Inside the reception room of Tianji Pavilion, the Pavilion Master's wife invited Chu Hongluan to take a seat and set up a protective barrier before asking Liu Jinghong to recount the whole story in detail.
Half an incense stick later, the Pavilion Master's wife's complexion had reached its lowest point.
"A killer from the World Society?"
"Um."
"Have you offended anyone recently, kid?"
Liu Jinghong took out a treasure box from his mustard seed pouch, opened it, and inside lay a simple, ancient medicine bottle, emanating a powerful aura that sent chills down one's spine.
Dragon marrow? Chu Hongluan's mind stirred. The book used a great deal of beautiful language to describe this treasure, so much so that she could recognize it at a glance from the medicine bottle.
The Dragon Marrow first appeared three months later at the Nine Pavilions Summit, the trial ground for the grand competition of the nine major sects—the Nuwa Secret Realm. It was in the nest of a treasure-hunting badger. It was one of the protagonist Mo Yu's fortuitous encounters.
“This is what I bought at Jubaolou today,” Liu Jinghong said.
"You mean, the assassin is after the treasure?" The lady of the pavilion frowned.
"No. From the time I left Jubao Tower to the time I passed through that alley, it was only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, not enough to go through the procedures of the Tianxia Society. Of course, it's also possible that the buyer had already prepared assassins, intending to kill whoever won the Dragon Marrow. But, the Lord of Penglai Island, Lezheng, was also present at today's auction. What if he were the one who won the Dragon Marrow? Forget about killing and stealing the treasure, those assassins wouldn't even be able to get close!"
Liu Jinghong analyzed methodically, "But the cultivation levels of these assassins are only slightly higher than my bodyguards. It's as if they were tailor-made for me... So I'm more inclined to believe that someone has wanted to kill me for a long time and is using this opportunity to disguise it as murder and robbery, or that the main purpose is to kill, and the robbery is just a side effect."
Liu Jinghong couldn't help but feel fortunate: if Chu Hongluan hadn't made a move, the fake death talisman in the brocade pouch at his waist would have been triggered immediately!
As the young master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, he would naturally carry some life-saving items with him. However, the fake death talisman could not prevent him from suffering the damage he was supposed to. It would only quietly protect his heart meridian and make him appear to be in a state of fake death.
At that time, his consciousness will be interrupted, and he will not have the opportunity to learn the identities of those assassins, nor will he be able to see their cultivation levels. If he also finds that the Dragon Marrow is missing when he wakes up, he may really think that they killed him to steal the treasure!
The lady of the pavilion trembled with rage. "Who do you think... is it?"
"I don't know."
Chu Hongluan smiled slightly: "Why make it so complicated? Why don't you think about it, if you die, who will benefit the most?"
The Pavilion Master's wife, her eyes red-rimmed, slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "Who else could it be! If my son dies, the bloodline of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion will be scattered! The position of Young Pavilion Master can only be chosen from among the direct disciples, based on the best background, talent, and prestige! Isn't that old bastard's son, Liu Youcai!"
Liu Youcai, son of the Grand Elder.
The successors of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are dedicated to ensuring the well-being of all people. Therefore, the position of Pavilion Master is passed down through bloodlines, reflecting the will of the people and their aspirations. This is also why the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, whose main practices are divination, array formations, and talismans, are secondary paths, yet it has been able to thrive in this dog-eat-dog world.
However, there are always those who harbor treacherous ambitions, coveting only the current foundation and wealth of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and regarding all living beings as mere straw dogs!
Chu Hongluan heard a familiar name again.
Liu Youcai.
If she remembered correctly, this person was supposed to be cannon fodder.
If Liu Youcai is the real culprit, then that makes sense.
In the original storyline, Liu Jinghong did not participate in the Nine Pavilion Summit, presumably because she was seriously injured in the assassination attempt.
But Liu Youcai did participate in the Nine Pavilion Summit.
The assassin killed someone and stole the treasure as Liu Youcai had requested, and the "treasure" ended up in Liu Youcai's hands.
But Liu Youcai died in Nuwa's Secret Realm.
He trespassed into the territory of the Nascent Soul Serpent, intending to steal the Blazing Sun Flower that the serpent had guarded for ten thousand years. Even if he was "killed" by the serpent the moment he picked the flower, he could still be ejected from the secret realm with the flower by the jade token. Every disciple who enters the secret realm carries a life-saving jade token, and if they suffer fatal damage, they will be directly ejected by the jade token.
His plan was perfectly executed, but when he was actually smashed into a pile of bloody pieces by the giant snake, he realized that the jade pendant had failed.
Thanks to Liu Youcai, the elders guarding outside the secret gate "timely" discovered that the jade tablet was malfunctioning and immediately launched a rescue operation, narrowly saving the lives of the other disciples.
In other words, Liu Youcai was both the first and the last victim of the jade pendant.
Getting back to the main point, if Liu Youcai was killed by the giant snake, then his mustard seed bag was probably also shattered at the same time, and the contents inside would fly everywhere.
This explains why dragon marrow appears in the treasure-hunting badger's lair.
Treasure badgers have a keen sense of smell and love to collect treasures, but their cultivation level is very low. Fortunately, they can secrete a deceptive gas to hide their dens, which is similar to a small illusion array, protecting their dens from being discovered and preventing predators from entering.
In short, the treasure-hunting badger stole the dragon marrow and hid it in its lair.
Thus began the following plot: The male protagonist, Mo Yu, bravely seized the Blazing Sun Flower, but was pursued by a Nascent Soul Serpent. He accidentally entered the lair of a treasure-hunting badger, subdued it, and discovered the supreme treasure, Dragon Marrow, within its lair. Using the Dragon Marrow, he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage in one fell swoop, defeating the serpent and vividly illustrating the saying: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential!"
But Chu Hongluan always felt something was off.
The plot of the book begins at the Nine Pavilion Summit, and the Dragon Marrow is casually arranged as an opportunity for the male protagonist Mo Yu, without mentioning its origin at all.
She thought that Liu Youcai's role was to introduce the plot of the jade pendant malfunctioning and to highlight the hero Mo Yu's bravery.
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