Coffin

The Lu Clan of Tianmu Mountain truly deserved its name as a Renowned Great Sect. The three of them barged into Taoyuan openly and without restraint, leaving the Zhou Clan members looking at one another in dismay, none daring to stop them.

But Second Young Master Lu also knew that his time inside Taoyuan would certainly be limited. The Zhou Clan would surely find a way to obstruct them again, perhaps even notify the Qingyu Sect and have them intervene. Thus, he urged Liu Xiaolou, "Quick, where did you bury the chest?"

Liu Xiaolou frowned. "The Form Snatching Art..."

Steward Zhang took out a jade talisman and poured True Essence into it. The jade talisman released a faint, almost imperceptible current of magic power that enveloped an area roughly a zhang wide, and the sensation of a thorn pressing against his back immediately vanished.

"Good stuff. What treasure is that?" Liu Xiaolou stared at the jade talisman.

Steward Zhang rebuked him, "Don't ask nonsense questions. Lead the way!"

Liu Xiaolou said no more and led them toward the ravine between Wulei Mountain and Wangyue Mountain. As they passed beneath Wulei Mountain, they saw an enormous black shadow standing atop the peak, occasionally turning to look around in all directions.

That black shadow had to be at least three zhang tall!

Liu Xiaolou jumped in fright, ducking beneath a nearby tree as he pointed at the black shadow.

Steward Zhang said in a low voice, "The Qingyu Sect's Divine Strike Technique—the Mountain God Manifestation. Stay alert... go that way..."

The three of them cautiously detoured for some distance, advancing through a blind spot beyond the mountain god's sight and heading deep into the valley. After traveling for a long while, they arrived before a pile of jagged rocks deep within the dense forest.

If Lord Xingde and Lady Zhou Qi really were hiding in the Taoyuan Mountain Range, this was the hiding place Liu Xiaolou could think of.

If they were not here, then...

Liu Xiaolou turned back to look at Second Young Master Lu and Steward Zhang, who were glancing about in all directions, then pointed at a stone beneath his feet.

"Buried here?"

Second Young Master Lu rushed forward and was about to move the stone when Steward Zhang stopped him.

"Move the stone aside," Steward Zhang ordered Liu Xiaolou. At the same time, he pulled Second Young Master Lu behind him and retreated three steps at an angle.

Liu Xiaolou smiled and shook his head. He moved the stone aside, revealing a hole beneath it, and said, "Second Young Master Lu, I've brought you all the way here, and you still can't trust me, Liu Xiaolou? That truly chills the heart. The chest is below. How about I go down first?"

Steward Zhang barked in a low voice, "Keep your voice down!"

Liu Xiaolou hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, we mustn't let the Zhou Clan or Qingyu Sect people hear us. It's all my fault. Shall I go down first, then?"

Steward Zhang and Second Young Master Lu exchanged a glance. Second Young Master Lu nodded, and Steward Zhang drew his sword with lightning speed, pressing its tip against Liu Xiaolou's throat. "Don't move..."

Liu Xiaolou did not dare move. Steward Zhang had drawn his sword so quickly that it far exceeded his ability to react, yet he said at once, "There's an ancient tomb below. Without me, you won't find the chest!"

Steward Zhang pulled a thin rope from his waist and handed it to Second Young Master Lu. Second Young Master Lu came forward to help, tying Liu Xiaolou up tightly.

Once he had been securely bound, Second Young Master Lu smiled. "It isn't that I don't trust Brother Liu. But a man's heart is hidden behind his belly; this is our first time dealing with you, so we must exercise a little extra caution... What if there is another exit below?"

Liu Xiaolou said, "Why not seal my Meridians? Then I won't be able to move at all, and you can go down yourselves without worry."

Second Young Master Lu said, "Rest assured, younger brother, we mean you no harm. We merely need you to lead the way. It is dark below, and as you said, it is an ancient tomb. We are only worried about getting separated in the passageways, so it would be best for us all to remain connected by a rope."

