Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 113 Reunion with Youmeng
One hundred thousand mountains.

Four figures walked slowly through the mountains.

At the beginning of their journey into the mountains, they could still see some narrow paths trodden by hunters, woodcutters, and other people who regularly ventured into the mountains. However, as the group continued to venture deeper, even these paths disappeared completely.

The towering ancient trees in the mountains blocked out the sun, and underfoot lay a thick layer of decaying leaves and thick vines that crisscrossed like giant pythons, blocking their path.

The two Xuanwu clan members, each wielding a short sword, led the way.

The short swords in their hands were incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through iron like mud. With just a light swing, the vines and branches blocking their path were all cut down to the ground.

Lin Xuan and You Ze followed behind them.

Although the mountain road was rugged and difficult to travel, all four of them were martial artists, and even though they had been traveling for several hours, they did not feel tired.

With vines and branches everywhere overhead, Lin Xuan's straw hat was too cumbersome to wear, so he threw it away not long after entering the mountains.

Before we knew it, it had gotten dark.

After the sun sets, the forest, shaded by ancient trees, appears even darker.

The roars of wild beasts echoed from all around.

Before night completely fell, the group found a sheltered rocky cliff to rest.

As the campfire blazed, several wild rabbits and pheasants hunted along the way sizzled and dripped with oil as the flames licked them.

Youze tore off a chicken leg and handed it to Lin Xuan, asking, "What's your name again? I can't quite remember..."

Lin Xuan said: "Chen Yu."

This was the seventh time Youze had asked him his name along the way.

Youze said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I have a bad memory, you know..."

Lin Xuan took a bite of the chicken leg. You Ze and the others were clearly prepared, as they even brought salt with them.

Even with just a sprinkle of salt, this wild game from the mountains is delicious enough.

Lin Xuan looked at You Ze and asked, "Commander You Ze, what is the Holy Maiden's purpose in summoning me?"

Youze was gnawing on a rabbit leg when he heard this, he shook his head and said, "The Holy Maiden will tell you when we get to the tribe."

Seeing this, Lin Xuan said no more. After finishing the chicken leg, he leaned against the stone wall behind him to rest.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the four of them set off.

Another day and night passed.

I don't know how many rugged mountain ridges we traversed, or how many near-vertical cliffs we climbed...

Standing atop a mountain once more, Youze finally stopped.

He pointed to the valley below and let out a long sigh of relief: "We've arrived."

Lin Xuan stood on the mountaintop, looking out into the distance.

A vast valley basin, like a paradise on earth, slowly unfolds before your eyes.

The valley is surrounded by steep, precipitous peaks, forming a natural barrier that completely isolates the area from the outside world.

In the center of the valley, there is a relatively flat and open area where houses rise up, forming a small city, and you can vaguely see people moving around among them.

It's hard to imagine that such a mountain city exists deep in the mountains of Southwest China.

This is the Xuanwu tribe, one of the Nine Li tribes.

Lin Xuan followed You Ze down a narrow stone staircase almost completely covered by mountain vines, and soon arrived at the bottom of the valley.

"Brother Youze!"

"Commander Youze!"

"Youze is back..."

Along the way, people kept greeting Youze.

Lin Xuan silently followed behind You Ze. He could feel the power emanating from many of the houses around them, a power that made his heart tremble.

The Jiuli tribe has a small population; the nine tribes combined number only tens of thousands, less than the Yang family, a single chieftain family.

However, among these tens of thousands of people, there are more than ten experts at the third rank, and countless others at the fourth and fifth ranks.

On the mainland, no country or power is willing to become an enemy of the Jiuli tribe.

Youze led Lin Xuan to a spacious wooden house and said, "This is the residence arranged for you by the Holy Maiden. Please wait here for a moment while I go and inform the Holy Maiden."

Lin Xuan nodded slightly. After You Ze left, he sat on a chair in the room and waited.

He appeared calm, but was incredibly nervous inside.

By faking his death with the help of the imperial court, he had staked everything, placing all his hopes on Youmeng.

If she ultimately fails to remove the curse from him, he will have to slink back to that woman in disgrace.

In that case, he would never be able to escape her grasp for the rest of his life.

Lin Xuan didn't have to wait long before a familiar figure walked in from outside.

Youmeng was still wearing a veil. When she looked at Lin Xuan, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes before she said, "Young Master Lin, it's been a long time."

Although he had changed his appearance, she would not mistake the Gu worm inside him.

Lin Xuan clasped his hands slightly and said, "Greetings, Holy Maiden."

Youmeng asked, "How has Qingluan been lately?"

A figure appeared in his mind. Lin Xuan was silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "She's fine."

