I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

That night, the clouds were thick and foggy, and the stars and the moon were hard to see. Only a very faint white light occasionally shone through the gaps in the clouds.

It was a dark night, and there was only a circle of orange light from the lanterns in the corridor of Tianxiang Villa. Less than three feet away, it was pitch black, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face.

The light from these lanterns is like a solitary boat in the sea, floating in the dark night at regular intervals. Beyond the light of the solitary boat is the heart-pounding, bottomless black ocean.

Xie Yuan followed Long Qianqiu in the darkness.

At the tip of the nose there was the ever-changing subtle fragrance of Tianxiang Villa, and although the sky was dim, for the master, a little light would make every detail clear - even if there was no light, wherever the spiritual consciousness shone, there would be light.

There was also a burly figure next to him, it was Luo Dongsheng.

Long Qianqiu called two people, and the three of them took advantage of the dark night and quickly left Tianxiang Villa without disturbing anyone.

Actually there were four people, and Mu Chaoyun was following not far away.

But Long Qianqiu and Luo Dongsheng naturally didn't notice it.

In this close darkness, there was a woman in white clothes following them like a shadow, but they were completely unaware. To them, it was indeed a ghost story.

There was no conversation along the way. Long Qianqiu led the way and the group headed deeper into the Five Elements Mountains.

However, this time they were heading in a slightly different direction from when Xie Yuan and Mu Chaoyun came. After walking about a hundred miles, Long Qianqiu and Luo Dongsheng stopped and looked at the rising peak in front of them. They said in a low voice:
“It’s right here on this mountain.”

Even with Xie Yuan's eyesight, he could only see a dim and tall shadow in this starless and moonless night.

Is this the treasure house they talked about?
Xie Yuan nodded slightly, feeling Mu Chaoyun's figure beside him, and remained silent.

Luo Dongsheng glanced at Xie Yuan and muttered:

"Brother Long, you have broken the rules set by our ancestors by bringing outsiders here."

Long Qianqiu sighed:
"Mr. Zhang is a trustworthy person. I believe he will not leak the news. And the key is in his hand after all, so he should be able to come."

"Humph."

Luo Dongsheng snorted, seemingly dissatisfied, but didn't say much.

Without further delay, they climbed straight up.

When they reached a place halfway up the mountain that was no different from the surrounding areas, Long Qianqiu and Luo Dongsheng stopped.

They brushed aside the branches and dead wood, moved a huge rock weighing thousands of pounds, and revealed a low cave entrance that looked like a crack.

Long Qianqiu turned around and said to Xie Yuan:

"Mr. Zhang, the place is inside. It's a bit difficult to walk ahead. Please bear with me."

After saying that, he bent down and entered the cave which was only half a person's height.

Luo Dongsheng was also unambiguous and went in second, letting Xie Yuan follow at the back, which was also the safest position.

Xie Yuan looked at the two people in front of him, his eyes paused slightly, and he also bent down to enter.

After walking about ten feet, the cave suddenly opened up and became a wide corridor, so there was no need to bend down to move forward.

Long Qianqiu took out a fire starter and lit the torch on the cave wall, and the cave suddenly became bright.

Xie Yuan saw that the corridor was not very long. At the opposite end there was a heavy stone door with carvings of auspicious beasts and auspicious clouds flying around.

But this format...

"Tomb?"

Xie Yuan raised his eyebrows.

Long Qianqiu coughed lightly:
"When they were young, the three ancestors did some poker and gold-grabbing business - but they retired from it later!"

Xie Yuan looked back and remained silent.

It turns out this is a robbery hole, no wonder it is so short.

When they reached the stone gate, Long Qianqiu pointed at the circular pit in the center of the gate:
"Mr. Zhang, this is where the jade disc key is placed. In the past, we needed the combined efforts of the three families, but the Five Elements Sect is so powerful that we haven't been here for a long time. Now with Mr. Zhang, we can avoid the Five Elements Sect and gain something!"

Xie Yuan nodded slightly and took out the jade disc fragment. The other two did the same thing.

Suddenly, Xie Yuan tilted his head calmly, and then acted as if nothing had happened:
"Just put this thing up there?"

"Don't bother yourself, just let me do it for you."

Luo Dongsheng grinned, and stretched out his empty left fist, carrying a trace of electricity, suddenly hit Xie Yuan's heart!
At the same time, Long Qianqiu also moved. He waved his palms, and the red light completely illuminated the corridor, staining it with blood.

boom!
Xie Yuan threw a punch, hitting Luo Dongsheng's fist head-on, and a sound like muffled thunder burst out.

