Minglong

Chapter 210 I didn’t expect it!

Nangong Ye had been waiting here. His master had returned alone, but Xie Jinhuan was nowhere to be seen. The demoness, who had been waiting for a long time, dared to step forward and ask about the Fire Phoenix Valley. The three of them then began to chat.
Seeing Xie Jinhuan approach, Nangong Ye's expression became more reserved:

"My sect... they want me to go. Senior Qixia said that the Yang fire inside the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum is too strong, and we can only enter the underground after the second nine-day period. We plan to go and take a look then."

Bu Yuehua was a little puzzled: "My junior sister and I went in last time. The yang fire inside was so strong that it was difficult to go deep. It was impossible to judge the route by subtle differences. How did Xie Jinhuan find it..."

When Master Qixia was searching for rare and precious treasures, she also relied on a "ghost radar," but this was a little secret between her and Xie Jinhuan. Her response was simply:

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. It wasn't difficult for you to find it in the past. The spiritual essence accumulated over sixty years of heaven and earth is more than one person could consume. But don't think this matter is simple. Such a divinely created item bestowed by the Five Directions Gods has no cultivation level restrictions like those in a fighting arena. Anyone could appear. Moreover, this item is also coveted by demonic beasts. A slight mistake could lead to death and the annihilation of one's cultivation. Remember to be careful."

Xie Jinhuan had actually been to Fire Phoenix Valley. It wasn't a valley, but rather a basin in southern Xinjiang, spanning a thousand miles east to west and over seven hundred miles north to south. Legend had it that it was the habitat of phoenixes, and it was extremely arid. He had nearly died of thirst while traversing it years ago, living by day and night, relying on coal briquettes and a water bag to fly back and forth, barely managing to escape. His response at this moment:
"Southern Xinjiang is indeed dangerous, and the gangs there are unethical and extremely ruthless. You need to prepare in advance before going there and be careful."

These words struck a chord with Nangong Ye, who nodded slightly.

"The people over there really don't follow the rules; they'll do anything for rare and precious materials."

"?"

Bu Yuehua blinked, and seeing that Master Qixia was present, she didn't say anything.

After chatting for a while, Xie Jinhuan hinted to the White-Haired Fairy that it was time to go back to her room and sleep.

But Nangong Ye still had a small problem. He glanced at Bu Yuehua and stepped forward, saying:
"Senior, I...I have a question I'd like to ask you privately."

Master Qixia naturally did not refuse his eldest disciple's request, and quickly led him to the stone pavilion outside:

"what is the problem?"

Nangong Ye turned around and looked at it, then whispered:

"Your disciple is incompetent. I was poisoned by a Gu curse in the southern border region and has not yet been cured. I don't know what to do, Master..."

Master Qixia thought it was something serious, so he immediately grasped the wrist to examine it and indeed found a trace of yang poison remaining in the meridians.

Although extremely rare and not affecting physical strength, once the yang energy is activated, it will turn into a raging fire. I wanted to extinguish it immediately, but the ever-present ghost appeared and whispered a warning in my ear:

"She has a way to solve it. This is also a learning experience. Let her figure it out herself."

"?"

Master Qixia felt that with the disciple of the Great Ice Dumpling's cultivation level, deciphering this thing was as difficult as ascending to heaven, but he still believed the ghost's nonsense, his eyes filled with surprise:
"This poison is incredibly potent! What kind of evil spirit has struck? I am utterly helpless..."

"what?"

Nangong Ye's expression froze as he looked at his white-haired little master, hesitating to speak.

Master Qixia probably also felt that his explanation was inadequate and lacked persuasiveness, so he earnestly said:

"Before I went into seclusion, I left all the magical artifacts to you. Now that they have been passed down to you, you have already become one of the 'strongest first-grade'. The rest of the path is up to you. If you can solve a problem on your own, don't rely on your teachers."

"The Great Way is impermanent. I am indeed still in this world, but I will not be here forever. After I am gone, Lu Wuzhen will take up the Dan Ding Sect. After he is gone, it will be your turn to shoulder the responsibility."

