The result of this divination was remarkably clear: there was indeed danger waiting for Wei Yuan. The white-bearded elder's manner of death was an ambush from behind, coupled with a lethal blood curse; moreover, the blood curse carried defilement, destiny-shattering, and other effects that ordinary curse-warding Dao arts could not possibly defend against.
Seeing the result, Wei Yuan actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing the source of danger made things simple. Wei Yuan was always cautious and trusted no one on this journey; trying to ambush him would be harder than scaling the heavens. As for dealing with fatal blood curses, the Palace of Grand Beginning had ample means. Even though the opponent had added defilement and destiny-shattering effects, among the trinkets bestowed by the Immortal Monarch was a jade thumb ring specifically designed to ward off all forms of foul corruption. As for breaking his karmic destiny, Wei Yuan sneered inwardly. Even a True Monarch couldn't break Wei Yuan's fortune—if anyone else wanted to try, they were welcome to give it their best shot.
The main reason this divination had gone so smoothly was the formation plate Wei Yuan had placed within the formation. Crafted by the Immortal Monarch, this plate infinitely elevated the status of the formation diagram, turning it into virtually a genuine Inquiring Immortal method.
However, Wei Yuan would not become blindly overconfident. Preparations that needed to be made still had to be made. From his thread-space, he retrieved a small cloth doll, squeezed out a drop of blood from his fingertip, and smeared it over the fabric. This small cloth doll was likewise a gift from the Immortal Monarch. Once stained with blood, it could serve as a scapegoat stand-in, binding itself to Wei Yuan to share and absorb damage.
In other words, if an opponent cursed Wei Yuan, it would be equivalent to cursing the Immortal Monarch along with Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan was rather curious to see whether they could shoulder the karmic retribution of cursing an immortal.
Only after finishing all this did Wei Yuan put away the formation plate, disrupt the diagram drawn upon the ground, and erase his traces. It rained day in and day out in this place; in less than a day, all traces would be washed clean by the rain.
While Wei Yuan was busy, Xu Wenwu watched with extreme urgency, squirming and wriggling in a desire to voice his opinions, but Wei Yuan showed not the slightest intention of undoing the rope bound over his mouth.
A moment later, the three mounted their horses once more. Wei Yuan likewise channeled a wisp of black qi into each of the three horses, galloping straight toward Lanshen Palace. Two hours later, the three stood before the mountain gate of Lanshen Palace.
Lanshen Palace was built against the mountain, its mountain gate situated beyond the foot of the peaks. Now, only half of a stone pillar remained, while the rest was either shattered into rubble scattered across the ground or missing altogether. Behind the mountain gate lay a gently sloping avenue leading straight to the first main hall. That hall was now reduced to foundations and a few scorched, broken pillars. The road from the mountain gate to the hall was paved with bluestone and wide enough for two carriages to pass abreast, but now most of the roadbed was blanketed in mud, and what stone showed through was covered in moss.
The main hall of Lanshen Palace was perched halfway up the mountain, a full ten-odd li from the mountain gate. Viewed from afar, just under half of the main hall had collapsed, while the remaining portion still stood stubbornly. The surrounding halls, however, had been reduced entirely to ruins.
Behind the main hall, a central peak rose sheer from the ground, lofty and precipitous, thrusting into the sky like a sharp sword. Wing rooms and courtyards built to house disciples encircled the central peak, but now only broken walls and remnants could be seen there as well.
It seemed Lanshen Palace had been dismantled quite thoroughly. In just a few short years, only half of the main hall remained; virtually everything else had turned to ruins.
"Let's go take a look inside." Wei Yuan took the lead, stepping into the dead silence of the Lanshen Sect.
In the northern quarter of Quliu Town, in the rear courtyard of a grand mansion, the young swordsman stood before a dignified middle-aged man, unwrapping the bandages from his face layer by layer. Across his nose was a striking wound, even exposing the broken bone within. There were several cuts across his forehead and cheeks as well, the flesh peeled back and already turning pale. As the bandages came off, a foul stench filled the room, somewhat like filth, wastewater, and leftover food mixed together and left to sit for days.
