After seeing everyone off, Lu Fan stood at the courtyard entrance lost in thought. The Shensuan Sect, the Yan family, and the dishevelled old Taoist were all connected to the Luoyan Sect. So, what was his own position in all this? He seemed to have no connection whatsoever to the Luoyan Sect. Were his Falling Blossom Sword, the Flowing Cloud Sword he gave to Liu Ruyan, and the sword techniques the sect's hidden treasures? Alas, the events of the past few days were becoming rather complicated.
"Lu Fan!" Suddenly, Liu Ruyan walked softly up behind him.
"Mm! Ruyan! Is something wrong?" Lu Fan turned to look at Liu Ruyan, a warmth suddenly spreading through his heart as he asked softly.
"Lu Fan! I... I need to go home for a few days! I received word that my father is ill!" Liu Ruyan said gently.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Lu Fan said urgently.
Liu Ruyan was already living in his home. Perhaps it was time for him to visit the Liu family and pay his respects to his future father-in-law.
"It's better not to! I'll go back and see him, and I might be back a few days later!" Liu Ruyan's heart fluttered. She wanted to bring Lu Fan back with her, but she also knew that her family would not agree to it. Moreover, she knew that her father wasn't actually ill; the family had simply used this excuse to bring her back and resolve the matter of Lu Fan.
However, she had already made up her mind. No matter what, she was determined to be with Lu Fan.
"Alright then! Bring some extra fruit, mushrooms, and a small wild chicken tomorrow morning!" Lu Fan said with a smile.
"Mm!" Liu Ruyan responded and then threw herself into Lu Fan's embrace. It had to be said, love was the happiest thing!
At midnight, Lu Fan looked at Liu Ruyan sleeping soundly beside him, then quietly got up, put on his clothes, and tiptoed out the window, heading towards the back mountain.
Since the people from the Shensuan Sect were very powerful, he couldn't possibly leave the dishevelled old Taoist to face them alone. After all, the dishevelled old Taoist was someone he had a connection with. He had bought his twelve close-combat techniques and the set of golden needles from this very Taoist.
Now that he knew the dishevelled old Taoist's true identity, he found it hard to believe that he had obtained those two items through sheer luck. It was likely that the dishevelled old Taoist had intentionally let him acquire them. In that case, wasn't the old Taoist like a half-master to him?
He ran all the way, crossing mountains and traversing ridges, and Lu Fan arrived at the cave where the wildmen lived. At this time, the dozen or so wildmen were already fast asleep. Lu Fan quietly entered the cave and ran towards the interior.
Without Li Jingjing by his side, Lu Fan's speed was not just a little bit faster. Before long, he arrived near the deep pit.
"Senior! Senior?" Lu Fan suddenly realized that the deep pit was empty, with no one inside. He was taken aback and called out softly a few times.
"Kid! Why are you here again?" Suddenly, a voice called out. The dishevelled old Taoist appeared behind him, looking at Lu Fan with a lewd expression.
"What the heck... How did you appear?" Lu Fan was startled, not knowing how the dishevelled old Taoist had appeared behind him.
"Hahaha!" The dishevelled old Taoist laughed heartily. He suddenly leaned against the rock wall behind him, and with a swish, a small door appeared on the rock face. The small door turned, and the dishevelled old Taoist disappeared into the rock wall. With another turn of the small door, the dishevelled old Taoist reappeared before Lu Fan.
"Senior! There's a mechanism here? Right, where's Ma Jiu?" Lu Fan suddenly asked.
"Don't worry! He won't escape!" The dishevelled old Taoist smiled slightly, then suddenly grabbed Lu Fan's hand and, with a whoosh, they entered the small door beside them.
"Holy cow...!" Seeing the dishevelled old Taoist pulling him with his dirty hand, Lu Fan's face immediately darkened. However, he couldn't shake him off, so he could only follow the dishevelled old Taoist forward.
The cave was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. Yet, the dishevelled old Taoist seemed to be able to see the path, moving freely. He was holding Lu Fan's hand, perhaps also worried that Lu Fan couldn't see the way.
However, this wasn't a problem for Lu Fan; he could clearly see the environment within the cave.
Lu Fan's heart stirred slightly. This indicated that the dishevelled old Taoist did not know that his eyes possessed X-ray vision and could see in the dark.
