Yu Qing nodded. “Yes, it is the one in his hand.”
The man in black said, “Let me have a look.”
Yu Qing immediately turned to Ning Chaoyi, cupped his fists in greeting, and said, “Mr Ning, please let him examine the golden halberd.”
After a brief exchange of glances with his associates, Ning Chaoyi asked, “Who is he, and are you certain the item will be safe in his hands?”
Yu Qing replied, “To be honest, I do not know who he is either. But I know that the next step after obtaining the golden halberd is to seek him out. Even if he had not come, we would have gone to find him, because he is likely the one who can unlock the secret of this halberd.
Have you not always wondered why the Rift Valley Manor possesses this item yet cannot enjoy its secrets? Because the manor also requires his assistance.
You also need not worry that he will betray us after taking the halberd. If he truly wanted to seize it from us by force, he would need overwhelming strength. With such strength, we would have no choice but to surrender it. Without it, he could not possibly take it away right under the noses of so many of us.”
Realising this made sense, Ning Chaoyi immediately opened the bundle, took out the golden halberd, and handed it over.
Yu Qing took the halberd and addressed the group. “If anyone feels uneasy, feel free to act without scruples and surround him first.”
Indeed, they were not entirely at ease. A group quickly formed a formation, drew their weapons, and surrounded the man in black.
Only then did Yu Qing toss the golden halberd to the man in black.
The man in black caught it steadily without any unusual reaction. It was immediately clear that he was familiar with the halberd.
Weighing the item in his hand, even the usually rough man in black showed signs of excitement, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, this is indeed the genuine halberd!”
He happened to gesture towards Nan Zhu, and upon comparing it with the fake one in Nan Zhu hand, he immediately spotted the subtle differences.
On the surface, they seemed identical. In reality, their aura was different. The fake possessed a brighter sheen, while the genuine article had a slightly subdued quality, exuding a more eerie and profound feeling. Perhaps it was a visual sense of power, but placed side by side, there was also a subtle difference in colour.
After turning it over and examining it for a long time, the man in black did not make any reckless moves. He casually tossed the halberd back to Yu Qing.
Catching the halberd, Yu Qing said, “I have received the item. Should you not now honour your promise?”
The man in black pointed at him, then at Mu Aotie. “You two come with me. The rest stay here.”
Yu Qing asked in return, “Where to?”
The man in black replied, “To give you an explanation.”
Yu Qing pondered briefly.
Ning Chaoyi immediately objected. “No! Brother Lin, it is too risky for just the two of you to go. You are too few in number. I fear something might happen to the golden halberd. We must all go together.”
The man in black scoffed dismissively. “Leave the halberd with them. You two come with me. I do not trust the others.”
Having said this, his meaning was clear. He did not trust the others. At least Yu Qing and Mu Aotie had not brought any reinforcements after their previous encounter with him.
Yu Qing was puzzled. “What matter requires only the two of us?”
The man in black said, “Grown men should not dither. You will know once you arrive.”
Yu Qing hesitated for a moment, then finally turned and returned the golden halberd to Ning Chaoyi. He smiled at Qiao Qie er, whose face was full of worry. “It is fine. We will just go for a look. It is no big deal. If we do not return, you do not have to hand the halberd over to them.”
Ning Chaoyi could see that the man was indeed unfamiliar with their counterpart. He immediately warned, “You had best exercise extra caution. If you truly become their hostages, I will state this plainly upfront. We will not trade the halberd for your lives!”
These words were meant for both Yu Qing and Mu Aotie, but even more so for the man in black, warning him not to attempt any tricks.
Nan Zhu asked the man in black, “How long will the journey take?”
The man in black replied, “By the You hour at the latest. We should be back before dusk today.”
Nan Zhu immediately said to his two junior martial brothers, “We do not intend to harm anyone, but we must still remain vigilant. Being cautious does no harm.”
Yu Qing gave a brief hum, glanced at Lu Xingyun, and instructed the group. “The time is almost up. Be careful that the illusion ants are not exploited again by those from the Rift Valley Manor. Destroy them as soon as possible.”
Ning Chaoyi nodded. “We will. Take care.”
Yu Qing cupped his fists in farewell. Just as he turned, he saw the man in black swiftly dart out of the encirclement and rush towards the grape fields. He and Mu Aotie immediately gave chase. Before long, all three slipped into the underground drainage channel beneath the fields, moving rapidly through the tunnels…
Also within the underground channel, a man in an iron mask, shrouded in a black cloak, looked up at a pit hole above a junction. Villagers were above, turning a windlass to lower a bucket and draw water.
Standing in the shadows, he could clearly see the villagers above, while they, standing in the light, could not see him.
The bucket flipped and sank into the icy pool, then filled with water and was hoisted back up by the windlass.
Although the people from the Rift Valley Manor had fled, the villagers continued their work as usual. They knew exactly what needed to be done. It was a task passed down through generations, requiring no urging to know how to perform.
Sometimes, ignorance brings peace of mind.
