The Great Surveillance Chief in white was also somewhat puzzled. “Indeed, it is clearly the Sinan Prefecture setting the stage and singing the opera…” He suddenly shook his head and said, “Great King, could we be overthinking this? Are they really just sightseeing?”
Hong Teng retorted, “People are heading over there one by one. Is the scenery around that tomb uniquely excellent?”
Great Surveillance Chief: “At least we cannot yet prove they are definitely going to the ancient tomb. If the Great King truly feels uneasy, we might as well intervene.”
Hong Teng waved his hand. “The Third Master’s meaning is very clear. Appear relaxed on the outside but be vigilant on the inside. Do not intervene on the surface. Let them go and touch it. The purpose is to figure out what exactly the Sinan Prefecture is after. It is not good to startle the snake.”
Great Surveillance Chief: “But the problem is, the people from the Sinan Prefecture have not arrived yet. Even if we let them cause a commotion, we still cannot figure out what the Sinan Prefecture is after.”
Hong Teng kept rubbing his beard on his face, and finally let out a sigh. “Leave it to the Third Master to decide!” He turned around and personally wrote a detailed report behind the desk, rolled it up, and stuffed it into a bird’s mouth.
A white-feathered bird flashed out of the Jianyuan Hall, shot into the clouds, and swept toward the distant mountain forest.
They did not have to wait long on this side before that white-feathered bird flew back from afar into the Jianyuan Hall, landing on Hong Teng’s arm.
Hong Teng also took the slip of paper from its mouth, opened it, and saw two lines written on it: Situation unclear, observe changes for now.
After reading it, he showed it to the Great Surveillance Chief, who nodded slightly after reading it.
…
Nan Zhu, wandering in the mountain forest, kept looking back at the group of labourers behind him, then looking at Yu Qing who appeared to be strolling leisurely up ahead. He knew that Yu Qing’s attempt to shake off those labourers along the way had failed.
It was not that they did not want to shake them off, but that it was not easy to do so. Throughout the journey, there were faint, flickering gazes watching them, and they could not easily reveal abilities beyond those of ordinary people.
The problem was that the real situation would cause things to exceed imagination.
The mountain path was already difficult to walk. Even where there were small trails, both sides were overgrown with weeds and brambles, completely unsuitable for normal people to traverse.
This at least proved one point. The demon cultivators of Jianyuan Mountain did not usually go toward the Guan Fengyang Ancient Tomb either.
Having no other choice, Nan Zhu found another opportunity to pull Yu Qing aside. “I say, do you really treat the demon cultivators of Jianyuan Mountain as idiots? What normal person would trek through brambles all the way to the ends of the earth just to go sightseeing?”
Yu Qing would not easily admit fault before his two senior brothers. It was a matter of sect leader dignity. “How would demons know what humans think?”
Nan Zhu was stunned, and on the spot wanted to kick him. He discovered that this fellow today might very well lead them into a pit.
Yet the result seemed to confirm Yu Qing’s words. No demon cultivator came forward to intervene.
The real reason the three of them kept looking back was behind them.
The three senior brothers, forcibly trekking through bramble-covered terrain for a long distance, did not look like normal people out sightseeing. The labourers closely following behind them naturally also did not look like normal labourers.
The three senior brothers finally realised these labourers were not right, so they kept looking back at those people behind them.
Those labourers were also quite helpless. They had clearly acted quite well, but unfortunately this path was not easy to walk.
The three senior brothers knew they were being watched, but pretended not to know. They kept solemn faces and continued silently forward. Nan Zhu’s mouth, which had been pointing out landscape scenery all along, finally closed.
Those labourers knew they were exposed, but also pretended not to be exposed, continuing to follow without letting go. They left one person behind to go back and report.
Anyway, both sides were maintaining a silent standoff, both thinking about what to do.
Along the way, they climbed to the top of a mountain peak. While pretending to gaze at the distant scenery, Nan Zhu asked Yu Qing in a low voice, “Why are they watching us?”
Yu Qing: “If I knew the answer, would I still be like this? Go ask them.”
How could Nan Zhu easily go and ask? The other party was playing dumb. If they truly tore away all pretense and stopped letting the other party pretend, who knew what would happen? “You are the one who caused this. What do you say we should do?”
Yu Qing gave a low reply, “Keep walking. When they are willing to speak, they will naturally speak. Act according to the opportunity.”
Nan Zhu was speechless. In the end, was this not still having no solution?
The group descended from the peak and continued forward, already drawing closer and closer to that mountain-like ancient tomb.
In the distance, Meng Wei brought people rushing over at high speed, flying and leaping.
Having received the report and knowing they were exposed, he came at full speed to manage the situation and respond to changes. After all, those below were not in a good position to make decisions on certain matters.
Meng Wei descended from the sky with his men, flipping through the air and landing, blocking the path before Yu Qing’s trio. Behind the three were those labourers who had been following all along.
“What do you want?” Yu Qing questioned vigilantly, looking front and back. The hands of the three senior brothers were already gripping their sword hilts, automatically standing back to back.
Meng Wei swept a glance at the demon cultivators secretly watching this side nearby, then waved his hand at Yu Qing and said, “No need to be nervous. We long ago saw that you possess cultivation. Mainly it is this one…” He lifted his chin toward Nan Zhu. “So fat, yet able to easily pass the recruitment screening. Not like a normal fat person. We were just watching you to see what you wanted to do by applying to our side. There is no malicious intent.”
The three senior brothers looked at each other. In the end, Mu Aotie and Yu Qing’s gazes both fixed on Nan Zhu, both somewhat speechless. They had not expected the loophole to be here.
Mainly because they had not previously thought there could be any problem with the Azure Sea Shipping Line’s recruitment. They had treated it as an ordinary recruitment.
