Chapter 67 Your family has a traitor
Yan Xiaochuan had caught a glimpse of Yu Sui at Xiaoyao Pond. After going ashore, he asked around which family the girl belonged to. When he finally got to Sheng Fei, they exchanged secret codes and realized that the boy was talking about his own sister.
Sheng Fei immediately told him to get lost.
Mu Mengbai said the same thing.
Yan Xiaochuan felt a pang of regret, never expecting that the girl was actually Princess Qingyang, who had been infatuated with Gu Gan for many years.
He sighed and asked, "Did the young princess take what she said to heart?"
“Of course.” Sheng Fei raised his chin with a hint of pride. “Just look how smart she is.”
Yan Xiaochuan thought to himself, "You weren't like this when you called your sister stupid before."
But then she thought, wouldn't listening to what he said mean she would give up on Gu Gan? Maybe she's still wavering right now, and if Gu Gan sweet-talks her again, the silly princess might be fooled again.
Yan Xiaochuan felt it was necessary for him to help solidify Yu Sui's resolve.
So he inquired around and finally learned from Xue Mushi, a friend of a friend of a friend, that Yu Sui was also going to challenge the Dragon Slayer Cave.
Anyway, he was going to help Sheng Fei and Mu Mengbai bring things over from Longwei, so he could also see Yu Sui off. When he saw that he was bringing the little princess over, Senior Brother Sheng would look at him with new respect!
Yan Xiaochuan smiled and strode up to Yu Sui, blocking her way. Under Yu Sui's questioning gaze, he enthusiastically introduced himself to her: "Little Princess, my name is Yan Xiaochuan, the Yan of Yan Kingdom. I am not from Yan Kingdom. I am a disciple of a famous family. I am very familiar with Senior Brother Sheng, and also with your fellow disciples."
Yu Sui, who was suddenly stopped, paused and hesitated before asking, "...My third brother and senior brother?"
She was a little surprised. She knew Yan Xiaochuan and Sheng Fei were close, but she didn't know he was also close to Mei Liangyu.
“Brother Liangyu, he’s familiar with my master, which means he’s familiar with me too.” Yan Xiaochuan winked at her, then naturally led Yu Sui forward. “Why are you alone for the Dragon Slaying Cave challenge this time…”
Before he could finish speaking, Su Tong, who was waiting behind him, stopped him.
Su Tong glanced at Yan Xiaochuan, who was all smiles and trying to curry favor. Knowing he was a cunning disciple of a famous sect, she stepped between them, separating Yu Sui and Yan Xiaochuan, and asked, "What are you trying to get close to? Her fellow disciple personally instructed me to bring Nangong Sui into the Dragon-Slaying Cave. And who are you?"
Yu Sui looked at Su Tong in surprise. "It's my senior brother again?"
Yan Xiaochuan remained calm, adept at feigning weakness and playing the coward. He looked at Su Tong pitifully and said, "Senior Sister Su, we all have the same goal, why be so fierce? I was personally instructed by the little princess's brother to lead Senior Brother Sheng's sister into the Dragon Slaying Cave!"
Although he lied, the general meaning was roughly the same.
Su Tong looked at Yan Xiaochuan suspiciously.
It wasn't that she was being overly sensitive, but during the Dragon Slayer Cave challenge, if you were traveling with someone you didn't know well, there were many instances of people using tricks and schemes to kick you out and eliminate you.
Although doing this kind of thing will most likely make enemies or get you beaten up, there are always people who don't care and dare to do it.
Who would easily give up an opportunity to obtain the Heavenly Secrets Technique without cultivation?
If you can disguise yourself well, even if you betray someone, there will still be fools who will remember your kindness and not understand why they were eliminated.
In Su Tong's eyes, Yu Sui was innocent and cute. New disciples like her were the easiest to deceive. After all, Yan Xiaochuan was not a new disciple, and there were countless instances of high-level disciples deceiving low-level disciples.
Just to be on the safe side, Su Tong turned to Yu Sui and asked, "Do you know him?"
Yu Sui stared at her longingly: "I don't actually know you, Senior Sister."
Su Tong: "..."
Yan Xiaochuan chuckled, making the scene a little awkward for Su Tong.
