Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 320 - 313 Variables Below

Chapter 320: Chapter 313 Variables Below

"Xia Haiji? Is he the man from the Cave Mansion?" Lin Xin asked.

"Indeed. His identity has been verified. He’s merely an ordinary Loose Cultivator from a small border town, yet his strength is quite notable. Both Baihua City and Three Travelers Cave are codespeak," declared the old man, Huang Sha Layman.

"The actual location is Mount Huang Temple. Baihua City and Three Travelers Cave are both one of the less famous vistas there. They’re just ordinary scenes, not widely known."

"What about the Demon Talisman Seeds that were collected?"

Lin Xin pondered for a moment, then continued.

"Bring them here."

Huan Qinglian spoke indifferently.

Suddenly, a maid approached with a tray, knelt beside Lin Xin, and lifted the tray above her head.

On the platter were six pieces of dark greenish-black metal Demon Talisman Seeds, all cleaned and polished to a faint sheen.

Picking up the Demon Talisman Seeds, Lin Xin also felt a slight surge of joy in his heart.

As expected of a great Sect, they found six pieces in such a short time, just a few days of effort.

They even discovered the whereabouts of other children of the secluded mansions which he had never come across before.

Seeing how unruffled the others appeared, they likely knew about the issue of the children of the secluded mansions too, which didn’t seem to be a big secret in the Central Prefecture.

"Mount Huang Temple... Master." Lin Xin felt a bit uncomfortable addressing Huang Yuan as Daoist Master, but when under someone else’s roof, one has no choice but to bow their head, "Master is not in the palace now, having gone on a journey. I also wish to take a trip myself, to personally visit this Mount Huang Temple. Perhaps there will be some unexpected discoveries."

"Your Highness, the body that’s worth thousands in gold..." Shuang Chi Zi suddenly became a bit anxious.

"No need for further words, the matter is decided."

While exploring the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique these past few days, Lin Xin was also preparing to continue with his prior planning, using the Secret Techniques obtained to search for Demon Talisman Seeds everywhere.

The only change now was that, with the identity of the Crown Prince, he could completely add one more channel to find the Demon Talisman Seeds.

And he could switch identities and continue the disguise himself to search everywhere personally.

Five years was not a long time, and if any unexpected event occurred with the Red Leaf Sword Master, and if he couldn’t cope, it would be a desperate gamble, so he planned to do things on two fronts.

"The Crown Prince means to..."

Huan Qinglian seemed to guess Lin Xin’s intention.

"Exactly," Lin Xin nodded, "I intend to make a personal visit to Mount Huang Temple."

"Mount Huang Temple lies on the border of the Central Prefecture, within the jurisdiction of a small Sect, and from Wuding Mountain’s current location, it’s only about two thousand miles away," Huan Qinglian said calmly. "If Your Highness wishes to go now, there’s still more than ten days before the conference I observed previously. There’s enough time."

Lin Xin had wanted to leave this place a long time ago; joining Yuan Dou Demon Sect was not his desire, but something he was forced into.

Naturally, he was even less inclined to stay here any longer.

"I will set out tomorrow. You all do not need to follow. I will travel incognito," he ordered.

"Your Highness, the precious child..."

Huang Sha Layman began to advise, but Lin Xin stopped him with a look.

His mind was made up. The Yuan Dou Demonic Technique was powerful, but it wasn’t his own choice. What he valued most was the Red Flower Sword Intent and other Cultivation Decisions he had learned on his own.

However, from the inheritance of the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique, it seemed that it was merely a fearsome Body Cultivation Technique. It shouldn’t interfere with the cultivator’s main practice of other arts.

After deciding, Lin Xin dismissed everyone and returned alone to his side hall.

Lin Xi was already waiting at the entrance of the main hall.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the Great Princess has sent a calamity carriage!" Lin Xi was excited, ever since she left that sealed room, she has been in a state of exhilaration.

Everything outside was new to her.

"A calamity carriage?"

Lin Xin knew what calamity was, but...

"Take me to see it," he commanded.

"Understood!"

Lin Xi quickly pulled Lin Xin toward the back of the side hall, through a series of passageways and corridors, and then into an arena-like expansive cylindrical space.

In the center of the space, more than ten people were diligently cleaning and polishing a gigantic carriage that was more than ten meters long.

The carriage was shuttle-shaped throughout, with the symbol of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect engraved on the side: a twisted character for ’Dou’ written in a circular form.

The other areas were simple but with detailed and exquisite craftsmanship.

The most striking feature was the creatures pulling the carriage.

These were two fat, grey-skinned monsters.

They stood with big bellies, like pregnant women, over two meters tall, yet their body width reached an astonishing five meters!

Their bodies were bound with numerous black chains, connected to the carriage behind them.

"This is a calamity carriage," It was Lin Xin’s first time seeing such a creature, having only read about them in books.

"Catastrophe..." Lin Xi simply didn’t understand.

"Your Highness," the manager in charge of the carriage stepped forward and knelt to pay his respects to Lin Xin.

"Never mind that. Tell me about this carriage," Lin Xin said as he entered, his gaze fixed intently on the two massive creatures pulling the carriage.

"The Catastrophe Carriage is drawn by two creatures that have lived for over a thousand years. These beasts have extremely tough skin and strong life force. The more they crush, the tougher their hide becomes. They survive by devouring shadows and Spirit Jade, and should any situation arise requiring strength, they can be put to work," the manager explained.

