Chapter 223: Arriving In Droves
After pondering for a moment, Lu Xian still brought Lu Xin and his son, heading toward that mountain ridge.
On the mountain ridge, fully twenty or thirty people had already gathered. Although there were no torches, everyone spotted in the first moment that more people had come to join the excitement…
A handsome man looked at the three approaching from afar and couldn’t help laughing, “The ones coming back this time should be from the Lu Clan, right?”
Another burly man with a face full of arrogance sneered upon hearing this, “Even the Wei Clan and Mei Clan have come; how could they hold back?”
“Cui Pingzhi, Pei Yukou, don’t get too arrogant!” Another indignant voice rang out. The speaker was Lin Chao. Tonight, he had led a group of Investigative Bureau experts, following Zuo Yanqing and Du Hui to Mount Mang to investigate. The reason for acting in the dead of night was naturally to avoid attention, but who would have thought that just after the two eunuchs had descended the tunnel not long ago, people from the various clans arrived in droves…
.
Lin Chao did not follow the two eunuchs down the tunnel but was ordered to guard the cave entrance with his men to prevent anyone from spying. But just as he had set up the alert line, he saw Xiahou Bubai and Xiahou Bumie leading Xiahou En, Xiahou Jun, and several other Xiahou Clan Grandmasters appearing before him.
Moreover, the Xiahou Clan members didn’t even cover their faces, showing no concern about their identities being exposed. Xiahou Bubai wore a dark cape, with fierce eyebrows and eagle-like eyes, exuding a domineering aura that seemed to lower the temperature on the mountain ridge by a notch. The Investigative Bureau crowd all involuntarily stepped back.
Seeing the arrogant and overbearing Xiahou Bubai, Lin Chao inwardly groaned in distress. What’s more, standing beside him was the unassuming martial fanatic Xiahou Bumie, whose martial arts were no less formidable…
But with duty calling, Lin Chao could only steel himself and step forward to block the path of the Xiahou Clan members, saying, “The Investigative Bureau is acting on imperial orders; please do not approach!”
Xiahou Bubai narrowed his eyes and coldly sized up Lin Chao before saying with contempt, “Show us the imperial edict.”
Lin Chao was immediately at a loss for words; he didn’t have an imperial edict at all. Because the Initial Emperor knew full well that if the various clans really forced their way in, even an imperial edict wouldn’t stop them and would only bring humiliation upon himself. So the Initial Emperor simply hadn’t issued a formal decree…
Seeing this, Xiahou En stepped forward and smiled at Lin Chao, “We’re doing this out of good intentions. There are mechanisms everywhere down there, and the two eunuchs are advanced in years—what if something happens to them? How terrible would that be?” He draped an arm around Lin Chao’s shoulders and pulled him aside, saying, “With two Grandmasters from our Xiahou Clan lending a hand, wouldn’t it be much safer!”
Lin Chao felt deeply humiliated but absolutely dared not act rashly before Xiahou Bubai, who was not only a Heavenly Rank Grandmaster but the most ruthless one on the Heavenly Rank List. Even as the Director of the Investigative Bureau, if he provoked this madman, he would still suffer a deadly blow.
Seeing their own Director pulled aside, how could the Investigative Bureau crowd dare to block the Xiahou Clan any longer? They could only watch wide-eyed as the brothers Xiahou Bubai and Xiahou Bumie leaped into the tunnel. Xiahou En and Xiahou Jun stayed at the cave entrance.
Not long after the two Xiahou Clan Grandmasters went down, Pei Bang and Pei Yuqiu arrived, bringing Pei Yukou and Pei Yunan. Although the Pei Clan’s lineup wasn’t as strong as the Xiahou Clan’s, their two Grandmasters both appeared before the crowd, showing a degree of importance that actually surpassed the latter.
Looking at the overbearing Pei Clan Four, who were even more aggressive than the Xiahou Clan, Lin Chao was utterly speechless and just coldly watched them, too lazy to even say a word of obstruction.
“Have your people gone down already?” Seeing this, Pei Yukou directly ignored Lin Chao and looked toward Xiahou En, Xiahou Jun, and the others.
“Our Second Master and Fourth Master just went down.” Xiahou En smiled, “You gentlemen hurry down, and you’ll catch up soon.”
Pei Bang and Pei Yuqiu exchanged a glance and said flatly, “Then we’ll go down to lend them a hand.” With that, the two Pei Clan Grandmasters also leaped into the tunnel, while Pei Yukou and Pei Yunan stayed at the cave entrance.
