Chapter 529
She looked up, a bit lost.
At that moment, the middle-aged man at the door cautiously asked, "Senior Sister, are you looking for some alchemical formula?"
Xie Qingxue pondered for a moment, slowly nodded, but didn’t specify what she was searching for. Instead, she asked, "Are all the records about spiritual plants or alchemy in the sect here?"
"Most of them are," the middle-aged man replied honestly.
"Most?"
"Some alchemical texts are kept in the Secret Pavilion," he explained eagerly, not suspecting Xie Qingxue, the senior sister, would have any ulterior motives. "But that place is off-limits to outsiders. You should be fine to enter..."
"Secret Pavilion..."
Xie Qingxue gazed outside.
The Transmission Tower had three parts: the central five-story main building, the right wing housing knowledge about various arts, and the left wing, which was the Secret Pavilion.
Only those with special status could enter.
Xie Qingxue contemplated this but nodded slowly at the middle-aged man guarding the pavilion, taking out a sword talisman and saying, "Thank you, Junior Brother. Please keep this."
Without waiting for his thanks, she hurried away.
Behind her, the middle-aged man stared at Xie Qingxue's retreating figure, holding the sword talisman, his face a mix of bewilderment and delight—wasn’t it said that this senior sister was hard to please?
He had only said the most ordinary thing, yet somehow he received a treasure?
...
However, Xie Qingxue didn’t head to the Secret Pavilion right away. Instead, she returned to her courtyard and, after some thought, sought out Yan Wushuang.
"Senior Sister?"
"Zheng Fa asked me to look into a spiritual plant called the Five Elements Orchid. I’ve been searching for a month with little success," Xie Qingxue said succinctly, "I want to check the Secret Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, Yan Wushuang's expression turned serious.
"The Five Elements Orchid... is it related to our Ancestor?"
Xie Qingxue nodded.
"In that case, you need to be careful. There are elders watching in the Secret Pavilion..."
"Zheng Fa said the same."
"It seems he also thinks it's dangerous!"
"That’s why I decided to send you."
"…Huh?"
Yan Wushuang's eyes widened, mouth agape, staring at his senior sister in disbelief.
"It’s you," Xie Qingxue said firmly, adding, "I suspect Master is wary of me."
"…"
Yan Wushuang understood Xie Qingxue's concerns.
The Secret Pavilion was a highly regarded place within the sect, usually overseen by elders at the Transformation stage. Xie Qingxue could visit without issue, but now she had to be cautious.
"My father... has been acting strangely lately," Yan Wushuang frowned, his expression odd. "After he was injured by Zheng Fa, he keeps going into seclusion, but it doesn’t seem to be getting any better..."
"But when I ask him, he says he’s fine... and claims he’s found a breakthrough opportunity."
"Breakthrough?"
Xie Qingxue raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear this.
"Yeah, it’s made it hard for me to scold Zheng Fa."
Yan Wushuang muttered.
"A breakthrough for Master isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but last time he really seemed to have doubts about me..."
Xie Qingxue felt conflicted. A breakthrough for her master was certainly a good thing, but given the current situation, it was hard to say how he might react to her, the so-called traitor.
Yan Wushuang sensed that his senior sister's worries were quite valid.
The only problem was—
You can be cautious, but why drag your junior brother into this?
Seeing his frustrated expression, Xie Qingxue paused before speaking, "After all, you are Master’s own son. I’ll just have to persuade him a bit more..."
"…"
"You should be fine."
Yan Wushuang's expression turned blank, wanting to argue but unsure how to respond.
Xie Qingxue had sought out Yan Wushuang for more than just this reason. She explained further:
"I want you to go because you’re currently at the Golden Core stage, which makes it easier for you to find some Golden Core texts in the main building without drawing too much attention."
"On the other hand, your reputation in the sect isn’t that great, and your cultivation level is low."
"Huh?"
"Some minor indiscretions probably won’t reach Master’s ears."
Yan Wushuang slowly furrowed his brow, contemplating. "Are you saying I’m too inconspicuous?"
"It’s not me; it’s the Qingping Sword... I initially intended to go to the Secret Pavilion, but it seemed like someone was watching me."
Yan Wushuang's expression grew even more peculiar.
What his senior sister meant was simple: his low cultivation meant that others wouldn’t pay much attention to him—after all, who cares what a Golden Core cultivator is thinking or doing when there are Transformation stage or Dao Fruit cultivators around?
