Chapter 55 Pond of Rebirth
As they were talking, Pei Zhi lifted the curtain and entered, holding a secret report: "The West Mountain branch has been wiped out, but the Secret Sect seems to have received advance warning; they only captured a few low-ranking members." He noticed the paper on the table. "What's this?"
Ye Wanning superimposed the symbols and the topographic map: "Look, these symbols represent seven locations in Begonia Valley. Last time we only found the stone chamber behind the stele; there are still six places we haven't visited."
Pei Zhi frowned: "You mean there are other secrets in Begonia Valley?"
“Not only is there a secret, but this symbol represents an ‘altar’ in Tantric Buddhism,” Ye Wanning said. “I suspect their real lair is there.” She suddenly remembered the old man who jumped off the cliff to save her, who said before he died, “There is something under the altar that can restrain Tantric Buddhism.” At the time, she was only focused on escaping and hadn’t thought about it carefully, but now it seemed that the old man was probably the one guarding the secret.
“I need to go to Begonia Valley again.” Ye Wanning stood up.
"No way!" Pei Zhi immediately objected. "The Tantric sect just suffered a loss; they've definitely laid a trap in the valley. Going there would be suicide."
“But that thing is extremely important,” Ye Wanning said anxiously, “What if the secret sect finds it…”
“I’ll go,” Pei Zhi interrupted her. “Tell me how to decipher the symbols, and I’ll take the people from Shadow Pavilion.”
Ye Wanning knew he was right, but she still felt uneasy. She took out the silver whistle her mother had left her: "Take this. Blow it three times in an emergency, and I'll hear you." This whistle was made of cold iron from the Western Regions, and its sound could travel three miles. It was a self-defense item her mother had given her.
Pei Zhi took the whistle, his fingers tracing the begonia flower pattern on it: "Three days. I will definitely be back within three days."
As soon as he left, Ye Wanning was constantly on edge. On the morning of the fourth day, Chun Tao rushed in in a panic, clutching half a blood-stained piece of clothing in her hand—it was the dark brocade that Pei Zhi often wore, with cloud patterns embroidered on it, which she knew all too well.
"This is..." Ye Wanning's voice trembled.
"It was delivered by the people from Shadow Pavilion. They said that Lord Pei is being besieged by the Secret Sect in Begonia Valley, and they told you... told you not to go there," Chun Tao said, crying.
Ye Wanning grabbed a dagger from the table and rushed out: "Prepare the car, to Begonia Valley!"
The carriage jolted violently along the mountain road, and Ye Wanning's heart pounded faster than the wheels. She lifted the curtain, watching the rapidly receding outline of Begonia Valley, her nails digging deep into her palms.
The carriage was still half a mile from the valley entrance when it caught a faint smell of blood. Several guards from the Shadow Pavilion lay by the roadside, short arrows—a type of esoteric Buddhist weapon—piercing their chests, clearly having sacrificed themselves to protect Pei Zhi.
“Miss, it’s dangerous ahead.” Black Wind stopped her, his arm wrapped in bandages, clearly injured as well.
"Where is Pei Zhi?" Ye Wanning's voice trembled.
"The master pushed us aside and led the Tantric practitioners towards the altar," Black Wind said urgently. "That place is a dead end; once you go in, you won't come out!"
Ye Wanning didn't speak again, drew her dagger, and rushed into the valley. Many of the crabapple blossoms in the valley had withered, and broken arrows and weapons were scattered on the ground, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had just taken place. She followed the bloodstains on the ground, and the further she went in, the stronger the stench of blood became.
Rounding a mountain ridge, they suddenly heard the sounds of fighting ahead. Ye Wanning peeked out and saw Pei Zhi surrounded by at least several dozen Tantric disciples. He had been shot in the left shoulder, bleeding profusely, and his face was deathly pale, yet he still gripped his longsword tightly. And among those Tantric disciples was none other than Duke Li! Duke Li, who should have been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, was dressed in a black Tantric robe, holding a small bronze bell, and said with a sinister smile, "Pei Zhi, Pei Zhi, do you know that this Begonia Valley is your final resting place!"
