The Misty Cloud Sect, back mountain.
When the bell from the mountain gates rang, Yun Leng was holding a wooden box, pausing outside the stone chamber.
The stone doors were tightly shut, and a wisp of pale cyan Qi occasionally slipped through the cracks. The withered leaves that had fallen before the entrance were instantly whipped up and shattered into fine dust.
He did not dare to urge, bowing as he waited for a moment before hearing a voice transmit from within.
"Come in."
The stone doors slowly opened.
Yun Shan sat cross-legged on the stone ledge, his white hair draped down, a cup of tea that had long since gone cold placed before him. The aura on his body was deeper than before, yet he still had not crossed that barrier that had trapped him for many years.
Dou Huang and Dou Zong, only a single step apart.
He had already waited too long for this step.
Yun Leng put down the wooden box and saluted first.
"Old Sect Master, there is new news from Wutan City."
Yun Shan opened his eyes.
"Still that Xiao Yan?"
"Yes. This boy has already returned to the Xiao Clan, and his two older brothers who served as mercenaries outside have also brought back a group of people."
Yun Leng opened the box lid, revealing the jade bottle and two letters within.
"These are medicinal pills bought from the Xiao Clan's shop. We had people look at them; the purity is somewhat better than what can be bought for the same price. The past few restockings have not been broken either."
Yun Shan took the jade bottle, poured out a pill, and gently stroked his finger across the surface of the pill.
The medicinal fragrance dispersed.
The item could not be considered precious, yet it was refined quite meticulously.
"Has it been investigated who refined them?"
"No. The shop only claims it was obtained by the clan, refusing to reveal the alchemist. Some people wanted to order a batch with heavy funds, but they were also guided away to discuss with the Xiao Clan steward, never seeing the person."
Yun Leng paused, then took out the first letter.
"Also, Xiao Zhan has already advanced to Dou Ling. Someone witnessed this matter with their own eyes; it was not news spread by the Xiao Clan itself."
Yun Shan's hand paused for a moment.
"What about his two sons?"
"They do not have Dou Ling cultivation yet. It is just that the mercenaries they brought back are mostly willing to stay in the Xiao Clan, looking as though they do not plan to return to Stone Desert City."
Yun Shan put the medicinal pill back into the bottle.
A Dou Ling naturally could not catch his eye.
Yet a small clan that had originally been unremarkable suddenly having stable medicinal pills, and consecutively summoning back clan members who had gone out, made this worth taking a second look at.
"Xiao Yan's mentorship still hasn't been found out?"
Yun Leng lowered his head.
"We only know he indeed has a teacher. This person very rarely makes a move in front of others, and the words sent back from various places do not match up."
"If they do not match up, they are not written clearly."
Yun Shan looked at him, his tone growing somewhat lighter.
"Do not pick what you love to hear to report."
Yun Leng felt a tightening on his back, hastily shouting assent as he handed over the second letter.
"This one was heard from the Mittel Auction House. The Xiao Clan currently has an elderly man with white hair staying there, surnamed Hai. The people of Mittel treat him with extreme courtesy. A few days ago, the Imperial Capital even specially sent a batch of medicinal herbs over."
"Surnamed Hai?"
Yun Shan's gaze finally underwent a change.
"Did anyone see him make a move?"
"There is no definite news. However, if that person really is the one we guessed..."
"Then he might be a Dou Huang."
Yun Shan finished for him, slowly putting down the letter.
The interior of the chamber grew quiet for a time.
The few sentences Yun Leng had originally prepared were also swallowed back down.
He resented Xiao Yan for losing face at the sect that day, yet he also understood that if the Xiao Clan truly had a Dou Huang holding down the fort, matters could not be handled according to past thoughts.
"Old Sect Master, are we really going to just let them continue like this?"
"Are you preparing to go now?"
Yun Shan raised his eyes to look at him.
"How many people will you take? When you arrive at the Xiao Clan, who are you prepared to take to task?"
Yun Leng opened his mouth.
The sparring that day had been agreed upon by both sides, and the engagement had already been annulled. If they truly wanted to pursue it, Yun Yun would be the first not to agree.
"Withdraw."
Yun Shan put away the two letters.
"The sect remains as usual. Do not spread these messages around for now."
