The Mystery of the Secret Tome

Light footsteps sounded outside the door. Uncle Fu's hunched figure appeared, holding an object wrapped in grey cloth.

"Yun'er…" Uncle Fu's voice trembled slightly. "This old servant has something for you."

Ye Yun looked up, his gaze falling on the package in Uncle Fu's hands. For some reason, his heart suddenly quickened.

Uncle Fu carefully closed the door and checked that the window was shut tight before placing the package on the table. As the grey cloth was peeled away layer by layer, an ancient tome gradually revealed its true form. On the cover, four grand characters shimmered with a strange luster under the lamplight: True Martial Secret Manual.

"This is…" Ye Yun's pupils contracted sharply. His fingers instinctively reached out, only to stop just before touching it. An inexplicable tremor rose from the depths of his heart, as if something was calling to him.

A rare solemnity appeared on Uncle Fu's wrinkled face. "Three years ago, on a rainy night, young master… your father suddenly returned."

Ye Yun's head shot up, his eyes blazing with astonishing brilliance. "My father is still alive?" His voice trembled with excitement. The image of his father leaping off a cliff, his fate unknown, during the massacre ten years ago had appeared countless times in his nightmares.

"Alive, of course, he's alive." Uncle Fu's voice was low and hoarse, as if from a distant place. "That night, the rain was heavy, the thunder shook the windows. This old servant heard movement in the backyard and went to look with a lamp. I saw the young master, covered in blood, leaning against the wall…"

The old man's gaze grew distant, as if he were back on that stormy night. "He was holding this package tightly in his arms, his breath so weak it seemed it could snap at any moment. This old servant wanted to find a doctor, but he firmly gripped my wrist…" Uncle Fu unconsciously touched his right wrist, where a faint scar remained to this day.

Ye Yun's hands clenched the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white. He could picture the scene—his severely wounded father sneaking back to their ancestral home on a rainy night, only to entrust this secret manual to his most trusted old servant.

"The young master said…" Uncle Fu's voice grew even lower, almost a whisper. "It was this thing that caused the Ye family to suffer misfortune. He made me swear that I would never let you know of its existence unless you broke through and became a martial artist."

The flame of the oil lamp flickered suddenly, casting a wavering shadow on the wall. Ye Yun's gaze returned to the secret manual. The two characters on the cover seemed to come alive under the lamplight, flowing with mysterious brilliance.

"What else… did my father say?" Ye Yun's voice was dry, unlike his own.

Uncle Fu shook his head. "The young master was too heavily injured. After saying this, he left in a hurry. He said the enemy might catch up at any moment and he couldn't implicate you." The old man's calloused hand gently stroked the cover of the manual. "These years, this old servant has been hiding, all to protect it. Now…" He solemnly pushed the manual towards Ye Yun. "It belongs to you."

Ye Yun took a deep breath and slowly extended his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the cover of the manual, a strange warm current surged into his body along his arm, resonating with the 8th Rank true qi he had just broken through to. He could almost hear the sound of his blood flowing, as if something long dormant was awakening.

"Where is my father now?" Ye Yun asked, suppressing his excitement.

"The young master didn't say." Uncle Fu sighed. "But this old servant guesses he must be investigating the truth behind the massacre."

Ye Yun nodded and carefully opened the first page of the manual. The yellowed pages were densely filled with ancient text, interspersed with peculiar symbols and diagrams. Most striking was a crimson mark at the top of the page—a complex emblem, with a sword and lotus intertwined in the center.

"This is…" Ye Yun frowned. He had never seen these characters before, yet they felt inexplicably familiar.

"The True Martial Seal." Uncle Fu's voice suddenly became solemn. "It is said to be a mark unique to the True Martial Saint Lord."

Ye Yun looked up sharply. "The True Martial Saint Lord?"

A flicker of awe flashed in Uncle Fu's cloudy eyes. "This old servant once heard the master mention it. This True Martial Secret Manual was left by the True Martial Saint Lord a thousand years ago. Legend has it, the True Martial Saint Lord once fought two First-Rank martial artists alone without falling behind, and even killed them in the end!"

"First-Rank martial artists?" Ye Yun gasped. Those were existences standing at the pinnacle of martial arts, few in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Not only that." Uncle Fu lowered his voice. "It is said that in his later years, the True Martial Saint Lord had already touched the realm of True Martial, an existence beyond First-Rank…"

Ye Yun's hands trembled involuntarily. Beyond First-Rank? What kind of concept was that? He looked down at the manual in his hands and suddenly understood why it had brought about the disaster that destroyed his family.

"Wait…" Ye Yun suddenly noticed something unusual. He quickly flipped through the pages. "Why is this secret manual only half?"

Uncle Fu nodded. "That's right, this is only the first half. The second half…" The old man paused, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. "Is in Miss Lin's hands."

"Miss Lin?" Ye Yun looked bewildered.

A nostalgic expression appeared on Uncle Fu's face. "Brother Yun, do you still remember when the master took you to the Grand General's mansion to play when you were little?"

Ye Yun shook his head. "I have no recollection at all."

"You were only three or four years old then." Uncle Fu chuckled. "The master had made a great contribution, and General Lin hosted a banquet to celebrate. The old general's wife took an immediate liking to you, saying you had delicate features and a spiritual aura."

Ye Yun's expression turned strange. It was hard to imagine himself as a child being praised for having a spiritual aura.

"The old general's granddaughter was the same age as you at the time." Uncle Fu continued, his eyes filled with nostalgia. "That little girl was as cute as a snowdrop. You two played happily in the garden. You fell while chasing butterflies, and she even used her handkerchief to wipe your face."

Ye Yun's face involuntarily grew hot. What was all this…?

"Later, the master obtained this secret manual in the Yun Mountain secret realm." Uncle Fu's expression turned serious again. "The Battle of Yun Mountain, you must have heard of it."

Ye Yun nodded. That was the great battle that shocked the court ten years ago. Various factions fought fiercely for the opportunities within the secret realm, resulting in rivers of blood. His grandfather, Ye Zhenshan, was severely injured in that battle, and his strength plummeted.

"The master, with his personal guards, desperately protected General Lin as they broke through the encirclement, but he himself was seriously wounded." Uncle Fu's voice was filled with respect. "Afterward, the master offered the secret manual to the old general, but the old general refused to accept it no matter what."

"Why?" Ye Yun asked curiously. Who wouldn't want such a precious secret manual?

"General Lin was upright and incorruptible his entire life." Uncle Fu's eyes shone with admiration. "He said this secret manual was bought with the master's life and should rightfully belong to the master. Moreover…" The old man paused. "The master had saved his life three times."

Ye Yun mused. It seemed the bond between his grandfather and General Lin was far deeper than he had imagined.