novelnext Chapter 133 The Battle for Immortal Treasures: I Was the One Who Was Actually the Sparrow!
Chapter 133 The Battle for Immortal Treasures: I Was the One Who Was Actually the Sparrow!
Chapter 133 The Battle for Immortal Treasures: I Was the One Who Was Actually the Sparrow! (4K)
Shen Yan felt a little strange. All the people in the inn possessed martial arts skills; he could even sense the aura of a mid-to-third-rank martial artist.
Although the inn is located beside the official road, its location is not enough to attract so many martial arts masters.
The guests in the lobby looked at Shen Yan and his group with expressions of caution, hostility, or vigilance.
They were a large group, many of whom were former soldiers, and their menacing aura was obvious to anyone who had practiced martial arts.
The dozens of people Shen Ci took with him this time were all guards from the Duke's mansion, each one a skilled fighter, all of them rank-3 martial artists.
Their arrival was like a giant crocodile diving into shallow water, naturally attracting attention.
Shen Yan noticed that although the table was full of food and wine, no one touched their chopsticks.
"The food is served! Please make way, sir."
Upon seeing the dishes on the table, Shen Ci couldn't help but remark, "I didn't expect the food in this remote place to be so good."
Chickens, ducks, and beef were all readily available, which was indeed rare in these days.
Shen Rong took out a silver needle and tested it. Seeing that the needle did not change, he felt relieved and started using the chopsticks.
For the past few days, we've been on the march, eating only dry rations and dried meat.
My mouth was already so bland that it had no taste, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen to spend the night at the inn.
Seeing how happily Shen Yan and the others were eating, the others revealed a cold smile.
"These young masters really don't understand the dangers of the martial world; they dare to eat this kind of food."
"If silver needles were effective, there would be no need for poison in the world."
"Those people look quite well-dressed; perhaps we can get a share of the profits later."
"It's good that he's been drugged; at least there's one less person to fight me for it."
"————"
—"
Although their murmurs were quiet, they did not escape Shen Yan's ears.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan could only chuckle to himself.
Of course, it wasn't just Shen Yan and his group who were eating and drinking heartily; the fierce-looking butcher was eating even more enthusiastically than they were.
These people were wary and suspicious of each other.
The proprietress stood at the counter, the abacus beads clicking away, a smile on her face as she looked at the people in the lobby, clearly in a very good mood.
At this time.
The inn's door opened again, and a young couple entered.
The two looked tense, and a hint of panic flashed in their eyes when they saw the crowd in front of them.
They tried to leave, but the proprietress strode forward and grabbed the young woman.
The proprietress said very warmly, "Are you two honored guests looking for a room?"
The man traveling with him was momentarily speechless, and stammered, "Yes—we need to stay at a hotel."
The proprietress squinted and laughed, "Why aren't you coming out to greet our esteemed guests? Stop hiding in the back and slacking off."
Shen Rong's expression subtly changed upon seeing the couple.
Although it was only for a moment, Shen Yan still managed to catch it.
Then Shen Rong said softly, "The man is You Yuan, the young master of Cangjian Manor."
Shen Yan couldn't help but take a second look after hearing this. You Yuan's face was dark, like that of a farmer.
Unexpectedly, he was the young master of the famous Hidden Sword Manor.
Hidden Sword Manor is famous for its sword forging, but at this moment, You Yuan and the girl beside him are not holding any swords.
Shen Yan saw the eyes of the other people in the hall light up; they must have recognized You Yuan as well.
He drank his wine while watching these people, trying to see when they would finally make their move.
He thought to himself, "I wonder what brought them all together here."
After a long while, someone finally couldn't resist making a move.
It was that dark-faced butcher who drew his pig-slaughtering knife from his waist and slammed it onto the dining table.
He shouted, "Damn it, a bunch of grown men, stop dawdling! Kid, just give me the stuff!"
Upon hearing this, You Yuan's eyes widened, his heart tightened, and he replied in a low voice, "Brave warrior, I don't understand what you mean. What is it?"
Seeing that You Yuan was pretending to be stupid, the others also began to say, "Hehe! Young Master You, that thing is not something you can get your hands on. You'd better hurry up and call it out. For the sake of the old master, we won't make things difficult for you."
"That's right, how could a junior like you possess such a celestial treasure?"
"If you hand it over obediently, you'll suffer less; otherwise—"
Upon hearing their words, Shen Yan's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "A celestial treasure?! If it really is such a treasure, then only a virtuous person like me should be worthy of possessing it."
Seeing that his identity had been exposed, You Yuan no longer concealed his true intentions and said, "You are all senior masters in the martial arts world, and it is indeed unbecoming of a junior like me to possess this treasure. However, this treasure is not something I wanted; it was given to Senior He Shaohuan, the leader of the Cangqiong Sect."
"Ahem! Young Master You, please don't try to scare us with He Shaohuan. Others may fear him, but I, Madam Yin, am not!"
