. I can’t stay at a place like the Chongxian Sect for her. And I’m destined to oppose the barbarian court and the Chongxian Sect. It’s a dangerous path, and I don’t want to drag her down with me.”
Xu Xiaoyan thought for a moment, “That’s true. If you actually joined the Chongxian Sect, or even served the barbarian court, for a woman, I would be disgusted. The more time I spend in the shadows of the martial world, the more I realize that both the barbarian court and the Chongxian Sect deserve to be destroyed.
“Even if there are a few good people among them, what’s the point? If the head is rotten, the body is diseased, even if a few parts still look healthy, it’s still a rotten person.”
She pushed off Shi Hao’s back and gracefully floated down.
Shi Hao jumped down after her.
Xu Xiaoyan took out a bamboo tube from her robe.
Shi Hao thought it was a fire starter, but when she opened it, a soft light emanated from within.
It contained Night Fragrance Grass, the seemingly bamboo exterior actually made of jade to preserve the herb.
Xu Xiaoyan went to the crate, broke the seal, and as they opened it together, she said, “It’s surprising that Zhao Gucheng is the leader of Dark Thunder. He’s the only person in the past century who survived an attack by the barbarian Supreme Emperor Lie Zunyi.
“But it makes sense. Who else could unite so many righteous martial artists across the land?”
They opened the crate, revealing layers of cloth protecting numerous small pills. Xu Xiaoyan picked one up, examined it closely, and glanced at Shi Hao, “Your nose is quite good. These are indeed Minor Restoration Pills.”
She closed the crate and, using the glowing jade tube, began searching the room.
Shi Hao asked, “What are you looking for?”
Xu Xiaoyan giggled, “Anything valuable and easy to carry. We might as well take as much as we can, in case this ‘big heist’ doesn’t pay off.”
Shi Hao thought, that’s true, and joined her search.
After all, the chances of this operation being profitable were slim, or rather… it was practically guaranteed to be a loss.
Stealing a crate of pills and delivering them to rebels surrounded by the barbarian army… it would be a miracle if they made a profit.
Anyone who thought they could get rich from this was a fool, and anyone who joined them was also a fool.
They knew it was foolish, but they did it anyway!
Because some things, even if they resulted in a loss… had to be done!
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