The Four Directions Stir

Looking at the few who remained, Lu Yan sat in the chair in the center and took a sip of tea. "Red Maiden, your talent for spiritual power is quite good, but your restless nature means you likely wouldn't be able to sit still in a laboratory."

"However, I see that your spirit has an affinity for the wind element, and you are skilled in throwing knives; you could certainly develop in that direction."

"For instance, you could craft cards, enchant them with various spells, and use them to strike down your enemies."

Having said this, Lu Yan glanced at Hua Maguai, who stood bowing, and continued, "Hua Maguai, I hadn't expected your spiritual talent to be so impressive as well. You have a steady temperament and are well-versed in corpse poisons and medicine; you can focus primarily on refining potions and toxins in the early stages."

Hua Maguai bowed in acknowledgment. Lu Yan said no more, then looked at Kunlun, who stood so tall he seemed to touch the sky, and rubbed his chin. "Kunlun, your spiritual power is not high, but your constitution is astonishing and your vitality is extremely vigorous. If you cultivate the martial path, you will surely achieve great things."

"As for the specifics, Yulou, you are also nearing the threshold of entry; you keep an eye on them."

"The plan proceeds; we must move quickly."

Lu Yan stretched, stood up from his seat, and walked toward the door.

"Understood."

Chen Yulou bowed to Lu Yan's retreating back. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Hua Maguai and said, "The formal apprenticeship ceremony must be held as soon as possible. Have the brothers spread the word: say that the Xieling Chief has apprenticed himself to a marvelous person who possesses a Grotto-Heaven."

Hua Maguai bowed respectfully, then asked with some confusion, "Chief, we can spread the news, but what exactly is a Grotto-Heaven?"

"Those who need to understand will understand."

Chen Yulou hesitated for a moment, then took a vial of medicine from his sleeve and handed it to Hua Maguai. "I hear that the wife of Er Yuehong from the Changsha Nine Gates is critically ill. Find a few trusted brothers to deliver this medicine along with the invitation to the apprenticeship ceremony."

"This..."

Hua Maguai took the vial, staring at the emerald glow within, and hesitated. "Chief, we have never been on good terms with the Nine Gates. Asking them to attend the ceremony might..."

Chen Yulou stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the "Ever-Victorious Mountain" plaque hanging on the wall, and sighed. "I fear there will be all sorts of monsters and demons at this apprenticeship ceremony. We cannot necessarily rely on Luo Laowai, so we still need Zhang the Great Buddha to hold down the fort."

Red Maiden, sitting in a chair nearby, interjected, "That Zhang the Great Buddha is the most powerful warlord in Western Hunan, and his troops are recognized by the Nationalist Government. Furthermore, the Nine Gates have grown rapidly in power in recent years and have had some friction with us. Will he help us?"

"He certainly will."

Chen Yulou turned around, snapped his folding fan open, and said confidently, "The Nine Gates are bound by shared interests, and Zhang the Great Buddha has always been a man of righteousness. Since we are saving the wife of his brother, Er Yuehong, he will surely repay this favor."

After Ever-Victorious Mountain spread the news of the Grotto-Heaven, all parties were stirred into action, and strange people and alchemists from across the country began rushing toward Xiangyin.

On Dragon Tiger Mountain in Jiangxi, Zhang Tianyi, the head of the Celestial Master Sect, wore a grave expression as he knelt at the place in the back mountain where the ancestors practiced seclusion.

"Grandmaster, news has come from Xiangyin: a Grotto-Heaven has appeared."

There was silence in the cave for a long time. Only after a while did a voice full of vigor respond: "Have you verified the truth of this?"

Zhang Tianyi knelt on the ground, his expression respectful. "A disciple of the Celestial Master Sect was in Western Hunan and once saw a young man manifest a black hole before him, capable of retrieving and storing objects."

"The matter of a Grotto-Heaven is of great importance. I shall go myself this time."

