Claramente conocido en todo el mundo

Capítulo 24

At that moment, the square fell silent.

"Is this the master of the Shouling Palace?" Everyone wondered.

"Is this the master of the Shouling Palace?"

Unexpectedly, someone actually asked the question. In the silence, this surprised, spontaneous murmur was so loud and clear that it broke the stillness. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw two bright-eyed boys with still-childish features in a small pavilion a little further away.

Yuwen Luo was so shocked that he blurted out his words, which drew the attention of the crowd and made him feel a little embarrassed. Fortunately, everyone only glanced at them and then turned their attention back to the Lord of Shouling Palace. They carefully examined the young man and could hardly believe that he was the master of the mysterious Shouling Palace, the master of the Shouling Palace who had guarded "Lan Yin Bi Yue" for more than a hundred years!

Although countless martial arts gatherings have been held on Mount Ying, and each generation of martial arts emperors has received the supreme token "Lan Yin Bi Yue" from the Shouling Palace, with many emperors choosing to reside in the Wei Yue Palace atop the Shouling Palace, the master of the Shouling Palace has never revealed himself to the world for over a hundred years. Only the palace servants have appeared, serving the martial arts emperors on his orders. No one knows who the master of the Shouling Palace truly is or what he looks like. Therefore, the true appearance of the master of the Shouling Palace is listed as one of the ten most mysterious things in the martial arts world.

What the world knows is that the Palace Master of Shouling Palace possesses unparalleled martial arts skills, surpassing all previous martial arts emperors, if not exceeding them. This is evident from the fact that no one has ever been able to steal the "Lan Yin Bi Yue" from Shouling Palace in over a hundred years, and from the countless treacherous individuals who have perished outside the palace. However, they never imagined that the Palace Master of Shouling Palace would be such a mere teenager!

The young man floated to the center of the corridor, faced the heroes in the square, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “I am Qi Twelve, the twelfth Palace Master of Shouling Palace. I have been guarding ‘Lan Yin Bi Yue’ for more than forty years. Today I am fortunate to meet with my fellow martial artists.”

These words immediately stunned the thousands of heroes in the square!

"An old man? More than forty years?" Everyone stared in disbelief at the twelfth master of the Shouling Palace.

"This...this can't be real, right? He's been protecting us for over forty years? How old must he be?" Yuwen Luo murmured, looking at the young-looking Qi Twelve.

"Could there really be such a thing as immortality in this world?" Ning Lang asked with a look of astonishment.

Qi Shier ignored the shock of the crowd and said to himself, "The theft of 'Lan Yin Bi Yue' was due to my failure to protect it. Once the imperial decree retrieves it, I will atone for my sins with my death. All those present today can bear witness to this."

His words shocked everyone once again. Although many people had many grievances about the theft of the sacred decree, and some even had ill intentions, they did not expect that the Lord of the Guardian Palace would promise to die to atone for his sins before anyone could even make a move. Such generosity and composure were expressed so casually, as if he were not talking about his own life or death. Moreover, the century-old reputation of the Guardian Palace made them dare not question his words.

"Oh dear, it would be such a pity if you died." Lan Qi murmured, "This is the first time I've ever seen someone with such an ageless face. You should at least pass on this amazing skill to me before you die."

His voice was very low, but he obviously didn't try to hide it, so those nearby, such as Ming Er sitting next to him, could hear it clearly. He turned his eyes to look at Lan Qi and said with a hint of mockery, "It's quite surprising that Young Master Qi cares so much about his appearance. I thought only women were afraid of getting old."

Lan Qi blinked her emerald eyes and looked at Ming Er with utter innocence. "My appearance is so handsome that it is unparalleled in the world. If I grow old like this, wouldn't it make the world sad?"

Ming Er's lips twitched slightly as he smiled. That eerily beautiful face was so close, and for a moment he felt it was extremely irritating, yet at the same time he felt it would be a great pity if it truly withered away. He turned his head and looked at the ageless Palace Master.

