Discovering the keeper of the Dragon Tiger Mountain dungeon brought a measure of relief to Yan Shouyi, at least clarifying the true purpose of the opera singer’s ascent to the mountain.
Unfortunately, he couldn't get a good look at the descendant of the Nuo Ghost Opera lineage who managed the dungeon.
Lingering too long, or staring too intently, would surely have alerted Zhang Wuma.
As he left the dungeon, Yan Shouyi followed closely behind Zhang Wuma, observing him cautiously.
While there was no direct evidence yet that Zhang Wuma was a spy, Yan Shouyi felt his intuition was correct, and Zhang Shanli also agreed with his deduction, but lacked concrete proof to act directly.
So, how could evidence be found on Zhang Wuma?
The most direct evidence would naturally be the stolen coffin-carrying pole.
However, Zhang Wuma had nothing on him at the time that could hold the pole, unless he, like Yan Shouyi, possessed that mysterious satchel.
“How did he take the coffin-carrying pole?” Yan Shouyi mused, stroking his chin.
Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes.
If Zhang Wuma didn't have a magical artifact to conceal the pole, was it possible that the pole was still at the scene, and Zhang Wuma had simply hidden it through some method?
At first glance, the coffin-carrying pole looked no different from an ordinary fire poker. If tossed into a gully, it would be difficult to find by the naked eye. Zhang Wuma merely needed to suppress its unique aura to make it hard to discover.
Yan Shouyi made up his mind to quietly return to the scene that night to investigate. If he could find the coffin-carrying pole, he could directly apprehend Zhang Wuma.
Zhang Wuma was unaware that Yan Shouyi suspected him, and even kindly escorted Yan Shouyi back to the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar.
After bidding farewell to Yan Shouyi, Zhang Wuma made an excuse to leave. After circling around Dragon Tiger Mountain a few times, he quietly entered an inconspicuous woodshed.
Pushing open the door and entering, Zhang Wuma placed a series of talismans on the door before speaking with assurance:
“Guan Laosan has already been sent to the dungeon.”
From a corner of the woodshed, a shadow as dark as ink slowly emerged.
The shadow, still within the darkness, was far blacker than a normal shadow, vaguely humanoid in shape.
The shadow suddenly opened its crimson mouth and asked sinisterly:
“Did anyone notice anything?”
“Likely not,” Zhang Wuma replied uncertainly.
“Likely?” the shadow was displeased with Zhang Wuma’s answer.
Zhang Wuma quickly said, “Zhang Shanli invited Yan Shouyi, the Lu Ban descendant, to the dungeon. He spoke with Guan Laosan alone for a while, but couldn’t get anything out of Guan Laosan.”
“Yan Shouyi…”
The shadow murmured to itself, its attitude towards Yan Shouyi unknown.
Zhang Wuma probed, “I feel Yan Shouyi is a difficult character. With him around, he might ruin our plans. Do you want me to eliminate him before we make our move?”
The shadow let out a cold laugh, “Do you have the confidence to kill Yan Shouyi?”
Zhang Wuma hesitated for a moment, “There are many experts around him, but I can use stratagem. If it’s truly necessary, send a few more people to help me.”
“No need to create unnecessary complications!” the shadow replied. “A mere Yan Shouyi cannot alter the overall situation. Revealing ourselves to kill him would be a loss that outweighs the gain!”
Zhang Wuma stopped short of saying more. In his heart, he believed Yan Shouyi was not that simple, and ignoring him might not be a good thing.
However, in front of this person, Zhang Wuma had no standing, so he ultimately decided to keep quiet and follow the other’s wishes.
The shadow continued, “Since Guan Laosan has entered the dungeon, there is nothing more for you to do.”
Zhang Wuma asked, “What about what we agreed upon earlier…”
The shadow interrupted, “What you are meant to receive, you will naturally get. Asking too much is pointless.”
Being treated with such suspicion by the shadow, a hint of anger flashed in Zhang Wuma’s eyes.
