21: Chapter 21 The Grandmaster's "Empty City Stratagem" and the Scarecrow in the Coffin

A dark and windy night is perfect for archaeology.

Heavenly River Sword Sect's back mountain, Reflection Cliff.

This is the place where Sect Disciples come to reflect on their mistakes; gloomy winds howl year-round, and the cold is bone-chilling.

But beneath that steep cliff face hides a secret entrance unknown even to the current Sect Master, Ye Gucheng.

"Are you sure it's here?"

Chu Linger carried a small entrenching tool, her sleek night-traveling clothes unable to hide the look of disgust on her face.

Holding her nose, she looked suspiciously at the massive moss-covered rock before her.

"This is where the Sect dumps medicinal dregs and waste; it's practically rotting."

"You're thinking too small."

Li Mo pulled three sticks of incense from his robes, solemnly planted them before the pile of rocks, and bowed three times with great gravity.

"As they say, a great recluse hides in the city, but a true treasure hides in the 'stink'."

"Our founding Ancestral Master was a famous member of the 'steady faction' back in the day. Who would have thought he'd build his final resting place under a trash heap? This is what you call 'the darkness under the lamp'."

"Squeak!" (Big Brother is right! This place has excellent Feng Shui and a unique scent—no loitering allowed!)

Squeak wore a tiny miasma-filtering mask Li Mo had specially made from Yao Beast hide and Heart-Clearing Grass, waving its paws in deep agreement.

"Let's get to work."

Li Mo gave the order.

Squeak instantly turned into a gray blur, its indestructible claws digging rapidly into the hard rock as stone chips flew and dust splattered everywhere.

In just a moment, a deep tunnel just wide enough for one person to crawl through appeared.

Li Mo was in no hurry to enter.

He first threw a "Pathfinding Talisman" into the hole; the paper burned away, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Next, he threw in a fat chicken he had just swiped from the kitchen.

He tilted his head to listen, waiting for a full fifteen minutes until he was sure the "clucking" coming from deep within the cave was still that chicken—neither dead from poison nor shredded by traps—before finally feeling at ease and crawling inside.

Following behind, Chu Linger watched her "cousin" wriggling through the narrow tunnel like a giant gecko; the image of a "peerless expert" she had just built up in her mind was peeling away and shattering into pieces.

Was this really the powerhouse capable of cursing a Golden Core Old Ancestor to death from thousands of miles away?

No matter how she looked at it, he exuded the practiced air of a habitual grave robber!

At the end of the tunnel was a stone chamber so simple it was appalling.

There were no gold or silver treasures.

No divine weapons or Sharp Weapons.

There wasn't even a decent ever-burning lamp; only bare stone walls and a plain black wooden coffin in the center.

"We're... here?" Chu Linger could hardly believe it. "No traps? No guardian stone beasts?"

"There are."

Li Mo's tone was calm as he pointed to the floor tiles.

"Every tile we just stepped on was a life-or-death choice. If I hadn't followed the footwork recorded in 'The Tianhe Ancestral Master's Daily Life Records,' we would have been turned into pincushions by the 'God-Slaying Crossbows' hidden in the walls by now."

A chill ran down Chu Linger's spine.

Li Mo walked up to the coffin, a playful expression suddenly appearing on his face.

This coffin... wasn't nailed shut.

Not only was it not nailed down, but the lid even had a finger-wide gap, as if it were meant to let the person inside... breathe?

"Ancestor Master above, your unworthy Disciple Li Mo has come to pay his respects today."

Li Mo straightened his clothes and bowed deeply and respectfully toward the coffin.

"This Disciple does not covet your burial goods, Ancestor Master. I have come to borrow the dragon vein heavenly book for the sake of the Sect's future. This is a matter of urgency; please forgive my intrusion, Ancestor Master."

His words sounded high-minded and dignified.

Having finished, he looked at Squeak and gestured toward the coffin with his chin.

"Go on."

"Squeak?" (Big Brother, why is it me again?)

