Chapter 6: Leaving a Name on Mount Emei (2)

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

This set of night clothes was something his deceased master had spent a fortune on, made from high-molecular nanomaterials, stretchable, and completely non-reflective in the dark. It could fit perfectly against the skin, was breathable, and provided insulation, as well as being waterproof and fireproof. It also had the ability to block infrared rays, among other functions. The only drawback was that it was too tight, almost outlining every muscle, making certain prominent parts particularly noticeable. Since achieving mastery in the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*, Xiao Li's physique seemed to have grown even more. To be safe, Li She brought along a Type 54 Black Star pistol and a dagger.

Despite his master's perverse tastes, Li She had no choice but to comply. He put on a black mask and a night vision device, then followed the pre-scouted route to stealthily approach Mount Emei.

After mastering the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*, Li She's stealth skills had become even more remarkable. While he couldn't walk without leaving footprints, he could land without a sound.

In about half an hour, Li She climbed the winding mountain path to the mountain waist. Looking up, he saw a large gatehouse inscribed with the three grand characters "Emei Sect," standing majestically.

Li She, like a leopard, silently climbed onto a nearby large pine tree. The night vision device he carried was the most advanced American military equipment, capable of thermal infrared imaging in addition to night vision.

Through the night vision device, Li She saw several pairs of patrolling Emei disciples. After observing for a while, Li She noticed that these Emei disciples patrolled in pairs, one carrying a lantern and the other a gong, with a sword in hand, patrolling back and forth. They changed shifts every two hours.

Li She crouched on the tree, waiting quietly. Checking his watch, it was already the hour of Chou. When the next shift of Emei disciples came out to change, Li She, like a cat, leaped down from the tree and silently followed them.

"Senior Brother, do you think our master and the others have already confronted the Demon Sect?" the Emei disciple holding the lantern asked.

"Our master and Senior Sister have been gone for over a month. I think the six major sects have probably gathered by now. Hmph, this time, with the six major sects of the Central Plains martial world united, we will definitely eliminate the great evil of the Demon Sect and restore a clear and bright world," the disciple holding the gong said proudly.

"Alas, it's a pity we can't follow our master to personally slay the demons of the Demon Sect. What a regret," the Emei disciple holding the lantern sighed.

The two chatted intermittently, completely unaware that Li She was stealthily approaching from behind. When they reached a rock formation, Li She suddenly attacked, using the One Yang Finger technique to strike both of their backs simultaneously. Two streams of scorching Nine Yang true qi shot out from his fingers, piercing their backs.

Even a solid rock wall could be penetrated to a depth of twenty centimeters by the One Yang Finger, let alone human flesh. The two were instantly pierced through by the scorching Nine Yang true qi. Li She took a step forward and, using the point techniques from the *One Yang Finger*, struck their mute points and acupoints, preventing them from making any sound. He then caught the gong from the other disciple.

Dragging the two to a corner, he drew his dagger and pressed it against one of them, whispering, "Where is Abbess Miejue's bedroom? Tell me honestly, or I'll take your life."

The cold blade reminded the Emei disciple that his life was in the hands of the other. From the way he was silently subdued, he knew his meager skills were no match for the other.

The principles of the righteous sects were insignificant in the face of life and death. For these inexperienced disciples left behind by Abbess Miejue, life was more important.

The other disciple tried to signal with his eyes, gritting his teeth, as if cursing the other not to betray the sect.

Li She didn't waste words, and with a swift cut, he slit the throat of the protesting disciple. Hot blood spurted from the carotid artery, splashing the face of the conflicted disciple. A life was thus silently extinguished, and the harsh reality reminded the disciple that if he didn't speak, his fate would be the same.

Li She showed no mercy, and everything was observed by the spirit of the artifact. The spirit, which Li She thought was in hibernation, had actually been secretly watching him. After all, Li She was the only one in thousands of years to activate the Divine Thief Token. If he were to die, it might be a long time before another could be found.

"Not bad, decisive and ruthless. Sigh, I hope you can fulfill the master's wish!" the spirit said.

After releasing the acupoints, the disciple spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube. After finishing, Li She slit his throat. The other's eyes widened in disbelief. He had already told everything, so why did Li She still take his life?

Li She ignored him and stealthily headed toward Abbess Miejue's meditation room. Calculating the time, he had about half an hour before the next shift. If the next patrol didn't find anyone to relieve them, they would definitely come out to search. He didn't want to face a hundred or so Emei disciples in pursuit.

