vstars Chapter 484 Netherworld Assassin
Chapter 484 Netherworld Assassin
My fingers, which were holding the half-plant of Bidens pilosa, were a little stiff. Senior Sister Qingwei's voice was still buzzing in my ears, and the last word "have" felt like a piece of broken jade stuck in my eardrum.
Wen Chen's palm was still on my wrist, his body heat seeping in through his sleeve, but it couldn't dispel the chill of the jade hairpin on the back of my neck—it was a token of love given to me by my master back then, and now it was as cold as if it had been soaked in ice water.
"Fairy Xiao?" Zi Ling crouched down to pick up the scroll, the pearl hairpin on her head shimmering with tiny lights. "Senior Sister Qingwei...is she still alive?"
I stared at the wildly spinning pointer of the spirit-testing compass, my throat tightening.
When Qingwei disappeared three years ago, I had just finished brewing spiritual dew for three months in the herb garden. I only remember that before she left, she gave me a packet of Netherworld Grass seeds and said that we should watch the flowers bloom together.
Now the grass seeds have sprouted early, but people have become "messengers" who use spiritual blood to nourish talismans.
Wen Chen snatched the withered leaf from my palm, his fingertips tracing its dark red veins: "Bidens pilosa thrives in shade, and is most abundant at the bottom of the Netherworld Abyss." When he looked up, the red mole at the corner of his eye resembled a drop of congealed blood. "To be able to obtain Qingwei's spiritual blood from there, and even intercept her words..."
“It’s to silence him.” I finished speaking for him, my nails digging deep into my palms.
The phrase "that book, 'The Thousand Transformations'" suddenly became clear in the crowd—it wasn't a coincidence; someone was afraid we would actually figure out that improved spiritual technique.
Zi Ling slammed her notebook shut, startling Lin Xianzi's spirit-testing disc. "Senior Sister Xiao, you're investigating an inside job?" Her voice was weak, but her eyes shone brightly. "I...I'll go check the outer sect entry and exit records for the last three months!"
“No.” I pressed down on her hand that was about to search. “We have to take things slowly, like stirring up trouble.” My gaze swept over the jade sword at Wen Chen’s waist. He was tapping the scabbard with his knuckles, once, twice, as if echoing my heartbeat.
Elder Xuanyun's meditation room is located at the deepest part of Qingzhu Peak. When I visited, he was pruning potted plants by the moonlight.
He had neatly trimmed the gnarled branches of the old pine tree, and fallen leaves littered half the stone table. Seeing me arrive, he wiped his hands with a handkerchief: "Fairy Xiao, your late-night visit, is it for 'The Thousand Transformations'?"
I didn't reply, but directly took out the half-eaten leaf.
His fingers paused in mid-air, and the handkerchief fell with a "whoosh" onto the pine needles.
Moonlight streamed over the graying ends of his eyebrows, and I saw his pupils shrink to pinpoints: "Qingwei's spiritual blood... the malevolent scent of this devil's needle grass is the same as the wisp of scent she left behind three years ago." He bent down to pick up the handkerchief, his knuckles turning white from the effort. "Last month, when I checked the spiritual veins, I discovered that the spiritual energy flow in the northern vein was 30% faster than in previous years—it's as if someone is secretly channeling spiritual energy."
"What's the point of summoning spirits?" I blurted out.
Elder Xuanyun took out a green pill from his sleeve and threw it into the bronze furnace next to the stone table.
As the smoke rose, I smelled the familiar scent of agarwood—the incense he often used to invigorate himself. "The other night, I saw Deacon Wu from the outer sect carrying a black wooden box into the Scripture Pavilion." He stared at the flickering sparks. "I recognize that box; it's a 'Soul-Locking Coffin' used by the evil cultivators of the Southern Region to seal spirits."
My back molars are aching from clenching them.
Deacon Wu was promoted from a menial servant last month. He always says that he is "the most loyal". The other day I saw him whispering with an outer sect merchant in a gray robe at the martial arts arena. The pattern on the jade pendant at the merchant's waist... looks exactly like the "Yin Fire Pattern" that Wen Chen mentioned.
“I need to investigate him.” I gripped the withered leaf in my sleeve. “But I need someone to keep an eye on his movements.”
Elder Xuanyun suddenly smiled, a hint of sharpness showing in his pine-like wrinkles: "How is it, young friend Lin?"
That child's bone-shrinking technique is so advanced that even I might not be able to detect it.
Senior Brother Lin arrived at 3:45 AM.
He was wearing a faded blue robe, and a short sword wrapped in coarse cloth at his waist. He clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute when he saw me: "Senior Sister Xiao, who do you want me to keep an eye on?"
“Deacon Wu.” I handed him a small porcelain bottle. “This is Concealing Powder; sprinkle it on the hem of your clothes to ward off spirit dogs.” I then took out a communication talisman and slapped it into his palm. “Report back every two hours. If anything seems amiss…”
“I know.” He interrupted me, his fingertip tracing the edge of the talisman. “Back in the herb garden, my senior sister shielded me from the serpent demon’s fangs.” He suddenly smiled, revealing a canine tooth. “My life has long belonged to my senior sister.”
