Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 98: Encircled

Before sunrise, the Taiheng Sect’s tents were tightly situated on the edge of the demonic mist. At this moment, no matter who ventured outside, they could only see a hazy gray, destroying any good mood for the new day.

Jin Lan sat inside the tent, anxiously holding a string of blood essence beads.

This string wasn’t of high value, but it was a treasure of the Taiheng Sect. When Shi Zhongyu left Taiheng, she returned this string of beads to its original owner. Jin Lan felt that the beads were too heavy and scalding hot; even if they were snow-white, they couldn’t bring him much peace of mind.

Seeing the sect leader pass away, as well as the loss of a respected senior, the Taiheng sect he had been with for over ten years felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Qu Duanyun became the new sect leader, and the internal personnel of the sect were constantly changing. Jin Lan had been following Shi Zhongyu and had some connection with the Kushan Sect. Whether it was to avoid suspicion or because he was troublesome, the rumor of “new clues on Zongwu Mountain” spread, and he was sent to Zongwu Mountain.

The accompanying members were either newcomers or ordinary people who hadn’t achieved much. Jin Lan considered himself not a top master in Taiheng, but among this ragtag team, he was one of the most skilled.

Taiheng couldn’t break the Fog Tomb Formation, but they had a vast heritage and powerful treasures to rely on. After several days, Jin Lan had a feeling that perhaps they weren’t sent here to find clues but rather to train worthless disciples. Currently, they seemed to be slowing down the progress of the Chigou and Ling sects more than finding any actual clues.

‘Reasonable enough,’ Jin Lan thought with a wry smile.

Taiheng had collected the most Buddha beads and treasure maps and had been conducting systematic searches. When they were the first to find the Shirou, losing this clue wouldn’t matter much. Even if Yan Budu locked the Shirou away in the mountains and rivers, they could use their magical artifacts to split mountains and sever rivers. No matter how powerful that demon was, he couldn’t predict the methods people would use a hundred years later.

Seeing through this, Jin Lan couldn’t muster any interest. After sunrise, he would have to watch the young disciples running around, wielding precious artifacts in the mist, searching for meaningless clues.

How utterly boring.

When the time of Yin had passed, a scout entered the tent. “There’s no movement from the Chigou sect, and there’s no news from other scattered sects. Although there’s some activity at the Grand Pavilion, it seems unrelated to the Shirou clue. We’ll discuss it later. Also, an urgent letter has arrived from Elder Feng outside the mountain. Please take a look first.”

Jin Lan immediately got up and tore open the letter in a hurry. The paper of the letter wasn’t of good quality, but the writing and red seal were undoubtedly an internal custom of the Taiheng sect. He shook the letter slightly and carefully read its contents: “…Things have changed on Zongwu Mountain. Return upon receiving this letter? Why so urgent?”

“Perhaps someone planted in the Ling Sect got wind of something,” the scout speculated solemnly. “Last night, Chai Xin suddenly left the Grand Pavilion with his confidants; there must be some action.”

“But that was last night; how did the news spread so quickly?” Jin Lan’s head started spinning as he thought about breaking camp and withdrawing the artifacts. They had put in a lot of effort to prepare the formations and magical artifacts to deal with the Fog Tomb Array, and they couldn’t just retreat in the blink of an eye.

“Maybe it’s an honorary elder traveling outside who preemptively learned about the demonic sect’s plan.” The scout used his imagination to the fullest. “Senior Brother Jin, you’re familiar with the things above; is there anything suspicious about this letter?”

Apart from the paper being a bit tattered, everything else seems fine, Jin Lan thought with a troubled expression. He couldn’t find any issues, so he could only sigh.

“First, let’s have everyone in the Fog Tomb Formation evacuate and wait by the mountainside. Don’t move the camp or withdraw the artifacts for now. The letter came too suddenly; I’ll write a letter later to confirm with the nearest Taiheng outpost.”

Even if it was a traveling honorary elder, they were still part of the Taiheng sect, and they would definitely send letters through Taiheng’s outposts in various places. In this place where people from all walks of life gathered, the sudden arrival of this letter made Jin Lan reluctant to act hastily and take everything at face value.

If the letter was true, they still had time to throw away their belongings and escape. If the letter was fake, they would only be delayed for a short half-day, and then they could proceed with their plans, not letting the forger succeed.

Jin Lan devised a profound plan and suddenly felt like a wise member of the Taiheng sect.

Unfortunately, his feeling of wisdom lasted for less than an hour before being disrupted by a sudden change. Just as the sky was barely brightening and the order to retreat from the Fog Tomb Formation had just been issued, another explosive-like piece of information was brought back by a scout. At that moment, Jin Lan was surrounded by the management personnel from various Taiheng teams, all inquiring about the reason for the “withdrawal”.

“The Kushan Sect has already found the clue? No, Sect Master Shi is here?!” Jin Lan pushed the people surrounding him away and finally caught his breath.

