39: Chapter 39 The Olive Branch of the Qinglan Sect

As the words "Martial Stele Fragment" fell, the bustle of the second floor of the teahouse seemed to instantly fade away.

Lu Zhao stared at the scholarly face across from him; his expression remained unchanged, but his palms tightened slightly. That fragment had been hidden close to his body; it had never left him for a single moment since the day he left the village. How did this person know?

Lu Wenyuan held his teacup, took a light sip, and without urging him, simply watched him with a smile.

Outside the window, the noise of the market drifted in—peddlers hawking their wares, children playing, and the clatter of mules and horses. Seven or eight tea drinkers were scattered across the second floor; some Loose Cultivators were whispering, while some merchants were clicking their abacuses. No one paid attention to this corner.

After a long while, Lu Zhao spoke.

"What Martial Stele Fragment?"

Lu Wenyuan smiled.

"Mr. Lu, there is no need to guard against me." He put down the teacup. "If I wanted to take it, I would have made a move the moment you entered the town. As an inner Sect Elder of the Qinglan Sect at the Foundation Establishment ninth stage, taking a Qi Refining third stage martial artist like you would be effortless."

Lu Zhao was silent.

This was the truth. The Foundation Establishment ninth stage was only one step away from the Golden Core. If this person truly had malicious intent, he would indeed be unable to escape.

"Then what does Your Excellency want?"

Lu Wenyuan looked at him, his gaze deep.

"I want to know where you obtained that fragment."

A scene flashed through Lu Zhao's mind—under the cliff, amidst the pile of rubble, that warm little stone. After the heart of the martial ancestor was bound, the stone merged into his palm on its own, leaving only this fragment. He had kept it close to his body, treating it as a memento.

"If I said I picked it up, would Your Excellency believe me?"

"I would." Lu Wenyuan said, "That thing shouldn't have appeared here in the first place; finding it is only logical."

He paused.

"But do you know what it is that you found?"

Lu Zhao shook his head.

Lu Wenyuan reached into his robe, pulled out something the size of a palm, and placed it on the table.

It was a fragment of a stone slab, gray-black in color, with patterns faintly flowing on its surface. It was exactly the same as the one Lu Zhao had in his possession.

Lu Zhao's pupils constricted.

"This is..." He started, his voice slightly hoarse.

"A Martial Stele Fragment." Lu Wenyuan said, "It shares the same source as the one you have."

He stroked the surface of the fragment with his finger, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"The Martial Stele is an item of the ancient Martial Path Legacy. According to records, there are nine pieces in total, hidden in nine Secret Realms. Sixty years ago, the Immortal Sects besieged the remnants of the Martial Path and seized three of them. Later, after changing hands several times, the whereabouts of two were lost, and one—"

He looked at Lu Zhao.

"One is hidden in the Xuanshuang Sect."

Lu Zhao's heart was greatly shaken.

The Xuanshuang Sect!

That fragment actually came from the Xuanshuang Sect!

"It seems you have figured it out." Lu Wenyuan said, "The day you fell off the cliff, you must have obtained it from a Disciple of the Xuanshuang Sect. That Disciple was most likely ordered by their master to escort the fragment back to the Sect, and they met with an accident while passing through the Black Mountain."

A scene flashed through Lu Zhao's mind—on the cliff, a Xuanshuang Sect deacon struck down with a palm, and he fell into the abyss. Before losing consciousness, he vaguely saw a few people standing at the edge of the cliff, one of whom had a bulging waist, as if carrying something.

So that was it.

"What is the use of this fragment?" He asked.

Lu Wenyuan looked at him, his gaze meaningful.

"Do you know why the Immortal Sects wanted to besiege the Martial Path sixty years ago?"

Lu Zhao shook his head.

"Because they were afraid." Lu Wenyuan said, "Afraid of the rise of the Martial Path, afraid of Mortals rising up, afraid that the Spiritual Root would no longer be the only standard to measure the people of the world."

He picked up his teacup and set it down again.

"The Immortal Sects judge Aptitude by Spiritual Root. Those with Spiritual Roots can cultivate immortality; those without are destined to be Mortals for life. This rule has been in place for three thousand years and is unbreakable. But the Martial Path is different—the Martial Path does not choose based on Spiritual Roots; it only chooses the person. As long as one is willing to practice, anyone can succeed."

