Immortalis

Death Hex Seven

Shen Qingshi immediately realized the newcomer was the footsteps she had detected earlier.

This person likely possessed martial skills, with particularly exceptional lightness techniques, and had probably started following them only near Stone Village.

Shen Qingshi's hand was already on her sword hilt, but the person immediately laughed and said, "Wait, wait! I know who you two young masters are. Given your bold actions on Handkerchief Street earlier, I'm just a mineral prospector—no need for drawn blades."

Hearing this tone and realizing their identities were already known, Yang Wujian decided not to hide anything either. He turned around and saw an exceptionally thin and short man standing a few meters away, barely taller than a child but with unusually thick arms—clearly trained in upper body techniques.

Yang Wujian also removed his iron rings, smiling as he said, "Brother, how long have you been following us? Staying silent behind us all this time—seems like you were planning to ambush us."

The short man waved his hands repeatedly. "Young master, don't misunderstand! I heard some commotion earlier and thought you might be Tian Ting, so I followed you. See... I came out to meet you in the end, didn't I?"

"Tian Ting?"

Shen Qingshi frowned. "Why would you think we're Tian Ting?"

The short man pulled a letter from his robe and waved it. "Aren't you here for this too?"

Yang Wujian warily took the letter and saw it read:

"To seek the Meteor Star, come to Aconite Kiln."

The signature was still Tian Ting.

However, this handwriting... was different from what Gu Yun had shown him—much more scribbled.

But if Tian Ting was a cripple with useless limbs, he couldn't possibly write himself. After fifteen years, would the person writing for him still be the same?

Yang Wujian quickly suppressed his doubts and said after a moment's thought, "Indeed, we were also summoned here by his letter."

He glanced at Shen Qingshi, who understood immediately. In an instant, she summoned the acting skills honed in the palace, sneering coldly, "Since you already know who we are, keeping you alive would only bring trouble. Better to throw you down this well now—saves you from competing with us for the Meteor Star."

Shen Qingshi struggled to play the delicate, dependent type, but portraying a ruthless desperado came naturally to her. The short man was startled by the murderous intent on her face and turned to flee. His lightness technique was bizarre—he swung through the branches like an ape using only his arms, covering several trees in the blink of an eye.

"Teach him a lesson."

As soon as Yang Wujian spoke, Shen Qingshi's sword was already drawn. Her martial skills ranked among the best in the entire Zhaoming Division; how could she let some wilderness ruffian escape right under her nose? In a few steps, she caught up and hauled him back within seconds.

"Wait, wait! Young masters, please! I... I really am just here to prospect for minerals."

Thrown to the ground by Shen Qingshi, the short man lost all his earlier composure, covering his head and begging for mercy.

Yang Wujian smiled without warmth. "You were the one who threatened us first. Saying you knew who we were—wasn't that to force us into cooperating and giving you benefits? Before opening your mouth, didn't you consider that if we dared kill so many on Handkerchief Street, one more wouldn't make a difference?"

"I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong."The short man repeatedly begged for mercy and added, "I just... thought the Meteor Star was too rare. If Tian Ting invited more than one person, I was afraid I wouldn't get a share of the benefits. That's why I wanted to establish a connection with you two young masters—I truly didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Shen Qingshi was acting so convincingly that Yang Wujian, fearing he might scare the man into wetting his pants, grinned and pulled him up from the ground. He then said, "Cooperation is possible, but don't get any crooked ideas. After all, I'm easy to talk to, but this Miss Shen... if you upset her, she might just chop off both your arms and feed them to the dogs."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! You two young masters, my name is Sun Eryuan. I'm just a mineral prospector. This time, I heard that a Meteor Star appeared at the Aconite Kiln, and I thought if I could find a big client like the Boundless Sword Manor for it, I could sell it for a good price. That's why I traveled all the way to this remote wilderness to search for minerals."

Seeing Sun Eryuan's utterly humble expression, Shen Qingshi, who was experienced in interrogating people, knew the timing was right and smoothly asked, "How much is the Meteor Star worth?"

"Well... no one has ever seen it, but everyone in the martial world who prospects for minerals or forges swords has heard of it. In the final years of the Crimson Gold era, strange celestial phenomena occurred, with stars falling like rain. The Meteor Star is ore that fell from the heavens. Some Northern Desert people say the Meteor Star is the flesh and blood of deities, like a living thing—it burrows into the soil upon touching mud, and some even drill into other living beings... Just imagine, if such a thing could be used to forge a sword, it would surely create a rare divine weapon."

"...The Meteor Star is a living thing?"

"There's a saying that if you use a living person to sacrifice to a sword, the sword can develop a spirit. What sword enthusiast wouldn't want their blade to move according to their will? Throughout history, many have tried sacrificial methods, but no one has ever truly forged a sword with a spirit. So naturally, if we could find a living iron ore, everything would fall into place."

Sun Eryuan spoke with great conviction, but then he seemed to find it strange and asked, "You two... haven't you heard of the Meteor Star before?"

Yang Wujian immediately knew that Sun Eryuan was growing suspicious of their identities. He grinned and said, "Isn't that why we have you? Finding the Meteor Star is a much better business than killing people. Little monkey, I advise you not to stand in our way."

Fortunately, although Sun Eryuan had some martial skills, they were crude and insignificant in the eyes of Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi, so he didn't dare raise any objections.

Yang Wujian then asked, "Don't you find it strange? Why did Tian Ting suddenly write to you? And how did he know where you were?"

Just looking at Sun Eryuan, he didn't seem like someone of any notable status in the martial world. Not only were his arms unusually long, but he also carried a peculiar odor—neither fragrant nor foul, truly resembling a monkey.

