You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

Chapter 123 - 50, Life and Death Chess_2

"How many martial cultivator geniuses have you located?" Lin Yue asked.

"Eleven," the enchanting woman said with a trembling voice. "However, five of them didn’t meet the qualifications, and in the end, the mysterious person only took six away."

"What treasures did you receive?" Lin Yue looked at her expressionlessly.

Not daring to hesitate, the enchanting woman shivered and said, "The first time it was Immortal Fate Water, the second time a set of Mysterious Formation, the third time a Spirit Pill that preserves beauty, the fourth time that belt-like storage treasure, the fifth time was a Martial Arts Secret Skill ’Gui Water Formless’, and the sixth time was still Immortal Fate Water."

Lin Yue squinted at her.

Inside the storage treasure, one could indeed see two gourds of Immortal Fate Water and a decent Martial Arts Secret Skill, useful for defense and perception probing.

"I... I’m telling the truth!" The enchanting woman noticed he paused and suddenly became more afraid, worrying that he might force her to consume the Immortal Fate Water, which would be worse than a clean death.

"That mysterious person, what does he look like? Any distinguishing features?" Lin Yue said indifferently.

"I’ve never seen his face."

Trembling, the enchanting woman said, "Each time he appears, he’s in a black robe, his face shrouded in black mist, with a guard by his side. That guard has never spoken, just obeying orders."

She paused, then added, "But I previously told you no lies, the mysterious person really told me he was working for a significant figure from the Imperial Family of Di Hong City, promising any reward I desired if I found enough martial cultivator talents."

Lin Yue looked at her impassively and asked, "What else?"

"There’s more... there’s more..."

The enchanting woman wracked her brain, trying to recall.

Suddenly, she blurted out, "After I mastered ’Gui Water Formless,’ I noticed that the guard by the mysterious person’s side had a strange medicinal scent about him, and didn’t breathe at all; it was only obscured by his clothes. When I asked about it, the mysterious person threatened me not to ask about things I shouldn’t know."

"A medicinal scent?"

Lin Yue made a mental note and asked, "Anything else?"

"There’s nothing more; I really don’t know anything else."

The enchanting woman looked at him fearfully, pleading, "I know you won’t let me go, I just beg you not to feed me the Immortal Fate Water and turn me into that. A swift end is all I ask for."

Lin Yue’s gaze was indifferent; he didn’t respond to her but said instead, "Six martial cultivator geniuses were taken away, what about the other five? Did you turn them all into dogs?"

"Two were toyed to death, the others... they all took the Immortal Fate Water," the enchanting woman said with a quivering voice.

Lin Yue pondered for a moment, then said, "Give me their names and identities."

...

After a short time.

Lin Yue walked out of the barrier-enshrouded cell with Baili Fengzhi, and the Master, who had been listening in the next cell, immediately approached.

"Master, did you hear everything just now?" Lin Yue asked. "Did you find anything?"

The Master was too concerned with the issue at hand to care about being called Master and quickly said, "Young master, I now seriously suspect that the mastermind behind this could belong to the faction of the Twelfth Prince."

"Oh?" Lin Yue looked at him.

The Master explained, "The woman said that the mysterious person she was supposed to find martial cultivator geniuses for has a guard with a strange medicinal scent and no breath; I suspect that this might be Life and Death Chess."

"Life and Death Chess?" Lin Yue raised an eyebrow slightly.

"A type of Puppet created with Miracle Medicine that refines a living person to be in a state between life and death, becoming a completely manipulable pawn, hence the name Life and Death Chess."

The Master continued, "The factions under the Twelfth Prince have been known to use Life and Death Chess in battles before. Many people in Di Hong City have discovered that Life and Death Chess is made from young and potential martial cultivator geniuses, utilizing treasure medicine to forcibly extract potential. Although the outcome is slightly weaker than normal cultivation, they are obedient and do not fear death, making them tough to kill."

Lin Yue slightly furrowed his brow.

Such peculiar Life and Death Chess was indeed inconceivable.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg for the Twelfth Prince’s faction’s forces.

Lin Yue sighed and said, "Master, please send someone to Nanyun Sect. Song Cidong is in the secret chamber of the mountain peak where the Supreme Elder resides. Go release him from his burden."

