Xuanxia

Chapter 17 Do you really want to know?
The stilt house fell into silence for a moment.

Fu Qingzhou's expression was indifferent, as if he was afraid that they couldn't see clearly. He slowly placed the jade token on the table and pushed it forward.

With a snap, the sound of the jade plate rubbing against the table finally broke the silence.

"Where did you get this jade token?"

The elder was the first to ask a question. He was no longer as angry as before, but his tone was still fierce: "We searched you when we arrested you, and you didn't have this thing on you!"

Fu Qingzhou didn't take it seriously and smiled gently: "You really want to know?"

Elder Nian's expression changed slightly, and Elder Yu also frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The jade token of Mingjian Pavilion..."

Fu Qingzhou shrugged: "If it can be easily discovered and taken away by someone, wouldn't it be a disaster?"

As he spoke, he reached out to take the jade token back, weighed it lightly in his hand, and suddenly flipped his hand, and the entire jade token disappeared.

The three elders were shocked, and even Hua Xiaolan widened her eyes and was stunned.

Two seconds later, Fu Qingzhou flipped his hand again, and the jade token reappeared in his palm and was placed back on the table.

"how?"

He curled his lips and said, "Did you notice the changes in Lingxu just now?"

Elder Yu and Elder Nian did not speak, but looked at the exceptionally old Miao man at the same time.

"This is the elder who teaches skills at Wandu Mountain, Elder Ma."

At this time, Hua Xiaolan in the back opened her red lips and reminded him at the right time: "If you use any tricks, you will definitely not escape his eyes."

She had a smile in her eyes and although what she said was a bit impolite, she was actually reminding Fu Qingzhou to be careful.

"Uh……"

Elder Ma was silent for a moment, then said awkwardly, "I am very sure that this jade token is indeed Xuanyu, and I did not sense any spiritual agitation just now... How is this possible..."

"Do you really want to know?"

Fu Qingzhou asked again with a smile.

This was nothing more than a simple poker magic trick of hiding cards... This thing used the palm of the hand to create a blind spot. No matter how good the three elders' eyesight was, all they could see was the jade card inexplicably disappearing between his fingers.

What's more, people have inertial thinking. When you know that this is a magic trick, it is not strange. But if you subconsciously think that the jade pendant was hidden by some magical means, it is completely different.

In his previous life, he followed an old criminal police master to catch gamblers, and also went undercover for a few days with a retired con man, learning some basic card hiding techniques. Now, after practicing hard in prison for a few days, he finally got a chance to perform.

Hearing his question, the face of the Nian elder turned gloomy, and he hesitated to speak. In the end, it was Elder Yu who took over the awkward topic: "If this is really the unique way of hiding things in Mingjian Pavilion, we are naturally not in a position to know..."

"Ah."

Fu Qingzhou responded without comment, and glanced at the three elders: "Let me introduce myself again. My surname is Fu, Fu Qingzhou. I did not enter Mingjian Pavilion through normal means, and I did not want to come to Wandu Mountain this time. It was only because I was accidentally cursed while doing a mission that I came to Wandu Mountain."

"Originally I thought that my identity was too sensitive and it would be bad to reveal it, so I might as well pretend to be an ordinary hunter, but now..."

He looked at the elder deeply, with a half-smile on his face: "Your life is more important."

The elder's face turned pale and blue, and he squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "How can you prove it? Just with a jade token..."

"Do you really want to know?" Fu Qingzhou interrupted him with narrowed eyes and asked the question for the third time.

He stood with his hands behind his back, straighter than a flagpole. Although he was only a teenager of fifteen or sixteen, for some reason he had the air of a mature official in his thirties or forties.

The atmosphere in the room became oppressive without knowing when. The elder's eyebrows jumped.

After a few moments of silence, he gritted his teeth and said word by word: "If you want to..."

"If I want to interfere in your internal affairs of Wandu Mountain, it would be unreasonable if I don't prove my identity, right?"

Fu Qingzhou sneered and said, "Elder Nian, who said I'm interested in your internal affairs?"

The elder's eyes widened, seemingly unable to react.

Elder Yu coughed lightly and said, "Master..., you can just say whatever you want to say."

Her address of "Sir" clearly meant that she had acknowledged Fu Qingzhou's identity as "Ming Jian Pavilion".

The elder glared at her sideways, but she didn't look away, her expression didn't change, she remained calm, her eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a pool of water, no one knew what she was thinking.

Fu Qingzhou smiled and said, "I said, I was just passing by the Shiwan Mountains. I just happened to see Meng Zhugang committing a crime. I want to use my identity as an ordinary hunter to catch a traitor for you. Please help me see if there is a way to break the curse. As for Long Dabei...if you cause trouble here, someone will come to solve it. It's not my turn."

When they heard him say the three words "Long Dabei", the three elders' pupils shrank at the same time and they looked at each other.

But Fu Qingzhou hadn’t finished speaking yet: “As for you, Elder Nian.”

He said quietly, "Although you injured me, I volunteered to get involved in this mess. I can't blame you. I don't intend to care about it. But if you insist on asking me to prove my identity, have you thought about the consequences?"

The early morning sunlight outside the window shone into the table, and the mysterious black jade plate reflected a mysterious dark light in the sunlight, making the entire room ripple like the bottom of the sea.

The elder's face changed again and again, and he was unable to speak for a long time.

At this time, Elder Ma, who had always been taciturn, said in a hoarse voice: "Mingjian Pavilion is on behalf of the Emperor of Dayan to inspect the country. When the 'Mingjian Zhishi' card was released, all officials bowed their heads... We, the common people, naturally dare not ask the adults to prove anything."

"Can!"

The elder is still struggling.

Fu Qingzhou looked at his unwilling expression and sneered, "Why, Elder, do you still want to know the information in my pavilion? Or... do you want to send a letter to the capital and ask the elders in the pavilion to look through the roster?"

"Yes, if I am really a fake, then I deserve to die for pretending to be this person. Some officials from the capital will have to come to the Ten Thousand Poisons Mountain to take me away and interrogate me to see who this kid is and how dare he be so brave..."

"Sir!" This time, it was the elder who interrupted Fu Qingzhou.

There was a look of determination and fear in his eyes, and he stood up suddenly.

Fu Qingzhou smiled: "What's wrong?"

The old elder took a deep breath and said, "No, there is no need to prove it. Since you are not interested in the affairs of our sect, then...then I will ask Elder Ma to find a way to remove the curse for you..."

Fu Qingzhou squinted his eyes and smiled without saying a word.

In the corner of her eye, Hua Xiaolan lowered her head and smiled softly, then suppressed it.

The elder was not smart enough, he could only click again and again.

Although the Ten Thousand Poisons Mountain Sect is powerful, it is not stronger than the imperial court. Your elders are now secretly forming a clique and betraying the sect, and the imperial court has no control over it. But you want to release the former great villain Long Dabai, and want to use his power to set up your own sect and break away from the jurisdiction of the imperial court?
It's fine for a young boy right now, but what if a higher-ranking official comes from the capital? Can you still hide it? Wouldn't your years of planning be ruined in one day?
Naturally, his reactions were also seen by Elder Yu who was standing by. She frowned and glanced at Hua Xiaolan behind her, only to see the playful smile on her face.

Elder Yu seemed to understand something, his brows relaxed slightly, and he stood up.

"Master Fu."

She gently pushed the jade token on the table back and said, "Please take back your jade token and rest in the sect for a while. We will see if we can cure your curse. If not..."

"I'll do my best." Fu Qingzhou smiled and clasped his fists. "If Wan Du Shan can't do it, I'll go back to Beijing and find a way."

(End of this chapter)