The collision of the two fists caused the mountain wall to shake violently, and a lot of gravel and dust fell down.

Luo Dongsheng's face instantly turned red, purple, and white. His fist broke with a snap, and he flew backwards, just in time to be hit hard by Long Qianqiu's palms.

"puff--"

While still in the air, Luo Dongsheng vomited blood wildly, and was hit by the palm and changed direction, hitting the mountain wall and slowly sliding down.

A dark light flashed on the mountain wall. It was obvious that there was a tomb formation protecting this place, otherwise it might not be able to withstand the aftermath of the grandmaster's battle.

Luo Dongsheng's face had turned black, and he had no idea how many bones were broken. He leaned against the mountain wall and gasped heavily.

However, the serious injury did not make him despair. He just stared at Long Qianqiu, furious and almost roared:
"why?"

Long Qianqiu was stunned for a moment, glanced at Xie Yuan, and there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

He obviously didn't expect that Xie Yuan was so powerful that he could knock Luo Dongsheng, who was known for his Thunder God Fist, away with just one punch, and even broke his iron fist!

However, Xie Yuan's strength did not make him feel afraid.

His sneak attack was directed at Luo Dongsheng, and it was not a coincidence that he hit him.

Everyone present was a master, so they could naturally see this clearly, which was why Luo Dongsheng roared in grief and anger.

Long Qianqiu sighed and showed a look of regret:

"After decades, you are still so naive."

Luo Dongsheng didn't know whether he was angry or seriously injured, his eyes were bloodshot:
"Long! Qian! Qiu! I have known you for decades, a friendship that began when we played in the mud together! We practiced martial arts together, ventured into the world together, supported each other, and helped each other inherit the family business! I also married your sister. If not, would I have trusted you without reservation? You actually attacked me? How are you going to explain to Sister Yun when you go out?"

Long Qianqiu seemed to be in a trance for a moment, and there was a moment of hesitation in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.

He shook his head and said:

"Don't worry, after we get out, I will let your children inherit Luo Family Castle smoothly."

Luo Dongsheng's eyes bulged and he shouted:
"You... you dare! You are a treacherous villain with wolfish ambitions!"

"Luo Dongsheng."

Long Qianqiu interrupted his cursing and said faintly:
"You don't know what's inside. If you knew, it would be the same."

"Bah! Our ancestors agreed that the three families would share the precious land. I won't go back on my word like you, you bastard!"

Luo Dongsheng was panting, his eyes fixed on Long Qianqiu:
"Do you think you can get away with it if you kill me? This Zhang is obviously a hidden dragon. How do you deal with him? Zhang, let me tell you, it was he who asked me to join forces with him to kill you here so that he could get the jade disc fragment back from you! Now that he has killed me, you will be the next one. You decide for yourself!"

He looked at Xie Yuan, his eyes showing hope and satisfaction:
"I just realized that your fist is so hard... Damn it, I should have joined forces with you earlier. Hey, you have to kill Long Laogou to dominate the secret place, don't... capsize in the gutter. Haha, you can definitely... kill him."

Luo Dongsheng's face was visibly gray. The fist and palm forces that had invaded his body had completely destroyed his vitality. After a last burst of curses, within a few breaths, his head tilted and he died.

But before he died, he had a moment of doubt.

Long Qianqiu clearly saw the strength of this Zhang, so why wasn't he panicked at all?

This bastard, does he have any new preparations?
However, the palm strike on his back was too fierce and powerful. This master of divine boxing who roamed all over southern Hebei could not wait for the answer and died without a sound.

Xie Yuan turned his gaze away and looked at Long Qianqiu, and Long Qianqiu was also looking at him.

The handsome middle-aged man twirled his beard and smiled:

"Mr. Zhang, don't believe his scheme to sow discord. You are a friend of Tianxiang Villa. Long will not harm you."

Xie Yuan shook his head:

"Luo Dongsheng is still your childhood friend and brother-in-law. He will die without a burial place."

Long Qianqiu laughed, with a weird look on his face:

"No, it's different. The 'friends' at Tianxiang Villa are different from the others.

"Mr. Zhang, I suggest you just pretend that nothing has happened and be a good guest of Tianxiang Villa. Be honest and obedient. Then everything I said before will be effective. Otherwise... the unconscious Grandmaster puppet can also be used."

