When Li Xuan and the Old Hunter arrived at the Yuelai Inn, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance. Shrieks of alarm echoed from inside, indicating a dire situation.
"Make way, make way," the Old Hunter said, using his bamboo staff to push forward. Seeing his immortal-like appearance, the crowd quickly parted, creating a path.
Inside the inn's main hall, a young man lay on the floor, his face turning purple, writhing in agony. Beside him, several waiters stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
"Another case of aconitine poisoning," Li Xuan quickly examined the dead man's symptoms, identical to the previous incidents.
The Old Hunter knelt down, his fingers rapidly pressing on several pressure points of the young man. But this time, the situation seemed especially grave; even his "Nianhua Detoxification Finger" was proving ineffective.
"Too late," the Old Hunter sighed, withdrawing his fingers. "The poison is much stronger than before."
Lin Wan'er was looking around the scene. "When did this young man arrive at the inn?"
"An hour ago, miss," the waiter stammered, "He ordered some food and wine, and asked about the ancient tomb..."
"Another ancient tomb!" Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. "What exactly did he ask?"
"He said he was a collector and heard there were treasures in the tomb, so he wanted to know the exact location. I told him everything I knew..."
Just then, a commotion erupted outside. A group of masked men in black stormed in, the leader holding a longsword and coldly surveying the crowd.
"All non-essential personnel, get out!" the man barked.
The onlookers scattered in fear, even the innkeeper hid behind the counter. Only Li Xuan, Old Hunter, Lin Wan'er, and the black-clad men remained in the hall.
"So, it is you, the Scorpion Gang," Lin Wan'er drew her sword. "Today, I will uphold justice and avenge the dead!"
The leading black-clad man sneered. "Little girl, you don't know your place. This doesn't concern you. We only want to take the dead one."
"Take the body?" Li Xuan pondered. "Could there be something important on the dead person?"
The Old Hunter retreated to the side without a sound, seemingly intending to watch from the sidelines. Li Xuan knew this was the old man's way of giving him and Lin Wan'er a chance to practice.
"Attack!" the black-clad leader barked an order, and his underlings immediately split into two groups, lunging towards Lin Wan'er and Li Xuan.
Lin Wan'er's swordsmanship was indeed extraordinary. Employing the Qingyun Sect's unique skills, her sword flashed, forcing back several of the black-clothed men. Although Li Xuan's skills were still green, he had been diligently practicing basic techniques under the Old Hunter's guidance, and could barely hold his own.
"Be careful! Their weapons are poisoned!" Lin Wan'er warned as she fought.
Li Xuan immediately paid attention to his opponents' attack patterns. Sure enough, although their sword techniques were unremarkable, the tips of their swords glowed with a faint green light, clearly indicating they were coated in poison. Just a scratch would be disastrous.
In the midst of the fierce battle, another group of people rushed in from outside. This time, they were all white-clad women, each one looking heroic and holding long swords.
"Senior Sister!" Lin Wan'er exclaimed with delight.
The leading white-clad woman glanced at the corpses on the ground and said coldly, "The Scorpion Gang's remnants, so it was you causing trouble!"
The black-clad leader, seeing the situation turn bad, grabbed a corpse from the ground and tried to escape. Li Xuan reacted swiftly, grabbing a teapot from the table and throwing it. The tea splashed onto the corpse, instantly soaking the dead man's clothes.
With a "crack," a small wooden box slipped from the corpse's embrace. The black-clad leader was shocked and, disregarding the body, immediately went to snatch the box. But a flash of sword light was faster; the box had already landed in the white-robed woman's hands.
"Retreat!" The black-clad leader ordered, and the group released smoke, disappearing in an instant.
"Thank you, Senior Sister, for saving me." Lin Wan'er put away her longsword. "Why are you here?"
"The Sect Leader learned you hadn't returned from your investigation and was worried about your safety, so he sent us to assist you." The white-robed woman said, opening the wooden box. Inside was a yellowed piece of parchment with a map drawn on it.
"This is..." Lin Wan'er examined the map carefully. "Could it be a legendary treasure map?"
"It's more than just a treasure map." Old Hunter suddenly spoke. "Look at the locations of these markings; they're all important ancient martial arts sites. And these few symbols just happen to form a special array."