Following the winding path, Li She arrived at Abbess Miejue's meditation room. A small, secluded courtyard, with green pines and cypresses, birds singing and flowers fragrant, the night breeze carrying the scent of lotus flowers. A fully wooden meditation room was hidden among artificial hills, pavilions, and streams, giving a sense of tranquility. A plaque hung at the entrance, and in the moonlight, the three characters "Yangqi Hall" were faintly visible. Though simple, it exuded a subtle luxury. It wasn't easy to create an artificial lake and plant lotus flowers on Mount Emei, indicating that despite the three generations of succession, the Emei Sect was still wealthy.

Li She sneered. Abbess Miejue's temper was notoriously fiery, like a woman in menopause with irregular periods. He directly entered the spotless meditation room, where the ancestral tablets of the Emei Sect and a portrait of the founder, Guo Xiang, were placed in the center. The furniture was made of luxurious golden-threaded nanmu, and the walls on both sides were inscribed with large characters "Dao" and "Chan." A bed and some simple furnishings made up Abbess Miejue's room.

Buddhist scriptures were placed by the bed, indicating the identity of the owner. Li She, wearing the night vision device, searched the room. After a long search, he found no trace of any martial arts manuals. He was frustrated, "Damn! Could they be hidden in a secret compartment?" He suddenly remembered that in martial arts movies and novels, major sects always had storage rooms and "secret compartments."

Thinking of this, Li She began tapping the walls. After a while, he found that the walls were solid, with no secret compartments. He scratched his head, wondering how a 21st-century master thief, who could open any electronic lock or safe, could fail to find a secret compartment in an era without gunpowder. If his deceased master knew, he would surely laugh to death. Just then, he noticed that the portrait of Guo Xiang on the wall seemed to protrude slightly. He immediately moved the portrait and tapped the wall, hearing a hollow sound in the center.

According to the principles of ancient mechanisms, if the secret compartment was in the wall, the switch must be nearby. Li She searched the altar and found that the candle holder on the right was connected to the table. With a forceful pull, there was a "click," and the secret compartment in the center of the wall opened.

Inside were some books, likely the martial arts manuals of the Emei Sect. Without checking, he packed them into his backpack. To leave a mark, he carved "Divine Thief Li" on the wall with his dagger.

"Ha ha, Abbess Miejue will never see these three characters. But the future sect leader, Zhou Zhiruo, can appreciate my calligraphy," Li She laughed. According to the plot of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, Abbess Miejue would die in the Wan'an Temple, and Zhou Zhiruo would be the next occupant of this room.

Following the winding path, Li She fled. At the mountain gate, he climbed a tall pine tree and, like a monkey, swung from tree to tree, leaving no footprints to avoid being tracked by the Emei disciples.

From the time he killed the disciples to entering and leaving Abbess Miejue's meditation room, it took him about an hour. By the time the next shift of Emei disciples noticed no one to relieve them, Li She had already returned to the inn. He first went to Room 2 of the Heavenly Character building, hid his backpack on the eaves of the inn's roof, then changed into the appearance of a martial hero and went to the stable, leading out his horse and riding away.

Li She's sudden departure naturally woke the innkeeper and the servants, but after seeing his fierce appearance, they wisely chose not to interfere.

After a ten-minute gallop, Li She, riding madly, pulled out his dagger and stabbed the horse's buttock. The horse, in pain, let out a mournful neigh and galloped wildly. Li She leaped, grabbing a tree branch and jumping off the horse. Like a monkey, he leaped from tree to tree, and as he approached the town, he could see a string of torches from Mount Emei chasing down the mountain. Li She leaped from the treetops to a nearby roof, and with a few agile jumps, returned to the inn and his Room 2 of the Heavenly Character building. After changing his appearance and using the unique bone-shrinking technique from the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*, his height shrank from over 1.8 meters to 1.6 meters. He fixed his hair, changed into underwear, and lay on the bed, pretending to sleep.

Shortly after, all the Emei disciples, led by two core figures, rushed down the mountain.

"Quick, quick, quick, some disciples follow Brother Chen to chase the thief outside the town, and the rest search the town to see if there's anyone suspicious," a disciple in his thirties commanded.

Over four hundred Emei disciples, who had been left to guard the sect, poured out. Not only had two patrolling disciples been killed at their own mountain gate, but the secret compartment in Abbess Miejue's meditation room had also been opened. This was unacceptable. Although they didn't know what was in the secret compartment, it couldn't be something ordinary if the thief risked so much to steal it.