When the moon was high in the sky, I stood at the door of the quiet room and watched him leave.
Brother Lin's figure blended into the bamboo shadows, like ink seeping into rice paper.
The wind swept pine needles across my feet, and the half-eaten leaf in my sleeve suddenly made a very faint cracking sound.
When I looked up, the moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, and the hooting of an owl came from afar—the sound like a fine needle piercing the surface of the calm.
(When Brother Lin's communication talisman was burning hot at his waist, he was squatting on the windowsill of Deacon Wu.)
The candlelight inside the room flickered. He saw the gray-robed merchant take out a jade pendant that gleamed with a faint light from a black wooden box. Wu Deacon's voice, mixed with a cold laugh, drifted out: "When the Thousand Transformations is completed..." When the communication talisman was burning my waist so badly it almost burned through my clothes, I was squatting in front of the desk in the quiet room studying the Northern Vein Spirit Flow Diagram given to me by Elder Xuanyun.
The moment his fingertips touched the talisman, the scorching heat surged through his meridians to his heart—Brother Lin's communication talisman was usually cool, but now it was burning hot like a piece of charcoal; something must have happened.
"Wen Chen!" I grabbed the Qingfeng sword from the desk and rushed out the door, my hair ribbon fluttering in the wind. "Something's happened to Senior Brother Lin!"
The sound of clothes rustling through the air came from behind me, and Wen Chen's hand covered my lower back: "Don't rush, I'll take you there." The clear sound of the Azure Jade Sword mingled with the sound of the wind and exploded. We were like two streaks of light cutting through the night, and the outline of Green Bamboo Peak below quickly receded.
Wu's residence was the most secluded bamboo house in the outer gate. From afar, I could see half a bloodstained blue robe hanging on the peach tree in front of the house.
My heart skipped a beat, and my sword-wielding technique faltered. Wen Chen gave a low shout and pulled me closer to his arms. The spiritual energy of the Azure Jade Sword enveloped us as we landed steadily on the grassy slope outside the bamboo house.
"Senior Brother Lin!"
In the muddy ground beneath the bamboo house window, Senior Brother Lin was curled up in a ball, his left shoulder ripped open by a sharp weapon, blood gushing out.
He still clutched the unfinished message talisman in his right hand, his knuckles turning white from the force. Seeing me, his eyelashes trembled, and he forced a smile: "Senior...Sister, that jade tablet is engraved with...Yin Fire Patterns..."
Three men dressed in black emerged from behind the building, their faces veiled in black gauze, with barbed black iron daggers hanging from their waists.
The leader raised his hand and unleashed a black light. I swung my sword to block it. The Qingfeng sword collided with the black light, sparks flying. The black light seemed to have resilience, winding up the sword and scorching my tiger's mouth until it went numb—it was the evil cultivator's bone-corroding miasma!
Wen Chen's Azure Jade Sword had already thrust out first, its sword energy, wrapped in frost, swept across the faces of the three. Two of them hurriedly retreated, while the other, with red eyes, swung his blade and pounced on Senior Brother Lin.
I gritted my teeth and flung out the poisoned flying needle from my waist. The silver needle grazed the man's ear and pierced into the bamboo building pillar. He turned his head in pain, and I took the opportunity to rush to Senior Brother Lin's side and use my body to shield him as I climbed into the bushes next to us.
"Senior Sister..." Senior Brother Lin's blood smeared on my sleeve, scalding hot. "They... came for me, afraid I'd tell everyone what they overheard..."
"Shut up." I tore off a piece of my skirt to bandage him, my fingertips touching the shards of metal in his wound, making him gasp in pain. "Just hang in there, Wen Chen is here."
Wen Chen's sword moves became increasingly ruthless, and the frost on the Azure Jade Sword condensed into ice crystals, each strike bringing with it a biting cold wind.
The three men in black were clearly not expecting any experts to be present. The leader blew a sharp whistle, and the other two immediately retreated while fighting.
Wen Chen was not about to let them go. With a flick of his sword, he precisely removed the veil from one of them—it was Ah San, the handyman in Deacon Wu's courtyard!
I recognize the red mole on his left eyebrow; I saw him serve ginseng soup to Steward Wu the other day.
"He really is one of his men." I gripped Senior Brother Lin's blood-stained sleeve tightly, my nails almost digging into his flesh. "This servant is no ordinary man; he was planted by Deacon Wu long ago."
Senior Brother Lin suddenly grabbed my wrist with astonishing strength: "Senior Sister, I heard... that gray-robed merchant say, 'The spiritual blood in the Soul-Locking Coffin is enough to nourish three Spirit-Attracting Talismans. Once we get the improved version of the Thousand Transformations, we can...' They heard me say the rest..." His voice grew weaker, his eyelids drooping, "Senior Sister Xiao, Senior Sister Qingwei... might still be alive..."
