The Third Cave Master did not answer, and continued to ask, “Do you know why the Earth Mother took the two daughters of the Zhong family as disciples?”
Hong Teng said with shame, “This little demon guards a remote corner of the mountain, without the ability to see through the affairs of the world. This little demon does not know. I beg Third Master to forgive me.”
The Third Cave Master said calmly, “I do not mean to blame you. With your abilities, you cannot pay attention to too much. However, Qianliu Mountain has always been watching the movements of the Sinan Prefecture. The Earth Mother did not take disciples without reason. Before taking disciples, a servant of unknown origin desperately broke through the mountain gate of the Sinan Prefecture. Later, for some unknown reason, the people of the Sinan Prefecture actually brought him inside.
After that came what you heard, the Earth Mother left the mountain, went to the Zhong family, and took the two daughters of the Zhong family as disciples.
Later investigation confirmed that the person who desperately broke through the mountain gate of the Sinan Prefecture was precisely a servant of the Zhong family. In other words, looking at the cause and effect, it was the Zhong family who first took the initiative to contact the Sinan Prefecture, and only afterward did the Earth Mother go to the Zhong family to take disciples. A mere merchant of the capital, even if a wealthy merchant, what do you think could alarm the Earth Mother to personally visit?”
“This…” Hong Teng was shocked and doubtful, and tried to reply, “There are probably not many things in this world that can interest the Earth Mother. Given the duties of the Sinan Prefecture, could it be related to an immortal’s cave dwelling?”
The Third Cave Master nodded. “To be a mountain king of a region, you are not too stupid. Qianliu Mountain also guesses this way, so it has mobilised all available forces to closely watch every move of the Sinan Prefecture. But no actions of the Sinan Prefecture have been discovered, until the news spread that the spiritual pet of the Luan Province Governor was to be married to you. Under the scrutiny of Qianliu Mountain’s attention, an abnormality was discovered. People from the Sinan Prefecture were found secretly entering and leaving in disguise.”
“…” Hong Teng’s heart pounded with fear. He did not know what this person actually wanted to say, yet seemed to faintly guess what this person wanted to say.
The Third Cave Master stared at him. “Do you still think it was normal for the Luan Province Governor, Lu Kai, to ask for your help, and then invite you to a banquet to express his gratitude?”
Hong Teng’s Adam’s apple moved, and he said with difficulty, “Does Third Master mean that this is a trap set by the Sinan Prefecture?”
The Third Cave Master said, “It is very obvious. They have figured out your preferences. Everything they did was to let you see that ‘Mingyue’ without arousing suspicion.”
Hong Teng bared his teeth. “This little demon was bewitched by ghosts. Third Master, rest assured. This little demon will find an excuse to decline the matter of taking a concubine.”
The Third Cave Master leaned back in his chair and waved his hand. “I did not come to spoil your good fortune. It does not matter if you fall for the honey trap. Accept the beauty by all means. In this matter, that ‘Mingyue’ is also acting against her will. Besides, the Sinan Prefecture probably will not and does not need to tell her the truth. You are focusing on the wrong point, Hong Teng. Have you not thought about why the Sinan Prefecture is targeting you?”
Hong Teng was stunned for a moment, then said with a sudden shock, “Could it be that they are after the ‘Guan Fengyang Ancient Tomb’? Apart from this, Jianyuan Mountain does not seem to have anything else worth such effort from the Sinan Prefecture. Only, was that ancient tomb not already ransacked by the Sinan Prefecture back then?”
The Third Cave Master said, “This is precisely the reason I came to find you personally. Whether the Sinan Prefecture is after the ancient tomb, no one knows. Could there be something in the Jianyuan Mountain area that we are unaware of? So we must not act rashly, and must not startle the snake. You must continue with taking the concubine, pretend you know nothing, appear relaxed on the outside but be vigilant on the inside. Keep your eyes wide open and watch those people from the Sinan Prefecture, to see what they actually want to do.”
Hong Teng said, “Third Master, rest assured, I understand. Only… if something changes, the forces of Jianyuan Mountain under this little demon probably cannot withstand the Sinan Prefecture.”
