Chapter 33
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Chapter 33: Secret Stronghold of the Hidden Sky Sect
After two sticks of incense, Li Hui sighed as he looked at only a small portion of the Eagle’s Nest he had dismantled. “Alas! The storage space of the six-link chain is too small. I must learn to draw storage talismans when I have time; otherwise, I will go to the treasure mountain empty-handed.”
The white rodent grass used to weave the nest was incredibly tough, and even with his strength, it took a lot of effort to tear off a small part.
Seeing the remaining amount of white rodent grass, Li Hui simply decided to bind it to himself. After wrapping it around three times without finishing, he went for another round.
In no time, he had turned into a white zongzi. He forcefully pulled out five strands of white rodent grass, wrapping them around the necks of the five little eagles, then dragged them out of the cave like dead dogs.
Even in death, he wanted to take a few with him; these five eagles might prove to be very useful.
Li Hui did not know how long he had been unconscious, nor if it was already dawn the next day. Fortunately, the return journey was quite peaceful, indicating that the enemy had not discovered the damage to the door of the water prison.
“Let’s go!”
He marched down the middle passage, activating a Spirit Sense Talisman every fifty zhang to constantly probe ahead. He paused only when he reached the end of the passage.
“No one? Nowhere to go.” Li Hui surveyed his surroundings. This place was a hall with stone walls built from rocks and some tables and chairs arranged within.
There were a total of thirteen grand chairs: three in the front and five on each side, indicating the identity and status of the host; otherwise, they wouldn’t be arranged this way. It seemed this hall was a secret chamber and had been built for some time. Such secrecy was likely due to their location within the territory of the Jade Symbol Sect.
The land extending to the coastline of the White Sea belonged to the Jade Symbol Sect’s sphere of influence. Although the sect had limited manpower and could not monitor many areas closely, they did not allow other sects to establish strongholds on their territory.
Clearly, the opposing sect had long-held ambitions.
But among the enemies of the Jade Symbol Sect, there really was no Hidden Sky Sect. Even though Li Hui was somewhat ignorant, he would not overlook such vital information. Most likely, the newcomers were up to no good; besides their old rivals, other sects might be involved, making this catastrophe even more horrifying than originally anticipated.
He pushed those useless thoughts aside; surviving was the priority.
Li Hui knocked around, searching for mechanisms. Thanks to copying two volumes on mechanisms for Sun Zhengyang, the contents remained fresh in his mind; theoretically, the mechanisms in civil engineering should all follow a pattern.
As expected, he found a glimmer of metal among the cracks in the stone tiles on the ground, extending toward the grand chair in the center. Cautiously approaching and examining it carefully, a smile spread across his face.
“Ha! There’s a door!”
Saying there was a door meant there really was. He gripped the armrest of the grand chair and forcefully pulled outward. After a booming sound, the wall behind the grand chair opened up, revealing a passage.
The tunnel was only a few zhang deep, leading to a spiral staircase going upward.
“Indeed underground.” Li Hui used his Spirit Sense Talismans to clear the way, traversing three hundred ninety-nine steps before encountering an iron door, which still flickered with electricity except that there were no iron spikes on it.
“Looks like I’ll need to use the forbidden talismans and money symbols again.”
After practicing this process, he became quite skilled at it; with two forbidden talismans and two money symbols, Li Hui successfully squeezed through the door, finding that it was still dark outside. The entrance was located in an artificial rock formation.
Surrounding the fake mountain were numerous pavilions and towers, and even a pavilion was perched high up on the fake mountain, suggesting he had entered the estate of a wealthy family. Such a layout might be related to the Dalong official government.
Taking a deep breath, Li Hui activated eight Spirit Sense Talismans in different directions.
To be honest, he was taking a huge risk. The activation of the talismans would produce talisman light, also known as spirit lure light. Although faint, it was enough to give away his location.
Fortunately, the night was clear without a cloud in the sky, and the moon was bright with few stars, allowing him to gather insights without drawing enemy attention.
“Excellent, very good! Within a hundred zhang, there are only three people, and they are gathered together like they’re on patrol.” Li Hui didn’t have much concept of a wealthy family’s estate, so he could only avoid those three while taking a small path, dragging the five little eagles behind him, not minding the inconvenience.
He walked for about a stick of incense time, avoiding two groups of auras, skirting around shadow screens and illuminated walls, and passing through two corridors with carved columns and jade balustrades. What puzzled him was that the number of pavilions was increasing, but he hadn’t seen any courtyard walls.
Suddenly, a voice floated in with the night wind.
“Has Princess Yu Yan returned today?”
Li Hui broke out in a cold sweat, realizing a flaw in the Spirit Sense Talismans. They could only detect on the ground, leaving him helpless about what was above the lofts.
Surrounded by green waters and clusters of flowers, with light silk curtains and dim lanterns!
In a secluded spot stood an ancient wooden building, which appeared particularly low-key and simple compared to the surrounding magnificent buildings adorned with carved columns and golden decorations.
Finding the source of the voice, Li Hui relaxed; a small thicket of trees separated him from the wooden building, and it was only due to the night breeze blowing that he caught a few words.
“Master, did you not say you didn’t care about Princess Yu Yan’s movements? It’s almost midnight; you should rest early! The Hidden Sky Sect has occupied this estate for many years; they were here even before you married into the royal family. People outside think our royal family is very wealthy; each year, they build grand structures, but in reality, it’s the Hidden Sky Sect constructing their secret stronghold.”
“Shh, quiet! I heard someone was locked up in the water prison, and apart from Princess Yu Yan, it seems few people use it.”
“Oh! What’s there to fear? The Hidden Sky Sect is quite busy now. Aside from two disciples guarding the Jade Pavilion, all other disciples have gone out. Princess Yu Yan hurried back today, staying only for a brief moment and receiving a command arrow, so she didn’t dare linger. Who knows where she has gone? That poor person must be starving for many days.”
“Ah, Yu Yan, you’ve become more and more willful over the years; I hardly recognize you anymore! Sigh! You weren’t like this when you were a child; you wore a mask every day; something must have happened.”
“I say, Master, she has treated you so poorly, even preventing you from consummating the marriage with the prince after you came in, saying that as the daughter of a guilty minister, she is lowly and unworthy, not even fitting to be a Side Consort. Why do you still speak for her…”
Li Hui chuckled, “A mask? Yu Yan? Haha, this poisonous woman is actually named Yu Yan. It’s a pity there’s no beauty now, just an ugly face. Why suffer, tormenting others? Not even allowing the couple to consummate their marriage; what a shame!”
He felt quite grateful to the master and servant up in the wooden building. It turned out this was a secret stronghold of the Hidden Sky Sect, and most of the disciples were not home—no need to ask; they were certainly out killing disciples of the Jade Symbol Sect. Even that poisonous woman had left temporarily after receiving a command arrow.
Suddenly, Li Hui straightened his back and felt braver. Dragging the five clumsy eagles behind him, he quickened his pace. He initially wanted to scale the wall to escape, but the increasing number of buildings frustrated him. Ahead was a grand pavilion prominently labeled “Jade Pavilion.”