"My name is Su Tong, and I am a first-class disciple of the Fangji family." Su Tong cleared her throat, adopted the aura of a senior sister, turned to look at Yu Sui, and the three divine wooden tokens hanging from her waist swayed gently. "Your senior brother made a promise with me that I would protect you for fifteen days. Within fifteen days, he will definitely come to find you and take you to Yechi."
Since Mei Liangyu hadn't said anything about keeping it a secret, Su Tong just told Yu Sui directly.
Yan Xiaochuan tossed the pebbles in his hand and said, "I can trust what Senior Brother Liangyu says, but I'm also here to help Senior Brother Sheng look after the little princess, so why don't we come together?"
Before Yu Sui even entered the Dragon Slayer Cave, he gained two more teammates.
She accepted with a polite smile, saying, "Okay."
Seeing that Yu Sui accepted, Su Tong had no choice but to secretly be wary of Yan Xiaochuan.
Several instructors from the Thirteen Realms stood guard at the entrance to maintain order, explaining the rules to the new disciples and guiding them along the way. The entrance to the Dragon Tail was wide and dark, and even standing at the door, one could not see the scenery inside.
The number of disciples who have entered the Dragon Slayer Cave will be displayed at each of the three entrances, showing how many have survived and how many have been eliminated.
Not long after, it was shown that someone had already been eliminated.
Yan Xiaochuan and Su Tong had both been to the Dragon Slayer Cave before. At this moment, they repeated what Mei Liangyu had told Yu Sui before: "Before you go in, you need to get the Mechanism Exquisite Heart. It can withstand one fatal blow. When you are inside, as long as your Mechanism Exquisite Heart triggers to withstand the fatal blow, you will be eliminated. If you are conscious, you will fall out of the Dragon Slayer Cave. If you are unconscious, the instructors will take you out."
Yu Sui followed the two and received the Exquisite Heart from the instructor. At first glance, it was a transparent bead wrapped in a golden talisman. After the talisman was removed, it turned into a wisp of gold and merged into the heart.
It can only withstand fatal injuries, but what if you lose an arm or a leg inside?
Yu Sui couldn't help but rack her brains. Perhaps if she encountered that situation, she could break the mechanism herself and summon the patrolling instructors and others to rescue her.
"The Wind-Listening Ruler is forbidden inside the Dragon-Slaying Cave. It cannot send or receive messages, nor can it transmit text or sound," Yan Xiaochuan said.
Yu Sui glanced at the instructors standing on both sides of the entrance; they all wore wind-listening rulers on their waists.
Su Tong walked at the front and stopped two people who were about to follow the other crowd, saying, "Hey, there's a trick to the entrance. Don't just walk around randomly. Go nine steps to the left before entering. The teleportation point will be much safer there, with fewer people."
She took nine steps first, then stopped to look at Yu Sui and Yan Xiaochuan, and the other two followed suit.
Approaching the entrance, it felt more like the entrance to a mountain cave. From a distance, the entrance appeared tall and large, but upon closer inspection, it resembled a giant mountain, about a hundred meters long and reaching the sky. The dark, unknown atmosphere was oppressive.
No matter how many disciples come, there will be no queue.
Yu Sui looked around and saw that there were densely packed disciples on both sides. At a glance, most of them had companions and very few went alone.
Even if you haven't found any companions before you arrive, other people will invite you at the entrance.
Su Tong took a step forward and whispered, "Let's go."
The three stepped into the darkness, and when they opened their eyes again, they were already inside the Dragon Slayer Cave.
Yu Sui and his two companions stood on a quiet path, flanked by green forests and mountains. Tall bushes swayed in the breeze, the sky above was bright, and gray voles could be seen leaping among the branches.
The path slopes uphill, and from below you can see fields, rivers, and houses.
Su Tong turned around and pointed to the fields and rivers below: "There is an illusion here, we have to go back. If we go forward along the mountain, we will be trapped in a maze and unable to get out of the mountains until we are exhausted, our brains are affected by the illusion of plants and trees, and then we will destroy our own mechanism, the Linglong Heart."
Yu Sui nodded obediently: "Okay."
