Outside the gates of the Ancient Tomb Sect on Mount Zhongnan, the atmosphere was tense and crackling with hostility.
"Junior, who on earth are you, and why do you know so much about these matters!" Lin Shiying's voice came from behind the stone door, filled with annoyance and vigilance.
"Senior, have you ruined your brain practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra? I am Li Mochou's husband!"
Lu Zhanyuan the corners of his mouth curled up, a flash of cunning in his eyes, as he deliberately replied in a mocking tone, trying to provoke Lin Shiying into opening the gate.
"Junior, I know you are trying to provoke me into opening the gates of the Ancient Tomb!"
As she spoke, Lin Shiying circulated the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra behind the door. Her face flushed slightly, and her breathing grew somewhat shallow as she struggled to calm the rising anger within her.
"However, your cultivation is still a bit too green. Did you really think I would open the tomb just because of a few mere words from you!"
Lin Shiying's voice gradually returned to calm, though it still carried a trace of disdain. Relying on her defense of the Ancient Tomb, she believed she wouldn't be easily manipulated by Lu Zhanyuan.
"Senior's Jade Maiden Heart Sutra is truly brilliant—you have actually reached the state of a mind as still as water!"
Seeing that Lin Shiying had seen through his scheme, Lu Zhanyuan felt not the least bit panicked. Instead, he wore a confident smile and continued to goad her with his words.
"Senior, do you really think this stone door can stop me?"
Lu Zhanyuan stepped forward, a hint of provocation flashing in his eyes. "I am only forcing open the stone door because I do not wish to see Mochou heartbroken!"
"Sigh!"
Behind the door, Lin Shiying let out a soft sigh, her tone carrying a heavy sense of helplessness. "Why must the two of you be so obsessed with entering the Ancient Tomb? Wouldn't it be better to head down the mountain and live freely and happily on your own?"
Catching Lu Zhanyuan's signal, Li Mochou understood instantly. Her eyes welled with tears as she pleaded in a sorrowful voice:
"Master, your disciple begs you to open the door and let your disciple see you one last time. I earnestly implore Master to grant this wish!"
"Foolish child... foolish child..."
Lin Shiying's voice trembled slightly. Her heart was torn between strict adherence to the sect rules and deep affection for her disciple.
"Mochou, don't you know that my Ancient Tomb has never allowed men to enter?"
"Senior, you are mistaken. As far as I know, Wang Chongyang frequently visited the Ancient Tomb while he was alive. Could it be that Senior is a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong?"
Seizing the opportunity, Lu Zhanyuan deliberately provoked Lin Shiying, triumph gleaming in his eyes.
Lin Shiying was so shaken by Lu Zhanyuan's remark that she was on the verge of losing her composure. Her body trembled slightly, and her voice rose a notch:
"Hmph! Is there anything about my Ancient Tomb that you don't know?"
"Senior, there is plenty I know!"
Growing even more triumphant, Lu Zhanyuan began listing the secrets of the Ancient Tomb that he knew.
"I know your Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was specially created by Lin Chaoying to counter the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect!
I know that to practice this Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, two people must strip off all their clothes!
I also know that your Ancient Tomb holds a wealth of money prepared for resisting the Jin! And I know..."
"Enough!"
Unable to hold out any longer, Lin Shiying interrupted Lu Zhanyuan. Her expression grew even uglier as the anger in her heart was reignited.
"Senior, if I were to spread the word that the Ancient Tomb is filled with gold and silver treasures, what do you think would happen?"
Lu Zhanyuan pressed his advantage, knowing he had touched Lin Shiying's bottom line.
"Junior, are you threatening me?" Lin Shiying trembled all over with rage.
"Senior, how can you call this a threat? I am merely stating facts!" Lu Zhanyuan wore an innocent expression, which only infuriated Lin Shiying further.
"Mochou, this is the kind of man you found out there!"
Lin Shiying shouted toward Li Mochou, her eyes filled with disappointment and fury.
Li Mochou was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected Lu Zhanyuan to be so bold as to enrage her master to this extent.
"Master, this... this..."
Lu Zhanyuan stepped forward to pull Li Mochou into his arms, whispering in her ear:
"Mochou, don't say anything for now. Just leave everything to me. Today, I am definitely getting into this Ancient Tomb!"
"Brother Lu, I'm worried we might anger Master to the point of harming her health. Why don't we forget it? Let's go down the mountain and get married right now!"
Li Mochou looked at Lu Zhanyuan with worry, her eyes full of conflict.
Lu Zhanyuan reached out to stroke Li Mochou's pretty face, giving her a reassuring look as he said, "Don't worry, Mochou, I know what I'm doing!"
"Senior, that's right—I am the man Mochou found outside. So what? Is there a problem?" Lu Zhanyuan provoked Lin Shiying once more.
