Mystery Upon Mystery

"What kind of person is the Poison Immortal?" Chen Fan suddenly asked. He then moved over, preparing to finish the man off. It would be even better if the man could reveal some information Chen Fan wanted before dying.

"How is this possible? With the poison of Spirit-Drunken Incense, unless one can keep holding on until the poison dissipates, once one falls unconscious, one either sleeps forever or dies, or suffers irreversible consequences even after waking. It is said that only the Poison Immortal in all the world is unaffected by this. Just how did you do it?" The man in black seemed to have accepted his fate by now, but he was simply far too curious about Chen Fan.

"I don't know whether there are any aftereffects, but I'm afraid you'll never get an answer to your question." Chen Fan had reached the man's side and picked up the treasured saber he had dropped nearby.

"Hahaha!" At the sight, the man burst into hearty laughter. His expression brightened, as though he were having one final flash of life before death. "They say that with Spirit-Drunken Incense, the first intoxication makes one forget this life, the second makes one forsake three lifetimes, and the third frees one from the mortal world. I never imagined that before dying, I would meet such a strange fellow as you. Hahaha, interesting—truly too interesting! Hahahaha..."

As his laughter came to an abrupt halt, the man's breath ceased as well. Chen Fan reached out to check him. Well, it seemed he would not have to waste any effort himself. Still, from what the man had just said, the secret surrounding Chen Fan only seemed even less simple.

Chen Fan muttered inwardly. One dose made one forget this life—he really had lost his memories before, yet he had recovered later. The second intoxication made one forsake three lifetimes; did that mean forgetting all three lives and three worlds? But this time, not only had he awakened much faster after being poisoned than the first time, he had also recovered remarkably quickly afterward. He had not even circulated his cultivation, yet he could already stand and move without issue. And what did the third intoxication, freeing one from the mortal world, mean? It sounded even more unfathomable. If that man had known this was Chen Fan's second time being poisoned, would he have been frightened back to life?

Oh no. Chen Fan suddenly realized that if that was the case, then wasn't Lord Yun Zhong in grave danger?

Suddenly, he heard two coughs. The man on the ground actually coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, and his body seemed to twitch. Chen Fan hurried to Lord Yun Zhong's side and bent down to examine him. His breathing was heavy, and his eyelids trembled continuously as if he were trying with all his strength to open them, yet could not do so.

It seemed this Senior Yun truly possessed profound cultivation. Earlier, he had relied on Internal Qi to force himself to endure, preventing himself from falling completely unconscious. Yet even so, he still showed no sign of waking. Spirit-Drunken Incense truly lived up to its name. Just what the hell was this constitution of his? Could he really be some immortal reincarnated? That was far too unbelievable. Not only had Chen Fan failed to unravel the mystery of his origins, the mystery had now only deepened. Perhaps the only person in this world who knew his secret was that old monk.

There was no point dwelling on this for now. The matter before him had to be dealt with quickly. Unsure whether Lord Yun Zhong could awaken, Chen Fan decided to circulate his cultivation and recover first. After all, the mountain here was steep. If this fellow could not wake up, Chen Fan had no way to bring him down the mountain.

Then there were the two people from Myriad Blossom Valley below the mountain. If they waited too long without seeing Chen Fan and Lord Yun Zhong descend, they might think of a way to climb up. If they saw this scene then, who knew what else might happen?

Lord Yun Zhong had to be saved. Since that was the case, Chen Fan might as well lend him another hand and avoid letting the night grow long and dreams grow many. Chen Fan directly gathered Internal Qi in his palm and poured it into Lord Yun Zhong's body. Though his meager vital energy was negligible to someone like Lord Yun Zhong, at this moment it was like a spark of fire, stirring the circulation within his body into motion. It was extremely slow, but still far faster than recovering on his own.

Chen Fan did not have it easy either. This man's cultivation was too high; one careless mistake and Chen Fan could suffer backlash. Fortunately, Lord Yun Zhong's vital energy could not circulate on its own due to the poison. Even so, Chen Fan remained exceptionally cautious, sending in only a tiny thread of vital energy each time. The moment he sensed immense resistance arising from within Lord Yun Zhong's body, he immediately withdrew his hand. His bodily functions should have begun recovering. From here on, he could rely on himself.

Chen Fan had expended no small amount of energy helping Lord Yun Zhong circulate his qi, so he immediately entered meditation to cultivate and recover.

Time passed second by second. Finally, the man on the ground slowly opened his eyes. His eyeballs rolled around a few times as he asked in confusion, "Where am I? What happened?"

The same old routine? Chen Fan was speechless inwardly. Could even someone at Lord Yun Zhong's level not escape the aftereffects of Spirit-Drunken Incense?

"Senior Yun, you're awake. Do you still remember what happened earlier?" Chen Fan gave him a rough account of the previous events, but he did not say that he had followed at Lord Yun Zhong's side all along. Instead, he said that Lord Yun Zhong had entered the cave first to investigate, while Chen Fan had waited outside for a long time before entering to look for him.

Lord Yun Zhong fell silent for a moment, as though straining to recall something. Then he let out a long sigh and said, "I don't remember any of it."

"Senior, do you truly remember nothing at all?" Chen Fan felt uncertain. If Lord Yun Zhong had truly lost all his memories, it would not be easy to bring him back to the sect.

Lord Yun Zhong closed his eyes and pondered for a while longer. Then he examined Chen Fan a few times before finally forcing out a bitter smile. "I can still remember some things. I am from Swordcry Mountain. Also, I will have to rely on you to take me back."

Chen Fan looked astonished. "Senior, it is true that you are from Swordcry Mountain, but why do you trust me so much?" Had this person really lost his memories? Or was he pretending, merely wanting Chen Fan to carry him back so he could study Chen Fan's miraculous constitution after recovering?

"I truly do not know who you are, but I recognize this sword." Lord Yun Zhong stared straight at Chen Fan's waist. "Since you carry this sword, you should not harm me." Though he could not remember where the sword came from at the moment, the instant he saw it, an instinctive sense of trust rose in his heart.

The Fire Spirit Sword? So that was it. Chen Fan understood and asked, "How is your body at the moment, Senior? The two of us will need to use Soaring to descend the mountain."

"I must have forcibly driven the poison into my lower body earlier, keeping it away from my heart meridian. Therefore, my legs cannot stand at all right now." Lord Yun Zhong showed no grief or indignation whatsoever. One look was enough to tell that such decisiveness had been forged through countless storms.

"What should we do, then?" Chen Fan was somewhat anxious. He could not possibly leave Lord Yun Zhong here and go back to find help, could he?

Seeing Chen Fan's difficulty, Lord Yun Zhong said, "No matter. You only need to carry me to the cliffside. I have my own method."

Chen Fan was immensely curious. As expected of an expert—he still had another trick up his sleeve. So Chen Fan carried Lord Yun Zhong on his back and left the cave. He did not destroy the cave either. He would leave some clues behind for the two from Myriad Blossom Valley. After all, the existence they would face in the future was not something Swordcry Mountain alone could deal with.

Chen Fan carried Lord Yun Zhong to the edge of a cliff. This was not where they had climbed up the mountain, but the other side of it. Chen Fan did not want to run into those two from Myriad Blossom Valley again.

"Good, here will do." Lord Yun Zhong spoke, then took out that treasured sword again and tossed it into the air. At the same time, a stream of vital energy wrapped around the blade. The treasured sword actually hovered in midair. "All right, get on quickly. My injuries have not healed, and I cannot keep this up for long."

Sword-riding? Chen Fan's horizons were broadened once again. Could this thin sword really bear the weight of both of them? Chen Fan was actually afraid; it felt as though his fate was in someone else's hands. Besides, Lord Yun Zhong's cultivation had been severely damaged. What if they fell straight down halfway through the flight?

Forget it. No matter what happened, if it failed, he would just step on Lord Yun Zhong and use him as a cushion. This man was the one who wanted to fly, so he could not blame anyone else.

Chen Fan leaped up. The instant he stepped onto the sword, his body began dropping rapidly. The intense feeling of weightlessness made him afraid to move at all, his feet seeming to stick to the sword. After only a few breaths, the two had already descended to the mountainside, and Chen Fan could faintly make out the ground below. Then the resistance beneath the treasured sword at his feet increased, clearly indicating that they had begun slowing down.

A little while later, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain. Chen Fan hurriedly jumped off the treasured sword. Nothing felt better than having his feet on solid ground. That had been far too thrilling. At the beginning, their speed had been no different from jumping straight off a cliff.

Lord Yun Zhong, however, remained utterly unfazed. He retrieved the treasured sword and said, "I gave you a fright. My Internal Qi was insufficient, so I had no choice but to do it this way. If there is another chance, I will let you properly experience sword flight."

Better not! Chen Fan rolled his eyes, thinking that he absolutely had to comprehend a more brilliant art of flight in the future. Standing on a sword like that gave him far too little sense of security.

All right, this was no place to linger. Chen Fan carried Lord Yun Zhong on his back and headed toward the sect.

Because they had been delayed in the mountains for nearly a full day, it was already past midnight when Chen Fan carried Lord Yun Zhong to the mountain gate. The gate had been closed, and perhaps due to the recent incident involving the men in black, quite a few disciples were keeping watch below Swordcry Mountain. Their defenses were tight.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass upon Swordcry Mountain!" One of the guards suddenly shouted.

From the shadows, a youth who looked sixteen or seventeen slowly revealed himself. It was Chen Fan. His expression was awkward, and he felt utterly helpless inside. When he had arrived at the mountain gate carrying Lord Yun Zhong and prepared to report his identity so they could enter, he had discovered that Lord Yun Zhong had somehow fallen unconscious again. Chen Fan did not know whether it was an aftereffect of Spirit-Drunken Incense, or whether Lord Yun Zhong had exhausted his vital energy using sword flight and simply fallen asleep.

Thus, Chen Fan's current situation might well turn into another baffling injustice. He had planned to wait until Lord Yun Zhong woke up before explaining, but he had not expected to be discovered so soon. There was no helping it. He could only waste more breath explaining himself.

"Honored uncles, I am Chen Fan, an outer sect disciple. I previously went down the mountain to travel. When I returned, I found that the sect's curfew had already begun, so I waited here, intending to enter the mountain tomorrow morning." Chen Fan's tone was respectful, and his attitude sincere.

"Oh?" The man who had questioned Chen Fan earlier walked up before him. He appeared quite old, with white hair and beard, an elder-generation inner court disciple. He was somewhat suspicious. Such a possibility existed, but people generally kept precise track of when they returned to the sect. Who would spend the night in the mountains for no reason, especially so close to the mountain gate? It was still highly suspicious.

"Senior Brother, there's another person here." Another disciple beside him suddenly called out. Clearly, while Chen Fan had been speaking, the other disciples had not been idle and had been continuously searching the surrounding area.

Oh no! Chen Fan's heart tightened. This would be even harder to explain.

"Who is it?" the old man asked the disciple, while remaining in front of Chen Fan. Clearly, if Chen Fan made even the slightest move now, he would be seized first and questioned later.

"It... it seems... it's... Lord... Lord Yun..." The disciple suddenly became incoherent, stammering like a complete fool. He seemed to have been frightened senseless by something and could not continue speaking.

"Lord Yun what? You lot keep an eye on him!" The old man called out, then rushed to where that disciple stood to inspect it himself.

At first glance, his blood surged upward. His mind buzzed, and he nearly fainted on the spot.