amaotonovel Chapter 37 Deer-Cutting Peak
Chapter 37 Deer-Cutting Peak
Inside the ancestral hall of the Mu family in Yongning Prefecture, Madam Su and her entourage, along with several members of the Mu family, had been waiting for two days.
The jade statue, which had been maintaining a faint glow, eventually dimmed completely.
Mu Cundao's face was already extremely ugly, and now his heart sank even further.
Beside Madam Su was a golden plate engraved with directions, which now began to shimmer faintly.
"Madam, this is wonderful news! The young master has actually shown up."
The middle-aged man, who had been staring intently at the gold plate, was overjoyed and exclaimed.
After the jade statue trembled violently that day, Madam Su ordered her men to bring out a golden plate and keep a close watch on the location of the heir, which remained silent and without light.
Where is the Crown Prince?
Madam Su looked back at the golden plate, both surprised and delighted, and urged her to ask.
The middle-aged man read the chart and made some calculations, then looked up in surprise and replied:
"According to my calculations, the Crown Prince is located approximately 1,300 li northwest of here. It should be... within the Zhuolu Mountains of Luzhou!"
Mrs. Su was greatly surprised and stood up abruptly:
"Du Tingyun, take the golden plate and hurry to Luzhou to find the Crown Prince."
Xu Huanzhen circled around and returned to her original spot. Seeing that the huge golden boat had disappeared without a trace, her face showed no unusual expression.
“Miss Lin, in my opinion, this place should be in the southeast half of Zhuolu Mountain, more than 5,000 feet away from the plains.”
Luo Sifan nodded. He wasn't familiar with the geography of this place, so he assumed Xu Huanzhen's judgment was correct.
"Miss Lin, aren't you going to explain why we're here? We're over a thousand miles away from Yongning Prefecture!"
Xu Huanzhen couldn't help but ask.
Luo Sifan rolled his eyes and made up a story about wandering around in the cave for two days before suddenly falling into this place.
Xu Huanzhen was still skeptical and continued to press for answers:
"Did Miss Lin see Du Xiaoyu on this trip? And how did you find the place where the treasures are hidden?"
Luo Sifan then remembered the missing Du Xiaoyu. He speculated that Du Xiaoyu had most likely been brainwashed by the Soul Realm and become one of the "Line Runners".
"I haven't seen any, and there are no human remains in the cave, so they must still be trapped somewhere."
Luo Sifan replied calmly, "As for the location of the treasure, I'll just say it's at the end of a secret passage in the cave."
Mu Xiaoqing said in her letter that she would permanently close the passage between the jade statue and the soul realm. Luo Sifan can boast all he wants without worrying about being exposed.
Xu Huanzhen frowned, her bright eyes fixed on Luo Sifan, who was spouting nonsense, and she could no longer contain herself:
“Miss Lin, do you know that I, Xu, cultivate the sword body and practice the way of the sword... I am most skilled at observing the aura, character, and subtle details of ordinary people.”
"Miss Lin, although you meant no harm, the inaccuracies in your words are rather blatant!"
Xu Huanzhen pointed sarcastically at the incandescent sun in the sky.
Luo Sifan's face flushed slightly, and he simply gave up, glaring at her:
"I've seen plenty of swordsmen of all skill levels. Young Master Xu, don't take yourself too seriously. How do you know I didn't deliberately reveal a flaw to tease you? You should know that even if you think you can see through the illusions and the truth, you may not be able to guess the real thing."
After listening to his rambling nonsense, Xu Huanzhen was stunned and sighed:
"Human hearts are the most unpredictable thing, and I, Xu Huanzhen, have been a bit too presumptuous. Miss Lin is right. Since I believe that Miss Lin has no ill intentions, I should not make unfounded assumptions based on appearances."
After saying that, he even bowed respectfully to Luo Sifan in a seemingly proper manner.
"Xu Huanzhen of Cangjian Mountain thanks Miss Lin for her assistance at the Mu family."
Luo Sifan was exasperated by Xu Huanzhen's aristocratic manner and snorted coldly:
"Just say what you need to say, no need for all this formality. I, Lin Xiaozhi, am just a businesswoman, Mr. Xu, there's no need for such excessive politeness."
Having said that, Luo Sifan picked up a prescription from his hand:
"The formula for the Marrow Cleansing Pill—this is what your Xu family has gone to great lengths, risking their lives to obtain, isn't it? What are you prepared to offer in exchange?"
