Chapter 193 Seeking a Grave

"Seeking a gravestone?"

Gu Shen was stunned.

He never expected... the request to be so simple.

In fact, it wasn't even a request at all.

Outside Qingzhong's mausoleum, there were many gravestones... After Gu Changzhi, the Divine Seat, was laid to rest, the power emanating from the Seed of Fire coalesced into this ultra-large Mystic Realm, unlike the Disaster Realm of Pillar Moon City. Qingzhong was a completely controllable "divine site," where the transcendent source quality of those buried here did not dissipate but spontaneously solidified, lingering beyond the sky.

Moreover, it was said that during the construction of Qingzhong, the Seed of Fire had an incredible, miraculous reaction with the "array patterns."

As long as one was buried here, even some transcendent beings who had passed away many days ago, whose transcendent source quality had already dissipated, could be summoned... Of course, this claim had not been truly verified. However, the transcendent source quality that Qingzhong now possessed far exceeded the initial estimates before its construction. This was a quantity that ordinary burials could not possibly bring.

"Friend... it doesn't seem necessary to deliberately seek out the gravekeeper."

Gu Shen was somewhat helpless.

If it was just to seek a gravestone, he could ask the Five Great Families or the Three Institutes to accomplish it!

Although the fog was thick, he could vaguely see the demeanor and temperament of this man from the foot of the mountain. Gu Shen thought that he must come from a noble background. Even if he was not from the Five Great Families, he was not far off.

To go a step further.

Even if he was just an ordinary rogue cultivator... as long as he found the Three Institutes and expressed his desire for a gravestone, he could obtain the "burial rights" of Qingzhong. Changye had always been collecting disordered transcendent source quality, trying to protect the entire district with it.

So, this was precisely a time when source quality was urgently needed. As long as one had not violated the transcendent laws, they could mostly be buried in "Qingzhong." It was just that the position within the cemetery, whether good or bad, was arranged according to contribution. The cemetery position that ordinary transcendent beings could obtain might not be so good.

The man from the foot of the mountain spoke in a deep voice.

"It's not just to seek a gravestone, I also seek a name."

Seeking a... name?

Gu Shen was even more puzzled.

Before he could say anything, the gravekeeper's voice appeared in his ear, and at the same time, the strokes of a name appeared in his mind.

"Tell him... the name on the gravestone is Yu Shu."

The gravekeeper said softly, "He will owe you a favor."

So... that's how it is.

Gu Shen's expression was a little complicated. Master Chino deliberately had him come to this small mountain just to meet this mysterious young man, and she herself refused to respond, insisting on not meeting, just to make the other party owe him a favor.

Who exactly is this person?

Worthy of being treated like this by the gravekeeper... In other words, with his current identity, did he still need anyone's favor?

But.

Gu Shen's impression of the man from the foot of the mountain was very good.

Even if Master Chino didn't say anything, he would have taken the initiative to help.

"That person's name is Yu Shu, the Yu of 'therefore,' the Shu of 'beam of light.'"

Gu Shen spoke again, and at the same time, raised his hand, slowly outlining the strokes in the fog with his fingertips... The fog was so thick, he didn't know if the other party could see clearly?

A few seconds later.

The man from the foot of the mountain no longer sat cross-legged, but stood up.

"Thank you for your help."

He bowed slightly, performing a very ancient etiquette... Gu Shen had seen this etiquette on Li Qingci.

As expected, he is from the Five Great Families?

Gu Shen returned the courtesy in the same way.

Just as the young man from the foot of the mountain was about to leave, the gravekeeper's voice came to Gu Shen's ear again. His pupils shrank slightly, and he quickly spoke, shouting loudly.

"Wait—"

The young man was slightly stunned and turned his head.

Gu Shen said earnestly, word by word, "The name of the person who wants to kill you has the character 'Zheng' in it, the Zheng of 'not contending'... Be careful."

Although the fog was thick.

Gu Shen vaguely felt.

Hearing these words... the man from the foot of the mountain seemed to smile.

