56: I also had my own serendipitous encounter.

As soon as they stepped into Qingshi Town, Seventh Hero Hong's nose seemed to be equipped with a radar, charging straight toward a braised food stall on the street corner, shouting, "Braised pig's trotters! Braised duck wings! This Old Beggar's drool is about to flow all the way to his stomach!"

Xie Hui had just wanted to stop him when Hua Zheng dragged him toward the blacksmith shop opposite. The young woman held up a freshly forged horseshoe, her eyes shining brightly: "Look how sturdy this iron is! Next time we ride, we won't have to worry about the horseshoes wearing out!"

Huang Rong and Mu Nianci followed behind, laughing. Just as they reached the entrance of a cloth shop, Huang Rong suddenly stopped and pointed toward the back courtyard: "Everyone, smell that. Is there a strange fragrance? It smells like... like the sandalwood incense in an Ancient Tomb."

Xie Hui leaned in and sniffed. He really did catch a faint, elusive fragrance mixed with the street's oily smoke, carrying a chilly, eerie sensation.

Mu Nianci also frowned: "This scent isn't right. Qingshi Town is only so big; where would an Ancient Tomb come from?"

As they were speaking, the cloth shop owner suddenly ran out from inside, his face pale as he packed up his stall, muttering, "Bad luck! Truly bad luck! The dry well in the back courtyard actually collapsed, revealing a hole, and this strange smell is drifting out. If I stay any longer, something terrible will happen!"

Xie Hui's heart stirred—the original plot never mentioned any Ancient Tomb near Qingshi Town. Could this be the butterfly effect caused by his Transmigration?

He took Huang Rong's hand: "Let's go take a look! Maybe there's some treasure, and even if there isn't, we can figure out what this fragrance is all about."

Upon hearing there was excitement, Hua Zheng immediately shoved the horseshoe to Mu Nianci and ran toward the back courtyard: "I'll go scout the path! If there are any zombies, I'll chop them down with one strike!"

The group followed the cloth shop owner to the back courtyard and indeed saw a dry well. The wellhead had collapsed, creating a hole half a person wide, pitch-black and bottomless, from which the sandalwood scent was drifting out.

Seventh Hero Hong leaned over the well to sniff and smacked his lips: "It doesn't smell like a zombie; it smells more like old wood that has been sitting for years. Perhaps there are good things inside!"

Xie Hui pulled a high-powered flashlight from his inner universe—it was something he had casually stashed away before his Transmigration, and he hadn't expected it to come in handy today.

He turned on the flashlight and shone it into the hole, revealing many carved steps along the well wall, winding downward, with a stone door vaguely visible at the very bottom.

"I'll go down and take a look; you all wait up here."

Just as Xie Hui was about to jump down, Huang Rong grabbed his arm and pulled a small porcelain bottle from her bosom: "Take this. It contains the detoxification pill I concocted. What if there is poisonous gas inside?"

Mu Nianci also handed over a rope: "Tie this around your waist. If something happens, we'll pull you up."

Hua Zheng was more direct, shoving her Scimitar to him: "Take this! If there are bad guys, just slash them!"

Xie Hui accepted the items with a wry smile, fastened the rope, and began to climb down.

The steps were steep and slippery, and after climbing for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally reached the bottom.

He swept the flashlight beam across, seeing a stone door carved with a Bagua pattern in front of him, from which the sandalwood scent drifted out even more strongly through the door cracks.

He tried pushing the stone door, but it didn't budge. Just as he was about to look for a mechanism, he suddenly noticed a recess in the lower right corner of the stone door, the shape of which was exactly the same as the jade pendant engraved with a lotus flower that Huang Rong had given him earlier.

"Could it be such a coincidence?"

Xie Hui took out the jade pendant and inserted it into the recess. With a "click," the stone door slowly opened.

Behind the door was a corridor. Night-luminescent pearls were embedded in the stone walls on both sides, illuminating the corridor brightly. The floor was paved with blue flagstones, and every few steps there was a small bronze censer, from which the sandalwood scent was drifting.

After walking a few steps, a stone chamber appeared at the end of the corridor. In the center of the chamber sat a stone coffin, with the inscription "Disciple of Lin Chaoying, First Generation Disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect" carved upon it.

Xie Hui was startled—Lin Chaoying? Wasn't that the Ancestral Master of Little Dragon Maiden? Could this be a branch of the Ancient Tomb Sect?

He walked to the stone coffin and, just as he was about to take a closer look, suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound from behind. A poisoned arrow shot straight toward his heart!

Xie Hui quickly dodged to the side, and the poisoned arrow "clanged" as it struck the stone coffin, black blood bubbling on the arrowhead.

"Who's there?"

Xie Hui gripped his Scimitar tightly and shone the flashlight behind him, revealing an old man in grey robes emerging from the shadows of the corridor, holding a crossbow bolt in his hand, staring at him with sinister eyes: "An outsider dares to trespass into the Forbidden Ground of my Ancient Tomb Sect? You're courting death!"

Xie Hui was puzzled—the old man didn't look like someone from the Ancient Tomb Sect; he looked more like a tomb robber from the Jianghu.

He pretended to be foolish: "Old man, I was just passing by and fell in accidentally. I'll leave right now, I'm leaving."

"Want to leave? Too late!"

The old man sneered and raised the crossbow bolt to fire again, but suddenly heard Huang Rong's voice at the entrance of the stone chamber: "Xie Hui, I'm here to help you!"

Huang Rong was holding the dog beating staff, followed by Hua Zheng and Mu Nianci. Seventh Hero Hong was also there, carrying a braised pig's trotter, gnawing on it as he ran: "Where did this old thing come from, daring to bully my grand-Disciple? Watch how this Old Beggar deals with you!"

Seeing so many people arrive, the old man's expression changed. He suddenly pulled a smoke bomb from his bosom, threw it on the ground, and thick smoke instantly filled the room.

Xie Hui quickly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. When the smoke cleared, the old man had disappeared, but the lid of the stone coffin had been opened, and the contents inside had been rummaged through.

"Oh no, he was here to steal something!"

Xie Hui quickly ran to the stone coffin and saw a few old clothes and a yellowing book inside, with the four characters "Incomplete Scroll of the Nine Yin Manual" written on the cover.

He picked up the book and flipped through it. It recorded many powerful martial arts Moves, even more complex than the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms that Seventh Hero Hong had taught him.

"The Nine Yin Manual?"

Seventh Hero Hong leaned in to take a look, his eyes instantly lighting up, "This is a treasure of the Martial Forest! I never expected it to be hidden here!"

Huang Rong also curiously leaned in: "I've heard my Master talk about it; the Nine Yin Manual is the most powerful martial arts Secret Manual in the Martial Forest. It's a pity it was lost, but I didn't expect to find an Incomplete Manual here."

Hua Zheng scratched her head: "This book doesn't look like anything special. Can it be as powerful as the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms?"

Xie Hui smiled and said: "Each has its own strengths. This Nine Yin Manual contains many yin-soft Moves, which perfectly complement the hardness and strength of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. However, that old man will definitely return, so we must quickly secure the Incomplete Manual and leave this place."

Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly heard footsteps outside the stone chamber, along with the old man's voice: "Boy, hand over the Nine Yin Manual, or I'll set fire to this place!"

Xie Hui frowned and said to the others: "You all get out through the well first; I'll hold him off."

"No, if we leave, we leave together!"

Huang Rong immediately objected, "I have a way to deal with him. Give me the Incomplete Manual, and I'll hide it. We'll pretend to leave, and when he enters, we'll smoke him out!"

Mu Nianci also nodded: "Hua Zheng and I will go hide on both sides of the corridor. When he comes in, we'll hit him with stones!"

Seventh Hero Hong finished the last bite of the pig's trotter and wiped his mouth: "This Old Beggar will be responsible for frontal containment, ensuring he doesn't have time to set a fire!"

After they agreed on the plan, Xie Hui deliberately said loudly: "We aren't afraid of you! We don't want this Nine Yin Manual; if you want it, take it!"

As he spoke, he and Seventh Hero Hong pretended to walk toward the entrance. The old man fell for it, charging in with his crossbow bolt: "Trying to run? No way!"

Just then, Huang Rong suddenly threw the chili powder in her hand into the old man's face. The old man shrieked in pain, and the crossbow bolt in his hand fell to the ground.

Hua Zheng and Mu Nianci jumped out from both sides of the corridor, throwing stones at the old man. Xie Hui seized the opportunity to rush forward and struck the old man in the chest with a palm. The old man let out a "wa" and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, collapsing to the ground.