Yan Xiaochuan was clearly here for the first time, scratching his head and saying, "Senior Sister Su, it sounds like the teleportation points here are more dangerous."
“As long as you are familiar with the changes, it is not dangerous.” Su Tong said, leading them down the slope. “Some routes and Nine Streams Techniques in the Dragon Slaying Cave are unchanged. As long as you come a few more times and remember them, there is nothing to be afraid of. But some places will change, and it cannot be guaranteed that it will be the same every year.”
Yan Xiaochuan held up his hand to count: "I've been to the Dragon Slayer Cave twice."
Su Tong said, "I did it five times."
Yan Xiaochuan cupped his hands in a conceding gesture to her, making a funny gesture: "This is the first time the little princess has come here, so she must have a lot of questions. Come, come, don't be afraid, I will answer all your questions."
He took two steps forward and walked alongside Yu Sui, looking at her with a smile.
Mei Liangyu had already explained most of the precautions related to the Dragon Slaying Cave to Yu Sui, and Yu Sui had listened carefully. She had already asked Mei Liangyu all her questions, so when Yan Xiaochuan said this, Yu Sui didn't know what to ask for a while.
But not wanting to dampen his companions' enthusiasm, Yu Sui had no choice but to ask the questions he already knew again: "The Dragon Slayer Cave is so long, even if there are no obstacles along the way, and you use your full power of the Wind Riding Technique to travel, it would take at least a month to reach the Dragon Head."
Yan Xiaochuan chuckled twice, then mysteriously gestured with his hands to indicate a number, saying, "The academy won't give us trials we can't complete, so there will be a way to shorten the distance for teleportation within this vast dragon cave."
Yu Sui expressed her surprise at the opportune moment, and looked back with her eyes slightly wide open.
As Yan Xiaochuan walked, he said, "The famous masters' methods of opening up roads through mountains and rocks, the Taoists' methods of the Bagua Gate, the practitioners of the Fangji School's methods of changing objects and stars, and the Taoists' methods of transmitting the soul and spirit, etc., are all here. As long as we grasp the rules and find the starting teleportation point, even if we are at the tail of the dragon, we can fly to the head of the dragon in an instant."
Yu Sui nodded in realization: "Oh, I see."
Yan Xiaochuan was ostensibly teaching Yu Sui, but he was also speaking to Su Tong: "Senior Sister Su, do you have a teleportation point for the 'Shifting Stars' technique?"
Su Tong didn't answer, but glanced at him and asked, "Are you a famous master of using the 'mountain stone road' teleportation point?"
Yan Xiaochuan nodded with a grin: "Yes, I originally planned to get the Fire Crystal Stone and then take the Stone Trail Teleportation Point at the Dragon Tail to meet up with Senior Brother Sheng."
He was sincere and spoke frankly without hiding anything. Su Tong also knew that Sheng Fei was Yu Sui's brother, and that there should be no danger traveling with her brother, so she agreed.
Su Tong asked, "Who was Sheng Fei with?"
Yan Xiaochuan said, "Senior Brother Mu Mengbai is a practitioner of magic arts, and you should also know Senior Sister Su."
Su Tong responded with an "oh".
Yan Xiaochuan suddenly realized: "I forgot, you are all practitioners of esoteric arts, which means you are competitors."
"What's the panic? I'm not going to fight for the dragon head." Su Tong tilted her head towards Yu Sui. "My goal this time is to protect her."
After saying that, she warned Yan Xiaochuan: "Don't try anything funny. If you dare to hurt her, I will be very angry and I will curse you so that you will not be able to advance to the top rank for the next three years."
Yan Xiaochuan raised his hands and said, "I swear to God, I came here to protect the young princess."
Yu Sui was very pleased.
Everyone around me was very talkative along the way; I was finally not mute anymore.
When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, a river flowed gently in front of them, and there were some living creatures in the clear water. But what attracted their attention was not the fish and shrimp, but the three or five figures walking in the fields on the opposite bank.
"Unfamiliar face, looks like a new disciple this year," Yan Xiaochuan said in a low voice.
The two girls on the other side had obviously noticed them too, and they waved and called out to Yu Sui, "Nangong Sui!"
Su Tong looked at Yu Sui and asked softly, "Do you know her?"