The Third Cave Master said, “There is nothing to fear. The Great Sage has already come, and is watching coldly from nearby.”
“Ah!” Hong Teng exclaimed. This time he was truly shocked. He had not expected the number one figure of the demon realm to also come. He immediately became extremely nervous. “Where is the Great Sage? Allow this little demon to go and pay respects!”
The Third Cave Master said, “There is no need for such vulgar rituals. At this time, the Great Sage will not easily show himself. When he is willing to see you, you will naturally be able to see him. There is no need to force it.”
“Yes.” Hong Teng responded. The thought that the Great Sage of the demon realm was watching behind him made him feel trembling with fear.
The Third Cave Master asked again, “What guests have all come? Have people from the Great Wilderness, the Dark Cliff, and the Yin Kingdom come?”
Hong Teng thought carefully for a while, and said, “Many guests have come. Most are from within Luan Province. I have not heard of people from the Great Wilderness and the Dark Cliff. However, the ‘Azure Sea Shipping Line’ of the Yin Kingdom has opened a port on the nearby coast, and people came to offer congratulations. Does Third Master mean…”
“How coincidental, what a place to choose, to just come here and open a port!” The Third Cave Master snorted coldly. “As expected, Qianliu Mountain is not the only one watching the Sinan Prefecture. The Yin Kingdom’s Grand Enterprise Department has probably also discovered the same situation. The Great Wilderness and the Dark Cliff have always been quiet and uninvolved in these matters. It seems that probably not only the Great Sage has come, but the Earth Mother and the Earth Master may also have arrived.”
Hong Teng was speechless, scared out of his wits. He had not expected that his taking of a concubine would alarm so many top figures of the cultivation world. This time, he truly did not know whether it was a blessing or a curse.
Seeing his appearance, the Third Cave Master knew he was afraid, and comforted him, “There is no need to be afraid. Unless things reach a decisive point, unless they reach the stage where they need to fight for it, they might possibly show themselves. They will not jump out and fight fiercely over an unconfirmed matter before even understanding the situation. So your role this time is very important. If you handle things well, the Great Sage will naturally reward you heavily!”
“Yes.” Hong Teng responded respectfully on the surface, but inwardly he was exhausted and helpless. He had not expected to be drawn into such a mess.
The Third Cave Master, who had finally stood up, walked a few steps, then suddenly said, “Right, what is the situation in that ancient tomb?”
Hong Teng carefully followed beside him, and reported, “I dare not hide anything from Third Master, but this little demon is also not very clear. Back then, the Sinan Prefecture went in and made a fuss, causing who knows how many casualties. It is said that together with civilian labourers, no fewer than a thousand people died inside.
Later, people from Qianliu Mountain also came, leading the demons of Jianyuan Mountain to go down and search. This little demon was among them at the time, and personally witnessed many more casualties.
The underground area is like a labyrinth, with terrifying evil spirits that breed through the earth’s energy, seemingly impossible to kill completely. After the initial investigation, the person from Qianliu Mountain who was in charge at the time considered thoroughly eliminating the evil source underground. Because those evil spirits dare not see sunlight, the best method would be to topple the entire mountain, then dig open the ground and let the sunlight shine upon it.”
The Third Cave Master nodded. “The person in charge who came back then that you speak of was the Second Cave Master. I have heard my second brother speak of this matter. He indeed considered it that way, but the project was too massive. Just moving that mountain would take who knows how many years, not to mention deeply digging open the underground. It had to be abandoned.”
Hong Teng said, “So it was the Second Master. This little demon was blind. Correct, later considering that those evil spirits also dared not come out to see the light, it was abandoned. They merely used stones to seal the already dug-open entrance. Because this little demon went in and knew the situation inside was truly terrifying, after this little demon took charge of Jianyuan Mountain, I did not go in to inspect again. Therefore, I do not know what the situation inside is like now.”
For a demon cultivator to speak of a place as having “evil spirits,” it could be seen that it was indeed an evil place.
The Third Cave Master stood with his hands behind his back in silence for a while, then suddenly muttered to himself, “What else could be in the tomb? Could the Sinan Prefecture’s visit this time be related to this place?”
