Oscuramente encantador - Capítulo 132
"dream!"
"Oh, right."
"What else?"
"What I just said is all true."
Xiao Dao paused for a moment, then hummed and pouted, trying to suppress the corners of her mouth from turning up involuntarily. As soon as Xue Beifan saw her pout, he quickly went up and kissed her.
63
【Mystery of the North Sea】
"Where is it?" Xiao Dao stood on a beam in the Beihai Sect ancestral hall, looking up at the roof. Below, Xue Beifan pointed in the direction, "The third square from the east!"
“East side…” Xiao Dao counted the squares one by one, finally finding a loose spot. She gently lifted the wooden board and heard a “click.” Xiao Dao knew there must be a knob-like mechanism inside, so she shifted it slightly. The wooden board retracted, and half of the box fell out.
Xiao Dao took the box and opened it... Inside was the last piece of dragon bone.
He leaped down from the roof beam, assembled the keel with the other four pieces, and after securing it slightly, the entire map became clearly visible. However, upon reconstructing the image, he discovered it wasn't a map at all, but rather a strange pattern. Ironically, the pattern seemed strangely familiar, though he couldn't place where he'd seen it before.
"Where have I seen this before?" Xiao Dao muttered to himself, but Xue Beifan was surprised. "You've seen it before?"
Xiao Dao frowned and asked, "Haven't you seen it before?"
Xue Beifan gently shook his head, "I didn't."
Xiao Dao was a little puzzled. Along the way, she and Xue Beifan had almost always been together. She remembered it, so there was no reason why he hadn't! Could it be that she saw it before they got together? But she had just entered the martial arts world and had already run into Xue Beifan. She hadn't seen anything similar anywhere else before!
Back in the front yard, Xue Beifan saw that Xiaodao was still looking worried, so he teased her, "Take your time, don't rush."
"Hmm..." Before Xiao Dao could speak, Su Ji's voice came from outside, as if someone was speaking.
Xiao Dao felt a slight tightness in his heart—it seemed that Feng Wuyou was the one speaking to Su Ji.
Sure enough, the two walked in while chatting.
Although Su Ji was the nominal mistress of the Beihai Sect, Feng Wuyou didn't take her seriously at all.
Su Ji seemed somewhat wary of her as well. After Feng Wuyou entered the room, she gently waved to Su Ji, who quickly left.
Xue Beifan frowned slightly when he saw Feng Wuyou.
"Have you found all the dragon bones?" Feng Wuyou asked Xue Beifan directly as soon as he entered the room.
Xue Beifan nodded slightly. "That's about it."
Xiao Dao was puzzled—could Feng Wuyou have been involved in this as well? He looked at Xue Beifan with confusion.
Feng Wuyou smiled faintly and looked at Yan Xiaodao, "In this world, only the descendants of my Feng family can understand the Holy Martial Emperor Manual. In other words, even if you get your hands on the Holy Martial Emperor Manual, it will be a piece of waste paper! Unless I translate it for you."
Xiao Dao was secretly surprised.
After Feng Wuyou finished speaking, he turned and left, looking rather smug.
After Feng Wuyou left, Xue Beifan gently tugged at his knife and whispered, "Let's go look for it first."
Xiao Dao nodded.
At this moment, Chonghua and Xiaoyue went out, Hao Jinfeng was still practicing his skills, and Wang Bibo had disappeared. Only Yan Xiaodao and Xue Beifan remained in the Beihai Sect.
"Where did they all go?" Xiao Dao didn't ask any more questions, just chatted casually.
Xue Beifan pulled on the knife. "Let's talk as we walk."
"What did you say?" Xiao Dao asked, puzzled.
"The secret of the Crystal Palace in Beihai," Xue Beifan said in a low voice.
Xiao Dao had been very eager to know, but now that she had the chance to be told, she was afraid. "You...didn't you say you didn't know before?!"
Xue Beifan was embarrassed. "There are many things I've been keeping from you."
Xiao Dao frowned. "You seemed so relaxed when you said 'you kept it from me'!"
Xue Beifan looked at Xiaodao with great remorse, "I didn't really mean to lie to you, I just hadn't thought it through at first..."
However, Xiao Dao didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter further. Instead, she urged him, "Speak up."
Xue Beifan nodded and said in a low voice, "The Crystal Palace in Beihai is a secret sacred place of the Xue family, which has been passed down for a long time."
"Hmm." Xiao Dao nodded; this was acceptable.
"The Crystal Palace is built underwater, half of it submerged, and can only be traversed by golden boats. This Moon Sea Golden Boat is the largest of these, moored within a crescent-shaped secret chamber, hence its name. The Moon Sea Golden Boat is where the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual is hidden, and it is riddled with traps. Inside the Crystal Palace are countless rare treasures. The Xue family ancestors were once powerful pirates who plundered a great deal of wealth, all of which is hidden there. And the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual is the most valuable of all these treasures!"
