In the mysterious stone chamber, the atmosphere was serene. Lu Zhanyuan stood before the stone wall carved with the Nine Yin Manual, his gaze focused and burning.
Endowed with the Transparent Sacred Body, Lu Zhanyuan possessed a powerful soul and extraordinary comprehension. He quickly read through the Nine Yin Manual once, and those characters, like dancing notes, instantly imprinted themselves in his mind.
To reinforce his memory, he gazed at the stone wall and carefully browsed through it a second time. Soon, the contents on the stone wall were firmly committed to his heart.
At this moment, Li Mochou and Xiao Longnü were still wholly engrossed in studying the Nine Yin Manual from the stone wall, their eyes filled with concentration and longing.
Lu Zhanyuan looked at them, a trace of gratification welling up in his heart. Then, he found the map depicting another exit carved on the stone wall.
After committing the map to memory, he pondered for a brief moment, took out a long sword from his dimensional space, infused it with internal energy, and unhesitatingly destroyed the map on the stone wall.
"Brother Lu, what are you doing?"
Hearing the commotion, Li Mochou turned her head, her eyes filled with confusion and surprise.
"It's nothing, Mochou, keep going!"
"Oh!"
Although her heart was full of questions, Li Mochou still obeyed Lu Zhanyuan's words and continued to immerse herself in studying the Nine Yin Manual.
Seeing that Li Mochou had turned back to continue her studies, Lu Zhanyuan found a quiet spot, sat down cross-legged, and began to carefully examine the contents of the Nine Yin Manual in his mind.
Among them were the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Bone-Strengthening Chapter, the Healing Chapter, the Acupoint-Sealing Chapter, the Soul-Shifting Technique, the Snake-Crawling and Civet-Overturning Art, the Heart-Destroying Strike, the Nine Yin Divine Claw, and the White-Coiled Python Whip Technique.
Every single chapter seemed to contain endless mysteries, waiting for him to explore.
Watching Li Mochou and Xiao Longnü still working hard to memorize the Nine Yin Manual, Lu Zhanyuan felt a stir in his heart and decided to try practicing it himself.
He found a place to sit down and began to circulate the internal energy mental art of the Nine Yin Manual—the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Bone-Strengthening Chapter. The surroundings gradually grew quiet.
Just as Lu Zhanyuan was practicing peacefully, Li Mochou and Xiao Longnü completely memorized the contents of the Nine Yin Manual.
Seeing him sitting there cross-legged, they curiously crowded in front of him to observe.
"Senior Sister, do you think Brother-in-law is practicing the Nine Yin Manual?"
Before Li Mochou could answer, Lu Zhanyuan slowly opened his eyes.
Yet the moment he opened them, he was startled by the two faces pressed right in front of his:
"Hey, what are you two doing?"
"Brother Lu, we're watching you practice gong!" Li Mochou said gently.
Xiao Longnü looked at him curiously and asked, "Brother-in-law, could it be that you've already mastered the Nine Yin Manual?"
"No, I've only just brought its internal energy mental art—the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Bone-Strengthening Chapter—to the introductory level."
Lu Zhanyuan shook his head slightly. After a moment of thought, he admonished the two of them:
"If you want to practice the Nine Yin Manual, you must start with this Muscle-Tendon Changing and Bone-Strengthening Chapter. This is the foundational internal energy mental art of the Nine Yin Manual, and also its most quintessential part!
This Muscle-Tendon Changing and Bone-Strengthening Chapter also has the effect of improving one's natural constitution and aptitude. If you haven't mastered this mental art before practicing other martial arts in the Nine Yin Manual, you will very easily suffer a deviation in your internal cultivation!
Mochou, Long'er, did you both remember that?"
"Understood, Brother Lu!" Li Mochou nodded firmly.
Xiao Longnü also replied obediently, "Brother-in-law, Long'er understands. I will absolutely not practice blindly!"
"Good!"
Lu Zhanyuan nodded at the two of them. "We don't know how long we've been down here. Let's head out first for now!"
...
Over the next few days, the wounds on Lu Zhanyuan's body healed completely, leaving behind only a faint red scar.
During these days, relying on the advantage of his Transparent Sacred Body, he quickly advanced the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Bone-Strengthening Chapter of the Nine Yin Manual to the second layer.
He also spared time to patiently guide Li Mochou and Xiao Longnü in practicing their martial arts. The figures of the few of them flitting through the Ancient Tomb resembled a beautiful painting.
"Lu Zhanyuan, your injuries should be fully healed by now!"
On this day, just as Lu Zhanyuan finished circulating his energy and opened his eyes, he saw Lin Shiying standing there, a trace of complex emotion in her eyes.
Lu Zhanyuan stood up and bowed respectfully, "Senior!"
"Hmm... Lu Zhanyuan, if your injuries are mostly healed, take Mochou and head down the mountain!"
"Senior, are you in such a hurry to drive us away?"
"Lu Zhanyuan, since you and Mochou have already decided to marry, wouldn't it be wonderful to go down the mountain and live a carefree life?"
"Senior! How about this: please follow me to a place first, I will take you to see something!"
With that, Lu Zhanyuan stood up and walked out of the stone chamber.
Lin Shiying hesitated for a moment, her curiosity piqued as to where Lu Zhanyuan was taking her, and followed behind him.
Yet when Lin Shiying arrived at this stone chamber and watched Lu Zhanyuan's actions, she let out an angry cry and charged straight at Lu Zhanyuan.
