Chapter 72. Moon and Saturday (1)

That evening.

Yonghuacheng headed for the annex.

A request had come in to use the library.

‘They’re not giving me a moment’s rest.’

Yonghuacheng sighed involuntarily.

It had been a hectic day, leaving him utterly exhausted, yet the Sky Gong Sect and the Great Prince seemed overly active.

Upon arriving at the annex, the Great Prince was already there, having finished getting ready and waiting in the courtyard.

“Can we go now?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

Just as Yonghuacheng was about to move, a voice whispered in his ear unexpectedly.

- Don’t show any reaction, just listen.

‘Jin Jixian?’

Caught off guard by the whisper, Yonghuacheng almost turned his head but managed to hold back. He maintained his composure and continued walking, though puzzled.

‘Don’t show any reaction?’

The whisper continued.

- I have something urgent to tell you. After you’ve guided the Great Prince to the library, return immediately. Keep it a secret from the Sect Leader. Under no circumstances should he suspect anything. Be especially careful not to be discovered.

Yonghuacheng's heart raced.

‘What’s going on now?’

A secret whisper to the Great Prince of the Heavenly Library. More shockingly, the animosity towards the Great Prince in Jin Jixian’s voice.

‘Why is Jin Jixian wary of the Great Prince?’

It had been a busy day, but it seemed it wasn’t over yet.

Yonghuacheng worried that his rapid heartbeat might be heard by the Great Prince.

Was the strong bond between the Great Prince and the Sky Gong Sect just an illusion?

Yonghuacheng glanced at the Great Prince out of the corner of his eye.

The Great Prince looked calm.

But the memory of Jin Jixian’s whisper made the Great Prince’s usual demeanor seem strange and eerie.

They soon arrived at the library.

Yonghuacheng briefly explained the rules and asked,

“Great Prince, will you be staying for long?”

“I need to sleep, so I plan to leave around midnight.”

A straightforward answer came back.

Yonghuacheng nodded, still tense despite recognizing the light-hearted tone.

“I hope you find inspiration.”

“Ha ha, thank you. But, Sect Leader...”

The Great Prince trailed off, and Yonghuacheng looked up.

A strange smile spread across the Great Prince’s face.

“You don’t look well. You seem a bit stiff. Are you alright?”

“Me? Ha ha, no, I’m fine. I’ve just had a lot to do today, so I must look tired.”

Yonghuacheng forced a laugh.

“Is that so? Did you hear something or are you hiding something from me?”

“Is there something I should have heard or hidden?”

Yonghuacheng asked, tilting his head, and the Great Prince stared at him.

A cold, expressionless gaze.

The gaze lingered.

Just that, yet,

Yonghuacheng felt his body stiffen and a wave of unease, making him want to look away.

But it was only for a moment,

The Great Prince smiled.

“Never mind. I’ll go in now.”

As the Great Prince entered the library, Yonghuacheng felt his legs go weak, almost collapsing.

He felt like a frog.

Like facing a snake...

He had been caught in a spell before, but today was different. Just a cold stare, yet the chill was indescribable. His nerves were on edge.

‘Damn...’

Why?

He felt small in front of the Great Prince.

It wasn’t like this when they first met, but the more they interacted, the more the Great Prince seemed to grow. It was as if he was facing an adult, and when their eyes met, he felt dissected.

It seemed like everything was known,

And he felt he couldn’t hide anything.

But what was important now was,

The animosity Jin Jixian showed towards the Great Prince.

Yonghuacheng looked at the library for a moment, then used his light step to head back to the annex.

Upon arriving, the atmosphere in the Sky Gong Sect was different from previous days. The usual carefree attitude was gone, and everyone was waiting with serious expressions.

“What’s happening?”

“Inside.”

Yonghuacheng entered, feeling disoriented, and sat down with the Sky Gong Sect.

Jin Jixian spoke first.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. The Great Prince of the Heavenly Library is a dangerous person.”

“Huh?”

“He has already deciphered the documents.”

“What... What do you mean?”

Yonghuacheng’s eyes widened.

It was hard to calm his shaking pupils.

‘This can’t be true.’

Shock and fear overwhelmed him.

It had only been three days.

The fact that he had deciphered the documents in just three days was astonishing, but more alarming was that the Great Prince had kept it a secret, sending shivers down his spine.

And the Sky Gong Sect had discovered this and was telling him.

‘What have I been observing for these three days?’

It meant that, without his knowledge, the Great Prince and the Sky Gong Sect had been engaged in a hidden struggle.

“The Great Prince is pretending not to have deciphered it, but he couldn’t fool us. Why do you think he suddenly went to the library?”

“You don’t mean...”

Yonghuacheng swallowed hard.

Jin Jixian nodded.

“You’re right. The treasure the Medicine King Sect Master spoke of is in the library.”

“Wow!”

Yonghuacheng couldn’t close his mouth.

The coded document referred to a ‘treasure’.

And the fact that the Sky Gong Sect knew the source of the code was his father confirmed that the document had been deciphered.

“Why did we suddenly hunt the wild boar and cause a commotion?”

“To deceive the Great Prince.”

“Yes, we had to appear careless.”

The situation was moving too quickly. Yonghuacheng’s head was spinning, making it hard to process everything. The events of the day hadn’t even settled in his mind when everything was turned upside down.

The Great Prince of the Heavenly Library was trying to monopolize the treasure,

And the Sky Gong Sect was trying to stop him.