Liu Xiaolou sighed. With his hands bound behind his back, he glanced at Steward Zhang holding the other end of the rope and shook his head. "Steward Zhang, Second Young Master Lu, what you are doing truly chills the heart..."

As he spoke, he leaped down. After landing, he called up, "Come down."

A torch was tossed down, illuminating the entrance to the hole. Steward Zhang jumped down, picked up the torch, and flicked the rope's end. "Let's go."

Liu Xiaolou asked, "Where is Second Young Master?"

Steward Zhang said, "Second Young Master is up above keeping watch."

Thus, Liu Xiaolou led the way ahead while Steward Zhang held the torch in one hand and the rope in the other. Their shadows shifted across the tomb walls, eerie and terrifying.

The short burial passage soon came to an end, opening into a tomb chamber. Steward Zhang looked around. Apart from the coffin in the center, there was nothing else. His gaze therefore settled on the coffin. "Is it inside?"

But Liu Xiaolou did not answer. He merely stood quietly beside him, staring at the coffin as well, lost in thought.

"Speak!" Steward Zhang shouted. "Is it inside?"

Liu Xiaolou still said nothing.

Steward Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and yet an inexplicable wave of heat rose within him. He took a deep breath and suppressed the heat, glaring at Liu Xiaolou. "Don't play tricks. Is it in the coffin or not?"

Liu Xiaolou suddenly said, "Steward Zhang, once we split the goods, where do you plan to go?"

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to ask whether Tianmen Market has any brothels."

"Of course it does."

"Do those brothels have female cultivators?"

Steward Zhang's heart skipped another beat. He asked in a deep voice, "Why bring that up out of nowhere?"

Liu Xiaolou said leisurely, "Naturally, for dual cultivation... entwining to the death with a female cultivator, yin and yang mingling..."

As Liu Xiaolou sighed, scene after scene involuntarily surfaced in Steward Zhang's mind. The heat in his abdomen grew ever fiercer, and he unconsciously said, "Tianmen Market does not, but north of the market is Sparrow Antelope Villa. The villa's mistress..."

He suddenly froze, wondering why he had said that.

Forcibly suppressing the hot, stifling agitation, he asked again, "Hmph, the chest is in the coffin?" Yet he failed to notice the heavy panting in his voice.

Liu Xiaolou nodded. "It's inside... Steward Zhang, I suddenly thought just now—what if this coffin were a soft bed, and after opening it, you discovered a young and beautiful female cultivator lying inside..."

"Stop talking!" Steward Zhang shook his head and strode over. Reaching out to lift the coffin lid, he inexplicably found himself hoping that the one inside would be...

A rush of hot blood surged into Steward Zhang's head. He suspected he had seen wrong—there truly was a beautiful woman lying inside!

This was... Half his body stiffened taut.

In his daze, the woman lightly raised her jade-like arm, gently caressing toward his face. Steward Zhang involuntarily pressed his face toward it...

That hand slid down through the air before his nose and tapped his Shanzhong acupoint. A stream of True Essence surged into his Meridians, and Steward Zhang collapsed limply on the spot.

Liu Xiaolou hurriedly stopped channeling his True Essence and withdrew the art. This Steward Zhang really could endure—it had truly cost him quite a bit of Bewitching Incense!

Seventh Mistress Zhou leaped out of the coffin and shot Liu Xiaolou a glare, her face flushed red. Lord Xingde, whom she had been pressing beneath her, also sprang out. Without another word, he rushed toward the entrance of the burial passage.

The couple had hidden within the coffin, and their cultivation was also relatively high, so the Bewitching Incense had affected them less. But because they had been pressed tightly together, their physical reactions had actually been intense. Fortunately, those reactions had not come entirely from the Bewitching Incense, so their minds were far clearer than Steward Zhang's.

Before long, Lord Xingde returned from the tomb entrance with Second Young Master Lu in hand. He tossed him beneath the coffin and reproached Liu Xiaolou, "Why did you come?"