Schatzkammer von Jianghu

Kapitel 2

"Could this be the world-renowned young man—the Lord of Bixie Manor?" Chu Yi quickly composed himself, pondering the current situation. "I wonder if we can escape with his and the Divine Calculator's combined attack?" His face remained silent.

“I believe I haven’t misjudged you; Chu Yi is no ordinary person. So,” the fortune teller’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, his hands behind his back already poised to strike, “could you tell me what your intentions are?”

"My only wish is to find a place to stay in this chaotic world; I have no other ambitions." The young man in the blue robe immediately looked directly into the fortune teller's eyes and clearly stated his thoughts.

Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Wu Suanzi remained unmoved, only coldly glancing at the boy in black. Chu Yi also understood that having infiltrated the manor, he had already lost the advantage of credibility; what basis did he have to convince anyone to believe him standing there?

"How can the manager trust me?" This time, Chu Yi got straight to the point.

Instead of answering, Wu Suanzi asked the boy beside him, "Leng Qi, what do you think?"

Chu Yi then realized that the stunningly handsome young man before him was the chief steward of the Black-Clad Guards, and also the head of the Northern Courtyard—known as Shadow Leng Qi. Chu Yi didn't understand why such a dazzling young man was called Shadow, but he was certainly no ordinary person; otherwise, why would he have received the attention of Chief Steward Wu?

Shadow Leng Qi remained noncommittal after hearing this, coldly staring at Chu Yi's hands.

Wu Suan's gaze swept over Chu Yi again. Although the conversation between the two was exactly what Wu Suan had anticipated, seeing the boy before him showing no fear and carefully cooperating with the topics he had controlled, Wu Suan still felt that such a clever and resourceful person, if not useful to him, must be eliminated to prevent future troubles for the young master.

Wu Suanzi took a light step back, and immediately masked warriors wielding swords rolled in from all directions. The area was enveloped in a blinding, sharp white light.

Chu Yi showed no panic, calmly extending his robes and channeling his inner strength. With a flick of his wrist, the robes fluttered in the wind. The masked figures from all sides surged forward like a tide. A figure in cyan robes appeared, attacking left and right with a technique of deception. Each time he turned, his robe sleeves met the oncoming blades head-on, and with a flick to the left or right, the blades disappeared into the black mass of swords. In this way, not only did his robes remain untouched for a long time, but the fierce force was also absorbed into his cyan sleeves, as if piercing soft cotton, rendering them devoid of any dangerous killing intent.

The fortune teller Wu Suanming understood that Chu Yi hadn't killed anyone, only wanting to settle things peacefully. However, he remained calm because he knew that these black-clad guards were personally trained by the young master and were a group of extremely intelligent and outstanding individuals. If they couldn't break through after a long siege, they must have come up with a new plan.

Leng Qi's dark eyes were fixed on Chu Yi's palm technique. No one could predict when this unassuming young man would make his move.

Sure enough, after two rounds of fruitless fighting, the black-clad guards unanimously discarded their weapons, formed a "回" (return) formation, and hurriedly circled around Chu Yi.

Chu Yi, dressed in a white-collar blue shirt, stood in the formation with his hands at his sides, his mind focused, his eyes downcast and his heart at peace, completely immersed in a calm and serene atmosphere.

The Black-Clad Guards were indeed employing a methodical, rotating tactic. When one guard launched an attack, the others simply held their positions, palms raised, ready to defend. Each Black-Clad Guard had been personally taught three or four moves by the young master, each unique. Once one was knocked out of the formation, someone else would immediately fill in, continuing to attack the person in the formation with different moves—a fighting style completely disregarding their own safety.

Chu Yi grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. Even though he had witnessed thousands upon thousands of battles, he had never seen so many varied techniques and such seamless coordination in formation, which greatly restricted the direction from which he could unleash his attacks. Furthermore, in this tag-team battle, each guard possessed considerable...

With such strong internal energy and such desperate palm strikes, Chu Yi was unable to restrain the fierce attack for a short time.

At this dangerous moment, what was remarkable was that Chu Yi calmly dealt with each move without the slightest panic. He had just assessed the situation and discovered that this formation did not emphasize the intricacies of its formation. Therefore, no black-clad guards stood at the core of the formation, because the person who set up the formation must have regarded each person as crucial, so that if one suffered, all would suffer, and if one would prosper, all would prosper.

Having made up his mind, Chu Yi calmly withdrew and stood with his hands at his sides. No one could discern the change in his palms; they could only see his sleeves fluttering as if a breeze had swept by.

Leng Qi's expression surprisingly changed for a moment, and he coldly rebuked, "Wear gold-threaded soft gauntlets!"

The fortune teller remained detached. He also noticed the strangeness in Chu Yi's palm, but did not give the order to stop. He stared intently at Chu Yi's silvery-white, icy hand.

No sooner said than done, Chu Yi plunged into the black tide, like a nimble bluefish, grabbing left and right, directly confronting the black-clad guards. Leng Qi moved swiftly, grabbing at Chu Yi's back with lightning speed. This move, "The Eagle Swoops Down Its Prey," was silent yet fierce, truly a "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" tactic.

Chu Yi didn't turn around; he darted to the side and dodged the lightning-fast attack. In that split second, Leng Qi shouted, "Retreat!" The remaining black-clad guards in the formation retreated from the battle like the receding tide.

As Wu Suanzi coldly observed, he noticed that the hands of the group of black-clad guards were trembling slightly. He flicked his sleeve and swept one of them aside for a closer look. It turned out that when the black-clad guards attacked again with all their might, they tried to unleash another palm strike by channeling their inner strength, but found themselves unusually cold, their palms frozen solid, and they could no longer exert any force. Wu Suanzi was a discerning man; how could he not see that these black-clad guards had only suffered temporary physical damage and were not in any real danger of death? This was enough to give an explanation to his cold and imposing young master. He said in a deep voice, "Go and fetch Master Dongge." A subordinate bowed slightly, bit his lip, and retreated towards the door. As he left, Wu Suanzi saw that the guard's body was still trembling.

With his matter settled, the fortune teller relaxed a little and focused his attention on the two youths locked in fierce combat in the courtyard. In just a short while, the two had already exchanged two blows.

The black-clad, long-haired Leng Qi held a golden gleam in his hand. Wu Suan knew it was an impenetrable golden silk armor. He used it with ease, thrusting and filing with his axe, his fingers outstretched, each strike aimed at Chu Yi's vital points. The morning sun shone on the black-clad youth's face, its soft light further highlighting Leng Qi's ghostly, handsome beauty.

Chu Yi dared not be careless in the slightest. Under Leng Qi's horizontal and vertical palm strikes, he gradually realized that he was using the pure and powerful "Great Stele Hand." Leng Qi seemed like a cold and aloof young man, but every time he struck a palm, the wind howled continuously. Even though it didn't hurt Chu Yi's hair or skin, it still made his clothes and hair fly wildly. Under such a strong and fierce aura, what could possibly enter the palm's range? "That's it! No wonder this place is so deserted!" Chu Yi suddenly understood.

A golden hand reached for Chu Yi's throat, but he didn't dodge. He extended both hands, using the "Parting Flowers and Willows" move to neutralize the domineering attack. He knew that Leng Qi's palm technique wasn't as numerous as the previous Black-Clad Guards' moves, but this man's strength was pure and his internal energy profound. This palm strike would lock down his upper body and prevent any escape, inevitably followed by a devastating attack. He gathered the internal energy in both hands and, with a "bang," met Leng Qi's earth-shattering "Mountain-Splitting and Stele-Shattering" strike head-on.

Leng Qi had used all his strength in his final move, trying to shatter the meridians of the young man in the blue robe in front of him. When his hands finally touched Chu Yi's palms, he could feel the chilling aura emanating from the other man even through the supple gold silk gauntlets. Seeing that Chu Yi's expression remained unchanged, he was secretly amazed.

A chilling current surged into Leng Qi's limbs and bones, like thousands of tiny cotton needles piercing his bones, a slight pain spreading throughout his body. Just as Leng Qi was about to withdraw his palm and switch to his sword to launch another attack, a cold shout jolted him awake: "Guard Leng."

The fortune teller's robe sleeves billowed slightly, fluttering gently in a gust of cold, chaotic wind. Leng Qi watched Steward Wu's back, and through a few strands of his flying hair, saw Chu Yi, two zhang away, expressionless, his eyes slightly lowered, exuding a chilling and murderous aura.

Only then did he realize that when their palms met, he had used all his strength to push forward, but it felt like he had hit an ice wall. The chilling sensation in his palm made him abruptly withdraw and fly away, retreating behind Wu Suanzi after two leaps. Presumably, Steward Wu was afraid that he might be in any danger, so without knowing the strength of the young man before him, he decisively blocked Chu Yi's killing intent.

After a long while, a heavy sigh was heard from Chu Yi: "Chu Yi himself doesn't understand many things, so why do you have to force him so hard?"

When Leng Qi looked up, he saw a desolate and forlorn expression on Chu Yi's face, with sharp pain streaming from his eyes, making him seem infinitely distant. He couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

"Regardless of where you come from," the fortune teller said in a cold, unwavering voice, with a flick of his sleeve, "the rules of this manor must not be disregarded."

Chu Yi silently closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he had already returned to his usual indifferent and cold demeanor: "I will follow the steward's orders..." But in his heart, bitterness welled up, "Anyway, in their eyes, I am nothing but a worthless life."

Those present had no idea of the bitterness in Chu Yi's heart. Wu Suanzi calmly said, "In that case, Chu Yi will stay at your original residence for the time being. You will surely be entrusted with important matters in the future." Leng Qi had been with Wu Suanzi for fifteen years, so how could he not know the sharp eyes of the venomous judge? Even though he understood that the steward would not make any moves before he could find out Chu Yi's background and strength, he silently waved his hand, which was considered as agreeing to Wu Suanzi's arrangement.

He bowed once on the first day of the lunar month, then turned and calmly walked out of the courtyard.

The group of black-clad guards had disappeared without a trace. Seeing that Chief Steward Wu had no intention of sending anyone back to escort him, Chu Yi realized that the manor was full of traps and that it would be difficult to return safely. But that was just his cold-hearted nature. He was just as skilled and daring as he was. He felt a chill and strode forward coldly.

3. East Pavilion

"How is it?" A gentle voice came from somewhere in the arena.

Wu Suanzi turned around expressionlessly and saw a gentle and refined face. It was Zhuge Dongge, whom the young master called "the Eastern Pavilion in the mansion and the Zhuge outside the tent".

The scholar in his blue robe, Mr. Dongge, smiled warmly in the morning light, his eyes brimming with gentle smiles. Reflecting on his gentle demeanor, Wu Suanzi, though unwilling, had no choice but to coldly reply, "Deeply hidden, calm and composed in the face of adversity."

He was referring to the incident earlier when Leng Qi and the black-clad guards tested Chu Yi's skills.

"Sir, why do you want me to keep this person here?" After receiving the secret report from the servant in blue that day, Wu Suan did not interfere with Zhao Yong keeping Chu Yi. Otherwise, with his famous caution and keen insight, how could he not know about the movements in the border courtyard?

Zhuge Dongge simply smiled and said, "He will surely be of use in the future. I also troubled the steward to grant permission for Chu Yi to join my Qingyi Camp."

The fortune teller stared at the man who smiled more cunningly than a fox. Even with his keen intellect, he couldn't fathom Zhuge Dongge's intentions. Beside him, Leng Qi had already regained her initial indifference, standing silently in the courtyard.

