sinovels 24. Open and covert struggles
24. Open and covert struggles
The opportunity was right in front of him, and even though He Tiannan's heart was as hard as iron, he couldn't help but be shaken.
Seeing the strange look on his face, Zhu You immediately realized something: "Brother He?"
He Tiannan lifted his leg to leave: "Master Zhu, please wait. I am unsettled and must take my leave!"
Zhu You grabbed He Tiannan's sleeve: "Brother He, what's the rush? I'll send someone to investigate right away!"
After saying that, he flipped his hand and took out several communication swords from his treasure pouch. He attached a few words to the swords and cast a spell. The swords immediately flew out of the mansion.
He was just calling me Brother Zhu, but as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he became Master Zhu. Clearly, he didn't want to owe me a favor.
But this is Yuanji Immortal Workshop. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Although He's cultivation is high, he can't do whatever he wants!
He Tiannan shook off Zhu You: "No need for Master Zhu, I'd better go and see for myself!" His tone was already somewhat cold.
At this moment, Master He was filled with deep regret.
Since it concerned his own path to immortality, he was bound to encounter dangers and setbacks, and could not afford to be careless in the slightest. He had no other choice but to seek help from the Immortal Abode in desperation.
Who would have thought that such a rare opportunity would not only appear out of nowhere, but also cause such a commotion!
Zhu You was actually a little hesitant, but since the Immortal Workshop was under the absolute control of the Immortal Mansion, finding this opportunity was just a matter of lifting a finger.
As long as he seizes the opportunity first, He Tiannan will have to beg Zhu You for help. Even if he hands over the opportunity, he will be a helper in helping Zhu You achieve enlightenment. If Zhu You doesn't skin He Tiannan alive, then he's really tough!
He can achieve his goal with just a little effort.
Even if He Tiannan knew that Zhu You was deliberately delaying, it wasn't a big deal.
Yuanji Mountain is one of the most prestigious sects in the world. He Tiannan is just a rogue cultivator. So what if his cultivation is high? Does he dare to be an enemy of Yuanji Mountain?
He Tiannan's face stiffened. He had already guessed Zhu You's thoughts. He couldn't shake off the other party, but he couldn't afford to turn against him either. He couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.
A plan formed in her mind, and while feigning difficulty, she secretly pulled a lotus root doll from her waist and used a substitution spell to leave a fake body to confuse Zhu You. Her real body then used a concealment spell to leave the immortal mansion unnoticed, transforming into a streak of light and flying straight to the lower city.
The lotus root figure was a rare treasure he obtained by chance; the fake body was exactly the same as the real one, but unfortunately it could only be used once.
While still in mid-air, his divine sense had already spread out, and he immediately saw a group of Yuanji cultivators flying swiftly on their swords.
Following the clues, He Tiannan quickly located Xu Yan, who was touching the corpse.
Although we don't know exactly what happened, just looking at the corpses all over the ground, we can guess a few things.
He Tiannan didn't bother to calculate anymore, and as expected, his opportunity was indeed with this greedy kid!
A group of Yuanji cultivators appeared and sealed off the scene, just in time to stop Xu Yan from leaving.
He Tiannan quickly used a trick to confuse the Yuanji cultivators, allowing his guard Xu Yan to successfully cross the blockade.
He then witnessed Xu Yan changing clothes at the pawnshop and couldn't help but smile.
He's quite clever, but how could such a simple trick fool a cultivator?
Knowing that things might change while he was away, he immediately revealed himself and used a hidden technique to take Xu Yan into his sleeve.
The instant Xu Yan entered his sleeve, Master He felt a slight sensation in his heart, and his Dao heart seemed to become more harmonious.
He Tiannan was very satisfied: It was indeed a stroke of good fortune for me!
He was distracted, using his fake body to deal with Zhu You while coldly observing the chaotic commotion caused by the Yuanji cultivators.
Now let's talk about Master Zhu.
He was initially full of confidence, but when the disciples he sent out did not respond for a long time, he immediately realized something was wrong.
