He just wants to find a replacement - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Alliance of Evildoers
Meanwhile, on Yunyan Peak, inside the Xunxiang Pavilion (Seeking Fragrance Pavilion), a series of crashing sounds suddenly erupted, sounding particularly jarring against the hazy, pink-gauze-shrouded atmosphere.
Liu Suxin stumbled out of the room, sweeping the objects off the table. Nothing on display could escape destruction in her wake.
The vicious curses never stopped, terrifying the disciples sweeping outside who squatted on the ground, afraid to push the door open.
“Bai Lianhua, that scum! That fox spirit! That extremely insidious, despicable villain!”
“Immortal Venerable Guangcheng is already dead, yet he can still stir up such trouble and frame me like this!”
“You little wretch, just you wait! Our score is not settled yet. I, Liu Suxin, will never rest until one of us is dead!”
Amidst the curses, Liu Suxin seemed to have completely forgotten that it was she who had been aggressive step by step, forcing Bai Lianhua to strike back.
However, even if she remembered, she wouldn’t repent in the slightest, only completely blaming the defeat on the other party.
The half-hour-long outburst only ceased after the last porcelain vase in the room was smashed.
Finishing the tantrum, Liu Suxin’s face was still flushed red. She sat on the only surviving stool, breathing heavily.
Just then, a grating creak of a door sounded, making her twist her head and coldly shout, “Who!”
Outside, a pretty young girl in a bright yellow Daoist robe bowed and rushed in. After cautiously glancing at Liu Suxin, she answered tremblingly, “Reporting to Master, Elder Duan of Dan Peak requests an audience, saying he has important matters to discuss with Master.”
“Duan Chongshan?” Liu Suxin’s eyebrows narrowed. She shot a sharp look at the girl and asked in surprise, “What is that bootlicker doing looking for me when he has nothing better to do?”
“T-this, this… I’m sorry, Master. This disciple already told Elder Duan that it was inconvenient to see anyone, but Elder Duan insisted on coming in. He said he would only speak if he saw Master. This disciple truly couldn’t stop him,” the female disciple was flustered by Liu Suxin’s glare. Her knees went soft, and she knelt on the ground, sobbing an explanation.
Perhaps irritated by the crying, Liu Suxin slapped the tabletop fiercely, frowned at the female disciple, and whispered, “What are you waiting for! Go bring him in!”
Hearing her scold, the sobbing in the room instantly stopped.
But before the female disciple could leave, a familiar, loud laugh came from behind the door, “Hahaha, whoever made our Elder Liu so angry must truly be wicked.”
The grating creak of the door opening and closing sounded again. The two turned to look, only to find that Duan Chongshan, who had been waiting outside, had already ignored the disciple’s attempts to block him and barged right in.
Casting a sideways glance at Duan Chongshan’s withered, orange-like face, Liu Suxin sneered, “What, just because I was slightly reprimanded by the Sect Leader today, Yunyan Peak has become a dilapidated place where anyone can step on it?”
“How can you say that?” Duan Chongshan spread his hands, defensively explaining with an innocent face, “Is it not a delight to have a friend come from afar? This humble one came specifically for Elder Liu.”
“This time, this humble one comes with sincerity. It all depends on Elder Liu’s intention,” Duan Chongshan put on a flattering smile, placed his hands in front of him, and leaned forward, making an expression as if he wanted to speak frankly with Liu Suxin.
Seeing the other party’s affected manner, Liu Suxin flung her hand, her face full of mockery, “What kind of person is Elder Duan? This concubine saw it with her own eyes in the mourning hall that day. Does he perhaps have another face in private?”
“Eh—” Duan Chongshan quickly waved his hands, denying it, “That was then, this is now.”
“After seeing the arrogant face of that person surnamed Bai, this humble one has certainly learned from experience and knows who to choose wisely.”
Hearing this, Liu Suxin crossed her legs, propped up her chin, and casually glanced at the other party, “Then please show your sincerity, Elder Duan, so this concubine can consider it.”
“Easy to say, easy to say. Doesn’t Elder Liu want to seize the other part of the Immortal Venerable’s inheritance from Bai Lianhua’s hands?” Duan Chongshan stroked the small goatee under his chin, showing a proud expression. Then his eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze became ruthless, “If this humble one says he has a way to make that person surnamed Bai disappear quietly, what is Elder Liu’s intention?”
As Duan Chongshan made a throat-slitting gesture, Liu Suxin immediately stood up from the stool, her face showing great delight, “You can really do it!”
“Well, that requires Elder Liu to show something in return,” Duan Chongshan made a gesture in front of Liu Suxin, indicating that the other party should also show sincerity before continuing, “After all, man dies for money just as birds die for food. This humble one can’t just work for nothing, right, Elder Liu?”
After hearing Duan Chongshan’s words, Liu Suxin took two steps forward. After a moment of thought, she made a decision, “If this matter succeeds, Elder Duan will definitely receive ten percent of the inheritance I acquire. How about that?”
Ten percent might not sound like much, but it was enough for Duan Chongshan to benefit for a long time. It wasn’t that Liu Suxin was unwilling to give it, but she instinctively wanted to bargain before finalizing the deal.
To Liu Suxin’s surprise, Duan Chongshan immediately agreed the moment she consented.
Looking at the other party’s eager appearance, Liu Suxin curved her lips, “I heard Elder Duan’s cultivation has been stagnant for a long time. I suppose your life limit is approaching, isn’t it?”
When asked this by Liu Suxin, a trace of panic flashed across Duan Chongshan’s face. He continuously stroked his beard, probing, “Why does Elder Liu say that?”
“Hahaha, Elder Duan need not panic. Since this concubine agreed to form an alliance with you, I will certainly not frame you again,” Liu Suxin laughed loudly, clapped her hands twice vigorously, and looked towards the corner, “Ruolan, go fetch the item your Master obtained recently.”
