Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 92: Protection

There was an unexpected sincerity in the original play act between master and disciple, which didn’t seem that distracting. Who would have thought that this place would be as chaotic as a market, yet Yan Zheng could still pick them out at a glance.

On the other hand, compared to the ragged and strange “monkeys” around them, the two of them were a bit eye-catching.

Shi Jingzhi took advantage of his “drunkenness” and shed the sentimental look, reverting back to the appearance of a seasoned old trickster. He took a deep breath and put on a flattering smile, playing his role perfectly. “Patriarch, I am Huo Changying, one of the elders of the Boshui branch. I am fortunate to be summoned by the Patriarch to come and assist with whatever you need, be it strength or just a single gesture.”

After speaking, he even imitated Huo Changying’s mischievous smile perfectly. The awkwardness from before disappeared, and even Yin Ci couldn’t help but admire the performance.

The real Huo Changying’s manner was pretentious, able to deceive others as easily as squeezing pig fat to produce three jin of lard*. Shi Jingzhi wasn’t as skilled in that regard, but he could imitate perfectly without adding much effort, which was enough to impress Yan Zheng.

*Metaphor referring to something done with enough time and effort can yield significant results or benefits, just like the process of simmering pork fat can obtain lard, which takes time but eventually produces a substantial amount of valuable product.

Seeing this reaction, Yan Zheng’s eyelids twitched. He looked at Shi Jingzhi with suspicion, doubting his own judgment. He hesitated for a while, and before he could speak, another person took action–the elder who had been observing Shi Jingzhi before suddenly stood up and flicked his sleeves. A sinister qi swept across the entire hall, causing everyone to become even more silent.

This person was elderly with grizzled hair. One of his eyes was covered with a black patch, and he had a long face that was wrinkled like a pickled radish. When this person released his qi, Yan Zheng instinctively shut his mouth and quietly froze in place.

From the difference in status alone, this person was the Patriarch of the Ling Sect.

Seizing this opportunity, Shi Jingzhi quickly sat back down. He hugged Yin Ci, as if embracing a human-shaped reassurance pill, and relaxed again. Yin Ci quietly assessed the one-eyed old man, who resembled a pickled radish, considering the current situation.

This person’s name was Chai Xin, the previous Patriarch of the Ling Sect. Chai Xin’s appearance was unremarkable, but his martial skills were indeed outstanding, ranking among the top five in the martial world. After Yan Zheng appeared, Chai Xin readily “stepped down” and became an elder.

Chai Xin’s action wasn’t driven by any sense of loyalty or righteousness, as the Ling Sect’s members hardly shared that sentiment.

It was simply because the martial world still existed, and villains were constantly emerging. Yan Zheng could be considered the pinnacle of those villains, and his Ling Sect was more of a symbol of faith than a sect. As long as the Ling Sect remained, the lunatics had a backbone to rally around. Now that the Ling Sect had a new Patriarch with ghost eyes, it solidified the lunatic’s “faith” even further.

Yan Zheng was more like a living summoning banner for evil spirits rather than a living person. The position of the Patriarch attracted constant assassination attempts from righteous sects. Chai Xin tightly controlled Yan Zheng in his hands, and life as an elder was probably more comfortable than when he was the Patriarch.

Just like now, Yan Zheng was put on display as a signboard while Chai Xin spoke first.

Listening to Chai Xin’s tone, one could easily mistake him for the true Patriarch. “This Old One has received news that the fat donkey from the Jianchen Temple has become roasted donkey meat, and the old turtle from the Taiheng Sect has also met his end. Now that the Holy Hierarch’s bloodline has appeared and the Shirou clue is also on Zongwu Mountain, it is a perfect opportunity with favorable timing, geographical advantage, and the unity of the people to restore our Divine Sect to its former glory!”

The people below cheered uproariously, their shouts of “Long live our Divine Sect” ringing in everyone’s ears. Shi Jingzhi also followed with a couple of shouts, looking the part.

Chai Xin raised his hands to quiet the crowd and then changed the topic. “Even though this Old One cannot let go of the Taiheng matter, relying on the sect’s size and power alone to stir up trouble on Zongwu Mountain is excessive. Some of the reckless small sects have also received the news and are coming to try their luck. You all should go and clean up those ignorant little things, behead a few, and claim your rewards.”

Shi Jingzhi grumbled, “Just to deal with some lackeys, do we really need to call back the elites from all over?”

Yin Ci understood his doubt.

Huo Changying might not count as a serious elite, so it was questionable to mobilize them just to deal with external enemies. The members of the Ling Sect weren’t as obedient as those from other sects. Besides the newly appointed Elder Huo, who was still a greenhorn, the other elders with some personality probably wouldn’t be willing to move if they were merely ordered to do so.