He Tiannan was too lazy to deal with it any longer. He suddenly withdrew his spell, and his fake body vanished, turning into several scattered lotus roots that fell to the ground.
Zhu You's heart tightened, and he secretly cried out in alarm.
But by then, it was too late to call out anything; He Tiannan's true form had already ridden the escape light out of the valley.
Zhu You's scheme failed, and he also offended He Tiannan. With nowhere to vent his anger, he berated the disciples of his sect who had failed in their duties.
Later that day, the Yuanji cultivators wreaked havoc, not only wiping out the Juling Society's forces in the lower city, but also capturing the cultivators behind the Juling Society.
In addition, hundreds of innocent civilians were captured by Yuanji cultivators. Those with money paid to atone for their sins and were grateful for the favors; those without money simply accepted their bad luck and suffered in prison.
But everything in the Immortal Pavilion had nothing to do with Xu Yan anymore.
When Xu Yan regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a small but very clean thatched hut.
Golden sunlight streamed through the windowpanes of the enclosure, casting dappled patterns of light.
My gaze fell upon the vibrant, lush greenery outside the window.
He stared blankly for a moment before he remembered what had happened.
Am I... being kidnapped?
He subconsciously touched his body and found his sleeve pouch, Qiankun bag, and even his meteor hammer.
"Awake?" A strange voice came from outside.
He sat up and hesitated before walking out the door. To his astonishment, he saw an eight-immortal table set up in the courtyard, where the middle-aged cultivator who had suddenly appeared by the roadside was sitting, smiling at him.
Xu Yan quickly bowed and said, "Junior Xu Yan greets Senior!"
A wise person doesn't fight a losing battle. No matter what this person's purpose is, it's always better to be polite!
"Please sit down, I am He Tiannan."
"So it's Senior He." Xu Yan sat down as instructed, looked around, and suddenly realized something was wrong.
This place is backed by a cliff, with sheer cliffs on both sides. Beyond the bamboo fence lies a bottomless abyss!
The hut and the place where the two of them lived were actually a protruding stone platform on a cliff!
Opposite the stone platform are towering cliffs, with the two cliffs facing each other across the distance, stretching straight out to the left and right, seemingly without end.
It's just that we were too far away to notice it immediately.
Xu Yan asked in surprise, "Senior, this isn't the Immortal Pavilion anymore, is it?"
He Tiannan poured himself a cup of tea and gestured for Xu Yan to make himself at home. "This place is called Lijian Gorge, where I live in seclusion."
"Sharpening Sword Gorge?" Xu Yan murmured, repeating himself.
"That's right!" He Tiannan nodded. "Legend has it that in ancient times, a powerful being cleaved the mountain in two with a single sword strike, leaving behind this straight canyon, hence the name Sharpening Sword Canyon!"
What the hell?
Xu Yan was somewhat confused. Wasn't "sharpening the sword" the same as "grinding the sword"? Did this powerful being feel that the sword was sharp enough and wanted to test its edge by slashing it down?
Shouldn't it be called Sword Grinding Gorge?
While complaining, Xu Yan poured himself a cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and thought it tasted good, so he drank several more cups.
He Tiannan couldn't help but shake his head: "What a waste!"
Xu Yan sighed contentedly, "Thank you so much for saving me from this predicament, senior. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask!"
He didn't know who He Tiannan was, but there's no love or hate without a reason. Surely they didn't go to the trouble of getting him out of the Immortal Pavilion just because he had extraordinary talent?
Having figured this out, Xu Yan immediately corrected his attitude.
"Hahaha!" He Tiannan laughed loudly, "I like smart young people!"
"You flatter me, senior. I am unworthy of such praise!"
"Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I just want to know clearly, what methods did you use in the Immortal Pavilion? Why is there not a single trace of spiritual energy fluctuation?"
At this point, He Tiannan's eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at Xu Yan.
"Oh, that's a long story!" Xu Yan's mind raced. "Well... that's a long story!"