"The reason why the Shouling Palace has gathered martial arts practitioners from all over the world at Yingshan is to pool everyone's strength to find the person who stole the imperial edict and retrieve it to bring peace to the martial arts world," Qi Shier added. "Therefore, today we will only discuss this matter and not anything else. I hope that all heroes will spare no effort."

After thinking it over, everyone agreed that it made sense. While it was important to investigate the responsibility of the Guardian Palace for failing to deliver the order, finding the Martial Arts Sacred Order was even more important. A flurry of discussion ensued: who had stolen the "Orchid Moon Jade," why had it been stolen, and where was it now? The square erupted in commotion.

"Gentlemen."

Just as everyone was discussing this, a calm voice rang out, immediately silencing them and causing them to all turn to look at the speaker.

Standing tall in the corridor, Kong Chang faced the assembled heroes in the square. "Fellow practitioners," he said, "the theft of the Sacred Decree is a responsibility we all share as members of the martial world. Retrieving it is our inescapable duty. However, searching aimlessly will only waste our time and effort. Therefore, please quiet down and ask Palace Master Qi to recount the events of that day in detail, and let's see if any clues were left behind." He then turned to Qi Twelve, "What does Palace Master Qi think?"

"Hmm." Qi Twelve nodded lightly.

"What you say makes sense, sir. We'll listen to you." This was Qi Zha's remark, and after he finished speaking, the square fell silent.

"As expected of the number one martial artist, your words carry weight." Yuwen Luo repeatedly praised and admired him.

"Is this Palace Master Qi really that old?" Ning Lang was more concerned with another question. "Why has the Palace Master of Shouling Palace never interacted with the world for over a hundred years? Why does he maintain the appearance of a teenager? Has he taken some kind of medicine or practiced some kind of martial arts?"

“I’d like to know too.” Yuwen Luo nodded repeatedly. “Look at him, he looks younger than us, yet he acts all old and calls himself ‘this old man.’ It sounds really awkward.”

"That was the night of July 12th..."

Qi Twelve slowly began to speak, but suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the distance, his hands behind his back, and remained silent for a long time. The crowd waiting in the square waited for a while, but he still didn't speak, so they were both puzzled and impatient. Some wanted to shout, but seeing that the sect leaders and family heads in the corridor were all patiently waiting for Qi Twelve, they swallowed their anger.

Yuwen Luo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The token was stolen on July 12th, and the person arrived at Changtian Manor on July 16th. That's fast! The people guarding the token are truly amazing!

"There's not much to say about that night. Three hundred and fifty-six people died in the Guardian Palace, and they... it's more accurate to say they stole the 'Orchid Moon' than stole it. They took it away at the cost of five hundred and twenty-seven lives."

Qi Shier's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion. He didn't look at anyone, speaking expressionlessly.

But at that moment, everyone felt a tremor in their hearts, and the entire square and the entire Shouling Palace fell silent.

Three hundred and fifty-six... five hundred and twenty-seven... that's a total of eight hundred and eighty-three lives! Gone that very night!

What happened that night on Mount Ying, in the Shouling Palace, they had no way of knowing, but... it must have been tragic, bloody, and cruel!

For over a hundred years, the Yingshan Guardian Palace has been regarded by all martial artists as a place more heavily guarded than the imperial palace, a place more secure than any fortress. But... 527 people broke through this Guardian Palace with their blood and lives, taking away the most sacred thing in the martial arts world from here!

Over a hundred years...it's been one hundred and thirty years! Since Emperor Wu, Han Pu, the Shouling Palace has guarded the "Lan Yin Bi Yue" for a full one hundred and thirty years! During this time, how many people have coveted it, how many have tried to seize or steal the decree? Those who tried to escape or die all ended in failure. And what price has the Shouling Palace paid to protect this sacred decree? No one in the martial world has ever thought about it, no one has ever pondered it deeply. It's as if everything the Shouling Palace has done is taken for granted. They didn't see it, so they assumed it didn't exist. But now, when the Shouling Palace Master himself uttered the words "three hundred and fifty-six people have died," they suddenly remembered, and clearly felt, the hardships and suffering the Shouling Palace had endured, the blood and lives it had shed!