As if he had heard something, Chai Xin continued after a while, “As for the ‘Shirou’, this Old One also investigated it back at Huilian Mountain. Unfortunately, the Sword of Compassion was taken by the sneaky thieves from the Kushan Sect. Luckily, the Holy Hierarch favored us and hid the good stuff in our backyard. Let those fools fight over the map! The Holy Hierarch must have other arrangements—”

The cheers from the crowd below grew even louder, and the table nearby was jolted, nearly spilling drinks on the master and disciple.

Seizing the momentum, Chai Xin pushed the atmosphere in the hall to its peak. “I mentioned it earlier, and I’ll say it again—whoever finds the item left by the Holy Hierarch related to the ‘Shirou’ can take half of it!”

‘Seems like he’s talking about something genuine,’ Yin Ci thought. Even if Elder Chai really managed to encounter the Sword of Compassion, he would probably lose ten years of his life from getting beaten up by the sword on the spot. Yin Ci turned his head and looked at Yan Zheng, who was still expressionless. When he heard the word ‘Shirou’, he didn’t even lift his eyelids.

Interesting. Back when they fought Zheng Fengdao, the man was all about being “interested in the Buddha beads”, and he even got the Corpse Recovery Group, a direct subordinate of the Patriarch. Now it seemed like he’s interested in something entirely different.

Since the ‘Shirou’ was involved, it wasn’t surprising that the elders from all over were willing to rush over. They could earn some credit to stay at the main branch, and they could also try their luck with the legendary elixir of immortality, so why wouldn’t they do it?

A slight movement from Shi Jingzhi interrupted Yin Ci’s thoughts.

He had a joyful expression on his face, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Taking advantage of the chaotic atmosphere around them, he pressed his lips against Yin Ci’s cheek and stopped by his ear, whispering, “A’Ci, do you have any plans later? I want to talk to you about something.”

Unsure if it was to get back at him for the earlier teasing, Shi Jingzhi’s breath was warm and gentle. His words brushed against Yin Ci’s ear like heated silk. Yin Ci glanced at the self-taught brat and smiled faintly. “You already have me, there’s no need to be so polite.”

As expected, the aura of Sect Master Shi wavered for a moment.

At this late hour, Elder Chai’s passionate persuasion finally came to an end, and he went to rest. The members of the Ling Sect weren’t in a hurry either; they continued to drink and revel, making the scene unbearable to watch. Shi Jingzhi forced himself to play the role of an experienced disciple for a while, then, using the excuse of “the spring nights are short-lived*”, he dragged Yin Ci out of the hall.

*(春宵苦短) Idiom referring to the fleeting nature of enjoyable or romantic moments. It conveys the idea that pleasant experiences, especially those of love or romance, are often brief and pass by quickly, leaving a sense of bitterness or regret due to their transience.

Although Elder Chai had left, Yan Zheng remained seated in his original spot. Yin Ci was extremely careful not to meet his gaze. Yan Zheng’s eyes seemed to wander, intentionally or unintentionally, and it was unclear what he was planning.

It was only after they left the hall that the feeling of being pricked by thorns disappeared completely.

Inside the Grand Pavilion of the Ling Sect, there were many guest rooms, most of which were occupied haphazardly, and the accumulated dust in the vacant rooms was almost three feet thick. After sending the two servants to meet with Shen Zhu, Shi Jingzhi reluctantly leaned against the wall—it wasn’t that he didn’t want to lie down, but he suspected that the bed used by the Human Shaped Coffin in the Ghost Tomb was cleaner than this place.

Yin Ci, on the other hand, shed that facade of bonelessness. He crossed his arms and looked at Shi Jingzhi, who was deep in thought.

Shi Jingzhi wasn’t a timid person. If it were an ordinary discussion, he wouldn’t have sought out a secluded place. The last time he wore such a serious expression was when they discussed the matter of the “Children of Desire”.

Thinking of the matter of the “Children of Desire”, Yin Ci’s heart sank even further.

In the past, the old Yin Ci would have been delighted to encounter a new “pleasure”, not knowing how thrilled he would be. But now, this trouble had to fall on Shi Jingzhi, and Yin Ci couldn’t help but wish that Shi Jingzhi was just a poor fellow with some strange illness, so that no force would be interested in him.

The current problem was clear enough—the “Children of Desire”, destined for a short life due to their excessive desires, was deliberately created as part of the so-called “Hundred-Year Project”. Perhaps every generation of the Imperial Preceptor was aware of it.

However, this puzzle was far too secretive, and even Yin Ci had never come into contact with it. If Shi Jingzhi had dutifully pursued survival, they shouldn’t have touched this layer. The origin of the formation in the blood of the Children of Desire, and for whom the Hundred-Year Project was established, were things that couldn’t be clarified in a short time. Not to mention clues like the flesh idol; Shi Jingzhi himself couldn’t understand his own illness.