This was a situation he had never imagined.

“Then what should we do now?”

“We will ambush the Great Prince the moment he leaves the library. The Medicine King Sect should also prepare. We don’t know what form the treasure takes, but he will surely find it.”

The title had changed to ‘bastard’.

“What is the Great Prince’s martial arts level?”

“Hmm...”

Jin Jixian let out a heavy sigh.

“He is a terrifying person. He is hiding his true strength. But if we all work together, we can subdue him.”

“Is he that strong?”

Yonghuacheng felt his breath catch.

He had already experienced it and suspected it wouldn’t be ordinary. But to be able to face the entire Sky Gong Sect was truly astonishing.

“Sect Leader, don’t worry.”

“Justice always prevails.”

The comforting words came from the Wu Shan Twin Heroes.

Yonghuacheng looked at the ferocious-looking Wu Shan Twin Heroes, feeling disoriented.

It was unusual for them to speak without their usual ‘hehe’ and strangely reassuring to hear them talk about justice.

A thought suddenly came to Yonghuacheng, and he asked,

“Was the intention to protect the Nanhua Academy’s Mo Gongzi...”

The Wu Shan Twin Heroes nodded.

“From the Medicine King Sect’s perspective, they might have misunderstood and detained him. As expected, the Medicine King Sect pursued him. Mo Gongzi is just a simpleton who knows nothing.”

“Oh...”

Yonghuacheng felt anxious.

He needed to report to his brother and come up with a plan.

At that moment, Yin Yang Kai spoke.

“Is there surveillance in the library?”

“Of course. The second floor can only be accessed through the life gate of the formation, and two people are stationed beyond the formation. They can’t be detected from the first floor.”

“That’s good enough.”

Yonghuacheng stood up.

“The Great Prince said he would leave around midnight, so I’ll prepare and return before then.”

Yonghuacheng left the annex immediately.

As Yonghuacheng quickly disappeared, Jin Jixian turned to the Sky Gong Sect and burst into laughter.

“Ha ha, don’t I look convincing!”

“It was really convincing!”

Xiao Tian Kai gave a thumbs up, and Jin Jixian stroked his beard, looking pleased.

Then, the Anti-Demon Trio spoke.

“Seeing Sect Leader run like a madman, it seems to have worked, but I feel uneasy.”

“Why? If it worked, isn’t that enough?”

Miao Bing Bing asked.

The Anti-Demon Trio scowled.

“It’s not that. It’s not about ignoring our leader... Honestly, saying he can face all of us, no one would believe that. It’s like nonsense, and you should doubt it. It’s like he’s just spouting nonsense, really.”

Wu Shan Twin Heroes frowned.

“Now that you mention it, it is a bit annoying.”

“He’s really impolite!”

“Sect Leader is an idiot!”

Xiao Tian Kai chimed in.

Yin Yang Kai chuckled.

“Sect Leader was busy and distracted today. Normally, he wouldn’t have fallen for it. But as long as he believes our trick, that’s all that matters.”

This situation was already planned.

Just a performance.

The initial name was ‘trick,’ but it became ‘stunt’ as it was repeatedly mentioned.

The initial proposer was Jin Jixian.

The idea was to lift the gloomy mood of the Medicine King Sect. Finding and handing over the treasure was too boring, so he suggested making a big scene.

Hou Gong looked at it as a pointless effort but agreed, thinking it might be fun, leading to today’s execution.

Of course, this also increased Hou Gong’s workload.

To fit the stunt, he had to give Yonghuacheng a strange smile before entering the library.

“Let’s practice!”

The Sky Gong Sect immediately started a rehearsal.

The practice was simple.

Surround the library with the Medicine King Sect and, when the Sect Leader comes out, the Sky Gong Sect greets him.

The Medicine King Sect, preparing for a fierce battle, would be surprised, and then the situation would be explained with a hearty laugh.

“Now, the Sect Leader is coming out of the library. One, two, three!”

As Jin Jixian finished speaking, the Sky Gong Sect raised their voices.

“Brother, you’ve worked hard!”

“Sect Leader, well done!”

“Boss, we’ve been waiting!”

“Brother, where’s the treasure~.”

“Brother~.”

Various shouts.

And the greetings were different.

Some made a fist salute, some knelt on one knee, and Xiao Tian Kai waved his hand.

This led to a new dispute.

“Why are you all doing different things! This is a mess. If we can’t even do this one thing together, what’s the point!”

Miao Bing Bing was irritated.

The Anti-Demon Trio countered.

“We didn’t plan it in advance! Why are you angry!”

“I need to prepare for a snack, but you’re making me angry! How can I not be angry!”

“That’s true.”

“Let’s finish the practice and roast a wild boar.”

“Let’s do it!”

Just as the Sky Gong Sect was regaining its energy,

“Everyone, shh!”

Jin Jixian warned and looked towards the forest.

The Anti-Demon Trio and Wu Shan Twin Heroes, who had been frowning, narrowed their eyes as they sensed something.

There were sounds coming from the forest.

Four people.

They were quickly approaching the annex.

A moment later, four figures emerged from the forest.

They stopped, unable to approach further, and looked at the Sky Gong Sect from a distance.

Xiao Tian Kai waved and laughed.

“Brothers, did you hear about the wild boar?”

“Hey, what are you doing there? You should come and greet us.”

“Come over quickly.”

The Sky Gong Sect welcomed Tai Mi and the triplets.