Ye Wanning was startled: How could it be him? Could it be that Duke Li and the Tantric sect had been colluding all along? She reached into her sleeve, took out a silver needle, and struck Duke Li's wrist!
Just then, Duke Li rang a bell, and the Tantric disciples pounced on Pei Zhi like madmen, each move aimed at a vital spot, clearly indicating that they had used evil magic!
"It's the Soul-Capturing Bell!" Black Wind shouted behind her. "That's an extremely evil esoteric Buddhist technique that can make someone lose their mind!"
Ye Wanning knew she couldn't delay any longer. She flung out all the silver needles, hitting several of the closest Tantric disciples around Pei Zhi. The disciples were all struck by the arrows, crying out and falling to the ground, causing chaos in the mountain valley.
She shouted, "Pei Zhi, over here!"
Pei Zhi was clearly not expected to see her. He paused for a moment, then swung his sword, slashing through the disciples around him, and charged toward her.
Duke Li was so angry he jumped up and down: "Seize that woman! She has the secret technique!"
Ye Wanning pulled Pei Zhi into a nearby cave. This cave was discovered when she came here with the old man last time; there was a side passage inside that led to the back of the altar.
"Why are you here?" Pei Zhi leaned against the cave wall, panting heavily. His arrow wound was bleeding profusely, and his clothes were stained with a large patch of red.
"If you don't come back soon, I'll be collecting your corpse." Ye Wanning bandaged him, glaring at him. "Didn't you say you'd be back in three days?"
“We found something, which caused a delay.” Pei Zhi pulled out an oilcloth bag from his pocket, inside which was a palm-sized bronze piece engraved with the same symbols as those in the cultivation manual. “This was carved from the stone wall of the altar; when pieced together, it should form a map.”
The sound of footsteps from Tantric Buddhist disciples could be heard outside. Ye Wanning pulled him towards a side path, saying, "Forget about that now, escaping is the priority!"
The fork in the road was narrow and dark, only wide enough for one person to pass at a time. Ye Wanning was in front, and Pei Zhi was behind. Suddenly, Pei Zhi felt her foot slip, and he felt himself about to fall.
"Wan Ning!" Pei Zhi reacted quickly and grabbed her wrist.
Ye Wanning hovered in mid-air and, by the light of the fire in Pei Zhi's hand, saw that below was a bottomless cave with the faint sound of water.
"Let go, you can't hold two people together." Ye Wanning smiled and winked at him, but tears involuntarily streamed down her face.
"Nonsense!" Pei Zhi's face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his arms. "I will never let go!"
Just then, Li Guogong's laughter rang out from above: "Seize them! Don't let them fall into the Pool of Rebirth!"
Ye Wanning's heart sank: The Pool of Rebirth? Could this be the "thing that restrains the Tantric sect" the old man spoke of? Suddenly, she saw a rock beside her and, taking advantage of Pei Zhi's inattention, kicked it down. The sound of the rock rolling startled the Tantric disciples above, who all craned their necks to look, and for a moment, no one paid attention to the cave entrance.
"Hold on tight!" Ye Wanning said to Pei Zhi, then suddenly let go of her other hand and grabbed an ancient vine on the rock wall.
The two slid down the ancient vines, the wind whistling past their ears. As they neared the bottom of the cave, Ye Wanning noticed that the water in the pool had an eerie green glow, and a layer of white powdery sand floated on the surface.
"Stop breathing!" Ye Wanning said to Pei Zhi.
The two jumped into the water with a "plop," and the icy pool water immediately submerged them. Ye Wanning struggled to float to the surface. The white powder disappeared upon contact with the water, emitting a strange fragrance that made people drowsy.
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