Chapter 724: Chapter 557: Ten Years
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
In the midst of his sleep, Yang Xiao suddenly felt a chill and sneezed 4 or 5 times in succession, "Who is thinking of me with such urgency?" he grumbled as he was forcefully awakened.
After waking up and drawing back the curtains, the dazzling sunlight streamed in; it was already broad daylight outside. He picked up his cell phone, and there was a message from Yang Cha, saying he was coming to check on him.
After replying to the message, Yang Xiao sat on the sofa to wait—waiting for Yang Cha and also for his sumptuous breakfast. Meanwhile, images of a young master’s refined smiling face floated uncontrollably into his mind. Recalling their previous interaction, he detected a slip-up in the conversation.
First off, this person must have been locked in the dark, underground secret chamber for some time now, at least for a few years. After all, upon seeing the Ghost Duster, he commented that he never would have thought such a personage had already perished.
That indicated he did not know that the Little Holy Spirit White Buddha had died, an event that happened several years ago and was almost universally known in the world of martial arts.
Moreover, there was another point: his way of referring to the Little Holy Spirit White Buddha from the Black Buddha Mother Sect was quite strange. Ordinary people would mention the Three Demon Heads under Black Buddha Mother, but the young master mentioned Three Buddha Heads. The difference between ’demon’ and ’buddha’ is just one word, yet it’s a world apart, which made Yang Xiao think of those Evil Cultivators who claimed to be Saints.
Putting this together with the fact that this person was imprisoned and guarded by a skilled master, Yang Xiao suspected this young master might also be an Evil Cultivator, and judging by his demeanor and insight, not just an ordinary one but likely a notorious figure in the world of martial arts.
As for who precisely it was, Yang did not know, nor was he particularly interested since it was an internal affair of the Ru Lin Academy and none of his business.
Instead of dwelling on that, it would be better to figure out the identity of the Daoist robe old ghost. From what the Old Clan Leader had said, he seemed to know who the Daoist robe old ghost was.
Before long, the sound of footsteps in the corridor outside and the noise of a meal cart being pushed along reached him. Yang Xiao positioned himself behind the door in advance, waiting until the footsteps stopped right outside his room.
"It’s me." A text message popped up on his phone.
He opened the door, and Yang Cha, disguised as a chef, rolled the meal cart inside, took off his mask, and with a sigh of relief, said, "Yang, it’s so good to see you again. You have no idea, Miss Tong has been worried sick while you were out of touch."
"How is she?" asked Yang Xiao.
"She’s fine. I’m already arranging for her to enroll in school. Miss Tong is extremely talented in the Yin and Yang Secret Technique," Yang Cha couldn’t help but praise.
"That’s good to hear."
During the subsequent casual conversation, they talked about the Academy’s principal. Yang Cha mentioned that the current principal was named Yang Yunluo, a rare Netherworld Envoy in the world of martial arts.
It seemed Yang Cha suddenly recalled something; he warned in a low voice, "The principal is notoriously petty. Anyone who talks bad about him behind his back doesn’t get to graduate. My eldest apprentice brother was stuck for 7 whole years just because he drunkenly complained a few times that the principal’s aesthetic sense was bad."
"That’s way too much!" Yang Xiao hadn’t expected Lu Wencheng to have had such an experience, and the latter had never mentioned it to him.
"Oh? What... what exactly did your eldest apprentice brother complain about?" inquired Yang Xiao, unable to suppress his curiosity.
"Huh—" Yang Cha lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and leisurely blew out a smoke ring, "He said that even a dog wouldn’t live in the apartment personally designed by the principal."
"Ha ha ha ha—" Yang Xiao had not expected Lu Wencheng to be quite so amusing, "So how is your eldest apprentice brother doing now?"
"He’s living in that apartment now," Yang Cha pointed towards a building visible from the window, laughing as he explained, "The one personally designed by the principal."
After chatting with Yang Cha for a while, Yang Xiao’s tension from the past period relaxed considerably, "Is there anyone in the Academy with a status higher than the principal?"
"Um..." Yang Cha hesitated for a moment before giving an ambiguous answer, "There used to be, but now... there isn’t."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if we’re talking about someone with a higher seniority than the principal, it would only be the Old Clan Leader, which is the current principal’s parent and the head of our Ru Lin Yang Family. But he announced he was going into seclusion to face death ten years ago, and no one’s seen him since," Yang Cha explained.
"Why would he suddenly announce seclusion to face death?" Yang Xiao probed indirectly.
Yang Cha glanced toward the door, his voice getting softer, "I’m telling you, don’t go spreading this around, okay? Ten years ago, someone broke into our Academy’s Scripture Pavilion in the dead of night to steal books. It caused quite a stir. This person was no ordinary individual, and several elders couldn’t take him down. In the end, it was the Old Clan Leader who had to intervene."
"And then?" Yang Xiao was riveted.
"And just like that, he was dead. The Old Clan Leader killed him on the spot for daring to run wild in our Ru Lin Academy. Did they really think we were easy to bully?" As Yang Cha spoke, his tone carried a hint of pride; after all, the famed Upper Three Bookshops wasn’t a place one could simply come and go as they pleased.
