Chapter 48: Second Enactment of Musashi's Dangerous Plan
The second martial arts performance finally arrived. Some disciples looked confident, while others were panic-stricken and didn't know what to do next.
Han Yang brought the sixty-four outer disciples to the foot of Yinyu Peak. At the entrance to the mountain, the two elders Danyang and Danzhu had been waiting there for a long time. After the disciples paid their respects, the two elders began to read out the instructions for the martial arts performance.
The topic of this martial arts competition is Jade Spirit Fruit. Once you enter this mountain formation, you will have one day and one night to come out. Each Jade Spirit Fruit is worth one point. If you pick a different color, you can get five more points. Whoever gets the most points will win.
Or if someone has good luck and can catch the 50-point Youyun Zisu and break the core of the formation, he can end the martial arts performance early.
However, if other spiritual plants are picked, the corresponding points will be deducted.
When everyone heard this, they were shocked: firstly, they had never heard of the idea of deducting points, and secondly, there was no mention of Youyun Zisu in the scrolls posted in the Hufeng Hall before.
Just as the outer disciples were whispering to each other, the two immortals Danyang and Danzhu twisted their hands and opened the mountain formation.
"As long as you enter this formation, you may be transported to any place in the formation. If you are lucky enough to land in an area where jade spirit fruits are flourishing, you may even come out on top." Zhenren Danyang said, nodding to Hanyang to indicate the start of the martial arts performance.
Not even together!
The disciples prayed in their hearts and lined up to enter the mountain formation. Each of them hoped that they would be lucky enough to fall into the pile of jade spirit fruits as Danyang Zhenren said.
On the Wangxian Terrace, Shangqing Zhenren and the five Zhenren were observing the Dust-peeking Mirror together, and even Lingxiang had a place there.
But today she was a little different: since she got the Fire Spirit Pearl, she had been wearing much thinner clothes, but now she was wrapped in thick cotton clothes again, which really puzzled Master Zhao Ming.
Could it be that this girl lost his precious beads?
Thinking of this, my heart ached and I asked quickly.
"Look at what Fifth Senior Brother said. Am I the kind of person who would lose treasures?" Lingxiang smiled and rolled up her sleeves. "It's just that I don't have it with me right now. Besides, since you gave it to me to play with, why do you want it back now? We had an agreement back then. Are you going to break your promise, Senior Brother?"
After hearing such clear words, Master Zhao Ming really did not dare to ask about the whereabouts of the Fire Spirit Pearl.
A Taoist values trust and loyalty, so he cannot take back his promises at will. However, he has not yet recovered from the pain of losing his treasure.
Zhenren Chengxin understood his situation deeply, but he could only shake his head and pat Zhenren Zhaoming's shoulder to offer some comfort.
Who made her my junior sister?!
Seeing Master Chengxin acting like this, Lingxiang sneered and started singing.
"A poor woman like me, traveling the world without a single skill, finally acquired some magical treasures, yet still being coveted by others, or someone secretly used my hard work to support their own disciples..."
She pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere and pretended to wipe her face while singing:
"How unfair God is to treat me like this, woo~"
The elders were wondering what she was up to, but they saw her wiping her tears and glancing at Master Fuyin from time to time.
Fu Yin was stared at with horror: Lingxiang hadn't done anything at the foot of the mountain, but she had learned most of the singing styles of those operas, and then added an artificial attitude and the method of making indirect accusations, which really made him helpless.
"Ahem!" Master Fuyin cleared his throat. "You're staring at me like this, and I don't know where I've offended you. Why don't you just tell me directly? Then I can apologize to you, right?"
"This is what you said, Sixth Senior Brother! All the senior brothers can bear witness together." Lingxiang said as he took out "Zhucao Bielu" from his sleeve.
When Master Fuyin saw the book, he was immediately struck by its wrath: He had found this booklet on a table when he went to Xianyunju to look for Lingxiang the year she had left the mountain. He picked it up and glanced at it, finding it quite well written. He made a few minor revisions and then took it down the mountain to have a few copies printed. He had only intended to circulate it among the sect's disciples to broaden their horizons, but he had forgotten to tell her about it...
"I didn't expect that Sixth Senior Brother had already thought of the title of this book for me. I don't know whether I should be grateful to him or not." Lingxiang said, pinching her orchid fingers and weighing the book in her hand.
"Ahem!" Master Fuyin coughed again, "This... Senior Brother printed your book without your consent. It's really my fault. It's better to keep it in my secret room..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a slight cough from Shangqing Zhenren.
Fu Yin Zhenren was startled and quickly changed his tone, saying, "How about Senior Brother take out a magical treasure and apologize to you?"
This condition is tempting, but...
Lingxiang hesitated for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty: "Forget about the apology, but please don't rush to ask for accusations for what Senior Brother saw in this Dust-penetrating Mirror later."
Upon hearing her words, Master Fuyin breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have as many spiritual treasures as Senior Brothers Chengxin and Zhaoming, and they would be gone after a few attempts. But then he thought again: Accountability? Could this devilish girl have already done something and was using this as leverage to extort a favor?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was just as he expected. He glanced at Lingxiang suspiciously, then stared at the Dust-peeking Mirror carefully.
However, the elders were so focused on the performance of their disciples that they ignored the minor details. Only Shangqing Zhenren was uneasy, not knowing where the mistake was...
…
On Yinyu Peak, a man dressed in the clothes of an outer disciple was wandering aimlessly. No one knew what method he used, but all the spiritual energy in his body was gone. In his hand, he was holding a disc-shaped object whose purpose was unknown.
When the man walked into the depths of the dense forest, he stood still, as if he was thinking about something. After a long time, he looked at the thing in his hand, as if hesitating whether to throw it away, but also seemed reluctant to do so.
He just stood there, staring, motionless.
…
"You're here?" The man in white didn't even turn his head, but continued to fan himself. In this cold winter season, this behavior seemed extremely incongruous.
"Yes!" The man who came was the one dressed in outer sect disciple's attire. He bowed to the man in white and asked, "I wonder what the messenger wanted me to do when he summoned me here five days ago?"
Now that the martial arts performance is approaching, the school schedule is tight, and the outer disciples are traveling together, it is extremely difficult to escape.
The man in white didn't care about the situation of the person behind him, as if he didn't care about the life or death of the person behind him. He just paused for a moment before taking out something from his arms, which was the disc-shaped object.
"This is a compass engraved with the summoning formation. Place it on the Yinyu Peak before practicing martial arts. When the Paishan formation is activated, it will activate along with it." He threw the compass to the person behind him.
The man took the compass and felt a little conflicted, but he didn't show it on his face.
But who is the man in white? He is the most capable general beside the Demon Lord. Although he did not turn around, he could still feel the man's hesitation.
"You must remember that your mother's life is in my hands. Only by doing my best can you keep her safe!"
…
The man dressed in outer disciple's attire stood there for a long time, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he threw the compass into the bushes, turned around and left.
But he didn't notice that there was someone behind him, staring at him silently for a long time.
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