"If you cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility, even if I protect you and help you reach my level, I will only leave the Dan Ding Sect with an incompetent fool, which will bring disaster to future generations in the long run."

"The righteous path can accommodate prodigal sons who have returned from the heretical path, madmen who will stop at nothing, and descendants who have corrupted morality, but it cannot tolerate good-natured good-for-nothings. Who can't be kind to others? But the sect leader is not a person who upholds kindness, but a person who wields the sword."

Degenerate descendants who have corrupted morals...

Nangong Ye was made to feel guilty by the accusations, so he respectfully cupped his hands in greeting:

"Disciple understands. Disciple can solve this problem on his own."

Master Qixia nodded: "That's good. From now on, you must cultivate diligently and pretend that your master does not exist."

After Master Qixia finished speaking, he vanished in a flash...
-
Half an hour later, at the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum.

The corpses of more than thirty demon bandits, as well as the captured cultivators, had all been taken away, leaving the area outside the hill clean as if nothing had ever happened.

The Demon-Suppressing Tomb, which was originally damaged, was also repaired. The tomb door was repaired and a brand new coffin lid was installed, but there was no one inside or outside.

Xie Jinhuan entered the tomb chamber where eight evil-suppressing sculptures were crouching, and asked:

"How long will it take for you to emerge from seclusion, senior?"

Master Qixia walked ahead: "It could be as short as three to five days, or as long as three to five years. Demonic nature belongs to the realm of the soul, so it's hard to say. However, after I leave seclusion, I will not show myself again, so don't count on me. This farewell should be our last."

"what?"

Although Xie Jinhuan hadn't intended to curry favor with the wet nurse, the thought of parting forever so soon after their first meeting was still a bit hard to accept.

"Where are you planning to go, senior?"

Master Qixia turned around, handed the Zhenglun Sword to Xie Jinhuan, and a sigh appeared on his somewhat adorable oval face:
"I have roamed the world freely, fulfilling my duty to the righteous path. I am weary of worldly battles and killings. From now on, the righteous path rests in the hands of you juniors. I wish to live a more leisurely life, hmm... to watch the flowers bloom and fade, to observe the clouds drift and gather." Xie Jinhuan knew how much bloodshed Qixia Zhenren had endured in the past, so it wasn't surprising that he wanted to become a 'hidden immortal' after seeing through the world's affairs. He took the sword.
“A reclusive immortal will not emerge from the mountain unless there is a great calamity for the common people. I will try my best not to startle you out in the future. However, the Great Dao is boundless. As long as we are on the road, we will eventually meet again. There is no need for you to be so resolute.”

Master Qixia smiled, then momentarily lost in thought. He bid farewell to Sister Ye, then leaped into the Demon-Suppressing Coffin, lay down comfortably, and placed his hands on his stomach.
"Go on to cultivate diligently. For ordinary people, the highest level is the end, but for you, it's just the beginning."

"clear."

Xie Jinhuan came to the front and held the coffin lid:
"Wishing you a speedy recovery from seclusion, senior."

Master Qixia fell silent, closed his large eyes, and then his expression calmed down, devoid of any emotion.

Wow…

Xie Jinhuan closed the coffin lid and only breathed a slight sigh of relief when the plump, white-haired figure completely disappeared from sight. He then began to gather his energy and control the formation to seal the demon-suppressing coffin. Afterward, he left the demon-suppressing tomb and closed the tomb door.

Ye Hongshang appeared beside him, carrying a red umbrella, a slight sigh in his eyes:

"She went up the mountain when she was just over ten years old. Like you, she fought hard and studied diligently. After she achieved her goal, she quelled the rebellion of the witch cult and then went into seclusion until now. Although her past was full of ups and downs, she never had a day of peace. Now, perhaps she has seen through it all and wants to live a quiet life by herself."