Yun Leng acknowledged the order and exited, the stone doors closing once more.
Before long, a low chuckle suddenly sounded from the deepest part of the stone chamber.
"What, the dignified Old Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect is also frightened by a Dou Huang?"
Black mist spread from the edge of the stone wall, condensing into a blurry human figure.
Yun Shan did not turn his head.
"Protector Wu, if you feel it is easy, you are entirely welcome to go yourself."
The laughter within the black mist stopped for an instant.
Immediately, a pale palm reached out, snatching that jade bottle over.
Protector Wu smelled the medicinal fragrance, casually tossing it back.
"Merely low-tier medicinal pills, worth you dwelling on them like this?"
"The medicine is not worth it, but the person who refines the medicine is."
Yun Shan caught the jade bottle, his gaze calm.
"The methods that youth used at the sect that day were not things an ordinary clan could produce. Now his father has become a Dou Ling, and he even has Mittel sending medicine to his door. Do you think these matters are all coincidences?"
Protector Wu slowly drifted in front of the stone ledge.
"You want his cultivation method?"
"Cultivation method, medicinal pills, and the person who taught him."
Yun Shan did not conceal it.
"A small clan guarding such things will sooner or later fall into the hands of others. Since they have already formed a rift with my Misty Cloud Sect, why should I wait for others to make the first move?"
"Then why did you just tell people to withdraw?"
"Because I have not reached Dou Zong yet."
Yun Shan finally looked directly at that cluster of black mist.
"A Dou Huang who might be hiding in the Xiao Clan, plus a teacher of unfathomable depth. If you want me to take the sect to gamble based on a few words, you should at least produce something first."
Protector Wu stared at him, the faint sound of iron chains colliding ringing out within the black mist.
A moment later, a slender jade bottle landed on the stone ledge.
Before the mouth of the bottle was even opened, Yun Shan felt the Dou Qi within his body stir slightly.
His gaze, for the first time, firmly locked onto that bottle.
"This is only the first portion."
Protector Wu spoke: "First nourish your meridians according to the cultivation method I give you; the things that follow will naturally be sent successively. Whether you can pass that barrier still depends on how much effort you yourself are willing to put in."
Yun Shan did not immediately go to take it.
"How long?"
"You have sat in dry meditation here for many years, yet I haven't seen you step out. Now that you have a path, you find it too slow?"
Protector Wu's voice turned cold.
"At the shortest a year or more, at the longest even longer. If someone tells you that swallowing a mouthful will make you a Dou Zong, you are welcome to try."
Protector Wu raised his hand, and a wisp of black Qi condensed into several lines of fine characters in midair.
Yun Shan initially only watched, but a moment later, the fingers resting on his knees gently began to move. The Dou Qi within his body circulated slowly according to a certain segment, and when it reached two meridians in his chest, it actually underwent a change slightly different from usual.
He immediately reined it in, not daring to test any further.
The remaining circulation path was precisely hidden within the black mist.
"Showing you a little first prevents you from thinking that I only make empty promises."
Protector Wu waved his hand and scattered those characters.
Yun Shan gazed at the empty space, his expression unchanged, yet in his heart he already understood.
The other party had grasped the thing he wanted most, and would not easily let go.
Yun Shan was silent for a moment, asking: "In exchange, what do you want?"
"After you break through, make it more convenient for me to handle matters within the Jia Ma Empire. The people I want to find, you investigate for me; the souls I want to collect, you must not obstruct me."
"What about the sect disciples?"
"Reluctant to part with them?"
Yun Shan's gaze sank.
"Without disciples, without elders, what good is it to you to prop up an empty shell of a sect?"
Protector Wu suddenly laughed.
"You understand quite well. Rest assured, there is no need for you to hand over people right now. Once you sit firmly in the position of Dou Zong, we will discuss matters of the future."
That phrasing did not draw a hard boundary.
Yun Shan could hear it, yet he still reached out and grasped the jade bottle.
The bottle body was ice-cold, a trace of faint chill drilling along his palm into his meridians. He circulated his Dou Qi to suppress it, yet the depths of his eyes gradually lit up.
The barrier that had trapped him for many years finally had a touchable hope.
Protector Wu watched this scene, his laughter growing lower.
