Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 149: Lu Clan Forbidden Area

The two of them stopped talking and slowly walked further inside.

Zhao Changhe carefully observed the walls on both sides of the passage, coming to judge that they had been carved out many years ago. This meant that this passage was not a recent development, but, at the same time, it didn’t seem like it had been dug out as far back as the previous era.

Sisi also observed the surroundings. She seemed to be much more knowledgeable when it came to judging these things than Zhao Changhe. As she scrutinized the walls, she furrowed her brow and commented, “This passage should have been excavated nearly a century ago, with signs of recent expansion. It seems that the Lu Clan has been continuously exploring the secrets here, perhaps ever since the founding of their clan, with each generation picking up from where the last left off.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned. “Why don’t I seem to see any new marks?”

“Here,” Sisi stretched out her hand and lightly tapped a spot on the right wall, and then she gave it a gentle push. To their surprise, that section of the wall could actually be pushed open.

But then, both of them immediately covered their noses and backed away, their eyes widening in unison.

Behind the wall lay corpses too many to count, strewn about in disarray. Among them were garments that had yet to decay, revealing that they were common artisans and laborers.

“It looks like they hired workers to dig out this passage, then killed them all to prevent any leaks...” Zhao Changhe quickly deduced, his expression turning grim.

As frivolous as the Tang Clan may be, they held nowhere near this level of cruelty. They were actually much more endearing and compassionate compared to “noble” clans like the Lu clan.

The two silently closed the stone wall and continued walking further in.

The journey was long, and they did not reach the end of the tunnel even after walking for quite some time. This tunnel was far longer than the underground passage in the White Lotus Temple. In the end, while that secret passage had only been dug out in recent years, this tunnel had been subject to generations of exploration by a large clan for nearly a century.

Along the way, they came across many alternate paths that were clearly the wrong way. It was evident that these were the wrong paths as they had clearly been abandoned after the correct path was found. The correct path was paved with stone bricks and illuminated by bright pearls, while the alternate paths were dark and filled with cobwebs.

This actually made their exploration of this tunnel far easier, as they did not need to navigate through its entirety.

Furthermore, they even saw some stone houses further ahead. There were traces of people having stayed and cultivated there. However, at the moment, they were not there, presumably having gone to the Tang Clan... which also made it easier for the two of them to explore the tunnel.

The more Sisi saw, the more impressed she was by Zhao Changhe’s deductions. On ordinary days, it would have been nearly impossible to make it through this place, but right now was an opportune moment. The Lu Clan had long since been plotting to deal with the Tang Clan. It appeared that they were mobilizing all of their forces to achieve a decisive victory at this moment, but they had probably never anticipated that a third party would sneak up behind their backs out of nowhere.

Their footsteps naturally slowed down as they made it further and further into the tunnel. The presence of the stone houses used for cultivation indicated that the core area was nearby and that there were likely benefits that could be gained from it. Otherwise, why would the members of the Lu Clan go all this way to cultivate? It seemed that the answers they sought in this investigation would be soon right before their eyes.

Finally, as they made it past the last corner of the tunnel, they indeed came upon a small hall. When they cautiously took a peek inside, they saw a bearded old man with white hair. He was sitting cross-legged in the hall with his eyes closed as he meditated deeply. The entrance to the hall was to his side as he faced a wall.

What surprised the two of them was that there were no other passages in this hall. This was the end of their exploration of the tunnel, yet the wall the old man faced showed no signs of anything unusual. It was just an ordinary stone wall. On the contrary, there were strange marks resembling sword marks on the wall behind the old man.

This scene left the two of them confused. If the old man is comprehending some ancient sword marks, then shouldn’t he be facing them? Why is his back faced toward the sword marks? Moreover, the sword marks appeared to be relatively new... Could these sword marks have been left by the old man himself?

Sisi whispered, “That old man is approaching death. He probably only has one or two months left to live.”

Zhao Changhe did not know how she could tell this, but before he could ask, his chest and back began to vibrate at the same time.

On his back, Dragon Bird was vibrating, alerting him of imminent danger.

As for the vibration on his chest, it was the golden foil, but what was it vibrating for?

Zhao Changhe did not have the time to think. Dragon Bird alerting him of danger was a serious matter. He immediately grabbed Sisi’s hand and swiftly charged... forward.

Sisi: “?”

Just as Zhao Changhe began his charge, the old man opened his eyes and said, “I did not expect that while I was trying to catch a cicada, there would be an oriole[1]. Well, since you’ve come, why rush to... Huh?”

Just as the light of a blade flashed right before his eyes, Dragon Bird was already barely three cun above his head...

The old man revealed an expression with a mix of anger and amusement. He gently stretched out his hand and lightly pat the side of the saber, effortlessly deflecting Zhao Changhe’s lightning-fast attack.

“I truly did not expect that, rather than escaping as soon as you realized I discovered you, you would actually attack!” the old man clicked his tongue. “Such bravery, yet still unknown in jianghu...”

