Chapter 115 - 104: Secret Passage in the Room (Part 2)

Unexpectedly, Guh Niqiang saw this and furrowed her delicate brows, speaking coldly, "The Star Dew Nourishing Spirit Pill isn’t used like this. Currently, your Divine Soul is exhausted, but your Divine Sense is still abundant. It’s not the same as the depletion of Divine Sense caused by battle."

Lu Qian struggled to keep his body upright and asked in confusion, "Does Elder Guh also have research on Divine Sense?"

Guh Niqiang shook her head, "The profundities of Divine Sense are too deep; I don’t understand them. However, I have refined quite a few Star Dew Nourishing Spirit Pills in the past, so I’m naturally very aware of the efficacy of these elixirs."

Lu Qian suddenly widened his eyes. He remembered that along the way, Guh Niqiang had been extremely generous with elixirs. After several one-sided ’sparring sessions,’ his pouch was now filled with Spirit Pills. Could it be...

"You can also perform alchemy?"

This skeptical tone made Guh Niqiang quite displeased. With a slap on her storage pouch, a radiant green Three-Legged Treasure Tripod flew out. In just an instant, the hall was filled with a rich medicinal aroma.

"Fighting is like eating, alchemy is like drinking water. What’s difficult about it?"

Lu Qian’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Even Master Xuan Ji couldn’t help but utter three words, "Dear mother..."

My goodness! Lu Qian swallowed a mouthful of saliva hard, staring straight at Guh Niqiang’s gorgeous face, suddenly feeling that this Mad Fairy was radiating dazzling light all over.

So beautiful, so adorable, simply a treasure bestowed upon the Yunshan Sect by heaven. Ten years of contracts aren’t enough; how would it be possible to extend this for several more decades...

This fiery gaze made Guh Niqiang very uncomfortable. She raised a palm, and there was a fierce flash of firelight: "Look any longer, and I’ll gouge your eyeballs out."

Alright, still not cute at all.

Right then, Lu Qian prioritized pleasing Guh Niqiang a bit more. However, he was currently physically and mentally exhausted, having reached the peak, and could not bear to continue. The only option was to rest for a while.

Lu Qian bid farewell to the two Honored Guest Elders and found a room near the hall to meditate, not caring who lived there before.

In the next instant, Lu Qian lost touch with the outside world, completely entering a state of vacuum and emptiness.

But it seems only a brief moment passed, and a dark world began to shake, with a voice urgently shouting by his ear, "Sect Leader, Sect Leader..."

With effort, Lu Qian opened his eyes, bright light flooded his view, and everything slowly came into focus.

He saw Lin Le standing before him, full of anxiety, and only relaxed upon seeing him awake.

"What’s happened?"

This voice was dry and hoarse, startling Lu Qian himself. Upon moving, he felt faint and dizzy, with a heavy body, quite uncomfortable. Being forcibly awakened halfway during rest, his condition was quite poor.

Lin Le couldn’t afford concern for all that and hurriedly offered a salute, promptly stating, "Sect Leader, we discovered a mechanism at Zhang Shouchang’s former residence, with a secret passage inside. We dare not enter, and Elder Jiang is now guarding the entrance, sending me to invite the Sect Leader to go."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qian summoned his energy and stood up, "Lead me there quickly."

On the way, Lu Qian barely rotated his Divine Sense, asking a few questions, learning he’d been meditating for only three hours, and breathed a sigh of relief. Just worried about resting for several days again and delaying important matters.

It turned out Jiang Qingfeng and the others began inventorying resources, preparing to comb through ledgers and accounts of the sect meticulously. They first acquired records from various treasuries, searched the residences of elders and stewards, and finally came to Zhang Shouchang’s courtyard to see if there were any other discoveries.

Baitao searched high and low, bouncing around, even drilling under beds and into corners multiple times. Jiang Qingfeng was about to reprimand her, but unexpectedly heard a click, and Baitao touched a mechanism. Inside Zhang Shouchang’s bedroom, a bronze mirror in the wall suddenly flipped, revealing a dark passage high enough for a person.

