Spirit Candle Fruit

The yellow-robed man surnamed Yan said, "Junior Brother Gao was exceptionally gifted. Master originally intended to make him his direct successor. His fall this time will surely enrage Master greatly. We fellow disciples are also deeply grieved and must avenge him."

Though he spoke of being deeply grieved, there was not a trace of sorrow on his face; in fact, he felt somewhat pleased. This Gao Kun, favored by their master in daily life, had caused some discord among the brothers. His fall brought a hint of schadenfreude to Yan's heart.

He continued, "Whether it's Tiger Roar Manor or Cloud Sun Manor, we must uproot them completely. But that being the case, the two of us need to come to an understanding first."

The older yellow-robed man said, "Right, Junior Brother Gao has been dead for several days now. If we wipe out Cloud Sun Manor here and alert Tiger Roar Manor, it might draw out people from Cloud Soaring Sect, which would be quite troublesome. You should strike simultaneously—I'll kill everyone at Tiger Roar Manor, and you slaughter everyone at Cloud Sun Manor cleanly."

The yellow-robed man surnamed Yan said, "Good. Let's agree to strike at the third ke of noon three days from now, leaving not a blade of grass standing in either manor."

The older yellow-robed man said, "Better make it five days. I'll go find Senior Brother first and borrow his Five Poison Cloud Smoke Cover. That way, there won't be any fish slipping through the net at Tiger Roar Manor or Cloud Soaring Sect."

The yellow-robed man surnamed Yan said, "Fine, then I'll trouble Third Senior Brother to make the extra trip."

Third Senior Brother said, "We're brothers of the same sect, no need for formalities." With that, he left the room. Inwardly, he rejoiced: "Junior Brother Yan, you don't know what's in Tiger Roar Manor, or why Junior Brother Gao went down the mountain. Once that Spirit Candle Fruit falls into my hands, my cultivation can reach Body Forging Late Stage."

The yellow-robed man surnamed Yan then said to the burly men around him, "Arrange a room for me to rest. Also, this matter must not be spread. If it leaks out, you know my methods."

The burly men said, "Rest assured, Immortal Master, we will keep our mouths tightly shut." Then one of them arranged a bedroom for the yellow-robed man surnamed Yan. Seeing the room decorated luxuriously and exquisitely, Yan was quite satisfied.

After the burly man left, the yellow-robed man surnamed Yan smiled to himself and murmured, "Third Senior Brother, you've truly underestimated Tiger Roar Manor. After all, that place once produced a cultivator. I doubt it'll be so easy to deal with."

As for Yan Chihuo and his group, they encountered no further trouble along the way and returned safely to Tiger Roar Manor. He had Yun Zaitian and Tong Huaibing taken away under guard, then went straight with Qu Wuxing to see the manor lord, Ping Fei.

The two crossed a long corridor and arrived at a very quiet small hall. Inside were two people: one was an old man in fine clothes, his hair snow-white but his complexion ruddy and smooth, without a single wrinkle—this was Ping Fei, the lord of Tiger Roar Manor. The other was a young man of about twenty-one or twenty-two, who looked extremely gentle and amiable.

Yan Chihuo and Qu Wuxing were both seeing this young man for the first time. Ping Fei glanced at them and said, "You're back? How did things go?"

Without waiting for Yan Chihuo to reply, he pointed at the young man and said, "This is my son, Ping Yun. He has been cultivating at Cloud Soaring Sect all along and just returned today."

Then he said to Ping Yun, "This is Yan Chihuo, the leader of the Thirteen Guardians. The other is Qu Wuxing, ranked seventh among the Thirteen Guardians."

"Cultivating!" Yan Chihuo and Qu Wuxing immediately understood—this Ping Yun, like Gao Kun, was also a cultivator. The two dared not be negligent and bowed to Ping Yun, saying, "Greetings, Young Master."

Ping Yun said, "You two are too polite." His gaze fell on Yan Chihuo, and surprise immediately appeared on his face. He said, "This Brother Yan, this Daoist Yan, who is your master?"

Yan Chihuo was taken aback and said, "This Humble One has been fortunate enough to receive the manor lord's favor, who taught me all his martial arts. Beyond that, I have no other master."

Ping Yun thought Yan Chihuo was unwilling to reveal the truth, so he smiled faintly and exchanged a few pleasantries. Ping Fei asked, "Wuxing, how did you suffer such severe internal injuries?"

Qu Wuxing said, "Manor Lord, I was lucky this time. I nearly couldn't come back to see you."

Ping Fei asked, "What happened?"

Yan Chihuo recounted everything they had experienced, then took a jade box from his bosom and handed it over, saying, "This is the treasure you sought, Manor Lord. Your humble servant was fortunate not to fail your trust."

Ping Fei took it and said, "You've worked hard this time. I never expected Yun Zaitian and Tong Huaibing would both betray me. Hmph!"

He added, "You may withdraw."

After Yan Chihuo and Qu Wuxing left, Ping Yun said, "Father, this Yan Chihuo's identity is highly suspicious. He is a cultivator. I think the real Yan Chihuo may already be dead, replaced by this man impersonating him. But I can't guess his purpose in coming to our manor. If it were for the Spirit Candle Fruit, he wouldn't have come back."

Ping Fei said, "Impossible. Yan Chihuo has followed me since childhood—how could I not recognize him? Besides, he only practiced our family's Spirit Jade Vajra Art. How could he be a cultivator?"

Ping Yun's expression shifted slightly. "He practiced the Spirit Jade Vajra Art? No wonder he has such considerable magical power. Father, do you know that the Spirit Jade Vajra Art is a cultivation technique, not a martial art?"

Ping Fei was startled. "What do you mean?"

Ping Yun said, "When I came down the mountain, Second Master told me. He cultivated this very technique to enter Cloud Soaring Sect. But this technique is extremely difficult to practice—not just for you, Father, but even I find it hard to cultivate."

Ping Fei said, "No wonder Yan Chihuo was different after he started practicing it. He had only trained for a few months when he developed true qi in his body. Then he assassinated Tie Wushuang of the Iron Flag Sect. He was only six then, still weak in martial arts, but bold and meticulous in his actions—that says it all. Since then, he not only learned all my martial arts but also became thoroughly versed in all kinds of business matters, acting calmly and planning carefully. I thought I had found a fine disciple."

Ping Yun asked, "How many years has he been practicing the Spirit Jade Vajra Art?"

Ping Fei said, "About ten years."

Ping Yun's expression changed again. "He reached Body Tempering Middle Stage in just ten years of cultivation here—it's almost unbelievable. The spiritual energy in the mortal world is thin, making cultivation extremely slow, and the Spirit Jade Vajra Art is notoriously difficult to master. I never expected him to be such a cultivation prodigy. It's fortunate he doesn't know the use of the Spirit Candle Fruit, or it would never have come into my hands."

Ping Fei said, "This Spirit Candle is only useful to you cultivators. That's why Gao Bing obtained it for his son Gao Kun. Gao Kun also came down from Giant Dharma Sect but died at Yan Chihuo's hands. You should take the Spirit Candle Fruit quickly."