NOVEL WEB Chapter 156- How So?
Yoon-Jae wiped off the blood on his knuckles as he walked into the open courtyard. There he saw Sol standing by the side acting rather strangely.
It seems as if he was talking to someone.
Yoon-Jae found that weird, but he was still fuming with rage at Yun-Soo as well as being confused about why Sol killed Ji-Hoon to care about Sol's weird behavior.
"Sol."
At Yoon-Jae's call, Sol turned towards him.
"Brother Yoon-Jae, you probably want answers right now."
"Very much so, and it's starting to be a habit. Start explaining yourself."
Yoon-Jae said in an interrogating manner as he came to a stop in front of Sol with his hands on his waist.
Sol smiled and scratched his cheek as he explained some parts of the conversation he had with Ji-Hoon before everything happened.
With his arms now folded, Yoon-Jae wore a thoughtful expression before summarizing.
"So, in short, the Demonic Cult damaged the Multidimensional Teleportation Array to isolate the Academy from interfering, meanwhile they would steal the hidden Inheritance from an Immortal name Dai Shen. And you chose to help them because as it turns out the Demonic Cult weren't the ones who were committing those atrocities?"
"Well, when you put it like that Brother Yoon-Jae it sounds as if I made an impulsive decision to help them. But I thought about it, plus I was already planning on visiting the Inner Court so I might as well go with them."
"Yeah, I'm sure you've thought about it long and hard. You're smart Sol, but getting involved with them in this kind of situation is very risky for you. If something goes wrong, you'll be branded as a spy of the Demonic Cult. If that were to happen, do you think the Six Holy Sects and Five Great Clans would let you be when they've already witnessed your talent? Not only them, but you will have the entirety of Jianghu treating you like an enemy. By then not even my Master or Uncle Master would be able to do anything."
"I'm not scared to become an enemy of the entirety of Jianghu, they aren't any better than the Church and the Western Continent. But I guess it would be a waste if I throw away my current position. However, all I have to do is make sure I don't get caught. Plus, if this is successful, we'll be able to get higher-grade medicinal plants than the ones we've gathered for the Alchemy Pavilion so far!"
Little Abdu suddenly snorted when he heard that, before saying.
"Are you really comparing the weeds you picked from the servants' Outer Court to the ones in the Inner Court?"
Sol grinned when he heard Little Abdu, and he looked at Yoon-Jae eagerly.
Seeing his grinning expression, Yoon-Jae couldn't help but shake his head.
"Fine, I already said I'll go along with you, so I won't change my mind. But I suppose this means you didn't kill Ji-Hoon then?"
Sol shook his head.
"I really shot the arrow, but the results were an illusion. I used my Wood Aether to form the arrow, so its lethality is significantly less than the other elements. Rather, it healed him instead."
Yoon-Jae glanced down at the tattoos on Sol's hands before asking.
"This is one of the keys, right? To get Immortal Shen's Inheritance? You said the other spies were busy acquiring the rest, how long will that take?"
"Brother Ji-Hoon said only two keys remained and it'll take two weeks to get them."
Yoon-Jae suddenly frowned.
"Speaking of that person Ji-Hoon, where is he? Don't we need to find him before that bastard Yun-Soo does? Knowing him, he'll likely go back to the Irregular Dharma Pavilion camp to get more people."
Sol suddenly grinned.
"Don't worry about that Brother Yoon-Jae, Brother Ji-Hoon is right here."
Sol raised his hand and placed it on Ji-Hoon's shoulder who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Yoon-Jae nearly had a heart attack when he saw Ji-Hoon appear. He couldn't sense his presence at all.
"Wha-How was he there all along? Is it the runes?"
Sol nodded with a big grin still on his face.
"I canceled his teleportation. I decided to have my Heavenly Samsara Formation encapsulate the pavilion and hide him here until we leave."
"Thank you, Holy Son."
Yoon-Jae suddenly looked at Sol with a confused expression as if to ask why Ji-Hoon was calling him that.