Shen Yan looked over at the sound and saw that the speaker was an old woman, leaning on a dragon-headed wooden cane with her back bent, occasionally letting out a few low coughs.
The old woman had a long, steady breath. Although she looked like she was terminally ill, she was actually the strongest among everyone present.
Upon hearing Madam Yin's name, everyone's expression changed drastically; it seemed she must be a well-known figure in the martial arts world.
Shen Yan asked Shen Rong softly.
"Who exactly is this Lady Yin?"
"This person is the Holy Maiden of the Western Regions Holy Fire Sect. For some reason, she betrayed the sect and came to the Great Zhou. No one knows her real name, only that she calls herself Lady Yin. She is a master of poisons, a fourth-rank expert who has been famous for many years."
Shen Yan nodded inwardly. He did know He Shaohuan; he was rumored to be a third-rank expert, but this was unconfirmed and he didn't know if it was true or not.
Upon seeing Madam Yin's arrival, the others began to consider leaving quietly.
But just then, everyone noticed something was wrong; they realized they had been poisoned without even realizing it.
"Who poisoned them?!"
"My inner energy is stagnant, and my power is nowhere to be seen. What kind of poison is this?!"
"Madam Yin, please grant us the antidote. We have no intention of competing with you for the celestial treasure."
'
'
They realized they were poisoned and couldn't help but look at Madam Yin, since she seemed to be the only expert in using poison here.
Madam Yin said calmly, "I didn't poison her."
Clearly, no one believed it.
"We've been extremely careful since we arrived here, we haven't even eaten or drunk anything from the restaurants, so who could poison us?"
Shen Yan smiled and shook his head. The food was indeed fine; the problem was with the candles in the hall.
As soon as he entered, he smelled a pleasant fragrance in the lobby and felt a strange medicinal power permeating his body, trying to seal his meridians.
However, it was neutralized by his true energy in a short while, so he didn't take it to heart.
Shen Yan recognized the poison because he often chatted with Li Jianzhong, and Li Jianzhong's favorite things were all kinds of poisons.
It should be called Ten-Fragrance Softening Powder, which is often mixed with candles and has a faint fragrance.
The poisoned person is completely unaware of the poisoning until the body begins to react, at which point it is too late.
Shen Yan glanced at the innkeeper out of the corner of his eye; it must have been her who poisoned him.
Madam Yin tapped the ground a few times with her dragon-headed wooden cane, then looked at the innkeeper and said, "Poisonous Lady, why don't you talk to these fools yourself?"
The Poisonous Lady chuckled, "I run a small business here, but I didn't expect such an honored guest to arrive tonight. Of course, I must treat him well."
After she finished speaking, she looked at You Yuan.
Everyone's expression changed immediately. The Poisonous Lady's reputation was a hundred times worse than Madam Yin's. She was ruthless and cruel, and loved to torture people. Falling into her hands was worse than dying sooner.
The Ten Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder was the very poison that made her famous. However, she had disappeared from the martial arts world for more than a decade, and unexpectedly, she reappeared here.
You Yuan felt his internal energy stagnate and he couldn't muster any strength. He couldn't help but smile bitterly and say to the woman beside him, "Wan'er, it's my fault."
Shen Rong frowned upon hearing their words; he was well aware of the infamous Ten Fragrance Softening Powder.
The reason why he could still use his true energy remained a mystery to me.
All of this was naturally thanks to Shen Yan, who secretly transferred a wisp of true energy to the group to neutralize the medicinal effects in their bodies.
Just then, a hearty laugh rang out: "Who was talking about me just now? I rushed over as soon as I heard it, not daring to delay for a moment."
Wan'er's face lit up with joy, and she said, "Father! You've finally come."
Shen Yan recognized the visitor as He Shaohuan.
What he didn't expect was that the woman named Wan'er was actually He Shaohuan's daughter.
He Shaohuan sneered, "Madam Yin, was it you who called me just now?"
His voice was filled with genuine emotion, and Madam Yin's old face wrinkled even more upon hearing it.
She could tell that He Shaohuan had definitely broken through to the third rank at this moment, and that she was far from being his match.
"Now that Master He is here, I will leave."
Wan'er whispered something in He Shaohuan's ear.
"Father and the others all know that Brother You obtained the magical treasure."
His gaze immediately turned cold.
Shen Yan heard it too.
He Shaohuan said coldly, "Leave?! None of you are leaving today."
Without wasting any more words, he immediately took action.
The others were all poisoned by the Ten Fragrant Softening Powder and posed no threat.
Only Lady Yin and Poisonous Lady are still able to put up a fight. Once they are killed, everyone else will be easy prey.
Madam Yin angrily retorted, "You, surnamed He, don't push your luck!"
Seeing this scene, Poisonous Lady could not help but wonder if He Shaohuan had the idea of killing her to silence her.
The smile from before was long gone, and he joined forces with Madam Yin to deal with He Shaohuan.
Both of them were peak fourth-rank experts, while He Shaohuan was already a third-rank martial artist.
They could barely parry, but the poison contained in their moves caused harm to many people around them.
