In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 295 has some old scores to settle (it contains a lot of information, so skipping to the next chapter is not recommended).

Faced with the sudden applause, Yan Jing'an, suspended in mid-air, remained completely still, not even her long eyelashes fluttering. Her expression remained serene and profound, like an old monk in deep meditation, or the surface of a still, windless pool, without the slightest ripple.

The monotonous applause, which contained a certain inexplicable pressure, finally subsided.

Behind a camphor tree about three zhang away from Yan Jing'an, a figure slowly emerged.

A large black robe almost completely covered his body, and his face was covered with a similarly black, polished wooden spiral mask.

He stood quietly about ten steps to the side of Yan Jing'an, in the shade of a low camellia.

A playful voice slowly rose up.

"Find a prodigy martial artist, first put your disciple in the trap of love, then use the name of righteousness and cultivation to make your Cihang Jingzhai disciple break free from the trap of love and return to Cihang Jingzhai for seclusion. Then, through the Forget Love chapter of your Cihang Sword Manual, forget love and abandon all affection. Meanwhile, the prodigy martial artist you find will be deeply trapped in the trap of love and unable to extricate himself."

"Once Cihang Jingzhai encounters external enemies, or if any of your Cihang Jingzhai members run into trouble, these so-called guardians of the path of love will willingly become knives in your Cihang Jingzhai's hands."

"They call themselves guardians of love and affection."

"Twenty years ago, Pang Ban was your protector in matters of love. Twenty years later, you've set your sights on Gu Shaoan of the Emei Sect."

"I must say, I truly admire the founder of your Cihang Jingzhai sect. He was able to come up with such a way of manipulating people's hearts so that your Cihang Jingzhai could continuously recruit talented martial artists from the martial arts world to work for you without suffering any losses."

Yan Jing'an remained calm, as if what the masked man was saying had nothing to do with her.

After the masked man finished speaking, Yan Jing'an slowly opened her mouth: "So, the purpose of your visit this time was just to say these things?"

"Tsk tsk! No wonder you're someone who's indifferent to love and affection. Even after all this, you're not angry at all. It's really boring to live like this."

Shaking his head, the masked man changed the subject, saying, "I came to tell you that the Azure Dragon Society's plan has been brought forward and will begin at the beginning of next year."

Just as the masked man uttered those words, Yan Jing'an's eyes snapped open.

"The Azure Dragon Society is already prepared?"

The masked man shook his head and said, "It's not that we're ready, but that the Great Dragon Head's illness has worsened, so things have to be brought forward."

After a moment of silence, Yan Jing'an suddenly spoke up: "We will not get involved with Wudang; it's too dangerous."

The masked man said casually, "I know. I didn't intend to look for you in the first place. It's just that he's getting too close to your Cihang Jingzhai, so I mentioned it. Just treat it as a way to appease him. As for Wudang, I've already made most of the arrangements. It's enough to give this number one martial artist in the Great Wei Kingdom a hard time."

Yan Jing'an asked, "When will Pang Ban arrive?"

The masked man lifted his foot and casually stepped on a flower that was in full bloom on the ground, grinding it lightly. He casually replied, "It should be after next spring. After all, that guy lost an arm. Even though I arranged for Ping Yizhi of the Sun Moon Cult to replace his arm, it will still take a year to heal the arm and clear the meridians in it."

At this point, the masked man seemed to become somewhat interested and asked, "After all, Pang Ban was once your protector in matters of the heart, and now he has mastered the 'Great Demon Seed Technique of the Dao Heart.' In a few years, there is a great possibility that he will condense the Three Flowers and enter the Celestial Realm. Are you really willing to let him die on Wudang Mountain next year?"

Yan Jing'an said calmly and coldly, "We've known each other for so many years, there's no need to keep testing us. If Pang Ban doesn't die, how will you achieve your goal?"

"Just remember to give me what I need afterward."

The masked man shook his head: "Indeed, the old saying is right. In this world, only women and villains are difficult to deal with. Women are too extreme. When they are passionate, they can give everything for love. When they are heartless, they are so cruel that even an old man like me feels disgusted."

“A hypocritical and heartless person like you is born to be the abbot of Cihang Jingzhai.”

"The current abbot of Cihang Jingzhai in the Great Sui Kingdom, Fan Qinghui, is still somewhat inferior to you in terms of cultivation!"

"No wonder your branch of the family migrated from the Sui Dynasty to the Wei Dynasty hundreds of years ago and established the Cihang Jingzhai."