He betrayed Dragon Tiger Mountain for his own selfish gain, it was true, but Zhang Wuma was strong-willed and yearned for recognition.
Even when doing bad deeds together.
He wanted to infiltrate the core of the group and become an indispensable figure.
At Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhang Wuma had no opportunity. But in this Xuan Shan Sect, even after all he had done, he still hadn’t gained their significant attention.
This left Zhang Wuma feeling incredibly stifled.
However, he couldn’t lose his composure because of this. He quickly calmed himself, hid the anger in his depths, and silently left the woodshed.
The shadow also disappeared.
…
Returning to Yan Shouyi by the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar, he found that hardly anyone was there.
The sun was setting in the distance, and a fine rain was falling nearby. Yu Lumin and Liu Yiren were still sitting on the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar, their clothes completely soaked.
A bird had even quietly burrowed into Liu Yiren’s embrace, sheltering beneath her.
Yet, Liu Yiren remained motionless.
The spectators below the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar had already set up rain shelters, but no one dared to ascend the altar to hold an umbrella for the two of them. This was because the golden patterns beneath them had already spread out for two meters.
No one was sure what the consequences would be for approaching them, or if it would affect their competition.
It was dinner time, and most spectators had gone to the mess hall to eat. Yan Shouyi found it amusing that the most significant contest within Dragon Tiger Mountain had become the least watched.
Perhaps what everyone truly cared about wasn’t who succeeded as the Celestial Master, but whether the successor would still be a disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Both Yu Lumin and Liu Yiren were Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples, and from an outsider’s perspective, there was no discernible difference.
Perhaps the most anticipated event was the battle tomorrow.
Yan Shouyi found a spot and sat down, observing Liu Yiren from afar.
Liu Yiren’s face, drenched by the rain, appeared pitiful and evoked a sense of pity.
Yan Shouyi sighed.
Alas, his heart was too small; it could only hold Lin Zitong. Not even a sliver of space could be yielded.
At this moment, Yan Shouyi suddenly felt a pang in his chest.
He couldn’t help but clutch his chest, his expression peculiar.
That feeling just now was akin to heartache.
The last time he experienced such heartache was when he learned of Lin Zitong’s engagement. At that time, Yan Shouyi had nearly collapsed.
Although he felt heartache this time, it was not as intense as before.
After carefully savoring the feeling for a while, Yan Shouyi smiled helplessly.
He realized that this heartache wasn’t his own, but the General’s.
The General had also been fond of Princess Wenyan, but ultimately, he couldn’t help but fall in love with the Princess of the Fish Shu Kingdom. He felt heartache because he had failed Wenyan.
“Fifty strings of Jinse played without reason, each string and each fret recalling fleeting years.
Zhuangzi's dawn dreams bewilder butterflies, Emperor Wang's spring heart entrusts to cuckoos.
On the vast sea, the moon shines brightly, tears in pearls, at Lanting, the sun warms jade that smokes.
Can this love be cherished as memory? Alas, it was already lost at that moment.”
Yan Shouyi, clutching his chest, said in a low voice, “General, let it go. Perhaps if we go far away, Princess Wenyan will be safe.”
The taste of heartache was like a knife cutting, causing a lump in the throat, a desire to cry without tears, biting the lip and gritting the teeth but not knowing how to express it.
When the feeling subsided slightly, Yan Shouyi looked up at Liu Yiren and whispered:
“The reeds are lush, the white dew turns to frost. The one I seek, by the water’s side! To follow upstream, the path is steep and long. To follow downstream, she seems to be in the water’s center…”
“The reeds are bleak, the white dew not yet dry. The one I seek, on the water’s edge…”
Liu Yiren, far away at the Ten Thousand Dharma Altar, had initially been frowning, but as if hearing Yan Shouyi’s gentle chanting, her expression relaxed considerably.
At this very moment.
The golden patterns beneath her, which had been advancing like a snail, suddenly seemed to burst like a dam, rapidly spreading outwards!!!
Within a few breaths, they had spread from the initial three meters to five, seven, ten meters!
And they were still expanding!!