Chapter 20

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong guarded themselves and cautiously moved forward. Before long, they found that the deeper they went, the deeper the water became, rising from their legs to their waists, then to their chests. They would have to dive if they went any further, so they had to stop.

Yue Fangxing said, "Senior Brother, we don't know how long this waterway is. I'll go and explore first!"

Linghuchong knew that although he was somewhat skilled in swimming, he was far inferior to his junior brother who often practiced swordsmanship in the water. Moreover, his internal skills were not high, and he could not hold his breath for long. He nodded and said, "Junior Brother, be careful. The underground currents are dark and damp all year round. Watch out for any evil creatures inside!"

Yue Fangxing replied, "Senior Brother, don't worry, I know that." He then held his breath and moved forward.

Although the water was an underground current, its momentum was still impressive. The turbulent currents made Yue Fangxing cautious. After about half an hour, he finally surfaced, with water in his nose and mouth. He was greatly relieved, wondering how the people in the ancient tomb managed to enter and exit. He thought they must have found it inconvenient and abandoned it.

However, Yue Fangxing was mistaken. Back in the day, Wang Chongyang built the stone tomb's underground warehouse next to a small stream on the mountain, diverting part of the stream into the tomb. The residents used the stream water for drinking and cooking, and for cleaning. The stream originated from a high mountain and flowed down. After use in the tomb, it would flow out and become clear again. To enter and exit through this path, one had to dive into the underground current and then reach the flat ground. After the stream flowed into the underground current, it merged with other streams, increasing the water volume and depth. Over the years, the terrain had changed, and the water level had risen, making the current more turbulent, which is why it took so long. In the past, although it was troublesome, it didn't take as long.

After leaving the water, Yue Fangxing continued to move forward, following the secret passage, turning east and west, and climbing higher. After nearly half an hour, he finally saw a stone door.

Yue Fangxing was overjoyed, thinking that behind the stone door must be the stone chamber where the Nine Yin Manual was inscribed. After ten days of hard work, he was finally about to achieve his goal.

However, it was already late, and breaking the mechanism would take time. Moreover, Linghuchong was still waiting outside, probably worried. Therefore, Yue Fangxing retraced his steps.

When he emerged from the water, he saw Linghuchong still waiting in the water, which moved him greatly. He said to Linghuchong, "Senior Brother, let's go out first! The underground water is cold." They then walked out together.

Outside, the sky was full of stars. They started a fire, took off their wet clothes, and used their internal skills to drive out the cold from their bodies. Yue Fangxing then described the situation in the cave to Linghuchong and said, "I believe that is the hidden door of the ancient tomb. Tomorrow, we'll go to the town to buy some candles and make a leather bag. We'll go in together and take a look."

Linghuchong was also very excited, "Junior Brother, do you mean we're really going to find the relics of Zhenyang?"

Yue Fangxing nodded, "Of course. There's only one stone door left, and it's not as thick as the Dragon-Breaking Stone. We can chop it open with our swords."

After more than half a month of hard work, they finally had a definite chance, and both were extremely excited. They couldn't sleep, so they went down the mountain and found an inn to rest.

The next morning, Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong had a hearty meal and went to the market early to buy some leather, ropes, candles, and other items. They found a tailor to make a large leather bag. Yue Fangxing also prepared some tools for making rubbings, saying they would be used to copy the text and images.

They returned to the cave entrance, wrapped the candles and flint in oil paper, and moved forward. Yue Fangxing dived first, with Linghuchong following behind, taking breaths from the leather bag when necessary. Although they swallowed a lot of water, they passed through safely.

When they reached the stone door, Yue Fangxing lit a candle and said to Linghuchong, "There must be a mechanism to open this door. Let's look carefully."

Linghuchong nodded, and they started to search for the mechanism. Although they knew little about mechanisms, the area was small, making it easier than finding the entrance on Zhongnan Mountain. They carefully examined any unusual spots and tried different methods to open the door, and finally, they succeeded.

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong were both overjoyed. After more than half a month of hard work, they had finally found the place. They cautiously entered the stone chamber after confirming it was safe.

Inside the stone chamber, they saw a pile of rocks with traces of steps underneath. Yue Fangxing guessed that the ancient tomb residents had sealed this passage when they left to prevent others from entering. He was startled and quickly looked up, fearing that the text on the ceiling had been erased. However, what he saw made him lose his composure.

Linghuchong was disappointed when he saw the blocked passage, thinking they had come so far only to be blocked again. He was about to discuss how to open it with Yue Fangxing when he saw Yue Fangxing looking up. He also looked up and saw several sword marks, which looked like they were made by a heavy weapon, still deeply embedded in the stone wall. He continued to look to the right and saw the ceiling covered with dense characters and symbols, some of which had fallen off. He read aloud, "Nine Yin Manual," the legendary martial arts book that had been renowned in the martial world for hundreds of years, the main goal of Yue Fangxing's journey.