Zhuge Dongge turned slightly to face Leng Qi, meeting his cold eyes, but his smile remained unchanged: "I have checked the pulse of the guards, and they are unharmed." The rest of his words were swallowed up when facing this proud young man. Since the group of black-clad guards were not in danger, Leng Qi must have suffered at most internal injuries, but no major harm.

Seeing that the two men were composed and did not reveal their thoughts, Zhuge Dongge had no choice but to ask Leng Qi, "What does Guard Leng think?"

The boy, who had been silent all along, seemed to be considering how to speak. He lowered his head slightly, stared at the ground, and slowly said, "That palm strike in the first year of junior high school only used 30% of his strength."

The Calculator and Zhuge Dongge both focused their gazes on Leng Qi's pale face. Only then did Leng Qi's frozen figure sway slightly, and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. It turned out that under Chu Yi's icy and fierce palm wind, Leng Qi's powerful and fierce "Great Monument Hand" not only failed to gain any advantage, but was even ultimately injured by the extremely cold internal force.

Leng Qi didn't finish his sentence, but he knew the two senior figures in the room understood his implication. "What if Guard Leng wields a sword..." Zhuge Dongge looked at him hesitantly.

Leng Qi's cold face remained expressionless as he said in a deep voice, "Chu Yi was unable to use any weapons, and no one knows what kind of weapons he is skilled with. Even if I were to use a sword, I would not be confident of victory."

Those who heard this were secretly shocked: "Such a formidable enemy, how come we've never heard of him in the martial world?" Their astonishment was not unfounded. They knew that Leng Qi had risen to fame at the age of fourteen, fighting alongside his young master in a battle beyond the Great Wall. Since then, apart from his young master, few among his peers could rival "Shadow Sword" Leng Qi. Leng Qi had achieved fame at a young age, using a pair of hidden swords to firmly entangle his opponents. His dark, menacing sword intent was ever-present and omnipresent, so even mentioning Leng Qi's name would cause a slight change in expression.

Seeing that even the proud Leng Qi spoke these words with such a cold expression, it was clear that Chu Yi was indeed a person of hidden strength. Just now, Leng Qi, at the behest of the Divine Calculator, used the powerful "Great Stele Hand" to test Chu Yi. An ordinary person would probably not have been able to escape under the impact of Leng Qi's attack. As soon as Chu Yi made contact, Leng Qi would have been able to anticipate the opponent's strength. However, he never expected that Chu Yi would not only parry and injure Leng Qi with a single blow, but also retreat unscathed without changing his expression. This profound skill was indeed unbelievable.

Thus, both Wu Suan and Zhuge Dongge had their own plans. The Divine Calculator wanted to cut off Chu Yi's escape route and make him disappear completely before seeing the young master again, which was why he had secretly mentioned the murderous intent earlier. Zhuge Dongge was amazed by the many unknown backgrounds of the boy called "Chu Yi" and the cold and domineering murderous aura lurking in his body. Therefore, he wanted to spare his life so that he could study properly in the future.

"It is not difficult for you to take away the first day of the lunar month, but you must agree to one condition."

"Please feel free to speak."

"If any changes occur in the village in the future, you must go out on the first day of the lunar month."

Seeing that the fortune teller was staring at him without batting an eye, Zhuge Dongge smiled slightly: "It seems the steward has forgotten that Chu Yi is not a member of Wufang Island..."

"Those who enter the manor without permission will be either killed or made slaves, or women will be made prostitutes."

Zhuge Dongge laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Steward, you flatter me. The previous manor left behind a rule that anyone who trespasses into the manor can be enslaved if the previous manor lord spares their life. If it is a woman, the manor lord will spare her life." Mr. Dongge paused here and said to the fortune teller, word by word: "She must be made the young mistress."

"In that case, Chu Yi can be sold into slavery." The fortune teller's expression remained unchanged as he coldly stated his decision. In this chaotic world, how many lives had he easily taken by such a powerful and indifferent person?

Leng Qi's silence was an implicit agreement.

