As soon as Ao Wushuang saw Su Chan’s expression, she could guess what she was thinking. She couldn’t help complaining, “What are you making blind and disorderly conjectures for?”
Su Chan came back to her senses and said with a hollow smile, “Master, don’t tell me that you don’t remember where the Qingcheng Secret Record is hidden?”
Ao Wushuang scolded her with a smile, “You wench, how could I not remember that? I was deliberately teasing you! When I came with Wang Yuanshan last time, he told me that the books of the Qingcheng Sect are usually hidden in the Supreme Old Lord Temple, but I don’t know if they have changed the place after so many years.”
Su Chan pouted and muttered in a low voice, “Is there any difference? Isn’t it unreliable?”
Ao Wushuang couldn’t help but say angrily, “Nonsense, ten years have passed. How can I guarantee that the Qingcheng Secret Record will be there? Do you want to learn or not?”
Su Chan saw her master’s anger, she immediately smiled obsequiously. “Don’t be angry, Master. Let’s go take a look at the Supreme Old Lord Temple first, alright?”
Ao Wushuang snorted and took out the Goddess Nayan Mudras from her chest pocket. After using it, she pretended to be angry and glared at Su Chan. “Hurry up and adjust your aura! Don’t expose it. If others know that someone from our Fox Zen School has been here, the world will be in chaos!”
Su Chan made a face at Ao Wushuang and said proudly, “I don’t have any other skills, but my ability to hide and escape is the best in the world.”
Ao Wushuang snorted and said solemnly, “Don’t be careless! Mount Qingcheng is one of the best places of our Chinese Taoist sect, and it is also the base of the Zu Ting of the Zhengyi School and the Qingcheng Sect! Although the forces of the Qingcheng Sect have been forced to move to the Qingyang Palace by the Zhengyi School, the forces of Mount Qingcheng are far more powerful than that of other sects! If there is any hidden expert who finds any trace, we will be doomed eternally! Don’t you want to cause trouble for Li Yundong?”
Su Chan had been listening carelessly all this time, but her last word suddenly moved her. She was shocked and thought to herself, “I can’t make trouble for Yundong again! Otherwise, even if he forgives me, I won’t forgive myself.”
The smile on the girl’s face faded away, but it was soon replaced by an extremely cautious expression.
When Ao Wushuang saw this, she was relieved. She knew that her disciple was very talented, but she often couldn’t concentrate on one thing because of her fun-loving nature and spontaneity. Once she could concentrate all her strength and attention on one thing, she could do better than anyone else.
Otherwise, she would not have escaped from Yan Fang.
Su Chan and Ao Wushuang looked at each other and nodded seriously, then they both climbed all the way up the thousand-rank ladder with the help of the invisible effect of the Goddess Nayan Mudras.
When they were halfway up the mountain and passing by the building sign of Mount Qingcheng, Ao Wushuang whispered to Su Chan, “We’re close there. I remember last time I came, there were two pine trees in front of us. Later, you should be more careful. These two pine trees were transformed by the Taoist priests of the Qingcheng Sect, and their function is to monitor passers-by! Once you find any uninvited guests, you should inform the Taoist temple immediately.”
Su Chan said in surprise, “Master, you are so amazing that you can even find it?”
Ao Wushuang said with a self-deprecating smile, “I didn’t find it! It was Wang Yuanshan who did so. He is a jinshen master of the Xuanmen Sect. In his eyes, this kind of illusion is an insignificant skill.
Su Chan secretly stuck out her tongue and couldn’t help but wonder, “How powerful is a master in the Jinshen phase?”
Both of them continued to walk up the stairs, but after walking for a while they arrived at a building with cornices and hooks, only to find that the building was standing alone on the ladder, with no trees on either side of it.
Su Chan said in surprise, “Master, there aren’t the two pine trees you mentioned!”
Ao Wushuang couldn’t help but be stunned. “How strange. How did these two pine trees disappear?”
Su Chan chuckled and said in a low voice, “Master, did you remember wrongly?”
Ao Wushuang shook her head and said, “That’s absolutely impossible! At that time, Wang Yuanshan even broke the illusion of these two Taoist priests. How could I have remembered wrongly?”
Su Chan rolled her eyes and said with a smile, “Do the Taoist priests of the Qingcheng Sect feel that they have lost face after being pointed out by Wang Yuanshan, so they no longer welcome guests?”