The middle-aged man's expression was grave. He carefully inspected the young swordsman's wounds, then selected powders from several medicine vials to sprinkle over them. His pupils then glinted with silver light—evidently employing a secret technique akin to the Qi-Gazing Technique.
After testing several medicinal powders in succession, the middle-aged man withdrew his Dao art and said somberly, "You were injured by a karmic destiny object. However, this object is very strange—seemingly insubstantial yet tangible, possessing an extraordinarily high status, yet hollow and gloomy. With a direct blow, it smashed your karmic destiny to pieces, leaving you under a cloud of ill fortune. On top of that, your wounds were tainted by foul filth, which is equivalent to being cursed once by the Wuyu Clan. Right now, your wounds are absorbing the surrounding aura of decay on their own, so naturally they are hard to heal."
The young swordsman found it somewhat hard to believe. "A mere flesh wound is that complicated?"
"This wound of yours is more troublesome than poisoning. Hmm, perhaps it could be called a venom of karmic destiny and feng shui. What have you done recently? How did you provoke such a formidable enemy?"
The young swordsman felt deeply aggrieved. "I didn't do anything out of line! I just did the usual things I always do. I don't know what happened that day; we were heading back to the manor as normal when that person suddenly struck and killed several of my men. Then I felt he wasn't all that impressive, so I chased after him..."
Listening along, the middle-aged man suddenly cut him off and began pressing for details, bit by bit. Finally, he said, "That person could kill nine guards in an instant, while you couldn't even sense the fluctuations of his Dao power, let alone know what magical implements or Dao arts he excels in! How could you possibly think he wasn't all that impressive? Isn't he far stronger than you?!"
The young swordsman said, "I don't know either. That's just how it felt at the time..."
"Could it be karmic destiny angling? Or perhaps some other divine ability?" At the thought of karmic destiny angling, the middle-aged man could no longer sit still. He said, "Take my token and find Master Mu Shang. Ask him to cleanse your origin soul!"
The young swordsman was startled. "It's that serious? Is it really necessary to seek out Master Mu Shang?"
The middle-aged man's face darkened. "For all we know, there is still a hook attached to you, and there's no telling what foolish things you might do next!"
The young swordsman's face went pale. Just then, the housekeeper walked in and said, "Master, someone outside wishes to see you, claiming to be from the Palace of Grand Beginning."
"Go to the back first." The middle-aged man had the young swordsman retreat into the rear hall before sitting upright. Before long, a female cultivator stepped inside, clad in dark red robes, with willow-leaf brows and fair skin, radiating a charm that came from within.
The female cultivator gave a salute and said, "This junior is Zhu Yuanjin of Haotian View from the Palace of Grand Beginning. Greetings, Elder Xu."
"This old man is Xu Zhiyuan, a mere rogue cultivator of a branch family. I am unworthy of the title of senior."
After exchanging pleasantries, both took their seats. Xu Zhiyuan said, "This is a ruined land bereft of spiritual vitality. May I ask why the Fairy has come here?"
"Earlier, several senior martial brothers ventured into Ningxi to explore, but all news of them ceased after their arrival. Thus, the Palace dispatched several of us to investigate what on earth occurred."
Xu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "Fairy Zhu came with several fellow disciples? Why haven't they entered as well?"
"They went their separate ways to pursue other clues. Because my master is an old acquaintance of Elder Xu Guanwen, I specially paid a visit to Elder Xu first, and Elder Guanwen instructed me to seek you out."
Xu Zhiyuan nodded. "Since the Sixth Elder commanded it, I shall naturally cooperate fully. Whatever Fairy Zhu requires, simply speak of it; anything within my power, I will see to it. You may also stay in my courtyard these few days—it is truly uncomfortable outside."
Zhu Yuanjin showed a look of delight. "That would be wonderful. These past few days, the dampness has made it feel as though water is dripping from my skin."
Xu Zhiyuan smiled faintly. "Rest assured. The guest rooms here are all laid with the Lesser Yang Balmy Breeze Formation. No matter the season, the rooms will never be cold or damp."
Zhu Yuanjin added, "By the way, I hear your esteemed son, Xu Jingfeng, is exceptional in both swordsmanship and Dao arts. I wonder if I might request him to accompany me these few days? I am unfamiliar with this land and its people, and happen to need an expert guide."