"After all that talk," Xiao Dao asked, arms crossed, "what exactly is the Holy Martial Emperor's Register? Why has it taken so long to figure it out?"
Xue Beifan sighed softly, "The Holy Martial Emperor's Register records the most powerful martial arts in the world, which were written by the Holy Martial Emperor himself."
Xiao Dao was astonished. "Xue Beihai's kung fu is already the best in the world, what does he need that thing for?"
Xue Beifan sneered, "If one masters the Holy Martial Emperor Manual, one's martial arts prowess will far surpass empty titles like 'Number One Under Heaven.' It is said to be able to change the color of heaven and earth, and at that time, one can summon wind and rain and control the world with extraordinary skills."
"Tsk." Xiao Dao shook his head. "That guy is too greedy. Shall we not find him anything?"
Xue Beifan lowered his head and said, "Back then, I made a contract with my elder brother. If I helped him obtain the Holy Martial Emperor's Register, he would set me free."
Xiao Dao pondered for a moment. Xue Beifan hadn't lied to him; he had said the same thing at the beginning.
"Do you know where my brother went this past year?" Xue Beifan asked.
Xiao Dao shook his head slightly.
"Xue Beihai devoted his life to martial arts, especially unorthodox and unorthodox techniques. He dreamed of mastering the Sacred Martial Emperor Manual, so he did many things according to legend. I originally thought he wouldn't live long, but he was extremely talented. Not only did he not die, he improved more and more. Before mastering the Sacred Martial Emperor Manual, one needs to drain half of the blood from one's body and then maintain a half-blood state, reversing the flow of blood through the meridians to cultivate internal energy for a year."
Upon hearing Xue Beifan's words, Yan Xiaodao's eyes widened in disbelief. "Won't this person die?!"
"If I haven't mastered the martial arts of the Holy Martial Emperor Manual by the end of the year, I will die!" Xue Beifan smiled faintly. "Xue Beihai was originally extremely skilled, even better than me, but at this moment, I might be able to defeat him."
"Oh." Little Knife understood. "So you want to take this best opportunity to kill him, or destroy the Holy Martial Emperor's Register, is that right?"
“That’s right.” Xue Beifan nodded.
"Oh dear, why don't we just burn these dragon bones?" Little Knife said. "Without the dragon bones, no one can find the North Sea Crystal Palace. If they can't find it, they can't master the kung fu, and then Xue Beihai is doomed!"
"Hehe." Xue Beifan shook his head with a smile. "Xue Beihai is probably in the Crystal Palace right now."
"What?!" Xiao Dao exclaimed in surprise. "Then why did he need a whole year to have us find those dragon bones?"
"Because we don't know the location of the Crystal Palace in Beihai," Xue Beifan said seriously. "Moreover, there is another essential condition for Xue Beihai to master the Holy Martial Emperor Manual."
"What?"
"My blood."
Xiao Dao covered her mouth, looking at Xue Beifan in surprise.
“He lost half his blood, and he needs another half. That other half needs to be related to him by blood, and also have good martial arts skills and deep internal strength.” Xue Beifan shrugged. “Only in this way can he master the true divine skill. That’s why the mother and son spared my life and even desperately taught me martial arts.”
"Then don't go!" Little Knife cried anxiously. "That mother and son monsters are too vicious. Let's hide!"
“It’s no use,” Xue Beifan said in a low voice. “If he has finished cultivating his internal energy in a year, he can practice the skills in the Holy Martial Emperor’s Manual first, and then come out and ask me for blood.”
"Then you'll have nowhere to hide?" Xiao Dao worried, and suddenly understood Xue Beihai's purpose in instructing Xue Beifan to find the dragon bone: to stall him for a year! Xue Beifan had no choice; to regain his freedom, or rather, to survive, he had to eliminate Xue Beihai. And this was the perfect opportunity to kill him, as Xue Beihai hadn't fully mastered his skills! If they missed it, not only would Xue Beifan die, but the world would likely suffer as well.
"The Holy Martial Emperor's Manual is an evil skill that is explicitly forbidden to practice. Once someone masters it, it will not only bring disaster to the martial arts world but also to the world." Xue Beifan smiled slightly. "Although I am not so concerned about the country and its people, I still want to protect my own life, especially after meeting you."
"Then what can I do?" Xiao Dao asked, blushing.
"The Moon Sea Golden Ship is riddled with traps," Xue Beifan said seriously. "Once we find the entrance to the Crystal Palace, I'll hold off Xue Beihai while you retrieve the Holy Martial Emperor's Scroll from the Moon Sea Golden Ship and destroy it!"