Before entering the underground chamber, Mu Qingyan tied thin hemp ropes to a wild rabbit and a bird, lowering them to test if the air below was safe. Both animals returned lively and unharmed.
Lighting torches, they descended the sloping passage, walking no more than thirty or forty feet before reaching a small, unremarkable underground tomb. There were no traps, no hidden weapons, not even the most common falling rock mechanisms.
Upon entering, Cai Zhao felt somewhat disappointed. “There’s no danger at all…”
Mu Qingyan held up his torch, examining the surroundings. “It seems this underground tomb was built rather hastily.”
The tomb was square, fifty feet long, forty feet wide, and over a man’s height. One wall had a small door leading to the short passage they had just come through.
The four walls were built with ordinary blue stones, slightly uneven, while the floor was smooth, covered with tightly fitted stone slabs and a thin layer of soil. The room was cold and stuffy, but relatively dry.
A simple, dignified blue stone coffin lay east to west in the center of the tomb. The lid was inscribed with common blessings for rulers. The right side reads, “Sun rises, moon sets; Your Excellency was always both heroic and outstanding.” The left side said, “Mountains high, waters long; Divine Lord, may your journey be without obstacles.”
Cai Zhao read it twice. “This sounds like something my aunt would write. It’s quite free-spirited.”
At the foot of the stone coffin was a simple blue stone altar with three jade boxes for offerings, an incense burner, candlesticks, and a wooden spirit tablet in the center, clearly inscribed with “Spirit Tablet of Li Jiao Lu Chengnan.”
Having faced numerous challenges and traps in their adventures, both Mu and Cai were momentarily stunned by how straightforward this discovery was.
“Lu Chengnan? This is Lu Chengnan’s grave?” Cai Zhao was astonished. “So he died over a decade ago. The jianghu world thought he had just disappeared.”
Mu Qingyan remained silent, taking out two pairs of sealed deerskin gloves from his waist pouch. He handed the smaller pair to Cai Zhao. “Let’s search the place.”
They put on the gloves and began exploring—nothing on the walls, floor, altar, or spirit tablet…
Cai Zhao even opened the three jade boxes, revealing dried-up, petrified food: a plate of meat jerky, dried fish, and persimmons. As she examined them, her hand suddenly paused. Noticing that Mu Qingyan seemed unaware, she continued her inspection as if nothing had happened.
“Zhao Zhao, stand back!” Mu Qingyan commanded from beside the stone coffin.
Covering his mouth and nose with a silk cloth, he tied a thin hemp rope to the coffin lid. Stepping back, he pulled hard, causing the lid, sealed for over a decade, to emit a low, scraping sound.
As the dust settled, a strong smell of lime powder emerged. Still, there were no traps.
The moisture-proofing measures inside the coffin had been effective, leaving the body as a pale, bluish mummy skeleton. Judging by the bones, Lu Chengnan had been quite tall in life. His arms were crossed over his chest, the burial clothes neat but crumbling at the touch.
Cai Zhao had stepped back after a glance, but Mu Qingyan carefully examined the skeleton, his brow furrowing. Curious, Cai Zhao looked again. Under Lu Chengnan’s open clothes, at the heart, the breastbone was shattered, with cracks spreading like a spider web to surrounding bones, even breaking the ribs under the armpits.
“What a powerful technique,” Cai Zhao gasped.
“This is Nie Hengcheng’s signature move, the Flying Cloud Heart-Crushing Palm,” Mu Qingyan explained, slowly closing the coffin lid. “The strike is incredibly fast, crushing the victim’s heart and liver. Initially, it only breaks the breastbone, but within a month, the entire rib cage shatters—it seems Elder Yan was right. Nie Hengcheng intended to kill Lu Chengnan.”
Cai Zhao asked, “Wasn’t Lu Chengnan supposed to be Nie Hengcheng’s most treasured and beloved fourth disciple? Why such a brutal attack?”
Mu Qingyan didn’t answer. Instead, he picked up Lu Chengnan’s spirit tablet and asked, “Zhao Zhao, what do you plan to do next?”
The young man’s demeanor suddenly became distant, his dark eyes coldly fixed on the girl.
