CHAPTER 480: CHAPTER 467: NIGHT VISIT TO SWORD PAVILION

This place was already at a high altitude, and climbing the mountain was even higher. Zhao Changhe often heard about altitude sickness in the modern world; it was said that those who did not acclimate could turn pale with labored breathing, and in severe cases, it could lead to accidents.

As a result, when he tried it himself, he felt... nothing.

The air became thinner, which might actually be even more uncomfortable for martial artists than for ordinary people, because it involved energy circulation and the flow of blood and Qi. Martial artists required a greater intake of external energy than normal people, and such an environment further limited their abilities.

But for the couple who had opened the door to the Secret Treasure, with their internal circulation system, this was not an issue.

Forget the thin air; even if they were to dive into deep water now, the time they could hold their breath would astonish onlookers.

In other words, if Wuding had chosen this place as the new location for the sect, it might actually be disadvantageous for most of the disciples. Perhaps they would have to rely on medicines to cope?

Moreover, life here was extremely inconvenient. Even if they wanted to practice swordsmanship on the Snow Mountain, it was unnecessary to build the Sword Pavilion at the peak. Did they not care about living a normal life... Zhao Changhe, having seen a wide variety of places, knew very well that most so-called "strongholds" or "sect gates" were rarely located at the summit. Most chose to set up halfway up the mountain, with only significant places like temples built at the top. Yet the Sword Pavilion had, absurdly, situated all of its members at a mountain peak thousands of meters above sea level, screaming impracticality.

Ever since the anomaly at the Sword Pavilion in Ba Mountain had been discovered, Zhao Changhe had been feeling uneasily jittery. Initially, he thought it was because Yue Hongling was in a dangerous situation, but even after meeting up with her, the sense of alarm in his heart did not fade. The closer they got to this place, the stronger the sense of alarm became.

There must be something wrong here...

The two of them quietly infiltrated the mountain, and sure enough, this temporary new residence could not possibly have any elaborate defenses, just very ordinary wooden houses haphazardly constructed, surrounded by rocks and plants that made it exceedingly easy to hide and gather intelligence.

To their surprise, there was actually snow accumulated here, and the higher they went, the thicker it became. A chilly wind howled, and the temperature was extremely cold. If an ordinary person came up here wearing their thin summer clothes, they’d likely freeze to death.

"I asked Sisi, and she said there shouldn’t be any snow at this time of year. Even if there were, it would only be a little bit at the summit, but now it’s deep enough to cover our ankles, which is very abnormal," Yue Hongling quietly communicated through a voice transmission.

It turns out you quietly went to Sisi’s place, and you’ve quietly asked her about it too...

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky. It was evening when they arrived here, and by the time they climbed to the summit, it was nightfall. Snowflakes began to waft down, and the surrounding cottages were silent with few lights—a perfect murderous snow-storm night.

After observing for a while, they saw the light of a candle from what looked like a living room in a grass hut. The hut was built against the mountain stone at the back, with a wide-open view at the front, making it difficult to approach. The roof, covered with thatch, could not support anyone standing on it.

The two exchanged a glance and deftly scaled the adjacent rocks, circling around to the back of the mountain stone. Yue Hongling leaped downward, and Zhao Changhe followed, hanging upside down from the rocky mountain, reaching out to catch Yue Hongling’s ankles. Their combined heights were just enough for Yue Hongling to hang and peer into the hut through a hole in the roof.

Wuding was not inside.

Under the dim candlelight, a few people gathered around the table drinking and speaking softly, "...The Sect Master was too impulsive this time. The cooperation with the Black Miao was going well, but now it’s all crumbled—what a mess..."

"No matter, we didn’t rely much on the Black Miao anyway. We’ve already gotten most of what we needed from them. It was quite obvious that they were just stringing us along. The Sect Master has probably been harboring the idea of a fallout for a while now... It’s just that Wang Daozhong touched upon his sore spot, triggering the outburst. Now, the Black Miao are too busy with their own troubles to bother us. We still have enough time."

"That’s true... Speaking of which, Wang Daozhong is really sneaky. Isn’t Langya Wang supposed to have some dignity, not engaging in covert schemes?"

"You believe that? Those who don’t play dirty, what did they do in Hongnong that got them caught?"

"Indeed."

That person scoffed, "We’re still in good shape. I heard that the Black Miao have already sent someone to Shu County to find out if anyone knows Wang Daozhong’s birth details. I reckon they’re most likely going to use a Great Curse. If it succeeds, no matter where he is in the world, they’ll make sure he dies a terrible death; even Wang Daoning won’t be able to protect him."

"Do they still need blood and hair? Is just having his name and birth details enough to curse someone?"

"Lei Ao once sent an assassin to kill Wang Daozhong, and it’s said that he did get scratched. So collecting his blood should be possible... not sure how useful it would still be after being diluted by lake water. Anyway, that’s for the Black Miao to worry about; we don’t understand curses... If it were up to the Sect Master, he wouldn’t want to rely on the Black Miao for a curse—he’d prefer to kill Wang Daozhong with his own hands to settle the score."

Zhao Changhe could not see who was speaking, but he heard everything and was rather speechless.