He paused.

"If the Martial Path were to spread, those Mortals without Spiritual Roots, those ants trampled under the feet of the Immortal Sects, would have a way to rise up. The three-thousand-year-old rules would be shaken."

Lu Zhao was silent.

He thought of Uncle Ya, He Shan, and the villagers in Yangjiao Ravine who practiced martial arts with their lives on the line. They had no Spiritual Roots, but they were all practicing, all becoming stronger.

"So the Immortal Sects wanted to exterminate the Martial Path." He said.

"Correct." Lu Wenyuan said, "Sixty years ago, the seven major Immortal Sects of the Central Plains joined forces to bloodbath the places of the Martial Path Legacy, killing until heads rolled. In that battle, the Martial Path was almost wiped out. The surviving remnants were fewer than a hundred, and most were severely injured, like Uncle Ya by your side."

He stared at Lu Zhao.

"But the Martial Path was not truly extinct. Because the Martial Stele still exists. Nine fragments, scattered everywhere. As long as someone gathers all the fragments and restores the Martial Stele, the ancient Martial Path Legacy can be reproduced."

He paused.

"At that time, the rules of this world will have to change."

Lu Zhao's heart jolted.

Gather the fragments, restore the Martial Stele—

He looked at Lu Wenyuan, his gaze gradually sharpening.

"Why are you telling me this? What do you want to do?"

Lu Wenyuan smiled.

"I want to help you."

"Help me?"

"Yes." Lu Wenyuan said, "Help you gather the fragments, help you rebuild the Martial Path, help you—change the rules."

Lu Zhao stared at him, saying nothing.

After a long while, he spoke.

"Why?"

Lu Wenyuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and unbuttoned his collar.

Lu Zhao saw a scar on his chest.

The scar was extremely deep, cutting diagonally from his left shoulder to his right rib, almost splitting him in two. Although it had healed, the hideous mark still showed the severity of the injury back then.

"This was left sixty years ago." Lu Wenyuan tied his collar. "At that time, I was fourteen, a servant in a Martial Path Legacy site."

Lu Zhao's heart was greatly shaken.

"You..."

"Yes." Lu Wenyuan smiled slightly, "I am also a remnant of the Martial Path."

On the second floor of the teahouse, the noise of people continued.

But in Lu Zhao's ears, only his own heartbeat remained.

Lu Wenyuan—an inner Sect Elder of the Qinglan Sect, at the Foundation Establishment ninth stage—was actually a remnant of the Martial Path!

"Surprised?" Lu Wenyuan picked up his teacup and took a light sip. "During the siege that year, I managed to escape and was saved by an Elder of the Qinglan Sect. That Elder had an old friendship with me and risked taking me in; I changed my name and posed as a Disciple. Sixty years have passed, and I have climbed from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, from an outer Sect Disciple to an inner Sect Elder, and no one has ever suspected me."

He put down the teacup.

"Because no one believes that a remnant of the Martial Path would dare to hide within an Immortal Sect."

Lu Zhao stared at him, his gaze complex.

"You have hidden for sixty years, why expose yourself today?"

Lu Wenyuan looked at him.

"Because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes." Lu Wenyuan said, "I have heard of your affairs for a long time. Waste Spiritual Root, thrown off a cliff by the Xuanshuang Sect, yet returned alive, and even cultivated a body of martial arts. That battle in Yangjiao Ravine, killing Wang Tong, forcing back Zhao Hanshan, triggering the earth veins to severely injure twenty-three Foundation Establishment Cultivators—these things are spreading like wildfire in the black market."

He paused.

"When I heard it, I just felt curious. How could a Mortal with a waste Spiritual Root have such ability? Later, I had someone investigate, and only then did I know you possessed a Martial Stele Fragment."

He looked at Lu Zhao.

"At that moment, I knew that the person I had been waiting for for sixty years had finally arrived."

Lu Zhao was silent.

Sixty years.

A person, hiding their identity, lurking in the enemy's Sect for sixty years, just for a faint and ethereal hope.

"Aren't you afraid that I'm not the person you're waiting for?" He asked.