Confused by his sudden change, Cai Zhao stammered, “Whatever needs to be done…”
Mu Qingyan raised an eyebrow mockingly. “Miss Cai, stop always talking about your aunt this and that. At least try to emulate Cai Pingshi’s straightforwardness. Do you think I can’t guess your intentions behind all this secrecy?”
Cai Zhao almost slammed the stone table in anger but remembered she had just cracked the altar table at the Chang family tomb. She withdrew her hand but not her spirit.
Raising her voice, she declared, “Fine! I do want to part ways with you again. Now that we’ve uncovered the truth, we no longer need to be associated. Master Mu, if you’re smart, you’ll stop pestering me! My Luoying Valley may not be as powerful as your sect, but the Six Northern Chen Sects are not to be trifled with!”
“Why would I pester you? You’re constantly cold towards me, so why should I demean myself by constantly pursuing you?” Mu Qingyan’s tone was sharp. “Miss Cai, you don’t think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, do you? To be frank, even I look more handsome when I look in a mirror!”
“You…” Cai Zhao trembled with anger at this unexpected critique of her appearance. “Fine! Well said! Let’s part ways here and never meet again!” She thought to herself, “I knew this guy was mentally ill. He can’t be judged by normal standards!”
Mu Qingyan said, “If we’re parting, so be it. But don’t regret it later.” He turned to leave through the passage leading to the surface.
Cai Zhao was about to leave too, but suddenly had a thought—his last words about regret reminded her of something.
In a way, the Painted Skin Demon was a man of his word.
When he said he’d dismember Nie Zhe, he found a skilled butcher to chop Nie Zhe’s corpse into ten thousand pieces and feed them to wild dogs. When he said he’d grind Nie Hengcheng’s bones to dust, he dug up Nie Hengcheng’s remains and ground them in a mill. When he said he’d take revenge on those who bullied him at Qingque Sect, he risked being exposed just to get his revenge first.
Now, if he said he’d make her regret it, he would most certainly do so.
“Wait! Hold on!” Cai Zhao rushed to grab his sleeve. “What are you planning to do when you leave?”
Mu Qingyan glanced at her sideways. “Since we’re parting ways, what I do is none of your business.”
With his beautifully structured face and tall, straight figure, even his irritating expression made it seem like others had wronged him.
Cai Zhao closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and repeatedly chanted the mantra “peace brings prosperity” in her mind. She summoned all the good temper she had accumulated over fifteen years to deal with this infuriating demon.
After a moment, she confessed, “We can’t leave Hero Chang’s death unavenged. It seems now that the massacre of the Chang family wasn’t your doing, but rather because Hero Chang learned something he shouldn’t have, possibly related to Lu Chengnan buried here. But among those who knew about this back then, my aunt and Hero Chang are both dead. We can only find the Shi brothers to learn the truth. When I return, I’ll tell my father everything, find a way to locate the Shi brothers, uncover the mystery behind the Chang family massacre, and then seek revenge.”
She finished in one breath and sincerely asked, “That’s my plan. May I ask what Master Mu intends to do now?”
Mu Qingyan’s expression remained haughty as he sneered, “When I treat you well, you barely acknowledge me. Now that I’ve turned cold, you’re willing to talk properly. Tell me, aren’t you bringing this suffering upon yourself?”
“You might as well call me a glutton for punishment. It doesn’t matter,” Cai Zhao suppressed her anger, putting on an air of nonchalance. “Just tell me what you’re going to do.”
Mu Qingyan let out a brief, cold laugh. “I’m also looking for the Shi brothers.”
Cai Zhao’s face lit up with joy. “So we’re after the same goal! I know you still feel indebted to Hero Chang, but at this point, why not step aside and let my master and father handle the Chang family’s affairs…”
“You know my father was murdered, right?” Mu Qingyan suddenly interrupted.
Cai Zhao nodded quickly.
“Sun Ruoshui was the direct perpetrator, and Nie Zhe learned about it afterward,” Mu Qingyan’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. “But neither of them is the true culprit. The person who ordered Sun Ruoshui to kill my father is likely the same mastermind behind the massacre of the Chang family. My father lived a humble and kind life, yet met such a tragic end. If I don’t avenge him, I’m unworthy of being his son.”
He glanced down, his voice cold, “What? Are you saying the Six Northern Zhen Sects will avenge my father’s murder for me too?”