He wondered what sort of effect a curse concocted with his own blood, coupled with Old Wang’s name and birth details, might have? If the blood didn’t match, the curse was likely to be ineffective, but on the small chance it worked, might it split the damage between them? He’d taken Sisi’s preventative medicine, so he should be able to withstand the share... He just hoped Old Wang was alright.

The gossip about Wang Daozhong inside the hut was short-lived, and soon the conversation turned, "Let’s not talk about Wang Daozhong anymore. What’s the situation with Han Wubing?"

Someone said, "He has come."

The room fell silent instantly, and after a long while, someone finally said, "He exchanged moves with Ying Shuang. He should know everything by now. Is he still willing to come?"

"Han Wubing is clear about debts of gratitude and revenge. After all, the Sect Master is his martial arts mentor who raised him. As long as there is a sign of willingness to reconcile, Han Wubing is expected to consider it."

The room fell silent once more, and Yue Hongling noticed a hesitation hanging over everyone’s face, as if they were all mired in an awkward dilemma.

This wasn’t right...

Based on this, was it as if Wuding had lured Han Wubing here, intending to harm him?

Did such an act make the mid-to-high ranks of Sword Pavilion feel conflicted, as if it went against their conscience?

She quietly conveyed her thoughts to Zhao Changhe, who could no longer remain calm, "How many people inside?"

"Three."

"Is there a chance to subdue them instantly? It looks like eavesdropping won’t let us hear anything specific. Idle chat won’t cover these topics, so we must capture them to get answers."

"...Stay calm, from what I’ve observed, they’re not weak. We’re in the enemy’s lair; caution is best." Yue Hongling pressed her ankle firmly, flew backward, and squatted behind the rocks, whispering, "They are drinking; when one drinks, nature calls. We’ll separate and conquer."

Zhao Changhe nodded, containing his impatience and lying in wait. As expected, shortly after, the hut door opened, and a man casually stepped out to relieve himself against the rocks.

His belt was not even unbuckled when suddenly pain struck the back of his neck, and he lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he found himself in the snowy forest, a scar-faced man gripping him fiercely, his energy sealed to stop him from making a sound, and coldly asked, "What does your Sect Master want with Han Wubing?"

The Sword Pavilion disciple fell silent; he recognized Zhao Changhe.

Over a month ago, in Han Wubing’s Sword Pavilion battle against Ying Shuang, he had become aware that Listening Snow Tower’s assassin was after Zhao Changhe and had been tracking him for half a year, chasing him across a thousand miles.

More than a month later, Zhao Changhe had ventured into dangerous territory, perhaps for something else. But upon hearing something about Han Wubing, everything else was pushed aside to clarify this matter first.

I came to the banquet to toast the pure wind; with a sense of justice, I swallowed the rainbow.

He felt an inexplicable sadness, murmuring to himself, "This is the original intention behind our study of the sword..."

Zhao Changhe’s eyes moved slightly as he watched the disciple without speaking.

The Sword Pavilion disciple sighed, "It’s already too late now that Han Wubing has come here... You don’t have enough strength; it’s just a needless death."

There seemed to be a hint of goodwill in his words...

"That’s not for you to worry about," Zhao Changhe replied. "I just need to know the full story. Even if it means death, it will be a death contentedly embraced."

The Sword Pavilion disciple nodded, "Yue Hongling discovered we were breeding Sword Slaves, and you rescued her from the Black Miao pursuers... You must know about this."

"Hmm. And then?"

"In fact, the Sect Master’s Sword Slave Skill began over a decade ago... In his early years, the Sect Master wasn’t as aggressive as now and didn’t start with direct infusion of Sword Qi into living souls to replace consciousness. Instead, he cultivated them from a young age and scattered them throughout various places. That’s why many forces in Ba Shu have Sword Pavilion disciples..."

The Sword Pavilion disciple watched Zhao Changhe’s expression and slowly continued, "Not all from the previous generation were of the ’Wu’ generation. All with that generation’s name were actually personal marks of the Sect Master."

Zhao Changhe’s face changed dramatically.

This meant... Han Wubing had been a Sword Slave from a young age!

Was he living out a certain cultivation of Wuding, let loose, and finally to be reclaimed?

"Each such Sword Slave has their own sense of self and identity..." continued the Sword Pavilion disciple slowly. "Some are retainers to others, some are even officials of Ba Shu... and of course, other settings, like being bullied by fellow disciples and thus breaking away in anger."

Zhao Changhe’s face darkened.

"Only in this way can each different individual create myriad Sword Intents, serving as nourishment for the Sword Master... It’s just a pity that over the years, the Sect Master has still been stuck at a bottleneck, unable to touch the door to the Heavenly List. Hence, he’s become more aggressive, transitioning from slowly cultivating them from a young age to directly acquiring adult Sword Slaves..."

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath, "Then, the relocation of the entire sect to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, what does it represent in this aggression?"

"There is a Secret Realm here, and some time ago the Sect Master obtained a key to unlock it," the disciple said, also seeming lost. "But we can’t find the exact location to open it. I don’t know if the Sect Master asking Han Wubing to return is related to this."