Yu Sui nodded and said honestly, "The people from Qingyang are the second young lady of the Li family and the princess of the Chengxiang Prince's family."
She recognized the remaining three boys, but she had only seen them at the academy; they were not from Qingyang.
"Should we leave first?" Yan Xiaochuan said. "It looks like they've come to seek refuge with us."
Su Tong said, "If we're seen, it won't be easy to leave. People will gossip about Nangong Sui. We'll see what they want to do. If they want to join in, we'll just refuse. If it's inconvenient, we'll just kick them out.
Yan Xiaochuan looked at her: "Senior Sister Su, didn't you say there were fewer people here?"
Five of them came right away, that's quite a lot.
"On the first day of the Dragon Slayer Cave challenge, everywhere is crowded." As the figure opposite approached, Su Tong's voice softened. "Haven't you heard of places with hundreds of people at the start?"
Yan Xiaochuan recalled the scene of his first time entering the Dragon Slayer Cave, where the ground was full of people, and silently touched his nose without saying a word.
During the conversation, the five teenagers had already crossed the riverbank.
The seemingly quiet Miss Li called out to Yu Sui, "Princess."
Although Taiyi advocates equality for all and discourages class distinctions within the academy, it is precisely those of higher class who are accustomed to these distinctions and find them difficult to change. If Yan Xiaochuan calling Yu Sui Princess was an attempt to be close, then Miss Li Er's use of the same term was simply an unchangeable habit.
"What a coincidence to see you here! We've looked around and haven't seen anyone else." The princess of the Chengxiang Prince's family, being of similar social standing to Yu Sui, spoke more casually. "It's better to travel together in groups. How about coming with us?"
Yu Sui politely replied, "I'm just following someone else."
Su Tong refused outright: "No, it's not good with too many people. Let's go our separate ways."
Upon hearing this, the five teenagers reacted in various ways.
Yu Sui and Yan Xiaochuan both silently expressed their admiration for Su Tong.
“What’s wrong with that? Shouldn’t it be safer with more people around? There will be more people to help if something goes wrong.” The princess couldn’t understand.
"They think we're not strong enough, don't you understand?" a boy said impatiently. "It's like nobody wants to be with you guys. Let's go."
As he spoke, he walked up the hillside, and the other two boys followed. The second young lady of the Li family and the princess hesitated for a moment, then followed them as well.
Su Tong raised her chin and said without changing her expression, "Let's go too."
Yu Sui and Yan Xiaochuan followed.
Yan Xiaochuan gave Su Tong a thumbs up: "Senior Sister Su, I've spent my whole life learning how to refuse others with confidence."
Su Tong turned to Yu Sui and said, "I don't feel good. Don't play with them."
Yu Sui nodded, but asked, "How did you sense it, Senior Sister?"
Su Tong explained, "The divination of practitioners of magic can sense whether a person is malicious or benevolent from the flow of qi in their facial expressions and movements."
Yan Xiaochuan: "Senior Sister Su, is your divination accurate?"
“It’s not always accurate,” Su Tong said. “It’s not always accurate when you encounter someone who knows how to disguise themselves, but those five people just now didn’t seem to have much experience in disguising themselves.”
Every family knows a little bit about divination, but only those skilled in divination are truly adept at it.
While other schools of divination rely on the principles of the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, the methods of divination employed by practitioners of divination techniques are far more diverse, with various schools of thought, the most popular being the art of military divination.
In every warring vassal state, there would be one or two military strategists or diviners in the marching camp.
Farmers have the ability to predict the weather because their cultivation connects them with the heavens and earth, making them particularly sensitive to changes in wind and rain. Skilled sorcerers and diviners can directly alter the weather, terrain, and fortune on the battlefield.
Currently, besides Taiyi, there are only two other masters of magic arts, one in Qingyang and the other in Nanjing.
Su Tong refused the five people, but soon discovered that although they said they wouldn't follow, they were actually secretly following behind.
Yan Xiaochuan suggested that they should just eliminate the person directly, but Su Tong said there was no need to make enemies first. So she used Yu Sui's Wind Control Technique to take a detour and shake the person off.