"Because you are a Treasure-Seeking Rat. Opening coffins to inspect the goods is your innate Divine Ability."

Squeak hopped onto the coffin with a look of grievance, extended its little paws, took a deep breath, and gave a sudden, powerful shove!

"Screeeak—"

The grating sound of friction echoed through the deathly silent stone chamber, exceptionally piercing.

The coffin lid was slowly pushed open.

Li Mo and Chu Linger held their breath simultaneously and peered inside the coffin.

A second later, both the human and the rat froze.

The coffin was empty.

No, to be precise, there were no remains.

Inside the thin coffin lay only a crooked doll made of straw.

A yellowed slip of paper was stuck to the doll's chest, with a line of large characters written in a wild, uninhibited hand:

"Cultivating is too tiring, the risks are too high. This old man is leaving first—Ascension (running away). Don't look for me."

"..."

The air in the stone chamber fell into absolute silence.

Chu Linger's lip twitched violently.

"He just... ran away?"

"As expected of our very own Ancestor Master."

Instead, a "just as I thought" expression appeared on Li Mo's face, carrying a hint of heartfelt relief and respect.

"To be able to carry the philosophy of 'survival' through to his funeral arrangements, not even leaving a single bone for descendants to admire (covet)—brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

His gaze bypassed the comical scarecrow and landed precisely in the corner of the coffin.

There, a scroll lay quietly.

It was neither metal nor jade, appearing a primitive earthy yellow, emitting a faint halo as if it carried the breath of mountains and rivers.

'dragon vein heavenly book', Volume One.

"Found it."

A flash of joy crossed Li Mo's eyes. He reached out, gently reached into the coffin, and grasped the scroll.

It felt warm to the touch yet incredibly heavy, as if he were holding the weight of an entire landscape.

[Ding!]

[Contact with special item: 'dragon vein heavenly book' (Volume One).]

[Analyzing... contains maps of mountain and river ley lines, Imperial Dynasty Dragon Qi guidance methods, and... the backdoor key for the "Imperial Extreme Dragon-Locking Array."]

[Detected a residual Divine Thought attached to the book. Read it?]

Li Mo was about to select "Read."

A sudden change occurred!

The scarecrow that should have been lying in the coffin like a dead object suddenly sat up without warning!

"It's a walking corpse!"

Chu Linger turned pale with fright and screamed, instinctively throwing a punch containing a trace of Imperial Dao Dragon Qi toward the scarecrow.

"Hey! Don't hit me! I'm one of you!"

The scarecrow actually spoke human words!

Not only could it talk, but its movements were also exceptionally agile; with a strange twist of its waist, it dodged Chu Linger's punch.

Then, two withered straw hands shot out like lightning, firmly grabbing the wrist Li Mo used to hold the heavenly book.

Two comical spiraling eyes were drawn on the scarecrow's face, yet they now held an indescribable liveliness.

It stared at Li Mo, making a voice that was old yet incredibly annoying:

"Hehe! Finally, someone's here! This wisp of my thought has been stuck in this crappy scarecrow for three thousand years; my bones were about to grow mushrooms!"

Even with his hand grabbed, Li Mo's expression didn't show the slightest panic.

His Reading the Room trait had already discerned that this was merely a recording Puppet with no offensive power whatsoever.

"Senior... are you the founding Ancestral Master?" Li Mo asked tentatively.

"Why call me Ancestral Master? That's too formal, isn't it? Call me Big Brother!"

The scarecrow waved a straw hand heroically.

"Since you could find your way here without triggering that 'Nine-Nine Continuous Extinction Array' outside, it means you're a fellow traveler. Well? Was my 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Skin' trick clever or what?"

Li Mo sincerely gave a thumbs up: "Clever, beyond words. Truly a role model for our generation."

"Of course!"

The scarecrow was triumphant, as if it had met a kindred spirit.

"Back in the day, those Demonic Path brats spent a huge amount of effort trying to dig up my grave. They dug for three months and only found a pile of horse manure. The Devil Head leading them was so angry his Dao Heart shattered on the spot. Hahaha!"

