Chapter Thirty-One: Passing Unnoticed (Part One)

“Elder Grand, what did you find out after questioning Su Kun and the other man? The pressure from Wudang is unbearable—they’re practically roasting me over the fire as sect leader. If you can’t give me something soon, don’t blame me for seeking out the real culprit myself.”

In the Hall of Baoyan, the assembled elders remained silent as their leader scolded them. Out in the world, they were famous for their arrogance (and rightfully so), but before the sect leader, their confidence faltered.

Only the sect leader’s voice echoed through the vast hall.

At last, someone stepped forward, pointing at the Third Elder and shouting angrily, “Sect Brother, the identities of those who ambushed Xiao Huixin are already clear! It was the Third Elder, driven by greed for the treasure, who caused this tragedy of brothers turning on one another. I’d wager nine times out of ten that the Nine-Star Visualization Scroll is hidden in the Third Elder’s residence.”

The Third Elder’s face turned ashen at this accusation. He had indeed harbored thoughts of claiming the artifact, but it truly wasn’t in his possession. Yet, he couldn’t say so—he couldn’t possibly bring up Su Bai’s name now. If that man, driven to desperation, exposed him before everyone, things would take a disastrous turn.

All he could do was weakly protest, “Hou Wuji, don’t you dare slander me like this! I swear on my inner demons: if the Nine-Star Visualization Scroll is truly in my possession, may I die a wretched death!”

Hou Wuji was unimpressed by Dong Muming’s performance, replying with biting sarcasm, “Swearing on your inner demons? That old trick again? Surely, Brother, you can come up with something new by now.”

“You—!” Dong Muming glared, teeth gritted, at the Fourth Elder Hou Wuji. If not for the many witnesses, he would have launched himself at him already.

“What’s this? Is Brother preparing for a spar with me right here in the Hall of Baoyan?” Hou Wuji pressed with open provocation, knowing Dong Muming wouldn’t dare strike him in front of everyone.

“Enough! Silence, all of you!” Mo Jiyang, the dignified leader of the Great Yan Sect, could not allow the quarrel to escalate further. He cut them off at once.

“Our priority now is not bickering—get out there and find it!”

Mo Jiyang paused, suddenly recalling another matter. “What’s the situation with those two in the dungeon? Wudang’s envoys are here today—they’ll want to see them. Check on them at once, and don’t let anything go wrong!”

“Perhaps you should handle it yourself, Brother,” Hou Wuji said with a smirk toward Dong Muming. “After all, it was your doing. One should always pay their respects before the end, shouldn’t they? Who knows, maybe in a fit of emotion, they’ll—”

Before he could finish, Dong Muming’s palm struck out fiercely.

He attacked with full force, holding nothing back. Hou Wuji hadn’t expected Dong Muming to actually strike before everyone, especially at such close range. The elder’s palm landed almost instantly.

Hou Wuji had no choice but to retreat and raise his arms to shield himself.

But the strike was too swift—despite his efforts, Hou Wuji could not ward off the blow.

With a resounding crash, a figure flew backward—Hou Wuji himself.

Mo Jiyang had no intention of intervening. Hou Wuji had always been too unruly; it would do him good to let Dong Muming put him in his place. As for the damage to the hall—that would be Dong Muming’s responsibility.

Hou Wuji crashed into the great bronze lion sculpture, sending the thousand-pound beast sprawling and smashing a great hole in the floor.

Dust billowed forth, shrouding that corner of the hall. The other elders glanced at Dong Muming, none daring to comment.

For though Dong Muming was only the Third Elder, his strength was truly at the peak of the extraordinary realm—even the Grand Elder was no match for him.

Without sparing a glance at the battered Hou Wuji, Dong Muming bowed to Mo Jiyang, then turned and swept out of the hall.

As the dust settled, Hou Wuji’s figure became visible—both arms broken, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. He lay limp atop the bronze lion like a dead dog, his eyes burning with fury.

“Dong Muming... I won’t forgive you!” he gasped before losing consciousness.

“Leave him,” Mo Jiyang said, just as the others prepared to carry Hou Wuji away. “Let him recover here under my care.”