But even though they paid the price of 356 lives, they still failed to protect what they had guarded for over a hundred years. How did that make them feel?

"Once the imperial decree is found, I will atone for my sins with my own death."

That's what the Palace Master of Shouling Palace said to all the martial arts practitioners. Was he apologizing to the martial world or to the wandering spirits lingering on Mount Ying?

At that moment, everyone was speechless.

"The martial arts and poisons they used are all things I've never seen or heard of before," Qi Shier said again, his eyes still not looking at anyone, but gazing into the void ahead. "We have carefully examined the 527 corpses they left behind, and there is nothing special about them. They are all strangers, and all of them are top-notch masters."

Qi Shier's gaze slowly returned to the plaza, then drifted back into the void. "Although the Shouling Palace doesn't concern itself with the affairs of the martial world, it has a very clear understanding of the martial arts of all sects and schools, as well as all the slightly famous and powerful masters. Whether it's a miraculous healing elixir or a deadly poison, as long as it has ever appeared, the Shouling Palace will keep a record. However, the people who appeared that night, the martial arts they used, and the poison they used are truly unprecedented in the martial world." Chapter Thirty, Part Ten: The Master of the Shouling Palace (Part Two)

Updated: [2008-11-28 14:07:02.0]

Free Mobile Game Downloads - Mobile Online Games - Mobile Software - Novels - Serialized Novels - Original Novels - E-books -

"So, does that mean we don't have a single clue?" Kong looked at Qi Twelve.

“Yes.” Qi Shier turned around, his eyes finally looking at the person, “but it’s hard to say whether the clues were left intentionally or unintentionally.”

"Oh? What is it?" Kong asked.

Qi Twelve beckoned, and a palace attendant emerged from the palace, carrying a piece of jade about a foot square. He approached Qi Twelve, presented the jade, and then withdrew. Qi Twelve gazed at the jade for a moment before handing it to Kong.

He took it; it was a flawless, pure green jade, cool to the touch, lustrous and translucent, clearly of excellent quality and extraordinary value. His gaze swept over it carefully, and when it reached the lower left corner, his expression changed, and his eyes fixed on the jade in his hand.

"Hero, have you discovered something?" Qiu Changtian and the others asked, noticing his unusual expression.

Kong nodded, then handed the jade to Qiu Changtian. Qiu Changtian's expression changed upon seeing it. After a moment's hesitation, he passed it to Nan Wofeng... and so on. When the jade reached Lan Qi, he looked at the translucent jade and exclaimed with delight, "It's so beautiful! I like it." He touched it with his fingers, then turned to Ming Er, "Second Young Master likes jade crowns to adorn his hair. If such a beautiful jade were carved into a crown and worn on your head, it would surely accentuate your elegant demeanor." With that, he handed it to Ming Er.

Green crown? Green hat? The people around couldn't help but chuckle.

Ming Er took the jade pendant, glanced at Lan Qi, and his face showed a faint helplessness that everyone could see, just like an adult's helplessness in the face of a child's prank. Thus, everyone felt that this young master Ming Er was indeed a refined gentleman, while this young master Lan Qi was truly unruly and willful.

Ming Er's gaze was fixed on the lower left of Bi Yu. Lan Qi leaned closer, covering her lips with her jade fan and chuckled, "Isn't it interesting?"

Ming Er glanced sideways at Lan Qi, then handed the jade to Hua Qinghe without saying a word. Hua Qinghe wanted to pass it to Lie Chifeng, but the third master of the Lie family had his eyes closed and was clearly not interested in anything outside. So the eldest son of the Hua family had no choice but to hand the jade to his family members behind him and have them take it to the right corridor for everyone to see.

After examining the jade, Kong's expression turned solemn. He lowered his eyes, clearly lost in thought. Those who had seen the jade were also filled with doubt and wanted to ask questions, but they all fell silent upon seeing Kong's expression.

