Chapter 96

The man seemed to head deeper without noticing their gazes, and finally reached a place where no one's gaze could reach, deep underground. He unlocked the complex lock, which only he knew, and entered. There, standing alone, was an old cabinet with burn marks all over it.

The man, who had been moving without hesitation until now, hesitated for a moment in front of the cabinet before roughly opening its door. On the shelves inside were only two items: a long, thin metal box and a round plate with densely inscribed characters.

The man pushed the round plate aside and opened the metal box. His hand trembled slightly.

"This is here again..."

Inside the box was only a thin, cylindrical ash, as if incense had been burned and left there. When the man pressed the ash with his fingertips, it scattered into a mist.

"Hahaha..."

The man let out a laugh. His laughter echoed through the underground space.

The man stared at the ash on his fingertips for a long time. Then, he finally tilted his head back and burst into a wild laugh.

"Hahaha, I'm back, I'm back! I have returned!"

The loud voice reverberated through the inner chamber. The ash in the metal box trembled, and at the same moment, the man threw the box to the ground.

Clang!

The ash, which had barely maintained its shape, crumbled into powder, and the metal box rolled on the floor. The man stomped on the box, and at the same time, a crack appeared on the floor, and the box was crushed.

"Haha, h, hahaha! Foolish Tianhualun! You must have thought the world was all yours! You must have thought you had defeated me!"

The man's wild laughter shook the space.

"Hahaha! Thanks to you, I have returned! You must have burned me to destroy me, but you never imagined that I would have burned the Rejuvenation Incense with me!"

The man's voice echoed and reverberated, and when it left the space, it was only felt as a vibration that instilled fear.

Those who were paying attention to the movements of the master of the manor all bowed in unison, even though the man was no longer there.

The sound of splashing blood echoed from several pools.

After laughing for a long time, the man turned his eyes to the round plate that was lying next to the metal box.

"The Zhen Shen Zhen, it really was a treasure of the main sect..."

At that moment, the needle in the center of the plate began to spin fiercely and pointed east.

The man's eyes, which had been staring at the plate, glinted with madness. He picked up the plate and left the underground space, leaving the door open.

Outside, in the sunlight, he looked at his forearm.

The part that had rotted had improved somewhat, but it still had wounds and emitted an unpleasant smell.

"Light more incense! And..."

People gathered around him. The man said,

"We need to send someone east. There is something that needs to be found. Something very precious."

In the heart of the Central Plains, the fishy smell of Dongting Lake mixed in from a distance. The man continued to laugh.

* * *

"I am the head of the inner hall, so I will stay and take care of the manor."

Wei Zhiqing smiled gently. Dan Muxianyao had a somewhat uncomfortable expression but said nothing.

This was the meeting to decide who would attend the upcoming Jinghang Martial Arts Alliance and who would stay to take care of the manor.

Dan Muxianqi, who had been in seclusion for a long time, was finally going to visit his old friend at the Nangong Manor, and it was decided that the children and the head of the outer hall would go.

"Since there are many children, it would be good if the head of the outer hall and the deputy head of the outer hall could go together to take care of them."

At this, Dan Muxianwu's face, which had been tense, turned slightly pale.

"Um, wouldn't it be better if the head of the inner hall went? Lian will be going, so I will stay and take care of Bia."

Dan Bi, who had been crying and making a fuss to follow her sister, was left behind because she was too young.

Wei Zhiqing smiled.

"The purpose of the Jinghang Martial Arts Alliance is to strengthen the ties between the manors and help the younger generation improve their martial arts. The deputy head of the outer hall hasn't been since he was very young, so he should attend this time."

Because of the significant age difference between Dan Muxiancheng and Dan Muxianwu, the latter sometimes felt like Wei Zhiqing's eldest son.

Dan Muxianyao, who had agreed without hesitation, sighed inwardly as she glared at her younger brother.

She was about to say something, but Wei Zhiqing shook his head and smiled.

"Deputy head Shi and Duanmu Hanshao will also stay, so there's no need to worry."

This time, Dan Muxianyao's husband, Shi Banan, had become the deputy head of the outer hall and was enjoying his work.

"Also, three of the disciples are going, but there are seven left, so we need to take care of them. Although Yucheng is a good teacher, he isn't skilled at taking meticulous care of children."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Thus, the members who would go to Nan Zhi Li Cheng were decided.

On the morning of the departure, the manor people gathered and headed to the Tianfei Palace in Hangzhou.

It was usually a place to pray for a safe journey before a long sea voyage, but since the eldest grandson and the grand patriarch were both recovering from illness, they decided to visit before leaving.

"Do you want to stay in the carriage?"

Lian placed Hualun, who had a somewhat stiff face, in the carriage and checked on him.

Hualun had been stiff-faced since they started preparing for the Jinghang Martial Arts Alliance.

Thinking he might not want to go to the Nangong Manor, she offered to let him stay behind, but he refused, so she brought him along, though his expression remained heavy.

"Are you feeling seasick?"

"No... No, I'm fine."

"Then rest in the carriage. I'll be back soon..."

"No, no, I want to go with you."

"Are you scared to be alone?"

Hualun made a bewildered expression and then closed his mouth.

It wasn't quite spring yet, and a cold wind blew through the open door. Hualun picked up the new fur coat he had made.

It was difficult to make such a fine coat, but fortunately, his nanny's brother was skilled, and he could get help from him.

Hualun jumped out of the carriage and held out his hand to Lian. Although Lian could get out on her own, she didn't refuse and took his hand.

"I'm not cold at all, so do you want to wear it? Winter is almost over."

"What are you talking about? It's still winter, even if it's early spring."

Despite her grumbling, her lips were urging Lian to put on the fur coat.

Hualun held the end of the fur coat and stood close to Lian.

Lian thought that even though Hualun was trying to act mature, it was understandable that he would be scared in a new place, and she suppressed a smile.

Lian glanced up at her grandfather, who looked a bit bewildered, standing next to her at the entrance of the Tianfei Palace.

'Grandfather actually believes in such superstitions.'

The temple dedicated to the ancient goddess Mazu, who blesses maritime safety, was bustling with people. When they saw Dan Muxianqi's face, everyone held their breath.

Half of them were silent because of the fierce scar on his face, and the other half because they recognized him as the grand patriarch of the Duanmu Manor.

"Why do you have that expression?"

"I didn't expect to come to a place like this."

"Why? Did you find it strange that this old man believes in superstitions?"

"..."

Xianjing thought that this was something that even Dan Muxianqi might have.

"When you reach my age, you'll understand the heart of an old man."

As Dan Muxianqi whispered, the manor people entered the Tianfei Palace, and the Taoist priests and disciples rushed out to greet them.

"These are 'Qinglian Shui' made by our eldest grandson, and this is the newly made 'Baiyao Qing.' We also brought some grains and oil lamps."

As Dan Muxianyao explained the offerings, the Taoist disciples looked at the jars with evident joy.

Qinglian Shui was a legendary item associated with the top scholar of the imperial examination, and Baiyao Qing was a valuable medicine!

Only the Taoist priest managing the temple greeted them without excessive excitement.

"Oh, you didn't have to bring all this... Please come inside."

The inner hall, where the statue of Mazu was located, was much quieter than the outside.

One of the Taoist disciples handed them incense, and Dan Muxianqi burned the end of the incense and distributed it to his followers without any special tools.

"Wow!"

"Sanmei Zhenhuo...!"

The people surrounding them gasped in amazement.