“You have beautiful wives and concubines by your side when you leave your sister, indulging in wine and women all day long. She is truly alone, and your sister is really worried about her.”

Xie Jinhuan sealed the entrance to the Demon-Suppressing Tomb, Zheng Lun Sword hanging at his waist, and after thinking for a moment, said:
"Everyone has their own life. With such cultivation, even if Senior Qixia were alone, she wouldn't be bullied. I just don't know how much longer she has left to live."

Ye Hongshang blinked: "She's different from ordinary people. If you don't cultivate diligently, she might send you away, and then my sister and she can continue to wander around."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan, who had been a little worried, felt uneasy upon hearing this and instead asked:
"So, what did Master Qixia talk about with Bing Tuozi and the others after she sent me away today?"

Ye Hongshang paused for a moment, feeling that it would be better for Nangong's younger sister to go through this ordeal on her own, and casually said:
"It's just about the inheritance of the righteous path. Anyway, you have to be careful. If you let Bing Tuozi go back to inherit the family business, you may never see him again. You'll have to coax him well from now on."

Xie Jinhuan frowned, feeling that this matter was probably a bit serious, and immediately prepared to turn back and have a good talk with Bing Tuozi.

However, after taking a few steps, Xie Jinhuan subconsciously turned back and looked at the deep mountain tomb shrouded in moonlight.

Since waking up in this place, he has spent almost all his time being 'public-spirited and righteous'. Apart from seclusion, he has never rested for a single day. He has climbed from his early days in the martial arts world to his current position.

At this moment, the nightmare for which he couldn't recall the cause was finally over. From now on, he would be a righteous young hero with a clear conscience. The only things he needed to deal with were the favors owed to Dan Wang Zi Hui Mountain, the favors owed to Empress Dowager Guo of Northern Zhou, and his mother-in-law from Queyue Manor...

Isn't this too much like Uncle Dan?

The Northern Zhou assassins were actually confidants of the Prince of Dan, and they even had connections with the Southern Frontier Witchcraft Cult...

Xie Jinhuan realized that the situation ahead was not so easy to handle, and her heart, which had been at ease, became anxious again.

Fortunately, this was just a matter of emotions, not enough to turn him into a living villain. After gazing at the Demon-Suppressing Tomb for a moment, he leaped up and found "A-Da!" sleeping soundly in the middle of the night. Then:

"drive--"

Rumble…

The wild boar king, being an experienced pig, knew the way and took off running wildly towards the edge of the mountain, eager to get rid of this ancestor as soon as possible...

As the roar faded into the distance, the deep mountains and old tombs fell completely silent, leaving only the mountain breeze and the autumn moon.

The cause and effect seem to have come to an end.

But after an unknown amount of time, a faint sound suddenly echoed from the mountains and fields:

Wow~
The sound of the demon-suppressing chains rattling, followed by:
Hua Hua——

The stone door opened, revealing a hole in the sealed mud.

A white-haired Taoist nun dressed in a blue skirt peeked out from the cave entrance, cautiously looking around:

"Sister Ye? Fairy Ye?"

After calling out several times, there was no response.

Upon seeing this, Master Qixia sealed the Demon-Suppressing Tomb, then leaped onto the hill, hands on his hips, his eyes burning with determination:
"Haha~ Didn't expect that, did you! You're already awake, and you're off having fun, what kind of talk is it to expect me to sleep peacefully?"

"Finally, no one's bothering me anymore. Who should I go and beat up now...?"

"Old Demon Shang has dominated Dragon Bone Beach for a century, so he must be quite wealthy. However, with the balance of power shifting, he might not be able to defeat him..."

"We don't know if that old devil Sikong is dead or not, why don't we dig him up and see..."

……

The white-haired Taoist nun, once known as the "fierce bandit of the immortal path," gazed at the endless mountains for a long time before her eyes settled on the north. Her gaze flickered slightly, as if she had remembered something very important!
Then it soared straight into the clouds, made a sharp turn, and sped off to the north, disappearing in the blink of an eye...
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(End of this chapter)