Chapter 24 Reunion

"Chu Jianshan, is this the important thing you mentioned?"

The familiar voice came from beside him, and Chu Jianshan was first pleasantly surprised, but then felt a wave of guilt that he could not hide.

Cheng Yuan kicked He Kun away, pulled Chu Jianshan behind him to prevent him from being accidentally injured, and then went over to help Bai Qianfan.

While the fight raged on one side, Ji Shi, like a ghost, slowly moved to Chu Jianshan's side and said in a low voice, "Chu Jianshan, I didn't expect you to have kept this from us for so long."

"What?" Chu Jianshan's heart skipped a beat. Did these two know his identity? Who told them? And how did they know he was in Qingyao City?

Chu Jianshan closed his eyes tightly, not daring to speak, silently reminding himself that too much talk leads to mistakes.

But he was still worried about Cheng Yuan. He knew He Kun's strength; it was not something the two of them could handle. If all else failed, he would have no choice but to reveal his identity and fight with all his might.

But the more he looked, the more something seemed off. He Kun didn't seem to be a highly skilled cultivator at all. Every move he made seemed to be very strenuous. Before half an incense stick had burned, he couldn't hold on any longer and Cheng Yuan had a sword at his neck.

? ? ?

What happened? He had been watching the fight the whole time. He Kun hadn't held back on purpose. If Cheng Yuan's cultivation hadn't improved so much in such a short time, then there was only one possibility: this person wasn't very strong to begin with.

But He Kun's cultivation level was more than ten times that of seven years ago. What caused him to lose so much cultivation level in just seven years?

Or, to make a bold guess, in the battle at Linyi Gate, Chu Qingyuan was not actually facing him; someone had used his identity.

This person should be the real power behind Linyi Gate.

Seeing that the fight was over, Chu Jianshan slowly walked towards them and cautiously asked Cheng Yuan, "Why did you come here?"

Cheng Yuan didn't reply or even look at him. Instead, he kicked He Kun in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel down.

Chu Jianshan touched the tip of his nose, feeling a little awkward in the silent atmosphere. Fortunately, Ji Shi ran over at this moment and explained, "Who told you not to tell us your identity? You don't treat us as friends at all!"

"Identity...what identity?"

Chu Jianshan turned to look at Bai Qianfan, gritted his teeth and spat out these words, saying to him with a forced smile, "Why don't you tell me, what is my identity?"

Bai Qianfan has always been unreliable, but it's unlikely that he would expose Chu Qingyuan's identity. If he's not mistaken, this person must have given him a new identity that would be easier to carry out, and it's probably because he spread the news that Cheng Yuan and the others were able to come.

Bai Qianfan, who was watching the show with amusement, pretended to be earnest and said, "Brother Chu, now that things have come to this, let's not keep it a secret anymore."

"I kept it from you..."

The curse was already on the tip of his tongue, but Chu Jianshan quickly swallowed it back. After taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to his fate and said with his head down, "I admit my mistake. I shouldn't have kept it from everyone."

"That's more like it!" Ji Shi walked over and patted him on the shoulder, explaining, "If it weren't for Senior Brother Bai bringing us the news, we'd still be in the dark."

“I know you don’t want to implicate us, but this is a big matter for Master Xie, and it ultimately concerns Changjin Mountain. We can’t just ignore it.”

"You all know about Xie Yin's matter?" Chu Jianshan asked in confusion.

Ji Shi nodded and said, "Senior Brother Bai explained everything to us in his letter. There were suspicious circumstances surrounding Uncle Xie's death back then. Since you are Senior Brother Bai's friend, it is perfectly reasonable for you to help him investigate the case. But you are unwilling to reveal anything to us. It is a disgrace that we trusted you so much!"

Chu Jianshan was truly speechless with bitterness. Looking at Bai Qianfan, who was gloating beside him, he wished he could just pierce him through with a sword. But facing Cheng Yuan and Ji Shi, he could only obediently admit his mistake.

Ji Shi snorted, putting on an air of magnanimity, seemingly not intending to hold it against him.

Chu Jianshan looked at He Kun kneeling on the ground, somewhat puzzled as to why he didn't speak up when he knew his identity. But seeing He Kun's controlled demeanor, Chu Jianshan understood. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but that the person behind him wouldn't let him. Chu Jianshan wanted to continue this charade, and the person behind the scenes also wanted to watch.

Bai Qianfan asked, "What do you plan to do with him now?"

"Release them," Chu Jianshan said calmly.

"What?" Bai Qianfan thought he had misheard and asked again, "We finally caught him, and you just let him go without even questioning him?"

Chu Jianshan nodded and said, "This person is just a puppet. If his master doesn't want us to know something, no matter how much we ask, it's useless. We might as well release him and see what the mastermind behind this is up to."