"As for the Xiao Clan side, what do you plan to do?"
Yun Shan stowed the jade bottle into his sleeve, took up a piece of paper, and placed it on the stone ledge.
That was the sect chronicle Yun Leng had previously presented, among which a single line recorded the agreement between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan.
"There is no need to find another pretext."
His fingertips pointed at that line of words.
"When the Three-Year Agreement was set back then, it was Yanran who personally went to the Xiao Clan to issue a challenge. When that day arrives, Xiao Zhan will not be absent, and his several sons will naturally need to be present as well."
Protector Wu watched for a moment.
"You are going to follow a little girl over there?"
"Sect disciples going to fulfill an appointment, with elders accompanying them, what is improper about that?"
Yun Shan said indifferently: "The invitations will be sent out in advance, and the various clans in the city will also know. We will enter Wutan City in a dignified manner, could the Xiao Clan possibly close their doors and refuse to see us?"
The nether light in Protector Wu's eyes flashed slowly.
With the members of a family going their separate ways on ordinary days, trying to capture them all at once would naturally be troublesome.
Yet on the day of the appointment, they would gather in one place of their own accord.
"What if that teacher refuses to show his face?"
"Let us first see how much weight his disciple and the Xiao Clan hold in his heart."
Yun Shan raised his eyes.
"Of course, before making a move, we still must investigate. If there truly is someone we cannot handle, changing our methods will not be too late."
Protector Wu did not object.
"You certainly calculate well. Is that disciple of yours willing to let her own apprentice act as this signboard?"
"Yun'er only needs to instruct Yanran as usual."
Yun Shan slowly folded the paper.
"As for other matters, there is no need to let her know."
On the front mountain sword-practice grounds, a long sword pierced the air, stirring up a flurry of hurried wind.
Nalan Yanran advanced three steps in succession, the tip of her sword prying open the short stick in the puppet's hand before immediately stabbing toward its center gate.
This sword strike was even faster than yesterday's.
Yet just as the blade was about to descend, a wisp of cyan Dou Qi swept over from the side, gently colliding with the ridge of her sword.
The long sword skewed.
The puppet's other arm swept around by momentum, the short stick stopping right in front of her shoulder.
"Right here again."
Yun Yun walked up close, steadying the puppet upright.
"You see an opening, and you rush to advance. Yet your own left side is also empty."
Nalan Yanran pressed her lips together, withdrawing her sword and standing properly.
Her palms were already soaked with sweat, and from holding the sword hilt for too long, there was a dull ache.
She had already practiced many times today.
Each start was better than the last, but the moment she thought of that casual, effortless move Xiao Yan had used that day, a sense of urgency would involuntarily arise in her heart.
"Teacher, if I am even faster..."
"Being fast can cause your opponent to have no time to parry. But what if your opponent is even faster than you?"
Yun Yun took the sword from her hand, not driving much Dou Qi, only thrusting it forward gently.
Nalan Yanran raised her hand to parry as instructed.
Yet the sword blade turned slightly just before impact, already slipping past her hand and pointing straight at the puppet's shoulder.
The movement was not startling, and could even be seen with complete clarity.
She stood frozen for a moment.
You keep thinking about how to win back that single move.
Yun Yun handed the sword back.
Yet the Xiao Yan three years from now will not necessarily use only that move. You trap yourself in that single day, and no matter how many times you practice, you are still sparring with the person from that day.
Nalan Yanran looked down at the sword, and after a moment, she stepped back in front of the wooden dummy.
This time, she did not rush to attack.
When the wooden arm rotated, she first sidestepped to evade it, steadied her footing, and only then thrust the sword edge outward.
The sword tip landed on the chest of the wooden dummy, leaving a faint scratch.
Though not clean enough, it was at least not intercepted by the short club again.
Yun Yun nodded.
Remember the feeling in your feet just now.
Nalan Yanran withdrew her sword and her chest heaved, but a touch of brightness finally appeared in her eyes.
On the other side of the sword-practice grounds, several young disciples were tidying up their weapons. One carried too many, and the wooden swords scattered all over the ground, prompting companions nearby to quickly squat down and help.
One of the swords slid to Nalan Yanran's feet.
