Immortalis

Meat Well 7

Ten days later.

When Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai arrived at Immeasurable Manor once more, they were escorted into Sword Nurturing Pavilion under guard.

Facing the furious glares of those present, Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai appeared remarkably refreshed. This time, Yang Wujian couldn't even be bothered to conceal his satisfaction—though tightly bound, he wore a broad smile: "It seems none of you have achieved anything either."

Things had gone even more smoothly than they had anticipated.

Using Medicine King Mountain's Beast Luring Powder, they had attracted hundreds upon thousands of wild beasts. After consuming the Meteor Star, indeed two or three of them didn't die immediately but instead staggered into the bottomless Hero's Tomb in bizarre, contorted postures.

Witnessing this eerie spectacle, Yang Wujian felt that these beasts weren't truly alive—rather, the Meteor Star they had swallowed was dragging their bodies, "pulling" them into the Meat Well.

As the sound of bells faded into the distance, Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai exchanged glances and smiled simultaneously.

Three hours later, only one of the three beasts that had descended into the Meat Well finally emerged.

The disciples swarmed forward, only to see the beast collapse dead the moment it stepped out of the cave. When prodded with swords, its body was completely rigid. No one knew what it had bitten down there—its fangs were broken off at the roots, its mouth filled with blood.

Confronted with such an ominous sight, the disciples exchanged uneasy looks. Finally, someone gathered the courage to slice open the dead beast's rock-hard belly with a sword. After rummaging through, they found nothing but flesh, blood, and some stones—no treasure whatsoever.

"Just as I thought."

Yang Wujian seemed completely unsurprised, laughing: "According to Gu Yun, the Longevity Heart Sutra was returned to Underground Heaven at least thirty years ago. If it were a martial arts manual, no matter how well preserved, thirty years in such cold, damp underground conditions would have long since rotted away to nothing."

Of course, everyone found this outcome unacceptable. One Thousand Cliffs Fortress disciple, still hoping to wait for the other beasts to emerge from the well, anxiously approached the cave entrance with a torch to peer inside. Just then, a massive burst of flames suddenly erupted before his eyes...

Early the next morning, they received news from the other three teams—similarly empty-handed, similarly struck by great fires. Although the Meat Well itself hadn't collapsed, judging by the intensity of the flames, whatever had been at the bottom of the cave likely hadn't survived. Just as everyone was preparing to return empty-handed, they encountered Zhaoming Division guards conducting searches...

Surveying the livid-faced members of the Four Seas Alliance before him, Yang Wujian laughed heartily: "At the very least, the method I taught you helped you deal with Zhaoming Division—handing over a fake Longevity Heart Sutra should keep them occupied for quite some time."

"Did you set the fires?"

Danyuan Bai's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot at the thought of having contributed all his Howling Whistles yet failing to even catch a glimpse of the Longevity Heart Sutra.

Yang Wujian shrugged, appearing utterly unconcerned that everyone present wanted him dead, and smiled nonchalantly: "I believe this is heaven's will—it doesn't want the Longevity Heart Sutra to be found. Besides, the fires didn't start immediately, did they? Several wolves did emerge from the well. You saw for yourselves—the method works. But since those wolves brought nothing back, it proves the Longevity Heart Sutra has been down there for over thirty years and has probably long since turned to dust..."

"You..."Danyuan Bai was so furious that smoke seemed to rise from his head. Meanwhile, Lei Shuang stood up as if she had been waiting for this day for a long time. She sneered coldly, "You had us deceive the Zhaoming Division with a fake Longevity Heart Sutra. When the blame falls, the entire Four Seas Alliance will suffer... Yang Wujian, you’re quite the schemer. Now that you’ve even offended Thousand Cliffs Fortress, how dare you still come back?"

If they hadn’t returned, how could they have witnessed such a good show?

Yang Wujian sneered inwardly.

Everyone claimed the Longevity Heart Sutra was an Evil Entity that couldn’t be kept, yet when he burned the Meat Well, these people were still unwilling.

"Isn’t it supposed to be destroyed if taken out? What’s the difference between burning it down in the well and burning it after retrieving it?"

Zhou Huai, straightforward as ever, spoke his mind. With his current level of skill, being tied up was no different from being free. Although he might still be outmatched in a fight against the Immeasurable Seven Swords and the sect leaders of the two factions, escaping with Yang Wujian was more than enough.