…
The sky was not yet light, still in the middle of the night, but the Luan Province Governor’s mansion was already busy.
In a small courtyard, two people carried in a large chest, directly entering the main hall.
Inside the main hall, two people were waiting.
One was dressed in black, with a thin figure. His face was so thin it almost had no flesh, giving people a skeletal feeling. His complexion was dark. His status in the Sinan Prefecture was not ordinary. He was in charge of the Front Department, and his name was Meng Po.
The other person was precisely the Sinan Prefecture walker who had participated in escorting the scholars of Lie Province to the capital for the imperial examinations, Jin Huahai.
Before the Front Department Master of the Sinan Prefecture, Jin Huahai naturally had a respectful appearance.
Seeing the lacquered wooden chest carried in, with red silk floral decorations on top, this was obviously the dowry being sent to Jianyuan Mountain. Jin Huahai was somewhat puzzled, not knowing what it meant.
Meng Po lifted his chin, his voice low, “Open it.”
The chest was set down. The two people carrying it quickly removed the carrying poles and opened the lid, revealing various gold and silver vessels inside.
Meng Po asked, “Do you know what this is?”
Jin Huahai hesitated, “The dowry going into the mountain?”
Meng Po lifted his chin toward the chest again, “Lift it up.”
The two people with the carrying poles immediately lifted the chest again. Meng Po waved his hand and knocked three times on the side of the chest, “Thump, thump, thump.”
Jin Huahai was puzzled, when he suddenly heard a rustling sound from beneath the chest. The items inside the chest suddenly sank by a large margin, and a person in black suddenly dropped from beneath the chest, rolled on the ground to the side, and stood up, still holding a board in his hand.
“Do you understand?” Meng Po asked.
The demonstration was so clear and obvious. It was nothing more than that people could hide beneath the chest. How could Jin Huahai still not understand? He nodded and said, “This subordinate understands.”
Only then did Meng Po wave his hand, letting the three people who demonstrated withdraw. After there was no one in the room, he said, “I am also going into the mountain. You are actually the support, I am the main force. This time I will hide inside this specially made chest to enter. A group of people will enter with me in this manner.”
Jin Huahai broke into a small sweat and said, “How can we let the Master suffer such grievance?”
Meng Po raised his hand to stop him, “Do you think that you can deceive the eyes of those who are paying attention by disguising yourselves as people delivering dowry into the mountain? How many people are delivering the dowry on this side, how many people are entering the mountain, they will watch clearly. It will be difficult for you to accomplish much. After entering the mountain, during the journey of delivering the dowry, find a suitable opportunity, and the people hidden in the chests will drop to the ground and hide on the spot. You will be in the open to attract their attention, covering the actions of my side.”
“Yes.” After Jin Huahai responded, he hesitated again, “Was it not arranged for this subordinate to seize the opportunity to explore the ancient tomb?”
Meng Po said, “The ancient tomb, we went in to investigate back then. Evil spirits run rampant inside, making movement difficult. Most importantly, our manpower this time is insufficient. We cannot mobilise a large force to enter and act on a large scale like back then.
There is also another point different from back then. Back then, the purpose was to enter and find the coffin, to find burial objects. There may have been oversights in the investigation within the underground palace. This time, a detailed investigation is necessary.
However, the interference from the evil spirits within the underground palace is too great. Just dealing with those evil spirits is a hassle, not to mention our insufficient manpower. Wanting to investigate carefully with peace of mind will probably be difficult.
So, you must seize the opportunity to arrange for people to explore the ancient tomb. They will definitely be watching you. Lure them in, let their forces enter first to help us clear the field. After they have reduced the interference in the ancient tomb, then let them realise they have been tricked. After they all withdraw and are all watching you, my side will then bring people in.”
Jin Huahai suddenly realised, “This subordinate understands. Master, are we still looking for the ‘Cloud Chart’ this time when we go in?”
Meng Po said, “Do not ask what you should not ask!”
“Yes.” Jin Huahai stood with hands bound and bowed.