Although Ao Wushuang didn’t really agree with Su Chan’s guess, she couldn’t find any other good explanation. She had to say, “Maybe that’s the case. Let’s carry on.”
Both of them climbed up the stairs and finally arrived at Peng Zufeng Mountain, the number one peak of Mount Qingcheng.
In front of her stood a round tower that was about 400 square meters wide, with a total of six floors. There were eight corners on each floor at the top and bottom of the tower, which represented the meaning of the Eight trigrams of Heaven and Earth. It was shaped like a tower, with three ingots on top and the meaning of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
There was a grey stone tablet at the bottom of the tower. By the moonlight, it could be clearly seen that there were three golden characters engraved on it. It was the Supreme Old Lord Temple!
Su Chan only felt a solemn aura coming over her face. She couldn’t help but hide behind Ao Wushuang and whisper, “Master, is this the place?”
However, Ao Wushuang just looked around in surprise. She whispered back, “That’s not right. Why is there no one here?”
Su Chan also asked curiously, “It’s so late. Shouldn’t we go back to sleep?”
Ao Wushuang shook her head like a rattle drum and said “Are you kidding me? This is Mount Qingcheng, a place comparable to Mount Longhu! Even if we rest late at night, there should be Taoist priests on duty! How could there be no one here?”
Su Chan blinked and said, “But… Master, if there is really no one here, wouldn’t it be more convenient for us to steal… Well, no, to take it. Well, isn’t it more convenient for us to take this Qingcheng Secret Record?”
Ao Wushuang said in a low voice, “You’re right, but why do I feel that something is wrong in my mind?”
The fox was naturally suspicious. Hearing what Ao Wushuang said, Su Chan became alert. She said in a low voice, “Shall we wait and see what’s going on first?”
Ao Wushuang nodded, and they stood quietly in a remote corner, looking around warily.
But they stood there for more than an hour only to see that there was no movement around them. Only the sounds of insects in the jungle could be heard, and the forest was so quiet that it was almost eery.
Su Chan couldn’t help asking in a low voice, “Master, is there really no one?”
Ao Wushuang said firmly, “That’s not right! The Supreme Old Lord Temple is the most important place in the Qing City Sect’s scriptures. It’s absolutely impossible that there would be no one here! How could a Taoist priest who watches the night not pass by even after more than one hour?”
Su Chan said in a low voice, “Then, Master, could it be that the Taoist priest who is on duty at night… is neglecting his work?”
Ao Wushuang was stunned for a moment. “That’s possible. But… I still feel that something is wrong. Chan’er, you wait here for a moment. I’ll go and have a look!”
Su Chan knew that her master was much more capable than her. Even if there was a trap around, she would find a way to escape. She nodded and said nervously in a low voice, “Master, you have to be careful!”
Ao Wushuang nodded and said, “If I have any problem later, please don’t come to save me. Just find a way to escape. If you escape, someone else will come to save me. If both of us are trapped here, we’ll be stuck and it will be too late to shout.”
Su Chan’s heart tightened when she heard that. She grabbed Ao Wushuang’s hand and whispered, “Master, why don’t we stop trying to take the Qingcheng Secret Record’?”
Ao Wushuang glared at Su Chan and said, “You’re already here, how can you turn around and leave now? Don’t you understand why you have to shoot an arrow when it’s on the bowstring? Besides, if you don’t go into a tiger’s den, how will you get a tiger cub?”
After that, Ao Wushuang jumped out in an instant.
Su Chan saw that her master was borrowing the cover of the Goddess Nayan Mudras. The air around her twisted a little, and then she could no longer see her master.
Su Chan looked around anxiously and her eyes opened widely. She felt like time was flowing so slowly that every second was as long as a century.
Just as she was about to go after Ao Wushuang, she suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing toward her.
Su Chan was shocked. She was about to take precautions when Ao Wushuang appeared beside her.
Su Chan was overjoyed. She quickly grabbed her hand and said in a low voice, “Master, you’re back! I’ve been so anxious! Have you found it yet?”
Ao Wushuang’s face was full of suspicion. She shook her head and said, “No! In the past, the Qingcheng Sect hid the ancient records in the Supreme Old Lord Temple. When I went in, I tried to find them, but they were all empty. It’s obvious that someone had taken away all the classics.”
