Chapter 422: Chapter 242: The Eight Wonders of Taiheng (Part 2)
"Judging by the contents of the letter, has she already gone to Taiheng Sect?
"The ruler on the outside, and the lady inside... she might have disguised herself and become a disciple of Taiheng Sect...
"Even though this letter might just be a façade.
"Many people in the Martial World know that I would come to Taiheng Sect to return Ling Beichen’s remains.
"She could have left this letter at this time to stir up conflict between me and Taiheng Sect."
Shan Lan suddenly realized:
"Does that mean the third young master knows this demon?"
"This person is Prince Xue."
Chu Qing spoke softly:
"One of the Twelve Saint Kings of the Celestial Evil Cult..."
Shan Lan and a group of Taiheng Sect disciples gasped collectively upon hearing this.
They went down the mountain to rid the world of demons but knew nothing about this demon’s background.
So it turns out this person is the Prince Xue who was defeated by Chu Qing not long ago!
But wasn’t it said that this person was already dead?
Chu Qing then recounted the entire story, calmly explaining the sequence of events.
Only then did Shan Lan realize:
"I see, the third young master is truly resourceful and admirable.
"Currently, this person is no longer in the Locust Tree Forest. What does the third young master plan to do next?"
"There’s no time to waste. I plan to head to Taiheng Sect immediately. Prince Xue might be bluffing, but we cannot let our guard down.
"In case this person is indeed inside Taiheng Sect, waiting to strike.
"If something truly happens, it would be disastrous."
"Alright."
Shan Lan and the others nodded in agreement, suggesting they accompany Chu Qing.
Chu Qing did not refuse, only saying he needed to return to the inn to bring the others along.
After that, the group left the Locust Tree Forest and headed straight to the inn.
Upon arrival at the inn, they found it seemingly ravaged by a tornado.
Tables and stools were overturned everywhere, with several bodies on the ground, mainly those of the bandits from the West Mountain group, some kneeling and trembling, others gritting their teeth as if enduring tremendous humiliation.
Sitting across from them, Wuchen silently watched the teacup without speaking.
Hua Jinnian’s folding fan was open, his gaze arrogant.
Gentle stood quietly by the window and greeted them upon seeing Chu Qing return with a large group.
"Didn’t find him?"
Gentle glanced at Chu Qing and then softly asked.
Chu Qing nodded and surveyed the inn’s hall:
"What happened here?"
Before Gentle could speak, Hua Jinnian sneered and said:
"A few fools dared to have designs on Lady Wen, courting death!"
Explaining in detail, Chu Qing learned that after he left with Wu Qianhuan, these people continued to eat and drink.
Slowly shaking off the fear of encountering ghosts in the Locust Tree Forest... after a few rounds of wine and delicacies, desires began to arise.
Eventually, they targeted Gentle, planning to abduct her by force.
Yet Gentle was far from an easy target to deal with.
With the Taiyi Divine Fist and Taiyi Divine Leg, these so-called bandits were no match for the Taiyi Sect’s Angerless Divine Fist’s skilled disciple.
When they tried to overwhelm with numbers, Hua Jinnian struck at the right time.
The two of them defeated the West Mountain bandits soundly, leaving other Jianghu people in the inn stunned.
Originally, seeing Chu Qing leave with Wu Qianhuan, the friends left behind encountered trouble. Some thought of stepping in, hoping to gain favor with Chu Qing, which would boost their reputation in the Martial World in the future.
In the end, they weren’t needed at all.
Lastly, the bandit leader from the West Mountain focused on the seemingly honest ’Chen Wu’, planning to use him as leverage.
Unexpectedly, when this seemingly honest man made a move, he nearly killed the leader, leaving him lying on the ground, spitting a cupful of blood...
Now that the battle was just over, Hua Jinnian was considering how to deal with them.
After hearing the explanation, Chu Qing said nothing more, flicking his sleeve, a faint hint of palm wind fell upon them.
After the wind passed, they looked at each other, clueless about what Chu Qing had done.
