Seal

Seal

A jade seal appeared before the two of them.

Its base was perfectly square, only the size of a palm.

Atop the base was a small dragon carved with claws bared and fangs brandished, lifelike down to the neatly layered scales covering its body.

Lu Zhaojin took the seal from the box and turned it over. Two seal-script characters were inscribed on its underside: "Dragon Suppression."

Lu Zhaojin looked at Lu Jinlin. "Dragon Suppression?"

Lu Jinlin had traveled far and wide and was well acquainted with the affairs of the martial world, yet he knew nothing of this seal. "Let's look ahead. Perhaps we'll find some clues."

Lu Zhaojin knew he meant the stone stele, which recorded the life of this Cave Mansion's owner.

It had likely been left behind by the owner's friends and family, though it was also possible that it had been left by a disciple.

The remaining two wooden boxes contained a cultivation method and a sword manual respectively.

The cultivation method was called the Jade Purity Heart Method. Its grade far surpassed the Flowing Water Art, and it was likewise a method that could be cultivated to the Fifth Rank Realm.

In Mount Qi, let alone the Fifth Rank Realm, even the Sixth-Rank Realm had only one practitioner—the Dingshan Sect's Sect Leader. One could well imagine the uproar this cultivation method would cause in Mount Qi if it spread.

As for the sword manual, it was called the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Art. Every strike forsook defense and focused solely on slaughter.

That suited Lu Zhaojin's taste quite well. As long as the enemy was dead, that counted as defense too.

After recording everything in the System Backpack, Lu Zhaojin tossed them to Lu Jinlin, drawing a stunned look from him. "You don't need them?"

Lu Zhaojin walked toward the stone stele. "I've already memorized them."

Lu Jinlin was full of surprise. "Eidetic Memory? Since when did you gain that ability?"

Lu Zhaojin shook his head. "I don't know. Ever since that night, it was as though I'd suddenly seen the light."

Lu Jinlin did not press further. After all, Lu Zhaojin was his son. He followed him to the stele and read the words carved upon it. "Time always passes in haste, never bending to human will... What use is even the deepest cultivation? As the years turn, people will eventually grow old... I never expected Liu Ci to depart this world before me. Returning to this old place, all that remains are memories of days gone by..."

Lu Zhaojin also felt a faint pang of emotion. Time was the most merciless thing. It slipped away from one's fingertips, through the gaps between one's fingers, from every part of one's body. It left traces behind, yet could never be held back.

According to the stone stele, this Cave Mansion's owner was named Liu Ci. Before his death, he had been a Fifth Rank Realm martial artist and an exceptional swordsman. With a three-foot sword in hand, he had defeated swordsmen across the land and earned the title of Sword Saint.

Sword Saint Liu Ci!

Lu Jinlin was somewhat astonished. "So it was him."

Lu Zhaojin looked at him. "Father knew him?"

Lu Jinlin shook his head. "I'd only heard of him. Besides, Sword Saint Liu Ci was a figure from a hundred years ago. Even if I wanted to know him, I couldn't."

Lu Zhaojin nodded, asked no further questions, and continued reading the stele.

There truly was a record concerning that jade seal.

It said that they had found the seal in a secret realm. As for how they had entered that secret realm or how they had emerged from it, even they did not know.

It was as though memories of the secret realm had suddenly appeared in their minds. They felt utterly real; everything they had done inside and every treasure they had obtained was crystal clear.

They only knew that after hearing a dragon's roar, their minds had jolted, and in the blink of an eye, they had appeared within the secret realm.

Furthermore, the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Art was the very swordsmanship Sword Saint Liu Ci had used to make his name known throughout the land.

Lu Jinlin read the final passage. "To whoever obtains what I have left behind: should you encounter a member of the Zhao Yue Liu Clan in distress, I hope you will lend them a helping hand. Consider it repayment for the grace of these gifted treasures."

Lu Zhaojin looked at the name of the writer, then at his father. "Ding Yuan?"

Lu Jinlin shook his head. "I've never heard of him. Still, anyone who could know Sword Saint Liu Ci must have been an impressive figure. If we make enough inquiries, we should be able to learn something."