Su Chan asked curiously, “Master, how did you know these ancient books were hidden there?”
Ao Wushuang laughed and said, “When I traveled with Wang Yuanshan here before, at that time, I loved playing just like you. I was not afraid of heaven and earth, so I proposed going to the Qingcheng Sect to explore. As a result, we found the hiding place of the ancient books of the Qingcheng Sect. However, at that time, the defenses were very tight, and there were often Taoist priests patrolling at night. Besides, there were magic circles around.”
Ao Wushuang gradually became serious. “But this time, not only are there no Taoist priests watching through the night, but also the magic circles both seem to have lost their effects.”
Su Chan thought for a while before whispering, “Master, what should we do now?”
Ao Wushuang thought for a moment. “Let’s go to the Taoist priest Cave again. If Qingcheng Sect wants to transfer the ancient records, they should be hidden in the Taoist priest Cave.”
Su Chan whispered, “Will they be transferred to Qingyang Palace?”
Ao Wushuang shook her head and said, “No, the classics will never leave the Ancestral Shrine. This is the Ancestral Behest of every cultivation sect. People can leave, but these kinds of classics will not be moved unless there is a great disaster or the extermination of the family!”
Su Chan blinked and said, “Shall we go to the Taoist priest Cave again?”
Ao Wushuang nodded, and then they got up and ran down the mountain, arriving in the vicinity of the Taoist priest Cave in Qing City.
Su Chan saw that the Taoist priest Cave was surrounded by mountains on three sides. One was facing the stream, while the other was the main hall and the Sanqing Hall. Behind the Sanqing Hall was the Three Emperor Hall, behind which was the Taoist priest Cave. In front of the cave was an ancient tree that was more than 50 meters tall, towering and spectacular.
Su Chan sighed in her heart when she saw this. However, just as she was sighing at the magnificent beauty of this blessed paradise, she suddenly smelled a bloody scent in the air.
Su Chan was stunned and couldn’t help asking in a low voice, “Master, did you smell anything?”
Ao Wushuang also frowned. “Isn’t that blood?”
The two looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other’s eyes. “How could there be a smell of blood in the Taoist priest Cave of this Blessed paradise?”
Su Chan looked around. At this time, she felt that the silence around her was terrifying. The little girl whispered in a panic, “Master, let’s go back. Don’t go to the Qingcheng Secret Record. I don’t think it’s right!”
Ao Wushuang looked serious and said in a low voice, “It is exactly because something is wrong that we need to find out more! There is no reason for there to be no Taoist priest near the Taoist priest Cave! Come on, follow me to have a look!”
As she spoke, she took the lead and walked in front. Su Chan held on tightly to the hem of Ao Wushuang’s clothes and carefully followed behind her. Her eyes were vigilant and nervous as she looked around.
The two walked forward for a while, and then Ao Wushuang suddenly stopped. She squatted down and scratched the bluestone pavement with her hand. Then she put her hand in front of her nose and sniffed.
Through the moonlight, Su Chan could see that there was a patch of black on the tip of Ao Wushuang’s finger. It was obviously blood!
Su Chan asked in surprise, “Is it blood?”
Ao Wushuang’s face darkened as she nodded. “Indeed!”
After that, Ao Wushuang walked forward with Su Chan. They walked along the wall and saw that the censer was overturned. The broken longswords and fly-whisks and messy bloodstains were everywhere. The deeper they went in, the more blood there was, and the messier the scene became.
Su Chan was so shocked that her face turned pale. She aped Ao Wushuang’s every move and didn’t dare to look around. She just lowered her head, but she saw more and more blood on the bluestone ground, as if there was a thick blood-red carpet on the ground. The two of them seemed to be walking from the human world into hell step by step.
The little girl was getting more and more scared, and she couldn’t help trembling. When she was about to start persuading Ao Wushuang to leave, she suddenly found that Ao Wushuang was standing still.
Su Chan was stunned. She tugged on Ao Wushuang’s hand and whispered, “Master, what’s wrong?”
However, Ao Wushuang didn’t say a word, as if she had been petrified.
Su Chan boldly poked her head out from behind her and took a look. Upon seeing this, Su Chan was so shocked that her entire body shook violently, and her teeth were chattering.
She seemed to have seen a scene from hell. She said in a trembling voice, “How, how could this be?”
