Journey to the West: The Mountain Shaker

Chapter 54 Conspiracy

Chen Xingxing—oh no, Chen Xuanbiao didn't hear at all.

He remained rooted to the spot, his mind filled with only four words—inconceivable.

After Yu Qianqian swayed gracefully for more than ten steps, Chen Xuanbiao finally snapped out of his daze.

"Talismanic arts... can be used like this..." he murmured, shaking his head involuntarily.

The Talisman Technique is a family secret passed down by the Kong family. Chen Xuanbiao has been walking around the market for many years and has naturally seen and witnessed this technique. However, what he cannot accept is that Kong Fande passed on this escape technique to an outsider.

Furthermore, although he was certain it was a talisman technique—but what kind of talisman technique could make someone float in mid-air like a swing?

Chen Xuanbiao glanced in the direction where Cai Fei was. The man and woman were dividing the money and muttering something happily to each other.

Chen Xuanbiao wanted to ask Cai Fei what kind of skill that move was, but he withdrew his leg as soon as he raised it—how could he tell others about such a skill?

Going there would only be pointless, so I'll just forget about it.

He looked up and glanced into the distance—on the small hill closest to Shiping, two people were standing there, hidden by the bushes, and could not be seen unless you looked closely.

One of them was middle-aged with a pale yellow complexion; he was the manager surnamed Bao from the Illusion Array Courtyard. The other had a sallow complexion and was clearly wearing a mask.

When Chen Xuanbiao looked over, the two were talking about something. With Chen Xuanbiao's sharp eyesight, he could see that Steward Bao had a very serious expression on his face.

Chen Xuanbiao glanced at it and then looked away, thinking to himself that although he had lost face a little, he had forced Cai Fei to use such magic, so his mission was accomplished.

The stunned onlookers gradually came to their senses, and a cacophony of chatter began to rise.

Most people were discussing Cai Fei's incredible "aerial snake walk" and "swinging on a swing" moves, while a small number were blaming Chen Xuanbiao for being too careless—he actually set a three-move limit, and if he had added one more move, he would definitely have won.

Judging from the source of the voices, the complaints were mostly from his classmates in the top class, probably because they had bet too much and lost money, so it's understandable that they were unhappy.

Okay, even if we lose the battle, we won't lose our spirit!

That's how it is when you're the boss; sometimes you have to suffer a little loss because saving face comes first.

"Brother Cai, your skills are impressive. It seems I'll have to grant you five moves next time we spar." Chen Xuanbiao clasped his hands in a fist salute to Cai Fei, settling the score in one sentence. Then he raised his hand and announced, "Brothers of the Heavenly Class, let's have some drinks at Sanyuanlou at noon, my treat! I just lost money and don't have any wild vegetables to buy, but I'll have plenty of monkey wine to help everyone relieve today's frustrations."

The most famous thing about Huaguo Mountain is monkey wine. Even though it's sold cheaply inside the academy, it still costs ten spirit stones a pot. When the big shot is treating, everyone in the top class naturally cheers, and the atmosphere becomes lively.

Cai Fei was actually a little frustrated. The Talisman Technique was another trump card of his, which he did not want to reveal to others. Moreover, that attack cost him a self-made Windwalking Talisman, and the materials alone cost more than seventy spirit stones. How could he not feel the pain?

But this is not the time to be depressed.

"Hahaha! What's wrong with you today?" Cai Fei laughed as he stood up, raising his hand and shouting, "Well, I'm being a little stingy. All the brothers who lent me money are having lunch here. The guys will have monkey wine, the girls will have gold-inlaid jade dew, plus a wind-dried goose for everyone, to celebrate our big bet win and split the profits!"

Apart from "Brother Zhong," the people who lent money to Cai Fei were all classmates from Class Di, numbering about thirty or forty, with girls making up the majority. Therefore, Cai Fei specially ordered the famous Huaguoshan wine, "Gold-Inlaid Jade Bamboo Dew."

His shout was met with a great deal of response, with Yu Qianqian shouting the loudest, and most of the students in Class 2D also being pleased.

However, the school bell rang soon after, and everyone dispersed, with the students in Class 2 returning to their seats.

On a small hill several dozen feet away, Steward Bao and another cultivator had also disappeared, but they had not left; instead, they had hidden themselves in the forest.

"This person is indeed very strong. Shifting across the ground isn't particularly rare, but to do it requires simultaneously controlling the spiritual energy of more than a dozen acupoints, and controlling it with exquisite precision, down to the smallest detail..."

The masked man took a piece of paper and drew something on it while explaining it to the steward.

"Aerial maneuvering is quite rare, and combined with the talismanic techniques of the Susan Kong family, it's truly astonishing. To achieve this level, one must have used ethereal spiritual energy. Did you personally adjust the spiritual energy when he was made into a puppet? Approximately what percentage of the nine miscellaneous elements was ethereal spiritual energy?"

"You know, I don't have enough authority. I can only mobilize spiritual energy, but I don't know the specific proportion. But according to the information, he regularly buys spirit stones. Only one shop in Sushanfang sells these spirit stones, so the figures should be reliable." Manager Bao flipped through a few pages of information for the masked man to see.

"Last year I spent around 5000 spirit stones on illusory spirit stones, and I estimate that the proportion of illusory spirit roots is probably around 3%..."

"As much as 3%? No wonder."

The ethereal spirit is related to spatial abilities and is the rarest of the nine spirits, the masked man sighed, but he added a sentence.