“Yes, we take our leave.” Though puzzled, the elders said nothing. They understood well enough; there was no need to know more.

Once the others had gone, Mo Jiyang descended to Hou Wuji’s side.

Glancing at the unconscious man, he nudged him with his foot, scowling, “How long do you plan to play dead? Need me to fetch a few more men and parade your corpse in mourning in a few days?”

Amazingly, at this, Hou Wuji’s body jerked, he coughed up blood, and his eyes fluttered open. He sat up as if nothing had happened, brushing off the dust and blood, a little embarrassed at having been exposed so easily.

Mo Jiyang shot him a cold look. “Dong Muming’s strength is growing again. In another twenty or thirty years, he might rival me.”

At this, Hou Wuji was astonished. “How is Dong Muming advancing so fast? Could it be that the Nine-Star Visualization Scroll really is in his hands? Is that artifact so powerful?”

Mo Jiyang changed the subject. “That’s not your concern. What matters now is finding that item. Remember—avoid conflict with Dong Muming unless absolutely necessary.”

“Yes, I heed your command, Sect Leader.”

Mo Jiyang waved him off. “Go out the back way—the front’s probably being watched.”

“Yes.”

After Hou Wuji departed, Mo Jiyang glanced at the toppled bronze lion and the spot where Dong Muming’s palm had struck. The floor was perfectly intact, showing no sign of damage.

“Heh, Dong Muming, your strength is truly something,” Mo Jiyang murmured with a light chuckle.

But just as he turned to leave, a disciple from the Hall of Enforcement rushed in, pale-faced, and knelt before him. “Sect Leader, something terrible has happened!”

“What is it?” Mo Jiyang’s patience was already frayed.

The disciple swallowed nervously and blurted, “The envoys from Wudang arrived and insisted on interrogating the prisoners themselves. Several elders escorted Wudang’s Fifth Elder to the dungeon, but when they opened the cell—”

“They were dead, weren’t they?” Mo Jiyang’s tone was flat, his face unreadable.

“Take me there—now!” Without waiting for a reply, he seized the disciple and strode out.

“Where are they?”

“They’re still in the dungeon, but Wudang’s Fifth Elder seems furious. If you go now, there may be a confrontation,” the disciple said carefully.

Mo Jiyang ignored the warning and hurried to the dungeon.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived at the gate, where a black-robed and a white-robed elder sat quietly, as if Mo Jiyang himself were nothing but an ordinary man.

He was about to enter directly when a thought struck him. He first bowed to the two elders, then asked with utmost respect, “May I ask if either of you know who is responsible for the murders in the dungeon?”

The elders opened their eyes and exchanged a look.

The black-robed elder smiled, understanding his meaning. He turned to Mo Jiyang and said, “We have no concrete evidence. All I can tell you is that someone else delivered a meal in another’s stead. Beyond that, I know nothing more.”

“Thank you, seniors.” Mo Jiyang frowned—this answer was far from satisfactory, but there was nothing to be done. These two were not his underlings; he was merely a junior in their eyes. The fact that they responded at all was a courtesy.

There was nothing for it but to pacify the Third Elder for now. After all, the elders of the Four Academies were his equals in strength. And behind this one stood the colossus of Wudang—he would have to choose his words carefully.

Stepping inside, he was taken aback.

The haughty elders who usually looked down their noses at everyone now sat together, amiably exchanging courtesies. Had he not known them so well, Mo Jiyang might have been fooled.

But then he remembered—the dungeon was, after all, used to “detain” that person. Their current demeanor was likely his doing.

“Probably disturbed his peace again. Well, it’ll keep these elders quiet for a while, and that will make negotiations easier,” Mo Jiyang thought with a trace of satisfaction.

“Gentlemen, shall we step outside?” As the elders noticed him and exchanged glances, Mo Jiyang spoke calmly.

“That would be best. Sect Leader Mo, you’re looking well these days—have you made another breakthrough?” Wudang’s Fifth Elder, Li Ruilin, readily agreed, his tone much softened from the arrogance the disciple had described.