Su Tong's goal is to keep Yu Sui out of the competition for at least half a month, so she tries to avoid any conflicts that would require them to fight.
Yu Sui was led around by the two of them like a good child, doing whatever they asked.
Su Tong felt very friendly towards Yu Sui's "sense of omnipotence"—peaceful, gentle, and obedient. She felt the same way after spending time with her. She thought to herself, "No wonder Mei Liangyu, such a picky person, would accept this new junior sister."
As for Yan Xiaochuan, a passionate, sincere, and innocent young man, Su Tong gradually lowered her guard.
Yu Sui and Su Tong followed the direction Yan Xiaochuan pointed out, heading towards the teleportation point where the famous mountain stone path had been cleared. They encountered many people along the way, some greeting each other, others avoiding one another, but all were peaceful and there were no major problems.
Su Tong would consult the oracle every now and then to see if it was auspicious or inauspicious. If the divination result was bad, she would ask Yan Xiaochuan to take a detour and avoid the area if possible.
They continued their journey through the mountains and fields until dusk. As darkness fell, the once peaceful and serene forests suddenly became somewhat eerie, raising their guard.
Yan Xiaochuan tossed the pebble in his hand. The smooth stone tumbled as it fell, and when it landed in his palm, a flash of golden light appeared.
Yu Sui looked on curiously, and Su Tong explained to her, "The famous saying 'testing the waters' means that if a stone can resonate with the stones in this mountain, it can determine where the thing he is looking for is."
Holding the stone, Yan Xiaochuan said, "This is a named stone that I spent more than a month finding at Xiaoyao Pond. It's also the first named stone I own."
The stones in the Leisure Pool have all been blessed by the sages, and therefore possess unique powers.
Yu Sui glanced at the small black stone in his palm: "What's its name?"
Yan Xiaochuan stared at the stone and said, "Oh, its name is Xiaohua."
"..."
The lively atmosphere fell silent.
A moment later, Su Tong and Yu Sui couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yan Xiaochuan looked at the two of them helplessly. He laughed and laughed. He was also speechless when he found the name himself. He didn't know which famous sage in history was so shameless. Other people's stones had elegant or domineering names, but the one he sensed was treated by the sage as if he were just casually calling it a cat or dog on the roadside. He said, "I don't care if it's a cat or a dog. I'm too lazy to think about it. Let's just call it Little Flower."
Su Tong laughed until tears streamed down her face: "It's a stone blessed by a sage, after all. What if it really grows flowers one day? Hahaha!"
As the two laughed, Yan Xiaochuan coughed and said in a serious tone, "We are still a long way from the teleportation point. Because it is too far, we cannot sense it yet. The mountains and forests change at night, and it is easy to get lost and wander further and further away. Let's wait until dawn before we take action."
Su Tong waved her hand and nodded in agreement.
Yu Sui had no objection. In fact, they had been using the Wind Riding Technique to travel all day and had already covered a long distance. Their physical strength was also greatly depleted, so it would be best for them to rest and recover.
The three found an open space by the river, with bushes for cover, a place that could be used for both offense and defense.
Yan Xiaochuan found some sticks and firewood and lit a fire. The temperature dropped sharply at night, and even the wind was chilling. If they stayed there all night without warming themselves, they would probably be freezing to the bone by tomorrow morning.
Su Tong and Yan Xiaochuan both felt very cold and had to light a fire to warm themselves, but Yu Sui was oblivious. The heat of the strange fire made her completely ignore the cold night. She was squatting in front of the fire with a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
Yan Xiaochuan and Su Tong were organizing tomorrow's route, occasionally asking Yu Sui for her opinion. Yu Sui, being a good child, listened to Su Tong in everything.
After finishing their business, the group started chatting. Yan Xiaochuan was good at enlivening the atmosphere and spoke with tact. He started by talking to Yu Sui about her third brother, Sheng Fei, and then naturally brought up the famous Xiaoyao Pool trial. He then recounted the scene of Gu Gan rescuing Xun Zhiya from the water as an interesting anecdote from the trial.
Su Tong asked, puzzled, "What are the disciples of the Legalist school doing at the Free and Easy Pool?"