They were foaming at the mouth, their faces were bluish-black, their eyes were wide open, and their deaths were extremely tragic.
Upon seeing this, Shen Yan couldn't help but think to himself, "As expected of a master of poisons, his entire body is covered in poison."
The Poisonous Woman spoke up, "Sect Leader He, we have no grudges against each other. I'm just doing some small business here, and I haven't made things difficult for your daughter. How about you let me leave?"
He Shaohuan remained silent, his hands never stopping, each move ruthless and deadly.
Poisonous Lady's face turned cold, and she clenched her teeth.
"Fine! You forced me to do this."
She abandoned her alliance with Madam Yin and charged towards He Wan'er and You Yuan.
In an instant, the two were captured, and the Poisonous Lady looked at He Shaohuan with a smug expression.
"He Shaohuan, your daughter and son-in-law are in my hands. How about letting me leave?"
Without the Poisonous Lady's restraint, how could Madam Yin be a match for He Shaohuan, a third-rank expert?
He was defeated shortly afterward and killed by He Shaohuan.
After killing Madam Yin, He Shaohuan faced the threat from the Poisonous Lady without hesitation and launched a ruthless attack.
"Heh! Today, none of you will leave here alive."
Shen Yan never expected He Shaohuan to be so ruthless, even abandoning his own daughter.
As she lay dying, Poisonous Lady stared wide-eyed at He Shaohuan in disbelief.
Facing He Shaohuan, a third-rank official, Shen Rong was unsure if Shen Yan was a match for him, so he said, "We are from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and have no intention of interfering in Headmaster He's affairs. Would you please let us leave now?"
"Shen Moxuan?!"
"Exactly!"
He Shaohuan frowned upon hearing the name of the Duke of Dingguo; Shen Moxuan was not someone to be trifled with.
But for the sake of the immortal treasure, he even killed his own daughter.
If this group of dozens of people isn't eliminated completely, news of their acquisition of the celestial treasure will surely leak out.
That would be an endless disaster.
After a moment's thought, he had an idea.
He Shaohuan smiled and said, "So you are a member of the Shen family. In that case, may you all have a safe journey. Please keep today's events a secret for me."
Shen Rong smiled and said, "That's only right, Sect Leader He, please rest assured."
They were preparing to leave when He Shaohuan made his move.
Shen Rong's expression changed drastically. Even after hearing about the immortal treasure, they were not tempted and simply watched the show from the sidelines.
They didn't want to cause any unnecessary complications or add any unforeseen changes, since their trip was to Jiangnan Prefecture to handle a case.
Shen Yan had long noticed that He Shaohuan was not honest, although he verbally agreed to their request.
But he was secretly gathering strength in his hands.
Shen Yan unleashed his full power and struck out with his palm.
"!"
With a loud bang, the shockwave shattered the tables in the lobby.
He Shaohuan stumbled back more than ten steps before regaining his balance. He looked at Shen Yan's young face.
His eyes were filled with shock: "How is this possible! You're actually a third-rank expert too!"
However, he quickly recovered and said with a smile, "I was just joking with you all. Have a safe journey!"
Even the usually composed Shen Ci was amused by He Shaohuan's shamelessness.
They could tell that He Shaohuan had clearly suffered a loss and felt that he was no match for Shen Yan, which was why he said those words.
Shen Yan naturally wouldn't believe his nonsense.
"Sect Leader He, save those words for when you're talking to ghosts!"
"You've gone too far. Don't think I'm afraid of you."
He Shaohuan gritted his teeth and said:
After a cup of tea.
He Shaohuan collapsed to the ground, spitting out blood, his face ashen.
He kept begging Shen Yan for mercy, saying, "I'll give you the magic treasure! Spare my life!"
"A magical treasure?! Show it to me, and then my young master will decide whether to spare your life."
Shen Ci understood the implication in Shen Yan's words and replied, "Hand over the immortal treasure, and I'll spare your life."
Upon hearing this, He Shaohuan was overjoyed and took out a milky-white stone from his person.
"This is a celestial treasure, with endless wonders. I only broke through to the third rank after obtaining a piece the size of a fingernail."
Shen Yan took it and saw that there was a misty aura flowing inside, making it look like a gemstone.
However, a moment later, he sensed something was wrong.
The misty aura inside actually flowed into his meridians.
The magical treasure dimmed slightly, but it still shone like a gemstone.
It just lacks that ethereal, otherworldly aura.
Shen Yan remained calm and dared not let anyone notice anything amiss, so he gave it to Shen Ci.
"Young Master, this celestial treasure is beyond our reach; let the Duke decide its fate!"
Then, Shen Yan struck He Shaohuan, who was about to leave, with a palm strike, killing him.
Looking at his corpse, he said indifferently, "Young master spared you, but I didn't."
With so many people dead at this inn, it's impossible to spend the night here; the group has no choice but to travel at night.
Before leaving, Shen Yan noticed a jade pendant on You Yuan's person, which was quite extraordinary.
He just took it without alerting anyone.