"Speak! Who are you? Why do you want to steal the Nine Yin Manual?"

Xie Hui stepped on the old man's chest and asked sternly.

The old man gasped for air and said: "I... I am Ouyang Feng's subordinate, acting on his orders to steal the Nine Yin Manual. He said... he said he would rely on this Incomplete Manual to Master the Complete Manual of the Nine Yin Manual and dominate the Martial Forest..."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned—they hadn't expected this old man to be one of Ouyang Feng's men. It seemed Ouyang Feng had long been harboring malicious intentions toward the Nine Yin Manual.

Seventh Hero Hong snorted coldly: "A fine Ouyang Feng! To dominate the Martial Forest, he actually dares to trespass into the Forbidden Ground of the Ancient Tomb Sect! Next time this Old Beggar meets him, I will definitely cripple his martial arts!"

Xie Hui looked at the old man on the ground and said to the others: "Let's tie him up first and take him out to hand over to the authorities, so he doesn't harm anyone else."

They used the rope to tie up the old man and escorted him as they climbed out of the well.

Just as they arrived in the cloth shop's back courtyard, they saw a group of Jin Soldiers surrounding the shop owner, seemingly asking about something.

The Jin Soldiers saw Xie Hui and the others, immediately drew their swords, and charged over: "That's them! Catch them, the Prince has a reward!"

"Oh no, Ouyang Feng tipped them off!"

Xie Hui was startled and said to the others, "You all take the old man and go first; I'll cover the rear!"

As he spoke, he pulled a modern stun gun from his inner universe—it was something he had prepared for self-defense, and it was perfect for dealing with the Jin Soldiers.

He pressed the switch, and the stun gun emitted a "zizz" electrical sound. The Jin Soldier at the front had just rushed over when he was electrocuted, his body convulsing as he fell to the ground.

The other Jin Soldiers were terrified and dared not advance further.

Xie Hui seized the chance to say to Huang Rong and the others: "Hurry and go! I'll come right after!"

Huang Rong nodded, took Hua Zheng, Mu Nianci, and the tied-up old man, and ran toward the outskirts of the town.

Seventh Hero Hong stayed behind to help Xie Hui cover the rear. The two fought while retreating and soon shook off the Jin Soldiers, catching up with Huang Rong and the others.

They ran for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick and arrived at a safe forest, where they finally stopped to rest.

Xie Hui took out the Incomplete Scroll of the Nine Yin Manual and handed it to Seventh Hero Hong: "Seventh Master, you take this Incomplete Manual. You understand martial arts better than us and will surely be able to make the best use of it."

Seventh Hero Hong waved his hand: "No, no, you discovered this Incomplete Manual, so it should belong to you. Besides, you learn martial arts quickly; with this Incomplete Manual, you'll have a better chance of dealing with Ouyang Feng in the future."

Huang Rong also said: "Yes, Xie Hui, just take it. We will have to rely on your protection in the future."

Xie Hui smiled and stored the Incomplete Manual into his inner universe: "Then I'll keep it for now. When there's an opportunity in the future, we'll find the Complete Manual of the Nine Yin Manual, and we'll study it together then."

Hua Zheng leaned against a tree, panting as she said: "That was really exciting! I never expected that just visiting a small town would lead to encountering an Ancient Tomb and finding a treasure of the Martial Forest—it's even more fun than hunting on the grasslands!"

Mu Nianci also smiled and said: "Yes, this was truly a fortuitous encounter. However, we must be careful from now on; Ouyang Feng definitely won't let this go easily, and he might come looking for us to demand the Nine Yin Manual."

Xie Hui nodded: "That's right. We must leave this place as soon as possible, find a safe spot, and properly study this Incomplete Scroll of the Nine Yin Manual. Perhaps we can find a way to deal with Ouyang Feng from it."

The group rested for a while and continued on their journey.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long. Although there were still many dangers ahead, everyone had a smile on their face—after all, it's not everyone who can accidentally find an Ancient Tomb while visiting a small town and obtain such a fortuitous encounter as the Incomplete Scroll of the Nine Yin Manual.

Xie Hui looked at the Incomplete Manual in his hand and thought secretly: Duan Yu has his Lightness Skill and Six Meridian Divine Sword; I have my Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms and the Incomplete Scroll of the Nine Yin Manual. Even if I'm not Duan Yu, my fortuitous encounters are no worse than his!