Cai Zhao was speechless, feeling guilty for not considering the cause of Mu Zhengming’s death. After a moment, she asked, “So, how do you plan to find the Shi brothers?”
Mu Qingyan’s eyes darkened as he stared at her silently. “I know you’ve already found a clue, but you’re unwilling to tell me…”
Cai Zhao felt uneasy, resisting the urge to touch the object she had secretly hidden in her waist pouch.
“I’m not going to ask you about it,” Mu Qingyan said, his expression cold and arrogant. “My Divine Cult has followers all over the world. As long as the Shi brothers are alive, I’ll turn the world upside down and search every village and city until I find them and get answers!”
“That’s not a good idea,” Cai Zhao said, alarmed. “First, the Shi brothers have just retired. If you cause such a commotion, everyone will know their whereabouts. Second, your actions might alert the real mastermind, who could then harm the Shi brothers.”
“How is that my concern?” Mu Qingyan sneered. “Well, let’s both go about our business. Farewell.”
“Wait, wait! Hold on a moment!” Cai Zhao had no choice but to grab his arm again.
Mu Qingyan looked down at her, raising an eyebrow. “What do you want?”
Cai Zhao’s mind raced. Arguing about jianghu ethics with him would be pointless; he considered himself the embodiment of righteousness. Persuading him to empathize and not disturb the retired righteous elders would only lead him to say he never planned to retire, and that empathy should compel the Shi brothers to return to jianghu. If she appealed to him based on their relationship, he’d likely make inappropriate demands, which she wasn’t willing to accept…
As she struggled with this dilemma, Cai Zhao looked up to see the man staring at her with a chilling gaze.
Their eyes met, and Mu Qingyan leaned slightly forward. Cai Zhao immediately sensed his intention to kiss her and quickly turned her face away. Before she could pride herself on her quick reflexes, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder and neck.
In the early summer, the girl’s clothing was light. Her pale blue collar, embroidered with yellow crickets, was slightly pulled open, revealing fair, delicate skin. Mu Qingyan suddenly felt a surge of resentment, both for her apparent lack of loyalty – hesitating over the Shi brothers whom she’d never met while treating him with indifference – and for his lack of ruthlessness, constantly holding back out of consideration for her feelings.
He abruptly pushed Cai Zhao against the wall, his long, strong fingers gripping her neck tightly. His teeth sank into the tender skin of her shoulder like a wild beast, and soon tiny beads of blood appeared on her soft, sweet skin.
Cai Zhao endured the pain and pushed him away, immediately slapping him across the face.
With a loud smack, Mu Qingyan’s head turned slightly, his left cheek reddening.
He remained composed, a smile playing at the corner of his eyes. “I brought some excellent wound ointment. Would you like to apply some, Zhao-Zhao?”
…
The mountain air was crisp, and the star-studded sky seemed close enough to touch.
A warm fire burned on the altar, surrounded by various foods and a flask of light wine. Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao sat facing each other.
The entrance to the underground passage had been sealed off again. To prevent others from disturbing Lu Chengnan’s resting place, they blasted rocks from the other side of the mountain and pushed the debris into the passage entrance, not only blocking it but also concealing the presence of the underground tomb.
“Let’s discuss things one by one, starting with Lu Chengnan,” Mu Qingyan said, slowly turning the cooling roast chicken over the fire. “Was he your aunt’s love interest?”
“At first, I thought so too,” Cai Zhao replied, hugging her knees to her chest. Her collar was slightly open, revealing her pale, slender shoulders. A semicircular red mark was visible, covered with a layer of translucent ointment that emitted a faint herbal fragrance. “My master and parents have told me that my aunt indeed loved someone else. I thought then that the person’s identity must have been controversial; otherwise, given my aunt’s straightforward nature, why would she have kept it a secret until her death?”
“Your aunt moved in jianghu circles and befriended heroes without regard for their backgrounds, valuing only their character. After all, even the Shi brothers came from a grave-robbing background, yet became her close friends,” Mu Qingyan observed. “It seems your aunt’s love interest was a member of our cult.”