Lu Wenyuan smiled.

"I am." He said, "But I am more afraid of missing out."

He reached out, took something from his robe, and placed it on the table.

It was a Jade Slip.

"This contains the possible locations of the other seven fragments." He said, "For sixty years, I have investigated bit by bit, gathered bit by bit, and finally put together these clues."

Lu Zhao looked at the Jade Slip but did not take it.

"What do you want?"

Lu Wenyuan looked at him, his gaze calm.

"I want you to promise me one thing."

"What thing?"

"One day, if you gather the fragments and restore the Martial Stele—" He paused, "Kill someone for me."

"Who?"

"The Sect Master of the Xuanshuang Sect, Xiao Qianjue."

As this name fell, the second floor of the teahouse seemed to suddenly turn a few degrees colder.

Lu Zhao stared at Lu Wenyuan, waiting for him to continue.

Lu Wenyuan picked up his teacup and drained it in one gulp.

"Sixty years ago, he was the one who led the team to slaughter our Martial Path Legacy site." He said, "At that time, he was only a Golden Core Elder, but now he is at the Golden Core Late Stage, the number one person in the Xuanshuang Sect."

He put down the teacup and looked at Lu Zhao.

"I know this is difficult. With your current cultivation, you aren't even fit to carry his shoes. But I have waited for sixty years, and finally waited for someone who possesses a Martial Stele Fragment—I am not asking you to go now, I only ask you to promise me that one day, if you succeed, you will collect this blood debt for me."

Lu Zhao was silent.

After a long while, he reached out and picked up the Jade Slip.

"I promise you."

Lu Wenyuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

In that smile, there was relief, gratification, and a trace of—a heavy burden lifted.

"Good." He stood up, "I'm leaving. You rest in this town for one night and return tomorrow. Remember, today's events must rot in your stomach; don't tell anyone."

He walked out.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back.

"By the way, there is one thing I forgot to tell you."

"What thing?"

"The Xuanshuang Sect has already decided to send a Golden Core Elder." He paused, "That person is named Xiao Han, Xiao Qianjue's nephew, at the Golden Core second stage. He will arrive at Yangjiao Ravine in a month."

Lu Zhao's heart tightened.

Lu Wenyuan looked at him, his gaze complex.

"If you can survive this ordeal, come find me again. If you don't survive—"

He didn't finish speaking, turned, went downstairs, and disappeared into the crowd.

Lu Zhao sat alone by the window, watching the bustling traffic outside.

Golden Core second stage.

One month.

He gripped the Jade Slip in his hand, a slight chill coming from his palm.

Outside the window, the sun moved west, and twilight began to rise. The distant mountains were like ink; that was the direction of Black Mountain, the direction of Yangjiao Ravine, the direction of He Shan, Yan Meng, Han Meng, Granny Xue, A-Fei... the direction where everyone was waiting for him to return.

He stood up.

Went downstairs, left the town, and stepped onto the return journey.

Yangjiao Ravine.

Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, He Shan was squatting, clutching a blade of grass in his hand, pulling at it unconsciously. Yan Meng stood to the side, silent as iron. Han Meng paced back and forth, muttering something. A-Fei lay on the roof, looking far into the distance at the mountain road.

"Why haven't they returned yet..." A-Fei muttered.

"Stop looking." He Shan said, "Mr. Lu said he would be back by today at the latest. It's only the Shen hour, what's the rush."

"What if something happened?"

He Shan didn't speak, only snapped the grass blade.

On the distant mountain road, a black dot suddenly appeared.

A-Fei's eyes lit up; he flipped off the roof and ran off.

"Mr. Lu is back!"

Everyone looked over in unison.

Lu Zhao walked over with long strides, his expression calm, showing no joy or anger.

He Shan greeted him: "Mr. Lu, this trip..."

Lu Zhao nodded: "We'll talk when we get back."

In the secret cave, everyone sat around.

Lu Zhao recounted the matter of Lu Wenyuan, omitting his true identity, only saying he was an "Elder of the Qinglan Sect willing to help." Everyone listened, dumbfounded.

"Golden Core second stage..." He Shan muttered, "One month..."

Shen Qingqiu looked at him: "What do you plan to do?"