Upon receiving the command, Ruolan immediately bowed in acknowledgment and then quickly flew out of the pavilion. When she reappeared, a tray was in her hands.
Liu Suxin glanced at the small box on the tray, nodded with satisfaction, signaled for it to be presented to Duan Chongshan, and explained, “This is an Earth-grade Lifespan Extending Pill that this concubine unexpectedly acquired in a secret realm a few days ago. I believe Elder Duan definitely needs it more than this concubine. Consider this item a small token of this concubine’s sincerity, how about it?”
Duan Chongshan stared at the small box in front of him, his eyes nearly glazed over, his lips slightly parted. He even forgot to release the handful of beard he was clutching.
It wasn’t until a sharp pain came from his jaw that he reacted. He held up the box with both hands, repeatedly muttering, “Acceptable, acceptable, this is absolutely acceptable!”
“Then I await good news from Elder Duan,” Liu Suxin smiled slightly.
“Rest assured, this humble one will take care of everything. Elder Liu is very thoughtful,” Duan Chongshan cupped his hands in return.
After completing the transaction, Ruolan escorted Duan Chongshan out of the Xunxiang Pavilion on Liu Suxin’s behalf.
Watching Duan Chongshan depart, Ruolan returned to Liu Suxin’s side. Seeing her Master in such a good mood, her face was full of indignation, “Master, how could you give away such a precious item? That Lifespan Extending Pill was clearly saved for your disciple’s breakthrough to the Golden Core stage. It only benefited that shameless old man.”
“What do you know, little girl?” Liu Suxin glared at her, then turned and smiled, “Once your Master seizes the Immortal Venerable’s inheritance, you can have as many Lifespan Extending Pills as you want.”
“Your Master is currently being admonished by the Sect Leader and confined to Yunyan Peak, unable to leave. Of course, I must find someone to carry out this fight for the inheritance.”
“Otherwise, once Senior Brother Sect Leader hands over the entire Immortal Venerable’s inheritance to Bai Lianhua, it will be too late. To snatch it back from his hands then would mean God knows how many more years.”
“Your Master doesn’t want to wait, and is unwilling to wait. It’s best that Duan Chongshan volunteered,” Liu Suxin stroked the rounded edge of the table, quietly curving her lips, “If the matter succeeds, whether to share the inheritance with him or how much to share is still up to me alone.”
“If the matter fails, we will simply abandon him,” Liu Suxin waved her hand, smiling comfortably, “After all, what Duan Chongshan does has nothing to do with me, Liu Suxin.”
“As expected, Master is one step ahead in strategy. This disciple will rely on Master’s guidance from now on,” Ruolan happily bowed to Liu Suxin and offered praise.
Liu Suxin heard this and merely nodded approvingly.
The wind whi
stled fiercely in his ears. Bai Lianhua flew on his sword, looking at the boundless night, feeling an inexplicable chill in his hear
He had been restless like this the whole way, always feeling that something major was about to happen.
Suddenly, a silver light flashed past his side. Immediately afterward, his robe let out a crisp sizzling sound, and bl00d continuously poured from his arm, staining his white robe red.
Bai Lianhua clutched his arm, his expression grave. He grit his teeth and looked back.
He saw a small, yellowish dot approaching Bai Lianhua at a speed visible to the naked eye. One breath, two breaths, three breaths… The yellow dot instantly turned into a fluttering figure.
In a flash, Bai Lianhua’s pupils contracted. He immediately abandoned his flying sword, dropped from the high altitude with Jingbao, and used the cover of night to disappear into the dense forest.
The moment he landed, he hurried through the trees and branches without stopping.
Though this was much slower than flying on a sword, the advantage was that his whereabouts were hard to pinpoint.
Seeing this situation, the person chasing closely behind hesitated for a moment and also chose to land and pursue.
With the protection of the leaves and the night, Bai Lianhua prevented the distance between himself and the assassin from further shortening, winning a moment to catch his breath.
Taking advantage of this brief opportunity, Bai Lianhua quickly thought of a countermeasure.
The person coming was clearly malicious and immediately went for a killing move, and their strength was far superior to his. Once captured, he would certainly die.
He had to find a way to shake off that person before his spiritual energy ran out, otherwise, relying on himself alone was too risky.
Thinking of this, Bai Lianhua suddenly had an idea.
Recently, due to the Immortal Venerable’s funeral, the security inside the sect had increased significantly. Earlier, he had quietly avoided the patrolling disciples because he was trying to run away. Now, if he did the opposite—creating a huge commotion to attract the patrolling disciples—it would definitely make the other party hesitate to act.
As for escaping, “where there’s life, there’s hope.” If he was safe, everything could be planned for the long term.
He acted immediately. Bai Lianhua stepped on a branch and leaped into the air, turning his back to the crescent moon, and raised both hands toward the sword cultivator below.
In the moonlight, his shimmering white robe billowed, and hundreds of talismans rained down like a tempest.
Violent explosions resonated across the sky. The clash between the long sword and the talismans continuously played a metallic symphony, like a passionate concerto that stirred the heart, intense and lingering.
The dense barrage uprooted the surrounding trees, breaking them at the waist, and plowing deep craters in the flying dirt and sand.
The bombing lasted for a moment before dying down. Bai Lianhua slowly descended from the air, accompanied by the desolate cold wind.
No matter what, an attack of this magnitude, even against someone as strong as the opponent, should have caused some damage, right?
Looking at the scene enveloped in smoke and dust, Bai Lianhua was somewhat uncertain.
The next second, a sword aura cut through the smoke and dust. The sight before him made Bai Lianhua’s eyebrows immediately knit together.
The opponent was completely unharmed!