She bent down to pick it up, walked over to return it to the wooden rack, and even straightened the crooked bristle-guard for the youngest one.
Next time, carry them in two trips. If one smashes your foot, it will delay your sword practice.
The young disciple blushed and offered his thanks.
Yun Yun stood where she was, waiting for her to return before heading back together along the stone steps.
The aroma of midday meals already drifted from the dining hall, and on-duty disciples carrying hot water passed by. Catching sight of the two, they paused to bow in greeting, only for Yun Yun to signal them to go about their business first.
Nalan Yanran looked at the teacher beside her, and suddenly asked in a soft voice, Teacher, three years from now, what if I still lose?
Yun Yun did not stop her stride.
Did you come to learn skills, or only to be allowed to win once?
The young girl was stunned.
But the sect...
The sect gives you cultivation methods and teaches you cultivation in the hope that you will walk further. The outcome of a single sparring match is not enough to shoulder the rise and fall of the entire Misty Cloud Sect.
Yun Yun turned her head to look at her.
What should be contested, strive your hardest to contest. If you truly lose, acknowledge it, and practice again.
Nalan Yanran was silent for a moment, and the hand gripping the sword slowly relaxed.
Disciple understands.
She still wanted to win.
Yet thinking of that agreement now, the weight pressing upon her chest finally grew a little lighter.
Arriving at the covered walkway, a disciple delivered a letter from the Nalan Family.
Nalan Yanran unwrapped and read it, a trace of complex emotion rising on her face. Her grandfather was still asking about her affairs from that day, yet at the very end he admonished that if she suffered any grievances on the mountain, she was entirely free to write back.
Yun Yun did not read the letter, only asking, Is all well at home?
All is well. Grandfather is still angry with me.
She folded the letter neatly, thought about it, and added, Disciple will write back upon returning. The agreement was one I set myself, and how things turn out hereafter is also something I should handle myself. I surely cannot lose and then have my family help find excuses.
As she spoke these words, she still felt somewhat awkward.
Yun Yun merely smiled.
Then write him about today's sword practice as well.
Nalan Yanran nodded, carefully stowing the letter away inside her sleeve.
She did not know that, at this very moment upon this same mountain, someone had already figured out how another invitation ought to be sent for her.
After night fell, Yun Leng came to the back mountain once more.
This time the stone door did not open; only a folded sheet of paper slowly fluttered out from the crack in the door.
Yun Leng caught it and unfolded it to read, his brows first furrowing, then smoothing out bit by bit.
As it turned out, the old sect master was not prepared to simply let this matter pass.
Handle it according to what is written above.
Yun Shan's voice drifted out.
Investigate only, do not move. If you startle the Xiao Clan out of a momentary craving for merit, I will hold you accountable first.
Understood.
Yun Leng put the paper away and withdrew from the forbidden grounds. Not until he had walked far away did he summon a trusted deacon.
Pick two steady workers and go to Wutan City.
To enter the Xiao Clan?
Do not enter. Stay outside. When the medicinal pills are replenished, from where the medicinal herbs are sent, and whom that Elder Hai interacts with-however much you can see, record it all.
The deacon hesitated. If we could capture a guard, we might ask faster.
Yun Leng's face abruptly darkened.
Who told you to take anyone?
The deacon hastily lowered his head.
Remember, once you go, handle things by the rules of ordinary travelling merchants. Buy things and pay for them, and if anyone questions you, do not reveal your sect identity. You are not permitted to probe the guards, nor are you permitted to touch anyone from the Xiao Clan.
Yun Leng stared at him until the other agreed to each point, then waved a hand to dismiss him.
The mountain wind blew past, and the lights of the distant disciple quarters were extinguishing one by one.
Yun Leng looked back toward the back mountain, and the pent-up gloom in his heart gradually dissipated.
That challenge three years hence-he had originally only hoped Nalan Yanran could win.
Now, however, it had gained another use.
Inside the stone door, Yun Shan uncapped that slender jade bottle.
A drop of dark medicinal liquid fell into his palm, and the surrounding Dou Qi trembled softly in response.
He closed his eyes, slowly guiding that surge of power into his meridians.
Meanwhile, beside the stone ledge, the paper bearing the Three-Year Agreement had already been pressed beneath the jade bottle.
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