Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"Of course there's something wrong." Zhang Zhishen gave a bitter laugh. "Brother Yang, if I'm not mistaken, this Right Elder that Afu speaks of is the Barbarian Dance Right Priest from our clan in those days. He was the one who persecuted the old clan chief, made off with the clan's sacred relic, and then, stopping at no atrocity, cultivated the Evil Gu in a vain attempt to unite our entire clan. So you see, Brother Yang, you should understand by now just how formidable this man is. Back then, even the old clan chief was no match for him. Even Miss Lan—her diligent cultivation now is precisely in order to deal with them."

"In other words, you're no match for this Right Elder." Yang Yuting nodded. He had finally grasped Zhang Zhishen's meaning: this Right Elder was exceedingly formidable, and the strength of two men would not be enough to capture him.

"Not just me. Even if my master and I joined forces now, we'd barely stand a chance against him. Only my master's wife could stand against him," Zhang Zhishen said with a bitter smile.

"Your master's wife—you mean Lan Ling's grandmother?" Yang Juehuan's heart gave a sudden lurch. If Chen Afu were handed over to Lan Ling's grandmother, might she have a way to deal with the Right Elder?

At the thought, Yang Ce immediately felt this was a fine idea. Whether or not Lan Ling's grandmother could beat the Right Elder was for her to judge. It was far safer than having himself and Zhang Zhishen go after the Right Elder together.

"Yes," Zhang Zhishen nodded. "My master's wife."

"Then let's take this young fellow to Lan Ling's grandmother first and see if she has any ideas," Yang Yanzhou said.

Zhang Zhishen nodded. "That's a good idea. Otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do with him—the matter involves too many people, more than I can handle."

Yang Yu nodded. "Let's go, then. Now, before anything else happens."

Originally Yang Ce had intended to take Chen Afu to Blue Sea, Ma Xiaoyao and Lan Ling's grandfather, but Ma Xiaoyao had asked him to keep his identity secret, forbidding him even to tell Lan Ling's grandmother—let alone Zhang Zhishen, who was standing right there. That was why Yang Ce had thought of taking Chen Afu to Lan Ling's grandmother instead.

Following Yang Juehuan's directions, Zhang Zhishen drove toward the Seaside Plaza. He parked near the square, and Yang Ce, hauling Chen Afu along, walked with Zhang Zhishen toward the stone stele in the plaza.

It was a hidden mechanism, a secret passage. Last time, Lan Ling's grandmother had led Yang Ce down into it. The two of them stood beside the stele. Yang Shuoxuan did not know how Lan Ling's grandmother had triggered the mechanism last time—he only remembered that she had groped at the stone a few times, and the passage had opened. So Yang Ce imitated her, running his hands back and forth over the stele, but after groping for quite a while, the stone stood there as immovable as ever.

Then again, no wonder. The Seaside Plaza was a tourist attraction; in summer the place was swarming with visitors all day long. If the mechanism were that easy to trigger, it would have been opened a thousand times over.

There had to be some rule or trick to it that he did not know.

Just as Yang Puqi was at his wit's end, he heard a sudden creak-creak from beside him, and the stele began slowly sliding to one side, revealing a cave beneath—the very cave Yang Ce had seen last time.

To be continued

1008. Xia Yan Again

Yang Yongjin knew how Lan Ling's grandmother had discovered that he and Zhang Zhishen were outside, but the old woman was a mysterious sort—perhaps she had her own unique methods.

Zhang Zhishen was badly startled by the sudden turn of events. How had the stele moved all of a sudden, and opened a gap besides? He had assumed this was merely a meeting point, a place where Yang Ce met his contacts—he had never imagined there was such a contraption in the middle of it.

"This is—" Zhang Zhishen stared in alarm and uncertainty at the deep tunnel before him and asked hesitantly, "Brother Yang, are we going in there?"

"Yes, let's go in," Yang Yu said with a nod. "Quickly. It's night, but I'm still afraid someone might come here."

With that, Yang Ce took the lead, carrying Chen Afu as he stepped into the tunnel, then said to Zhang Zhishen behind him, "Just follow me."

Tonight there was no light at all in the tunnel. Yang Ce could see in the dark, but Zhang Zhishen could not; afraid he would trip, Yang Ce made him follow close behind.

Once the two of them were fully inside, the opening behind them slowly closed again, and the stele returned to its original state. Inside the tunnel it became pitch black—darker still than before.

"Brother Yang, this place really is—" Zhang Zhishen had never been here before, so he was rather nervous. He was not as bold as Yang Ce, after all; his expertise lay in the arts of gu, and when it came to actual fighting, whether against cold steel or firearms, he was no good at all.

"It's fine." Yang Ce chuckled, because he had already seen that Lan Ling's grandmother was waiting for them in the very room where they had met last time.

Seeing Yang Ce so full of confidence, Zhang Zhishen relaxed and followed him quickly inside. The closer they drew, the more reassured Zhang Zhishen became, for he had already sensed a familiar aura—one peculiar to practitioners of gu like themselves, and moreover of his own lineage.

Yang Ce led Zhang Zhishen along the route he knew so well to the room where Lan Ling's grandmother was. By now Zhang Zhishen truly breathed a sigh of relief. At the sight of her, he hurriedly fell to his knees and said, "Zhang Zhishen pays his respects to the Grandmaster's wife."

"Zhang Zhishen, rise." Lan Ling's grandmother spoke faintly, her words carrying an indescribable authority that made even Yang Ce feel a stir of reverence.

But Yang Ce and Lan Ling's grandmother were well acquainted by now, so he said, "Grandmother, we've captured a man. He can also cast gu—says a Right Elder taught him. I thought it seemed connected to the forces opposing you, so I brought him here."

"The Right Elder?" Lan Ling's grandmother frowned, looking at Chen Afu on the ground, and asked gravely.

"Yes, Grandmaster's wife." Zhang Zhishen hastily recounted his analysis and conclusions, along with the whole process of capturing Chen Afu.

"Evil gu?" A flash of anger crossed Lan Ling's grandmother's face. "That Right Priest has actually practiced such a cruel and inhuman art. If he succeeds, the Miao village will be in grave danger."

Yang Minlan did not know much about the grudges and feuds involved here, but seeing the worry on the faces of both Lan Ling's grandmother and Zhang Zhishen, he understood that this was a serious matter.

"Grandmother, what do you say we use Chen Afu to lure the Right Elder out, and then we all join forces and finish him off?" Yang Ce suggested after a moment's hesitation. Damn it—if all else fails, just fill him with a hail of bullets; surely he couldn't survive that.

Lan Ling's grandmother shook her head. "No. The Right Priest is a suspicious man by nature, and cunning and treacherous besides. And most importantly—I am not confident I could deal with him."

"What—no way! Is he really that formidable, that even you aren't his match, Grandmother?" Yang Ce said in shock.

"Back then, old man Lan Hai was the only one stronger than him," Lan Ling's grandmother said. "But after he schemed against Lan Hai, there has been no word of him. Now, to subdue him, we can only pin our hopes on Lingling."

"Lan Ling?" Yang Xutang was somewhat surprised. "Lan Ling is that formidable?"