The Murmuring Stream

Yaoguan City, Zaomei Manor. Dawn drew near, though the sky remained dim. Many had not slept a wink through the night. Within the manor, the candles had already been replaced once, wax pooling in thick heaps. Nearly a hundred figures gathered in the front courtyard, surrounding the silver, bisected corpse that had just been brought back. Fully half of those present were martial cultivators of the Jiuli Clan's younger generation. Tempered by long experience, they felt no fear toward the dead; instead, they clucked their tongues in marvel. "This is Xue Zheng!" "Even before Xue Zheng transformed into a Pure Immortal Physique, he was ranked fourth in the Seven Springs Hall." "Over the past few days, the Xue Clan and the Sui Sect have been building up momentum everywhere, claiming Xue Zheng would definitely break through the nine springs ancestral field. A nine-spring Pure Immortal Physique is exceedingly rare in any province, fully qualified to be the Inheritor of a ten-million estate. They clearly intended to groom him to rival our Jiuli Clan." "If an elder or someone of the Wuhai Realm was behind this foul play, this matter will blow up! The Xue Clan and the Sui Sect will never let it rest!" ... Cang Li crouched down, his fingers gently tracing the clean cut where the sword had severed the corpse, feeling it with his martial intent. In his mind, two figures took shape, conjuring a faint vision of Li Weiyi unleashing that final sword strike, as though Cang Li had witnessed it with his own eyes. A look of disbelief surfaced in his deep eyes. Standing up, he said, "It was done by his sword! Moreover, what he used was none other than the Heavenly Dao Dharma Convergence he mastered. The aura is identical to the one left where Yao Zhengsheng's skull was cleaved open." The glow from the Yintang spirit realm between Li Ling's brows flickered like starlight. "It was his aura all along; I could sense it. I told you he couldn't possibly fear Xue Zheng, but you all refused to believe me." The surrounding young cultivators of the Jiuli Clan found it incredible, murmuring in astonishment. "Could he have broken through to the Wuhai Realm?" Li Qing'er asked. Cang Li shook his head. "When the same sword technique is executed in the Wuhai Realm and the Yongquan Realm, the resonance and aura are completely different. Had he already reached the Wuhai Realm, this sword strike would have been far more domineering." Li Songlin's face was grim. "Then there is only one explanation. Weiyi has broken through to the nine springs ancestral sea. He is a Perfected Person." Boom! The words detonated like thunder in everyone's hearts. A nine-spring Perfected Person was even rarer than a Pure Immortal Physique. Openly in Lizhou, they were scarcer still; even million-strong clans that ruled like local tyrants often needed a decade, or even several, to cultivate a single nine-spring Perfected Person. The expression on Li Qing'er's face froze. Recalling everything from the previous day, she found it impossible to connect that seemingly destitute, quiet figure with a nine-spring Perfected Person. How dazzling was a nine-spring Perfected Person? In any power, such a youth would be raised as a flagship figure and a prime seed for first chief. "A brilliant Perfected Person not even twenty years old, driven away by a bunch of petty schemers! No wonder our Jiuli Clan has fallen into decline—we brought it upon ourselves!" Li Songlin vented the stifling fury in his chest. Where could they possibly find and bring back a successor endowed with such rare character and talent? ... Day broke, and the morning light began to seep through the sky. Four figures hurried along a mountain path. Shi Liuyu was as gaunt as firewood, his normal-sized robes hanging loosely on his frame. He said to Shi Jiuzhai, who walked beside him, "Ninth Brother, I heard some news yesterday. The patriarch of the Cangling Tribe's direct lineage opened an otherworld coffin at Zaomei Manor and revealed something extraordinary." "What was it?" Shi Jiuzhai, as covetous of treasure and coin as a starving ghost reborn, was instantly intrigued. Shi Liuyu said, "The coffin wasn't opened... look at you, impatient again. Hear me out. That otherworld coffin is said to have come from Kunlun. Just the coffin itself is comparable to a thousand-year refined herb. Not a single stalk of refined herb, but a jin of coffin for a jin of thousand-year refined herb." Shi Jiuzhai's pupils contracted sharply. Catching his breath, he halted immediately. "Is the news reliable? Hmm... you didn't take a fancy to Li Songgu's wife, did you, trying to dupe me into risking my neck while you pursue your own pleasures? I heard Li Songgu's wife possesses a Pure Immortal Physique, looks youthful and exquisite, and has quite a unique charm." "Bah! Bah... We're brothers! Why would I swindle you? What happened at the unsealing yesterday has already spread through Yaoguan City. Ask anyone at random and you can verify it," Shi Liuyu said. Shi Jiuzhai's breathing grew rapid, his longing genuinely hard to rein in. He turned to Li Weiyi. "You were at Zaomei Manor yesterday. You must know all about the otherworld coffin, right?" Thoughts raced through Li Weiyi's mind, and he realized in an instant whom Li Songgu was fishing for. Who else could it be but Dharma King Jiuzhai, infamous for valuing wealth over