"By the way, Yang, have you found what you were looking for?" Yang Cha shifted the topic, inquiring.
"I still don’t know, I’m waiting for news from the Academy," Yang Xiao laughed, "But don’t worry about me, I’m sure I’ll find it."
"You definitely will. The Small Book Collection Pavilion holds more than tens of thousands of books, many of which are ancient volumes extinct outside. The Magic Artifact on you shouldn’t be that troublesome," Yang Cha reassured him, the comradeship forged in times of shared hardship still lingering.
"I have you to thank for this time," Yang Xiao said with a smile.
The two chatted for a while longer before Yang Cha took his leave. But just as he was about to step out the door, something seemed to occur to him, and he turned back. "Right, there was something I forgot to tell you, Sui... he’s been found!"
"Where?!" Yang Xiao’s heart leapt with joy at the news, but observing the hesitant look on Yang Cha’s face, he sensed something was amiss. "What’s wrong?"
"Sui’s situation is quite bad. He... he’s being pursued by the Apostles Union, now a high-level fugitive. They say he has killed many innocents along the way, and now there’s a bounty on his head — worth a Peak of Fierce Level Magic Artifact."
Yang Xiao inhaled sharply at the news — the price was indeed steep, enough to cost him his life.
"Do you know where he is now?" Yang Xiao pressed.
Yang Cha shook his head. "I don’t know."
"Can you help him in any way?"
Yang Cha hesitated for a moment, then still shook his head, "This bounty is issued by the Apostles Union; it’s difficult for us to get involved. However, if he manages to make it to Yun Qi City, I might be able to think of something, but... we can’t contact him right now."
"Sui is not a murderer. I hope he can turn peril into safety." At this moment, Yang Xiao could do nothing but silently pray for him.
Once Yang Cha had left, Yang Xiao was once again alone in the spacious room. He suppressed his eagerness to examine the Drama Robe and adopted a leisurely demeanor, actually having two carefree days of eating and sleeping, which visibly improved his complexion.
It wasn’t until the third night, as Yang Xiao was itching for something to do and outlining a new horror script during a tense moment when suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It startled him so much that his breathing lost rhythm because it was so quiet outside, he hadn’t heard any footsteps approaching.
The sensation was as if someone had suddenly appeared outside the door. If he hadn’t confirmed that the Daoist robe old ghost had been taken down by his good sister, Yang Xiao would have run away by now.
"Who’s there?" Yang Xiao asked from behind the door.
The next second, an astonishing scene unfolded. The door before him turned transparent, eventually resembling frosted glass. Through the semi-transparent door, he saw an old man in a long coat standing outside, his familiar undead face unchanging.
"It’s me," the old man said indifferently, emotionless.
Understanding immediately, Yang Xiao opened the door quickly, and in the moment he pressed the handle, the previously semi-transparent door returned to normal. When the door opened, the elder stood there, staring straight at him.
"Senior."
Yang Xiao greeted respectfully, only for the elder to turn and start walking away, leaving a light sentence behind, "Follow, someone wants to see you."
Yang Xiao had thought they would walk the entire way, or that the senior had some kind of magical powers, like the Old Clan Leader’s space-warping door. But when he stepped out of the apartment, he realized he had thought too much — there was a black SUV parked under the nearby street light.
The vehicle was large and sturdy, with clear-cut lines that gave it a rugged look. As the long-coat elder opened the driver’s door casually and settled in, Yang Xiao suddenly experienced a surreal feeling, as if the ancient and modern were interwoven. In his mind, the elder should have been riding in a bullock cart or an elegantly ancient palanquin.
However, feeling the elder’s urging gaze, Yang Xiao immediately pulled open the back seat door and dutifully clambered in.
Sitting in the back was quite impolite, as it made the elder seem like his driver. But to sit beside the elder was something he truly dreaded.
The elder drove extremely well, pressing the accelerator, and in just a few minutes, turned the car into a small path leading towards a nearby hill. The farther they drove, the fewer buildings and lights they saw until, at the end, the car stopped at a flat area halfway up the hill. Following the direction of the elder’s vehicle, Yang Xiao could vaguely make out a light looking like a ghost flame, floating in the open space halfway up the hillside.
Soon, the ghost flame drifted towards them, and as it approached, Yang Xiao saw that it was the Old Clan Leader carrying a lantern.
Different from Yang Xiao’s Ghost Lantern, the lantern in the Old Clan Leader’s hand seemed quite ordinary, just an old-fashioned Paper Lantern. Of course, Yang Xiao suspected it was more likely his own lack of experience and inability to recognize something special.
"Are you ready, Yang?" the Old Clan Leader asked with a smile, still holding the lantern and looking in a good mood.
"I’ll follow Senior’s arrangements!" Yang Xiao bowed with his hands clasped; he had been waiting for this day for a long time.
With a wave of the Old Clan Leader’s hand, suddenly, Yang Xiao’s eyes widened. Where there was previously only darkness, lights burst forth, illuminating the mountainside, and at the same time, a three-story building standing before the cliff was unveiled before them.