The corner of Nan Zhu’s mouth twitched. He read the meaning in his two junior brothers’ eyes, and immediately wanted to speak but stopped.
Yu Qing responded tit for tat. “The reason we applied to join was that we discovered many cultivators were going to the shipping line to apply as labourers. We found it strange and wanted to figure out what was going on. There is also no malicious intent.”
Meng Wei gazed into his eyes, then suddenly smiled and said, “Since neither side has malicious intent, then why not put down hostility and be friends?”
Yu Qing once again observed the surrounding environment. His gaze had become profound, and he nodded, saying, “Good. We could not ask for more!”
Meng Wei asked, “Where are you going?”
Yu Qing raised his hand and pointed toward that ancient tomb now close before their eyes. “There. Do you know what that place is?”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who were highly vigilant of their surroundings, were slightly startled. They had not expected this one to expose their destination.
Meng Wei also secretly felt surprised. He had not expected Yu Qing to be so frank. He followed the direction of the point and looked. “I know. Legend says beneath the mountain lies a general’s tomb.”
Yu Qing: “I heard there is treasure inside. I wish to go and seek treasure. Would you care to go together?”
Meng Wei: “That ancient tomb is a forbidden area of Jianyuan Mountain. You brazenly trespass in broad daylight without any cover. Do you know the consequences?”
Yu Qing: “According to my knowledge, the ancient tomb has no guards.”
Meng Wei: “A tomb that has been hollowed out by people, with evil spirits growing inside, does not warrant guards. But there are eyes all around. Have you not felt the demon cultivators of Jianyuan Mountain watching you in secret?”
Yu Qing also stared into his eyes. “Then what do you think I should do?”
Meng Wei turned and stepped aside from the path. “If you want to go over and take a look, you may. If they do not stop you from entering, then it is up to you.”
“Let’s go!” Yu Qing turned back and called out to his two senior brothers, then took the lead and flashed forward, no longer concealing that he was a cultivator.
His two senior brothers, full of worry, closely followed. Meng Wei and his men were not idle either, and also flashed to follow.
Not long after, the group arrived at their destination, stopping before the steep rocky mountain of the ancient tomb.
Humans were tiny. The rocky mountain was massive and tall, as if looking up from the bottom of a ten-thousand-zhang abyss.
Perhaps because it was all rock, at the foot of the mountain there was almost no vegetation. The steep rock walls were the same. The colour of both the ground and the mountain body appeared dark black.
It was one thing to see no plants, but in the large area at the foot of the mountain, it seemed not even a single animal could be seen. No birds were seen landing here, and not a single crawling insect could be seen on the ground. Not even a single ant was visible. This situation was very abnormal deep in the mountains.
When walking, the sound of stepping on overturned stones faintly echoed back from the rock walls.
A group of people circled and flew around the foot of the mountain, searching for the entrance.
Back then, the Ministry of Works had once carried out large-scale construction here to dig out the ancient tomb entrance. They believed the entrance location must have very obvious signs.
They ran a full five or six li before the group stopped. As they had guessed, they saw a large pile of accumulated mountain stones, as well as discarded wood materials.
The wood materials showed obvious signs of age, yet did not have a great sense of decay. They had turned black, with the smell of dark, heavy wood. Occasionally one could see dark black metal fittings joined together on them. After so many years, they had surprisingly not rusted.
This scene also made this place emanate a strange peculiarity.
The traces of excavation on the mountain wall were very obvious, but a huge pile of large stones had been stacked up.
For the three senior brothers, this matched the intelligence reports from the Watchtower. The entrance had been sealed.
Yu Qing turned back to Meng Wei and said, “That should be the entrance. Have your men put in some effort and help open the cave mouth, how about it?”
The large pile of stones accumulated at the foot of the mountain was four or five zhang high, and probably six or seven zhang in length and width.
Meng Wei sized it up. “Clearing this cave mouth is somewhat laborious.”
Yu Qing: “No need to clear it all. Just dig out an opening that we can enter.”
Meng Wei said no more. He tilted his head to signal, and a group of “labourers” successively moved out, flying to the top of that pile of stones, and began overturning large stones to the left, right, or behind. Each stone probably weighed several hundred jin. Rumbling sounds began to ring out incessantly.
Several figures came at the sound, crouching at the edge between the forest and the vegetation-free zone. They were precisely Qin Jue and his men, hiding and observing the movements on this side.
Nan Zhu used the rumbling sounds as cover, and pulled Yu Qing aside to speak again. “Are you mad? It has already come to this, and you still will not turn back. What are you still barging in for?”
Yu Qing glanced at Meng Wei, who was looking over from time to time. “Do you think we still have a way back? Do you believe that the moment we pull back, we will not be able to get away? I fear not just one or two parties will grab us and pry our mouths open. Damn it, we really fell into a pit this time.”
Mu Aotie frowned. He knew he did not need to say anything. Someone would naturally ask.
Nan Zhu indeed asked, “Old Fifteen, what do you mean by these words?”
Yu Qing let out a light sigh. “Damn it, I thought I was the only one with good luck. In the end, I still underestimated the Sinan Prefecture. The Sinan Prefecture should also have deciphered the secret within the ‘Cloud Chart.’ This marriage affair is very likely a trap set by the Sinan Prefecture.”
Mu Aotie could not help but speak out, “What makes you say that?”
Yu Qing jerked his chin toward Meng Wei. “Have you still not seen it? The Azure Sea Shipping Line recruiting labourers was actually recruiting their own people, all in preparation for coming to Jianyuan Mountain. It was not that the shipping line opened a port and happened to encounter Hong Teng’s wedding. Rather, they deliberately came to open a port here because of the wedding.”