Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 369 - 362 Variable 1

Chapter 369: Chapter 362 Variable 1

"Hong Gui, you’re looking for death!" The second Qing girl’s face suddenly became severe, and all present felt a flash of green shadow before their eyes.

It was as if something huge yet gentle flickered by.

Bang!

Then a muffled sound was heard, and the face of the elderly Hong Gui suddenly changed, turning vaguely pale as he took a step back.

"Crown Princess, are you trying to provoke a conflict with Heavenly Cloud Path Sect?" he said sharply.

In an instant exchange, even Lin Xin had not felt any process or changes; it seemed the victors were decided.

"Provoke a conflict with the sect? You think too highly of yourself!" The second Qing girl reached out, and a green moon blade appeared before her fingers, slowly rotating.

"Crown Princess!"

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in the middle of the crowd, just in time to block the moon blade released by the second Qing girl.

This person was none other than the spirit presiding over the entire scripture reading of Myriad Laws Hall.

"If Crown Princess wishes to fight, she may go to the circular altar. This is a meeting place, not a battleground," the hall spirit spoke in a frosty tone, looking directly at the second Qing girl, though his voice already betrayed his dissatisfaction.

Lin Xin felt something peculiar about the hall spirit daring to speak to the second Qing girl in such a manner.

"Hall spirits are unfathomable in strength. If you face one, try to give way as much as possible," the voice of old Guan Mingyue came from behind.

Lin Xin’s heart tightened, and he nodded slightly.

The second Qing girl glanced at Yu Liuqing, then coldly swept over the brothers Wei Wuxuan who had been killed.

"I shall see how the Wei Family explains this to me," she said.

After speaking, she turned around with Yu Liuqing and left on her own.

Old man Hong Gui coughed a few times, said nothing more, and turned into a beam of white light, departing swiftly.

"Let’s go as well."

Right after Guan Mingyue’s voice fell, a red light showered down, enveloping Wang Peng and the others, including Lin Xin, and they all soared up, flying toward the ship of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect.

Before long, the red light faded, and the group reappeared.

"Thank you, Elder Guan, thank you, Crown Prince!" Wang Peng and his companions quickly expressed their gratitude, their faces full of thanks.

"If it wasn’t for the Crown Prince’s timely arrival, I’m afraid we would have truly been out of luck," Wang Peng said with a wry smile.

"What exactly happened? What did you encounter? Can you tell me in detail?" Lin Xin asked seriously, while a maid brought chairs for them to sit down on the ship.

The protective shield and formation of the ship were slowly activated above their heads, preventing any sound from leaking out.

Including Elder Guan, everyone took their seats and had some tea before catching their breath.

Qiuling’s face was still somewhat pale, and she looked frightened.

"Your Highness may not know, but after we left our residence, we wandered around and incidentally saw several people acting sneaky. Among them, a couple was secretly making their way as if looking for a place to get intimate... We...we..." She blushed as she spoke.

"We thought of following them secretly to take a look..." Wang Peng took over, with noticeably thicker skin. "Unexpectedly, the couple turned out to be imposters. They moved into a corner in the dark, not to get intimate, but to open a narrow tunnel."

"Tunnel?" Lin Xin looked at Elder Guan Mingyue, who shook his head slightly to indicate he was also unaware.

It was Lou Xiaofei who mentioned something.

"This venue indeed used to have tunnels, but they were sealed off for some reason later. I never expected them to be discreetly reopened by someone now."

"Yes," Wang Peng nodded, "we realized something was wrong, and we wanted to come back to report to Your Highness, but we felt the person might have more sinister plots. Without evidence and fearing alerting them by reporting early, my wife suggested we go in and see by tracking the person."

Rongyan had a somewhat helpless expression on the side.

"It’s all my fault. I almost got my husband and sister Qiuling into trouble..."

Qiuling held her hand, indicating it was alright.

Wang Peng continued his story.

"After entering that tunnel, we followed inside for more than half an hour, quickly realizing something was wrong, and tried to exit. However, the person in front had somehow noticed us. Then, we were attacked by various strange creatures, most of which were elves with the upper bodies of humans and lower bodies made of clouds."

"At that time, we owe much to Miss Qing’er. Otherwise, we might all have died in that tunnel," Qiuling interjected.

"Qing’er is that Miss Yu Liuqing, the adopted daughter of the second Crown Princess, correct?" Lin Xin asked.

"Exactly, that’s her," confirmed Wang Peng. "We encountered her when we were surrounded by elves, as she was also being attacked. We joined forces and continued deeper into the tunnel."

He paused, seemingly emotional.

"After another half hour, we finally encountered the two we were tracking. We hid to overhear their conversation with a cultivator. Accidentally we heard..."

"Wait a minute," Elder Guan suddenly interrupted.

Without explaining to everyone, he waved his hand.

A misty red fog spread out, completely enveloping the surroundings of the group.

"There, continue now. Just in case there are prying ears around."

Lin Xin nodded at him, indicating for Wang Peng to continue.

Wang Peng swallowed nervously.

"We heard them discussing how to avoid the palace spirits’ surveillance and using a very complex method to extract something from the Nether River. They referred to it as ’fruit’, but we do not know what it actually is. Then, it seemed like there were many people outside waiting to meet them."