Since Song Cidong had seen his appearance and had the Supreme Elder of Nanyun Sect capture him, and was connected to the forces of the Twelfth Prince, he naturally couldn’t be left alive.

Moreover, Song Cidong had also consumed a large amount of Immortal Fate Water and was beyond saving.

To die was to be released.

"Alright."

The Master nodded and said, "Protector Jian is most skilled in mechanisms and detection. I will send him to deal with Song Cidong."

Lin Yue made a sound of acknowledgment and said, "After dealing with it, if you have any questions, ask this Supreme Elder of Nanyun Sect. If not, grant her release."

...

Lishan, Nanyun Sect.

Atop a lofty peak deep within the Sect lay the grand estate of the Supreme Elder.

Inside a hidden chamber of the estate.

Song Cidong lay on the ground, extending his tongue to lick the floor where the medicinal liquid had dried up, trying to lick up the remaining taste that had soaked into the tiles.

His master had been away for nearly four days, and his addiction to the Immortal Fate Water was about to flare up.

Just then—

"Oh? There’s a dog?"

A deep, chilling voice suddenly echoed within the chamber.

Song Cidong turned around to see two figures in black robes appear in the chamber.

A tall and thin black-robed person was looking at him, with not a single inch of skin exposed, his face shrouded in a hazy black mist, appearing extremely sinister and mysterious.

And the other black-robed figure, also leaving no skin visible, wearing a black mask, only revealing a pair of dull and numb turbid eyes.

"Who are you?" Song Cidong was taken aback and immediately stood up.

This was his master’s hidden chamber, protected by the Mysterious Formation, a place outsiders couldn’t possibly enter.

"Immortal Fate Water? Heh heh..."

The mysterious person veiled in black mist let out a snicker and asked, "Where’s your master?"

Song Cidong replied coldly, "How could I possibly tell you if you don’t state your purpose?"

The mysterious person was taken aback by the laughter, "Such a loyal dog indeed."

With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of black mist poured out, and Song Cidong immediately passed out.

...

The next morning.

"Young Master."

The Master hurried into the courtyard and addressed Lin Yue, who was practicing his cultivation, "As per the Young Master’s instructions, I sent Protector Jian to Nanyun Sect, but after searching throughout the Supreme Elder’s hidden chamber, they did not find any trace of Song Cidong."

"Not found?" Lin Yue frowned slightly, "They didn’t find the hidden chamber?"

"They found it."

The Master said, "Following the directions to the hidden chamber given by that woman, as well as the method for entering the Mysterious Formation, Protector Jian did enter the chamber, but they did not find Song Cidong."

"Have you asked that woman?" Lin Yue knew she hadn’t been killed.

"Of course, we’ve asked."

The Master voiced his worries: "The woman said that the Mysterious Formation was given to her by the mysterious person seeking martial arts talents, and unless one is an Array Master, the only other way to break through would be by brute force. However, the chamber’s formation showed no signs of damage, so..."

Lin Yue understood and said softly, "It seems like it was the mysterious person looking for martial arts talents who took him."

The existence of an Array Master was too unlikely.

So, the only ones who could enter the Mysterious Formation unharmed were that woman and the mysterious person who gave her the formation.

"Young Master, should we evacuate?"

The Master furrowed his brows, "This mysterious person took Song Cidong and possesses the Immortal Fate Water. Song Cidong will surely divulge everything he knows; they could come looking for us at any moment."

Lin Yue did not speak.

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked, "What do you think, what level of cultivation should that mysterious person be? And what about the Life and Death Chess by his side?"

"Giving out such tasks isn’t that significant; they must be cultivators of the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier," the Master remarked, "and they couldn’t let an overly powerful Life and Death Chess follow them, likely just one of the best among those at the Four Symbols Heaven Barrier."

"If that’s the case, why evacuate?"

Lin Yue stated calmly, "If we were to evacuate now and, along with that woman, vanish without a trace, it would only make me seem more special, and might even attract more trouble."

The Master nodded slightly in agreement, "Indeed, but..."

"That Song Cidong is nothing more than a dog; he only knows I am a martial arts talent and is clueless about everything else. Only that woman’s absence is somewhat suspicious, but we can use this to our advantage," Lin Yue spoke in a calm tone.

He paused and continued, "Let’s still wait and catch this mysterious person and the Life and Death Chess with the Sword Seeking Boat. A clue presented on a silver platter should not go to waste."