“Yes, many smaller sects in the vicinity are discussing this matter. They say that Shi Jingzhi took the ‘key’ left by Yan Budu and is now escaping outside Zongwu Mountain.”

“You said escaping…”

Jin Lan choked for a moment. When they last met, the two members of the Kushan Sect were still chatting amiably with Shi Zhongyu and Qu Duanyun. Even if he had heard about the tragic incident at the Jianchen Temple, he couldn’t immediately change his impression.

Now, the Kushan Sect was despised by the righteous sects and belonged to the category of “catch on sight”. If they caught the person, they could confront the Jianchen Temple, and the martial world would naturally eliminate this small cancer.

He understood the logic but thinking that they were the people who once saved him in the Ghost Tomb, Jin Lan felt a little uneasy.

“Isn’t this perfect? Since we’re withdrawing anyway, we might as well capture these villains from the Kushan Sect.” One of the “not-so-useful” disciples was excited. “Senior Brother Jin, you’ve at least followed a famous figure like Shi Zhongyu. You shouldn’t be lumped together with us. By catching these thieves, you can clear your relationship with Shi Zhongyu and maybe even earn some merits.”

Jin Lan: “Without a formal confrontation and conviction, don’t just call them villains.”

The people in the tent fell silent for a moment.

“Senior Brother Jin, you’re not the same as Shi Zhongyu… We know you went to the Ghost Tomb, but you have to distinguish between personal feelings and public matters.”

“I didn’t say I won’t go.” Jin Lan rubbed his forehead, feeling bitterness in his mouth. He had a faint feeling that he seemed to be swept up in an unstoppable torrent and couldn’t stop his steps with his own strength. The situation was right in front of him, and he had no choice.

“Very well, we’ve all heard about the ‘Kushan Sect has found the clue’ matter. The Chigou and Ling sects must know about it too.”

Jin Lan pondered hard.

“The demonic sects won’t give up so easily; there will probably be a fierce battle outside. Many small sects are still here. Follow me to maintain order. Capturing people is not a priority.”

“But…” Won’t they miss out on a chance to earn merit?

Jin Lan said solemnly, “The strength of Sect Master Shi is probably above that of Senior Sister, no, Shi Zhongyu. Anyway, I’m definitely not a match for Shi Jingzhi. I can’t defeat the strong, but helping the weak can also be a merit. It’s like wanting both the fish and the bear’s paw; you might get all smelly.”

“Yes.”

At the same time, near the Grand Pavilion.

Originally, the morning mist was dense, and everything was normal. However, as Yan Qing raised the Sword of Compassion, dozens of Ling Sect disciples suddenly appeared around him. They looked like evil spirits rising from the ground, and their aura wasn’t like that of living people.

Among the Ling Sect disciples, only a few had such capabilities—apart from the elders, there were only the elite members belonging to the “Corpse Retrieval Team” under the direct command of the Patriarch. Unfortunately, judging from their imposing manner, it didn’t seem like they were here to welcome Yan Zheng.

Yan Qing tightened his grip on the sword hilt and let out a long breath. “Patriarch Yan, do you have any idea about the current situation?”

Yan Zheng sighed even louder than him. “I don’t.”

Yan Qing reluctantly picked up the sword and looked at the leader of the group—

Chai Xin, the one-eyed old man, was standing not far away with a sly expression on his face, making people feel as if ants were crawling all over their bodies. The nearby Grand Pavilion seemed even more desolate.

“My good disciple, you’ve really grown up. I never taught you to exploit others, but you seem to have learned it quickly. The Shirou clue, huh? No wonder last night you forbade the elders from going out. I thought something might happen inside the pavilion, but now it seems I was actually giving that shitty rat-like sect time. I’ve treated you well all these years, and this is how you repay me?”

Yan Qing pondered for a moment before finally grasping the meaning of these words.

…It really was a colossal misunderstanding.

It seemed that even someone as cunning as Chai Xin couldn’t fathom that “Yan Zheng wants to destroy the Ling Sect”. The huge lie fabricated by Shi Jingzhi led him to misunderstand completely—that Yan Zheng betrayed the Ling Sect and joined forces with the Kushan Sect in an attempt to seek the Shirou for himself.

Yan Zheng chuckled lightly. “Master truly knows me well.”

His tone was filled with sarcasm, but when it reached Chai Xin’s ears, it took on a different meaning.

“What a pity, what a pity. The Kushan Sect is just a small sect after all and will ultimately fail to achieve anything. They think they can steal the clue from my Divine Sect under my nose? Not that easy. I’ve dispatched all our top masters, and they will chop the Kushan Sect into pieces.”

Chai Xin shook his head.

“Betraying anyone within the Divine Sect isn’t an issue. However, according to the rules, once discovered, they must be willing to gamble and accept defeat. You see, I’ve personally come to punish you…”

“Personally?”

Yan Zheng no longer looked at Yan Qing; his tone was indifferent.

“You simply found it bothersome to deal with the people from Taiheng and Chigou, so you dumped the dirty work onto others.”

