Free Web NovelZiyang Prefecture, the Prefectural Lord's residence.
Still in that moon-white scholar's robe, the young man sat in the study, perusing the county annals, reminiscent of a scholar rather than the domineering Great Yu Crown Prince.
He looked up at Dan Hong, who entered with Qing Que, her face pale, and said faintly, “You returned faster than I expected.”
Qing Que bowed her head and whispered, “Something happened.”
“Speak.”
Jiang Yu resumed reading the county annals, listening as Qing Que reported what had just occurred, the rustling of the pages gradually slowing.
“You're saying Ying Bing broke your combined attack with a single sword stroke?” Jiang Yu frowned and looked up.
Qing Que nodded, glanced at the pink-skirted woman beside her, and said, “Dan Hong's Sword Heart, I fear, has developed a Heart Demon; her swordsmanship will make no further progress from now on...”
Jiang Yu, however, seemed indifferent to this, merely ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) murmuring, “It seems Hidden Dragon Fourth is actually stronger than Hidden Dragon Fifth?”
“Your Highness! I can't practice swordsmanship anymore!”
Dan Hong cried, her face streaked with tears, hoping His Highness the Crown Prince would stand up for her and avenge her:
“She didn't just cripple me, she slapped Your Highness's face.”
Jiang Yu's expression was cold and unfeeling as he spoke, “I understand. Return to Tianshan Sword Manor. There's still an empty position for cultivating the Sword Canon.”
“Leave.”
Dan Hong looked incredulously at His Highness the Crown Prince, whom she had served for six years, his face displaying the same cold indifference he showed to the little princess.
Qing Que led her out of the courtyard. Once outside, Dan Hong finally let out a bitter laugh:
“Yes, the imperial family is heartless. What am I, after all...?”
“Dan Hong, returning to the Manor to cultivate the Sword Canon is not a bad outcome. Without prior arrangement, ordinary people would yearn for such an opportunity.”
Qing Que's words had a hidden meaning.
The number of slots for cultivating the Sword Canon was limited and required prior arrangement, indicating that His Highness had long known that Dan Hong's impetuous and arrogant nature would inevitably lead to this outcome, and thus made such arrangements.
If she could calm down and return to the Manor to study, she might still break through and rise again in the future. freёwebnovel.com
Unfortunately, Dan Hong did not grasp the warning in her words. Her scattered gaze refocused, and hatred seemed to burn within her.
“Unless the Heart Demon is removed... I will be a cripple for life...”
........
Autumn Water Pavilion.
Twilight was fading but not yet gone, the sky the color of tears, and the afterglow painted the small Autumn Water Pavilion with splendor.
Just as the food was served, Elder Qian arrived at the Autumn Water Pavilion, as if on cue.
Shang Wu asked cautiously, “Elder Qian, have you eaten?”
“Coincidentally, no.”
“Then you should go back, eat, and come again later.”
“???”
Question marks rose above the short, stout Elder Qian's forehead. According to his many years of freeloading experience, shouldn't the next line after ‘Have you eaten?’ be ‘If not, let's eat together’?
Elder Qian glared irritably at Ying Bing and Li Mo, who were sitting at the dining table:
“Eat? How could this old man eat these past two days? Look at my dark circles, look at my belly.”
“With these two Disciples in our Qingyuan Sect, this old man will live ten years less!”
Outwardly, the matter was considered settled.
Elder Qian was as full of resentment as a wronged young wife.
This made Li Mo feel quite embarrassed, and he quickly added a pair of chopsticks.
But Elder Qian waved his hand, arrogantly declaring that late love was cheaper than grass, and he wouldn't eat it!
“I, Old Qian, would rather starve to death, die outside, than eat a single bite of your food!”
“Alright.”
Li Mo always felt these words sounded familiar, then he asked again:
“Then since you're not here to freeload, what are you...?”
“Now that we can't ride on His Highness's coattails to Lanke Mountain, what are your and Xiao Bing'er's plans?”
“Still the same, we'll depart tomorrow.”
Li Mo and Ying Bing had never intended to go with Jiang Yu anyway.
“Today's anomaly at Lanke Mountain has weakened. I just returned from gathering information there.”
Elder Qian was not surprised by this, he sighed, and then swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
“There was still an anomaly today?”
Li Mo raised an eyebrow, taking a bite of braised land fish.
But he hadn't gone to Lanke Mountain today at all.
Which meant that was Lanke Mountain's own anomaly.
“Yes, the anomaly has weakened considerably. The commotion was so great a while ago, I don't know why it fizzled out today.”
Elder Qian smacked his lips, recounting today's anomaly.
Today at Lanke Mountain, there was an inversion of the Five Elements Feng Shui, and the anomaly was not weak, just not as earth-shattering as before.
“After the Five Elements inverted, the anomaly reflected a lifelike city.”
“Oh, by the way, it now seems that what's beneath Lanke Mountain might not necessarily be an Immortal Cave.”
“Then it's...?”
“It might be the grand tomb of a certain powerful individual.”
Elder Qian said with a serious expression.
Tomb?
A wondrous city after the Five Elements inverted?
Ying Bing's delicate hand, holding her chopsticks, suddenly paused, and a thoughtful look appeared in her beautiful eyes.
Just listening to Elder Qian's words.
How did that anomaly resemble... the Tianhuang Domain among the Yuan Huang Nine Souls?
But the Tianhuang Domain was clearly not there.
If the true Tianhuang Domain was at Lanke Mountain, then what did she obtain in her previous life...?
“Tombs are not like Legacies. Legacies are mainly for testing, while tombs are far more dangerous, after all, no powerful individual wishes their body to be desecrated by others after their death.”
“Therefore, I have some personal treasures, and it's time to bring them out.”
Elder Qian opened his sumaru object.
“Everyone in the Sect says Elder Qian is knowledgeable. What did he prepare?”
Although Xiao Li was wealthy and generous, he couldn't claim to have every rare treasure under the heavens.
Thud—
A black hoof fell onto the table.
“Black donkey hoof?”
“Precisely. This item has a miraculous effect on corpse demons.”
Elder Qian simply poured everything out in one go.
Corpse-Suppressing Talismans...
Evil-Dispelling Bells...
Senior Brother Ouyang's picture book...
Hmm?
“This...”
Li Mo picked up the picture book and found it was a collector's edition. What use would this thing have in a grand tomb?
Elder Qian coughed lightly: “Ouyang said it was for you to relieve boredom on the road, but playing with trifles is not advisable, so this old man confiscated it.”
Saying that, he tucked the picture book back into his sumaru object.
Then, too lazy to introduce them one by one, he shoved all the items to Li Mo, waved his sleeve, and departed once his business was done.
“Given by Senior Brother Ouyang?”
Li Mo looked at the empty food bowls on the table.
Didn't this sentence sound just like Elder Qian saying he wouldn't eat a single bite...?
.....
Nightfall.
After making another dinner, Li Mo sat in the courtyard and began to observe the Taiyin Divine Intent. Ice Cube now seemed to be observing another hundred-bird divine form.
Xiao Li could only practice by himself.
While bathing in the Taiyin, he calculated his current progress.
Before reaching Inner Scenery, both the Great Sage Divine Intent and the Taiyin Divine Intent needed to reach Perfection.
However, the progress of the former was clearly much slower than the latter.
After a while, night deepened.
Fluctuations came from the Small World. He returned to his room, lay on the bed, and entered the Small World.
On the Yin Yang Dojo, Jiang Chulong was holding a peach branch, waiting there.
Xiao Jiang Princess whispered:
“Teacher, I think I can defeat Senior Jin Wu today.”
“And... and... I'm about to break through!”