life? Yet he was also worried that Shi Liuyu was scheming something illicit. It was well known that Dharma King Liuyu was thoroughly obsessed with lust, bearing a foul reputation across the southern lands where practically everyone wanted his head. Li Weiyi said, "The matter of the otherworld coffin is true; there is nothing more to say about it. But I must advise Dharma King Liuyu: you had best not touch the people of Zaomei Manor. Otherwise, even if I obtain the intelligence on the Jiuli Hidden Gate, I will never hand it over to you." "You can barely protect yourself, yet you dare threaten me?" Shi Liuyu bared his teeth in a cold sneer, stirring his magic power as he rolled up his sleeves, intending to teach Li Weiyi a lesson. Shi Shi intercepted him. "Sixth Brother, he's just worried you'll touch his sweetheart. Who could endure that? He'd definitely fight you to the death. Why don't you make a move on Yang Qingxi instead? Didn't you say long ago that you wanted to make her stream murmur? I've been waiting to watch!" "Get lost! How old are you? Don't pick up bad habits from that flirt Qiqing. What murmuring stream? I never said such a thing." Seeing no fear in Li Weiyi's eyes, only cold resolve, Shi Liuyu withdrew his magic power and said placatingly, "Rest easy. There is honor even among thieves; I, Shi Liuyu, would never target my own people. If I did, I would have faced mutiny and died long ago. As long as you serve us wholeheartedly, not only will your sweetheart be kept safe and sound, but even if you want that sweetheart..." Shi Jiuzhai knew he was about to spout more foul, filterless nonsense that might ruin their plans, so he gave a dry cough. Shi Liuyu narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "Even if you want to test the murmuring stream, the flowing stream, and the sweet waters with your own hands, we can arrange that for you, too." "I seek only peace of mind, nothing else," Li Weiyi said. Knowing that Li Songgu was aware three Dharma Kings of the Earth Wolf King's Army had come to Lizhou and still dared to cast his bait, he must have made thorough preparations. Li Weiyi's worries eased slightly. Shi Liuyu produced three bean-sized pills and handed them over. "The Six Desires Rune inside you will flare once every month. Each time it erupts, you can swallow one pill to suppress it. Therefore, you have at most four months for this trip to the Jiuli Hidden Gate. "I heard you have a grudge against Yang Qingxi. If you finish the task within the first month, I will arrange for her stream to murmur for you." "And if he finishes it in the second month?" Shi Shi asked with keen interest, his eyes bright. Shi Liuyu said, "Then he'll have to get in line behind me and be Yang Qingxi's second man." "What about the third month?" Shi Shi pressed. Shi Liuyu said, "Then he can only be Yang Qingxi's third man." "And the fourth month?" Shi Shi asked. Shi Liuyu grinned. "There are four of us here. What do you think? Would your Sixth Brother treat you poorly?" "Forget it, forget it. I'm more interested in food and drink," Shi Shi said, shaking his head repeatedly. Shi Liuyu said, "That works too. When the time comes, I'll let you eat and drink your fill." How could Li Weiyi believe the pie Shi Liuyu was painting? Nor did he have any interest in it. His heart was filled with worry. After pocketing the three pills, he asked, "If four months pass and I am still unable to leave the Hidden Gate, the pills are gone, and the Six Desires Rune erupts, what will happen to me?" "When the six desires flare, you will need six women every day to suppress the fire of desire. Frightened now, aren't you?" Shi Liuyu said. Li Weiyi visibly sighed in relief. "I thought I would drop dead on the spot." "Look, the young truly have no sense of how dire things are." Shi Liuyu pointed at himself. "Back then, I was even fatter than Tenth Brother. I was tortured by the Six Desires Rune for only two months, and the damage to my body could never be restored." Shi Liuyu clapped Li Weiyi on the shoulder. "You'd best finish the task within four months. Then go to the Passion Flower Pleasure Boat in the underground nether market of Jiuli City and find a woman named Bai Shu. She will bring you to me." Shi Liuyu resumed leading the way. Shi Shi suddenly realized something and gasped. "Sixth Brother, during those two months, didn't you go through several hundred women? Heavens!" A smirk tugged at the corner of Shi Jiuzhai's mouth, as if speaking deliberately for Li Weiyi's ears: "Your Sixth Brother failed the mission assigned by the Heavenly King, which was why he suffered the punishment of the Six Desires Rune. For those two months, he was locked in the wolf den." "Ninth Brother, shut your mouth!" Shi Liuyu looked ready to murder Shi Jiuzhai. Not only were his eyes and hair green, but his face had turned the color of withered greens. It was the first time Shi Shi had heard such an explosive secret. With lingering dread, he said, "Weiyi, the Earth Wolf King's Army is never stingy with rewards for those of merit, but its punishment for those who fail is exceptionally cruel." At that moment, Li Weiyi felt a genuine chill run down his spine, gripped by a sudden panic over the rune's lingering terror. ... A mysterious, black-robed elder surnamed Li sat inside the compartment of a carriage, watching the four figures approach. His gaze