"In terms of cunning, tactics, and even temperament, they are superior to the people of Cihang Jingzhai in the Great Sui Dynasty."

Seemingly finding the masked man's words a bit too lengthy, Yan Jing'an frowned slightly, showing a hint of impatience with the masked man's long-winded comments.

The next instant, a very subtle fluctuation quietly dissipated from her suspended body; it was the ripple caused by the sudden acceleration of the flow of vital energy in her meridians.

Although it did not actually surge out of the body, it had already disturbed the energy flow within a few feet around the body in an instant.

at the same time.

The masked man in black, who had been standing quietly in the shadow of the camellia, was suddenly pulled by invisible threads. His toes lightly touched the soft, wet mud, and his body floated back half a step without warning.

The movements were fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation or haste, as if the person had anticipated the impending change.

Just as the masked man moved backward, a green camphor leaf that had been swirling and drifting leisurely suddenly became as sharp as lightning. Instead of falling, it transformed into a long and sharp green shadow, carrying a subtle yet piercing whistle, and pierced the soft soil where the masked man had just stood.

The leaf, which should have been light and airy, was now like a dart polished from fine steel, piercing the ground and leaving two intersecting cross marks on the ground, as if a sword blade had slashed through it.

The change happened as fast as lightning. The air tensed and froze for a moment, and even the birdsong and the whispering wind in the forest seemed to be silenced.

However, just as the "leaf sword" was deeply embedded in the soil, less than three steps away from the masked man in black, a very delicate and supple ordinary grass covered with morning dew suddenly straightened its stem and then silently broke in two.

The lower section was still in the soil, while the upper section, a vibrant green broken stem, gained a strange and incomprehensible elasticity in that instant of breaking and stretching.

It did not fall, but rather, like a tiny thread being pulled up by an invisible thread, it sprang upwards at an incredible speed.

It moved so fast that it almost became a blurry green line, moving at a slightly tilted angle from bottom to top, slanting across the face of the masked man in black, which was already slightly off the ground.

There was a soft "hissing" sound.

The wooden mask on the masked man's face split diagonally along the left side of his nose, falling in two pieces at his feet.

Without the mask to conceal their faces, the masked man's features were exposed to the interplay of light and shadow in the forest.

It wasn't a hideous or scarred face, but a thin and gaunt one, with deep furrows etched by time, yet every wrinkle exuded a calm and reserved air.

His facial features are well-defined, especially his high nose bridge and deep-set eyes. Even with the passage of time, the refined and handsome features of his youth are still faintly visible.

His temples were streaked with gray, his long eyebrows slanted sharply towards his temples, his brow bones slightly prominent, and his eyes were half-hidden by his drooping eyelids, yet they could not conceal the wisdom and depth that had been honed by countless strategies and experiences over the years. But at this moment, a rare hint of surprise, and a touch of melancholy at being interrupted, also flickered in the depths of those deep eyes.

If the old man's long black robe were replaced with a white cloth garment, his appearance and demeanor would certainly be comparable to those great Confucian scholars in the imperial court.

It was only after the old man's mask was cut open that Yan Jing'an's voice rang out again.

"Yuan Shisan, I never knew you could talk so much nonsense before. Or has hiding in the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion for so long made you so fond of talking nonsense?"

In response to Yan Jing'an's words, the old man's face showed a hint of nostalgia: "It's been a long time since I've heard that name."

Yan Jing'an said calmly, "Looking at it this way, you still prefer the name Bai Xiaosheng."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaosheng chuckled but did not answer the question. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Being able to subtly manipulate flowers and plants into swords with your sword thoughts is not just a matter of 'sword heart being clear.' It seems that your spiritual seed has successfully given birth to a divine flower. No wonder you are so obsessed with the He Shi Bi, wanting to use the energy within it to unite the Qi Flower and the Essence Flower into one."

"No wonder they didn't care about Pang Ban's death at all."

Yan Jing'an asked calmly, "Is there anything else?"

Bai Xiaosheng said, "I agreed to your previous suggestion, and I've made the arrangements."

Yan Jing'an asked, "Whom did you arrange?"

“Wuzheng Villa, formerly Dongyuan,” Bai Xiaosheng replied.

Yan Jing'an slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Although Yuan Dongyuan is a first-rate expert, his strength is only at the bottom among first-rate experts. Moreover, Wuzheng Manor's reputation has weakened in recent years. Even Gu Shaoan is no match for Pang Ban. Are you sure Yuan Dongyuan is qualified?"

