The Secret Never Passed Down

"Chief, the people have been brought. This subordinate shall take his leave." The disciple bowed respectfully and withdrew from the hall. It seemed that while showing them the sights, he had already sent someone ahead to announce their arrival. Otherwise, he would not have rashly brought them here.

At this moment, only the old man and the three of them should have remained in the entire courtyard.

"This junior pays respects to Chief Luo!" Chen Fan bowed. The man before him was Luo Gang, the highest-ranking figure in Black Dragon Pool. Yet Chen Fan had met him so easily—it was truly unexpected. Moreover, the man showed none of the imposing majesty of one in high position; he was remarkably approachable. Ye Wan and Qin Ziyan also clasped their hands and bowed in greeting.

The old man nodded with a smile, but his gaze fell upon Chen Fan. "Not bad, not bad. Truly a young man of promise. I never expected the dignified Black Dragon Envoy to be such a little fellow as you!"

Black Dragon Envoy?! Chen Fan's heart jolted. It seemed Liu Wushuang had still played him like a fiddle. This sounded like an exceedingly secret identity. Black Dragon Pool probably only knew that Swordcry Mountain had an informant within it, but they had never seen who it was. This was disastrous. Had he not become Liu Wushuang's puppet now?

The two women were also muttering inwardly. This had completely exceeded their previous expectations. What exactly was going on with Chen Fan?

"You flatter this junior, Senior. I hope Senior can keep this junior's identity confidential." Chen Fan could only brace himself and charge forward in the face of difficulty.

Luo Gang nodded. He had deliberately contacted the Black Dragon Envoy this time and requested that he come for a discussion. He had not expected him to truly come. The Black Dragon Envoys throughout the sect's history had all been extremely mysterious, and their true identities were rarely known. They might not even know when one Black Dragon Envoy had been replaced by another. Seeing Chen Fan's youth, Luo Gang assumed that he was likely the successor of the previous Black Dragon Envoy. If not, they might not have met today after all. Experienced spies would never easily expose their identities.

Little did he know that Chen Fan was feeling utterly helpless at this moment. He had been inexplicably pushed onto the crest of the waves. Once this matter was exposed, there would likely be no place for him in either sect.

"Please rest assured, Black Dragon Envoy. I will make proper arrangements for this matter and ensure it never spreads. Besides, only a few people among the sect's upper ranks know the Black Dragon Envoy's specific circumstances. Ordinary disciples have at most heard of the Black Dragon Token; they know nothing of its inner workings." As the old man spoke, he looked at the two women behind Chen Fan.

Chen Fan immediately understood. "Senior Luo, please rest assured as well. These two are this junior's friends and can be completely trusted."

Qin Ziyan felt somewhat relieved upon hearing that. At least this guy had a little conscience. Ye Wan, meanwhile, sneered inwardly. Trust the little demoness? Are you sure?

"Good. Since that is so, I shall get straight to the point. This matter is of grave importance, and I had no choice but to request the Black Dragon Envoy's assistance." Luo Gang's face was filled with melancholy. "This matter began several months ago. At the time, the incidents of children going missing had just begun. After my sect learned of them, we dispatched quite a few people to investigate the major cities of the mortal world, including my son. At that time, there was no clue indicating that this matter was connected to any major power, so we did not pay it much heed. We simply treated it as an opportunity for him to gain experience down the mountain. Who would have thought that only days after descending the mountain, my son would be urgently carried back by several disciples? It turned out that he had accidentally been poisoned. We had thought that with Black Dragon Pool's methods, a mere poisoning injury would be easy to cure. Yet when I personally examined him, I found the poison exceedingly strange. My son had fallen into a coma, as though asleep. The vital energy in his meridians had stopped flowing entirely, making it impossible for him to take any antidote. And because his body had already become extremely weak, none of Black Dragon Pool's many experts dared inject Internal Qi into him to expel the poison. Thus, it became a deadlock." At this point, Luo Gang paused, and his mood grew even heavier.