“Yes. That’s why I became suspicious when I saw Lu Chengnan’s name on the spirit tablet,” Cai Zhao said, smiling slightly as she recalled something. “I had secretly asked Uncle Lei about it before. He said Zhao Tianba looked like a bandit, Chen Shu had a cunning face, and Han Yisu had a pig kidney-shaped face. Among Nie Hengcheng’s four disciples, only Lu Chengnan was described as decent-looking.”
Lei Xiuming’s exact words were: “That pretty boy was alright, just a tiny bit less handsome than I was back then.”
Given Lei Xiuming’s narcissistic view of his youthful good looks, this was high praise indeed.
Mu Qingyan laughed. “I’ve also asked the elders in our cult. They all said Lu Chengnan was dignified and extraordinary in appearance. To be your aunt’s love interest, he’d have to be at least somewhat good-looking, right?”
“But after entering the underground tomb, I started to doubt,” Cai Zhao said, gazing into the fire. “Outsiders see my aunt as bold and decisive, always in motion, but I know she was quite delicate and gentle at heart.”
Lost in memories, she continued, “The small wooden sword Grandfather made for her, the tiger-head shoes Grandmother embroidered, the seashells she collected when she first saw the ocean… My aunt carefully preserved them all, even attaching dated tags to each item. Among her belongings, I found several swords she had used in her youth. Even when they were old, broken, or chipped, she had kept them all safe.”
“If Lu Chengnan was truly her beloved, separated by death, my aunt would never have left him buried alone here, given her nature. She would have brought him back to Luoying Valley and buried him with her under the big peach blossom tree on the back hill.”
“But if Lu Chengnan approached my aunt with ulterior motives and they later became enemies – which seems to be what my master was implying – then given my aunt’s strong sense of justice, leaving Lu Chengnan’s body intact would have been generous enough. She wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of building an underground tomb for him.”
Cai Zhao poked at the fire aimlessly with a twig. “So, Lu Chengnan doesn’t seem to fit either scenario?”
“Exactly,” Cai Zhao said, looking towards the large stone pillar to the west, beneath which lay Lu Chengnan’s tomb. “My aunt and the others expended considerable effort to build this underground tomb for Lu Chengnan, protecting his remains from Nie’s followers. Yet they didn’t seem to put their utmost care into it – otherwise, how could they have overlooked such a large stone pillar above the tomb, causing it to slowly sink over the past decade or so?”
“This approach makes me think my aunt and the others treated him as…” She carefully chose her words.
“A respectable, admirable, and appreciated hero, but not someone they were close to,” Mu Qingyan finished for her.
Cai Zhao clapped her hands. “Exactly!”
The roasted chicken sizzled with oil, its aroma tantalizing. Mu Qingyan handed it to the girl and poured himself a cup of wine. “This explanation both makes sense and doesn’t.”
“What do you mean?” Cai Zhao carefully tore off pieces of the glossy, fragrant roast chicken, stuffing them into soft, warm flatbreads. She distributed them between herself and Mu Qingyan.
Frowning as he held the flatbread, Mu Qingyan said, “At first, I also thought Lu Chengnan was your aunt’s love interest. That would explain the subsequent events – after Shi Er was afflicted by the Netherworld Chill, Lu Chengnan stole the Purple Jade Golden Mallow to give to your aunt. Later, to avoid putting Lu Chengnan in a difficult position, your aunt returned it.”
“The Divine Cult’s treasury has expanded countless times over two hundred years. For an outsider to find a specific item in this vast collection without inside help would be impossible. But if Lu Chengnan and your aunt weren’t close, who told her where to find the Purple Jade Golden Mallow?”
Cai Zhao, her cheeks full of food, paused. “So, there was another person in the Demonic Cult guiding my aunt?”
“That’s the first question,” Mu Qingyan said. “The second is this: everyone says Nie Hengcheng valued his fourth disciple, Lu Chengnan, the most. So what did Lu Chengnan do to make Nie Hengcheng want to kill him?”
“Judging from Lu Chengnan’s remains, he died from Nie Hengcheng’s Flying Cloud Heart-Crushing Palm. Combined with Elder Yan’s account, it seems Lu Chengnan received the fatal injury the night he was discovered stealing the Purple Jade Golden Mallow, after which he fled the cult. Does this mean Nie Hengcheng killed his beloved disciple just for stealing the Purple Jade Golden Mallow?”