He waved his hand gently, and Xie Yuan felt that the blood in his body accelerated and surged without listening to his commands.

Long Qianqiu said leisurely:

"Don't you know how you got poisoned? Mr. Zhang is a master, and he knows that Tianxiang Villa is good at refining medicine. He must have his own way to distinguish whether the water and food are clean. Long would not use such a simple poison.

"However, no matter how careful you are, the outcome will be the same. The only way for you to avoid being poisoned is to not step into the gate of Tianxiang Villa, or even enter the foot of the mountain.

“The floral scent that is everywhere in Zhuangzi—although it is also non-toxic, when combined with a special diet, it is enough to turn you into a flesh puppet.

"For three days, I will take you to feast and have fun. If you are satisfied, I will be even more satisfied."

Long Qianqiu finished speaking in one breath, obviously very excited and proud. He also looked at Luo Dongsheng, regretting that he did not insist on listening to all this.

He excitedly took the jade disc fragment from Luo Dongsheng's body and looked at Xie Yuan:

"Mr. Zhang, I advise you to cooperate. You won't lose anything. I guarantee you will gain a lot... You don't look surprised?"

As Long Qianqiu was talking, he noticed something was wrong.

This Zhang guy looks calm, as if he doesn't feel annoyed, afraid or angry at all?
Is he really that dull?

Long Qianqiu naturally didn't believe it, but showed a vigilant look and moved his fingers directly:
"Your Majesty!"

Xie Yuan felt the blood in his lower limbs surge at Long Qianqiu's command, making his knees soften.

However, he no longer concealed it, and directly drove the heavy blood energy of the Immortal Golden Bell and the mighty Great Golden River Skill to run at a rapid speed.

With his profound skills and top-notch profound skills, the hidden poisons that he had already sensed were directly refined and disappeared.

The Dajin River Power is so powerful that it can wash away almost any toxins and carry them away with the waves.

The Indestructible Golden Bell Cover is the authentic Buddhist art, the most yang in the world, immune to all poisons and invulnerable to all curses.

So Xie Yuan was actually never afraid of any poison. To him, it was something that was not presentable at all. If he didn't want to alert Long Qianqiu and make him realize that something was wrong, he wouldn't be affected by it at all.

After removing the toxins, Xie Yuan cleansed himself inside and out, and looked at Long Qianqiu quietly:
"What other means are there?"

No impact?

Long Qianqiu's expression changed instantly, and a bad premonition rose in his heart. However, he did not regret it at this moment. He immediately made a circle with his palms, and a red light was printed. At the same time, pink powder flowed out from his cuffs.

Others only think that the Red Refining Hand is used to describe his signature palm technique as brilliant and powerful. In fact, only very few people understand that Long Qianqiu inherited the family's poisonous palm kung fu, which is extremely cruel and ruthless, often killing people invisibly. He is not at all the gentleman he appears to be.

"watch out!"

He shouted loudly, and his palm print was both hard and bright, actually he was trying to cover up the deadly poison that was spreading secretly.

"Little tricks."

Xie Yuan directly slapped his palm, like a surging wave, and the palm force directly rolled back along with the palm print and the powder, knocking Long Qianqiu away, causing him to hit the stone wall heavily like Luo Dongsheng.

Long Qianqiu groaned, his face turned pale, even though he was a master, he felt great pain, and he was horrified:

"This guy's palm power is so strong, much stronger than that damned Luo Dongsheng!"

He was extremely annoyed, wondering how he had provoked such a powerful evil star just by passing through the mountains.
Long Qianqiu gritted his teeth and said:

"Who are you? Are you here prepared to take Long's treasure?"

"Darling, darling, a friend who is truly willing to trust you foolishly is much more precious than any other treasure."

Xie Yuan glanced at Luo Dongsheng and sighed.

Although this guy deserved to die, being killed by someone you trusted is the most miserable way to die.

"I don't want any treasure from you. If you are nice enough, I don't want any compensation. I can just return the things to you."

After hearing Xie Yuan's first sentence, Long Qianqiu just sneered and said "naive". When he heard the next sentence, he sneered even more:
"Do you think I'm as naive as you and that damned devil? I, Long, expanded the scale of Tianxiang Villa tenfold and made many 'friends', but I didn't rely on some useless brotherhood!"

"This is your true face. If it were before, I might have been deceived by you."

Xie Yuan shook his head.