The two of them roughly searched through the Cave Mansion, making sure not to overlook any hidden treasures. Yet they found nothing else. Clearly, neither Liu Ci nor Ding Yuan had been a deeply scheming person.

Lu Zhaojin followed his father out of the Cave Mansion through the hidden tunnel.

Not long after they left, those martial artists from Mount Qi finally found the place. But when they saw the devastation everywhere, as well as the Zhao Family head and the Moon Wolf Gang leader both dead here, their faces filled with horror. They had no idea who possessed such strength.

At the same time,

they learned that Zhang Heng had died outside the main Cave Mansion, Zhao Yuanshan had died inside it, and the Sihai Escort Agency had long since been jointly destroyed by them. Shiqiao Town now had no other powerful forces, and it likely would not be long before chaos broke out.

As for the Moon Wolf Gang, Zhao Huaishui's corpse was nowhere to be seen, which meant that the county magistrate had not met with disaster. Yet after Chen Kang's death, Qishan County truly had the county magistrate at its head.

They searched the Cave Mansion once over and discovered that they had arrived too late. The true treasures had all been taken by the culprit; even the belongings on the corpses had been stripped clean.

They cursed inwardly. They had not even gotten a sip of broth, making this a completely wasted trip!

They did not remain in Mount Qi for long.

With Zhang Heng and Zhao Yuanshan dead, the vengeance for the destruction of the Sihai Escort Agency had finally settled into dust.

Zhao Jinzhi had escaped. After considering whether he might return for revenge, Lu Zhaojin decided it would be better to uproot the grass and eliminate the roots himself.

It was not that he feared Zhao Jinzhi. Even if some old grandpa was helping him from behind the scenes, Lu Zhaojin was not without support himself. The increase in strength brought by the system was clearly faster and easier to master than any old grandpa's aid.

Lu Zhaojin simply disliked trouble. Moreover, killing a Child of Destiny could yield a great deal of experience and even drop unexpected items.

That was what Lu Zhaojin wanted.

The Sihai Escort Agency had already been destroyed. For all they knew, it had been burned to ashes by now. They had no home left and did not know where to go.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Jinlin said, "Mount Qi certainly can't hold you. The closest places to Mount Qi are Yanling Commandery and Luoshui Commandery. I imagine you've already given it some thought."

Lu Zhaojin nodded. "I want to go to Luoshui Commandery and take a look. As for Li... Mother, should I..."

Before he could finish, Lu Jinlin cut in, "No need. I'll personally bring your mother back."

Lu Zhaojin's gaze toward Lu Jinlin changed slightly. "Go forward without concern. I'll support you from behind."

Lu Jinlin opened his mouth as if to speak, but did not know what to say. He somehow felt that their roles had been turned upside down by those words.

Still, he merely smiled faintly and patted Lu Zhaojin on the shoulder without saying much. "You've grown up."

Lu Zhaojin said nothing, only smiling as he looked into his father's eyes.

The final obsession left behind by the previous owner of this body had already dissipated. Lu Zhaojin felt his body and mind become clear and unburdened, as though he had finally fused into one whole and become his true self.

Night deepened.

They descended the mountain, intending to find an inn in Qishan County for the night. Tomorrow's matters could wait until tomorrow.

At present, there were still many martial artists on the mountain.

Torches covered the mountains and fields, seeming to form a vast, surging fire dragon.

Yet once those from within the Cave Mansion came out and spread word of what had happened inside, fewer people began climbing the mountain. Mount Qi also seemed to have become the center of a whirlpool, carrying the feeling that wind and rain were about to descend.

Some martial artists had achieved little in cultivation, but possessed unique insight when it came to judging people.

Especially when they saw Chen Jingyi and the others—their attire plainly rich and noble—and found the head that had rolled into the darkness, they immediately recognized him as a member of the Chen Family.

The Mount Qi martial artists instantly felt as though the sky had collapsed.

A member of the Yanling Chen Family had died in Mount Qi. If the Chen Family demanded accountability, how were they supposed to respond?