"Is it you?"
Qin Elder looked surprised at the newcomer and said, "I never expected Luyao, one of the Three Swordsmen of the Tianjian Sect, to come to such a small place like Yan Country."
Luyao smiled, dazzling Jiang Yun a bit. Before this moment, Jiang Yun had never imagined that a man could smile so beautifully.
Qin Elder chuckled knowingly and said, "Isn't it a deliberate question, Elder Luyao of the prestigious Tianjian Sect? It seems you have returned to search for the relics of Elder Qingyang in this place."
Luyao's voice was neutral and pleasant, matching his exquisite appearance but with a magnetic touch of masculinity.
"Haha!" Qin Elder burst into laughter after hearing Luyao's words. "Who doesn't know that before attaining the title of Wuzun, Elder Qingyang severed ties with the Tianjian Sect? Now you claim he is your senior in the sect. Such shameless words."
"Oh?" Luyao smiled faintly. "Elder Qin seems to be well-informed about Elder Qingyang's deeds. I presume that you came here for the Qingyang Sword Art as well?"
"Hmph!" Qin Elder snorted and cautiously watched Luyao's every move. "It's good that you know. If you want the Qingyang Sword Art, then let's see who is more capable."
Before Qin Elder finished his words, taking advantage of Luyao's momentary distraction, he swiftly struck out with both palms, creating a swift and fierce palm wind that formed a pale blue phantom in the air.
Jiang Yun had already noticed Qin Elder's intentions, but considering the current situation where he and Qin Elder were on the same side, he did not warn Luyao.
Qin Elder's unexpected palm strikes did not make Luyao panic. Calmly, he drew his long sword from behind and a circular arc of sword light narrowly sliced through Qin Elder's palm wind. At the moment the sword light was unleashed, it split into two, cutting Qin Elder's palm wind phantom into halves.
"Sword light division?" Qin Elder and Jiang Yun exclaimed simultaneously, although Jiang Yun's voice was extremely low, and no one besides himself heard it. However, Jiang Yun quickly saw through Luyao's trick—it wasn't really sword light division, but rather Luyao's lightning-fast double sword strikes in an instant.
"Qin Elder has keen eyes," Luyao lightly chuckled, not denying it.
"Hmph, a petty trick of a mere insect?" Qin Elder evidently also saw through Luyao's Western Bay Sword light division, sounding both annoyed and embarrassed, almost being startled by Luyao.
With Luyao present, it seemed that Qin Elder wouldn't easily find the Qingyang Sword Art. So, he signaled to his disciple Wang Qinan with a glance, meaning: "Go search for things, I'll hold him back."
Understanding the meaning, Wang Qinan slowly retreated to the side. Qin Elder took advantage of Wang Qinan's withdrawal and immediately closed in on Luyao, launching a fierce attack with his iron palms.
Qin Elder possessed abundant spiritual energy and seized the initiative by going all out. Luyao couldn't stop his assault and could only defend while retreating.
Qin Elder became more courageous with each attack, and Luyao found it increasingly difficult to withstand him.
Just as Qin Elder and Luyao fiercely battled, Lin Shenhe quickly reacted and swiftly entered the second storage chamber containing medicinal pills.
Lin Shenhe's actions alerted the others. Near the chamber housing the martial arts manuals, Jiang He and Xiao Wanshan reached the entrance of their respective chambers almost simultaneously.
The entrance to the chamber could only accommodate one person at a time, and as they pushed and jostled each other, neither of them could enter. They found themselves deadlocked.
"This won't do. How about you go in first, Brother Jiang?" Xiao Wanshan, realizing the situation was unfavorable, decided to show some gentlemanly demeanor and stepped aside.
Jiang He didn't expect Xiao Wanshan to suddenly become so magnanimous. Feeling delighted, he was about to step into the chamber. Just as he lifted his left foot to enter, he felt a sudden gust of wind from behind and then a powerful force struck him in the back.
"You shameless!"
Wang Qinan, who had prepared in advance, seized the opportunity and rushed into the third chamber, being the first to enter. Subsequently, Ye Chengde followed suit.