"Furthermore, the Catastrophes can travel thousands of miles a day, forming an oval-shaped wind barrier automatically during flight, which also protects the carriage behind them."

"That’s too conspicuous and attracts too much attention," Lin Xin shook his head. According to his low-key nature, taking this carriage out would be an invitation for trouble.

"Isn’t there something simpler?"

"If Your Highness wishes to travel incognito, we also have ordinary carriages. Of course, none of them are common; all have carriage compartments engraved with numerous defensive Rune Arrays capable of withstanding incredibly powerful special attacks," the manager said proudly.

"Pick out an inconspicuous one for me. I need to leave right away," Lin Xin said offhandedly.

"Yes!"

Lin Xin didn’t want to waste another moment here. He had only five years; if he couldn’t rid himself of the affliction, he would have to continue with his previous plans.

He had already wasted too much time in the Yuan Dou Demon Sect.

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

On the edge of Central Prefecture, Flying Egret Town.

A Cultivation Tower in the town, built by the nearby martial families, housed a special Spirit Gathering Array designed for cultivators passing through to engage in temporary cultivation practice.

At the moment, the entrance of the Cultivation Tower was bustling with people coming and going incessantly. A slender and unusually aloof young man stood out amidst the crowd.

The young man was dressed in a light blue robe and carried a green Longsword on his back, with a conspicuous red Jade Token hanging at his waist. His long black hair was tied back, and a distinct red mole was visible at the corner of his right eyebrow.

The young man walked slowly into the Cultivation Tower.

The shopkeeper, who was greeting a few cultivator guests, saw him, and his eyes bulged momentarily before he quickly abandoned the others and rushed to welcome the newcomer.

"Young Master Xia, Young Master Xia! You’ve finally arrived! You owe twenty-seven days’ worth of room rent! If you don’t arrive soon, the small tower will become destitute, and the Array will no longer be able to function!" the plump shopkeeper said with a mournful expression and in a low voice.

"I will settle the expenses. My belongings are still intact, right?" Young Master Xia said indifferently, his accent more reminiscent of Jinling rather than the local area.

"They are, they are!" The shopkeeper’s eyes shifted slightly, and his face seemed to crinkle in discomfort. He signaled to an attendant, who immediately sneaked away toward the backyard.

Young Master Xia was almost escorted up the stairs by the shopkeeper and several attendants who joined them.

As he bypassed a maid carrying laundry around the stairwell, he came face-to-face with two noble young masters descending from the second floor.

"Xia Haiji?!" One of them exclaimed upon seeing him, his expression turned quite dramatic, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Xia Haiji glanced at him briefly.

"Meng brother, long time no see."

"Long time indeed, but not without trouble," Meng young master replied quickly, his expression turning cold.

Xia Haiji, expressionless, brushed past the two men.

He heard the other one softly saying something to Meng young master that seemed disdainful.

Ignoring the two, Xia Haiji climbed to the second floor. Led by the shopkeeper through the corridor, he arrived at the last room at the end.

With a click, the room door opened, revealing an empty space except for a greenish Eight Trigram Array Plate on the floor. A piece of Spirit Jade was embedded within it, continuously releasing Spiritual Energy.

"The total rent is twelve Shell Gold. Heh heh..." the shopkeeper chuckled, subtly increasing the price by two.

"Here you go." Xia Haiji pulled out a purse and tipped out twelve golden shell-like coins onto the shopkeeper’s palm.

Seeing the money in hand, the shopkeeper’s eyes narrowed into slits with joy.

"Thank you for your patronage, Young Master Xia. Will you continue staying, or are you leaving right away?"

"I’m leaving now. I have other matters to attend to," Xia Haiji said coolly.

"Understood, understood. You’re going to Mount Huang Temple to fulfill a vow, right? Business as usual," the shopkeeper promptly responded. "Recently, a lot of people have been going to Mount Huang Temple."

"Oh? Who else is going there?" Xia Haiji asked without revealing any emotion.

"A master and servant staying in the tower are going there, as are Meng young master and Zhao young master, just like you," he said.

"Oh?"

A glint of light flashed through Xia Haiji’s eyes.

"Alright, I got it. You can go out now. I need to wash up and pack my things, and I’ll come down later to check out," he said.

"Of course! Young Master Xia, take your time, no rush!" With the money in hand, the shopkeeper’s mood improved considerably, and he hastily led the attendants out of the room.

The room door slowly closed and clicked as it was locked.

Xia Haiji surveyed the surrounding rooms.

"I didn’t expect this identity to have some grudges and entanglements. It seems Xia Haiji’s death was not accidental but deliberately targeted by someone."

Of course, he wasn’t the real Xia Haiji; he was Lin Xin, who had just left the Yuan Dou Demon Sect under a false identity.

Since the identity of the Crown Prince was too conspicuous and Huang Yuan Daoist Master had too many enemies, Lin Xin chose to impersonate Xia Haiji to avoid unnecessary trouble and proceed to Mount Huang Temple for an appointment.

Xia Haiji, after some investigation, was known to participate in temporary missions with loose cultivators and had some reputation among them. Additionally, he was a swordsman, wielding the razor-sharp Qingming Sword, and was known among loose cultivators as the Qingming Sword Master. This identity suited Lin Xin perfectly, as he too was a swordsman.(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to support it by voting for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)