Chapter 29

Chapter 28. The Huashan Sect has obtained a treasure. (3)

"Jang Min!"

"Jang Min! Open your eyes and look!"

Xianzhong was startled awake.

'A dream?'

As he sat up, the chest was still right in front of him. Fortunately, it wasn't a dream.

"Yu Jian!"

"Yes, Jang Min!"

"Call the disciples. Move this chest to my quarters immediately! And have the Yunzi guards secure the area around my quarters!"

"Yes, Jang Min!"

"No, no! I'll move it myself! Right now!"

Xianzhong took a deep breath to calm his excitement.

Nothing was certain yet. To accurately assess the situation, he needed to call the head of the Rejing Pavilion to verify if the items were genuine.

But.

'How could they not be genuine?'

If these items weren't genuine, why were they buried on Lianhua Peak, and with such a vast amount of treasure?

'No, no! No! Still, everything must be certain.'

Hope and anxiety were conflicting within him. Had his heart been so agitated in the past few decades?

"Yu Jian!"

"Yes, Jang Min."

"Guard me. We'll go down the mountain with the items!"

"Understood!"

As Xianzhong stood up, Qingming's figure came into view.

"Qingming!"

"Yes, Jang Min."

"You've worked hard. We'll talk about the details later!"

"Yes."

Qingming stepped back without a word, and Xianzhong quickly lifted the chest. He then gave Qingming one last instruction.

"Take the children to Baimei Hall."

"Understood."

"Let's go!"

Xianzhong then used his lightness skill to start descending the mountain, with Yu Jian hurriedly following behind. The children left on Lianhua Peak watched the scene in a daze.

"What's going on here?"

"…Indeed?"

Amid the confused children, Qingming smiled with satisfaction.

'For now, this much should be enough.'

The treasures and secret manuals in the chest were only a part of what was inside the secret cave.

Why only a part?

Because they weren't Huashan's, but Qingming's… No, that's not it!

'You can get indigestion from eating too quickly.'

If you feed a fatty meat soup to someone who is starving, their body can't handle it. As evidence, even this much is enough to make Jang Min gasp for breath, isn't it?

Giving too much isn't always good.

In Qingming's judgment, Huashan currently lacks the ability to handle the items from the secret cave. Asking a critically ill patient to run immediately is unreasonable. They need to start with baby steps.

Of course, from their perspective, it's not just baby steps.

At that moment, Yunzhong approached Qingming and spoke cautiously.

"Junior Brother."

"Uh-huh?"

"Since the Sect Leader said to go down, shouldn't we return to Baimei Hall?"

Qingming nodded.

"Yes, we should."

"But why do you look so disheveled?"

"Ugh. A few things happened."

Qingming waved his hand.

'Would you understand even if I told you?'

Due to the use of innate qi, his condition was deteriorating rapidly.

'I should have used a bit less.'

It was unavoidable. In the past, his sense of qi was nearly perfect, but now it wasn't at that level. And his current body is different from his past body in many ways.

Using innate qi for the first time with a new body and only using it to the right extent? If that were possible, he would have been called a martial god, not a sword sage.

"You look like you're about to die."

"I'm not dying."

"Really?"

"…Would you be happy if I died?"

Yunzhong turned his gaze away without answering.

Huh?

Shutting up? Did you really think I should die? This kid's eyes are suspicious.

"Don't get your hopes up, I'm not dying."

"What hopes? Hmph."

Qingming clicked his tongue.

'I really need to rest for a couple of months.'

Innate qi doesn't recover easily. Even with careful rest, it takes two months to return to normal. Otherwise, he should take some elixirs.

"But how did you find that just now? The Sect Leader seemed surprised, so it doesn't seem like an ordinary item."

"Living a good life means the Heavenly Ancestor will look after you. So, live a good life."

"…"

If Qingming were to receive such good fortune, others would have already ascended. But no one could bring themselves to say it.

Qingming glanced down at Jang Min, who was running down Lianhua Peak.

'If I've given this much, he should be able to handle it.'

He's not a fool.

"Let's go down."

"Sure. But… where are you going?"

"Why?"

"To go down, shouldn't we go this way?"

Yunzhong pointed down.

"Why are you asking such an obvious question?"

"But why are you going up?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Qingming clicked his tongue in disappointment and looked at Yunzhong.

"Senior Brother."

"…Uh?"

"To become a master, you need to be flexible in your thinking. Don't assume there's only one way down. Going down from the peak is also one of many options."

'What nonsense, you crazy guy!'

"Let's go. The Sect Leader is the Sect Leader, and we have our own tasks. The ten who finish last today won't get any food. Run!"

Before Yunzhong could voice his complaints, his feet started running towards the peak. The other children, in shock, also ran towards the peak.

'That devilish kid!'

'What about the ghosts? They didn't take him!'

Qingming, watching the children run towards Lianhua Peak, smiled and turned his head.

"I've given the first gift."

What should I prepare next?

There are still many items left from the secret cave. The treasures in the chest are only a fraction of what was in the cave.

Qingming glanced at the sky. It seemed like Jang Min was looking at him with a twisted face.

"Hey. Do you think I would keep it all to myself?"

