The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 255 - 67 Shadow King

Chapter 255: Chapter 67 Shadow King

The sudden rain had just ceased, and the world was bathed in refreshing clarity.

On such an afternoon, Qing Yu, stepping on the slightly damp dirt, arrived in front of a cottage in the forest.

Removing the bronze mask from his face, Qing Yu subconsciously touched his face.

Now, he was appearing with the face of Meng De.

However, unlike before, this face had undergone some subtle adjustments. Since Qiao Baixuan had used physiognomy to detect flaws in his Disguise Technique, Qing Yu had made some slight changes to the faces he used in the past.

Qing Yu had been involved in Astrology Law for quite some time and had dabbled in physiognomy as well. After deciding to delve into it further, while he couldn’t say he had mastered physiognomy, at least, unless it was the legendary Divine Physiognomy, no one could detect the flaws in Qing Yu’s new face.

After lightly touching his face to ensure there were no flaws, Qing Yu gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

The bamboo door swung open inward, and Qing Yu stepped inside.

In the cottage, in front of a delicately small table, a figure in black brocade, holding a teacup with a smile, watched Qing Yu enter.

Judging by his attire, although it was black clothing, the hem and sleeves were embroidered with understated and luxurious golden patterns. The material of the clothing was not Qing Yu’s area of expertise, but with the power of his Void Eye, he could see that the fabric was extraordinary.

In general, it was modest yet exuded luxury.

However, the man’s face did not do justice to such understated and exquisite clothing. His appearance was extremely ordinary with complete and undistinguished features. Such a face, if it belonged to an ordinary person, would be acceptable, but considering the man’s identity, one couldn’t help but sigh.

It made one marvel at how appearances could be deceptive; the saying must have been created for people like him.

"Greetings, Shadow King." Qing Yu gave a slight bow.

Shadow King.

Yes, it was indeed the ruler of Shadow Pavilion, known as "Daqian’s shadow," the Shadow King—the very person Qing Yu had come to see.

As the overlord of Daqian’s shadows, this was Qing Yu’s first encounter with the true body of the Shadow King.

To be honest, he was surprised. Not just because of this unremarkable appearance, but also because of the Shadow King’s affable temperament, completely different from the chill and ruthlessness one would expect from a ruler of the shadows.

"Take a seat." The Shadow King motioned with his hand, indicating for Qing Yu to sit down.

Qing Yu didn’t play coy and sat directly opposite the Shadow King, took out a jade-colored book, and pushed it in front of him, "The Geodetic Secret Manual."

Even with the Geodetic Secret Manual pushed in front of him, the Shadow King held his teacup, sipping the clear tea, looking at Qing Yu and saying, "The Six Gates should have informed you not to hand over the ’Geodetic Secret Manual’ to me. Doing this undoubtedly cuts off your future with the Six Gates."

"There has been contempt; what future is there?" Qing Yu shook his head.

When he first joined the Six Gates, although it was his own decision, it did not change the fact that he was coerced by Lu Qifeng.

This led to his subsequent actions being lackluster, as Qing Yu always put in the minimum effort required for the tasks assigned by the Six Gates. In the Literary Arena power struggle within the Small Secret Realm, he even took action to kill Jin Mingxuan, an undercover agent of the Six Gates, or perhaps Lian Jin.

After the events in Linchuan Prefecture, as Qing Yu’s power grew and the Azure Dragon Association emerged, the rift between him and the Six Gates became insurmountable.

Had it not been for the time when Qing Yu credited most of the success in killing Lin Tengyuan to Luo Yan and Bu Lengchuan, earning him the favor of both Lu Qifeng and Leng Kuangtu, perhaps Meng Wuchang, the Impermanence Divine Capture mourning his disciple, would have come knocking much earlier.

While that instance made Lu Qifeng wary of Qing Yu, the strength Qing Yu displayed also made him want to truly enlist him and bring him into the Six Gates system.

Had Qing Yu been willing to cooperate, there was a chance he might have been truly integrated into the Six Gates system, with a promotion and salary raise to the status of a Divine Constable.

Unfortunately, Qing Yu had initially become a spy for Lu Qifeng because he was vulnerable and wanting to benefit from protection. It was a pity that now the Six Gates wanted him to hang from their tree indefinitely, so Qing Yu had no choice but to seek an exit strategy for himself.

Shadow Pavilion was an excellent exit. Its power was no less than that of the Six Gates, even exceeding it in many ways, and it didn’t assign tasks frivolously like the Six Gates did.

Most importantly, the Shadow King was generous. In their first transaction, he had casually thrown a Xuanji Jade Crystal at Qing Yu and even offered a chance to forge a sword that only came once every three years, commissioning Gongye Baiduan to craft a sword for Qing Yu.

Such generous benefits were far stronger than the Six Gates, which hadn’t offered a dime so far.

So, which side to choose is quite obvious, isn’t it?

Of course, if he had to give a reason, he couldn’t be so blunt. Qing Yu said with a light laugh, "The Shadow King has already invested previously. I, certainly, can’t let the Shadow King’s investment fail."

"Ha ha..."

The Shadow King laughed heartily, "Not just not failing, but a great success. At least, for me, a Xuanji Jade Crystal and a treasure sword are nowhere near comparable to this ’Geodetic Secret Manual’."

Setting down the teacup, the Shadow King caressed the unbound book, "’Geodetic Secret Manual,’ eh? People always regard the profound and unfathomable Yi Skill of the Heavenly Mechanism as higher than the Geomancy Inspection art. Those with talent flock towards the Heavenly Mechanism, but the relatively simple Geomancy Inspection is neglected.

As a result, nowadays, although masters of Yi Skill are indeed few and can be counted on one’s fingers, there are still some of them. As for Geomancy, Jianghu sorcerers all know a few tricks, there are many throughout the world, but those who truly master it are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

The few who are adept, are also hidden in the Royal Secret Institute, untouchable."

"Master Yu," the Shadow King looked up and asked, "what do you think I want this ’Geodetic Secret Manual’ for?"

For what?

In fact, Qing Yu already had a guess about the Shadow King’s purpose, but since this was an enormous secret, even though only he and the Shadow King were present, Qing Yu did not want to put it into words.

So, Qing Yu just shook his head, offering no answer.

"Can you really not guess?" The Shadow King wore a half-smiling expression, "During our last transaction, I had you assassinate Xie Lang. After Xie Lang’s death, the Imperial City Forbidden Army appeared, wanting to kill people to silence them. Later on, the Imperial court saw great turmoil. With your intelligence, Young Master Yu, you couldn’t fail to guess my intentions."

Towards the end, with the Shadow King referring to himself as "this king" for the first time, he had all but revealed his identity. In worldly society, even those with nicknames like "Sword King" or "Ax King" would never refer to themselves as "this king." Only those with the status of prince could call themselves that.

In other words, the Shadow King was a prince of Daqian. Combining this with the ordinary face, if the Shadow King had not used a disguise, his identity would already be glaringly obvious.