Soon, only Jiang Yun and the ongoing battle between Qin Elder and Luyao remained in the hall. Jiang Yun watched the two combatants for a while but couldn't discern who would win, so he stopped paying them any attention.
Jiang Yun began to survey the entire hall. Apart from the skeleton, the rest of the hall was empty, with nothing worth examining. However, since people had already entered all three chambers, he knew he wouldn't be quick enough to enter. In that case, Jiang Yun walked up to the skeleton and examined it carefully.
The bamboo slips that were originally placed in front of the skeleton had been discarded by Qin Elder and were lying on the ground. Jiang Yun picked up one of the bamboo slips and started reading.
After a while, Jiang Yun understood why Qin Elder had thrown away the bamboo slip—it wasn't a martial arts manual, but rather a love letter.
Jiang Yun quickly read the story written on the bamboo slip. It was a cliché tale, something Jiang Yun, being from Earth, had seen countless times in soap operas.
The story was about two elite disciples from different sects who met during an external mission, gradually getting to know each other and eventually falling in love.
Later, due to conflicts between their sects, their love had to be cut off with tears. The woman, devastated by the unfulfilled love, eventually succumbed to depression and passed away. When the man learned of this, he developed deep resentment towards the sects and, in a fit of anger, severed ties with his own sect. He chose to live in seclusion in the place where the woman had passed away.
Ironically, the man's martial arts prowess soared due to his emotional turmoil. By middle age, he achieved the title of Martial Saint. However, this title meant nothing to him. In the end, he merely guarded the place where the woman had perished throughout his entire life.
In this world, there are no stories that can't be summed up in three sentences: the beginning, the middle, and the end. After reading this story, Jiang Yun let out a gentle sigh.
Jiang Yun brushed off the dust from the bamboo slip and placed it back on the stone platform in front of the skeleton. As he lifted his head, he uttered a soft sound of surprise.
Jiang Yun noticed that there seemed to be a mural on the wall behind the skeleton. Perhaps due to its age, the mural had been completely covered by dust.
Moving closer to the side of the skeleton, Jiang Yun blew away the dust from the mural and carefully admired it. The painting depicted a woman, to be precise, an incredibly beautiful woman.
Jiang Yun didn't have much interest in the beauty depicted in the mural. After finding nothing else of note, he continued examining the skeleton. However, this time, he made an intriguing discovery.
Underneath the cushion on which the skeleton rested, there was something hidden. Jiang Yun was astonished. He carefully pulled out the object from beneath the cushion and nearly coughed up blood when he saw what it was.
"You shameless!"
Jiang Yun's actions naturally caught the attention of Qin Elder and Luyao, who were engaged in their fierce battle in the empty hall. Seeing Jiang Yun trying to extract something from beneath the cushion, nearly disturbing the arrangement of the skeleton, Luyao couldn't help but curse aloud.
Qin Elder was also drawn to Jiang Yun's actions. He slowed down his attacks on Luyao, abandoning his assault, and swiftly flew towards Jiang Yun.
Upon seeing Qin Elder cease his attacks, Luyao also stopped targeting him and redirected his sword towards Jiang Yun.
Jiang Yun had a bewildered expression, unable to comprehend the sudden change in the situation. How did he become the common target all of a sudden in this life-or-death battle?
Upon closer analysis, it can be observed that Luyao's sword was directly aimed at Jiang Yun himself, while Qin Elder's objective was the painting in Jiang Yun's hands.
Qin Elder's cultivation was superior to Luyao's, and his speed surpassed him by a few points. He swiftly closed in on Jiang Yun, reached out his hand, snatched the painting from Jiang Yun's grasp, and rapidly retreated.
The sequence of Qin Elder closing in on Jiang Yun, snatching the painting, and swiftly retreating happened in the blink of an eye. It was only at this moment that Luyao arrived.
With Luyao's sword about to pierce Jiang Yun, Jiang Yun's face filled with panic, and he blurted out, "Be careful!"