Chapter 95

Baimu chuckled and said, "Most of the orphans on Yunqing Mountain were taken in due to wars and plagues. I am no exception. My sect leader told me that my father was originally a second-rank official in the Dongzhou court. He was arrested for forming a faction and engaging in private business, and the whole family was imprisoned. It just so happened that my sect leader passed by and asked the emperor for a favor, taking my sister and me away. My sister went to the Wucai Nunnery in Haizhou, and I came to Yunqing Sect." Haizhou is an island at the southern end of Nanzhou, forming its own region, not very large, but quite close to the mainland.

Lin Fan was curious, "Have you ever thought about revenge?"

Baimu shook his head, "When my father was young, he was a fair and upright official, benefiting the people and earning their deep respect. Later, due to his outstanding achievements, he was transferred to the capital, where he began to form factions and engage in private business. As an imperial censor, he spoke for party struggles and became extravagant in his middle age. I am his seventh son from a concubine... Lin Fan, do we really have to discuss my background now? Aren't you in a hurry to find the Ten-Petal Nine-Sun Flower?"

Lin Fan shook his head, "It's not possible today, and it definitely won't be possible tomorrow. I have thousands of sewing needles, but I can't sense them at all."

"Good to know," the voice of San San Zhenren echoed.

Lin Fan turned around and saw San San Zhenren standing ten paces away. Lin Fan knew why San San Zhenren was there; this guy was worried about cheating. Baimu was surprised, thinking that San San Zhenren must have been inside the array when he set it up, but he couldn't sense him.

"Follow me," San San Zhenren turned and walked away.

Baimu followed, and together with Lin Fan, they returned to the top of the mountain at Zhengyi Sect.

The three sat down at a stone table on the mountaintop. San San Zhenren took out a leather bag from his Qiankun bag. Inside the leather bag were three needles. One of them was finer than a sewing needle, made of an unknown material, appearing and disappearing intermittently. San San Zhenren introduced, "It is called Wu Ying, coming and going without a trace. It can pierce through the enemy's qi, enter the body, and even break through the dantian, extremely venomous."

San San Zhenren pointed to the second needle, which was about the size of a sewing needle but had a different shape. The body was round, with flat protrusions on both sides, like wings on the needle. San San Zhenren said, "It is called Ji Feng. In the blink of an eye, it can travel several miles, arriving before the sound does."

The third needle was about the size of a quilting needle, looking quite ordinary. San San Zhenren picked it up with a serious expression, "It is called a quilting needle, which can be used to sew quilts. You can buy ten for a copper coin."

"Tsk!" Lin Fan disdainfully scoffed.

"Alright, I'll throw that needle away," San San Zhenren, rarely ignoring Lin Fan's disdain, said, "It is called Mie Bing. It is extremely sharp, capable of piercing through ordinary spiritual weapons and turning them into ordinary iron... I know you have many questions, but listen to me first."

San San Zhenren said, "Your father was a hermit, known as Dongyan Zhenren."

Baimu immediately said, "Dongyan Zhenren was originally a disciple of Penglai. Later, he fell in love with a woman and was expelled from the sect. He lived on the small island of Dongyan, a thousand miles from Penglai, for only a year, according to records."

"Then what?" Lin Fan asked.

Baimu shrugged, "That's it."

The two looked at San San Zhenren, who thought for a moment and said, "I had some interactions with your father. His self-brewed wine was quite good, and I often went to Penglai to freeload. One day, he sent me a flying sword message asking me to go to Dongyan Island. When I arrived, I found you, who was one year old."

"Wait, where was my mother?" Lin Fan asked, wondering about the missing link.

"Your mother is none of my business," San San Zhenren ignored Lin Fan's angry gaze and continued, "Penglai has six virtues and four lives. Your father had excellent innate talent and bone structure, and his cultivation was quite high. However, his private relationship with a woman severely damaged the Penglai Heart Method, causing his cultivation to decline instead of advancing. I knew a few years ago that he would face the Lesser Transcendence Tribulation, which he would likely not survive. He was a carefree person, understanding the situation, and was quite open-minded. This time, he sent the flying sword message to entrust you to me. I'm not a babysitter, so I entrusted you to your grandparents. They raised you until you were nine, and then, according to the agreement, you came to the sect. I conveniently took you in."

San San Zhenren said, "This Tian Mang Heart Method and the three needles were given to me by your father. He spent several years in seclusion at Penglai but still couldn't practice it. Have you heard of the four famous experts who went to find the edge of the sea? None of them returned. Your father's grandmaster was one of them. After setting sail, he would send a letter every five days."

Baimu nodded, "According to the literature, after they set sail together, they encountered a thousand-mile-long storm and a ten-thousand-year-old dragon. They also encountered a whirlpool as large as the Central Continent. Due to the whirlpool's suction, they had to abandon the Seven Treasures Ship made by the Mohist School and fly on their swords. The last letter was sent by a high expert from Leishan, saying they had encountered a fairy mountain shrouded in mist. Because of this, many people believed they had found immortals and achieved enlightenment, so they set sail to find this fairy mountain. Others believed that there couldn't be so many beasts near immortals, so it couldn't be a fairy mountain."

San San Zhenren nodded, "The bookworms of Qingyuan Sect know a lot. The three needles were sent back by your father's grandmaster just before they encountered the fairy mountain. This time, there was no letter, only these three needles. The needles were brought back by your father's grandmaster's flying sword, Duanhuo Sword, which was his only treasure sword. The previous flying sword messages were sent using ordinary Penglai swords, which, though not common, were quite ordinary. Duanhuo Sword was your grandmaster's powerful weapon for protection and attack, and it is still in Penglai, unowned."

Baimu thought for a moment, "So, either your grandmaster suddenly ascended or knew he couldn't survive. These three needles must belong to someone else. Since they are unowned, it means the person is dead. A bold guess would be that the four experts entered the fairy mountain, were attacked, and killed one or more of the attackers. In a desperate situation, your father's grandmaster sent the flying sword message to Penglai. The situation was too tense to write a letter, and these three needles might be the weapons of the people who harmed them."

"Who knows," San San Zhenren said, "These three needles are unowned. Your father's master studied them for many years. Although he couldn't refine them, he understood some methods, which is the Tian Mang Heart Method you saw. He also had some knowledge of the three needles, naming them Wu Ying, Ji Feng, and Mie Bing. The three needles were passed to your father, who, with the help of his master's insights, had a chance to refine them. However, he fell in love with a woman and was expelled from the sect. Your father lived on Dongyan Island for a year, and I visited once. I didn't see anyone else, and he didn't have the heart to refine the needles during that year. When I took you away, I got the needles, but Mie Bing was already lost. I asked how it was lost, and your father was very calm, saying it was fine to lose it, no need to worry about how it was lost."

San San Zhenren threw the leather bag, "Take care of your things. Try to refine them when you have time. I doubt you can refine them before reaching the Yuan Ying stage."

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends