Yinshan Record

Chapter 32 Bait
"Feng Xi? Your real name is Feng Xi?"

Sister-in-law Qi covered her mouth and laughed for a long time.

"Hahaha, Feng Xi is not even as good as Qing Qiu. Qing Qiu is at least a little closer to the demon side, but Feng Xi is no different from a beast."

Fengxi, as recorded in the Xuanzhong Ji, is a ferocious beast that resembles a pig.

"Happy now? Then we beasts should help each other!"

Su Che took the teacup and poured a cup of tea for Qingqiu across from him.

This was the first member of the Zhongshan Society that I had face-to-face contact with.

"You beasts are the ones who are here, but I am a demon."

Qingqiu has a rather unconventional personality; on the one hand, he can make lewd jokes, and on the other hand, he seems to have no guile.

"Hey, who did you see at the meeting today? Did Gu She go this time too?"

Only after the conversation reached this point did Su Che finally suppress all the murderous intent in his heart.

This little monster is indeed a member of the Zhongshan Society.

"Didn't Gu She go last time?"

"No, it's common to not be able to gather everyone." Qingqiu looked at Su Che: "Hey, did Zhongyuan grant you supernatural powers?"

"Yes, they gave me a set of training methods for the Mirage Yuan Sword."

"Hmph, you stingy guy. The stuff I gave you is worthless, just the beginner swordsmanship from the Hidden Sword Pavilion in the East Sea." Qingqiu looked like he was standing up for his little brother. "When I have time later, I'll find you a few more powerful ones."

"Thank you very much."

"No need to thank me. You were one of the people I brought into the association, so it's only right that I take care of you."

Qingqiu picked up the teacup next to him and took a sip.

"By the way, did you say what the next task is?"

"We need to explore the changes in the heart of Xuanshan."

"Xuanshan?"

Qingqiu frowned, looking worried and distressed.

"It seems things are indeed getting a bit complicated."

"trouble?"

"You've never been involved in the martial arts world before, have you?"

Su Che calculated that the closest he had ever been to a life in the martial arts world in both his past and present lives was watching movies.

Five Hundred Million Dollar Inspector, Chicken Brother, Big Tin Yee, Crippled Ho, Flower Boy Wing, and so on.

Or perhaps it's Iron-Blooded Marquis, Xiong Ba, or Liu Huaqiang...

The martial arts world is truly far removed from one's own life.

"Please give me some advice."

“When I first came to Shanyin County, I had no connection with the association. My elders predicted that there would be a great opportunity for me between Shanyin and Guobei, so I settled here.”

The eldest sister of Qingqiu picked up her teacup, took a sip of the cool tea, and gently put it down, gesturing for her newly recruited younger brother to refill it.

Su Che quickly poured a sip of cold water for his eldest brother.

The eldest sister from Qingqiu gave me a look that said, "You're not bad at all."

"I've stayed in this area for quite some time, and I've finally figured out one thing: back then, there was a powerful figure with supreme supernatural abilities named Lion Lotus Tathagata. He passed through this place and it's very likely that he was buried here."

Su Che really wanted to tell Qingqiu that it wasn't just a very likely possibility, but that it was already confirmed that the old lion was in the heart of Xuanshan.

"You, a mere mortal who has just begun your cultivation, may not know what the third grade means. In Confucianism, the third grade is the sage; in Taoism, it is the true person; and in Buddhism, it is the Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, or Arhat. Reaching this level means one can live a long and prosperous life."

As Qingqiu got into the conversation, Su Che realized that she was a real chatterbox, never stopping once she started talking.

"Which of these figures isn't a great man of his generation? They must possess many valuable qualities. Tell me, what an incredible opportunity this is."

"That's true, but what's the problem?" Su Che decided that he would play the straight man well.

"The trouble is that too many people know about it. The fewer people who know about tomb raiding and treasure hunting, the greater the chance of getting it. If it becomes a big deal and alarms the court, it's like a little fox trying to steal a chicken, but then snakes and weasels all come out together. They alarm the owner, and by the time the owner realizes what's happening, the chicken is gone and the eggs are gone, and the owner gets nothing."

"Your analogy is quite insightful."

Su Che sincerely praised him, saying that he clearly had life experience, and added a lot of cold water to the little fox.

However, although this matter is still some distance from being known to the whole world, it has indeed alarmed the imperial court.

"As far as I know, the imperial court should already be aware of the rumors."

"When I came to the Central Plains, my elders warned me to be careful of the Imperial Guards and the Night Watch. It seems they are indeed formidable, as they reacted so quickly."

You are right, I have also made a small contribution.

That person once mentioned that the members of the society were either filled with deep-seated hatred or harbored great ambitions. This little fox before me, however, seemed utterly naive.

What is Zhongyuan's purpose in gathering such a group of people?

"Miss Qing," Su Che looked at Qingqiu, "I have a suggestion for you to consider."

"You're being too polite. Is there something you want to ask of me?"

"I wouldn't dare ask anything of Miss Qing, I just have a small suggestion."

What suggestions do you have? Tell me.

Sister-in-law Qi looked listless and unmotivated.

"To be honest, the Zhongshan Meeting was fraught with unpredictable events, and I think you should have sensed that as well."

Qingqiu looked at Su Che suspiciously, wondering what he was up to.

“I thought that Qing-guniang and I could cooperate.”

"Why? You're so weak. Cooperating with you would just be adding to my burden. I don't want to."

Qingqiu rejected Su Che quite decisively.

This little fox is so direct! Su Che felt a little hurt.

“Precisely because I am the weakest, I am the most sincere.” Su Che looked at Qingqiu: “Miss Qing, if it were Wuzhiqi who said he wanted to cooperate with you, would you dare to believe him?”

"I refuse. Ultimately, the benefits you offer are nothing more than a desire to collude with me." Qingqiu shook his head.

Colluding with each other? Your level of idiom knowledge is on par with Nojiri-tai-kun.

"There's something I find very interesting. I wonder if Miss Qingqiu would be interested in hearing it."

"Tell me about it."

"Don't you think the format of the Zhongshan meeting is prone to problems?"

Qingqiu frowned.

"According to Miss Qing, the contact between you and me can be said to be the result of that person's guidance."

"May I ask you a question? What led you to join the Zhongshan Society?"

Qingqiu looked at Su Che: "Me? I met Zhongyuan in the East Sea."

Okay, we've picked up on a piece of information: Zhongyuan will proactively travel the world to find people worth nurturing.

Moreover, Zhongyuan must be very skilled in a certain teleportation technique or magical artifact.

Such teleportation abilities or magical artifacts must be very rare. If we could compile a list of people with similar abilities and identify those who like to wander and have no fixed abode, we might be able to pinpoint Zhongyuan's true identity.

However, the chances are slim, because if Zhongyuan is old enough and not on any known list, it will be very difficult to find out who he is.

"So a connection was formed among everyone. If someone is constantly investigating me, he will have the opportunity to follow the clues to find Miss Qing, and then the existence of Zhongshan Society and Zhongyuan will be confirmed. At least in Daliang, whether it is the Censorate, the Imperial Guard, or the Jingye Division, they may all be able to detect the problem here."

Su Che continued, "And don't you find it strange? According to Zhong Yuan, we either carry deep-seated hatred or have some kind of ambition. Such people will always become the focus of attention for various forces. Wouldn't targeting people like us greatly increase the danger of Zhongshan Society being exposed?"

"So I have a feeling that maybe we're just bait."

(End of this chapter)