53: Chapter 53 The Truth Comes Out, the Old Man Guarding the Pavilion

[Black clouds press upon the city, the city is about to collapse.]

[Chu Sheng looked toward the distant horizon, his heart beating like a drum.]

[Those were demon beasts, tens of thousands of demon beasts.]

["Something's wrong," Chu Sheng muttered, "Something's very wrong."]

[He picked up the demon refining pot from the table; the pot was still scalding hot, bubbling and steaming.]

["I have to go to the Scripture Pavilion to see if there are any sword techniques to deal with the beast tide."]

[He pushed the door open and walked quickly toward the Scripture Pavilion.]

Chu Sheng watched the scene.

That said, to make tens of thousands of demon beasts crouch obediently, there must be a powerful entity controlling them from behind the scenes.

[The Scripture Pavilion was on the west side of the sect, a small three-story building that was usually empty.]

[Chu Sheng had been there a few times to borrow some basic cultivation techniques, but he had never seen that legendary Old Man of the Pavilion Guard.]

[Today, he saw him.]

[A hunched old man was pacing back and forth at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.]

[He wore a dusty linen robe and had white hair and a white beard; he looked like an ordinary old gatekeeper.]

It's him!

The Qinglan Sect cultivator who intercepted and killed him in the third simulation!

[Chu Sheng's footsteps faltered, and cold sweat instantly seeped from his back.]

Wait, in the third simulation, Chu Sheng was at the Ninth Grade of Qi Induction when he was hunted down.

If this old man was at the Condensing True Essence mid-stage, hunting down a Ninth Grade of Qi Induction cultivator would indeed be more than enough.

But the problem is, how did he become the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard now?

[But the man walked back and forth with his head down, muttering to himself.]

["Strange... too strange..."]

[Chu Sheng held his breath and observed quietly.]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard's expression was grim, his brows tightly furrowed.]

["Where is the mark? Why is it gone?"]

[He whispered to himself, "It was clearly planted on the Crimson Python, how could it..."]

[Chu Sheng's heart jolted.]

[A mark? Crimson Python?]

[He instinctively hugged the demon refining pot in his arms tighter.]

Chu Sheng instantly understood everything: this old man is an undercover agent!

He had marked the Crimson Python, intending to use the beast tide to throw the Qinglan Sect into chaos.

But since he had taken the Crimson Python, the mark naturally disappeared along with it.

Now the beast tide was gathering but not attacking because they were waiting for a signal.

["It's over."]

[Chu Sheng's heart sank, "If this old man finds out it was me..."]

[Just as he wanted to retreat quietly, the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard suddenly raised his head.]

["Stop."]

[Chu Sheng stiffened all over.]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard walked up to him in a few strides, his murky old eyes staring fixedly at him.]

["What is this?"]

[Chu Sheng forced himself to remain calm: "A... a kettle for boiling water."]

["A kettle for boiling water?"]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard sneered, "Why would a kettle for boiling water have the aura of a demon beast?"]

Chu Sheng's mind raced.

Before coming, he had secretly equipped [Strong Luck], with the goal of seeing if he could pick up some ancient fragments at the Scripture Pavilion.

But at this moment, he felt that all his luck had been used up.

[Triggered Key Choice: How to respond to the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard's interrogation?]

[1. Play dumb and deny everything. Likely to be killed on the spot.]

[2. Tell the truth and beg for mercy. Certain death.]

[3. Take a gamble and say, "A noble person told me to do it."]

Chu Sheng looked at these three options, his fingers trembling slightly.

Play dumb?

This old man isn't a fool, and the Crimson Python was marked; the aura can't be hidden.

Tell the truth?

That's even worse; subduing the array eye caused the beast tide to go out of control, a crime punishable by death a hundred times over.

Take a gamble...

He looked at the third option.

"A noble person told me to do it."

This sentence didn't specify who, but it gave the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard room for imagination.

In the eyes of the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard, someone who could instruct a small Fifth Stage of Qi Guiding cultivator to subdue the Crimson Python must be a higher-level existence.

And could this existence be...

"Select 3."

["Senior, please calm down," he lowered his voice, "A noble person told me to do it."]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard was stunned.]

[He stared at Chu Sheng for a long time, his gaze shifting from killing intent to confusion, and from confusion to... a hint of excitement.]

["A noble person? Which noble person?" His voice was tight.]

[Chu Sheng shook his head: "This junior cannot say. Senior should understand that for some things, the fewer people who know, the better."]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.]

["Good, good!" He patted Chu Sheng on the shoulder, "Young and bold."]

[Chu Sheng breathed a long sigh of relief.]

[He had bet correctly.]

["Let's go, come in with me."]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard turned and walked toward the Scripture Pavilion, "Didn't you want to learn sword techniques? I will teach you."]

[The next two months.]

[During the day, he followed the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard to learn swordsmanship.]

[The old man taught very diligently, teaching him the "Sixteen Swords of Yan Yun" without reservation.]

[Chu Sheng only then discovered that the old man was a person from the Yan Kingdom.]

[This was a Mystic-tier low-grade sword technique, which was who knows how many levels higher than the Nine Swords of Swift Wind.]

[With the Sword Saint's blessing, Chu Sheng learned very quickly, mastering the first eight swords in half a month.]

["Your talent..."]

[The look in the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard's eyes became increasingly complicated, "If you were in the Yan Kingdom, you would have already been a crown prince's attendant."]