“Haa, look at you. I’ve been helping you seek revenge all this time.” Chai Xin’s voice turned cold and greasy again. “Why do you treat my good intentions this way?”

After saying that, he sounded serious.

“Go, bring this kid back to me. Breaking his legs won’t matter; it will just make him learn his lesson. As for the kid from the Kushan Sect, kill him directly. Make sure to make it neat, so it can scare that garbage Kushan Sect later.”

Yan Zheng picked up the Death Whip, and his pupils slightly constricted. “Brother, you should leave first. Didn’t Sect Master Shi arrange something with you? The internal affairs of the Ling Sect don’t require your intervention.”

Yan Qing didn’t move.

“I’m not someone worth helping.” Yan Zheng still didn’t look at Yan Qing. “But since you could pick up that sword, you must not be a wicked person. If you get involved in this mess, it’s just a waste…”

He stopped midway in his sentence, suddenly halted his words—on the other side, Chai Xin made a curious sound, as if he had seen a once-in-a-century marvel. Yan Zheng followed his line of sight and looked at Yan Qing on the side.

The gloomy sky mixed with fog, and everything seemed covered in a layer of vague gray. Yan Qing was blindfolded when he was in the Grand Pavilion before, and when they met again, he had kept his eyes closed; at most, he only peeped a bit through his eyelids. Yan Zheng thought he had some photosensitive eye condition and was causing trouble one after another. He hadn’t had time to think deeply about these details.

Who could have thought that the person holding the Sword of Compassion would actually have a pair of ghost eyes?

“When Yan Budu committed those evil deeds in the past, Venerable Kongshi didn’t just let him go.” Yan Qing’s voice was a bit nervous but still relatively steady. “To be honest, I don’t understand Venerable Kongshi’s approach. But from what I see, you don’t seem like Yan Budu—definitely not someone ‘not worth helping’.”

He slightly lowered his body, holding the massive sword horizontally in front of him.

“If it’s like this and I still run away, then I don’t deserve to wield this sword.”

The Yan family had many descendants, most of whom were killed by Taiheng back then. The survivors were few, and those with ghost eyes were almost nonexistent. Now, two people with such eyes suddenly appeared, causing the Ling Sect’s disciples, who were about to rush out, to stagger and stop their steps.

Chai Xin was stunned for a while, then suddenly laughed at the sky. “This is the heavens telling me to take in a new disciple. People from the righteous path are great! Magnificent! After I train you, you will certainly be better to serve than my wicked disciples, who resort to killing at every turn… The heavens bless my Divine Sect!”

“Grand Elder, there were idiots before who were fooled by their techniques; it might be a trick from the Kushan Sect,” someone beside Chai Xin reminded.

“Whether it’s a trick or not, capture them alive, and we’ll find out. Very well, keep both of them alive. This is a sign of prosperity for our Divine Sect!”

Wouldn’t it be great if the living “summoning evil spirits” banner became two?

Yan Zheng looked at Yan Qing incredulously, his hand holding the whip trembling. “Who are you?”

“Yan Ziren’s son, Yan Qing.” Yan Qing smiled at him. “I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but my father may not be very capable… After this battle, we can talk in detail.”

“Yeah, in the Ling Sect’s dungeon, we can talk in detail.”

Chai Xin shook his sleeve and pulled out two daggers as thin as cicada wings.

“It’s rare to have this opportunity; let this old man join the fun too.”

Zongwu Mountain, at the foot of the mountain.

Shi Jingzhi openly displayed the “Medicine Cures Illness” flag, looking at the sea of people around him. There weren’t many masters sent by other sects, but their number was considerable. There were more people from the Ling Sect than they had anticipated. That group of unformed things occupied about a quarter of the encirclement, each of them exuding murderous intent, making them very conspicuous.

Shi Jingzhi stood beside Yin Ci; the two of them standing on the open wasteland in the center of the encirclement, adding the most vivid strokes to this “Too many monks with few porridge*” picture.

*Idiom referring to a situation where there are too many people sharing limited resources, resulting in scarcity or a shortage of supplies.

“A’Ci, look, Taiheng and the smaller sects are over there, wanting to steam us. On the other side are the Ling Sect and the Chigou Sect, wanting to roast us.” Shi Jingzhi pointed around while addressing the crowd. “You must distinguish clearly later and not kill the wrong person. Hey, isn’t that Jin Lan over there? Poor guy, after a few days of not seeing him, he’s been demoted to this dump… Isn’t it good to greet him now?”

Yin Ci: “…”

He seemed to see that brat who dared to roll in his sword wind again. Yin Ci suspected that said kid’s courage was growing excessively.

Well, it was just a group of unruly people. He specifically chose a location easy to retreat from. To intimidate the crowd with force, Yin Ci was very familiar with that. There were still risks, but the situation was still under his control.

However, just at that moment, Shi Jingzhi turned around with a grin. “Rest assured, nothing will happen.”

“What?”

“I have something to give you. Close your eyes, okay?”

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