Immortalis

Hero's Tomb: Part Three

As a scion of a renowned family, Zhou Huai's martial arts foundation was actually extremely solid.

Back when Yang Wujian first saw him in the sword competition arena, he knew that although Zhou Huai dressed flamboyantly, his White Rainbow Swordplay was truly fierce and powerful. Forget the mediocre opponents on the field—even if Yang Wujian were to face Zhou Huai directly, he wouldn't dare boast that he could definitely win.

Not to mention, at that time, he didn't yet know that Zhou Huai's skills extended far beyond just White Rainbow Swordplay.

In the blink of an eye, the White Rainbow Sword stabbed straight toward the heart. Yang Wujian had no time to dodge. Fortunately, the seventy-two Golden Rings on his body served as heart-protecting armor. Zhou Huai's sword pierced through his clothes but collided with the Golden Rings beneath, producing a metallic clang. Failing with his first strike, Zhou Huai let out a sinister, woman-like laugh from his throat. Immediately after, his wrist flicked, and the next move he executed was a sword technique Yang Wujian had never seen before.

Could it be that his Evil Sickness had flared up again?

Yang Wujian barely dodged Zhou Huai's sword and noticed that although the swordplay was fierce, its movements were light and agile, not broad and sweeping—likely a technique from the Jade Pavilion.

Originally, just the White Rainbow Swordplay alone was difficult enough to handle. Now, due to the Evil Sickness, Zhou Huai was randomly unleashing secret techniques from who-knows-which school. Yang Wujian, unwilling to strike to kill, could only exhaust himself parrying, and soon his evasions grew increasingly desperate.

"What are you doing?"

Shen Qingshi finally made it upstairs at this moment.

Seeing the situation, she drew her sword without a word to assist Yang Wujian. However, due to her injuries, her movements were slightly delayed. Just as Zhou Huai's sword was about to strike her for the second time, Yang Wujian gritted his teeth and used his inner energy to stretch the Golden Rings in his hand into a lasso, directly ensnaring Zhou Huai as if roping a horse.

"Knock him out quickly!"

As soon as Yang Wujian spoke, Shen Qingshi swiftly and cleanly struck Zhou Huai unconscious with a backhand elbow. With a thud, Young Master Zhou collapsed to the ground for the second time that day.

"I've really had it with this young master. How long has it been? How did he…"

Yang Wujian was drenched in cold sweat, because just moments ago, Zhou Huai had shown no restraint, almost every move aimed at taking his life.

Was the feng shui of this White Rainbow Tower truly cursed?

After confirming that Zhou Huai was unconscious, Yang Wujian immediately retracted the Golden Rings. Fortunately, the commotion had been loud enough that no one else in the White Rainbow Tower dared approach. Shen Qingshi was the only one who witnessed him extending and retracting the Golden Rings out of thin air.

Yang Wujian felt uneasy, fearing that Shen Qingshi's next words would be to question how he did it. However, Shen Qingshi merely leaned against the wall, breathing weakly, and said, "Go check his room. There must be something that frightened him."

Remembering Zhou Huai's earlier scream, Yang Wujian felt a sense of foreboding.

Although Zhou Huai was timid, this was his home after all. What could he have encountered in his own house to scare him like this?

Shen Qingshi was still severely injured and hadn't recovered. Yang Wujian signaled for her not to enter the room yet, then cautiously stepped inside, gripping the Golden Rings.

Zhou Huai's room was eerily silent and, like most rooms in the White Rainbow Tower, completely sealed off. The only window that could open was barred with unbreakable Mysterious Iron, making it impossible even for a bird to fly in.

What exactly was Zhou Jinglei so afraid of?Yang Wujian found it increasingly peculiar. The White Rainbow Tower was less a tower and more a fortress, as each building was completely lightless, relying almost entirely on candlelight for illumination.

Having grown up in such a place, it was no wonder Zhou Huai was afraid of the dark, now needing every room filled with candlelight to sleep at night.

Yang Wujian scanned the room but saw no one, only a pale greenish-white object on the floor. When he approached, he realized it was a completely dried-up finger.

Yang Wujian crouched down and used his Golden Rings to poke at the finger. It was an index finger, thoroughly desiccated, yet even so, it was evident that the finger was somehow deformed—the joints were unusually thick, and the fingertip was stubbier than an ordinary person's.

Could it be from practicing some finger-based martial art?

While Yang Wujian was still pondering, Shen Qingshi pushed the door open. After the earlier commotion, her wound had predictably split open again. Unable to let the servants of White Rainbow Tower tend to it, she had no choice but to leave the unconscious Zhou Huai with the flustered servants and come find Yang Wujian herself.

"Sometimes I really want to just kill him," Shen Qingshi said bluntly.

She removed her outer robe, revealing the bleeding wound beneath. Seeing this, Yang Wujian took out some hemostatic powder and applied it to her injury, remarking, "If you're going to kill him, do it outside. You're in his home now—who are you planning to kill?"

Even though Shen Qingshi had a high tolerance for pain, the agony still made her vision blur. She instinctively grabbed Yang Wujian's arm, gritting her teeth as she asked, "The techniques he used earlier—there were at least three different ones... Do you recognize them?"

Meanwhile, Yang Wujian thought to himself that this hemostatic powder was something he had brought from Longevity Palace. Since those from Longevity Palace often suffered from blood deficiency and couldn't afford to lose blood, this powder, like the Blood Cleansing Pill, worked quickly but was extremely potent. In all the world, only Shen Qingshi could endure its effects and still manage to speak to him.