Chen Fan and Ye Wan exchanged a look. Was this not exactly the same poison Xiaoyun had suffered from?

"How is your son now?" Chen Fan asked anxiously. He also recalled what the black-clad man from the Raging Eagle Gang had said at the time. If it truly was that poison, then after several months had passed...

"Alas... his condition is extremely poor. Though he still has one breath left, I fear even the gods cannot turn the tide." Luo Gang sighed softly and continued, "This concerns one of my sect's great secrets. But since even Lord Black Dragon Envoy has appeared, I shall no longer conceal it."

What Luo Gang said next left Chen Fan utterly shocked.

"Lord Black Dragon Envoy must surely know of Black Dragon Pool's origins. Although tribes had gathered here as early as a thousand years ago, with a sizeable population, and together they formed a force—that was Black Dragon Pool in those days. But for Black Dragon Pool to become one of the four great sects, one must go back more than five hundred years. At that time, a disciple appeared within Black Dragon Pool. Although his talent for martial cultivation was ordinary, he was extraordinarily skilled at using hidden weapons. He could even craft all manner of strange and varied hidden weapons. One must know that in that era, many people did not even know what hidden weapons were. Thus, that disciple spread the methods of crafting and using hidden weapons throughout Black Dragon Pool, allowing Black Dragon Pool to become what it is today. That disciple later became a generation's chief. Yet because his Internal Qi realm was insufficient, his lifespan was only a hurried two hundred years or so. This is also a common affliction among us high-ranking members of Black Dragon Pool. However, though the man himself was gone, the methods he left behind regarding the use and development of hidden weapons were passed down. Among the notes and records he left behind were also some particularly unusual accounts—for example, how to identify all kinds of rare flowers and exotic herbs, how to use such plants to make many miraculous poisons, methods of using poison and curing poison, and the like. These contents may only be consulted by the chiefs of each generation. With no other options left, I thought to search through those materials, and I truly found a thread of hope."

By now, Chen Fan's eyes were wide open, and ten thousand horses galloped through his heart. This Black Dragon Pool actually seemed to be connected to the Treasure Record!? Might he have a chance to uncover some of his own secrets?

Luo Gang paused, then continued, "According to the records left by that senior, if someone is deeply afflicted by a strange poison and no cure can be found for the moment, one may insert a specially made fine needle into several of the body's vital acupoints, sealing the meridians and blood qi. This can temporarily preserve the person's life and greatly slow the poison's advance toward the heart..."

At this point, how could Chen Fan fail to understand? His lips moved, and the words slipped from his mouth. "God-Sealing Needles..."

"Ah!" Chen Fan had only muttered softly, yet when Luo Gang heard those three words, his face changed drastically. "You... how did you know?" Those materials had always been secrets never passed down within the sect. Even he, the chief, had only discovered them after searching with painstaking care. How could the Black Dragon Envoy know?

But the next moment, he suddenly recalled the legends concerning the Black Dragon Token and instantly understood something. He rushed directly before Chen Fan and, with a thud, dropped to his knees. His voice was filled with pleading. "I beg Lord Black Dragon Envoy to act and save my son. So long as you can save him, I am willing to fulfill any request Lord Black Dragon Envoy may have." Tears filled Luo Gang's eyes. There was no longer the slightest trace of a sect chief about him.

Qin Ziyan and Ye Wan were both struck pale with shock at the sight. This was far too exaggerated! No matter what, Luo Gang was a figure on the same level as Swordcry Mountain's sect master, yet he had actually taken the initiative to kneel before Chen Fan. Heavens, what had happened to this world? Neither woman could understand it at all, and this was not a moment when they could interrupt.

Alas, it was all for his child. Chen Fan could understand Luo Gang's hardship as well. He hurriedly helped him up; he could not bear to receive such a kneel.

"Senior Luo, please do not act this way. This junior came precisely to offer counsel and plans for your sect. If there are any further details, please explain them one by one."

Luo Gang nodded repeatedly. "Based on the records in those materials, my sect secretly forged several of those miraculous fine needles—the God-Sealing Needles Lord Black Dragon Envoy mentioned. I then personally acted and inserted the needles throughout my son's body. Sure enough, just as the records stated, the poison was effectively slowed. However, if we cannot find an antidote, he will ultimately still be unable to escape death when the poison flares."

Chen Fan nodded slightly. "Then what does this have to do with your sect's invasion of Swordcry Mountain?"

The two women beside him were stunned. Although what had happened earlier had exceeded their understanding somewhat, they knew this matter all too clearly. They had long known it was not simple, and that it had nothing to do with the black-clad men below the mountain as the sect claimed.

"Indeed. That too was a desperate measure we took because the situation was urgent." Luo Gang shook his head softly. "After temporarily controlling the poison, the many experts of our sect searched all through Black Dragon Pool Forest, yet failed to find any suitable medicinal materials. We then sent people down the mountain to secretly seek the whereabouts of those black-clad men. But we did not seek them to eliminate them; we wanted to ask how to break this poison. Finally, one month after my son was poisoned, we received word from a black-clad man. He said that if our sect handed over certain precious treasures and materials, we could exchange them for the antidote. At that time, my son was already at death's door. Left with no choice, I could only agree to their demands. Yet among the materials they requested were some that Black Dragon Pool did not possess. Only after making inquiries in many places did we learn that some were grown in Swordcry Mountain's Hundred Herbs Garden. Thus, we devised a plan to enter and take the treasures. And to facilitate our actions, the black-clad men even provided Spirit-Drunken Incense. This matter had already been discussed with Lord Black Dragon Envoy beforehand."

Black Dragon Pool must have had some special means of contacting whoever held the Black Dragon Token. Liu Wushuang had certainly paved the way for Black Dragon Pool's entry back then; Chen Fan had known that long ago. But now that he understood the entire chain of events, everything became clear. Black Dragon Pool and that organization of black-clad men were not allies. They were even among the victims. In that case, there were some things he could discuss with Liu Wushuang after returning, preparing for the future struggle against the black-clad men's forces.

"The events afterward should all be known to Lord Black Dragon Envoy. We failed to obtain those herbs. One person who participated in the operation returned and reported that they had been intercepted by a young man, who seemed to be from Black Dragon Pool. Now that I see you, those things should be in Lord Black Dragon Envoy's hands, should they not?"

Ye Wan's face was again filled with disbelief. Those things had actually been on this guy all this time. He was simply bold enough to swallow the heavens! But on second thought, he was already the Black Dragon Envoy. What was there that he would not dare do? Then she saw Qin Ziyan smiling smugly at her. Damn it, this little demoness knew about this?! These two... at this rate, sooner or later they would drag Swordcry Mountain into a miserable pit.

Luo Gang looked at Chen Fan with some confusion. He truly had many things he did not understand about this matter. Since Chen Fan had cooperated with them in stealing the treasures, why had he blocked them in the end, only to go through such trouble to personally deliver them later? Was it merely to meet him? If so, they had truly wasted far too much time.

"Senior need not be anxious." Chen Fan knew what Luo Gang was thinking. "Since I came in person, I naturally have my reasons. Does Senior know that even if you hand the treasures over to those people, your son's poison may not necessarily be cured?"

A look of shame appeared on Luo Gang's face. "How could I not know? This was truly an act born of helplessness..."

"Enough. Do not think about exchanging for the antidote for now. Even if you wished to make the exchange at this moment, you would not be able to find them." Chen Fan changed the subject. "Please take us to your son immediately, Senior."

In truth, Luo Gang had recently learned that those black-clad men had vanished without a trace, and he had been deeply worried. Seeing Chen Fan's manner now, could it be that he had a way to save his son? He immediately led the way.