“Senior Sister Su, during the Xiaoyao Pool Trial, disciples from other families won’t come unless they have something to do.” Yan Xiaochuan winked knowingly. “It’s the same as when you participated in the Divination Competition, and disciples from the Military School, who had nothing to do with the competition, came to see you.”
Su Tong looked at him with a blank expression: "You're quite knowledgeable."
Yan Xiaochuan proudly raised his chin: "That's right, I'm a disciple of a famous family, what don't I know?"
He caught a glimpse of Yu Sui, who was obediently adding firewood, and asked her, "Little Princess, I heard Senior Brother Sheng scold Gu Gan, saying that he was sorry to you for being close to Xun Zhiya."
"Third Brother, you've misunderstood. Who Brother Gu likes has nothing to do with me." Yu Sui looked at the burning flames, showing no sign of the sorrow of learning that her beloved liked someone else. "Brother Gu is a childhood friend I've known since we were little."
Su Tong had already guessed Yan Xiaochuan's intention and said from the side, "You men are the strange ones. It seems like if a girl is even slightly close to you, you assume she likes you."
Yu Sui nodded in agreement.
Yan Xiaochuan rested his chin on his hand, a big smile spreading across his fair face: "No, I'm not."
Yu Sui and Su Tong looked up at him, their eyes seemingly saying, "I don't really care if you are or not." Yan Xiaochuan silently put away his smile, nodded, and naturally changed the subject: "You guys go to sleep, I'll keep watch."
"I can't sleep well at night, you guys go to sleep first, I'll stay here and watch over you," Yu Sui said.
Yan Xiaochuan stared longingly at Yu Sui, thinking to himself, "This little princess is not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted, obedient and lovely. Although Yu Sui said that Gu Gan was a playmate, he didn't believe that Gu Gan thought the same way."
If Gu Gan doesn't fall for Xiao Jun, then he should change his name to Xiao Hua!
The first day at the Dragon's Tail was surprisingly peaceful, with no real danger. Most people were entering for the first time and didn't try to compete or fight; instead, they avoided each other and wanted to stay longer and explore more.
Only in the dragon's belly and claws area did the elimination count keep refreshing, with people constantly going in and being eliminated immediately.
Those who choose this path are not only strong but also experienced, making them the biggest threat to the Dragon Slayer Cave challenge. They are not from our own team and are all potential competitors.
Zhong Lishan wiped the fire on the ground, extinguishing the only light in the night, and then silently hid behind a tree, his eyes fixed on the outside.
Xing Chun formed a hand seal in front of the cave entrance, drawing the stars from the sky into the dark ground. Countless stars, shimmering with a ghostly blue light, extended into the cave, paving the way and opening the Yin-Yang School's "Shifting Stars" teleportation point.
Mei Liangyu had a red farmhouse communication beast on the back of his hand. He said to Zhonglishan behind the tree, "Cang Shu and the others have reached the second gate of the Dragon Ridge. There are many people over there, so let us change our route."
“Then we can only use the teleportation point created by the famous master ‘Clearing the Path Through the Rocks’.” Xing Chun turned to Mei Liangyu and asked, “We don’t have any masters in our team, right?”
Zhong Lishan looked back at Mei Liangyu and said, "Don't tell me you will."
Mei Liangyu said lazily, "I will."
Zhong Lishan: "..."
Xing Chun stomped hard on Xingchen, who represented the Ghost Dao family, and said, "Your family has produced a traitor!"
Zhong Lishan glanced helplessly at Mei Liangyu, then suddenly frowned and looked out of the bushes: "Someone is approaching."
"Who?" Xing Chun asked. "The star array will be connected in a while, don't let them come over."
Zhong Lishan closed his eyes and sensed the military formations set up nearby. He saw Gu Gan and his group, but they just walked past the formations and seemed not to notice them.
“Gu Gan, Xun Zhiya, and Li Jinshuang,” Zhong Lishan said. “Li Jinshuang may have noticed the military formation, but she didn’t say anything. It’s also possible that their target isn’t here.”
Xing Chun turned to Mei Liangyu and asked, "Should I go help you get revenge?"
Mei Liangyu looked at the stars in the cave and said calmly, "Never mind, we're in a hurry."
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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