Long Qianqiu’s acting was quite convincing. If he had really just started out as a rookie, it’s possible that he would have been fooled.

However, after going through many ups and downs, Xie Yuan had dealt with ambitious people from top aristocratic families like Xie Zhi and Xie Wen, had dealings with great masters from Qinghe Cui family and Prajna Xuanzhen, and his enemies were Langya Wang family, Qian Yao family and even the rulers of the Dali royal family. Xie Yuan had long been able to see through the world.

Long Qianqiu's performance was a bit over the top.

But even without mentioning all this, without mentioning the strangeness in the attitudes of Long Qianqiu and his nephew towards him and the subtleties in the interactions between Long Luo and the others, just with Xie Yuan's current level of cultivation, spiritual awareness, and secret techniques, he could tell something was wrong the moment he stepped into Tianxiang Villa.

The herbal farmers there are basically what Long Qianqiu calls Tianxiang Villa’s “friends”—they would probably be the kind of people who would involuntarily stab themselves in the back for the villa at critical moments.

In fact, from Long Qianqiu's perspective, he has done very well and is a qualified ambitious man. If the opportunity is right, perhaps he can really annex Luojiabao, counterattack Wuxingmen, occupy the secret place himself, and go one step further to become the largest force in southern Hebei. After that, there will be unlimited opportunities, and it is unknown.

It was a pity that he met Xie Yuan. The difference in their cultivation methods and vision was like heaven and earth. All his schemes were, as Xie Yuan said, just trifles.

Long Qianqiu obviously also understood the difference, his expression was gloomy, and he just sighed:

"Your cultivation is so high, I'm afraid you have already started to attack the Sky Bridge? Can you tell me who you are? Let me die with understanding."

Xie Yuan did not answer, but just flicked his sleeves, blowing a ball of invisible air back to Long Qianqiu's body, making him cough repeatedly.

Seeing that he was still exposed, Long Qianqiu's face turned pale and he became very depressed.

Xie Yuan did not kill him, but looked at the entrance of the tunnel and said:
"You've been watching for so long, come out."

Long Qianqiu looked up suddenly, showing surprise.

Then, a figure suddenly appeared at the other end of the corridor.

The man had silver hair, a hunched body, and looked very old.

However, his eyes were extremely sharp. They swept across the corridor like a flash of lightning, even dimming the torches on the wall and causing them to jump violently.

Long Qianqiu exclaimed subconsciously:
"Master Tong? You are not dead yet... You have come out of seclusion?"

Elder Tong looked at Long Qianqiu and said calmly:
"I knew you were a cunning person when I saw you were little. Now it seems that you almost did something big."

Long Qianqiu's face turned red and white:
"You know everything? Were you the one who sent the assassins from Qiufeng Tower?"

"Otherwise, do you really think it's Luo kid? He's a stubborn person and you've played him around since he was a kid."

Elder Tong coughed twice and said calmly:
"Besides, it's not just the assassins that I arranged."

After hearing this, Long Qianqiu was stunned for a moment, as if he understood something, and trembled all over, saying in disbelief:
"You mean you were the one who spread the news? Impossible! He is my most trusted person. He was poisoned by my medicine and it is impossible for him to betray me. If I was not absolutely sure, why would I let Danyun go for the deal? And if there is really a key, why don't you go and get it yourself? Isn't it risky for us to rob it?"

He seemed a little confused and muttered to himself.

"adventure?"

Tong Lao showed a sinister smile:
"If I don't try my luck, you two little turtles will outlast me. Qianqiu, I said you were smart, but now you're stupid again. How could there be any jade disc fragments flowing into the outside world? The one in your hand belongs to my Five Elements Sect."

"what?"

Long Qianqiu cried out.

Xie Yuan couldn't help but look at the old man again.

This thing looks like the lifeblood of the three families. It is a treasure that would make people with deep scheming excited. I didn't expect that Mr. Tong would be willing to take it out to go fishing.

If anything goes wrong in any link in the process, it may never be recovered. Only a person with great courage can make such a decision.

Tong Lao stroked his sparse beard and said quietly:

"You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. I know you have long wanted to avoid my Five Elements Sect and come to the secret place to comprehend. If you get the real thing, you will definitely not be able to resist. You don't need to ask why you didn't find anything in the middle, because I didn't care what you did.

"I just need to wait for you here, and you will eventually take the bait. Haha, you want to avoid the Five Elements Gate and occupy the secret place alone, but who doesn't want to? It just so happens...

