Chapter 822: Chapter 611: Reverse
"Dispose of the tool once its job is done?"
Yang Xiao’s heartbeat quickened. He dared not look back, worried that it would lead to further escalation, but Nalan Shuo, walking by his side, deliberately slowed his steps, gradually falling behind him. Yang Xiao understood that Director Nalan had also realized something was amiss and was doing this to protect him.
At the same time, Xiang Fengchen and Jiang Qingluan also took their own measures. There were four martial masters behind them, and they, too, were four in number. Four against four, even if the opposition carried weapons, victory was uncertain. Of course, that hinged on them striking first.
Yang Xiao was also prepared. He was waiting for a signal from either Nalan Shuo or Xiang Fengchen. To be frank, taking action at this moment was a reluctant measure, and even if they managed to kill these four martial masters along with a maid, what would be the point?
The Earl Mansion was like a lord over Fushou Manor, commanding the Official Army. For their few individuals, even saying they could kill a chicken was an exaggeration.
This was the reason why Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo were reluctant to act. Once they made a move, there would be no room for de-escalation.
After much contemplation, Yang Xiao also calmed his breath and decided to quietly watch the changes.
The atmosphere throughout the journey was very oppressive. Yang Xiao could even hear the heartbeat of someone next to him, but he didn’t know whose it was. Eventually, the leading maid stopped walking, and by then, they had reached the depths of the Earl Mansion, facing an old courtyard.
It was also at that moment when Yang Xiao recognized the place. They had been here before; it was the courtyard they had used for their baths on the first night they entered the Earl Mansion, which contained a two-story pavilion.
Entering the courtyard with trepidation, the large doors behind them closed promptly as the maid turned around. At that moment, the four knife-wielding martial masters stood coldly behind them, like executioners ready to carry out their duties at any time.
"Lords, last night, our ancestor was possessed by an Evil Spirit. Now, we suspect that the Evil Spirit may have come with you when you entered the mansion. Please undress so that we can conduct a search," the maid said with a cold face, exhibiting an all-business demeanor.
"Right here?" Jiang Qingluan couldn’t help but frown.
"No, go to the Sleeping Gold Pavilion," the maid turned her body and raised her hand to point towards the two-story pavilion not far away. Although it was already daylight, the pavilion seemed as if it hadn’t woken up yet, shrouded in an atmosphere of eerie silence.
Almost like being escorted, Yang Xiao and the others were pushed into the so-called Sleeping Gold Pavilion. As the door opened, a musty smell rushed towards them. Looking into the dim hall, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable fear.
He had been here not long ago, in the middle of the night, yet it had not smelt so stale or been so gloomy. How had it changed so much in less than two days? Moreover, it even seemed to have acquired some additional, different scents.
"Ssslah—"
Suddenly, the sound of a knife scraping against a sheath resounded from behind, like a life-threatening note, a form of intimidation.
"Move faster!" the lead maid urged while taking Jiang Qingluan aside.
Out of respect, Yang Xiao and three other men turned their backs to Jiang Qingluan but kept a close distance so they could support each other in case a fight broke out.
Rustling sounds filled the air...
Yang Xiao and the others began undressing. It was only at this moment that Yang Xiao finally worked out why the people of the Earl Mansion were doing this.
The search for an Evil Spirit was just a ruse; no Evil Spirit could be found by searching through clothes. They were looking for a physical object, the Divine Turtle Shell hidden on Xiang Fengchen’s person!
The man who came to them that day, the ominous yang-deficient man, was not right. When passing by a well, he probably saw incense candles and pieces of broken porcelain on the ground, which led him to deduce that someone had arranged an Array here last night, and the Array Eye was likely that Divine Turtle Shell!
Thinking even deeper, if the Earl Mansion’s people were so eager to hunt down these magicians, it was very likely for this precious object!
If that was the case, then the beggar who gifted them the object was incredibly mischievous. Knowing the Earl Mansion was in search but still entrusting them with this dangerous object was nothing short of setting them up.
Now the problem was severe. Once the Divine Turtle Shell was found on Xiang Fengchen, they would never be able to cleanse themselves, even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
Putting aside the fate of the Divine Turtle Shell, their own lives were probably at risk. To make matters worse, they might be subjected to excruciating torture and interrogation, making a quick death difficult.
Yang Xiao slowly undressed, deliberately slowing down to buy some time to think. He surreptitiously glanced at Xiang Fengchen, who, as a senior, was admirably composed despite having the treasure on his person, even more so than Yang Xiao himself.
But Yang Xiao’s attempt to buy time was futile; he felt a harsh thwack to his buttocks from a sheath, "Hurry up! Stop dawdling!" The martial master behind him was full of Evil Qi, his muttonchops quivering, as if he might chop Yang Xiao with his knife at any second.
Yang Xiao kept his suffering to himself, with no choice but to strip down to his shorts. The pavilion was chillingly eerie, and an unexpected draft made him shiver violently; it wasn’t just the cold that was frightening but also the sense of eerie chill.
"Take it all off!" The samurai brandished his knife and shouted.
Yang Xiao was indifferent, but what he was truly worried about was Xiang Fengchen. After all, Xiang Fengchen had almost stripped off his clothes, just like him, only a pair of shorts left to cover his modesty. If he took them off... any further and he’d reveal the secret, no doubt the Divine Turtle Fragment was hidden inside his shorts. Just the thought of that scenario thrilled Yang Xiao.