Whoosh!

A dagger quietly stabbed toward the old man’s back.

The old man’s wry smile became even more pronounced. While seemingly sitting still, his upper body slightly twisted, and Sisi’s dagger went past him without even grazing him. She failed to even touch his clothes.

A gust of wind rose around his waist, and Zhao Changhe took the opportunity to unleash a horizontal slash.

Finally, the old man was unable to maintain his nonchalant demeanor. He pushed out on the saber with his right hand and stood up.

Zhao Changhe took a few steps back, his fierce eyes staring at the old man unwaveringly. He then assumed a stance indicating his readiness to continue attacking without fear.

The old man sighed, “Such a figure... wearing the clothes of my family’s descendants, yet unfortunately not one of our own... A pity, a pity indeed.”

Zhao Changhe also said, “I could say the same to you. You definitely possess the strength to be on Ranking of Man, yet you have hidden it so well that you don’t even seem to be on the Tome of Troubled Times.”

The old man said calmly, “The Tome of Troubled Times ultimately recognizes figures based on their achievements... In fact, I have not fought anyone in a long time, and I don’t even know myself if I possess strength that would merit a place on the Ranking of Man. How did you make your judgment?”

Zhao Changhe did not answer. Isn’t it obvious? Yue Hongling and Chi Li definitely belong at the bottom of that Ranking of Man at the moment. Even if there was a slight difference, it would not be much. I’m not sure if they would be able to handle my strikes so effortlessly, but I have never really fought them for real, so it’s hard to judge. Anyway, you are definitely on that level, perhaps even slightly higher.

Fortunately, he did not feel the same unavoidable sensation that he experienced with Tang Wanzhuang’s attack back then. Otherwise, that meant that this old man might even be on par with those on the Ranking of Earth. At that point, he should just accept his death.

But even if the old man was at the level of someone at the bottom of the Ranking of Man, it was not something that Zhao Changhe could handle at the moment. However, he surprisingly found that he felt no fear at the moment at all. Instead, his mind was even clearer than ever before.

He slowly said, “Your family is doing something big, yet despite possessing such strength, you’re actually not participating. Are you not afraid of your family’s plans falling through and ultimately leading to your clan’s extermination?”

“Is that the reason you dare to come and explore this place?” the old man asked calmly. “Cult Leader Maitreya has arrived, and the Tang Clan is completely helpless against him. What else is there for me to do?”

Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat, then he sneered, “But Tang Wanzhuang has also arrived, can Maitreya really defeat Tang Wanzhuang?”

The old man’s expression changed slightly as he slowly said, “Thank you for informing me. Well then, I’ll just have to kill you two before heading to the Tang Clan.”

After saying that, he unsheathed his longsword.

Zhao Changhe suddenly burst out into laughter, “Stop bluffing, you definitely don’t have what it takes to participate in a fierce battle. You would probably be out of breath from just swinging your sword a few times. You only dare to act tough here. Otherwise, you would have killed us with a single strike long ago. Why bother spouting all this nonsense? I now understand why your family chose this time to launch their plan. It seems that it’s because you’re close to death...”

Whoosh!

The old man’s eyes flashed with ferocity as he stabbed directly at Zhao Changhe’s throat. “You don’t have what it takes to have a fierce battle with me!”

He was not bluffing this time. From just this single sword strike, Zhao Changhe could not see what he could do. He knew that no matter how he defended, this strike would pierce his throat.

However, he had no intention of defending against the strike in the first place.

Zhao Changhe grabbed Sisi’s hand and suddenly slammed into the stone wall the old man was facing. “But I know how to get you into a fierce battle!”

The stone wall that seemed to be a dead end suddenly rippled, and Zhao Changhe and Sisi disappeared at the same time.

The old man immediately became furious and anxious. He chased after them. “You’re dead!”

Light and shadows flickered, and dimensions shifted.

When their vision stabilized again, Zhao Changhe found himself inside an ancient and solemn tomb, with passages extending in all directions, exuding a myriad of auras.

The aura belonging to the previous era enveloped him once again.

There had to be a reason for the vibration of the golden foil. By combining various conjectures about cause and effect, the most likely conclusion he came to was that the stone wall the old man was facing led to a different dimension, and the sword marks on the wall behind him were caused by the sword qi that escaped from that space.

Zhao Changhe guessed correctly.

Before they could fully discern their surroundings, they were engulfed by sword qi and vicious qi. The fierce killing intent was a hundred times more terrifying than what they had felt in front of the old man.

In Sisi’s mind, a word she knew previously emerged: Sword Emperor.

This is the tomb of the Sword Emperor!

It wasn’t beneath the Tiger Hill Sword Pond, but within the Lu Clan’s territory?

But looking at Zhao Changhe’s expression, it’s as if he anticipated all of this... Did he guess all of this beforehand?

1. This is a reference to the old Chinese saying, “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.” ☜