Mo Jiyang masked his contempt but kept his manners flawless.

He went up to Li Ruilin and grasped his hands warmly. “Brother Ruilin, it’s been so long. Let’s not let a minor incident come between us and our years of friendship.”

Li Ruilin sneered inwardly, “What a performance. If I lose my temper now, I’ll be the one in the wrong.”

But he said aloud, “Of course, Brother Mo. Our friendship can’t be spoiled by a single mishap.”

“I heard you were coming and had my disciples prepare dozens of jars of fine wine—we must drink our fill together!”

Blatant lies were an art form among the elders; their faces changed expressions as quickly as a painted mask.

Once they left the dungeon, their hands fell away from each other at once. Not until they had walked some distance did their true conversation begin.

Li Ruilin coughed, recalling the earlier scene with some disgust.

Mo Jiyang remained unruffled; as long as he didn’t feel awkward, the embarrassment belonged to the other party.

After a couple of coughs, Li Ruilin said, “Sect Leader Mo, I’m not here to make things hard for your Great Yan Sect. I just want to recover the artifact our sect lost.”

Seeing Mo Jiyang’s impassive attitude, Li Ruilin’s tone hardened. “Don’t mistake Wudang’s patience for weakness. I will remain here for half a month—if the Nine-Star Visualization Scroll is not produced by then, don’t blame Wudang for being ruthless. After all, your sect is at fault here.”

Mo Jiyang could see Li Ruilin was at his limit—any further and he might act rashly.

He finally relented. “Very well, we’ll proceed as the rules require.”

He turned to the Enforcement Hall elders. “Who was responsible for delivering food to the second level of the dungeon? Bring him here at once.”

“Yes, sir.”

A short while later—

“Out of the way! Where’s that kitchen worker, Lie Chen?” A team rushed into the kitchen, immediately launching a thorough search.

“What are you doing?” A cook, distraught at seeing ingredients tossed on the floor, tried to reason with them, but within seconds he was kicked aside and knocked out.

The leader flashed a token carved with the character for “Law,” silencing the crowd at once.

“Enforcement Hall business. Stay out of the way.”

The unconscious cook might have spat blood if he’d seen the token sooner: “Why didn’t you just show it in the first place?”

Disciples from the Enforcement Hall dressed like ordinary inner disciples—only upon becoming a true disciple did their attire change. This made it easier for them to conduct surprise inspections.

Meanwhile, watching from a distance, Third Elder Dong Muming’s eyes flickered. He quickly returned to his residence.

A short time later—

“So, they’ve begun their search?” After hearing the full account from the Third Elder, Su Bai crossed his legs and smiled.

“You’re really so confident that you can get away with this?” Dong Muming eyed Su Bai’s relaxed manner with some skepticism.

“If this Fifth Elder from Wudang had arrived a little earlier, I wouldn’t be so sure. But now, I’m ninety percent certain we’ll succeed.”

Su Bai struck a mysterious pose. “Do you remember Wu Cheng?”

“Of course. What about him?” Dong Muming asked, eyes lowered.

“He’s crucial to our plan,” Su Bai replied, rising to pace the room. After days of recuperation, he was nearly recovered—aside from a sudden pain in his chest these past few days, everything was fine. He assumed it was due to the rapid transfer of energy earlier, perhaps his body hadn’t absorbed it all, or had developed a resistance. He wasn’t worried.

He continued, “When you arranged for him to deliver food, I met with him.”

“Oh? But I locked that door myself—how did you get out?” Dong Muming asked.

Su Bai flushed, then sheepishly pulled a wire from his sleeve.

“I’m pretty handy with my hands—lockpicking’s not too hard for me.”

Dong Muming narrowed his eyes. “When you sneaked out, no one saw you leaving my quarters, did they?”

“No, absolutely not,” Su Bai replied with a forced smile. “I’m always careful about things like that—no one saw me.”

Dong Muming didn’t press further, falling into deep thought.

“Is he planning to kill me?” Su Bai wondered nervously, watching Dong Muming’s expression.

……