Chapter 409 - 224: Where Are You Running To?

Chapter 409: Chapter 224: Where Are You Running To?

Qin Zhenyang had been deeply impressed by Huie Jue, yet Xie Yuan had actually fought and defeated him?

The usually composed expression of the Sword Sect’s First Senior Brother could not conceal his shock. He fell silent for a long moment before slowly saying:

"And then you ran into Zhang Junyi?"

’Another young disciple of a Grandmaster...’

Xie Yuan wasn’t sure if they had simply run into him or if Huie Jue had been waiting for him on purpose. ’That monk is always a bit mysterious.’

Still, he nodded. "That Daoist is a man of great passion and integrity. We hit it off, so we decided to investigate together and see if we could find irrefutable evidence of the Yao family’s evil deeds."

Qin Zhenyang fell silent for a moment, a complicated look in his eyes.

’He distinctly remembered that not long ago, this junior brother of his was just an obscure menial disciple in the sect.’

’But now, not only has his own strength soared, he’s also shot up into the Inner Sect like a rocket. If not for his special status, he’d surely have been taken as a disciple by a Grandmaster. And the people he’s befriending now... are they all figures of this caliber?’

’The Direct Disciples of the second and third-ranked masters on the Celestial Dragon List... those are the top young Martial Artists in the entire Great Li, true geniuses of the Martial Dao. The two of them might seem approachable, but what ordinary Martial Artist would even be qualified to associate with them? If you aren’t on the same level, you simply can’t force your way into their circle.’

’True dragons do not consort with ants. Earning the approval of those two was proof enough that Xie Yuan himself was a young man of the same caliber.’

Qin Zhenyang let out a slow sigh. ’If only a junior brother like him were truly one of my own.’

He nodded. "In that case, you should get some rest and make sure you’re at full strength. Even with two formidable companions, the ancestral home of a great family is a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den. You absolutely cannot let your guard down. I can’t go with you, but be careful. Your first priority is your own safety. If things go south, use the item Master gave you. Just get out of there first."

Xie Yuan nodded gravely. He knew this mission was no laughing matter and that he had to be extremely cautious.

Back in his room, Xie Yuan took an Essence Replenishing Pill, sat cross-legged on his bed, and began circulating his energy to slowly recover his strength.

The sun set in the west and the silver moon rose in the east, gradually climbing to its zenith.

Xie Yuan opened his eyes. He meticulously arranged his clothes and socks, secured his weapons and pills in their designated places, and then slipped silently out the door, heading for the rendezvous point he had set with Huie Jue and Zhang Junyi during the day.

By a small river.

It was midnight, and in this secluded spot, the silver moon cast down its light, dyeing the water a hazy white. The river rushed on with a GURGLING sound, its surface reflecting a faint, dreamlike shimmer.

Xie Yuan saw the other two were already there and greeted them with a nod.

Huie Jue scanned them both, and seeing they were ready, he led the way, saying:

"Benefactors, please follow me."

The three of them became faint shadows, nearly invisible in the moonlight as they slipped through the alleys toward Jinling City.

Before long, Xie Yuan saw the high courtyard walls—the city within a city that occupied several entire blocks in the bustling heart of Jinling.

The Yao family of Jinling. Their ancestral home.

The Yao family of Jinling had apparently been royalty two dynasties ago. The imperial court of that era had established its capital in Jinling, and legend said the Yao family’s ancestral home was once the imperial palace.

But dynasties had risen and fallen many times over the past few thousand years, and many details were lost to time. Yet the Yao family of Jinling had endured for a millennium. Like the ceaselessly churning Great River outside the walls, they had always been a symbol of Jinling City—seemingly eternal, forever standing tall.

However, the War of the Eight Sects twenty years ago nearly brought the thousand-year-old Yao family to ruin. A crazed Grandmaster, the world’s greatest sect emerging from the shadows—when they acted so recklessly and unscrupulously, even a millennial family was brought to the brink of collapse. To this day, the Yao family has yet to recover its former strength.

The Yao family had not produced a Grandmaster in nearly a hundred years, though they had a few Grandmasters on the Flying Dragon List. However, all of them perished during the War of the Eight Sects. Even their ranks of regular Grandmasters were left depleted, to the point they were weaker than some second-rate powers. All told, this was probably one of the weakest moments in the Yao family’s history.

If that weren’t the case, the three youths would never have dared to infiltrate the Yao family’s ancestral home.

"We’re climbing over from here?"

Xie Yuan gazed up at the towering courtyard wall, then turned to Huie Jue.

Huie Jue put his palms together. "I have a feeling that this is the point where the senses of the guards and other experts are weakest."

’A feeling?’

Xie Yuan didn’t comment, but Zhang Junyi asked:

"How do you know? The Yao family has plenty of men. There’s a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten, with experts on constant patrol. How could there possibly be a blind spot?"

Huie Jue replied with a faint smile:

"Normally, there wouldn’t be. We have Benefactor Xie to thank."

Xie Yuan, seeing Zhang Junyi look over at him, shook his head in confusion. Then, a thought suddenly struck him, and he remembered all the Yao family experts he had seen on the streets:

"You mean the people who were trying to capture me today?"

"Precisely. The Yao family doesn’t have an infinite supply of men. When they went out looking for Benefactor Xie, their numbers at home were reduced. Of course, most of them have returned by now, but all that movement back and forth created an opening."

Huie Jue said with a smile.

Xie Yuan couldn’t help but stare at him for a few extra moments as a realization dawned.

’So he wasn’t just making a wild guess...’ Xie Yuan thought. ’It seems he was already planning to "visit" the Yao family tonight back then.’

After conferring in whispers for a moment, they each employed their lightness techniques and vaulted over the wall.

As they did, Huie Jue gave a grave reminder that there were certain spots they could not step on, or else the entire estate would know of their presence.

The three of them made it over, landing in a garden.

Xie Yuan had already deployed his Celestial Concealment Skill to its full extent; he could now even shroud those close to him. Combined with the faint, ethereal aura emanating from Huie Jue, the three of them were likely invisible to anyone short of a Grandmaster who came searching.