Although Linghuchong didn't know this, he felt the profound wisdom in it and was deeply moved. He had practiced martial arts for over ten years and was a well-known young expert in the martial world. He thought he had broad knowledge, but now he discovered many principles he had never seen before, even things his master had never mentioned. He became engrossed in it.

Linghuchong read for a while and became deeply immersed. Various martial arts knowledge swirled in his mind, and many of his previous doubts were resolved. However, he also had more questions, and his mind became chaotic. Soon, he felt a headache, and his internal energy seemed to follow his thoughts.

At this moment, Linghuchong felt a powerful aura around him, which made him slightly more alert. He realized his internal condition and quickly calmed his mind and regulated his energy. He knew his skills and knowledge were insufficient, and he had fallen into a mental trap. He decided not to read further and started to memorize the text, thinking he would ask his master to explain it later.

Linghuchong had a good memory, and although the Nine Yin Manual was profound and some characters had fallen off, he memorized it in three or four attempts. He worried about missing anything and read it two more times, feeling confident that he had remembered it all.

Suddenly, he heard a sound, as if someone was drawing a sword. He was startled, quickly grabbed his sword, and looked back, then relaxed. He saw Yue Fangxing swinging his long sword, using Huashan Sword Technique, as if he were fighting someone, using defensive moves, and looking very tense.

Linghuchong was puzzled and looked up again, seeing the same sword marks. He was surprised that his junior brother could feel such great pressure from those simple marks, wondering what he had understood. He focused on observing, trying to find the key.

Yue Fangxing's sword technique became slower, as if there was a heavy pressure on the sword, making it difficult to swing. The connection between the moves became less smooth. Gradually, basic sword techniques like thrusting, slashing, and slicing became more frequent, and some moves were only half-completed, but they felt more refined. With the internal energy flowing, the momentum became stronger.

Linghuchong felt this momentum and was both surprised and ashamed. He was surprised by Yue Fangxing's high skills and ashamed that he, as the senior brother, was inferior. He had been motivated when Yue Fangxing's internal skills surpassed his two years ago, but he had not taken it seriously after a while. Although he had noticed Yue Fangxing's improvement recently, he had never felt it so directly. Now, seeing Yue Fangxing use his full power, he realized that his skills were almost on par with their master's wife, Ning Zhongze, though not as pure and deep. He felt deeply ashamed, thinking that he had practiced for longer but had fallen behind so much. He decided to work harder in the future.

While he was thinking, Linghuchong heard a few collisions. Yue Fangxing had slowly regained his momentum and started to defend and attack. The stone chamber was small, so some of his moves hit the walls. Yue Fangxing used a heavy sword with simple moves, and the impact on the walls left marks, and some parts were even broken.

Linghuchong was alarmed, fearing that Yue Fangxing would hit the ceiling. He had only memorized the clear parts of the text on the ceiling, and some blurry parts could still be identified by careful examination. If they were destroyed, it would be a loss. He quickly started to make rubbings.

Linghuchong saw that Yue Fangxing was still in a defensive position and unlikely to hit the ceiling, but he couldn't be sure for long. He started to make rubbings from the left side, carefully and cautiously. He was also on guard, fearing that Yue Fangxing might suddenly leap and strike. He thought, "I must make him pay for a few good jars of wine."

After carefully making rubbings on the left side, Linghuchong breathed a sigh of relief. Worried about any further accidents, he quickly moved to the right side. This time, it went smoothly, and he also made a rubbing of a diagram in the corner.

After organizing his work, Linghuchong watched Yue Fangxing's sword technique again. He saw that Yue Fangxing's moves were simpler, just basic horizontal and vertical strikes, and they seemed familiar. Could they be the same as the sword marks on the ceiling?

While he was thinking, he saw Yue Fangxing suddenly strike a powerful blow at the ceiling.

This move, although simple, was recognized by Linghuchong as a new Huashan Sword Technique move that his master had recently compiled, called "Purple Qi from the East" (originally "Unmatched, Ning's One Sword" in the original book, now named "Purple Qi from the East" by Yue Buqun). It was extremely powerful and represented the essence of Huashan's ability to control the sword with internal energy. Although Linghuchong knew it, his skills were not sufficient, and he had never used it in combat. He was surprised to see Yue Fangxing use it here. The move was executed with great skill, showing that he had grasped the essence.

As the heavy sword struck the ceiling, the entire stone chamber shook, and the ceiling where the sword hit immediately cracked, with cracks appearing in other parts of the chamber, as if it were about to collapse. The chamber had been built hundreds of years ago and had not been maintained for a long time, making it unstable. Such a powerful strike caused it to collapse.

Linghuchong, seeing this, did not have time to be shocked. He quickly pulled the dazed Yue Fangxing and ran out along the path they had come.

They used their lightness skills to run, and when they reached the water, they heard a loud "boom" as the stone chamber collapsed. The entire secret passage shook, and rocks fell. They did not dare to look back, dived into the water, and swam forward.

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