Having no intention of competing with Wu Suan within the mansion, Zhuge Dongge smiled slightly, bowed, and left. Before departing, he didn't forget to casually take one of his self-made "reassurance pills" to neutralize Leng Qi's icy poison.

Thus, Chu Yi's fate was decided by Liao Shu and his group within Wufang Island and Bixie Manor.

After entering Qingyi Camp on the first day of the Lunar New Year, he quickly adapted to the environment there.

The so-called Qingyi Camp is managed by the mysterious "Dongge of the Mansion" who is rumored to be in the martial arts world. He is the Confucian physician Zhuge Dongge who disappears on the first and fifteenth of each month and calls himself "Zhuge".

Mr. Dongge was humble and polite, and treated everyone on Wufang Island with warmth and kindness. He liked to wear blue clothes, so the courtyard where he lived was called "Blue Clothes Camp".

The courtyard was unremarkable on the outside, with its simple, carved wooden door open, facing a deep, secluded ancient path that seemed to stretch endlessly. Chu Yi remembered that since he first stepped into the courtyard, all he had seen were desolate, vigorous green trees. He walked through the woods with utter indifference, without a trace of curiosity in his heart. When he saw that the one who had summoned him was the sorcerer from the island, he simply knelt down and bowed in respect, for he already knew that it was Master Zhuge, who was as famous as the "Poisonous Eye Judge," who had invited him.

Zhuge Dongge's eyes were full of smiles as he steadied Chu Yi's bowing figure with a flick of his blue robe. Chu Yi did not resist his teacher and stood quietly to the side, obeying his instructions.

"You must not be careless in this manor on the first day of the lunar month. The person you encountered the other day was just Guard Leng. You are very lucky."

The first-year student stood calmly with his hands at his sides, listening to the teachings without any change in expression.

"You must still remember the 'Eight-Corner Returning Gate Formation' from that day, right? That was set up by the young master." Zhuge Dongge stood with his hands behind his back, squinting at the dappled sunlight. He had watched this young master grow up since childhood, and mentioning him still stirred up a mix of emotions in his heart, though his face showed no sign of it. "The young master began learning swordsmanship at the age of two, and his mastery of swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world. Your palm technique that day, which allowed you to narrowly escape Leng Qi's pursuit, was barely enough. Leng Qi was the young master's childhood companion, and all of his martial arts techniques were taught to him by the young master."

The formation that Chu Yi cleverly dismantled was merely a preliminary test for the young master on the battlefield. Within this heavily fortified Bixie Manor, who knows how many hidden traps and strategies you have yet to encounter.

At this point, Zhuge Dongge glanced at Chu Yi, and after a long while, he heard him sigh heavily: "Such a meticulous young man, being drawn into the martial world too early, has caused him to lose his humanity..." His voice trailed off, the meaning of which was unclear.

Chu Yi remained standing calmly with his hands at his sides, his expression composed, and his dark, clear eyes showed no sign of emotion.

Master Dongge carefully observed Chu Yi. Seeing his unwavering determination, he hesitated to voice his initial thought of taking him in. He greatly admired the composure and calmness of the young man in blue before him. So, he slowly stretched out his sleeves and said methodically, "The martial arts of those black-clad youths were only taught a few moves by the young master, yet they already forced you into a state of disarray. If the young master himself were here, you would not have lasted more than twenty moves against him."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yi merely pursed his lips, but inwardly he agreed with some of Mr. Zhuge's other views. He recalled how, when he fought against the Black-Clad Guards, he had been secretly alarmed: "Who is the person who set up this formation? Such a domineering and fierce formation, such tacit and brave guards, yet he arranged it flawlessly. If I hadn't boldly gambled with the icy plague, I probably wouldn't have been able to escape this formation today—the person who set up this formation is truly cunning and scheming."

Zhuge Dongge seemed to see through Chu Yi's thoughts and knew that such a clever person would understand his unspoken meaning. So he stopped talking, turned around and walked silently into the depths of the green forest. His back view was filled with indescribable bitterness and loneliness. Even after he merged into the green that was like a screen, Chu Yi's body did not change in the slightest.