Seeing Shen Qingshi curl up in pain, he sighed helplessly, "Don't force yourself. I know exactly how potent this powder is. Press it for half the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, and you won't lose another drop of blood, but..."

Hesitating for a moment, Yang Wujian leaned closer, pulling Shen Qingshi to lean against him. He couldn't help but notice how excessively thin she was, her bones pressing against him like stones, sharp and uncomfortable.

"It's going to hurt a lot. Don't talk anymore. If it hurts, just hold onto me."

Yang Wujian felt he was being foolish.

He had always felt indebted to Shen Qingshi because of what happened fifteen years ago. But given her stubborn and unyielding nature, even if she knew he had let her go back then, she might not feel any gratitude.

Everything she was doing now might just be an act for his benefit.

From Cao Zhao's attitude toward Baihe and himself the other day, it was clear the imperial court also coveted the Longevity Heart Sutra. Wasn't Shen Qingshi here for that very reason?

No matter how well he treated her now, it was unlikely to warm her heart.

Thinking this, Yang Wujian still didn't let go. After a while, he heard Shen Qingshi whisper softly against his shoulder, "Only two people have ever helped me like this before."

"What?"

"One person raised me, taught me many martial arts, and another person, when I was little, helped me open a cage."

Yang Wujian froze, lowering his head to find Shen Qingshi staring intently at him without blinking.She said, "You're the third one. No one has ever helped me apply medicine before."

Yang Wujian didn't understand what she meant and could only smile wryly, "Are you trying to thank me?"

"I will repay you later."

Shen Qingshi propped herself up. Just as Yang Wujian had said, the hemostatic powder only stung for half an incense stick's worth of time. Now, the wound had already stopped bleeding.

After putting on her clothes properly, Shen Qingshi asked, "What was it that frightened him earlier?"

Yang Wujian gestured with his chin toward the finger on the floor, "Afraid it might be poisoned, I haven't dared to pick it up yet. But probably no one would use something like this for poisoning anyway."

Shen Qingshi crouched down and tested the finger with a silver needle. No poison was detected. Cautiously, she wrapped the finger in a handkerchief and brought it under the candlelight for examination. The cut surface was extremely smooth, clearly severed directly by a sharp blade.

"Where did this finger come from?"

Shen Qingshi looked around. Zhou Huai's room was built airtight, with even the candles recently replaced. Every corner was startlingly bright, making it hard to believe anyone could hide inside.

Yang Wujian sighed, "Heaven knows. This matter probably can only be asked directly when the young master wakes up. Speaking of which, the young master's fate really is fragile—how does he keep encountering such things? Even in his own home, he's fallen ill twice in a row."

"Fallen ill..."

Shen Qingshi pondered these two words, as if thinking of something. Suddenly she said, "You just said no one in the world would use a finger for poisoning, but what if it was specifically meant to frighten Zhou Huai?"

Yang Wujian was taken aback but quickly understood, "You mean someone knew the young master is timid and that a scare could easily trigger the Evil Sickness, so they deliberately used a finger to frighten him?"

"But who would it be?"

Shen Qingshi furrowed her brows, still unable to piece together the sequence of events, when suddenly a maid pushed the door open and respectfully addressed them, "Young Hero Shen, Young Hero Yang, we've already reported the young master's episode to the master. The master is very grateful for your repeated assistance in saving the young master and would like to invite both young heroes to Greedy Wolf Hall for a discussion."

"Greedy Wolf?"

Yang Wujian couldn't help but laugh, "That name alone sounds troublesome. Is it another place your master uses for meetings?"

However, the maid was also a recent newcomer and knew nothing when questioned. Left with no choice, the two could only follow the maid to keep Zhou Jinglei's appointment. Little did they know this walk would lead them directly underground.

It turned out all fourteen buildings were connected underground.

As Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi walked, they realized the underground was intricately complex, like a maze. Many passages were controlled by hydraulic mechanisms designed by Zhou Jinglei, allowing pathways to open and close at will. In other words, Zhou Jinglei could change the connections between the fourteen buildings anytime. Even if the household servants tried to memorize the routes, it would be useless.

"Master Zhou truly lives up to being the world's finest craftsman. It seems Zhou Huai inherited none of his father's talent in this regard."

Yang Wujian chuckled, his voice echoing underground, revealing the depth of the subterranean space.

The maid led them to an underground entrance of one building. The moment the three stepped inside, a heavy mechanical sound echoed behind them—the passage they had just taken vanished in seconds.

What exactly was Zhou Jinglei hiding underground that required such caution?A sudden flash of insight struck Shen Qingshi.

She recalled the treasure vault the Chaofeng Envoy had mentioned earlier—it was most likely hidden beneath these fourteen towers.

However, the pathways here shifted unpredictably, entirely controlled by Zhou Jinglei. Even if she questioned Zhou Huai, he could only provide a rough direction without knowing the exact route. To infiltrate, she would have to take the upper path.

While she was still pondering her next move, the maid had already led them into the main hall.

Compared to the previous Seven Killings hall, the Greedy Wolf hall resembled a place for entertaining distinguished guests. The room was furnished with exquisitely carved tables and chairs, yet the host's seat was not a chair but a massive white cloth. A beam of light projected Zhou Jinglei's shadow onto it, and his voice echoed above the two of them.

"Young friends, I heard you have saved Zhou Huai once again. I truly don't know how to thank you for this. That is why I invited you here—to inform you that I have spoken with the other families of the Four Seas Alliance and secured their approval for your membership. From now on, you and Zhou Huai will both be members of the Four Seas Alliance."