Under the temptation, Dongfang Zheng failed to escape the truth of “it’s so good after all,” even though he felt something was off, he still couldn’t resist Li Tan.
Thus, the final task Li Tan needed to accomplish within Tianlang Sect was all set, awaiting only the final seal to be broken.
It was only halfway through the afternoon when Li Tan parted ways with Dongfang Zheng and returned to Zhang Zhi to report the result. Zhang Zhi was dumbfounded and hurriedly asked how Li Tan had convinced Dongfang Zheng. Li Tan mysteriously claimed it was their secret and then turned to leave Zhang Zhi’s study.
Having just broken through to the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, Li Tan had no intention of continuing his cultivation and instead wandered around the Tianlang Sect.
There were few disciples on the road, making it seem somewhat lifeless, but every disciple who passed by showed him great respect with deep bows.
Due to the influence of Zuo Qingchun, without any additional evidence, Li Tan had completely shaken off the suspicion of being the murderer and gained a great deal of respect.
Li Tan acknowledged their respectful glances, recalling how he could have saved the fifty people if only he had been a bit more careful back then, and sighed with regret.
There was some responsibility to bear, so this time entering the ancient tomb, he would leave behind a farewell gift for Tianlang Sect, enough to help them survive this crisis.
That was tomorrow’s matter, so it could wait. Right now, Li Tan was more concerned about those fifty disciples who had died unjustly.
Earlier, after returning from the investigation in the Fallen Immortal Domain, Zhang Zhi had told him that all the skeletons in the tomb had disappeared, leaving the graveyard completely empty.
Within such a short time, transporting fifty corpses could only mean the work of the Black Robed Men, but what could they possibly want with those corpses?
Li Tan thought hard but couldn’t find a reasonable explanation.
He had previously considered the idea of stealing corpses to cultivate zombies through dark arts, but quickly dismissed it. The Black Robed Men prioritized secrecy above all else when carrying out missions, and using zombies would contradict that principle, increasing the chances of leaving behind traces.
However, precisely because of this emphasis on secrecy, Li Tan found a clue. Transporting so many corpses without attracting attention meant they couldn’t have been taken far. In other words, those corpses were still nearby in Fancheng. Therefore, after finishing the matter with the ancient tomb, Li Tan would go looking for them.
This might be an opportunity to get close to the Black Robed Men.
As he walked, lost in thought, Li Tan unconsciously arrived outside the training hall.
The training hall of Tianlang Sect was located inside a cave, which not only saved labor but also provided strong defenses by relying on the mountain itself.
“She must already be in seclusion for cultivation. That girl is probably breaking through to the Innate Realm now.”
Li Tan muttered as he looked at the cave, his peripheral vision catching a figure waving at him.
“Is there something I can help you with, young lady?”
Li Tan asked the girl who was running toward him.
The girl curiously examined Li Tan before cheerfully asking, “Are you here to see Cheng Huan, Elder Li?”
“Do we know each other?”
“Of course! I’m Cheng Huan’s best friend!”
Li Tan remained silent for a moment before retrieving a remaining breakthrough pill from the Desolate Tower and tossing it to the girl. “Catch this.”
The girl caught the pill and looked at it in confusion. “What is this?”
Li Tan didn’t answer. He simply instructed, “Cheng Huan should break through tomorrow night. Give this pill to her.”
“A breakthrough pill!”
The girl was shocked and stunned.
Li Tan calmly nodded and then stepped forward.
“Elder Li, can I ask you something?”
“Hmm.”
“What’s your relationship with Cheng Huan?”
“Just ordinary friends.”
Li Tan’s figure quickly disappeared around the corner.
The girl looked at the pill and muttered, “Friends, huh? Cheng Huan, you might be disappointed.” After a moment, she snapped out of her thoughts and gave a strange expression, unable to resist commenting, “I mean, if you’re just ordinary friends, why would you give such a valuable item? Poverty really limits my imagination!”
“And also,” she calmed down, looking puzzled, “how could he be so sure Cheng Huan would break through tomorrow?”
There was no one to answer her questions now, as Li Tan had long since walked away, heading down the mountain path.
“D-d-disciple greets Elder L-Li!”
At the servant disciples’ area, the disciple on guard duty today nervously bowed his head.
“It’s fine. Just continue with your work.”