No injuries on their bodies, it felt more like a gentle breeze on their faces...
Then they heard Chu Qing say:
"You may leave now."
The bandits looked at each other, somewhat hesitant.
One of them asked:
"If you have any schemes, just say it, don’t toy with us."
"Letting you go, and you refuse? Fine, in that case, I’ll kill you all."
"No, no, no! We’re leaving right now!"
They quickly got up, helping each other, and headed for the door.
Chu Qing stopped them again, reminding them not to forget the one in the inn.
They had no choice but to send someone in to bring out the one guarding the corpse.
Chu Qing rolled his sleeve, without any noticeable movement, the wind swept past, only mildly rustling the bandit’s robe.
Only after they left the inn did Hua Jinnian, with a peculiar expression, look at Chu Qing:
"When did you become so soft-hearted?"
Wuchen sighed:
"Why the need for utter elimination?"
"Hmm?"
Hua Jinnian was taken aback:
"When did he completely eliminate them?"
Chu Qing didn’t respond to them, simply saying:
"Let’s go. There’s a change in situation. I suspect Prince Xue has reached Taiheng Sect. Pack up, we need to travel overnight to Taiheng Sect as soon as possible."
Hearing this, they all stopped worrying about the previous West Mountain bandits matter.
They went upstairs to pack, and on their way down, the shopkeeper returned the unused room fees.
Evidently not wanting to leave any evidence that might let these troublemakers use it against them.
Everyone left the inn and mounted their horses.
It wasn’t until then that Hua Jinnian noticed Chu Qing and the group hadn’t returned alone. A few questions revealed they were actually Taiheng Sect disciples, previously encountered with Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan in the Locust Tree Forest.
They rode in silence through the night, cautiously navigating each step.
On the road, they even saw the West Mountain bandits trudging through the night, also heading to Taiheng Sect, though looking somewhat beaten.
Chu Qing and the group didn’t linger on them, urging their horses forward.
These bandits, driven by lust to abduct a young maiden, received no pity from Chu Qing.
The seemingly gentle palm strike he delivered... was actually the Bone-Softening Palm.
Now he had fully integrated the Bone-Softening Palm into the Cyan Void Palm’s palm wind. It was "slipping into the night, killing without a sound."
These bandits didn’t realize they had only a few hours left to live.
Along the way, Chu Qing and company rode on horseback, while the Taiheng Sect disciples traveled on foot.
Yet it didn’t stop them from casually chatting.
First, they spoke of Jianghu gossip, then of Taiheng’s tales, occasionally mentioning the past glory of Ling Beichen, prompting a long sigh from Shan Lan and the others.
As they talked, they eventually discussed the ’Eight Views of Taiheng’.
These were eight marvelous sights on the Taiheng Mountain.
Initially, Chu Qing just listened as casual chatter until Shan Lan mentioned:
"Speaking of Taiheng’s Eight Views, while the other seven are indescribably wonderful, none are as extraordinary as the ’Cyan Simurgh Stone Shadow’."
Hearing this, not only Chu Qing but also Gentle and Wuchen turned to look at Shan Lan.
Chu Qing remembered that after killing Shen Juke, they had gone to visit the recluse Liu San Niang, where they found a letter left by Prince Xue, who had disguised as Feng Xiaoyu.
It was said to contain clues to one of the Nine Treasures of Heaven and Earth.
But the clue was confusing, with only one phrase: ’Wind on Cyan Simurgh Mountain, Divine Sound Shadow Moon’.
Chu Qing had pondered for a long time, clueless about where ’Cyan Simurgh’ referred to...
He hadn’t expected that among Taiheng’s Eight Views, there would be a ’Cyan Simurgh Stone Shadow’.
Combining this with the letter left by Prince Xue...
"The sought-after item is indeed in Taiheng. The ruler on the outside, and the lady inside, with internal and external coordination, success is within reach!"
Chu Qing’s mouth twitched, suspecting this likely wasn’t a coincidence.
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