Immortalis

Hero's Tomb IV

Although Zhou Jinglei's words meant their long-standing goal had been achieved, neither Shen Qingshi nor Yang Wujian felt even the slightest bit of joy.

Both clearly understood that the Four Seas Alliance had only one purpose in inviting them to join at this critical moment.

They still needed people to pursue the White-faced Guest.

Yang Wujian sneered inwardly, thinking these so-called righteous sects were far too predictable. Zhou Jinglei's next words would undoubtedly assign them a task, and because the White-faced Guest was dangerous, he would likely try to keep Zhou Huai within the tower.

And just as expected, Zhou Jinglei smiled bitterly: "I'm sure both young friends have seen that with the sudden appearance of the Longevity Palace master, the entire martial world is on edge. All sects and schools have returned to their cities to strengthen defenses. I must say, the Sword Sect was indeed foresighted in setting the quest for longevity as this year's examination topic, only to have them come seeking us instead."

Shen Qingshi also guessed that Zhou Jinglei's words were meant to lay the groundwork for something.

She said calmly: "Since we've joined the alliance, we naturally won't stand aside. Tower Master Zhou, you must have some instructions for what we should do next, right?"

"Well..."

Zhou Jinglei hadn't expected her to be so direct. He sighed helplessly: "It's nothing more than tracking down the White-faced Guest's trail. Actually, this is what I wanted to discuss with you two young friends - regarding my son."

Here it comes.

Yang Wujian couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly, then added: "Young Master Zhou has been suffering frequent episodes of his illness these past two days. I know you must want him to stay in the tower to recuperate properly."

"Miss Yang, actually, I meant the exact opposite."

This time, however, Yang Wujian had only guessed half right.

Zhou Jinglei sighed: "I don't know if he's told you, but Zhou Huai often has episodes whenever he returns to the tower and sees me. Actually, I was hoping you two young friends could show him more tolerance going forward, take him out for more experience. Perhaps we might even find a way to cure his Evil Sickness."

Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi exchanged glances, surprised. "Tower Master Zhou, you want us to take Zhou Huai with us to investigate the White-faced Guest? But this person is extremely dangerous. Aren't you worried Zhou Huai might come to harm?"

Zhou Jinglei smiled bitterly: "I'm naturally aware, but I still don't want Zhou Huai to follow in my footsteps, hiding away in this White Rainbow Tower his whole life just to protect the family business. If he wants to establish himself in the martial world, he can't avoid the Four Seas Alliance or the Longevity Palace. Rather than constantly protecting him, wouldn't it be better to find him companions to travel the jianghu with?"

Shen Qingshi frowned: "So you mean you don't want Zhou Huai to continue in business in the future?"

Zhou Jinglei sighed: "Exactly. With his martial arts foundation, he doesn't need to rely on these side paths to establish himself in the jianghu. I hope he can go further than I did, which is why I haven't let him take over my affairs."

This explained why Zhou Huai, as Zhou Jinglei's only son, knew nothing about the tower's operations at his age.

So Zhou Jinglei never intended for him to continue in this line of work.

Yang Wujian hadn't expected Zhou Jinglei to suddenly make such a move. After thinking, she added: "But Young Master's Evil Sickness is indeed a problem. With two episodes a day - one nearly stabbed Young Hero Shen to death, the other nearly killed me. Tower Master Zhou, we have no problem traveling with Young Master, but this illness of his...""I understand, so I've prepared new medicine for him these past two days. To be honest, since childhood I've tried many methods to cure him, but later discovered the only way to reduce his episodes is to keep him away from both White Rainbow Tower and myself."

Zhou Jinglei's voice sounded weary. Yang Wujian thought to himself that this aligned with the rumors in the martial world - Zhou Jinglei had earned dirty money, and the retribution had fallen upon Zhou Huai.

But could White Rainbow Tower truly be connected to Hero's Tomb?

Yang Wujian asked: "Has Tower Master Zhou investigated Hero's Tomb?"

This time, Zhou Jinglei remained silent for a long while before responding: "Naturally I have. Zhou Huai's illness is inextricably linked to Hero's Tomb."

"I heard from the young master that you've sent people to explore Hero's Tomb, but none have succeeded, is that correct?"

"Exactly. That place was originally a mine shaft dug by Emperor Beixiang. Legend has it that when the miners dug deep, they encountered something unknown and all died inside. Later, Emperor Beixiang sent troops to seal off the area, and for decades no one has been able to approach it."

"Isn't it said that Hero's Tomb is a Meat Well?"

"Precisely, but the name 'Meat Well' only emerged during the Datong era. After Emperor Beixiang fled back to the Northern Desert, he left behind these bottomless mine shafts. Curious commoners who entered rarely returned - out of ten, nine would disappear. The sole survivor went mad, claiming the well was filled with flesh and eyes."

"Flesh and eyes?"

Hearing this, Yang Wujian couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

He recalled Zhou Huai mentioning earlier that when people sent by Zhou Jinglei into the Meat Well were pulled up by ropes, they said the same thing.

That there were thousands of eyes watching him from within the well.

Zhou Jinglei said: "This matter has troubled me for years. Originally, I moved the tower to Green Bamboo Town because the feng shui here was exceptional. I consulted a diviner - since Zhou Huai's fate aligns with yin energy, the diviner said we should move to a water-rich region south of the Yangtze. The location given was precisely this Green Bamboo Town. But I never imagined that ever since White Rainbow Tower moved here, martial artists would continuously commit suicide in the Meat Well. Over time, some even claimed I was borrowing the local feng shui energy..."

