“Hiss! This is not right! This shouldn’t be the case!”
Su Qinian yanked out another strand of his beard, utterly perplexed.
“How is it, Pavilion Master? Is this the tablet of my master?” Li Qingran asked anxiously, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her robe as she awaited the answer.
The Pavilion Master had been staring at the tablet for over ten minutes, examining it from top to bottom.
Was there a problem?
“This… how do I put it?”
Su Qinian finally tore his gaze away from the tablet, his expression tangled with doubt.
The tablet read “Chen Huaian,” but the middle character was missing.
Li Qingran’s master was named Chen Huaian, but without the missing character, it couldn’t be fully confirmed. To complicate matters, her master had once claimed to be the Grand Elder of Jiange…
Su Qinian’s thoughts were in chaos.
His memory told him there had never been a Grand Elder named Chen Huaian in Jiange.
Yet the tablet in the ancestral hall suggested otherwise.
If not for Li Qingran meticulously checking the tablets, they might have overlooked this piece of history.
Could it really be true that when Su Qinian had entered the sect, this ancestor named Chen Huaian had already left on a journey? Could this random fabrication have turned out to be the truth?!
With a puzzled mind, Su Qinian carried the tablet out of the hall to find the female swordsman cleaning leaves outside. Li Qingran followed close behind.
“Senior Sister Lin, you entered the sect earlier than I did. Do you remember any ancestor named Chen Huaian?”
The white-clad swordswoman turned at the question, her calm face darkening in an instant. She unsheathed her scabbard and smacked Su Qinian hard on the head.
“Who gave you permission to move the ancestral tablets?! Do you want a beating?”
Even as the Sword Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, Su Qinian didn’t dare argue. He lowered his head obediently and endured the reprimand.
“I vaguely recall someone named Chen Huaian, but I’ve forgotten his full name.” Lin Yuxi returned the tablet to its original place with reverence and addressed her juniors:
“That ancestor left the sect long ago. He was our master’s master’s fellow apprentice. This tablet is extremely old. The missing character in the name was likely caused by a naughty sect beast breaking into the ancestral hall and damaging it.”
Su Qinian’s face went pale.
Could his casual remarks have turned out to be true after all?
“Senior Sister Lin, is there any other record of this ancestor?” He pressed further, still needing more confirmation.
“Hmm…” Lin Yuxi frowned, thinking for a moment. “There are no detailed records, but that ancestor did leave behind a famous inscription. It’s engraved on the stone tablet at Wanjian Peak.”
“So, the inscription at Wanjian Peak was left by the ancestor surnamed Chen?!” Su Qinian was astonished. “I thought it was written by our master!”
Li Qingran’s interest was piqued. “Disciple hasn’t been to Wanjian Peak yet. May I ask what the inscription says?”
Su Qinian stroked his beard proudly. “The inscription consists of eight bold characters: ‘The way of heaven collapses, only one sword!’“
He couldn’t help but revel in the grandeur of this phrase, shaking his head in awe.
Li Qingran, however, felt a little conflicted. The sentence was indeed magnificent, but it didn’t sound like something her master would say. Her master’s words were typically more gentle and poetic.
Still, she reasoned, people change over time. Perhaps her master’s demeanor back then was different from now.
“That’s settled, then.” Su Qinian clenched his fist, concluding with certainty. “Li Qingran, your master, Chen Huaian, is not the Supreme Elder of Jiange but an ancestor of the sect. Perhaps when he left, he was an elder, which is why I referred to him as the Supreme Elder.”
Li Qingran remained silent. In truth, her master had never claimed to be a Supreme Elder; she had assumed it herself.
“Since your master is one of Jiange’s ancestors, this matter must be resolved properly. Go back and ask him where he is and what kind of poison he’s afflicted with. Even if Jiange has to bankrupt itself, we’ll find an antidote!”
Su Qinian’s determination was resolute.
After all, the title of “Ancestor of Jiange” was not to be taken lightly.
Saving this ancestor would solidify Jiange’s reputation and strength.
“Hehehe!”
Su Qinian laughed to himself, daydreaming about Jiange’s glorious future. He imagined overpowering Qingyun Sect, looting their spirit stones, and even having Jiange’s sect beast mate with Qingyun Sect’s guardian serpent.
What could Qingyun Sect possibly say to that?
“Su Qinian! You tampered with the Patriarch’s tablet! Go to the Law Enforcement Hall and receive a hundred lashes!”
A cold voice cut through his thoughts, making him tremble.
“Senior Sister, I’m the Pavilion Master! You can’t—”
“The Pavilion Master is not above punishment,” Lin Yuxi declared icily, closing the ancestral hall door behind her. “What? Do you need me to carry you to the square and whip your butt in front of all the Sword Pavilion disciples like when we were children?”
Su Qinian’s face turned green, and he quickly led Li Qingran away, knowing she wasn’t bluffing.
“Sect Master, I want to visit the Sutra Pavilion,” Li Qingran said after a moment of thought.
Although Su Qinian had promised to handle her master’s situation, she wanted to ensure all options were explored.
“The Sutra Pavilion is at the top of North Peak. Remember to follow the rules there,” Su Qinian replied, waving her off as he prepared to face his punishment at the Law Enforcement Hall.
Before leaving, he looked back at her.
“Qingran, what happened today… you…”
Li Qingran straightened her face. “The disciple only visited the ancestral hall with the Pavilion Master, examined the tablets, and left. I saw no one, heard nothing, and don’t know where the Pavilion Master is headed.”
“Good child!” Su Qinian smiled in satisfaction before flying off.
Li Qingran let out a sigh of relief, summoning a crane to carry her to Feifeng.
At dawn, Chen Huaian was still asleep when two loud thuds sounded at his door.
He groggily opened his eyes. “What’s this? Is the game giving out rewards again?”
Opening the door, he was greeted by a nauseating smell of blood.
At his feet was a bloodstained trail leading to a small figure curled up at his doorstep. The figure’s high school uniform was soaked in blood and dirt, their face obscured by messy hair and injuries.
Chen Huaian’s eyes widened in shock.
“Isn’t this triple zero?!”