Li Xuan also leaned over to look. Although he couldn't understand the ancient characters, the markings on the map were indeed very regular, as if they were indicating something.
The white-robed woman put away the map. "This matter is of great importance; we need to report it to the Sect Leader. Junior Sister Lin, you will return to the mountain with us."
"Wait!" Lin Wan'er said, pointing at Li Xuan. "Although this gentleman's martial arts are not high, he is quick-witted and has been a great help. Why don't we invite him to come with us? He might be helpful in uncovering this secret."
The white-robed woman sized up Li Xuan. "This..."
"I think it's a good idea," the Old Hunter suddenly said. "Li Xuan has good comprehension; he's just lacking an opportunity with a reputable sect. The Qingyun Sect is a rare and good place."
Hearing the Old Hunter say this, the white-robed woman couldn't refuse. "Then, please, this gentleman will come with us. However, he will first have to pass the Sect Leader's approval."
And so, Li Xuan followed the Qingyun Sect's group on their way up the mountain. Along the way, he learned that Lin Wan'er's senior sister was named Yu Xuan, the Qingyun Sect's top disciple, and was deeply trusted by the Sect Leader.
"Are you all famous in the martial world?" Li Xuan asked curiously.
"The Qingyun Sect is a reputable sect, with 'purity and non-action' as its principle, and we value martial ethics the most," Lin Wan'er explained. "Although we are not as famous as Shaolin or Wudang, we are still fairly well-known in the martial world."
As they spoke, a majestic mountain gate appeared before them. The three characters "Qingyun Gate" were bold and powerful, and the couplet on either side read: "Soaring to the Ninth Heaven, Righteousness Endures for Eternity."
Passing through the gate and following the stone steps upward, Li Xuan saw many disciples of the Qingyun Sect practicing. Their movements seemed ordinary, but they contained hidden mysteries, obviously meticulously designed.
Finally, they arrived at the main hall on the summit. A middle-aged Taoist stood before the hall, with a gaunt face and bright eyes. Lin Wan'er and her senior sisters hurried forward to pay their respects: "Greetings, Master!"
"Rise," the Sect Leader said with a smile, his gaze settling on Li Xuan. "Is this the young man Lin Wan'er mentioned?"
Li Xuan immediately stepped forward and bowed: "Junior Li Xuan greets the Sect Leader."
The Sect Leader, with his hands behind his back, circled Li Xuan, "Not bad bone structure, and a decent temperament. However..." He narrowed his eyes, "Your background is quite special."
Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Could his identity as a transmigrator have been discovered?
"Master, although Young Master Li's martial arts are not high, his comprehension is excellent, and he is resourceful," Lin Wan'er quickly said. "If it weren't for his help this time, that treasure map might have fallen into the hands of the Scorpion Gang."
The Sect Leader stroked his beard, deep in thought. "Really? Then let's test you." With that, he took out three copper coins from his sleeve. "Two of these coins are real, and one is fake. Can you tell the difference?"
Li Xuan took the coins and examined them closely. The three coins looked identical, even the rust spots were in similar places. But he remembered watching a program about identifying ancient coins in modern times and knew that the biggest difference between real and fake coins was the sound they made.
He flicked the three coins lightly, listening carefully to the echoes. Sure enough, the sound of one of them was slightly different.
"This one is fake," Li Xuan said, pointing at one of the coins.
A hint of approval flashed in the Sect Leader's eyes. "Not bad, that's interesting. Now, another question: If you were a member of the Scorpion Gang, planning to ambush my Qingyun Sect, where would you choose to set up the ambush?"
Li Xuan looked around. The Qingyun Gate was located high in the mountains, with complex terrain, but after observing the terrain on the way up, he had a general idea of the layout.
"It should be near the cliff behind the mountain," he said, pointing in a direction. "That location is dangerous, with a wide view, and is the most suitable for an ambush. Moreover, that position can just happen to monitor the movements of the entire mountain gate."
"Excellent!" The Sect Leader laughed heartily. "Your words just confirmed my guess. Yu Xuan, immediately send people to search the back mountain!"
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Yu Xuan returned with her people, reporting that they'd captured several Scorpion Gang spies in the back mountains.
"Li Xuan, your performance is very satisfactory," the Sect Leader said. "How about you stay with my Qingyun Sect? Although you're older than the average disciple, as long as you're diligent, your martial arts might not lag behind."