Bai Qianfan sneered and said, "A dignified sect leader can be reduced to someone else's puppet. I'm getting more and more curious about who's behind this. He doesn't crave power or influence, but only wants to stay behind the scenes and manipulate everything. What do you think he's trying to do?"

Chu Jianshan said, "No matter what he's planning, he's got his eye on us. We should be careful."

"Cheng Yuan, let him go."

Upon receiving the order, Liuyin Sword was sheathed, and He Kun turned and fled.

Just as Chu Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief, he saw He Kun suddenly turn around and throw a dagger from his sleeve at Cheng Yuan.

"Ah Yuan, watch out!"

Cheng Yuan had his back to He Kun, so he didn't see his movements. Fortunately, Chu Jianshan was quick-witted and rushed over to grab him and spin him around. The dagger barely grazed his forearm, leaving a bloody mark.

Bai Qianfan was so angry that he almost wanted to capture He Kun again and kill him, but to his surprise, He Kun disappeared in a flash.

"Chu Jianshan, are you alright?" Cheng Yuanzhu grabbed his arm and brought the wound to his face. Looking at the wound that was still bleeding, a shadow fell over his eyes.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Chu Jianshan withdrew his hand, not wanting him to see the wound.

"I told you to insist on letting him go back, and now look what happened, he's going to do, leaving a mark on your arm before he leaves."

Hearing Bai Qianfan's sarcastic remarks, Chu Jianshan wasn't annoyed. He just smiled and said, "I'm fine, aren't I?"

Bai Qianfan said, "Luckily you're alright. If you were, I would have skinned that person alive."

"Alright, let's go first," Chu Jianshan advised.

Everyone turned and went back into the house, but halfway there Cheng Yuan suddenly called out to Chu Jianshan.

"etc!"

"What's wrong?" Chu Jianshan turned around and looked at him in confusion.

"Let me see your wound again."

Upon hearing that Cheng Yuan wanted to check on his injury again, Chu Jianshan subconsciously put his hands behind his back and gently refused, saying, "Didn't I already check it just now? It's really nothing."

Cheng Yuan ignored his excuses and pulled his hand away. By the light of the candle, he saw the black blood oozing from the wound, indicating that the dagger had been poisoned.

Cheng Yuan looked up at Chu Jianshan, his anger growing stronger. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "If I hadn't found out, were you planning to keep this a secret again?"

"I..." Chu Jianshan was speechless. He had indeed wanted to keep this a secret, but he didn't expect Cheng Yuan to find out so quickly.

He used to think Cheng Yuan was being pretentious, but wasn't he the same way? He didn't like to complain to others or let others worry about him, always feeling that it would make him seem weak, so he preferred to bear everything on his own no matter what happened.

But he forgot that this would also hurt the feelings of his loved ones.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Ji Shi and the others, who were walking ahead, turned back when they heard the noise. They looked at Cheng Yuan and Chu Jianshan, who were staring at each other but neither of them spoke.

Bai Qianfan glanced at Chu Jianshan's wound and knew what had happened. After taking his hand and feeling his pulse, she frowned slightly, sighed, and said, "One good news and one bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Chu Jianshan knew something bad was about to happen as soon as he saw Chu Jianshan frown. He had always been unlucky, so he figured he'd better hear some good news first to put his mind at ease. So he said, "The former."

Bai Qianfan said, "The good news is that you won't die yet."

Chu Jianshan felt relieved, then cautiously asked, "And the bad news?"

"The bad news is, you will die in seven days."

"..."

Chu Jianshan's assessment was that it was better to say nothing; wasn't it just a matter of dying sooner or later? Where was the good news?!

At this moment, Cheng Yuan spoke up, his voice trembling slightly, and asked, "Then what is the method of antidote?"

Bai Qianfan said, "I've never seen this kind of poison before. I can only try. If we can't develop an antidote within seven days, then we'll only have one last method left."

"What?"

"The city lords of Qingyao City have passed down a kind of elixir through generations. I don't remember the name, but it is said to be able to cure all kinds of poisons."

"It's just a legend," Chu Jianshan denied. "Whether it exists or not is still uncertain. Besides, even if it does exist, it might not be able to cure my poison. Don't waste your energy."

"What do you mean by wasting effort?" Cheng Yuan looked at Chu Jianshan, his expression not very pleasant.

"Is your life so unimportant to you?"

Seeing that Cheng Yuan was about to get angry again, Chu Jianshan quickly lowered his head and shut his mouth.

This was the first time Bai Qianfan had ever seen Chu Jianshan so humiliated. He was probably the first person in history to be scolded like this by his disciple, which made Bai Qianfan find it somewhat amusing.

"Don't worry about whether it will work or not. Since there is hope, we have to try. Cheng Yuan is right. Don't take your life for granted. There are always people who care about you."

"Don't worry about this. We've got you covered. We won't let you die easily."