Chapter 122: A Late-Night Visit
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Yang Xing gently closed Wu Dali’s eyes, then searched both men from head to toe.
Yuan Feizhang had more than three hundred taels of silver, a bottle of Four Extremes Pills, and a bottle of healing pills. Other than that, he carried nothing else.
Wu Dali, however, had more than seven thousand taels of silver, three gold leaves, four bottles of Four Extremes Pills, two martial arts manuals, and a letter.
The two manuals had been copied from the martial arts texts in the Scripture Repository and were not particularly valuable.
Yang Xing picked up the letter and glanced over it. It had been sent by Wu Dali’s family. Thanks to Wu Dali’s influence, the family’s fortunes had been steadily improving. At the end of the letter, they asked when he would be coming home for a visit.
“It seems these are Senior Brother Wu’s savings from all these years.”
Yang Xing stared at the silver in his hands, sinking into thought.
It appeared that there were definitely falsified accounts at Reclining Ox Ridge, and they were likely connected in countless ways to the transport teams, the Pill Hall, and other parties.
“If I dispose of these two bodies and pretend nothing happened, then once the matter is exposed, I’ll naturally become the scapegoat.”
Yang Xing shook his head. If he acted as though nothing had happened, he would certainly remain safe in the short term, but that was no long-term solution.
“Then what if I report this to the sect...?”
Yang Xing analyzed the situation. “Yuan Feizhang and Wu Dali were able to transport such valuable medicinal supplies down the mountain without restraint. There must be something complicated behind them. Now that both of them are dead and unable to testify, if the people behind them turn the blame on me, I’ll have no way to defend myself.”
He knew nothing about the forces behind Yuan Feizhang. If he acted rashly, he might instead bring disaster upon himself.
“I’ll go to my master!”
Yang Xing tightened his grip on the silver notes, his eyes narrowing into slits.
With that, he loaded the bodies of Yuan Feizhang and Wu Dali onto the carriage, then drove toward the Black Tortoise Courtyard.
...
The Black Tortoise Courtyard was shrouded in darkness. Only the faint chirping of insects could be heard.
Knock, knock!
Yang Xing arrived at the entrance and raised his hand to knock.
Before long, a woman in her thirties, still possessing considerable charm, poked her head out. When she saw Yang Xing, her expression relaxed slightly.
“What do you want?”
The woman was responsible for Huang Zhen’s daily needs, including his meals and personal care. Few people in the Black Tortoise Courtyard knew her real name. Everyone simply called her Aunt Mei.
Yang Xing clasped his fists. “Aunt Mei, I have an important matter to report to my master.”
“An important matter?”
Aunt Mei nodded slightly. “I’ll go inform him.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Aunt Mei turned and walked into the inner courtyard while Yang Xing waited patiently outside.
Before long, Aunt Mei returned.
“The lineage master says it’s already late and he wants to rest. If you have something important to report, come back tomorrow.”
Yang Xing frowned. “Rest?”
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What if something happened by tomorrow?
“Come back tomorrow morning.” Aunt Mei finished speaking and prepared to close the gate.
“Wait.”
Yang Xing hurriedly said, “Aunt Mei, I truly have something important to report.”
As he spoke, he took out five thousand taels’ worth of silver notes and held them out to her.
Aunt Mei glanced at them, accepted them without changing expression, and smiled. “Then I’ll go ask him again.”
With that, she entered the rear courtyard once more.
Yang Xing nodded, his brows tightly knit.
He began silently calculating what he should do next if Huang Zhen refused to see him.
No matter how he considered it, there was danger involved. Yuan Feizhang had died, and the people behind him would certainly learn of it tonight. If they took action, things would become troublesome.
Fortunately, Aunt Mei soon came back out with good news.
“The lineage master will see you.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Yang Xing breathed a sigh of relief, then followed quickly behind Aunt Mei toward the inner courtyard.
Before long, they passed through a shadowy corridor and arrived before a room.
“The lineage master is inside,” Aunt Mei said.
Yang Xing drew a deep breath. “Your disciple Yang Xing pays his respects to Master.”
Huang Zhen’s aged voice came from within the room.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
Yang Xing pushed open the door. Incense drifted gently through the room. Huang Zhen sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, draped in a blue robe and possessing an almost otherworldly bearing.
Huang Zhen spoke indifferently. “Tell me. Why have you come to see me so late at night?”
Yang Xing did not hesitate. He immediately recounted how he had been transferred to Reclining Ox Ridge and everything that had happened afterward.
Huang Zhen’s aged face remained utterly expressionless. Instead, he asked, “Yuan Feizhang died at your hands?”
Yang Xing nodded. “This disciple was fortunate enough to defeat him by a single move.”
“Not bad.”
Huang Zhen nodded, a trace of approval appearing in his eyes.
Although Yuan Feizhang had lived in comfort in recent years and lost much of his former sharpness, he was still a master of the Elixir Force realm.
Yang Xing had only recently entered the Elixir Force realm, yet he had managed to defeat Yuan Feizhang. That alone was enough to demonstrate his strength.
As for Wu Dali’s death, Huang Zhen did not seem particularly concerned. He did not even mention it.
Huang Zhen continued, “Even if Yuan Feizhang had the courage of a bear and a leopard, he would never have dared to embezzle those valuable medicinal supplies on his own. There must be someone behind him. Now that Yuan Feizhang is dead, it means this matter has already been exposed. They will certainly try to suppress it, and their first priority will be to take your life.”
Yang Xing knew Huang Zhen was not exaggerating. This was precisely what worried him. In a solemn voice, he asked, “Master, then what should I do now...?”
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Huang Zhen said, “Leave the two bodies here. You may take the medicinal supplies back with you. Do not mention this matter to anyone else. Leave the rest to me.”
“This disciple understands.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xing felt relieved.
Since Huang Zhen had said this, the matter should no longer pose any serious danger.
It seemed he had unquestionably made the right decision by coming to Huang Zhen.
“Once you return, remember to keep your mouth shut.”
Huang Zhen waved his hand. “If there is nothing else, go back.”
“Yes!”
Yang Xing clasped his fists and turned toward the door.
“Wait!”
Huang Zhen called out to him.
Yang Xing turned around. “Master, is there something else?”
Huang Zhen spoke in a distant voice. “Focus on cultivating the Black Tortoise Scripture. After all, trying to chew more than you can swallow will only lead to failure.”
Yang Xing’s heart jolted at those words.
Although he had used the Breath Concealment Art, Huang Zhen had still seen through the fact that he was cultivating the Azure Dragon Scripture.
Yang Xing composed himself and said, “This disciple will remember your teachings.”
“Go.”
Huang Zhen waved his hand.
“Yes!”
Yang Xing left the room, climbed onto the carriage, and drove toward Floating Cloud Mountain.
Inside the Black Tortoise Courtyard, Aunt Mei watched him depart and asked softly, “Lineage master, this Yang Xing...?”
She knew that Huang Zhen rarely offered guidance to his disciples. He had even left Lu Shaoyou entirely to his own devices.
“He is a clever young man.”
Huang Zhen looked at the silver notes in his hand. “And despite possessing only mediocre natural aptitude, he has managed to reach the Elixir Force realm. His luck is quite good as well. It’s just that he is too ambitious and tries to master more than he can handle.”
Everyone wanted to learn from Xi Yanzheng, but how many Xi Yanzhengs had there ever been?
...
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