Lu Zhao was silent for a moment, then reached into his robe and took out the Jade Slip.

"First, look at this."

His Divine Thought probed in, and streams of information poured into his mind.

The first fragment was hidden in a secret chamber beneath the Scripture Pavilion of the Xuanshuang Sect. The second was deep within the Sword Tomb of the Canglan Sword Sect. The third sank into the abyss of the East Sea with a Martial Path Senior sixty years ago. The fourth...

Seven clues, seven dangerous places.

Each place was extremely dangerous, definitely not something he could touch now.

But one caught his attention.

The fifth fragment, according to records, might be hidden in an ancient ruin within the territory of the Qinglan Sect—the Longshan Grottoes. The Grottoes were located at the border between the Qinglan Sect and the Xuanshuang Sect, where Loose Cultivators often appeared, and it was rumored that a Yao Beast occupied the depths, making it exceptionally dangerous.

Lu Zhao looked at this clue, his gaze flickering.

"Longshan Grottoes..." Shen Qingqiu leaned over to look, "I've heard of this place. It is said to have been a place where ancient Martial Path Cultivators secluded themselves, later abandoned and occupied by Yao Beasts. Loose Cultivators often go in groups to explore, but less than one in ten come out alive."

Lu Zhao nodded.

"The Golden Core is coming; resisting head-on is a dead end." He said, "The only way to survive is to make another Breakthrough within a month."

He looked at everyone.

"I plan to go to the Longshan Grottoes."

Everyone was shocked.

"Mr. Lu!" He Shan stood up abruptly, "That place is a nine-death-one-life situation, you..."

Lu Zhao raised his hand, interrupting him.

"Nine-death-one-life is still a chance to live." He said, "Staying here is ten-death-no-life."

He looked at everyone.

"You guard the village well. In one month, I will definitely return."

Shen Qingqiu suddenly spoke.

"I'll go with you."

Lu Zhao looked at her.

Shen Qingqiu's expression was calm: "I've heard some things about that Grotto; it's easy to get in but hard to get out. By yourself, you won't even find the door."

Lu Zhao was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright."

A-Fei suddenly climbed up: "Mr. Lu, I'll go too! I run fast and can scout the path!"

"No." Lu Zhao said, "You stay and help He Shan guard the village."

A-Fei pouted, wanting to say something, but was pressed down by He Shan.

Han Meng grinned: "Mr. Lu, go with peace of mind; we have the village. Before the Golden Core arrives, not even a fly will fly in."

Lu Zhao looked at them, a warm feeling rising in his heart.

He stood up.

"Tomorrow morning, we set off."

Under the moonlight, the shadow of the old locust tree at the entrance of the village stretched very long.

Lu Zhao stood under the tree, looking at the dark mountains in the distance.

Footsteps came from behind.

Shen Qingqiu walked over and stood beside him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about Uncle Ya." Lu Zhao said, "That piece of beast skin he stuffed into my hand before he passed away, I still haven't fully understood it."

Shen Qingqiu was startled: "The Hun Yuan Stance?"

"It's not just the stance technique." Lu Zhao took the piece of beast skin from his robe and pointed to a line of blurry small words on the edge, "Look here."

Shen Qingqiu leaned in to look.

Under the moonlight, the line of small words was barely discernible:

"When the stance reaches its extreme, it can connect with heaven and earth. However, what we seek is not to connect with heaven and earth, but to connect with oneself."

She frowned: "What does this mean?"

Lu Zhao shook his head.

"I don't know. But I always feel that something is hidden in this sentence."

He put away the beast skin and looked up at the night sky.

The stars were all over the sky, and the Milky Way spanned across it.

On the distant mountain road, a wolf's howl suddenly came, long and mournful.

Lu Zhao turned and walked towards the village.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

"Miss Shen."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think there is a power in this world—not spiritual power, not Qi and blood, but something else?"

Shen Qingqiu thought for a moment.

"I don't know." She said, "But if there is, it must be hidden under this heaven, waiting for people to discover it."

Lu Zhao nodded.

"Then let's go find it."

In the moonlight, the figures of the two gradually merged into the darkness.

In the distance, in the direction of Longshan, clouds and mist were faintly surging, like a sleeping giant beast, slowly exhaling in the night.