The two, one standing on the mountain, one standing at the foot of the mountain.

At the time of parting, the two nodded to each other.

...

...

Tonight.

Changye had heavy rain, heavy snow, and heavy thunder.

It had been a long time since such terrible weather had appeared.

Thunder dragons occupied the sky, and blazing light loomed, roaring from the clouds tens of thousands of meters away.

In the Bai Clan's ancestral hall, the elders were discussing the ancestral rites. Because the weather had been so bad recently, many rituals needed to be changed, perhaps to be held indoors... While everyone was discussing, the wooden doors of the ancestral hall were pushed open.

"Bai Xiu?"

The Second Elder saw the boy's white clothes drenched in rain and frowned, asking, "Where did you go yesterday... No one in the entire Snow Forbidden City had any news of you..."

Bai Xiu did not answer this question.

He merely looked around, gazing at the elders... silently searching for names in his mind.

Unfortunately, he usually did not pay attention to the news in the clan, nor did he care about the composition of the council of elders. Apart from the Second Elder, Bai Zesheng, he could hardly name anyone here.

However, there was a meeting being held here today.

On the long table stood pieces of "wooden tablets," each inscribed with the name of every attendee... The more ancient the clan, the more importance it attached to this kind of ethereal sense of ritual. During formal clan meetings, every attendee who saw their name on the wooden tablet actually felt greatly encouraged.

To sit here, they had put in decades of effort.

And it must be said that there were two sides to everything—

These ethereal senses of ritual were not merely "burdens." Sometimes, they could also provide convenience.

For example, at this moment.

Bai Xiu said softly, "Tomorrow, I will go to Jiangbei, Huaiyin."

When he said these words, Bai Xiu did not avoid anything, directly speaking in front of the elders.

Huaiyin was a small city in Jiangbei. Many people had not even heard of this place... But this small city had a branch of the Bai family's collateral line.

Everyone's expressions, besides being strange, became somewhat bewildered.

Why did Bai Xiu mention Jiangbei, why was he going to Huaiyin?

Only one person's expression was different.

The Second Elder, Bai Zesheng, understood many things after hearing these words.

His expression was complicated as he slowly said, "You... found out Qu Long's information."

It was not a question, nor a rhetorical question. It was a declarative sentence.

And Bai Xiu's answer was very simple.

"Yes."

As the "top genius" that the Bai Clan was striving to cultivate, he possessed extremely high authority. The Bai Clan's protectors were indeed shadow-like existences, with no names and no files, but they had a past before becoming "shadows."

If one wanted to investigate these pasts.

They only needed to know... that erased name.

The Second Elder did not know how Bai Xiu had done it, nor did he want to know.

He just felt helpless, because this young man was unexpectedly persistent in certain matters, almost to the point of being obsessive.

In fact, some things were best left hidden in the darkness.

If everything was to be investigated clearly, the truth would instead seem very laughable... Because the sacrificial hero who died for the Bai Clan did not even have the surname Bai.

Just like Gao Tian, who risked his life for the Li Clan, also did not have the surname Li.

Everyone had their own reasons for dedicating everything.

This reason did not have to be a surname, a name, or a bloodline.

However... after investigating the truth, the fact that the protector [Qu Long] had died and could not have his name enshrined in the ancestral hall of the clan had the most real answer.

Because Qu Long was actually a person with a different surname.

A person with a different surname, of course... had no right to have his name enshrined in the ancestral hall.

"After you left that day, I immediately investigated. The condolences for Qu Long, and the compensation he deserved... were all sent to Huaiyin." The Second Elder said softly, "You don't have to worry about the aftermath of this matter, I will take care of it. If you are worried, you can track the progress of the matter through [Wind Eyes] at any time."

Hearing these words, Bai Xiu did not have much of a reaction.

He nodded silently.

Then, he found a seat and slowly sat down.

One of the elders who was attending the meeting had to move a little to the side... His sitting posture was somewhat restrained, not only because Bai Xiu was soaked in rain and was still dripping water when he entered the inner room of the ancestral hall.