Bai Xiaosheng smiled and said, "A righteous leader like Shaolin is actually a den of iniquity, preying on the local people. In the martial arts world, who can tell what is true and what is false?"

Yan Jing'an glanced sideways, seemingly lost in thought.

"You mean, Yuan Dongyuan has been hiding his true abilities all these years?"

Bai Xiaosheng slowly said, "Those who think themselves clever always place themselves high above the heavens, while truly clever people always walk on the ground. You will never know what lies beneath their feet with every step they take."

"If we were to rank the top experts of the Great Wei Kingdom, instead of something like a weapons ranking, Yuan Dongyuan would definitely be on the list."

Yan Jing'an's eyes flashed, a hint of surprise in them.

But the next moment it returned to normal.

He said in a calm but firm tone, "Even so, he can't possibly be stronger than Pang Ban."

Bai Xiaosheng nodded and said, "That's true. After all, he's the Demon Master Pang Ban! He's different. But this time, it was just to cooperate with your Cihang Jingzhai's Holy Maiden to put on a show and capture the heart of the young sect leader of the Emei Sect. In front of everyone, even if Yuan Dongyuan couldn't beat that young sect leader Gu, he wouldn't have to go too far. As long as the goal is achieved, that's enough."

"Sending another top-tier expert over there would seem a bit too deliberate."

Yan Jing'an pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright."

After speaking, Yan Jing'an looked at Bai Xiaosheng quietly without saying a word.

Knowing what Yan Jing'an meant, Bai Xiaosheng flicked his right hand, and a black shadow flew towards Yan Jing'an.

But when the dark figure rushed in front of Yan Jing'an and was about a foot away from her, it instantly froze in mid-air as if it had encountered a barrier.

It was a book.

"The Longevity Manual is recorded on the Xuanjin Silk Armor. Originally, I was supposed to take it back to the Great Dragon Head to report. But this copy of yours is one that I personally copied by hand yesterday, spending the entire night on it."

Yan Jing'an raised her hand and sucked the book into her hand, then lowered her head and began to flip through the book in her hand, no longer looking at Bai Xiaosheng.

"Where is the information I requested?"

Yan Jing'an said without looking up, "Two hundred years ago, the last location of the intelligence network that split off from Baixiaoge was in Huainan."

Bai Xiaosheng frowned: "After a year, you've only found this much?"

Yan Jing'an calmly said, "The time interval is too long. You can understand the difficulty of finding this information. If it weren't for the fact that there were several families in Huainan who intermarried with my Cihang Jingzhai disciples and happened to know about the events of two hundred years ago, there would be no news at all."

After thinking for a moment, Bai Xiaosheng sighed and said, "That's true, never mind! Knowing the exact location is better than searching for a needle in a haystack."

At this moment, Yan Jing'an asked, "Is it really worth spending ten years searching for something so trivial? What is it that makes you so persistent about that intelligence network that was originally separated from the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion?"

Bai Xiaosheng said slowly, "People believe in returning to their roots. Even those who leave Bai Xiaoge should naturally return to Bai Xiaoge. There are some old scores that need to be settled."

"What account?"

"Let's consider this an old debt from the massacre of entire families! If these people were alive, I would feel ashamed before my ancestors."

Seeing that Bai Xiaosheng was vague and unwilling to elaborate, Yan Jing'an narrowed her eyes slightly, then lowered her head again to look at the book in her hands.

"you can go now."

His voice was cold and indifferent.

Faced with Yan Jing'an's order to leave, Bai Xiaosheng sighed and said, "They treat people like treasures when they need them, but treat them like weeds when they don't. They are truly heartless."

After saying that, Bai Xiaosheng slowly turned around and walked to a tree, where he suddenly gripped the tree with his five fingers.

Once the internal energy surged within him, when he withdrew his hand, he held a wooden mask in his hand.

After pressing it against his face, Bai Xiaosheng turned and walked step by step into the forest.

However, just as Bai Xiaosheng's body disappeared into the shadows of the forest and his aura vanished completely, Yan Jing'an suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of Huainan, seemingly lost in thought.
　This chapter will contain many foreshadowing elements, so I don't recommend skipping to the next one! Starting tomorrow, the author will be updating three chapters a day for the next three days to make up for missed updates! Please continue to support me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)