Swish... The path ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a space as large as the previous deep pit. However, this space was level with the cave, and one could walk into it with a single step. Pine oil lamps were also lit on the surrounding stone walls of the cave.
Moreover, it seemed even colder here. Lu Fan could already feel the icy chill emanating from the surrounding stone walls. However, Lu Fan no longer cared about these things, because he saw a chilling sight: five coffins were placed in the entire space, with a particularly large black coffin in the center.
And opposite them, there was an altar with several memorial tablets placed upon it. In front of them were incense burners and candlesticks, with wisps of incense smoke curling upwards.
Holy cow... this was a mourning hall.
Lu Fan muttered to himself. Could it be that the ancestors the wildmen spoke of were enshrined here?
"Lu Fan! Do you know what's inside these coffins?" The dishevelled old Taoist suddenly looked at Lu Fan and asked.
"What? You're not going to tell me these aren't dead people!" Lu Fan's face showed surprise. Of course, coffins were meant to contain the dead.
"Heh heh! Actually, what's inside these coffins is part of what the Shensuan Sect and the Yan family are looking for. Wealth!" The dishevelled old Taoist said with a slight smile.
"My grand-master, the Heavenly Machine Old Taoist, once told the sect leader of the Luoyan Sect that a great calamity was coming in the future, a disaster that would lead to the sect's destruction! Since even my grand-master couldn't calculate who would bring about this calamity, he couldn't prevent it.
So, the sect leader entrusted the sect's most precious treasures and most of its wealth to my grand-master, begging him to preserve this wealth and the lineage of the Yan family, waiting for the day when they could reclaim their vast empire!
Therefore, my grand-master used the surrounding geography to construct this mechanism and cave, preserving most of this wealth. To conceal the heavenly secrets, he also found local natives to guard it. However, my grand-master told no one about this, not even the sect leader knew where this wealth was.
This continued until... the Luoyan Sect was annihilated, and the traitors of the Luoyan Sect finally revealed their ugly faces. It turned out to be my grand-master's most favored disciple, Ma Jiazi.
Ma Jiazi inherited his master's true teachings and used his skills to shield the heavenly secrets. He was also the person my grand-master trusted the most, so he deceived my grand-master. But he couldn't have predicted that his master would help the sect leader transfer most of the wealth.
All of this continued until... you touched your grand-master's Flowing Cloud Formation," the dishevelled old Taoist said, shaking his head.
"What Flowing Cloud Formation? How did I touch it?" Lu Fan asked in surprise.
"Besides the Flowing Cloud and Falling Blossom swords and their sword techniques, the Luoyan Sect's most treasured possession was also the invincible Flowing Cloud Fist! That is, the close-combat striking techniques you are currently practicing. And what could help you quickly master this set of boxing techniques was the Flowing Cloud Formation formed by those twelve stone figures! This formation can help you directly cultivate the boxing techniques to great mastery," the dishevelled old Taoist said.
"Ah? So, does that mean... I've already obtained all of the Luoyan Sect's treasures?" Lu Fan suddenly looked at the dishevelled old Taoist in astonishment.
"Hahaha! Of course! My grand-master had long predicted that many years later, someone favored by heaven would be born in this place. And that person would be able to bring glory back to the Luoyan Sect! That's why I've been waiting here for your appearance," the dishevelled old Taoist laughed heartily.
"In other words, the Shensuan Sect and the Yan family are actually looking for this large sum of wealth!?" Lu Fan suddenly looked at the dishevelled old Taoist and asked.
"You are correct! They are all looking for this wealth. This wealth originally belonged to the Yan family. However, if the Yan family obtained it, they would not be able to protect it, and this wealth would fall into the hands of the Shensuan Sect.
Moreover, the Yan family's fortune has run out, and they will have no chance to rise again in the future. When you achieve success, you should treat the people of the Yan family kindly.
Alright! This wealth is now yours. The Luoyan Sect is also yours. I should go and attend to my own affairs," the dishevelled old Taoist said and turned to leave.
"You want to use Ma Jiu to lure the Ma family here, and then avenge your grand-master?" Lu Fan suddenly asked.
"How did you know?" The dishevelled old Taoist stopped abruptly and asked.