But also because, after Bai Xiu sat down, he impolitely stretched out a hand and picked up the identity wooden tablet in front of him, which symbolized glory and status, and examined it carefully.

The ancestral hall was silent.

Water droplets gathered and fell from Bai Xiu's cuffs onto the wooden floor.

"Drip."

"Drip... drop."

Bai Xiu's eyes were very serious. He repeatedly looked at the name on the wooden tablet. Although there were only three characters, he looked at it dozens of times, hundreds of times.

Everyone in the ancestral hall watched this wooden tablet with him.

A long time later.

Bai Xiu suddenly laughed.

He looked at the name on the wooden tablet as if it were a joke written on it.

Recalling what the guy standing on the mountain in the Qingzhong fog had said to him... This wooden tablet was really a joke.

["The name of the person who wants to kill you has the character 'Zheng' in it, the Zheng of 'not contending'..."]

He said the elder's name word by word, softly.

"Bai, Bu, Zheng."

Bai Buzheng couldn't hold back anymore.

He reached out to take back the wooden tablet, put it back in front of him, and scolded coldly, "Bai Xiu... Although you are a younger generation that the Bai Clan is striving to cultivate, you broke into the ancestral hall and disrupted the meeting. Do you still have any rules in your eyes? The wooden tablet is a symbol of identity and glory... No matter what, I am also a member of the Bai Clan's council of elders. You acting like this is an act of insubordination, and you have no regard for others!"

Bai Xiu nodded to show his understanding.

"Sorry..."

He said, "I shouldn't have laughed, it's just... you really don't seem like the person I'm looking for."

Bai Buzheng was stunned.

Many people felt offended... The interruption of this meeting and Bai Xiu's inexplicable farce made many elders show their displeasure and be ready to flare up at any moment.

However, the Second Elder raised his hand.

These elders restrained their anger and remained silent.

Bai Zesheng signaled with his eyes for Bai Xiu to continue speaking.

"That assassin was very patient, hiding under the ice layer on the surface of the Frozen Wasteland Lake, waiting for me to pass by... He waited for at least ten days, and during those ten days, he always held his breath and restrained his spirit, without leaking even a trace of mental energy, all to wait for the moment when I walked across the ice."

Bai Xiu lowered his eyes.

He recalled the scene of the assassination that day.

"He not only figured out my route, but also knew my abilities... So this assassination chose a close-range assassination, not a long-range snipe. How many people in the clan can mobilize [Wind Eyes] permissions during this trip to the north? How many people can read my files?"

This was investigating the case!

No... to be precise, Bai Xiu's attitude was to hunt down the murderer!

Every word, every sentence, was like a nail.

Directly nailing Bai Buzheng to the position of the murderer!

Bai Buzheng's expression was angry. He slammed the table hard, stood up, looked down at this aggressive junior, and the anger seemed to be pouring out of his chest: "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you suspect that I am the assassin?"

Bai Xiu just looked at the other party calmly.

Compared to that surging anger.

His anger was more calm.

The scene of the assassination that day appeared in his mind—

Stepping past.

The ice surface shattered.

The sky was filled with ice shards splashing out along with the light of the blade, and within a tenth of a second, they condensed into a formed and complete domain of killing intent... If it hadn't been for the appearance of that sacrificial hero, his end would have been very miserable.

Yu Shu blocked the fatal injury for him.

And then injured the assassin!

"The council of elders is strictly investigating this case!"

"As everyone knows, Qu Long injured that assassin..." Bai Buzheng lifted his sleeves, then tore open the clothes on his chest, and said angrily, "Everyone can take a look, is there even the slightest wound on my body!"

Bai Xiu just glanced at it slightly and withdrew his gaze.

It was indeed a pampered body.

There was not even the slightest wound.

He shook his head: "Don't misunderstand, I didn't say you were the assassin."

"Being able to wait bitterly in the Frozen Wasteland for ten days, just to deliver a fatal blow."

"The person I'm looking for is cunning, treacherous, and vicious enough to endure the cold, hunger, and fatigue..."