"That is rather unfortunate. My worthless son was injured by someone a few days ago, and the wounds are somewhat tricky. I have already sent him to an old friend to treat his injuries; he departed just yesterday."
"Sigh, what terrible timing. I had long heard that Senior Martial Brother Xu is a high cultivator of the Heaven Tier, with consummate mastery in the sword path and handsome bearing to boot. I had hoped to broaden my horizons!"
Seeing that this female cultivator was somewhat flirtatious, Xu Zhiyuan's mind stirred, and he said, "Actually, I have another junior in the clan who is also young and promising, and rather good-looking. How about having him accompany you for the next few days?"
Zhu Yuanjin beamed with joy. "Thank you for taking the trouble, Elder Xu!"
Meanwhile, Wei Yuan stood upon the ruins of the front hall of Lanshen Palace, looking down at a stone relief carved into the floor. The relief depicted an enormous white serpent coiled around several naked women, its flicking tongue gliding over their bodies.
"Whoa! That's so lewd—" Xu Wenwu blurted out, before remembering that Xu Wan'er was right beside him. He scrambled to salvage his words: "I mean, what fine art..."
Wei Yuan infused another jolt of Dao power into the rope, sealing Xu Wenwu's mouth once more.
Once quiet returned to his surroundings, Wei Yuan raised a finger and cast a Water Flow Technique, washing away the accumulated soil and rotting leaves from the ground and revealing the entire relief in full.
The giant serpent in the relief coiled around seven women in total. Each had a distinct bearing and charm, every one lifelike. The great serpent seemed almost ready to leap out from the carving; one snake eye was lascivious, the other tyrannical, each bearing a different expression.
At the sight of this picture, Wei Yuan's heart stirred. Among the storybooks at the Lie-Flat Inn, there had been one telling of a giant serpent that attained the Dao and assumed human form, turning into a scholar traveling to the imperial capital for the examinations. On the journey to the capital, the scholar successively met seven young ladies, each unique as spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums. His overnight stays with them featured all manner of different pleasures, each one impossible to part with.
Before departing the next morning, the scholar told each young lady that he loved only her, that he would surely return to take her as his wife upon passing the exams with high honors, and swore a vicious oath: if he broke his word, he would die in agonizing torment.
When the examination results were posted in the imperial city, the scholar failed to make the list.
It wasn't that the scholar intentionally wished to break his oath, but that the mortal examiners posed questions far too tricky. The giant serpent had only just assumed human form and had never witnessed mortal treachery, resulting in a total disaster of an exam paper. Since he hadn't passed, the oath naturally didn't count.
The giant serpent thus transformed back into the scholar, intending to tour scenic mountains and waters on his way home and retake the exam the following year, hoping to see whether he might encounter a few more different young ladies along the road. Not long after leaving the capital, the scholar spotted a grand manor. A maidservant smoothly and familiarly beckoned him inside, saying the young mistress was waiting in the rear courtyard to spend a night of spring passion.
The giant serpent knew this routine like the back of its hand and gleefully headed to the rear quarters—only to enter a hall decked out in celebration and find all seven young ladies seated together around a table. That night, steam rose in the room, boundless passion abounded, and all was joyful and harmonious.
Snake meat was extraordinarily nourishing; the seven young ladies ate until their pretty faces flushed red, and more than half the serpent still remained uneaten.
The story had a beginning but no proper ending. At first, Wei Yuan had merely treated it as light amusement, using it as a cover while he studied World's Madmen in his sea of consciousness. Yet he never expected to see a relief depicting that very story on the former grounds of Lanshen Palace—and on the floor of the front hall's main chamber, a position that could be called remarkably significant.
Lanshen Palace was, after all, a fourth-tier sect, only a hair's breadth away from being a third-tier blessed land. Its mountain grounds spanned a full hundred li around; it was no petty, insignificant house. Even though the sect had now fallen, there were still many human villages and towns in the surroundings, home to tens of thousands of residents. A sect of this caliber would naturally never be bored enough to expend such massive effort carving a popular storybook tale onto the floor of its front hall's main chamber. In all likelihood, the relief came first, and the storybook followed. Behind this relief, there was bound to be an important story of its own.
Chapter 109