His words only darkened the expressions of everyone present. Unable to contain her anger, Lei Shuang struck out with a palm aimed at Yang Wujian’s crown. Zhou Huai, who had been itching for a fight, immediately erupted with energy, shattering the ropes binding him into dust.

Though he didn’t have White Rainbow in hand, with just Cotton Needle Finger, Zhou Huai could easily kill the two disciples closest to him.

He took the blow meant for Yang Wujian head-on, his powerful internal force forcing Lei Shuang back two steps. The Jade Pavilion sect leader’s expression changed. "You brat, how did your martial arts become so formidable?"

Zhou Huai sneered, "Sect Leader Lei, I advise you not to lay a hand on him. Everyone in the martial world knows I suffer from Evil Sickness. If I suddenly lose control, I can’t guarantee what moves I might use against you."

Unlike Zhou Jinglei, Zhou Huai was not only far from a weak merchant but could even be called a rare martial arts prodigy. His ability to master the techniques Zhou Jinglei had stolen through murder in just a few days was proof of his extraordinary talent.

Now, having completely shed his reservations about killing, his chilling aura made others afraid to approach.

"Young master, please calm down first."

Over the past days, Yang Wujian had come to understand that Zhou Huai was no longer the person he once was. If a fight to the death broke out, it was hard to say how many in the room would perish.

He pulled Zhou Huai back and smiled. "Have you forgotten? We came back to apologize."

"Apologize?"

Lei Shuang widened her almond-shaped eyes. "You call what just happened an apology?"

Yang Wujian suddenly seemed to have amnesia, forgetting that he had been aggressive the moment he entered. He sat cross-legged on the floor and smiled bitterly.

"Longevity Palace was annihilated because of the Longevity Heart Sutra, Sect Leader Lei. Though we may not share the same path, I truly don’t want to see the Four Seas Alliance follow in their footsteps. Burning the Meat Well without permission was a last resort. After all, whenever the Longevity Heart Sutra appears in the world, it inevitably stirs up a storm of bloodshed. You should have witnessed it fifteen years ago."

His sudden heartfelt confession left everyone momentarily speechless. After a long pause, Danyuan Bai snorted coldly. "That sounds noble, but we’ve already given the Zhaoming Division a fake Longevity Heart Sutra. Once they see through it, won’t they come to hold us accountable?"Yang Wujian smiled. "Otherwise, what does Sect Leader Dan intend to do? If you don't hand it over, the Zhaoming Division will surely suspect you of hiding it privately, and you'll end up dead anyway. By giving them a fake, at least you'll have some time to devise a countermeasure... Don't worry, the fake sutra contains the techniques from the first three chapters. With everyone in Longevity Palace dead, I'm the only one in the entire world who can fabricate something so convincing."

"In that case, since Young Master Yang has returned, you should be prepared not to leave."

At this moment, Longyin Sword, who had remained silent until now, finally realized they had likely been led by the nose by Yang Wujian all along. If they were to blame anyone, it could only be the Four Seas Alliance's collective desire to seek the Longevity Heart Sutra, which made them easily manipulated by Yang Wujian's few words into this untenable situation.

He sighed. "Young Master Yang, burning the Meat Well might have been a righteous act, but pushing the entire martial world into the spotlight is not. Since there's no turning back now, if the Zhaoming Division comes to the Four Seas Alliance for an explanation someday, don't blame us for having to hand you over."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wujian seemed unconcerned, or perhaps after the fall of Longevity Palace, he appeared indifferent to everything. Even with a blade at his throat, Yang Wujian merely smiled.

"Fine, Senior Longyin Sword. I'm telling the truth—I came here to make amends. I made a promise to everyone, and now that it has come to nothing, it's naturally my fault... Of course, this has nothing to do with the young master. I dragged him into this."

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Huai and even lazily yawned. "You can detain me in the manor and later hand me over to Cao Zhao... To be honest, I'd quite like to see him. In fact, I'm very curious right now about what expression Cao Zhao will make when he discovers I destroyed the final chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra."

Soon after, Yang Wujian was taken to the back mountain by Sword-Wielding Disciples and locked in a sword cavern. Before he could even warm the stone seat, Zhou Huai was also brought over and shoved in with him.

"Young master, didn't we agree to split up and act separately?"

Just by looking at Zhou Huai, Yang Wujian knew he must not have taken the opportunity he had left for him and had instead spoken back to those old fools, leading to this predicament.