"How could such an assassin be a good-for-nothing like you?"

If the previous words were "slinging mud."

Then these words were simply an insult!

Bai Buzheng glared angrily and was about to say something.

Bai Xiu suddenly said, "Where were you on the day I was assassinated?"

"On that day, I did leave Snow Forbidden City and went to Jiangbei, but the day of the clan's ancestral rites has not yet arrived... What's wrong with me taking a trip outside?" Bai Buzheng said coldly.

"More details."

Bai Xiu was expressionless and poured a cup of hot tea.

"I went to the Tundra. The Bai Clan has a transaction involving source energy... The warehouse is in Inta in the Tundra region!" Bai Buzheng gritted his teeth, "My travel record can be found in [Wind Eyes]... However, this source energy transaction needs to be kept secret, so after arriving in the Tundra, I used the council of elders' permissions to turn off the location! All of this can be verified!"

After hearing this.

He found that everyone's expressions towards him had become strange.

"Why... are you looking at me like that?"

Bai Buzheng recalled what he had said earlier... Was there a problem somewhere?

Did he say something wrong?

No...

No!

"I'm not lying... I can accept hypnosis!"

"No need."

Bai Xiu said calmly, "I believe you... You're not lying. Your answer is perfect. You should have thought about it many times, right? It's just that I have never told anyone the time I was assassinated, so how do you know which day I was talking about when I said 'that day'..."

Bai Buzheng stood there blankly.

His head buzzed as if he had been struck by lightning out of the blue, and his mind was blank.

He subconsciously looked at the Second Elder for help.

Bai Zesheng was expressionless, and the expression on his face was frighteningly cold.

"No..."

Bai Buzheng ran madly towards the wooden door of the ancestral hall.

With a "swoosh!"

Bai Xiu flicked a drop of water from the porcelain cup with his fingertip. He flicked his finger, and this drop of hot water instantly shot out like a bullet, whistling out with thunderous power, making a crackling sound and even carrying a terrifying sonic boom in the air!

"Bang!"

It was truly like a bullet piercing flesh and blood.

Like being shot at close range by a sniper rifle!

Bai Buzheng, who was trying to rush out of the door, instantly had his leg torn apart. He lost his balance and fell forward heavily, eventually falling into the mud.

The elders of the Bai Clan had complex expressions.

Some of those close to the door inevitably got some blood on their faces... It was Bai Buzheng's blood.

The wooden tablet with the name "Bai Buzheng" on it was also splattered with blood.

In the dead silence, thunder rumbled.

"If he really wasn't lying... then going to the Tundra could have been to pick up the assassin."

Bai Xiu lowered his eyebrows, finished the remaining tea in the porcelain cup, and said calmly, "That assassin was injured and can't run far... Even if he's not in Inta, he definitely can't escape the Tundra area."

The Second Elder took a deep breath, looked at Bai Xiu, and promised earnestly, "After 'mental cleansing' and searching his memories, I will personally go to the Tundra."

Bai Xiu nodded softly.

"Tomorrow I'm going to Huaiyin."

He repeated the words he had said when he entered the ancestral hall, but this time he looked at the man struggling in the muddy pool of blood, and his voice had no pity, "So... let's give him a conclusion tonight."

These words sent chills down people's spines.

So when he came to the ancestral hall... he had already thought about the purpose of this trip.

He was here to kill someone.

Bai Xiu got up silently, and the Second Elder got up with him. The two passed through the courtyard.

Bai Zesheng glanced at Bai Buzheng, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

One of his thighs was a bloody mess... At the moment the water droplet flew out, the extremely violent power of thunder instantly bloomed, and the high temperature of ten thousand degrees incinerated the water droplets, while the blooming thunder power formed a bullet.

This bullet shattered Bai Buzheng's entire thigh.

A huge blood hole was burned out of the back of his flesh... The meridians and bones were all burned to ashes by the lightning.

Bai Zesheng sent Bai Xiu to the gate of the ancestral hall.

"The clan will seriously investigate this matter..." He sighed softly, "In this special period, I hope you..."