All three stood stunned, not daring to rashly enter. Jiang Qingfeng quickly dispatched Lin Le to call Lu Qian, while he and Baitao guarded the entrance.

Lu Qian heard this and couldn’t help laughing.

Unexpectedly, Taotao really dug up a secret passage.

Approaching the courtyard entrance, he saw Baitao standing there eagerly. Upon seeing Lu Qian, she excitedly ran up, grabbing Lu Qian’s arm and shouting with joy, "Sect Leader Senior Brother, come look, I really found treasure!"

"Taotao truly is impressive." Lu Qian endured his headache, smiling as he patted her head, "We’ll see what’s inside shortly. If there’s really treasure inside, what reward would you like?"

Baitao proudly puffed out her chest, just about to speak, when Qingfeng had already walked out, immediately noticing Lu Qian’s pale face.

She quickly pulled Baitao away and carefully supported Lu Qian, "Taotao, have manners. Don’t fool around heedlessly."

Baitao huffed and disappeared back into the room, shouting, "Hurry up and come inside!"

Lu Qian leaned against Qingfeng’s side, feeling her warm, fragrant presence, his mind calming, and his spirits cleared. He promptly instructed Lin Le, "Xiaolin, go quickly to invite Elder Guh Niqiang; she should be at the Spirit Vein."

Lin Le responded and swiftly ran off.

Seeing the sweat on Lu Qian’s forehead, Jiang Qingfeng tenderly took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped his face.

Her features as delicate as jade, with a subtle fragrance, Lu Qian couldn’t help but softly say, "Senior Sister, I’m fine, no need to be so cautious."

Jiang Qingfeng remorsefully furrowed her brow, "It was my oversight. You’ve labored all day and night; you should have rested long ago. I should’ve told you later."

Lu Qian smiled, about to speak when a flash of fire suddenly appeared; it was Guh Niqiang’s arrival.

Jiang Qingfeng instinctively stepped back half a pace, yet her gentle hands still firmly supported Lu Qian.

Guh Niqiang nodded indifferently, as a greeting. Just then, Jiang Baitao, who had been waiting in the room for quite a while, couldn’t resist rushing out when she saw they had not come in, "Sister, why are you so slow..."

She caught sight of the proudly standing Guh Niqiang, and instantly shouted joyfully, "Pretty sister, you’re here too!"

Seeing Baitao with her bright eyes and radiant smile, Guh Niqiang’s heart inexplicably softened, surprisingly letting out a rare "Err" in acknowledgment.

Baitao became even more excited, hopping and skipping over, surprisingly grabbing Guh Niqiang’s hand, "Come on, come on, I’ll show you something good!"

Guh Niqiang froze for a moment, surprisingly being pulled along, even Lu Qian was struck dumb.

Lin Le ran back too, and the group hurried to follow. The courtyard was fresh and elegant, adorned with delicate rockeries, streams, and lush greenery. There were three rooms in total, the middle one being a sitting room, and Zhang Shouchang’s residence was on the left.

Upon entering the room, Lu Qian saw a hole in the wall. The cave appeared deep, pitch black with no light. With an outstretched hand, he felt no air movement, suggesting it was a dead end with no entrances leading to the outside.

Lu Qian stopped Baitao, who wanted to rush in, stood at the entrance, and sent forth his Divine Sense, exploring forward. After stretching roughly twenty zhang, he suddenly felt empty, arriving at a hidden chamber. Here, his Divine Sense was blocked by a barrier and couldn’t penetrate.

Moments later, Lu Qian opened his eyes, "The passage is fine, supported by ordinary rock slabs and pillars, no mechanisms. But at the end, there’s a secret chamber likely shielded by an array from my Divine Sense. We need to enter and investigate."

Baitao shook Guh Niqiang’s arm urgently, "Pretty sister, let’s go inside."

Jiang Qingfeng interjected, "There might be danger inside, Taotao, you shouldn’t go in. Xiaolin, you also stay outside."

Guh Niqiang glanced down only to meet Baitao’s big, watery eyes and pathetic expression, reluctantly saying, "Don’t worry, with me here."

Lu Qian began to doubt whether something was wrong with his ears.

"With me here," was that the kind of thing Mad Fairy would say?