It seemed Zhou Jinglei wasn't unaware of White Rainbow Tower's local reputation.

Yang Wujian found it darkly amusing - the character "槐" in Zhou Huai's name contained the radical for "ghost," making it obvious without any divination that this young man's fate was yin-aligned.

Though this was taking it to an extreme.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingshi was also contemplating Hero's Tomb.

She needed to buy time for Shen Xin. What better excuse to stay a few more days at White Rainbow Tower than treating Zhou Huai's Evil Sickness?

She asked: "His killing intent is overwhelming during each episode. Are you certain those who died in Hero's Tomb committed suicide?"

When it came to Zhou Huai's illness, no one in the world understood it better than Zhou Jinglei.

He sighed deeply: "I once wondered if Zhou Huai accidentally entered Hero's Tomb and saw the martial arts manuals left behind by those martial artists who committed suicide. The techniques Zhou Huai displays - like Gui Sanyan's Floating Clouds Embracing Moon, Yu Chaolin's Cotton Needle Finger, or Zou Ying's Crescent Moon Blade - all belonged to people who died in Hero's Tomb before he turned eight. After Zhou Huai fell ill at age eight, though other martial artists have committed suicide in Hero's Tomb since, Zhou Huai has never used their techniques."

Yang Wujian frowned: "So you're saying the secret of Hero's Tomb lies hidden in the young master's memories before he turned eight?"Zhou Jinglei sighed helplessly, "Indeed. When he was eight years old, for some unknown reason, he suddenly developed a persistent high fever. After waking up, he completely forgot everything that happened before he turned eight. We consulted countless physicians, but none could cure him. Having no other options, we began to consider the possibility of Evil Sickness."

Later, Zhou Jinglei described the circumstances of Zhou Huai's illness when he was eight.

At that time, they had already been living in Green Bamboo Town for two or three years. Initially, Zhou Jinglei wasn't as cautious as he is now and occasionally took Zhou Huai out with him.

One day, he brought Zhou Huai to a nearby bamboo grove for a stroll. Unexpectedly, Zhou Huai went missing for nearly half an hour. By the time Zhou Jinglei found him again, Zhou Huai was unconscious and burning with fever.

"It was from that moment I began to suspect someone was coveting White Rainbow Tower, and I became extremely cautious. To be honest, at first I didn't dare let Zhou Huai leave White Rainbow Tower. However, his condition made it impossible for him to stay indoors for long. Later, after he had mastered martial arts, I simply let him go out to make his own way."

Zhou Jinglei ended with repeated sighs, seeming utterly helpless about Zhou Huai's illness: "He just returned yesterday and has already had two episodes. Even Medicine King Mountain's medicine can't suppress it—at best, it can refresh his mind or help him sleep more deeply."

"Speaking of which..."

Yang Wujian mentioned the finger they recently discovered in Zhou Huai's room, claiming Zhou Huai's second episode was purely triggered by the fright from seeing that finger. Instantly, Zhou Jinglei slammed the table in fury, his shadow even emerging from the white cloth.

"Bastards! It must have been left by one of the previous servants, thinking I wouldn't be able to trace who did it since I change staff every three months?"

Zhou Jinglei angrily said, "After Zhou Huai fell ill at eight, he became extremely afraid of the dark. That's why his room always has candles burning, and even when he's not in the tower, servants clean it regularly. For this thing to appear in his room, someone must be deliberately trying to trigger his episodes."

"The question is, where did that finger come from?"

Yang Wujian now reflected that the finger must have belonged to a martial artist. Given Zhou Huai's timid nature, even placing a mouse in his room would scare him out of his wits—why go through such trouble to obtain a dried bone?

Zhou Jinglei asked Yang Wujian to describe the finger in detail, but then he suddenly fell silent.

"What's wrong, Tower Master Zhou?"

Shen Qingshi noticed something amiss and pressed, "Does the Tower Master recognize the origin of that finger?"

"No, it's not that I recognize it, but..."

Zhou Jinglei hesitated, "You said the finger had thick joints and fingertips that were unusual, as if trained in finger techniques. There aren't many in the martial world who practice finger techniques. In fact, the only person I know who could train their fingers to such a state is one."

"Who?"

"Yu Chaolin of the Cotton Needle Finger."

After Zhou Jinglei spoke, both Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi's expressions changed.

They had seen Yu Xiahe's corpse—her finger joints were somewhat thicker than an ordinary woman's, which they had attributed to her years of kneading dough at the foot of the mountain.

However, Yu Chaolin died in the Hero's Tomb. Yu Dongxue and Yu Xiahe had been trying to retrieve Yu Chaolin's body all these years without success. So why would Yu Chaolin's severed finger suddenly appear in White Rainbow Tower?

Could it truly be the work of a vengeful spirit?Yang Wujian frowned deeply. "The Yu family is already wiped out. The only one left is Yu Qiao, who is still young and couldn't possibly do such a thing. Who exactly..."

Just then, another maid entered Greedy Wolf Hall, seemingly coming from Heavenly Mystery Tower.

"Master, young heroes."

The maid, having just arrived recently, didn't even dare to lift her head upon entering this place. "The young master has awakened and now wishes to discuss matters with the two young heroes. He asks if you could come over."