[At night, Chu Sheng crammed on knowledge about the Yan Kingdom.]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard gave him a pile of classics.]

[Yan Kingdom geography, Yan Kingdom customs, Yan Kingdom official system, Yan Kingdom cultivation system... Chu Sheng felt dizzy reading them, but he dared not fail to memorize them.]

["In case I get exposed someday, at least I can pretend to be convincing," he gritted his teeth inwardly.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene, feeling both gratified and saddened.

This old man really treated Chu Sheng as his disciple.

For someone who had been an undercover agent for decades, being able to meet one of his own kind was probably a source of solace.

[Meanwhile, the situation outside was becoming increasingly tense.]

[The Qinglan Sect sealed its mountain gate, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.]

[The conflict between Elder Zhou and the Second Elder intensified, and both sides almost came to blows.]

[Only the Sect Master remained non-committal throughout.]

["He is waiting."]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard said, "Waiting for us to reveal our flaws."]

[Chu Sheng felt guilty, but he dared not show it on his face.]

[Two months later.]

[Chu Sheng was awakened by a violent fluctuation of spiritual power.]

[He pushed the door open and saw three figures standing in the air above the Sect Master's Peak.]

[The Sect Master, Elder Zhou, and the Second Elder.]

[They formed a triangular formation, surrounding the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard.]

["Old Man of the Pavilion Guard."]

[The Sect Master's voice was calm, "You have been hiding for twenty years; that's long enough."]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard stood on the roof of the Scripture Pavilion, standing with his hands behind his back, his gray hair and beard fluttering in the wind.]

["Twenty years..."]

[He laughed, "Sect Master, you have good patience."]

[Elder Zhou sneered, "The Crimson Python went missing, the beast tide gathered; do you know what we have found out over these past few months?"]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard laughed up at the sky.]

["So what if I killed it? I killed the Crimson Python, I led the beast tide; in this life, I was born a person of the Yan Kingdom, and I will die a ghost of the Yan Kingdom! If you want to kill me or torture me, bring it on!"]

[As soon as these words were spoken, the whole scene was shocked.]

[The Second Elder's face turned livid: "You admit it?"]

["So what if I admit it?"]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard's laughter grew louder, "I originally wanted to wait until the beast tide attacked the city to act, but unfortunately, a small accident occurred. But that's fine; you kill me today, but who will stop the beast tide?"]

[Elder Zhou's expression changed: "What do you mean?"]

["I marked the Crimson Python, originally intending to use it to lead the beast tide to attack the city. But now the Crimson Python is dead, and the beast tide has lost its guidance."]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard's smile was eerie, "But they have already gathered; without guidance, what will they do?"]

[He paused, and said word by word:]

["They will attack cities randomly. They might attack the Qinglan Sect, they might attack Jin Xiao City, they might attack the surroundings. You kill me, but you won't change this fact."]

[The Sect Master was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hand.]

["So what?"]

[His voice was calm, "First kill you, then kill the demon beasts."]

[He struck down with a palm!]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard raised his hand to meet it head-on, violent spiritual power exploded, and crushed stones splashed on the Sect Master's Peak!]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard soared into the sky, battling the Sect Master.]

[Elder Zhou and the Second Elder followed closely behind, and the four of them fought from the sky to the ground, the entire mountain gate trembling.]

[Chu Sheng hugged the demon refining pot, hiding in a corner.]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard was very strong, at the True Firmament stage, but in the face of the three-person pincer attack, he was still a notch behind.]

["Don't think about running, just surrender!"]

[The Sect Master struck him in the chest with a palm.]

[The Old Man of the Pavilion Guard sprayed blood wildly and flew backward.]

[He struggled to stand up, covered in blood, but he was still laughing.]

["This life of mine was worth it."]

[Then, he was pinned to the cliff wall.]

[Blood flowed down the cliff wall, staining a large area of rock red.]

Chu Sheng watched this scene and fell silent.

This old man, he was truly loyal.

[While everyone's attention was on the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard, a little boy crept up to his side.]

[It was the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard's attendant.]

[He stuffed something into Chu Sheng's hand, then turned and ran, disappearing into the chaos.]

[Chu Sheng looked down; it was a jade pendant.]

["This is..."]

[Triggered Key Choice: Accept the Yan Kingdom crown princes token?]

[1. Accept. From now on, you will be bound to the Yan Kingdom; you may gain powerful assistance, but you may also be regarded as a traitor by the Tianfeng Kingdom.]

[2. Refuse. Destroy the token, act as if nothing happened, and continue to be a registered disciple of the Qinglan Sect.]

Chu Sheng looked at this jade pendant, weighing his options rapidly in his heart.

Accepting means having a backup plan.

Although the Yan Kingdom is small, it still possesses the power of a nation.

In case things don't work out in the Tianfeng Kingdom, he could still go there.

Moreover, the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard taught him sword techniques for two months; this favor must be acknowledged.

Refusing is safer, but it also means one less trump card.

And that look from the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard before he died was clearly a entrustment.

"This old man..."

Chu Sheng sighed, "Select 1. This favor must be acknowledged."

[He gripped the jade pendant tightly and tucked it into his clothes.]

[In the distance, Elder Zhou and the Second Elder were still examining the corpse of the Old Man of the Pavilion Guard.]

[The Sect Master stood with his hands behind his back, looking toward the horizon.]

[Outside the mountain gate, the screeching of demon beasts grew closer and closer.]