"Even so, it's still extremely difficult to perform the movements with such ease. You're right, this person most likely possesses a special destiny, probably a bird."

"In short, this man has a bright future!" Steward Bao clenched his fist. "Therefore, you must take action, capture him alive, and send him to Fangcun Mountain for a soul-searching and excavation!"

"No!" the masked man refused outright. "This can't be done after the ban is lifted. Besides, I only have a year left before I can go back. Please let me get through this last little bit of time peacefully and leave smoothly."

"You saw how well this man escaped. If you don't step in, how can anyone else be confident?" Manager Bao quoted a price: "100 million! Make one last profit before you leave, enough for you to buy a top-quality cauldron when you get back."

"No matter how much money you have, you have to be alive to spend it." The masked man still refused. "Just find some people outside to take care of it. Why drag me into this?"

Manager Bao stared at the masked man, seeing the unwavering determination in his eyes, and then took a step back: "Then let's find 'Blood Blade,' lure him onto the flying shuttle, and make our move, leaving him nowhere to escape!"

"On the shuttle..." The masked man was still a little hesitant, but he couldn't think of a better solution for the moment. After hesitating for a while, he finally nodded. "Alright, find a less crowded shift, and I'll adjust the escort."

The two whispered and discussed the details for a while. After a while, the masked man stood up and looked down at the stone platform below through the layers of branches and leaves.

The Earth Class was having a divination lesson. Although they were about thirty feet apart, under the bright daylight, with his Foundation Establishment level eyesight, he could still clearly make out the faces of the teachers and students.

"Can you get close to Fang Yingyue?" the masked man suddenly asked. "When will you introduce me?"

"Are you short of cauldrons again?" Manager Bao glanced at the masked man with suspicion. Seeing that he remained silent, he couldn't help but sneer, "Teacher Fang is indeed good-looking, but he and Teacher Yue are inseparable, so don't get any funny ideas."

"You can't have crooked ideas, and you can't have righteous ideas either?" The masked man chuckled and said, "Don't forget, I'm not married yet."

"You can ask for information, but I won't get involved in the matter, whether it's legitimate or illegitimate," Manager Bao refused outright.

"What's there to be afraid of? This woman surnamed Yue is just a low-level official. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here in Aolai to earn this meager living. What's there to be afraid of?" the masked man mocked.

The guarantor completely ignored him.

"Alright! Let's switch to someone more down-to-earth then." The masked man asked, "What's the name of that woman who placed such a large bet earlier?"

"Yu Qianqian, you should have heard of her," Manager Bao said indifferently.

"Yu Qianqian? Why should I have heard of her?" the masked man asked, puzzled.

"Ha, you didn't know?" Steward Bao shook his head and sighed. "This matter has been kept well hidden... Well, it's a disgrace in the sect, and no one wants to mention it. But since you've taken a liking to it, I have to remind you."

It turns out that Yu Qianqian grew up in a brothel, only knowing her mother and not her father. She entered the world of prostitution at the age of ten and relied on powerful figures to make a living. A few years ago, she hooked up with the eldest son of the Xingyue Yao family. I don't know what kind of bewitching drug she used, but the Yao family's son actually wanted to marry her properly!

The Yao family was definitely against the idea of ​​a genius from the clan marrying a woman from a brothel. However, Yao's son insisted on it, causing unrest within the family and dragging on for two or three years without a decision.

Just then, the Great Wilderness Migration occurred, and the Star Moon Sect absorbed a large number of young cultivators from Aolai. The Yao family then compromised, asking Yu Qianqian to pass the Heavenly Court's Grand Examination, obtain Group A qualification, and enter the Illusionary Realm Trial. In return, they would allow her to marry into the Star Moon Sect.

The masked man clicked his tongue in amazement, then asked, "She wants to join Group A? Why doesn't she go to the 'Top' class?"

"We want her to be self-reliant and earn her Group A qualification through her own abilities!" Manager Bao said bitterly. "What right does a whore born in a brothel, who's been ridden and humiliated by thousands, have to marry into my Xingyue family, especially one of the three great clans, the Yao family!"

"A thousand men riding her, ten thousand men pressing her down?" The masked man laughed. He stared at Yu Qianqian in the distance for a while longer, then said with certainty, "This woman's brows are still undeveloped, her waist is taut; she should still be a virgin. How could there be a thousand men riding her, ten thousand men pressing her down?"

"Of course she's a virgin, otherwise why would I want her! However, given her reputation, there's no way to refute it, and it's ultimately a disgrace."

The steward's eyes showed a clear look of disgust, but he knew the masked man's background. This man had a long history of womanizing, and every woman he set his sights on ended up in his hands.

After thinking for a moment, he solemnly warned, "You must never touch this woman. Yao is the most active promoter of our Star Moon Great Wilderness expedition, and her man is very likely the sect leader of our Star Moon Great Wilderness. You must not have any thoughts of getting involved with her."

Is the leader of the Xingyue Sect's Great Wilderness Branch?

Given its location, it's indeed not a good place to make a move.

One sentence extinguished the masked man's nascent idea. He chuckled and lost all interest in talking to Manager Bao, then turned and left.

After he had walked a dozen or so feet, the once quiet hilltop was suddenly filled with birdsong.

The steward remained alone on the hilltop, his pale yellow face displaying an unpredictable mood under the dappled shade of the trees.

The future of Aolai must be filled with stars and moon.

Therefore, the genius youths who represent the future of Aolai only have two paths—surrender through blood pact, or die.

This is because it is a grand plan for the stars and moon, originating from the will of three Great Golden Immortals.