This was the first time Chu Yi met Mr. Zhuge at the Bixie Mountain Villa.

After that, Zhuge Dongge vanished without a trace, like a yellow crane disappearing into the distance. Chu Yi was also quite cautious, never wandering around aimlessly. However, there was one place he frequently stayed in: a pavilion in the center of the Qingyi courtyard. This small building, like the other pavilions, was dim and simple, only when the sunlight shone did the two large characters "Dongge" on the plaque shine brightly.

The east pavilion was filled with an immense number of books; pushing open the door revealed a sea of books. Chu Yi glanced around and was astonished to find that they were all ancient books on martial arts manuals and astronomy and medicine. Looking around the entire courtyard, it seemed as if Chu Yi was the only person there; there were very few other people around. Thus, even after more than half a month at the Qingyi Camp, Chu Yi still didn't understand the secrets behind it all. He felt utterly listless, like a ghost, finding only vitality in this library. He devoted himself to reading every day, keeping the room brightly lit all night long, undisturbed and unattended. When he was hungry, he would go out to find food, which was always brought to his room by a servant, so he had no worries whatsoever.

Chu Yi buried himself in medical books every day, completely unaware that more than three months had passed outside. It was early winter, and Wufang Island, located in the East China Sea, was still relatively warm. The islanders wore only light jackets over their long gowns, but Chu Yi was still wearing a white collar and blue shirt, everything as before.

In the short span of a few months of study, Chu Yi roughly understood where he was—it was the early period of the Song Dynasty (961 BC), the second year of the Jianlong era. Judging from the source of the books that Chu Yi still couldn't understand, there must be other places around him—ancient books are called "ancient" because they have crooked and slanted characters as well as powerful and vigorous inscriptions, indicating that they were passed down from elsewhere. Eventually, Chu Yi simply stared blankly at these incomprehensible characters.

Chu Yi sat in the desolate and quiet attic for a while before finally pushing open the door and going outside.

Outside the building, the greenery remains lush and green, quiet and still, with only the steadfast presence of the pines, cypresses, and holly bushes catching the eye.

Standing beneath a straight and vigorous pine tree, Chu Yi gazed intently at the grass on the ground. After a moment, his body trembled slightly involuntarily. In the still and silent stillness, the usually quiet and composed boy seemed lost in thought.

From any angle around him, no one could fathom the boy's thoughts. What others didn't understand was that Chu Yi couldn't raise his head, for if he did, people would see the immense pain etched on his face. He could only clench his teeth tightly, his head slightly bowed, his body trembling, unable to reveal his emotions. Yes, this was the pain Chu Yi endured with suppressed suffering.

"Why did you let me live again, God!" Chu Yi cried out silently in his heart. "What's the use of me living again? What can I change? You first made me leave Tianxiao, and then you made me reborn in this world. Isn't it enough that God can't let us be together? Do we have to be separated for all eternity?"

Overwhelmed by immense pain, such surging regret, such agonizing longing, Chu Yi could no longer contain himself and staggered towards his residence. When this heart-wrenching pain finally broke the usually aloof boy, the tormented Chu Yi tightly closed his eyes to hold back the tears that were about to fall.

The melodious flute music seemed to drift into her ears, fading into the distance. After a long while, she could vaguely hear a sigh: "I was afraid you would suffer the pain of separation, so I took you away while you were asleep, and let him live on in your longing." This almost sighing voice made Chu Yi suddenly open her eyes, only to see a gentle breeze passing through the woods.

When Zhuge Dongge quietly emerged from behind the ancient cypress, Chu Yi had already disappeared.

Whether the seemingly profound gentleman had witnessed everything that had just happened remains unknown. He hesitated for a moment before heading towards Chu Yi's residence. Mr. Dongge walked steadily forward, his steps slow and deliberate, knowing that what was about to happen was beyond his control.