The Seal

Chapter 24: The Seal

A jade seal appeared before the two of them.

The base was square, no larger than a palm.

Carved on top of the base was a small dragon, its claws extended and its body writhing, lifelike, its scales meticulously detailed.

Lu Zhaojin took the seal out of the box and turned it over to look at the bottom. Two seal script characters, '镇龙' (Dragon Suppressing Seal), were inscribed there.

Lu Zhaojin looked at Lu Jinlin's face. "Dragon Suppressing Seal?"

Lu Jinlin, having traveled extensively, was knowledgeable about the martial world, but he knew nothing about this particular seal. "Let's go take a look at the stone tablet up ahead. Perhaps there are some clues."

Lu Zhaojin knew Lu Jinlin was referring to the stone tablet that recorded the life of the cave mansion's owner.

It was likely left by the cave mansion owner's friends, family, or perhaps disciples.

Inside the remaining two wooden boxes were a cultivation manual and a sword manual, respectively.

The cultivation manual was named the Jade Purity Heart Method. Its rank was much higher than the Flowing Water Art, and it was a manual that could be cultivated to the Fifth Rank Realm.

In Mount Qi, let alone the Fifth Rank Realm, even the Sixth Rank Realm was only held by the Dingshan Sect's leader. One could imagine the sensation that would sweep through Mount Qi if this cultivation manual were to spread.

As for the sword manual, it was called the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Art. Each sword strike focused entirely on offense, discarding defense.

This suited Lu Zhaojin's taste quite well. Killing the enemy was also a form of defense, after all.

After recording them all in his system inventory, Lu Zhaojin tossed the items to Lu Jinlin, causing the latter to look at him in surprise. "Don't you need them?"

Lu Zhaojin walked towards the stone tablet and said, "I've already memorized them."

Lu Jinlin was full of astonishment. "Eidetic memory? When did you gain this ability?"

Lu Zhaojin shook his head. "I don't know. Ever since that night, it's like I've suddenly opened up."

Lu Jinlin didn't pry further. After all, he was his son. He followed Lu Zhaojin to the stone tablet and looked at the words inscribed on it. "Time always rushes by, beyond human control... Even with profound cultivation, what does it matter? As time flows, all will eventually age... I didn't expect Liu Ci to pass before me. Revisiting this old place, it's all in the past..."

Lu Zhaojin also felt a touch of melancholy. Time was the most ruthless, flowing away from one's fingertips, through the gaps between one's fingers, from any part of the body, leaving traces but impossible to hold back.

From this stone tablet, they learned that the owner of this cave mansion was named Liu Ci. He was a Martial Artist of the Fifth Rank Realm in his lifetime and a master swordsman. With a three-foot sword, he defeated all swordsmen under heaven and earned the title of Sword Saint.

Sword Saint Liu Ci!

Lu Jinlin was somewhat surprised. "It was him."

Lu Zhaojin looked at him. "Father, do you know him?"

Lu Jinlin shook his head. "I've only heard of him. Moreover, this 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 and didn't ask further, continuing to read the stone tablet.

There was indeed a record of that seal.

It stated that the seal was found by them in some sort of secret realm. As for how they entered and exited the secret realm, they had no idea.

It was as if the memory of the secret realm had suddenly appeared in their minds, incredibly real. What they had done inside, what treasures they had obtained, were all vividly clear.

They only knew that they had heard a dragon's roar, their minds had been shaken, and in the blink of an eye, they had appeared in the secret realm.

Furthermore, the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Art was the sword technique that Sword Saint Liu Ci used to gain fame throughout the land.

Lu Jinlin read the last part. "I hope that whoever receives my legacy, if they encounter someone from the Zhao Yue Liu Clan in distress, will lend a helping hand, as a repayment for the gift of treasure."

Lu Zhaojin looked at the writer and then at his father. "Ding Yuan?"