swept over Shi Liuyu, Shi Jiuzhai, and Shi Shi in turn. His voice was hoarse, disguising his true tone. "You should have trusted this old man just as Mount Coffin did. Arranging for someone else to enter will only increase the risk of raising the Hidden Gate's suspicions." "No need to worry. This boy has excellent relations with your Jiuli Clan; the Hidden Gate will never suspect him," Shi Jiuzhai said with a smile. "Since you insist, this old man can only take him along." The mysterious black-robed elder added, "However, each year the nine tribes send at least one youth, and in the end, only one survives. If he dies at the hands of Li Qing in the Hidden Gate, that is merely the rule of the Hidden Gate." Shi Liuyu chuckled sinisterly. "If he dies inside the Hidden Gate, we will have nothing to say. However... I have planted a Six Desires Rune in him. The moment he dies, I will sense a subtle shift on my end. If he dies on the way to the Hidden Gate, then we will have a great deal to say." "Still questioning this old man! With the Earth Wolf King's Army distrusting its allies so deeply, I fear you will never amount to anything grand," the mysterious black-robed elder said. Shi Jiuzhai did not care in the slightest. He looked toward Li Weiyi. "Go on! Rest assured, this senior is one of the nine tribal chiefs of the Jiuli Clan. He will safely deliver you to the Hidden Gate's reception grounds." The exchange between them stirred monstrous waves in Li Weiyi's heart, leaving him utterly unsettled. How was Mount Coffin involved in this? Hadn't the Earth Wolf King's Army previously framed Mount Coffin? And why was a figure of chief status colluding with the barbarians? What was their aim in probing the Hidden Gate? What kind of terrifying tempest lurked behind all of this? He dared not think too deeply; the more he pondered, the more uneasy he felt. He worried not only for the safety of the Cangling Tribe, but even more for Zhao Meng, Cai Yutong, and the others cultivating at the Cangli Clan Academy. Li Weiyi composed himself as best he could and walked toward the carriage, quietly observing the mysterious elder within. Yet the carriage compartment was like a black hole, devouring all light and heat. He could see only a dark, aged silhouette. Moreover, when he looked over, that silhouette unleashed a terrifying might. Li Weiyi's mind shuddered violently, and he nearly tumbled to the ground. This old man was far more terrifying than Shi Jiuzhai or Li Songlin, indisputably among the very pinnacle of figures in Lizhou. With a cold sneer, the mysterious black-robed elder tossed a black cloth bag out of the carriage. "Board the carriage behind this one and pull the telekinesis cloth bag over your head. It will seal off all your senses. This is the rule of the Hidden Gate!" Li Weiyi made his way to the rear carriage and climbed aboard. Inside sat a tall, lean figure clad in black, head completely covered by a black cloth bag, spine ramrod-straight. This had to be that nine-spring Perfected Person, Li Qing! Li Weiyi sat down in the carriage, studying the figure closely, committing Li Qing's build and aura to memory. An urgent voice called from the front carriage: "Put it on already!" Daring not disobey, he pulled the cloth bag over his head. Swish! Spiritual light flickered along the lower hem of the black cloth bag, and it cinched tight in an instant. Panic fluttered in Li Weiyi as his entire world fell into silence. He could hear no sound, see no light, smell no scent, sensing only the carriage frame moving beneath him. Fortunately, the cloth bag was breathable enough. Having no interest in the route to the Hidden Gate, he refrained from any rash actions and simply lay down in the carriage to sleep. In any case, Coffin Master knew where the Hidden Gate was and would certainly know how to enter and leave. Besides, his life was not in his own hands right now. Worrying was pointless; he might as well use this chance to rest and conserve his energy. Sitting in the front carriage, the mysterious elder surnamed Li sensed Li Weiyi falling asleep in the rear carriage. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Three Dharma Kings of the Earth Wolf King's Army mobilized together, only to bring along such a person? A bunch of unruly outlaws after all—they will never amount to anything." ... Li Weiyi was truly exhausted. He had been worn to the bone lately, having originally hoped to get a good night's rest in Yaoguan City. Instead, one crisis had followed another. Not only had he missed out on sleep, but he had fought a fierce battle, leaving him even more drained. Covered by the black cloth bag, he slept deeply and soundly, as though trying to make up for a whole month of lost rest. He even dreamed of returning to Earth, playing baseball with his classmates and friends. The baseball bat was long and smooth, yet someone kept trying to snatch it away. Fortunately, his grip was firm and his strength sufficient; no one could wrest it from his hands. When he woke, he felt an uncomfortable pressure against his chest. In a daze, his hands swiftly probed and squeezed, feeling the texture and material, only to discover that it was an exceptionally slender leg. That final squeeze reached the base of the other person's inner thigh, his thumb brushing lightly against the lower abdomen. It was not Li Qing. Because there wasn't...