Free Web NovelChapter 1664: Chapter 1966: Escaping Death (1)
After a long while, Du Kang put down the wine gourd in his hand and slowly stood up from the rattan chair.
"Elder Du..."
"Has everyone been evacuated to Yangxin Pavilion?" Du Kang asked.
"Some disciples are still rescuing the classics from the Book Collection Pavilion. Those items are the most precious possessions of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and must not be lost."
Du Kang looked at the billowing smoke rising outside the window and said mildly, "No matter how important the items are, they are not as important as human lives. The fire is already very large, have everyone fall back to avoid casualties."
"Yes, I understand." After speaking, Su Mei seemed to think of something and said, "Ling Chen came yesterday. I talked with him for a while and then sent him away."
"Ling Chen? What is he doing here at this time?"
"He heard about the actions of the Heavenly Dragon Sect and wanted to come over to check the situation. Incidentally, he asked me if the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion needed any help."
"Did you refuse him?"
Su Mei nodded, "The affairs of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion will be handled by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion; there’s no need for outsiders to help. Moreover, I don’t believe Ling Chen would offer assistance without a reason."
"Have you thought about how to handle the current situation?" Du Kang asked.
"This..." Su Mei considered it and was about to speak, but Du Kang said, "The Heavenly Dragon Sect obviously came prepared. They dared to directly blockade the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, which means they have thoroughly prepared. If we fight hard, we would likely fall into their trap."
"If worse comes to worst, we can evacuate through the secret passage. That passage leads straight out of the forest, and the people of the Heavenly Dragon Sect would certainly not expect it."
Du Kang sighed lightly and said, "The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has been established for hundreds of years, and has never had to flee so embarrassingly. Frankly speaking, I think you shouldn’t have rejected Ling Chen’s help."
"Why?" Su Mei asked in confusion.
"According to the intelligence gathered recently, the current situation of the Dragon Tiger Hall is also not great. Ling Chen came to you this time, actively offering help, not for anything else, but for himself. Because he knows well that if something happens to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, the future for the Dragon Tiger Hall will undoubtedly be tough. The reason is simple; there are simply too many rising powers in the martial arts world now. It’s like too many monks and not enough porridge, so the benefits are not enough to go around for everyone. Therefore, those newly emerged forces target old forces like us because the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and Dragon Tiger Hall hold too many martial arts benefits. In others’ eyes, our two forces are like two big juicy pieces of meat, everyone wants a bite. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Du Kang said, "So, under the current circumstances, Dragon Tiger Hall would be our only ally."
"But I’ve already refused him, so what should I do now?"
"Can you still reach out to him?"
Su Mei shook her head, "It’s not possible at the moment. The Heavenly Dragon Sect has blocked our signals, and the phones are down."
Du Kang pondered for a while and said, "Count our numbers and gather everyone at Yangxin Pavilion. If necessary, we can retreat to the previous valley of Yangxin Pavilion. However, that’s not a long-term solution, our food supplies aren’t plentiful, and they won’t last long. We must find a way to break out. In the meantime, check out that secret passage. Although it leads directly out of the forest, it hasn’t been used for hundreds of years, and it’s unknown what condition it is in now."
"Okay, I’ll go immediately." With that, Su Mei turned and left the room.
...
At this moment, outside the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, the disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Sect had ceased firing petrol bombs with crossbows. Seeing the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion engulfed in roaring flames, it was apparent that the Heavenly Dragon Sect had achieved its goal. Those sect disciples packed their belongings, loaded them onto carts, and headed back to the campsite.
Seeing them leave, Ling Chen hesitated for a moment but ultimately gave up his plan to infiltrate the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion alone. The Heavenly Dragon Sect had deployed many people to completely surround it; if he recklessly charged in, he would definitely be noticed. For now, he must conceal his whereabouts and avoid detection by the enemy. Only by hiding in the shadows can he better assist the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.
Ling Chen quietly followed the group of Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples back to the camp. However, what puzzled him was that those disciples pushing carts only passed by the camp and did not seem to intend to stop there.
"Where are these guys going?" Ling Chen wondered. To figure out their purpose, he immediately followed.
Soon enough, Ling Chen followed them to the forest entrance. Once there, he saw the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples park their carts and gather in front of a large stone, whispering among themselves. Ling Chen hid in a dense bush, quietly observing their actions.
The stone was very large, weighing several hundred pounds, with thick grasses growing around it, seemingly there for many years. At that moment, more than a dozen Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples took out some ropes and tied the stone tightly. Then, together they pulled on the ropes, slowly moving the stone. Seeing this, Ling Chen became even more puzzled. Why were these people fiddling with a stone when there were more pressing matters at hand?
As he pondered, the stone was moved from its original position. At the same time, a Heavenly Dragon Sect disciple pulled out a flashlight and shone it on the ground beside the stone, then jumped down. Seeing this scene, Ling Chen was shocked. There was actually a hole under the stone. As he was thinking, the disciple who had jumped down slowly climbed back up, signaling his companions to push the carts forward.
Watching them load wooden crates into the hole, a sense of foreboding welled up in Ling Chen’s heart.
After more than twenty minutes, those Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples emerged from the hole and moved the stone back to its original place. After they left, Ling Chen quietly approached the stone, expending a great amount of effort to move it aside.
Looking at the exposed hole beneath the stone, Ling Chen jumped directly down. Inside the entrance was pitch black, utterly devoid of light. Ling Chen took out his phone and turned on the built-in flashlight. Beneath the entrance was a narrow passage that seemed to lead directly to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.
This... could it be the secret passage of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion?
Thinking of this, Ling Chen’s eyes lit up. He had been troubled about not having a way to contact the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, and now that he found this secret passage, he could go directly to find Su Mei. With this thought in mind, Ling Chen headed straight down the passage. Along the way, he noticed many messy footprints on the ground, obviously left by the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples earlier.
After advancing some thirty meters, Ling Chen glanced at his feet and suddenly paused, his heart stirring.