Lu Jinlin shook his head. "I haven't heard of him. However, anyone who could be acquainted with Sword Saint Liu Ci must be an extraordinary individual. With some investigation, one might be able to find out more."

Lu Zhaojin observed as the two of them roughly scoured the cave mansion, looking for any hidden treasures, but found nothing else. It was clear that Liu Ci or Ding Yuan were not deeply scheming individuals.

Lu Zhaojin followed his father out of the cave mansion through a hidden tunnel.

Not long after they left, the martial artists from Mount Qi finally found the place. However, upon seeing the devastation and the corpses of the Zhao Family Patriarch and the Moon Wolf Gang Leader, they all wore expressions of horror, wondering who possessed such power.

At the same time.

They also knew that Zhang Heng had died outside the main cave, Zhao Yuanshan had died inside the main cave, and the Sihai Escort Agency had already been annihilated by them. Therefore, with no other powerful forces in Shiqiao Town, it was feared that chaos would soon erupt.

As for the Moon Wolf Gang, Zhao Huaishui's body was not found here, which meant that the County Magistrate had not met his demise. With Chen Kang's death, Qishan County would truly be led by the County Magistrate.

They searched the cave mansion once and found they were too late; the true treasures had been taken by the perpetrator, and even the belongings on the corpses had been thoroughly looted.

They cursed inwardly, not even getting a drop of soup, having made a wasted trip!

They didn't linger in Mount Qi for long.

With the deaths of Zhang Heng and Zhao Yuanshan, the revenge for the annihilation of the Sihai Escort Agency was considered settled.

Zhao Jinzhi had escaped. Lu Zhaojin pondered whether he would return for revenge later and decided it would be better to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots himself.

It wasn't that he feared Zhao Jinzhi. Even if he had an old grandpa helping him from behind the scenes, Lu Zhaojin also had his own backing. The strength increase brought by the system was clearly faster and more convenient to master than any old grandpa.

Lu Zhaojin simply disliked trouble. Moreover, killing a Son of Destiny not only yielded a large amount of EXP but also dropped unexpected items.

This was what Lu Zhaojin truly desired.

The Sihai Escort Agency had been destroyed and likely reduced to ashes by now. They were now homeless and had no idea where to go.

Lu Jinlin thought for a moment and said, "Mount Qi definitely can't keep you. The closest commanderies to Mount Qi are Yanling and Luoshui. I suppose you have some ideas."

Lu Zhaojin nodded, "I want to go to Luoshui Commandery to see. Should I have Li... Mother..."

Before he could finish, Lu Jinlin cut in, "No need. I'll personally go pick up your mother."

Lu Zhaojin looked at Lu Jinlin with a slightly different gaze. "You go ahead. I'll support you from behind."

Lu Jinlin opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say. He felt as if their roles had somehow reversed because of those words.

However, he just smiled slightly, patted Lu Zhaojin's shoulder, and didn't say much more. "You've grown up."

Lu Zhaojin remained silent, just looking into the other's eyes with a smile.

The last lingering obsession of his previous self had been eliminated. Lu Zhaojin felt a sense of clarity in both body and mind, as if he had finally become one, truly himself.

The night deepened.

They descended the mountain, preparing to find an inn in Qishan County to stay, and discuss matters tomorrow.

Currently, there were still many martial artists on the mountain.

Torches dotted the mountainside, appearing like a vast, surging dragon of fire.

However, once the people from the Cave Mansion emerged and spread news of what was inside, the number of people on the mountain decreased. Mount Qi seemed to have become the center of a vortex, with a sense of impending storm.

Some martial artists might not have achieved much in cultivation, but they had unique insights into discerning people.

Especially upon seeing Chen Jingyi and his companions, their rich and noble attire, and finding the severed head that had rolled into the darkness, they instantly recognized them as members of the Chen family.

The martial artists of Mount Qi felt as if the sky had fallen.

A member of the Yanling Chen family had died on Mount Qi. If the Chen family sought accountability, how would they respond?