Sol had conveniently left out this part while explaining his and Ji-Hoon's conversation before. His smile turned to an embarrassing one, before he looked at Ji-Hoon and said.
"I told you, Brother Ji-Hoon, you don't have to address me with that title, just call me by my name."
Ji-Hoon showed a hesitant expression, the rules of the Demonic Cult were strict, and hierarchy was determined by position as much as it was by strength.
Ji-Hoon nodded slowly, but Sol saw that his words didn't get through to him at all.
Yoon-Jae turned to Ji-Hoon and asked.
"How many keys are there? You've never told us."
"There are five in total."
Little Abdu on top of Sol's head was the one to respond.
Everyone looked towards him as he continued.
"Also, more than being 'keys' they simply have the aura of an Immortal that will work as substitutes so you can enter Immortal Shen's Palace. Only Immortals can enter it. As for actually obtaining the Inheritance inside, that's a separate hurdle you lot have to cross."
Little Abdu then looked down at Sol and said.
"If you wish to bring this boy and your friend inside, then you'll have to use your Formation to mask their presence."
"That's no problem!"
Sol said.
"Alright, I understand the plan somewhat, but how will we get to Immortal Shen's Palace?"
"The Subsidiary Palaces have Teleportation Arrays that can teleport us there. We just have to fix the ones that are broken."
"How long will that take? Would we be able to complete them before the Multidimensional Teleportation Array is fixed? We can't be sure we'll have more than a month and a half. Also, doubt those partners of yours have knowledge about runes and formations to fix Teleportation Arrays like that within that time frame."
Ji-Hoon's brows came together because Yoon-Jae made a good point.
"Wait, the Teleportation Array in Su Moon's Palace is definitely intact. We can just have the others who acquire the keys come here and use it with us."
Ji-Hoon shook his head at Sol's suggestion before explaining.
"Holy S-I mean, Brother Sol, other camps are on high alert because of our presence inside the Dimension. They would probably be checking everyone who enters and leaves their camps."
"So, it would be difficult for them to get here."
Yoon-Jae finished for Ji-Hoon and the latter nodded solemnly.
"Well, maybe they don't have to leave, what if I used my Heavenly Samsara Formation to bring them out?"
"That would be the best solution but try not to get caught."
"I won't Brother Yoon-Jae. Also, I'll have to leave an imprint of the Formation around this pavilion to protect the disciples when we leave. Yun-Soo might come back to antagonize everyone."
Yoon-Jae's eyes narrowed at that.
"I hate to admit it, but despite the beatings I gave him that isn't out of the realm of possibility after he finds out that we left."
Sol suddenly remembered something, and he looked at Yoon-Jae and asked curiously.
"Brother Yoon-Jae, who exactly is Yun-Soo? Is he really Geon-Soo's little brother?"
"Yeah, he is, but it isn't like what you think. It's rather complicated."
"How so?"
"Supreme Elder, Yun-Soo and Geon-Soo are both the sons of the Emei Sect's Third Elder. But they are half-siblings since Geon-Soo's father is the Wudang Sect's Patriarch and Yun-Soo isn't."
Sol hearing this became a little confused as to who this Emei Sect Third Elder was.
"No, stop, stop, stop. You're explaining it all wrong! You'll just be ruining a good story and confusing him at the same time if you explain it so blandly."
Yoon-Jae shooed Ji-Hoon away before saying with eyes lighting up.
"Around a decade ago news started to spread that the Emei Sect's Third Elder and the Wudang Sect's Patriarch was having a relationship. The Third Elder was known to be the most beautiful woman in Jianghu while the Wudang Sect's Patriarch was known to be the most handsome man. You would think this relationship would be a natural course of action, however, when the news broke it shocked the entirety of Jianghu! Though the Emei Sect has the largest brothel business in Jianghu while their disciples practice Dual Cultivation, in order to become an Elder of the Emei Sect one has to cultivate the Sect's Founding Cultivation Method, and a requirement to cultivate this was to practice celibacy!"