"Don't spread it, right?" Bai Xiu said softly, "I promise you."

Leaving the ancestral hall and turning into a small alley, a slender figure who had been waiting for a long time immediately followed.

Bai Lu held an umbrella to shield Bai Xiu from the rain.

Bai Xiu paused slightly, as if thinking for a moment, and finally did not refuse.

The two walked in the long alley.

"I've been in the next room, I heard everything that happened in the ancestral hall..."

The Bai family's witch had a complicated expression. She asked softly, "Little Xiu, how did you find out?"

The Bai Clan's sacrificial heroes, after signing the agreement... would no longer have any records, completely becoming shadows.

Those files were not really submerged in the sea.

In the [Deep Sea]'s database, as long as there was a result, you could find the cause... But to achieve this level, you needed extremely high authority. If a Divine Seat needed to mobilize [Deep Sea]'s computing power to calculate the Bai family's sacrificial hero files, then the truth could definitely be found.

But... that also took time.

The Bai Clan's investigation was officially launched a day ago.

The Prison Bureau directly mobilized all permissions to cooperate with the investigation to find relevant clues to the assassination case, but that place was too remote, and the person involved, Bai Xiu, played a disappearing act and did not provide any information... So after a day and a night, the clan had made almost no substantial progress.

Bai Xiu only used one day to find [Qu Long]'s real name and also locked down the planner of the Frozen Wasteland assassination?

Regarding this point, she couldn't figure it out.

"I..."

Bai Xiu recalled the misty figure on Qingzhong Mountain. He thought for a moment and said slowly, "I asked a friend for help."

Bai Lu was even more surprised.

Her phoenix eyes shone and she asked in surprise, "...Friend?"

More than ten years ago, they came to Snow Forbidden City from Jiangbei and grew up in the same courtyard. Bai Xiu's every move was actually within her understanding... When did Bai Xiu make such a friend?

"Although we only met once and said a few words."

Bai Xiu said slowly, "But he was willing to help me with this favor... In your words, this should be considered a friend."

Bai Lu was even more confused.

Only met once?

Only said a few words?

She sighed softly in her heart, taking it as a joke and mumbling softly, "Forget it, forget it... If you don't want to say it, then don't..."

"I'm waiting for you here because there's something very important."

Bai Lu suddenly stopped. She looked at Bai Xiu and said seriously, "In a few days... the registration for the 'Newcomer War' will be closed. If you don't participate this year, you'll only have one year left next year. If you don't get the Seed of Fire Dream, those people in the council of elders will definitely make trouble for you!"

Bai Xiu's expression was calm and he nodded softly.

"Very good!" Bai Lu showed a smile: "Let's go register now? There's still time!"

Bai Xiu shook his head.

Bai Lu was stunned.

She was a little anxious, "With your strength... you could have won the Newcomer War championship two years ago, why haven't you participated all this time, don't you care about the Seed of Fire Dream?"

"How could that be..."

Bai Xiu shook his head again, "If there really is a Seed of Fire in the future, of course I want to become a 'Divine Seat' like Mr. Gu Changzhi. However, I am not strong enough this year."

Many people would think it was a joke for Bai Xiu to say that he was not strong enough.

But Bai Lu knew... he was serious.

This was a guy who had extremely strict demands on himself.

In addition to having great talent, he was also extremely hardworking.

What he cared about was never the issue of winning the championship.

But the Seed of Fire Dream, only one chance to comprehend.

Because he held respect for the position of "Divine Seat" in his heart, Bai Xiu wanted to make sure that he was in the strongest and most peak state when he comprehended the Seed of Fire Dream!

"No... this situation is different."

Bai Lu explained quickly, "You've been in the Frozen Wasteland for too long, you don't know what's been happening in Changye..."

Bai Xiu sighed, crossed his arms, and looked at the other party helplessly.

He waited quietly for the rest.

The Bai family's witch gritted her teeth and said, "A very powerful genius has come to Snow Forbidden City!"

"He, is really powerful!"