Immediately after, the Cui Clan’s Grandmaster Cui Dingzhi arrived, leading Cui Pingzhi and four or five other Cui Clan Grandmasters. Cui Dingzhi was the son of the Cui Clan Leader Cui Yan, just over forty, with skin white and lustrous as jade, a mild and profound demeanor, looking just like a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken.
But in the Baoen Temple Incident ten years ago, Cui Dingzhi had single-handedly withstood the desperate struggle of two Imperial Family Grandmasters. At that time, those two Huangfu Family Grandmasters, in order to rescue the Qianming Emperor who was in mortal peril, had fought without regard for their lives, each move a mutual destruction. Yet until the Qianming Emperor met his untimely death, Cui Dingzhi hadn’t let them pass him by a single step!
At that time, Cui Dingzhi was only thirty-two and had entered the Heavenly Rank less than two years prior. Now, ten years later, no one knew exactly how much his cultivation had progressed; they could only see that he had become even more profound and unfathomable.
“We’re late, we’re late,” but Cui Dingzhi didn’t speak; it was Cui Pingzhi who did, smiling amiably as he apologized to the crowd, “We’ve just come to see if we can be of help.”
“We’re the same.” Before Cui Pingzhi finished speaking, the Xie Clan’s Grandmaster Xie Ding also appeared on the scene, bringing Xie Ju and others.
Xie Ding was already forty-seven or forty-eight, but due to cultivating the Five Virtues Five Elements Technique, he looked even younger than Cui Dingzhi. His hair and beard were black and thick, his whole body brimming with vitality, his skin smooth and lustrous without a single wrinkle—a perfect picture of someone in his late twenties.
“Let’s go together.” Cui Dingzhi and Xie Ding exchanged a smile and leaped into the tunnel.
Watching as six Grandmasters from the Xiahou Clan party successively descended. Lin Chao couldn’t help but worry for Zuo Yanqing and Du Hui. Although the two eunuchs had special cultivation methods and their martial arts were not inferior to any Heavenly Rank, before six Grandmasters in their prime, they probably had no power to resist!
‘If they don’t find the Treasure Vault, fine, but if they do discover it, the two eunuchs will likely fall victim to that Xiahou Clan bunch!’ Thinking this way, Lin Chao instead began hoping that Grandmasters from other clans would also come stir up the muddy waters, making them as muddy as possible!
And sure enough, his wish came true. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Wei Clan’s Grandmaster Wei Yang and the Mei Clan’s Grandmaster Mei Yu arrived one after the other at this mountain ridge, each bringing their clan’s Grandmasters.
Wei Yang wore a well-tailored water-blue long robe, tall and slender, with refined and handsome features. Though his temples were streaked with white and his gaze melancholy, showing he was no longer young, one could still clearly see the elegant young gentleman of the world he once was. However, his current air of having weathered the storms of life—calm, reserved, mature, and steady—still held fatal appeal for women.
Although Mei Yu was not on the Heavenly Rank List due to the Investigative Bureau’s rules, no one under heaven dared deny her status as a Grandmaster. Her skin was delicate and tender, her hair black as ink, just like a girl’s, but faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and brows still revealed her age of thirty or forty.
Time had not robbed Mei Yu of too much youth but had added much mature charm. The contrasting qualities of youth and maturity blended seamlessly in her, giving her a unique allure. It was just that Mei Yu’s gaze was cold as frost, with an awe-inspiring air that forbade violation. Except for Wei Yang, no one dared meet her eyes directly.
“Yu’er, you’ve come too.” Wei Yang called out in surprise.
“Wei Yang, how many times have I told you not to call me that!” Mei Yu’s fine brows furrowed, keeping him at a distance as she said, “Next time, I won’t hold back!”
Wei Yang had wanted to step forward but stopped upon seeing this, saying dejectedly, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
“You two hurry inside.” Lin Chao broke his usual demeanor and enthusiastically urged them toward the tunnel, “You’re already late.”
Mei Yu nodded and softly said something to the few men and women behind her before heading to the tunnel. Wherever she passed, Pei Yukou and the others all made way; though they looked down on the Mei Clan, they absolutely dared not underestimate this heroine among women.
“Yu… Mei sister, I’ll go down first to clear the way for you!” Wei Yang, however, rushed ahead of her and leaped into the tunnel.