Li Tan walked forward without looking sideways but suddenly stopped, “By the way, do you know where Qiu Jue and the others are?”
“They’re probably at the eastern plaza.”
At the servant disciples’ area of Tianlang Sect, the eastern open ground.
There were dozens of disciples gathered there, lined up neatly, swinging their wooden swords unevenly and weakly shouting. After training the entire afternoon, everyone was exhausted, their spirits already wandering toward the dining hall.
However, there were exceptions. Amidst the disorderly sword practice, a few individuals remained focused and serious.
About five or six people, two of whom stood together, a boy and a girl. The boy was somewhat chubby, and while the girl wasn’t particularly beautiful, she was quite pretty. They were already drenched in sweat but still very focused.
They were Qiu Jue and Xue Ying.
“Stop! That’s enough for today. You all need to keep practicing what I taught you. Alright, take a break; dinner will be served soon.”
The new instructor shouted loudly, and dozens of disciples simultaneously collapsed to the ground, letting out weak groans.
Qiu Jue and Xue Ying were no exception. They plopped down on the ground, not caring about their appearance as they wiped the sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves. However, after resting for just a moment, they began chatting and laughing.
“Senior Qiu, do you know what Elder Li is doing now?”
“Phooey, what Elder Li? You should call him Elder Li!”
“Oops, I forgot… I’ll be careful next time. Elder Li is a guest elder. It’s disrespectful to call him by name carelessly. If the seniors from the prison department hear that, we’ll definitely get scolded.”
“Isn’t a guest elder even more powerful than our mentors?”
“Of course.”
“How much more powerful?”
“Umm… much, much more!”
“How much is much?”
“About… this much?”
Qiu Jue stretched his arms out as wide as he could.
Xue Ying looked dreamily into the distance. “I hope I can be half as strong as Elder Li someday.”
Qiu Jue nodded seriously. “You definitely can! We are Elder Li’s personally trained students, after all.”
“Senior Qiu, you should call him Elder Li!”
“Cough cough, I didn’t notice.”
Their chatting and laughing grew fainter and fainter, until the words couldn’t be clearly heard anymore, finally disappearing into the wind.
But standing on the treetop overlooking the plaza, Li Tan heard every word clearly.
“Tsk, tsk, what’s the big deal about a title anyway?”
Shaking his head lightly, Li Tan smiled faintly at the two tiny figures and then leapt a few times, vanishing into the forest.
“Senior Qiu?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I just saw Elder Li.”
“You must be seeing things.”
“Really?”
“It was over there, I think.”
Qiu Jue turned his head sharply in the direction Xue Ying was pointing, but saw only an empty forest. “There’s clearly no one there. Junior sister, stop teasing me.”
The day passed quickly, and the next morning, Li Tan met with Dongfang Zheng at the reception hall early, also saying goodbye to Zhang Zhi and the others.
For this excavation of the ancient tomb, Zhang Zhi had only arranged for Dongfang Zheng and Li Tan to go. Actually, that was a bit few. Usually, for important missions, sects would send an elder with five or six disciples. Zhang Zhi’s decision puzzled the messenger, but no one from the sect raised any objections.
A single Li Tan could easily replace five or six others. Moreover, the losses incurred in the Fallen Immortal Domain were too severe. This arrangement aligned perfectly with Li Tan’s preferences. Just as during the previous expedition to the Fallen Immortal Domain, bringing too many people would only lead to more complications. With just him and Dongfang Zheng, he could operate with far greater freedom.
Everyone escorted them to the foot of the mountain.
“Junior friend, I await your good news!”
Zhang Zhenshan bowed slightly with his fists clasped.
Li Tan smiled in return: “I won’t disappoint your expectations.”
Zhang Zhi also clasped his fists and bowed. “Elder Dongfang, Young Friend Li, we entrust this mission to you.”
Li Tan nodded and returned the bow.
“May Elder Li and Elder Dongfang have a safe journey!”
The disciples who had come to see them off shouted.
“Let’s go.”
The messenger waved his hand and walked ahead.
Then Li Tan and Dongfang Zheng followed.
Li Tan walked at the very back of the group. After walking about a hundred meters, he turned back for a final glance.
Zhang Zhenshan and Zhang Zhi were still watching them off.
This parting might be a permanent farewell, Li Tan suddenly felt an indescribable sadness in his heart, but quickly shook it off and resolutely walked forward.
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