"Just at that moment, a formidable-looking guy appeared who seemed to hold a high position. Everyone else was very respectful towards him. As soon as he arrived, he immediately noticed us. After pretending to say a few words, he suddenly launched a sneak attack on Miss Qing’er, injuring her. We intervened in time to rescue Miss Qing’er and made our escape. After reaching the surface, to our surprise, the entrance to the underground passage exploded. We were surrounded by the guards that were drawn to the commotion, and before we even had a chance to explain, we were slandered by the person who had injured us, accused of being suspicious characters," Wang Peng said with displeasure.

"After that, Your Highness knows the rest."

Having said this, they also gave a brief summary of the events in the tunnel. Lin Xin knew for certain there were many details left unsaid but, being not one to insist on knowing everything, he didn’t probe further.

"So it would seem that all of this is likely the doing of the Wei Family, in collusion with the Heavenly Cloud Path Sect," Lin Xin deduced. "However, due to the enormity of the issue, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but the Wei Family is too enormous, and the Heavenly Cloud Path Sect is one of the three main organizers. It’s not so simple to determine the nature of this. We need a lot of conclusive evidence to proceed."

Guan Mingyue also nodded in agreement.

"This matter, it seems Lady Qing is also investigating, her adopted daughter would not have entered that tunnel without reason."

"Indeed," Lin Xin frowned slightly, pondering for a while.

Wang Peng and the others awaited his decision. Although Elder Guan was the most powerful here, ultimately, it was Lin Xin who held the highest authority and voice.

After a moment of silence, Lin Xin slowly started to speak.

"Let’s do this. We still need to oversee the arrangements for the competition as organizers; we cannot extricate ourselves from this task, Lou Xiaofei."

"Present!"

The person in charge, Lou Xiaofei, quickly stood up and bowed with his fists.

"This matter will be in your hands to investigate alongside Wang Peng and his team. This is my token; seeing this token is as seeing me in person," Lin Xin said as he tossed his waist token to him. "Ensure the safety of Wang Peng as the top priority and then contact Lady Qing to see if we can get any clues or assistance to investigate this matter together. The competition’s proceedings are of utmost importance."

"This is my emergency Taoist Talisman. In case of danger, no matter where you are, you can use it directly."

Elder Guan also gave Lou Xiaofei a Spirit Talisman for emergencies.

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you Elder Guan!"

Lou Xiaofei quickly bowed in thanks.

Wang Peng and the others also stood up, joining in the expression of gratitude.

Lin Xin had an inkling that the involvement of Heavenly Cloud Path Sect, Hong Gui, and the Wei Family was likely greatly connected to the Evil God’s embryo he had acquired previously and the encounter with that black-clothed, masked Yuan Jing expert.

"I am tied up with other matters here, so only at the most critical moment should you use the Taoist Talisman Elder Guan gave to call for help. Understand that it’s not just us watching Hong Gui and the others; they are also watching Elder Guan and me at all times. Each Yuan Jing elder of the three main organizers is the center of attention, with every action having significant impact. So you must think carefully before making any decisions."

He instructed them meticulously.

"We understand, please rest assured, Crown Prince," Lou Xiaofei promised, taking the lead.

"And what about me, Master, what about me?!" Little Jade Fox looked at Lin Xin eagerly, obviously waiting for him to assign her a task.

"What you need to do is stay by my side and not go anywhere!" Lin Xin said sternly.

Little Jade Fox’s ears drooped instantly, her spirits visibly dampened.

Lin Xin spoke irritably.

"With your meager skills, you’d only be a burden to them, more of a hindrance than help. Instead of that, you’d better take the opportunity to cultivate diligently on the boat, improving your skills and accumulating real combat experience."

"But Master... I can’t find anyone to practice with on the boat either," Little Jade Fox said helplessly.

Over the days they had spent together, she had gradually become more relaxed around Lin Xin.

"I can practice with Miss Jade Fox!"

Before he finished speaking,

a young man from Yuan Dou Demon Sect’s contingent, who was behind Lou Xiaofei, volunteered.

Anyone that Lou Xiaofei would bring into this type of meeting was naturally his absolute confidant.

Lou Xiaofei quickly restrained the young man, turning to Lin Xin with a look of apology.

"Your Highness, please forgive him. This is my grandson, Lou Qingsi; he tends to be impulsive and lacks manners," he said.

Lin Xin merely smiled.

"No matter, it is good for the youth to communicate. Let him practice with her," he added, transmitting his message to Lou Xiaofei.

"Keep an eye on Little Jade Fox for me, and do not let her slip away. The little creature is too curious and it could lead to trouble."

"Certainly," Lou Xiaofei nodded immediately.

With that, a temporary plan was set in place.

Wang Peng, Lou Xiaofei, and the others escorted Qiuling and Rongyan to rest.

Little Jade Fox was also taken away by the young man for practice, but seeing as the young man was only at the Heart Level of cultivation, it seemed he was in for a tough time.

Nevertheless, he looked enthusiastic, willing to please the fair lady.

When everyone had left, leaving only Elder Guan and Lin Xin,

Lin Xin’s expression gradually turned solemn.

"If I’m not mistaken, the Heavenly Cloud Path Sect and the Wei Family definitely have some hidden issue behind all this. It must be related to the Nether River. Elder Guan, do you know what kind of special treasures the Nether River typically yields?"