Why did Tian Ting specifically choose him?

Upon hearing this, Sun Eryuan replied matter-of-factly, "Tian Ting is famously able to discern gold and silver and determine life and death. If he can calculate what minerals lie underground, how could he not know where I am?"

"Are his abilities really that great?""Of course! When ordinary people prospect for ore, they merely apply the Six Arts of the Guanzi: 'Where there is red ochre above, iron lies below; where there is lead above, silver lies below; where there is cinnabar above, gold lies below; where there is lodestone above, copper-gold lies below.' But Tian Ting, with his limbs crippled and unable to descend underground, relies solely on his eyes. With just one glance, he can discern where deep ore veins must lie."

"Then how can this person determine life and death?"

"Rumors say there are times when he merely glances at an ore vein and knows that no one should descend there. Those who disregard his warnings never return."

Sun Eryuan clearly held immense trust in Tian Ting, speaking with such fervor that spittle flew, unaware that Yang Wujian's thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

Gu Yun had said that Tian Ting could lead them to the Longevity Heart Sutra hidden within the Underground Heaven.

Yet the Underground Heaven was a perilous place—for ordinary folk, descending into the Meat Well meant nine deaths for every one survivor.

If Tian Ting could determine life and death, did it mean he knew which passages led to the Underground Heaven? Such places, once entered by ordinary miners, would naturally claim their lives.

According to legends, the Underground Heaven originated from the Meteor Star of the late Crimson Gold era. By sending people to seek the Meteor Star, wasn't Tian Ting implicitly pointing them toward the Underground Heaven?

Having unraveled this chain of cause and effect, Yang Wujian scrutinized Sun Eryuan from head to toe and chuckled, "So you little monkey were also chosen by Tian Ting. Why don't you tell us—what's your background?"

Sun Eryuan grew somewhat evasive: "I'm just an ordinary..."

"Speak the truth."

Shen Qingshi's sword instantly rested against his neck.

Sun Eryuan shuddered and stammered hastily, "I used to be an ordinary miner. Later... I received guidance from a master, learned lightness skills and some upper-body techniques. With one palm strike, I can shatter ore. In the martial world, they call me Gold Splitting Hand."

"You're Gold Splitting Hand?"

Yang Wujian's eyes widened in disbelief—the eccentric figure he'd heard about in White Lead Town was actually this monkey-like man before him. He couldn't help but laugh aloud, "So you do have some reputation after all."

With cold steel at his throat, Sun Eryuan dared not lie, "When it comes to ore prospecting, I do have some renown. I used to frequent the Boundless Sword Manor's Famous Sword Conference, presenting fine stones I'd found to the old manor lord. He even took a liking to two of them."

"Oh? You've been to the Boundless Sword Manor?"

"I attend the Famous Sword Conference every year. Actually, I'm searching for this Meteor Star to bring it to the Boundless Sword Manor later... After all, at this year's conference, the old manor lord didn't even glance at other ores. In the end, he only accepted one Meteor Star."

"Meteor Star?"

Yang Wujian recalled that during their previous visit to the Boundless Sword Manor, they never saw the old manor lord from start to finish. Disciples in the mountains were still brewing medicine for him, as if Zhuang Tianyou had fallen ill after the conference and had been in seclusion ever since.

Frowning, he asked, "So the Meteor Star has already appeared before?"

Sun Eryuan nodded, "But I didn't get a clear look. The person who delivered the Meteor Star was completely unknown—no idea how they caught the old manor lord's eye. The old manor lord didn't even glance at stones others presented, then immediately entered seclusion, saying he was forging a sword... Since that day, I've been determined to find such a stone myself. If I bring it to the Boundless Sword Manor, I'm sure to make a fortune."

Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi exchanged glances. Initially, he had thought "Meteor Star" was just a metaphor for the Underground Heaven. Never did he expect the Meteor Star to be a tangible object.Not long after obtaining the Meteor Star, Zhuang Tianyou went into seclusion and ordered the Immeasurable Seven Swords to take charge of restructuring the Four Seas Alliance and searching for the Longevity Palace... There seemed to be some hidden connections in all this.

Could it be that Zhuang Tianyou also developed an interest in the Longevity Heart Sutra because of the Meteor Star? Just like Guanri, did he want to find the Longevity Palace to verify certain matters?

Yang Wujian's mind was tangled with countless thoughts, and before he could make sense of it, several distinct footsteps suddenly echoed from afar.

Shen Qingshi's ears twitched slightly: "There are three people."

"I knew it. Tian Ting wouldn't have given the letter only to you, little monkey."

Yang Wujian had already guessed that Tian Ting had summoned more than one person to search for the Meteor Star. Though he didn't understand the deeper meaning, perhaps it was to test whether they were qualified to enter the Underground Heaven.

Shen Qingshi added, "Judging by their footsteps, they all have martial skills. We should be cautious."

Yang Wujian nodded and turned to Sun Eryuan beside him: "You know us, but they might not. If they don't mention it, neither should you... Just pretend we are a married couple, like you, wandering the martial world and making a living by searching for minerals everywhere."

Sun Eryuan was no fool. Having witnessed their skills, he knew that sticking with them might actually help him find the Meteor Star. As soon as he nodded like a pecking chick, three figures emerged from the bushes and stood before them.

"Brothers, are you all here for the Meteor Star?"

Yang Wujian clasped his hands without batting an eye and lied smoothly: "My wife and I were invited by Tian Ting today to investigate the veins of the Aconite Kiln. I wonder if you... would be willing to cooperate?"