Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 266 - 259 Departure Part 2

Chapter 266: Chapter 259 Departure Part 2

A group of people, led by a guide, quickly arrived in front of a large house with white walls and red tiles by the riverbank.

An elderly man dressed as a government official, accompanied by the household staff, came out to greet them.

"Welcome, welcome! Thank you for coming to dispel demons and eliminate evil, my humble respects," the elderly official said repeatedly bowing.

The younger ones, who had never seen such a spectacle, quickly stepped forward to stop him from continuing the formalities.

"Elder, we are too young to deserve such a tribute. Let’s first acquaint ourselves with the situation," said Ma Jingxuan hastily.

"Regarding the news of Huayun Observatory, I have prepared everything for you. You have come from afar and must be tired; please, come in and rest first. Meet the other two factions’ heroes, and then we can plan further," the old man spoke slowly but clearly and thoughtfully.

"May I ask, official, which are the other two factions?" Guo Zixuan asked.

"Eh... They are high disciples from Wanhua Sect and Duling Sect," a quirky little girl by the side of the old man said.

The girl, looking around fifteen or sixteen, was slender with big, lively eyes that seemed to speak, dressed in a tight-fitting black dress. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, adorned with a delicate doll-made black crystal, giving off a playful and cheerful charm.

Thus, even though her complexion was not the best, she still caught the eye of someone like Guo Zixuan, whose young heart couldn’t help but take several glances.

Lin Xin looked at the girl with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, who seemed to be the young lady of the estate.

However, he could sense something unusual. Thinking about it, it made sense that they could live alone in these deep mountains for so long—this old house was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

The group was led into the house.

They quickly saw the disciples from the other two factions in the courtyard. One side had a young man with an indifferent face and a sword on his back, his sleeves embroidered with a clear character "Du", clearly from the Duling Sect.

The other side had two women, one tall and one short, both dressed in plain white long skirts embroidered with various flower patterns, their hair wrapped in white silk nets with two strands of hair falling along their cheeks.

Each had two green-sheathed daggers at their waist, suggesting they were skilled in close combat.

"Brother Qin, more people have arrived; it looks like they are from the distant Kunlin Sword Sect," the shorter woman said sweetly, "They don’t seem very impressive. How could the Kunlin Sword Sect, with its considerable reputation, send such disciples—a fat girl and two fledglings?"

The other woman had a sharp chin. Though pretty, she had a somewhat cutting look.

"Junior Sister, don’t say that. They have come from so far to compete with us for business, they must have some genuine skills. Fakes can’t hide for long."

As soon as Ma Jingxuan entered, she caught the strong sense of rivalry and stayed silent, giving a fist salute to the Duling Sect brother.

"Kunlin Ma Jingxuan, Han Yaolu, Guo Zixuan."

"Duling Sect Qin Ye."

The stern-faced man faintly returned the salute with a fist.

Under the guidance of the elderly official and his granddaughter, everyone entered the main guest hall, where a plaque hung that read "Blessings for a Pure Heart", with various peacock paintings on both sides of the hall, painting after painting of vibrant, magnificent male peacocks with fanned tails.

"I just love these," the old man said, chuckling as he stroked his beard, seeing everyone looking at the peacock images.

Lin Xin noticed two other people in the hall, one man and one woman, sitting next to the Duling Sect man and the two Wanhua Sect women, presumably their accompanying elite protectors.

He noticed the woman, interestingly looking his way. She wore a veil and a tight short skirt, all in cream-white with dark purple-black stockings stretching from deer skin boots up to the deep hem of her thigh-high skirt, exuding an enigmatic and sultry allure.

The other male protector was evidently captivated by her, repeatedly casting glances her way. Noticing her looking at Lin Xin, the man also looked over, somewhat displeased.

The three exchanged glances, measuring each other, but none spoke.

After the tea was served and the maid withdrew, the elderly official began to speak about the nearby Huayun Observatory.

"Regarding Huayun Observatory, I’ve mentioned it to the heroes from the other two factions, and I’ll repeat here for the recently arrived heroes of the Kunlin Sword Sect," the old man sighed, his face showing weariness.

"Thank you," Ma Jingxuan nodded.

"Actually, Huayun Observatory originally had an idol called ’Shengyun Taoist Lord’ that my wife and I would occasionally worship. However, one day she said she had a nightmare and wanted to pray alone to the Taoist Lord for protection. I was busy at the time and did not accompany her," the old man continued.

"After that, she never returned, and the two maids and a house servant who went with her all vanished without a trace."

"When we went back later, we could only see the observatory from a distance; we couldn’t approach the foot of the mountain and just walked circles around the outside. It wasn’t until last month, when the strange phenomena disappeared, and timely, the heroes arrived; we were able to get closer, but the interior was empty. I searched for a long time but couldn’t find my wife... That’s the whole situation." The old man pointed to some books stacked nearby.