"If you don't come to comprehend and break through soon, I will have to lie in the coffin. Time waits for no one."

Old Tong stood with his hands behind his back, his back hunched, like an old man who could not walk, and slowly approached the stone gate in small steps.

In the corridor of this tomb, the light from the torches flickered, making his shadow look particularly distorted.

Long Qianqiu trembled and looked at Xie Yuan anxiously:

"Mr. Zhang! If we join forces, we still have a chance to defeat this old guy! This old guy has been in seclusion for more than ten years to attack the Sky Bridge. Now he looks weird. Even if he hasn't broken through, I'm afraid he has already taken one step forward!"

He subconsciously wanted to get closer to Xie Yuan and seemed to be very respectful of Tong Lao.

This was an old senior who had achieved mastery during their childhood and had even seen their ancestors who had made their fortune. His reputation was particularly important to their generation.

However, although he really wanted to cooperate this time, Xie Yuan just shoved him hard against the wall.

Long Qianqiu groaned, his face turned pale, and he felt that his injuries were even more serious.

He whispered:

"Are you crazy? Do you really think you can be his opponent? He has been a master for longer than you!"

Xie Yuan did not answer, but squinted his eyes and looked at Tong Lao, saying coldly:
"Have you also used evil methods to prolong your life?"

Tong Lao paused, raised his head, and smiled strangely:

"You know a lot, little kid. I think your blood is pretty good, too."

The old man took another small step, but this step was directly in front of Xie Yuan.

laugh.

In a flash, the sword pierced his heart.

Time in the cave seemed to have stopped.

Old Tong lowered his head slightly, his eyes confused.

Where did this sword come from?

He has always been proud of his speed, but how could he not see his opponent's sword clearly?
Feeling the rapid passage of life, Tong Lao trembled and said in a hoarse voice:

"who are you……"

Xie Yuan did not answer, but just spit out sword energy, completely killing him, and then threw him against the wall.

With a thud, Tong Lao's body fell to the ground, and Long Qianqiu woke up as if from a dream.

He shuddered and looked at Xie Yuan with a shocked expression.

What did he see?
Old Tong was as fast as a shadow and appeared in front of the man.

However, this man seemed to draw out the sword slowly and placed it in front of him, as if he thought Old Man Tong was too slow, so he waited lazily.

The step taken by Mr. Tong was like committing suicide by hitting his chest, and the result was the same.

but……

It was obvious that Tong Lao was fast but his sword was slow to draw. Long Qianqiu could not see the former clearly, but could see the latter clearly.

But the actual result was that it was obvious that Mr. Tong could not keep up with his opponent's speed at all.

The discrepancy between what he saw and reality made Long Qianqiu feel very uncomfortable, as if his brain was misplaced. He felt dizzy and didn't dare to analyze it carefully anymore. He was horrified.

What kind of martial arts was this? What kind of swordsmanship was this? Even just looking at it made him feel a little overwhelmed. How could it be something that could really be mastered?
Long Qianqiu fainted for a moment, and finally came to his senses, his face pale.

Mr. Tong is dead.

This Zhang guy, with one sword, killed the old senior who made Tianxiang Villa and Luojiabao silent? Killed this master who was one of the best in southern Hebei?
Long Qianqiu stared at Xie Yuan who was walking towards him absentmindedly. He no longer cared about his own fate and asked hesitantly:
"who are you?"

Xie Yuan did not answer, but collected the three pieces of jade disc fragments and gestured towards the stone gate.

“Will you just put this up there?”

Long Qianqiu nodded silently:
"There is no formula, just like an ordinary key."

Xie Yuan asked a few more questions repeatedly, but Long Qianqiu no longer had any will to resist and answered them one by one.

Xie Yuan felt that he was telling the truth, so he looked to the side:

"almost?"

Mu Chaoyun showed up, nodded solemnly and said:

"This restriction itself is considered to be profound, but it has been damaged over the years, allowing their ancestors to enter by accident. There is nothing wrong with their method."

Long Qianqiu looked at the fairy-like woman who suddenly appeared and was stunned for a moment. Then he realized that everything was in the opponent's control and they had no chance of winning from the beginning to the end.

Before he had time to think more, there was deep darkness before his eyes.

Xie Yuan put away his sword, looked at the stone gate, and suddenly said:

"You said that there is a black book in here, what should I do?" (End of this chapter)