Then, he looked at Youmeng and said, "I hope the Holy Maiden can keep my visit to the Xuanwu Clan a secret, including from Qingluan." Youmeng glanced at Lin Xuan and nodded slightly.

Lin Xuan added, "Also, my current name is Chen Yu."

Youmeng didn't ask any further questions, and smiled, "Yes, Young Master Chen."

Lin Xuan spoke again: "Holy Maiden, can you tell me now what help you need?"

Youmeng gazed at him and asked, "Does the young master know about the trials of the Holy Maiden and Holy Son of the Jiuli Clan?"

Lin Xuan nodded: "I've heard a little about it."

Youmeng explained, "To be honest, the reason I invited you here is that I hope you can participate in the trial with me."

Lin Xuan asked, "Can outsiders participate in the trials alongside the Holy Maiden?"

Youmeng nodded and said, "Each Holy Maiden and Holy Son can choose two people as their protectors. Whether they are from the Jiuli tribe or outsiders, as long as they are under the age of twenty-five, they can become protectors."

Lin Xuan is only nineteen years old in this life, which naturally meets the requirements.

He went straight to the question that concerned him most: "That Heart-Eating Gu..."

Youmeng said softly, "Youmeng swears to the God of Witchcraft that if you sincerely help me, I will definitely remove the Heart-Eating Gu from your body after the trial is over."

Lin Xuan said solemnly, "I will do my best."

The two then talked for a while inside the house.

It was mainly Youmeng who was explaining the contents of the trial to him. Although the nine tribes of the Jiuli Clan could select their own holy maidens and holy sons, they still needed to pass through layers of trials to gain the recognition of the entire Jiuli Clan.

What Lin Xuan needed to do was use his powerful mental strength to help her get through the final stage of the trial.

Youmeng looked at Lin Xuan and said, "This trial is also a test. The process of the trial will be of great benefit to you, young master. I hope you can gain something from it."

Then she said again, "Young master, you have traveled a long way. Please rest in the clan for two days. The trial will begin in three days. At that time, we will go to the ancestral land together..."

After Youmeng left, Lin Xuan closed the door of the treehouse, sat down in a chair, and let out a long sigh.

After accepting the mission to infiltrate the Yang family, he applied for two months' leave from Lu Feng.

Only after completely eliminating the threat of the Heart-Eating Gu will he have the mind to do other things.

Wenren Yue was probably the first to receive the news.

Her cooking skills have improved significantly, and she can take care of herself even without him.

Qingluan should already know about his death. Although Lin Xuan didn't want her to be sad, he had no other choice.

If he doesn't do this, he will always be at the mercy of others.

The booklet he left her should be able to help her build a vast business empire.

Lin Xuan believed that with Qingluan's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for her to do this.

Finally, a figure appeared in his mind.

To this day, he still cannot accept that if he lifted the hood of that black robe, he would see A'Luo's sweet smiling face.

I wonder if she felt even a little bit sad when she heard the news?

Never mind, none of that matters anymore...

After calming herself down, Lin Xuan decided to rest first.

After two days of traveling through the mountains, even he, with his physical condition, was somewhat exhausted.

He walked to the bedside and was about to lie down when a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"I don't agree!"

"Why should I be replaced just like that?"

"I want to see what that person is capable of, to be able to accompany the Holy Maiden in the trials!"

"Open the door!"

"If you're so capable of taking a spot, then you're so capable of opening the door!"

The door was pounded on violently, and before Lin Xuan could even reach the door, the latch snapped.

A man over two meters tall with a burly build strode in.

He was wearing a short shirt made of some kind of animal skin, his hair was braided into many fine braids, and there were mysterious patterns painted on his forehead with some kind of pigment. At this moment, his face was full of anger, and he looked extremely oppressive.

Youze and two others followed him in.

Youze grabbed the burly man's wrist and said in a deep voice, "Youman, you must not be rude to the Holy Maiden's guests!"

The man known as Youman stared intently at Lin Xuan, his face full of resentment, and roared, "The Holy Maiden said your spiritual power is very strong, so let me see just how powerful you really are..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he condensed his spiritual power into an invisible giant hammer and smashed it down on Lin Xuan's head.

Lin Xuan stood still, making no move.

The next moment, Youman's eyes rolled back, and his body fell straight backward, crashing to the ground with a "bang".

Upon seeing this scene, Youze was momentarily stunned.

Youman's spiritual power is even stronger than his.

He was stunned in an instant. Doesn't that mean that the guest invited by the Holy Maiden has the spiritual power of a fifth-grade person?

No wonder the Holy Maiden wanted him to replace Youman.

However, why did this scene feel somewhat familiar to him...?

(End of this chapter)