The life of Sect Master Shi was hanging by a thread, and he could only investigate while trying to stay alive. He didn’t dare alert the enemy too early. Currently, their main goal was still the Shirou, and they had already reached a consensus on this matter.

Thinking about this, Yin Ci leaned against the door and asked, “What did you want to say just now?”

“Elder Chai’s attitude is too proactive. According to him, he’s very certain that there are clues at Lonshi’s grave—not speculation, but something he has found from another source. It seems that Yan Budu didn’t just hide the clues in Yuanxian Village; there might be hints in other places as well.”

Shi Jingzhi stared at the dimly lit guest room and spoke slowly.

“Yan Budu set up the Shirou not to pass it down properly. Previously, when I thought he created a ‘key’, it was just a prank for the final moment. Even if no one found the key, or even if the Shirou didn’t exist at all, it would still fit his style… But now, looking at his design, it seems like he’s afraid people won’t discover it.”

Yin Ci smoothly continued, “If Yan Budu wanted to play with the martial world, he doesn’t need to complicate things by setting up ‘a competition for the Shirou’ like this.”

Just dealing with the fourteen treasure map Buddha beads was enough trouble, and snatching a specific key was just the same as going around in circles.

Given Yan Budu’s level of madness, there was nothing surprising about whatever he did. But now that they knew about the conspiracy of the Children of Desire, and with Shi Jingzhi bringing it up, Yin Ci also detected a hint of something unnatural.

“Exactly.” Shi Jingzhi nodded, sounding more concerned. “The Queen of Milan even revealed the secret of the ‘Hundred-Year Project’ before she died. Yan Budu had actually interacted with immortals, yet he left behind nothing but a farce and chose to die straightforwardly?”

“Are we really looking for the ‘key’, and not something else? Is the ‘Shirou’ we’re searching for really just an elixir of immortality?”

Hearing this, Yin Ci didn’t know how to respond.

Shi Jingzhi’s life was dwindling day by day. If they traced the clues of the Shirou to the end and discovered something else hidden in this matter, it would be too cruel. Yin Ci had thought about this possibility before and had privately considered other ways to save Shi Jingzhi. However, he had kept silent and never brought up this topic.

Because that was almost the only lifeline left for Shi Jingzhi.

The desire of the Children of Desire was boundless. He had gone crazy even when something as simple as a “disciple” went missing, not to mention his own life. Just being cautious about the Shirou consumed a considerable amount of Shi Jingzhi’s courage.

As if sensing Yin Ci’s concerns, Shi Jingzhi smiled and said, “It’s nothing. A’Ci, let’s treat this as a sand table. If one is too focused on a single leaf, they might miss the grandeur of the entire Mount Tai.”

A single leaf could obscure the entire Mount Tai, but that single leaf is your own life.

What desires has this person locked onto? Saying he has no worries or fears, can he truly be without worries or fears?

Yin Ci let out a sigh and changed the topic. “Daydreaming is useless; let’s unlock the spell on the Sword of Compassion as soon as possible and find the ‘key’ first.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to say as my second point. Thanks to Senior Chen’s guidance, I’ve already unlocked it on the way here. Yan Budu focuses solely on martial arts, so his spellcasting skills aren’t that difficult to crack—covering the Sword of Compassion with human blood reveals the newly added inscription.”

“Why are you only saying this now?” Yin Ci’s voice deepened a bit.

Because of his immortal body, Yin Ci wasn’t afraid of the Fog Tomb Formation. As long as he knew the location, he could retrieve the “key” himself. They didn’t need to go through the trouble of pretending to be members of the Ling Sect—he didn’t want the concern that Shi Jingzhi exchanged for his own lifespan, nor did he need it.

“Because it has nothing to do with Venerable Kongshi’s gravesite; it seems to have another purpose. Previously, when we obtained the stone sword, we thought it could help find the location, but that was just an assumption.”

There was more than one clue pointing towards the Jianchen Temple, yet the Sword of Compassion was taken by the Kushan Sect. Now it was a mess; the whole martial world was convinced that there were crucial clues there, and they were all rushing to find the grave of Venerable Kongshi, afraid of others getting there first.

Yan Budu could still play with everyone in the martial world even after being dead for a hundred years, which made Shi Jingzhi sigh.

“Besides the spell carved by Venerable Kongshi, there’s only one newly added inscription on the sword. You’ve seen that inscription before; do you remember the white jade hairpin I snatched and gave to you? …It’s just a simple protection spell, nothing else.”

---

The author has something to say:

Yan Budu: How could I really play an escape room with everyone? (?

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>