Moderately. Moderately. Huh? Moderately.

"Hehe."

Qingming smiled and followed the children up the mountain.

* * *

"It's genuine."

Xianzhong felt his heart drop. It was the expected answer, and he had already anticipated it, but the shock didn't lessen at all.

Xianzhong couldn't hide his trembling and asked again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. The ledger is definitely genuine, and we have the certificates that were under the treasures. Sect Leader!"

"Phew! Phew!"

He knew he should say something, but no words came out. He could only make a sound like the wind escaping.

"How, how could this be…"

"It's done! It's done! Sect Leader!"

"Phew… Phew, phew, phew."

Despite trying to hold back, laughter kept escaping.

The world is unpredictable, but to think that such precious items could be discovered at this time?

If they had been discovered a week later?

He didn't even want to think about it.

'The Heavenly Ancestor is looking after us.'

No, not the Heavenly Ancestor. It must be the ancestors of Huashan, watching over them from the Immortal Realm, who helped him.

They're not that different.

Xianzhong closed his eyes tightly. He couldn't hide his intense emotions.

"Can the contents of the ledger be verified?"

"They are official certificates from the government. Of course, they can be verified! We can reclaim the Taihua Pavilion and other Huayin business premises immediately."

"Good. It's really good."

It's a miracle.

A week from now, Huashan would have been homeless. But with these certificates and the ledger, not only can Huashan protect its halls, but it can also reclaim all the Huayin business premises.

It's a huge windfall.

The head of the Rejing Pavilion, Xian Yong, laughed heartily.

"Even if these were all fakes, we've already overcome the immediate crisis. The treasures in the chest are worth at least 100,000 taels. We can pay off all the debts they demanded and still have some left over."

"Fortunately. Truly fortunate."

"With this money, we can solve Huashan's financial problems in one go. And if we can seize their business entities, we won't have to worry about money in the future."

Every word sounded good. To Xianzhong, the voice sounded like the jade-like tones of a celestial beauty.

"That's not all."

The head of the Wujue Pavilion, Xian Shang, smiled gently.

"The Seven Plum Sword technique also seems to be genuine. We need to study it further, but so far there are no significant errors. It also has the unique speed (快) and transformation (换) characteristics of Huashan martial arts, as well as the heroic spirit (浩然之气)."

"Oh."

"Moreover, the discovery of the Falling Flower Sword technique is also encouraging. While the Falling Flower Sword is not as refined as the Seven Plum Sword, it can perfectly fill the gap before learning the Seven Plum Sword. It will serve as an intermediate step between the True Six-Union Sword and the Seven Plum Sword."

"Is, is that so?"

"Additionally, the Bamboo Leaf Hand, Dark Fragrance Drift, and Seven Star Step also seem to be genuine."

His mind was a mess.

Xianzhong consciously reduced his speech. If he talked too much, he might show his poor side.

"The discovery of the Seven Star Step, which had been lost, is an incredible gain. The Seven Star Step is the fundamental stepping technique for all Huashan martial arts. If we teach it to the children, they can advance to a higher level without disrupting their current martial arts training."

"Wouldn't it be the same for us?"

"Of course, Senior Brother."

"Truly, Huashan has received a great blessing. A great blessing."

At that moment, Xian Shang, who had been observing the Sect Leader, opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it.

Xianzhong didn't miss the sign.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no. Just a concern."

"About the martial arts?"

"Absolutely not. These martial arts are genuine. I can guarantee it with my life."

"Then it's fortunate."

As the Sect Leader nodded, Xian Shang also smiled to smooth over the situation.

"You said the third-generation disciple found this?"

"Yes. A child named Qingming who recently joined the mountain."

"A reward should be given."

"Indeed. A reward should be given. Thanks to this child, Huashan…"

"That's not the point, Sect Leader."

The head of the Rejing Pavilion, Xian Yong, interrupted Xianzhong.

"He's a child who has only recently joined the mountain. How much loyalty to Huashan could he have?"

"…That's true."

"Even if he didn't recognize the value of the ledger and martial arts, he couldn't have missed the value of the treasures. If I were in his place, I would have run away with the items without looking back. Or I would have hidden them."

A slightly crude statement. It showed how excited Xian Yong was. But the statement was true.

"I see. I didn't think that far."

"Remarkable. Truly remarkable. Even someone who has decided to dedicate their life to Huashan could be swayed by such treasures. If I had seen these treasures, would I have been able to report them to the Sect Leader immediately?"

"I'll remember that."

"…Sect Leader?"

Xian Yong's face showed confusion. Seeing this, Xianzhong burst out laughing.

"I see. Remarkable. Yes, Huashan has received a great blessing."

Xianzhong smiled contentedly.

Although it was a series of coincidences, thanks to Qingming, they were able to discover this chest. Bringing in one more child turned out to save Huashan.

"Xian Yong."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"Is it true that the ledger is genuine?"

"I can stake my life on it."

"I see. Then there are people we need to call."

A heavy aura emanated from Xianzhong's eyes.

It was time to punish those who had wronged Huashan.

"Call all those involved to Huashan."

The Sect Leader of Huashan, Xianzhong, straightened his shoulders.