After the people in the right corridor of the jade pendant had seen it, it was passed on to the people in the square. Those people did not have the composure and patience of the sect leader and family head in the corridor. They couldn't help but mutter and discuss it, and the square immediately buzzed, as if a hornet's nest had been stirred up.

Lan Qi watched the jade being passed around among so many people and couldn't help but feel a great sense of regret. "What a fine piece of jade! It's being ruined by all these people touching it so much."

Ming Er smiled faintly, "Seventh Young Master cherishes this piece of jade so much, could it be that you really want to make a jade crown to wear?" As he spoke, he looked at Lan Qi's green eyes, "To be honest, this piece of jade really suits Seventh Young Master's eyes very well."

A fake immortal! A vengeful fake immortal! But what kind of person is Lan Qi Shao? How could he be at a disadvantage? With a wave of his jade fan, his eyes blossomed into a smile, shimmering with light, as if all the spring colors of the world were reflected in his eyes. "I'm not interested in the jade crown, but I'm quite fond of the jade hairpin." As he spoke, he leaned slightly towards Ming Er, and in a low, seductive voice that only the two of them could hear, he teased, "I remember that you said you would give me a jade hairpin. Why don't you take some material from this piece of jade and carve one for me?"

Ming Er smiled gently, his voice softer than the spring breeze, enough for Lan Qi to hear clearly, "When a man gives a hairpin, it is traditionally reserved for a lover or wife. Ming Er has no interest in sharing a lover's hairpin or a homosexual relationship. Could it be that, Seventh Young Master..."

The words ended there, but the unspoken meaning was clear. Lan Qi shivered instantly. Sharing a peach? Homosexuality? Lovers? Husband and wife? And this person? Her emerald eyes stared at the pristine face, praised as divine, so close to hers, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She instantly took a few steps back, then her gaze shifted to the honest-looking child in the pavilion not far away. She breathed a sigh of relief, regaining her composure and elegance, "Second Young Master is a banished immortal; would he also be bound by worldly conventions?"

Ming Er also turned his head to look at Yuwen Luo and Ning Lang in the pavilion. Their eyes met, and they nodded and smiled slightly without saying anything more.

On the lower left of the jade is a faint half-palm print, covering the thumb to the middle finger. The print is quite peculiar. When an ordinary person leaves a palm print on something, regardless of its depth, the entire palm will be imprinted. However, this palm print is very faint on the body of the palm, with only the fingertips and the joints where the finger bones and metacarpal bones meet being deeply imprinted. The six deep indentations in the two rows are imprinted one-tenth of the way in. At first glance, it looks like three strings of beads. However, if this palm print were placed on a person's body, those six deep indentations would be a pale red color, like red buds blooming on a branch!

Those who didn't understand asked in confusion, "What is this?"

He was shocked and incredulous after understanding, and asked, "How could this be?"

Another buzzing sound filled the square.

Yuwen Luo was starting to regret it. The pavilion had an excellent view and was very quiet, but no one seemed to remember to show the jade pendant to the two of them, even though it was being talked about in the square.

"What exactly is on that jade?" Ning Lang couldn't help but ask.

"I wish I knew." Yuwen Luo pursed his lips. "Let's wait and see what they have to say."

After a long while, Kong finally stood up, stretched out his palm and pressed it into the air, and the buzzing in the square immediately stopped and became as quiet as ever.

"I imagine everyone has already seen the palm print on the jade." Kong's voice was long and calm, and everyone in the square could hear it clearly. "Perhaps some of you have already figured out how the palm print was made."

"Great hero, this can't be real, can it?" someone couldn't help but ask.

“That’s true. Only the ‘Bewilderment Palm’ could leave that palm print. It’s a unique martial art of our Wind and Mist Sect,” Kong replied.

"What?!" The entire square was shocked.

The palm print left behind was the "Bewilderment Palm," unique to the Wind and Mist Sect? Then… does that mean the Wind and Mist Sect stole the "Orchid Moon Jade"? But… anyone with a modicum of sense thinks a little more carefully. Wait a minute, the "Orchid Token" was returned to the Guardian Palace by the hero himself. Why would he send someone to steal it again? That doesn't make sense. Moreover, the Wind and Mist Sect is the number one sect in the martial arts world; who doesn't respect and admire them? Would they really need to steal the "Orchid Moon Jade"? Would they really need to sacrifice the lives of 527 masters to do so? Besides, the hero is definitely not that kind of person!