Xie Qingxue was different.
As the master of the Qingping Sword, her status was too prominent, making her less free in certain matters.
"Of course, this is quite dangerous for you as well..." Xie Qingxue added, "If you refuse, I’ll find another way."
Yan Wushuang fell silent for a moment before saying:
"Senior Sister, there’s no turning back for us, is there?"
"There isn’t." Xie Qingxue nodded lightly, stroking the increasingly familiar Qingping Sword, and added, "I never intended to turn back."
"And you..."
Xie Qingxue looked at her junior brother and slowly said:
"You were among the first in the sect to come into contact with Zheng Fa..."
"Yeah."
"You’ve also learned the 'Nine Mountains Golden Core Method' and are close to achieving Golden Core completion, right? It seems you’ve picked up some decent lightning techniques from the Nine Mountains Forum?"
Yan Wushuang replied sheepishly, "There are some great posts on that forum; I just learned a couple of moves... The 'Nine Mountains Golden Core Method' is incredibly helpful for cultivation."
"Zheng Fa is getting stronger, and you might gain more and more in the future. Perhaps one day, you’ll surpass me and even your father. That’s your fortune, but some fortunes come at a cost."
"Senior Sister..."
"I’ve already paid the price for the Qingping Sword... what about you?"
"…"
"We, as sword cultivators, must... forge ahead without hesitation."
...
Days later, Xie Qingxue returned to the Transmission Tower, but instead of heading to the Secret Pavilion, she walked into the right wing, which housed the knowledge of various arts.
"Senior Sister?" the middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise.
"I found something useful last time, so I’m back to take another look."
The middle-aged man understood and watched as Xie Qingxue approached a bookshelf, his curiosity piqued, but he didn’t dare to ask too many questions.
Xie Qingxue picked up a jade tube and felt the Qingping Sword tremble slightly.
She knew that some Dao Fruit cultivator from the sect was watching her.
Xie Qingxue maintained a calm expression, but her mind was split—half focused on the jade tube and half on the entrance to the Secret Pavilion.
Now, there was a new post on the Nine Mountains Forum, known only to a select few.
The post was accessible only to Zheng Fa, Yan Wushuang, and Xie Qingxue.
Yan Wushuang was the first to post: "Senior Sister, I’m here."
Xie Qingxue quickly replied: "I’ve drawn the attention of the elders in the sect. If there are any issues, I’ll handle them."
Zheng Fa seemed to have been monitoring them both and added, "Yan Brother, Xie Fairy, I’m ready on my end too."
In the Heavenly Palace of the Nine Mountains Sect, a project team was formed.
There were very few members.
Besides Zheng Fa, there was only Xiao Yuying and a few disciples—these disciples were part of the batch sent by the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and they all had some knowledge of alchemy.
Though not profound, they were still respectable in the Nine Mountains realm.
He glanced at the others and wrote in the post: "Yan Brother, I have Fairy Xiao here, along with some disciples who understand alchemy."
Seeing this, Xie Qingxue couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, feeling a thrill akin to a heist.
She was the lookout.
Zheng Fa was in charge of logistics and coordination.
Yan Wushuang was the one in the most danger... the poor soul.
The poor soul soon appeared at the entrance of the Secret Pavilion. Although his cultivation was only at the Golden Core stage, as the sect leader’s son and a true disciple, he had the right to enter.
Presenting a token, Yan Wushuang smoothly entered the hall.
"There aren’t many texts in here," Yan Wushuang reported.
"Yan Brother, remember not to look at any alchemical formulas!" Zheng Fa immediately replied.
"But what about this?" Yan Wushuang seemed hesitant, wondering how he could find the use of the Five Elements Orchid without the formula.
Zheng Fa glanced at Xiao Yuying, saw her nod, and replied in the post:
"Fairy Xiao mentioned that some travelogues, observations, or unintentional records might contain more clues."
"Besides, I suspect that any formulas related to the Five Elements Orchid have likely been destroyed."
"On another note, I’m worried about you getting into trouble, Yan Brother."
Yan Wushuang didn’t respond, silently putting away the tome in his hand and looking at the bookshelf before him.
The Secret Pavilion was only one floor, and the number of jade tubes was limited. If they were restricted to travelogues and miscellaneous discussions, then those would be even scarcer.
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