"Lu Zhanyuan, what are you doing! Stop right now!"
Lu Zhanyuan, who was in the middle of opening the stone coffin, was startled by Lin Shiying's angry cry. He hastily lifted the coffin lid, blocking Lin Shiying's attack.
"Rascal, why would you open the stone coffin in my Ancient Tomb!" Lin Shiying's eyes were filled with anger and incomprehension.
Clack—clack—clack—clack—
Ignoring Lin Shiying, Lu Zhanyuan leaped directly into the stone coffin and turned the mechanism to open the door.
Rumble—creak—
"Senior, look over there!" Lu Zhanyuan pointed at the opened stone chamber and said to Lin Shiying.
Glaring furiously at Lu Zhanyuan, Lin Shiying looked in the direction he pointed.
"This... there's actually another stone chamber here!" Lin Shiying widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Senior, this is the place I wanted to bring you!" Lu Zhanyuan said, taking the lead and walking into the stone chamber.
Although anger still lingered in her heart, Lin Shiying followed Lu Zhanyuan toward the stone chamber. Once inside, Lin Shiying was struck dumb by the sight before her.
Lu Zhanyuan led Lin Shiying to the stone wall of the Nine Yin Manual and pointed at the characters on it, saying:
"Senior, look at the martial arts on this stone wall!"
The stone wall before their eyes was densely covered with martial arts manuals and mental formulas.
"The Nine Yin Manual!" Lin Shiying's eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
"Lu Zhanyuan, this... could this be... the supreme manual that the Five Greats fought over during the Mount Hua Swordsmanship Discussion back then—the Nine Yin Manual?"
"Senior, I never expected you to even know about the Mount Hua Swordsmanship Discussion of the Five Greats back then!" A trace of surprise flashed in Lu Zhanyuan's eyes.
Looking up at the Nine Yin Manual on the stone wall, Lin Shiying reminisced about events from many years ago.
"Back when I was by my Master's side, I once heard Master chatting with Wang Chongyang and mentioning this matter!
Never did I expect that this Nine Yin Manual would appear here in the Ancient Tomb!"
"Senior, if you just stop to think about who built this Ancient Tomb, you won't find it strange that the Nine Yin Manual appeared here!" Lu Zhanyuan's eyes were filled with wisdom and confidence.
"What you say is true. This Ancient Tomb was originally built by Wang Chongyang. Later, he lost a duel against my Master and thus ceded it to her, after which my Master founded the Ancient Tomb Sect!" Lin Shiying's eyes were filled with emotion and memories.
Lu Zhanyuan leaped into the air, reaching a crevice in the stone wall, retrieved a box from it, and handed it to Lin Shiying.
"Senior, why don't you open the box and see what's inside?" His eyes were full of anticipation and mystery.
Lin Shiying looked at Lu Zhanyuan with utmost astonishment. "Lu Zhanyuan, just who are you! Why are you so clear about the affairs of my Ancient Tomb?"
"Senior, does it matter who I am? Even if I knew all the affairs of the entire world, would that matter?
That doesn't matter... Senior, you must remember: I am Mochou's man now!
As long as I treat her with all my heart and keep her living in happiness and joy forever, that is what matters most!"
Lu Zhanyuan's voice was filled with sincerity and deep affection, and his eyes were full of firm resolve.
Looking at the Lu Zhanyuan before her, Lin Shiying sighed softly with emotion:
"Who would have thought this Lu Zhanyuan is so deeply devoted to Mochou. Mochou has indeed found a good man; I only hope you keep your word and do not fail her!"
"Senior, rest assured, I will never fail Mochou!" Lu Zhanyuan said firmly.
"I hope so." Lin Shiying nodded, opened the box in her hand, took out the two letters inside, and began to read them.
"I never would have thought this, truly I never would!" After reading the letters in her hand, Lin Shiying sighed endlessly with emotion.
"Master... during your lifetime you never waited for the love you desired, yet you waited for it after death!"
"Senior, if you ask me, this Wang Chongyang was too foolish, and Lin Chaoying is no better!"
"Lu Zhanyuan, you are not permitted to slander my Master like that!" Lin Shiying's eyes flashed with anger.
"Senior, wouldn't you say that when two people who love each other dearly cannot be together simply because of some other reasons, it is extremely painful?"
Lu Zhanyuan's eyes were filled with sympathy and understanding.
Lin Shiying shot Lu Zhanyuan a sideways glance. "Lu Zhanyuan, I know what you want to say! Although I don't know what kind of feeling that kind of pain is,
I still remember the state my Master was in when I was by her side back then!
Ever since Wang Chongyang left, Master was depressed day after day, never truly happy, and never wore the smiles she only had when she met with Wang Chongyang!
Presumably, this... this must be the kind of pain you spoke of!"
"Senior!"
"In truth, the pain in one's heart is no less when an affection lacks the approval of those closest to you!"
"Sigh..." Lin Shiying let out a long sigh.
"Very well... very well... Lu Zhanyuan, since you have already broken the oath for Mochou, Mochou remains a member of my Ancient Tomb Sect!
From now on, I permit the two of you to enter and leave the Ancient Tomb freely, and I... will hold your wedding for you right here in the Ancient Tomb!"
"This junior thanks Senior for your grace!"
Lu Zhanyuan bowed to Lin Shiying with some agitation, his eyes brimming with gratitude and joy.