"But the Wind and Mist Sect has never seized the order." Kong's words were resounding, calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Then who exactly stole this imperial edict? And why does it possess the unique martial arts of the Wind and Mist Sect?" A clear, melodious voice rang out. "Looking across the martial world, there are very few who have the strength to steal the imperial edict from the Guardian Palace, but the Wind and Mist Sect truly possesses this ability." The veiled woman accompanying the sect gazed at the empty space with her bright, clear eyes. Though her face was hidden, one could sense that she was smiling broadly. "Sect Leader, could you please enlighten us?"

"Yes, great hero, why is there the unique 'Wandering Palm' handprint of the Wind and Mist Sect on this jade?" someone else asked.

"That's right. Since it's a martial art unique to the Fengwu Sect, it must be something that no one else in the martial arts world knows. So the one who left this palm print must be someone from the Fengwu Sect!" Some people thought so too.

"Could it be that the Wind and Mist Sect has sent out treacherous villains?" some speculated.

"Speaking of which, the Wind and Mist Sect is the number one sect in the martial arts world. Apart from them, which of our sects can pick out 527 top-notch masters?" someone vented their pent-up resentment.

……

Faced with the discussions and speculations of the crowd in the square, Kong frowned, then smoothed his brows, quietly watching and listening.

"Everyone," Qiu Changtian stood up.

The square quieted down a bit.

"Everyone knows whether the Wind and Mist Sect stole the token," Qiu Changtian said loudly. "Why is there a 'Bewilderment Palm' imprint on the jade? This is something that the great hero must want to find out more than we do. I might as well hear what the great hero has to say first, and then make a conclusion."

Nan Wofeng also stood up and said, “Fellow practitioners, the Fengwu Sect’s century-old reputation cannot be tarnished. Everyone knows the great hero’s character, so let’s stop speculating. Moreover, the Fengwu Sect is not the only sect in the martial world capable of finding 527 top-tier masters.” He glanced at the Sui Sect, then at Ren Qi, “Qianbi and the Sui Sect are both major sects in the martial world. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to find 500 top-tier masters. Furthermore, 527 top-tier masters died on Ying Mountain. If the Fengwu, Qianbi, and Sui Sects lost so many masters all at once, how could we not know?”

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made perfect sense.

“Great hero, why is there the unique palm print of the Wind and Mist Sect on this jade?” someone asked first.

"Great hero, is the 'Bewilderment Palm' truly only known to the Wind and Mist Sect?" someone asked.

The jade piece had been retrieved from the plaza by the palace guards. Kong reached out and took the jade, then stroked the half-palm print and said clearly, "This palm print is indeed left by the 'Wandering Palm' of the Wind and Mist Sect. This palm technique has always been passed down only to disciples of the Wind and Mist Sect."

"Huh?" Everyone was startled again. So, could it really be the work of the Wind Mist Sect?

"When I first saw this palm print, I was extremely surprised," Kong continued. "After thinking about it carefully, I remembered a past event of our sect's Master Yun. Perhaps this can solve the mystery of this palm print and also explain why we have never seen the more than five hundred corpses they left behind."

"What is it?" someone asked.

"Hurry up and tell me, great hero!" someone impatiently said.

Kong raised his hand, signaling everyone not to rush, and continued slowly: "Our sect's fourth-generation leader, Yun Chao, is a genius with exceptional talent. He is the second person after our patriarch to master the 'Azure Sky Ode,' and this 'Bewilderment Palm' is his creation. One year, when he was traveling in Yingzhou, he met a young man surnamed Yun. Leader Yun and he hit it off immediately and became very close. In addition, since the young man also had the surname Yun, they became sworn brothers, and he passed on his self-created 'Bewilderment Palm' to this young man surnamed Yun as a gift."