Chapter 59: Exploring the Sect, A Shocking Revelation

Pushing open the doors of the inner hall, a wave of mustiness mixed with an unknown fragrance hit me right between the eyes, almost causing me to pass away on the spot.

I covered my nose and thought: Good grief, is this secret perhaps a recipe for pickling salted vegetables?

The inner hall was pitch black, with only a few dim oil lamps casting eerie glows, illuminating the surroundings in hazy outlines, looking remarkably like a horror movie set.

I quietly tugged at Helian Sheng's sleeve and whispered, "Little brother, the atmosphere feels rather wrong. Shall we grease the soles of our feet and make a grand escape?"

Yet Helian Sheng looked utterly innocent: "Big sister, don't be afraid. I am here!"

Me: ...Little brother, your words make me feel even more terrified.

For the next few days, we lived within this bizarre martial arts sect.

The food, clothing, and accommodations were quite nice—practically VIP treatment—yet I always felt something was amiss.

Within this sect, certain areas were strictly off-limits to us, heavily guarded. Anyone unaware would think they were hiding peerless martial arts manuals or treasures enough to rival a nation!

Curiosity kills the cat; that describes my kind of person.

I was naturally defenseless against secrets, especially ones that screamed "the treasury is not silver three hundred taels here."

Therefore, on a dark and windy night, I decided to secretly tail a suspicious disciple to see what tricks he was up to.

I trailed him all the way to a secluded courtyard and was just about to slip inside to investigate when someone grabbed me firmly from behind!

"Who goes there?!" Several fierce-looking guards surrounded me, the swords in their hands flashing with cold light.

Good grief, absolutely good grief!

Given this grand array, anyone unaware would think I had come to assassinate the sect leader!

My heart skipped a beat; I had really gone too far this time!

Not only was I unable to save myself, but I might also implicate Helian Sheng and Scholar Li.

Just as I was wondering how to make my escape, I suddenly heard an angry roar: "Let her go!"

It was Helian Sheng!

He rushed over like a gust of wind, pulling me behind him and glaring fiercely at the guards with sharp eyes: "Try touching her if you dare!"

Seeing Helian Sheng appear, my heart instantly settled quite a bit.

Though the little brother looked delicate, he was still rather reliable at critical moments!

Helian Sheng blocked my path, his small figure radiating a powerful aura.

He glared at the guards and said, word by word, "If you dare to harm her, I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a deep voice came from afar: "What is going on?" The sect leader himself had arrived, possessing a celestial and immortal air, though his expression was rather unsightly—worse than someone constipated for three days.

He stroked his beard and said in a heavy tone, "How can the secrets of the sect be pried into by outsiders! Mind your own business!"

I inwardly complained: Me minding my own business?

If your place wasn't acting all mysterious, behaving like an underground organization, who would care about your pathetic affairs!

Besides, this secret might even have something to do with me!

Just as I was about to retort, a figure suddenly sprang out from the darkness with movements so smooth they surpassed a hack-using elite gamer.

This person was dressed all in black and wore a ferocious mask, looking at first glance like anything but a good person.

"Hahaha, Sect Leader, how much longer did you think you could hide this secret? You might as well tell it now and let everyone hear!" The black-clad person's voice was hoarse, filled with mockery.

Hearing this, Sect Leader was so furious his beard curled up, and he roared, "Audacious traitor! How dare you be so insolent! Men, capture him!"

The surrounding guards swarmed forward, various flashes of swords and blades dazzling my eyes.

Good grief, this sect was indeed extraordinary; every single one of them was a martial arts master!

This traitorous disciple also possessed formidable skills, dodging left and right, easily evading the guards' attacks while continuously provoking the sect leader—he was simply a master-class hate magnet.

"You think you can capture me with this rabble? Utterly delusional!" the traitor laughed arrogantly.

Unable to watch any longer, the Sect Leader personally stepped into the fray, joining forces with Elder Murong to deal with the traitor.

For a time, the scene became even more chaotic, with all kinds of magical skill effects flying everywhere, far more exciting than any martial arts movie I had ever watched.

Formidable though the traitor was, two fists could ultimately not match four hands, and he gradually began to struggle.

Yet he still refused to give up his resistance, his eyes filled with madness as he muttered under his breath: "Even if I die, I will make this secret known to the world!"

Suddenly, he erupted with tremendous power, blasting Sect Leader and Elder Murong backward, and then lunged fiercely toward me...

He grabbed my hand, his eyes filled with despair and madness, and spoke in a raspy voice: "You... you must..."

He grabbed my hand again, his eyes filled with despair and madness, and rasped: "You... you must..."

"Must what? Speak clearly, big brother!" I was startled by his appearance; was he about to deliver his final dying words?

Could the crux of this secret lie with me?

I frantically searched my memories for the plot: what secrets did I possess?

Aside from loving money above all else and being supremely clever, what else was there?

Before I could figure it out, the traitor suddenly spat out a mouthful of old blood, collapsed onto the ground, and died!

What?!

Just like that?

Where was the secret?

At least finish your sentence!

Big brother!

Wake up!

I roared inwardly; this was even more frustrating than a serialized novel going on hiatus!

Sect Leader and Elder Murong were also dumbfounded; this plot progression was all wrong!

Weren't villains supposed to die from talking too much?

At that moment, Elder Murong seemed to recall something. His expression changed drastically, and he rushed to the traitor's side, rummaging through his clothes before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.

He unfolded it and looked, his expression turning even uglier, as if he had swallowed a fly.

"Sect Leader, Senior Brother... this..." Elder Murong said with a trembling voice, handing the slip of paper to the Sect Leader.

Sect Leader took the paper and looked at it, his face instantly turning darker than the bottom of a wok.

Good grief, I strongly suspected he was going to explode on the spot the very next second!

"This... this is impossible!" Sect Leader said through gritted teeth, his tone filled with utter disbelief.

Curiosity clawed at my heart like a cat—what on earth was written on that slip of paper?

Could it be the sect's Wi-Fi password?

Or the hiding spot for the Sect Leader's private stash of money?

"Junior Brother Murong, seal off the news! No one is permitted to leak a word of this!" Sect Leader took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Elder Murong nodded and immediately went off to make arrangements.

Sect Leader walked up to me, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying, and said, "Miss Lu, Young Master Helian, Scholar Li, there has been some misunderstanding here. I must ask the three of you to step into the inner hall so we may explain slowly."

I let out an internal sneer. Explain?

I figured it couldn't be explained away at all!

There was definitely something wrong with this sect!

When the traitor grabbed me before dying, it must have been because I had stumbled upon some crucial information!

I needed to be careful not to be silenced by them!

Helian Sheng also sensed that something was amiss; he gripped my hand tightly, his eyes filled with vigilance.

We followed the Sect Leader back into the inner hall, where an even stronger wave of mustiness rushed at us, almost making me pass away on the spot.

The Sect Leader had tea and pastries served, and then began his "explanation": "Actually, our sect has long been searching for a long-lost martial arts manual. This manual possesses heaven-shattering power; if it falls into the hands of villains, the consequences will be unimaginable..."

My internal monologue: Keep making things up, go on! I bet you lot just want to use this manual to rule the pugilistic world!

Sect Leader continued: "We invited the three of you to our sect because we received word that this manual might be related to you three..."

Me:? ? ?

Related to me?

What does a peace-loving, money-loving little palace maid have to do with a heaven-shattering martial arts manual?

Just as I was about to speak, Sect Leader's expression suddenly shifted. He abruptly stood up, pointed at us, and shouted: "Men! Take them into custody!"