Zhou Huai, however, didn't seem to mind being a prisoner. He immediately began untying Yang Wujian. "You still have old injuries that haven't fully healed. I was afraid they might harm you, given how unscrupulous these people can be when they're vile... Who knows if they'd abuse their power to settle personal scores and torture you?"

Yang Wujian smiled wryly. "Young master, you worry too much... Rather than fretting over me, you should be more concerned about Xue Qiu."

Before coming up the mountain, they had anticipated this might happen and entrusted Xue Qiu to Xu Chu.

They had dealt with him previously while investigating the Boundless Sword Manor case. He was originally a fellow disciple who had ascended the mountain with Lu Wenxiu, but unfortunately, due to his cowardly nature, he hadn't stood up for Lu Wenxiu back then.

Yang Wujian said helplessly, "Shen Qingshi originally asked me to take care of Xue Qiu, but you beat me to it and started playing father to this rabbit."

Zhou Huai had completely shed his young master airs by now, lying directly on the narrow stone bed with a long sigh. "I don't see you particularly eager to be Xue Qiu's father either... I'm the one who always feeds Xue Qiu, so it's only right that he recognizes me. When Miss Shen returns, you're not allowed to claim credit for this."When Shen Qingshi returned...

Yang Wujian felt bitter in his heart and didn't wish to discuss the matter further. He continued, "Since you've also been imprisoned here, I can't expect you to release me tonight to explore the manor. What, are you so confident in yourself? Do you think you can definitely escape after being locked up?"

Zhou Huai found it amusing: "Yang Wujian, have you hit your head? With just these few Sword-Wielding Disciples, not even the Immeasurable Seven Swords, using your Longevity Heart Sutra to manipulate objects from a distance, you could escape from here with your eyes closed."

"Is that so? But have you forgotten there's one of the Seven Swords in the back mountain?"

Only when Yang Wujian said this did Zhou Huai seem to remember something, suddenly sitting upright: "Green Rain Sword! Is he still here?"

Yang Wujian crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, thinking: "Green Rain Sword is Zhuang Tianyou's most accomplished disciple. His fate would definitely require the old manor lord's decision. But Zhuang Tianyou didn't even appear for such an important matter as searching for the Longevity Heart Sutra. I don't think he has emerged from seclusion yet."

However, Zhou Huai recalled that when he came here earlier, the back mountain was empty and desolate, hardly seeming like it still held another prisoner. He couldn't help but wonder: "Could it be that Green Rain Sword has already been released?"

"There's something strange about Boundless Sword Manor. Earlier I said it feels like we've been led by the nose all along, and the one who initially drew us into this situation was Zhuang Tianyou."

Yang Wujian's return to surrender himself wasn't out of sudden conscience.

He wasn't worried about Thousand Cliffs Fortress holding their breach of contract against them, since the White Rainbow Tower account was an indelible leverage. Nan Lu had been letting them do as they pleased recently, probably not wanting this matter reported to the authorities.

As for the Four Seas Alliance... Yang Wujian still had some things he wanted to investigate.

Watching the sky darken outside, he said: "You showed your capabilities today. The Immeasurable Seven Swords might all be guarding the back mountain tonight."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai merely stretched his joints, completely unafraid: "What's there to fear? I'll borrow a sword later and use Floating Clouds Embracing Moon to meet them. Their manor lord's number one sword under heaven was once chipped by Gui Sanyan's Floating Clouds Embracing Moon. I want to see how many of their fine swords I can damage with this move."

"You're getting more and more arrogant. It seems I shouldn't call you young master anymore, but young tower lord instead."

Yang Wujian couldn't help but laugh. Just then, he suddenly felt the bottle hidden in his boot vibrate violently.

That contained something deadly.

Yang Wujian immediately took out the remaining three bottles. Indeed, sounds of insect legs scratching against the inner walls came from within, intermittent. Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai exchanged glances, their expressions simultaneously turning grave.

They had kept some of the Meteor Star obtained from that fortune teller, which Yang Wujian had hidden on his person.

However, although the back mountain of Immeasurable Manor was also a mineral mountain, it wasn't a Meat Well. Previously, these insects had been completely dormant, showing no reaction.

"Why would they suddenly..."

Before Yang Wujian finished speaking, he understood.

What attracted the insects wasn't the Meat Well itself, but what lay beneath the Meat Well.

And now, this thing was within Boundless Sword Manor, residing in some living creature that was moving around the back mountain.