Ripples appeared in the void at the mouth of the cave, and a door manifested out of thin air. An old Daoist with the bearing of an immortal stepped out.

"The Dragon Tiger Grotto-Heaven shall be overseen by your Second Grandmaster. You are to send a few disciples to accompany me to Western Hunan."

"Understood."

Zhang Tianyi's expression remained calm, showing no surprise; clearly, he had long known that the Dragon Tiger Grotto-Heaven was located there.

In Maoshan, Jiangsu, a middle-aged Daoist wearing apricot-yellow robes snorted coldly as he looked at the letter in his hand. He added a few words to the note, formed a seal with his right hand, and the letter transformed back into a paper crane, which flew nimbly into the distance.

"That rebellious disciple Simu—he didn't report the discovery of the Grotto-Heaven immediately, and now he wants me to go save people?"

Inside a small temple on Mount Song in Henan, the Shaolin Temple Abbot, the old monk Zhiyu, knelt before the temple gate and said respectfully, "Ancestor, a Grotto-Heaven has appeared in Western Hunan."

The temple was silent. Just as the old monk Zhiyu thought he would return empty-handed as usual, the dilapidated temple gate suddenly opened. An old monk draped in hemp robes stepped out with his palms pressed together. In the blink of an eye, he was before Zhiyu, saying gently, "Amitabha. A hundred years have passed; this old monk should go out and walk about to see if old friends remain the same."

At the same time, the Qingcheng Sect, Wudang Mountain, the Soap Locust Pavilion, and other great mysterious sects also stirred at the news, sending their disciples rushing toward Xiangyin.

Changsha, as the provincial capital of Western Hunan, was the most prosperous region, and the army of the Nine Gates Commander, Zhang the Great Buddha, was stationed there.

At this moment, in the east of Changsha City, within the magnificent Red Mansion, Er Yuehong looked at the invitation and the medicine delivered by the men from Xieling. He accepted the medicine without hesitation and said softly, "Thank your Chief Chen for me. If my wife's condition improves, the Nine Gates will owe him this favor."

Holding the medicine, Er Yuehong's expression was complex. Although he knew that Chen Yulou was a steady and experienced man who would only send the medicine if he were certain of success, he had suffered disappointment after disappointment and was truly afraid of this hope being dashed once more.

Pacing back and forth in the room, Er Yuehong gripped the vial tightly in his right hand and walked toward the master bedroom.

Just as he approached the room, Er Yuehong heard his wife's painful coughing. He hid quietly behind the door and peeked through the crack, only to see bright red bloodstains on the handkerchief his wife held in her hand.

"Yatou."

Er Yuehong's expression turned anxious, and he hurried into the room to take his wife's cold hands in his own.

His wife hid the handkerchief behind her back and smiled gently. "I am fine, don't worry."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

Er Yuehong's expression was agitated, even bordering on madness, as he produced the medicine Chen Yulou had sent.

"This is the medicine I found for you. You will surely get better."

Watching his wife drink the medicine in one gulp, Er Yuehong asked expectantly, "How do you feel?"

His wife clutched her chest, her expression puzzled. "I feel as if a ball of fire is burning in my chest, as if..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly began to cough violently, each sound heavier than the last, her expression twisted in pain.

"Yatou, what's wrong?"

Er Yuehong's hand, gripping his wife's, was trembling slightly.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Suddenly, his wife coughed heavily, spitting out a dark, clotted mass of blood, and her expression eased.

"I think I'm alright now."

She touched her chest, feeling a sense of joy.

"I feel so much lighter, as if the illness has vanished all at once."

Er Yuehong laughed heartily, swept his wife up into his arms, and spun her around in the air several times.

"You're better, you're finally better! Rest here while I go fetch the doctor to confirm it."

Er Yuehong carefully set her down, tucked the quilt around her, and ran out with a face full of joy.

"Someone, go bring Doctor Li here!"

"Chen Pi, go and invite Zhang the Great Buddha as well."

"Your mistress is cured."