Xu Huanzhen was overjoyed, but her expression remained unchanged:
"Miss Lin, please name your price. As long as it is within the capabilities of the Xu family, we will do our utmost to fulfill it."
Luo Sifan had no ability to read people's minds. After pondering for a while:
"I don't have any demands at the moment, and what I do want is probably beyond the capabilities of your Xu family. Let's leave it at that. If I ever make any requests of the Xu family in the future, just do your best to fulfill them."
For Luo Sifan, the formula for the Marrow Cleansing Pill was just a piece of waste paper; using it to exchange for a favor was certainly not a loss.
Xu Huanzhen could not contain her joy and stepped forward to take the prescription.
"Miss Lin is indeed magnanimous. I, Xu Huanzhen, will definitely keep my promise in this transaction!"
Luo Sifan waved his hand:
“Young Master Xu is unwell and cannot use his sword energy rashly. Once you are well, I will take you down the mountain.”
Xu Huanzhen pointed to the snow-capped mountain peak in the northwest:
"Miss Lin, the training ground of the Deer-Slaying Sword Sect is located on this peak. I rarely come to this place, Miss Lin, could you help me to pay a visit?"
Another sword-practicing sect? Luo Sifan thought to himself, and immediately agreed.
"It doesn't matter, I'm just idling around anyway."
Luo Sifan reached out and took Xu Huanzhen's arm. The two stood up, and Xu flew towards the gate of the Deer-Slaying Sword Sect.
The mountain gate was lush with vegetation. Luo Sifan and his companion landed far away and walked up the mountain path.
Two middle-aged men in blue robes were guarding the mountain gate. They had spotted the two men earlier, but remained seated, too lazy to get up.
As they got closer, their eyes were momentarily stunned by the graceful figures of Luo and Xu, especially Luo Sifan, who was even taller than Xu Huanzhen. Dressed in a white dress, she was tall and elegant, with a handsome face, like a jade tree swaying in the wind.
Xu Huanzhen stepped forward to explain the purpose of her visit, and in her words she seemed quite familiar with the Sword Master and elders of the Deer-Cutting Sword Sect.
The two gatekeepers were unmoved by this, insisting that it was the month of the sect's sword gathering and that no outsiders would be received. They even disregarded the identity jade token presented by Xu Huanzhen.
At this point, the only way to enter Gelu Peak is via the Sword Ladder. With the Sword Ladder, one can ascend the peak and pay homage at any time without restriction.
Luo Sifan, eager to see for himself, led Xu Huanzhen through a narrow ravine to the left of the mountain gate, stopping at a sheer cliff where two towering peaks faced each other.
The two large characters, "Sword Ladder," are clearly marked with bold, silver strokes.
Above the entrance to the cliffside staircase hangs a huge deer head, its eyes wide open, lifelike and quite awe-inspiring.
The deer's head was over ten feet long, and its two antlers were prominent, extending more than five feet to the side, making it a colossal creature.
Moreover, the spiritual energy was so abundant that it could shake Luo Sifan's spiritual consciousness, and within the spiritual core, there was still a strange vitality that appeared and disappeared intermittently.
Luo Sifan dared not use the Taiyi Qingxuan spiritual energy to probe inside recklessly, lest he cause some trouble.
Unbeknownst to Xu Huanzhen, she had taken Luo Sifan's hand tightly, and the two tiptoed through the crevice under the watchful eyes of the deer head.
After taking only a few steps, Luo Sifan's arm stiffened as Xu Huanzhen gripped it so tightly that he couldn't move.
Luo Sifan turned around in surprise. Xu Huanzhen's face turned pale, and she stood as still as a drawn sword, giving Luo Sifan several sharp winks.
Luo Sifan had no choice but to take a few steps back. Xu Huanzhen exhaled a few breaths, recovered her senses, and stared at the deer head with a deep gaze:
“Miss Lin, this deer harbors immense hatred for me. If it takes another step, I will be unable to restrain my sword energy and will have to unleash it to protect myself.”
Upon further observation with his spiritual sense, Luo Sifan confirmed that the spiritual energy within the deer head had indeed become more violent.
"Could it be that your Xu family ancestor cut down this deer head?"
Luo Sifan had a flash of inspiration.
Xu Huanzhen looked embarrassed; it seemed there really was such a thing.
"Why don't you hide inside my mirage pearl and give it a try?"
Without waiting for Xu Huanzhen's opinion, Luo Sifan directly took him into the Mirage Pearl.
After waiting for the spiritual energy of the deer head to subside, Luo Sifan calmly walked towards the deer head.