"My brothers, we are, after all, of some years and such actions are hardly becoming," Director Nalan Shuo’s voice rang out at this moment.
"Enough talk! Otherwise, I’ll chop you down with one stroke!" The martial master gave no face, raising his knife and gesturing towards the lower parts of the three men.
At this point, there was no other option to take. Yang Xiao took a deep breath, pretending to remove his shorts while secretly observing, looking for an opportunity to make a move.
"Don’t be hasty, we’ll do as you ask," the next second, Xiang Fengchen chuckled, his laughter betraying an uncommon composure, and it was this very statement that temporarily quelled Yang Xiao’s urge to resist.
As the three men displayed complete transparency, Yang Xiao was bewildered. There wasn’t a single piece of cloth on Xiang Fengchen’s body, but no matter how those martial masters rifled through their clothes, they found nothing suspicious. The search continued for a full 15 minutes to no avail.
Left with no choice, they could only let them go.
After getting dressed again, Yang Xiao and his companions, guided by a maid, finally took the right path and left the Earl Mansion.
The four men walked slowly, stopping now and then, not mentioning the Divine Turtle Shell at all until they were far enough to be sure no one was following them. Then they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nice job, you’re quick and ruthless!" Yang Xiao couldn’t help but gaze towards Xiang Fengchen’s bottom. Though the Divine Demon Armor wasn’t large, it was far from small, and this old Evil Mage had indeed suffered greatly.
If word of this got out, he reckoned that even Xiang Fengchen wouldn’t be able to continue in his ways. Yang Xiao decided to be on guard, lest he try to kill him to silence him.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Fengchen chuckled disdainfully, his voice low: "You must be disappointed, my good disciple, but to tell you the truth, I never carried that Divine Turtle Shell on me."
"What?!"
The four men walked slowly along the street, remaining vigilant. Xiang Fengchen’s eyes were sharp as an eagle’s, as if able to see through hearts, "Earlier, I noticed something off about the man who came to deliver the message, likely a fellow practitioner. He discovered the array I set up last night, how could I not be cautious?"
"Where there’s an array, there’s an Array Eye," Xiang Fengchen asserted.
"Then where did the senior hide the Divine Turtle Shell?" Jiang Qingluan asked in a low voice.
Whether it was showmanship or intentional secrecy, Xiang Fengchen did not answer, simply shaking his head subtly, using the tone of an expert he said: "Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed."
"It was wrapped in oil paper used for incense candles and I stuffed it in the privy when no one was looking," Director Nalan spoke without turning back.
At these words, Xiang Fengchen’s face instantly changed colors; his expert facade crumbled, "Nolan, that’s really distasteful of you!"
"The treasure of your Feng Shui lineage hidden in a privy, if your ancestors knew about this, I’m afraid they might be roused from their graves in anger," Nolan jabbed into Xiang Fengchen’s sore spot once more.
"What choice did I have but to deceive our fellow practitioner?" Xiang Fengchen was visibly flustered, "Even if that man’s methods aren’t as good as mine, they couldn’t be by much. He certainly wouldn’t think I’d hide it in something filthy. If it were you, could you have fooled him?"
"No," Nolan admitted frankly. "I am not from your Feng Shui Master lineage, anyway, your ancestor wouldn’t come to haunt me in my dreams."
"Shameless!" Xiang Fengchen snapped, that comment about being haunted in dreams seemed to hit him like a punch to the throat, anger flushing his neck red.
Yang Xiao had heard that the Feng Shui Lineage took the matter of being haunted in dreams very seriously, for the practice of Feng Shui itself is wary of strange occurrences, especially the idea of colleagues sending dreams. The saying goes that nine out of ten times, dreams bring troubles rather than truths. To say that a Feng Shui ancestor might come to Xiang Fengchen in his dreams was almost cursing him to die.
No, it was even more malicious.
Xiang Fengchen cursed and ranted the entire way, and whenever he tired, Nolan would suddenly throw in another barb to prod him further. Soon, amidst these intermittent squabbles, the tense atmosphere that had enveloped them all dissipated.
"Do you feel it?" Nolan suddenly asked.
"If you’ve felt it, how could I not notice?" Xiang Fengchen responded with a cold laugh. When it came to this area, he had the most say, "There’s something wrong with that pavilion, something there."
"Yes, quite cold, and chillingly so. The last time we bathed there, in the middle of the night, it wasn’t nearly so frosty," Nolan mused aloud, and then he added, "And that name, the maid called it the Sleeping Gold Pavilion."
"That name is too strange, it violates numerous taboos. Traditionally, emperors’ sleeping quarters are called sleeping palaces, their offices called Golden Halls, place of titular honor is called pavilion. To combine all these taboos in a two-story pavilion, either the family from Earl Mansion is mad, or..."
"They harbour treasonous hearts," Yang Xiao suddenly said.
"Exactly," Nolan nodded.
"It’s obvious this family harbours ill will; their ancestor’s birthday celebration has far exceeded normal standards. Though grand ceremonies can be extravagant, they shouldn’t be excessive. They’re clearly honoring their ancestor with imperial rites. If this were to be investigated, the whole household could be subjected to execution," Jiang Qingluan said.
"They are not fools; if they dare such things, it must surely relate to the Evil Techniques they plot in secret," Yang Xiao concluded firmly.