The sound of footsteps carrying water slowly faded above. Suddenly, someone approached quickly from behind the iron masked man. Also shrouded in a black cloak, it was none other than Gao Yuan, one of the Four Demons who had been thoroughly subdued by the iron masked man.
Reaching him, Gao Yuan cupped his fists and said, “Sir, the three manor masters have vanished.”
The iron masked man spun around abruptly. “Vanished? How could they simply disappear?”
Gao Yuan replied, “It is highly abnormal. After dawn, the hundred or so men from the Rift Valley Manor who had been resting continued their journey. When we took a headcount, we found three missing. We later arranged a staged encounter with them and discovered that the three manor masters hidden under the cloaks were impostors. Our people quickly searched their resting place, but there was no trace of the three masters. It was clearly a premeditated disappearance.”
The iron masked man snorted. “They have either abandoned their followers and fled completely, or they have returned. They guarded a secret here for so many years. I do not believe they would give it up entirely. We need only hold this position. I am confident they will return and walk right into our trap.”
Gao Yuan bowed respectfully. “Understood.”
…
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie were rushing along a path they had previously taken, following the waterway at the end of the underground channel.
They did not know whether the man in black could naturally see in the dark or was simply too familiar with the terrain. He required no light source, sprinting freely through the complex, undulating landscape. The two of them, however, had to rely on luminous stones for illumination.
As they neared the area where they had previously dug a hole, the man in black led them down another route. It was a narrow crevice that required climbing upwards. Anyone unfamiliar with it would easily lose their way, unable to move forward or retreat. Most of the space was so tight that one could barely turn around, creating a strong sense of psychological oppression.
The man in black, however, was clearly very familiar with the route. The martial brothers truly had no idea how he had navigated such a maze.
Taking this path clearly had one advantage. It made it easy to shake off any pursuers.
Eventually, the three emerged one after another from a crack in a cliff face. The man in black then led them over mountains and across ridges.
After a long trek, they arrived at a gorge. The valley was piled high with rocks of all sizes, all smoothed into irregular curves by prolonged water erosion. They were currently covered in a layer of grey dust.
Only here did the man in black slow down. He weaved through the scattered stones, eventually stopping before a large pile. He levered several massive boulders aside, carried a large stone out from beneath them, placed it on the ground, and suddenly struck it with a punch.
Bang! The large stone cracked, and he pried it apart.
Yu Qing and Mu Aotie, who had been thoroughly puzzled, suddenly froze. Inside the stone lay a desiccated corpse. No one knew how it had been placed inside originally.
The man in black picked up the corpse and walked away, scaling the steep gorge walls. The martial brothers had no choice but to follow.
Later, in the quiet depths of a deep mountain gorge, within a narrow slit of sky crack, they found a pool of water so clear the bottom was visible.
The man in black waded into the pool carrying the corpse. In the centre, where the water reached his shoulders, he released it. He then slowly backed away to the shore, his demeanour reverent.
The martial brothers did not understand what he was doing. They expected the corpse to float, but contrary to expectations, it slowly sank to the bottom. Clearly, it was much heavier than they had imagined.
Bubbles began to rise from the submerged corpse.
At first, they thought it was normal. Soon, the bubbles multiplied until the bottom was obscured. Eventually, the entire pool seemed to boil.
The situation was highly abnormal. Both men were filled with shock and suspicion. Yu Qing grew inwardly alert and said in a grave voice, “What exactly are you doing?”
The man in black stared at the pool. “Others would not even have the chance to witness this. I am only letting you see the process with your own eyes, so you will not doubt it later and refuse to hand over the golden halberd!”
Yu Qing focused only on the present. Pointing at the boiling pool, he asked, “This is not normal. I want to know right now what this means.”
His tone was already very stern.
The man in black was silent for a moment, then said, “Actually, I do not know how to enter that place.”
The two martial brothers were shocked. Their hands had already moved to their sword hilts, believing they had been tricked.
“In this world, only two people know the method of entry. One is the sleeper you killed, and the other is this sleeper before you. I need you to witness this for me, and also for your own sake.”
The man in black pointed at the boiling water as he spoke.
These words left the martial brothers speechless. They both stared wide eyed at the pool, unable to believe it. Was this desiccated corpse another sleeper?
“Is he not dead?” Mu Aotie could not help but ask.
As soon as he spoke, he realised he had asked a foolish question. Would a normal desiccated corpse cause such extreme disturbances in water?
Thus, only the endlessly boiling pool remained in the silence.
After a good while, the churning gradually calmed. A dark mass began to rise from the pool, a clump of black hair. A head emerged from the water, and a man stood up within the pool.
A man face rose above the surface. It was a face with thick brows and large eyes, sharp and angular like carved wood. His eyes were bright and piercing, flashing like cold stars. His face was covered in stubble. He was an older man who looked remarkably vigorous and imposing, possessing an unconventional aura of grandeur.
The older man turned his head to look at the man in black by the shore. His expression was blank. He then walked forward, his whole body slowly rising from the water. He too had shoulder length jet black hair, bronze skin, and an exceptionally broad chest that radiated raw power.