"Here are some local records of the surrounding counties; feel free to browse and take them with you."

"My mother had spirit talismans for protection; she couldn’t just disappear without a trace," said the spirited girl, her eyes darkening but clearly unwilling to accept her relative’s death.

Lin Xin remained silent, watching Ma Jingxuan think for a moment before starting to inquire in detail about the information regarding Huayun Observatory.

The other two guardian experts did the same, merely observing.

Bored, Lin Xin simply closed his eyes and analyzed the newly acquired Eternal Slumber Nine Injuries. A manual confirmed by Yuan Qiuque, the second-best swordsman under the heavens, must have its extraordinary features. Its ability to affect him, a person profoundly versed in the cultivation of sound, testified to the great power of this cultivation technique.

After all, he possessed the unique Decree, Bell Sound Technique.

Unknowingly aware of the situation, Ma Jingxuan immediately proposed to visit Huayun Taoist Temple for an on-site observation.

The disciples from the other two Sects did not go, obviously having been there already.

Ma Jingxuan, being impulsive, simply packed up her things, and after discussing with the two, Han Yaolu and Guo Zixuan, decided to resolve the situation as soon as possible to return earlier.

The three planned to head directly to Huayun Taoist Temple immediately.

Lin Xin remained noncommittal and simply followed along. He had a Storage Bag, with enough supplies stored to last a month without any issue.

The four left the mansion and were directly led by a servant towards the nearby Huayun Taoist Temple.

***************

As the day turned to evening, the path was somewhat rugged. The servant brought the group to a dark, deep mountain, pointing ahead while standing in the forest.

"Four heroes, it’s just ahead, that’s Huayun Taoist Temple. I dare not go further, please proceed on your own..." the servant said as he walked in the dark woods, his face turning pale.

As dusk fell and the sun was about to completely set, the hooting of owls occasionally echoed through the woods.

Ma Jingxuan did not want to trouble him, so she said, "Then you should go back first, it might be dangerous for you to be alone in the dark later."

"Thank you, heroine, thank you!!" the servant hurriedly thanked,

Without waiting for the group to say more, he quickly jogged back the way he came.

Ma Jingxuan didn’t mind him and instead looked up towards the Huayun Taoist Temple on the mountain.

The Taoist Temple, slightly reddish in appearance, stood amidst the forest, surrounded by dense foliage, and from the outside, it was evident that the grounds were overgrown with weeds and long desolate.

"Be careful," Guo Zixuan took out a Yang Talisman and held it in his hand. "I feel there might be some resentment here."

"Could there be resentful spirits?" Ma Jingxuan seriously said, "Our sword blades have been blessed with Spiritual Light for two months to ward off evil. Don’t be afraid, as long as we are united, even resentful spirits won’t be a problem."

She comforted the somewhat frightened pair, but herself kept glancing at Lin Xin, feeling somewhat reassured; she then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Xin couldn’t help but recall the first time he went on a mission.

The competition in the Southern Mansion was far more vicious and cruel than here, with a high death and injury rate, and also lacked expert protection. Compared to him, the three youngsters here were much more fortunate.

Following the stone stairs towards the Taoist Temple, they climbed the winding path through the mountains.

The sky gradually darkened completely.

Soon, the four reached the front of Huayun Taoist Temple halfway up the mountain.

"Magic obstacles in the heavens, cultivation resides in me."

A simple pair of couplets hung on both sides of the gate, with the horizontal inscription: ’Unity of Nature and Spirit’

The inscription board was missing pieces here and there, dirty and covered in moss, obviously untouched for who knows how long.

"We’ll stay here tonight to see what strangeness lies within the temple," Ma Jingxuan declared straightforwardly.

"This might not be a good idea..." Han Yaolu hesitated, her face pale.

The walls inside the Taoist Temple were slightly reddish; the interior was empty. Standing at the doorway, looking through the wide-open main doors, one could see deep into the dark, gloomy hall.

There sat a statue of a four-armed woman, smiling yet not smiling, with a small part of her head missing, and her lips a vivid red, giving an unnerving sensation.

"The talisman paper isn’t reacting; there shouldn’t be any resentful spirits here," Guo Zixuan quickly said.

"Staying outside is more dangerous. We would have to worry about unknown threats and wild animals attacking," Ma Jingxuan explained. "Besides, we still have Teacher Red with us, right? Even if trouble arises..." Ma Jingxuan was interrupted mid-sentence when she suddenly realized the expressions of her junior brother and sister were off. She quickly turned around to see that Lin Xin had disappeared!

"Fending on one’s own, I will return shortly, safety need not be worried." A faint whisper reached Ma Jingxuan’s ear.

Her face, which had been relatively calm, quickly turned pale.

"Red... Teacher Red... don’t scare me..."

Apart from the breathing sounds of the three, all other sounds had ceased.

Hoo hoo...

The sound of an owl hooted from a distance, making the woods seem deeper and colder. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to recommend tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)