The laughter echoed in the stone chamber, sounding exceptionally sleazy.

After laughing, the scarecrow suddenly brought its comical face close to Li Mo's, its tone shifting to become serious.

"Kid, you can take this book. But there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"This book concerns the ley line Dragon Qi. Once it appears in the world, it will surely cause a bloodbath. Since you've taken it, you must do one thing for me."

Li Mo quietly took half a step back, creating distance with a wary look.

"What is it? If it's some high-risk mission like saving the common people or upholding the Righteous Path, then you'd better take the book back. This Disciple's fortune is thin; I can't bear it."

"Hey! You kid are even more afraid of death than I was!"

Instead of being angry, the scarecrow showed an even stronger look of appreciation.

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to risk your life. I was in too much of a hurry when I ascended (ran away) back then, and I left a beloved item in the mortal Realm. That thing concerns the Luck of this world, and I hid it in... the 'Saint's Grove' of Jixia Academy."

Jixia Academy?

Li Mo's eyelid twitched slightly.

Why was it that place again?

"You want me to steal something?"

"Can a scholar's business be called stealing?"

The scarecrow puffed out its straw chest with righteous indignation.

"It's called 'returning property to its original owner'! It's my private stash... cough, private treasure! Anyway, if you have the chance to go to Jixia Academy, retrieve it for me. In return, I'll tell you the whereabouts of the remaining eight volumes of the dragon vein heavenly book!"

Li Mo fell into thought.

Going to Jixia Academy was already in his plans; he had already made an enemy of that Great Scholar Su.

Besides, to completely break Chu Linger's Seal, gathering all nine volumes of the heavenly book was an unavoidable hurdle.

This was a guaranteed win-win trade.

"Deal." Li Mo nodded.

"Splendid!"

The scarecrow let go and lay back in the coffin with satisfaction.

"Alright, take the book and get going. Don't disturb my quiet cultivation. This wisp of my Divine Thought doesn't have much energy left; I need to save it for the next unlucky... cough, the next destined person."

Having finished, it kicked its legs, and its straw body instantly lost all Spiritual Qi, turning back into a plain scarecrow.

Only the slip of paper saying "Don't look for me" was still slightly fluttering.

Li Mo: "..."

This Ancestor Master's mental state seemed to be three thousand years ahead of its time.

"Let's go."

Li Mo stowed the heavenly book and called out to Chu Linger and Squeak, who hadn't yet recovered from the farce, as they quickly retraced their steps.

Back on the surface, he resealed the entrance and carefully restored the pile of stinking trash.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Only the heavy, warm scroll in Li Mo's robes showed just how incredible tonight's harvest had been.

"It... just ended like that?"

Chu Linger was still a bit dazed; the narrow escapes and world-shaking battles she had imagined hadn't happened at all.

Instead, it was a nearly absurd "kindred spirit recognition" meeting.

"This is the supreme Realm of the Path of Caution."

Li Mo brushed the dust off his clothes and looked up at the faint light appearing on the horizon, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"If you can use your mouth, never use your hands; if you can use your brain, never shed blood."

"However..."

He rubbed the back of his hand, recalling the scarecrow's tone—serious yet tinged with cunning—when it mentioned Jixia Academy.

"It seems our next stop will indeed be that place full of old pedants."

"But before that..."

Li Mo's gaze turned to Chu Linger, making her feel uneasy.

"We need to thoroughly 'digest' this first volume of the heavenly book. Little Princess, are you ready to stay up all night and comprehend the Great Dao with me?"

Chu Linger's small face instantly slumped.

Meanwhile, in Li Mo's consciousness, a new prompt quietly refreshed on the System panel.

[Triggered Main Quest: Searching for the Lost "Private Stash."]

[Target Location: Jixia Academy, Saint's Grove.]

[Quest Reward: Unknown Golden Trait.]

Winds rise over Cloud-Severing Mountain, as Dragon Qi enters the mortal Realm.

The chessboard of the story is finally moving from this corner toward the vast and magnificent world of the Central Province.