"Good, good, good, very good indeed!"
Lin Shiying was so angry she gnashed her teeth. "Mochou has certainly found herself a fine man!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Senior. I have always believed that I am the best man in the entire world!" Lu Zhanyuan laughed smugly.
"That's right!" Hearing Lu Zhanyuan say this, Li Mochou nodded in agreement.
Seeing her adorable look, Lu Zhanyuan couldn't resist reaching out to flick her nose.
"Mochou, you are truly muddle-headed!" Seeing Lu Zhanyuan pay zero heed to martial honor and infuriate her to no end, Lin Shiying resolved not to let him off easily.
"This brat is obviously no good, Mochou. Don't let him sell you off one day without you even realizing it!"
"Master, rest assured, I trust Brother Lu. He is definitely not that kind of person!" Li Mochou staunchly defended Lu Zhanyuan.
Seeing her foolish disciple still offering a defense, Lin Shiying almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood.
"Senior, what you're saying is rather unreasonable. Since you insist on driving a wedge between me and your disciple, don't blame me for being discourteous."
Seeing Lin Shiying's reaction, Lu Zhanyuan felt even more emboldened.
"Senior, how many men have you even seen in your life? What gives you the right to say I'm not a good man?"
Lu Zhanyuan continued to goad Lin Shiying. "What does an old spinster like you, who hides in the Ancient Tomb all day and knows nothing of the joys of men, understand about anything!"
"Boom..."
Lin Shiying's somewhat shallow mastery of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was truly broken through by Lu Zhanyuan this time. She flung the stone door wide open.
"Junior, you're courting death! I'm going to kill you!" Lin Shiying roared angrily. The moment the stone door opened, she charged straight at Lu Zhanyuan.
Lu Zhanyuan had no intention of fighting her. Employing the Sparrow-Catching Kung Fu he had learned from Li Mochou, he quickly began dodging.
Having already advanced the Nine Yang Divine Skill to the fifth layer (minor accomplishment) and mastered the Sparrow-Catching Kung Fu to perfection, he had nothing to fear from Lin Shiying. He simply didn't want to attack her, fearing he might accidentally injure her.
"Junior, you actually use my Ancient Tomb Sect's Sparrow-Catching technique to evade me! Are you trying to provoke me or show off?" Lin Shiying shouted as she chased him.
"Senior, I only happen to know this single movement art for now; I have no intention of provoking or showing off!" Lu Zhanyuan replied while dodging.
Just then, as the stone door of the Ancient Tomb opened, a small head peeked out from the entrance. A chubby-faced little girl waved at Li Mochou.
Li Mochou turned to look and saw it was Xiao Longnü. After glancing at the two people fighting and hesitating for a moment, she walked over to Xiao Longnü's side.
"Junior Sister, why did you come out too?" Li Mochou asked.
"Senior Sister, I just heard Master's voice in here, so I came out to see what was going on!" Xiao Longnü replied.
"Senior Sister, what's going on? Is someone attacking our Ancient Tomb?" Xiao Longnü asked curiously.
"Pfft...!"
Li Mochou flicked Xiao Longnü on the forehead and smiled. "Attack our tomb? That's the man Senior Sister found outside! He's my husband, and your brother-in-law!"
"Ah..."
Xiao Longnü reached out to rub her forehead. "That hurts!"
"Senior Sister, no wonder you were gone for so long this time—so you went out to find a man! No wonder Master is so angry." Xiao Longnü dawned in realization.
"Junior Sister, don't point fingers at me. Didn't Senior Sister ask you to help cover for me?"
Li Mochou complained somewhat aggrievedly. "How did you mess up and let Master find out I went out?"
"Senior Sister, you can't blame me for that. Who told you to stay out for so long!" Xiao Longnü pouted aggrievedly.
Then, with a hint of excitement, Xiao Longnü asked Li Mochou, "Senior Sister, Senior Sister, did you bring back sugar figurines and pinwheels for me this time?"
"Ah!"
Seeing Xiao Longnü's eager gaze, Li Mochou felt a pang of guilt. "Senior Sister got momentarily distracted and forgot—I didn't bring any!"
"Senior Sister, you're lying!"
Xiao Longnü said unhappily, "When you left, you promised to bring back sugar figurines and pinwheels for me, and now you didn't even bring them back!"
Realizing that lingering there was getting them nowhere, Lu Zhanyuan used his speed advantage to shake off Lin Shiying. With a few swift bounds, he arrived at Li Mochou's side, grabbed the two girls at the entrance, and pulled them straight into the Ancient Tomb.
"Mochou, let's go. We'll talk once we're inside," Lu Zhanyuan said.
"Junior, you stop right there! Don't run!" Lin Shiying shouted from behind, but Lu Zhanyuan and the others had already entered the Ancient Tomb.