Cai Zhao looked puzzled. “But everyone says the Purple Jade Golden Mallow is useless except for treating injuries from the Netherworld Chill.”
“If it truly had no other use, Lu Chengnan wouldn’t have risked so much to steal it, and Nie Hengcheng wouldn’t have killed his favorite disciple over something so trivial. The Purple Jade Golden Mallow must have another purpose,” Mu Qingyan said, using a branch to gather the fire Cai Zhao had scattered.
“After escaping Nie Hengcheng, Lu Chengnan went straight to your aunt – this suggests the secret hidden in the Purple Jade Golden Mallow was beyond anyone else in the Divine Cult to resolve.”
“This secret was known to Lu Chengnan, Hero Chang, your aunt, and likely the Shi brothers, who are the only ones left alive. That’s why we must find them.”
The night wind blew gently, and animal cries echoed through the mountains. Cai Zhao unconsciously tightened her collar, feeling a bit uneasy.
She imagined Lu Chengnan’s lonely, injured flight, entrusting a world-shaking secret to Cai Pingsu before his death. To honor his noble act, Chang Haosheng and the Shi brothers hurriedly built this underground tomb to house his remains, despite the circumstances.
Mu Qingyan looked up at the girl. “Now, tell me about what you took from the jade box on Lu Chengnan’s spirit tablet.”
After a moment’s silence, Cai Zhao said, “I do have a clue about the Shi brothers’ whereabouts.”
She took out a flat, round object wrapped in a handkerchief from her waist pouch. Opening it revealed a black, hard substance, which she held up to the fire for Mu Qingyan to see.
“A dried persimmon?” Mu Qingyan frowned.
Cai Zhao asked, “Don’t you think its shape is unusual?”
Upon closer inspection, Mu Qingyan noted, “It seems to have been pressed into a hexagonal shape. Quite peculiar.”
Cai Zhao set down the petrified persimmon with a sigh. “I ate this kind of dried persimmon when I was very young. It was sweet and fragrant, with an especially wonderful flavor.”
In the firelight, she seemed to see Cai Pingsu’s smiling face:
“Auntie, the dried persimmons are so delicious. Can we buy more next time?” The young child smacked her lips, savoring the taste.
“Glad you like them, but these weren’t bought. They were sent by your aunt’s old friends.”
“Then let’s ask them to send more!”
“But your aunt doesn’t know where they live now. Whether they’ll send more depends on luck.” Cai Pingsu’s face showed a wistful expression.
Little Cai Zhao felt sorry for her aunt. “Oh, what if you miss your old friends?”
Cai Pingsu hugged her, rocking gently. “Our little Zhao is so sweet, worrying about her aunt. Don’t worry, knowing they’re safe and drinking water from the same river as your Uncle Chang is enough. It doesn’t matter if we meet again.”
The child clumsily turned her plump little body. “When I grow up, I’ll visit them for you.”
“Haha, that would be nice, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to find ‘Seven Cherry Village’…”
Mu Qingyan’s eyes flashed. “Seven Cherry Village? The ‘seven’ of seven-eight and the ‘cherry’ of cherry blossom?”
Cai Zhao rubbed her face in frustration. “It’s been so long, I can’t be sure if that’s the exact name or those exact characters – it might have been ‘eagle’ instead of ‘cherry’.”
She continued, “My mother said that because many of my aunt’s companions died or were injured, and some families were destroyed, the Shi brothers had already chosen a place to retire and sent their families there early. If not for their concern about my aunt’s final battle with Nie Hengcheng, they would have disappeared long ago.”
Mu Qingyan pondered, “Drinking water from the same river as Hero Chang?”
“Yes,” Cai Zhao sighed. “I should remember that correctly. It’s a clue, at least.”
Mu Qingyan gave her an odd look. “Do you know how long the river below Wuan Mountain is?”
Cai Zhao replied sheepishly, “It seems… quite long.”
“How many towns and villages are along this river?”
“Probably… quite a few.” Cai Zhao’s voice grew quieter.
She then raised her voice, “I don’t care. I’ve told you everything I know. You absolutely cannot cause chaos outside and put the Shi brothers in danger.”
Mu Qingyan lowered his thick lashes. “Then you’d better keep an eye on me, or else…”
Cai Zhao had anticipated this and sighed wearily, “Fine.”