"Senior Brother Lin!" I patted his face and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that he had only fainted.
Wen Chen had dealt with the remaining men in black and knelt down to examine Senior Brother Lin's injuries: "The injuries aren't serious, just excessive blood loss." He condensed a ball of pale golden spiritual energy at his fingertips and placed it on Senior Brother Lin's wound, where the bleeding slowly stopped. "Let's go back to the cave first; I'll give him a Heart-Protecting Pill."
On the way back to the cave, I held Senior Brother Lin in my arms. His face was pale, and his throat felt like it was stuffed with a red-hot coal.
Wen Chen's hand remained on my shoulder, continuously channeling spiritual energy into me to stabilize the surging blood and qi within my body.
Upon arriving at the cave dwelling, he carefully placed Senior Brother Lin on the couch, then poured me a cup of warm water and handed it to me: "Drink some first, don't choke."
I took two sips, and the water rolled down my throat into my stomach before I regained some strength: "Deacon Wu is indeed suspicious."
He planted servants, colluded with evil cultivators, drained the spiritual blood of the spiritual veins, and even intercepted Qingwei's messages... Wen Chen, I want to search his residence right now!
Wen Chen pressed down on my hand as I tried to lift the curtain, his fingertips lightly brushing against the bloodstains on the back of my hand. "Yao Yao, if you go now, you'll not only alert him, but what if he has a backup plan?" He pulled me to sit on the stone bench and took out a jade bottle from his storage ring. "This is Elder Xuan Yun's newly refined Meridian-Regenerating Pill. Give it to Senior Brother Lin, and he'll wake up tomorrow."
I stared at the cloud patterns on the jade bottle, my throat tightening: "But Senior Sister Qingwei is still in their hands. If the spiritual veins of the Northern Branch are drained, what will happen to all the outer disciples?"
“So we need to stay calm.” Wen Chen reached out and tidied my messy hair, the red mole at the corner of his eye glowing warmly in the candlelight. “I received news the day before yesterday that the sensation of the Key of Destiny was strongest near Deacon Wu’s residence.”
That key can break through the concealment techniques of evil cultivators. Once Senior Brother Lin wakes up and we get the details, we can use the key to explore his courtyard; that's safer than you barging in now.
As I held the jade bottle, my heartbeat gradually calmed down.
Wen Chen is right. I'm too anxious right now, as anxious as a puppet whose soul has been taken away.
I took a deep breath and placed the jade bottle in his hand: "Go and feed Senior Brother Lin his medicine, I'll go retrieve the Key of Destiny."
The Key to Destiny is an ancient magical artifact that Wen Chen found in the far north ice plains. I usually keep it in a sandalwood box by my bedside.
I lifted the lid of the box, and the cold, white luster of the key spilled out, feeling like it was soaked in snow water when it touched my fingertips.
Holding it in your hand, you can hear a very faint hum, like someone saying "Go, go" in your ear.
As night deepened, I stood outside Deacon Wu's courtyard wall.
Wen Chen cast a concealment spell on me, making my breathing as faint as a cloud.
There was a brass lock on the gate. I pushed it gently, and the lock clicked off. It turned out that there was no lock at all. They were afraid that someone would notice something was wrong.
The bamboo shadows in the courtyard were stretched long by the moonlight, and a sliver of light peeked through the window of the main house.
I moved close to the wall to the window and looked through the hole in the window paper: Deacon Wu was kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to a black wooden box. The box lid was open, and inside lay a jade tablet with a faint glow, which was the Yin Fire Pattern that Senior Brother Lin had mentioned!
I took out the Key of Destiny from my pocket, and the key suddenly trembled violently, leaving a red mark on my palm.
Following my senses, I found a loose bluestone slab in the crack between the bricks of the east wing. I crouched down and used the tip of my sword to lift the slab—below was a deep hole. Inside the hole were more than a dozen blood talismans, each stained with dark brown blood. The pattern on one of them was exactly the same as the traces of spiritual blood that Senior Sister Qingwei had left when she sent the message!
"Found it!" I gripped the blood talisman tightly, my fingernails almost piercing my palm.
Just as he was about to put it into his storage bag, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard. They made a "rustling" sound, like the soles of shoes crushing pebbles.
My heart skipped a beat. I quickly shoved the stone slab back into place and turned to hide in the pile of junk in the west wing, but footsteps were already at the courtyard gate—it was Steward Wu's voice, with a sinister laugh: "You little bastard, daring to eavesdrop on my conversation? Do you think Green Bamboo Peak is a place where good-for-nothings like you can run wild?"
My breath caught in my throat.
The key was still burning hot in his palm, and the blood-stained talisman was digging painfully into his sleeve.
The footsteps grew closer, and I crouched down and slipped into a hidden cabinet behind a pile of clutter. Just as I closed the cabinet door, I heard the door to the main room creak open.