Chapter 11: Communication

"This disciple is quite extraordinary."

Although Yungshou Zhenren had said much, he still appeared energetic, casting a meaningful glance at Master Guanzhi.

Master Guanzhi could only smile bitterly and said, "I had only seen that his martial arts were impressive and his Daoist cultivation commendable. I never thought... Shaochong not only has astonishing martial arts cultivation but also strategies that exceed common expectations."

"Is that all?" Yungshou Zhenren shook his head with a smile, but soon his expression grew serious.

"Investigate Shaochong's performance since entering the temple, as well as all his information before entering, especially regarding what he mentioned about the Li family of Chunming County and the past of Daoist Guanzhi."

"In addition, during these days, you should personally look after him... as an uncle."

After a moment of contemplation, he emphasized, "Most importantly, remember that Shaochong is currently a core disciple of the next generation of Xuanzhen Temple. You must not harm the relationship."

"I understand," Master Guanzhi replied respectfully.

"However, while this strategy is good, I fear our Xuanzhen Temple might not have enough manpower to face the opponents."

"Don't worry, the old Daoist knows the proportions."

"You should go now and find Guanyin and Guanzhe. Use the occasion of the fasting and ritual ceremony on the ninth day of the ninth month as a pretext."

"The arrangements in the temple should also be based on this pretext, ensuring the entire plan is executed perfectly!"

Upon hearing this, Master Guanzhi quickly left.

Not long after he left,

Yungshou Zhenren entered the rear courtyard and began to write several letters at his desk. He then rolled them up and placed them into the feet of several homing pigeons in the yard.

Afterward, he watched as the pigeons flew in all directions under his deep, ocean-like gaze.

…

At this moment, Bai Yichen was hurrying back to his small courtyard, replaying the gains and losses from this encounter in his mind.

This time, he had exposed nearly all his martial arts talents and most of his strategic thinking.

However, he had gained the favor and initial trust of Yungshou Zhenren.

As long as he could follow this path, Bai Yichen was confident he had a great chance of becoming the next temple master.

A martial artist capable of stabilizing the situation, with a meticulous mind, and who was loyal to Xuanzhen Temple, would be the best candidate.

As for private investigations, that was quite normal. Besides the spy matter, he was not afraid of anything else.

He even hoped to clarify things within the temple. After all, without evidence, others might not believe him. It would be easier for them to trust Bai Yichen if they found out for themselves.

In this light, it seemed the future was promising, and there was hope for opportunities.

With a sense of pleasure, Bai Yichen entered his small courtyard and saw that meals were already laid out on the table.

His junior disciple was watching eagerly. When he saw Bai Yichen return, he finally broke into a smile and hurriedly invited him to sit down.

Before leaving, Bai Yichen had instructed his junior to fetch a good meal from the dining hall to avoid eating leftovers when he returned late.

Seeing Bai Yichen sit down and start eating, the junior disciple quickly grabbed a pair of wooden chopsticks and dashed to the food box, as if he had been starving for a long time.

Bai Yichen didn't think too much about it; it was best to take care of his hunger first.

…

In the following two days, Bai Yichen consistently completed his daily morning classes in Daoism and martial arts training as if nothing had happened.

Until the third day, when Bai Yichen went to the large rock on the east side of the Guanyun Platform in the dense forest of Qingkong Mountain, as per his agreement with Daoist Guanzhi.

In the crevice of the rock, he found a common bamboo tube. However, he didn't open it on the spot but planned to take it back to his courtyard.

Once he returned to his room, Bai Yichen finally relaxed and murmured to himself: "I didn't have to show myself directly to take this letter."

In fact, over the past two days, Bai Yichen had felt someone was watching him.

Earlier, after he walked out of the temple, that feeling intensified, especially when he saw himself take the bamboo tube from the crevice.

It seemed, in the end, they chose to endure and didn't take action, merely maintaining their watch. Once he entered his room, he could no longer sense their presence.

In this light, it seemed he had gained a measure of trust.

The letter was sealed inside the bamboo tube, and nothing suspicious could be seen from the outside.

Bai Yichen pried open the bamboo tube and took out a blank piece of yellow paper.

Then, he pulled out a small porcelain bottle containing a carefully concocted special potion.

He gently poured the potion onto the letter and then used a candle on the table to heat it. Soon, words gradually appeared on the originally blank paper wherever the potion touched.

This was one of the precautions taken by Heishi to transmit secret messages.

After reading it word for word, Bai Yichen had clarity on several previous doubts.

As expected, the matter of the undercover continued along a single line of contact. The leader of Heishi's Qingzhou branch, Dark Kill, was probably the only one besides the Heishi leader who knew about his and Guanzhi's undercover identities.

The realm of perfection in the acquired state coincided perfectly with the plan to attack Xuanzhen Temple, presenting an opportunity.

However, the reason for the Heishi organization's attack remained unclear to Daoist Guanzhi. He only knew that there were precious items involved.

Bai Yichen understood that this likely related to opportunities for immortality, which the current Heishi leader was aware of.

After a moment of contemplation and slightly organizing his thoughts, he guessed that someone might not be able to wait any longer.

He packed up and gently rubbed the letter with his internal energy, causing the characters to disappear and turning it back into blank paper. This was also one of Heishi's methods.

Then he left the room.

…

In the back hall of the lecture hall, aside from the matter of the undercover agents, Bai Yichen sequentially recounted the contents of the letter.

He then produced the blank letter and explained that it had turned back into blank paper shortly after being opened.

Master Guanzhi, perhaps due to his high trust in him, did not question his words.

Bai Yichen sighed in relief; fortunately, it was Master Guanzhi. If it had been Yungshou Zhenren, it might not have gone as smoothly.

"There are an unknown number of innate-level experts, at least five perfected acquired realm fighters, and at least twelve major acquired realm experts. What a significant undertaking!"

Master Guanzhi spoke with some trepidation and concern.

From what Bai Yichen knew, there were at most three perfected acquired realm fighters in the temple and only about seven or eight major acquired realm experts, indicating a significant disparity in strength and numbers.

"However, Daoist Guanzhi mentioned that he would act according to the situation, which might help to make up for it," Bai Yichen added.

"Let's hope so."

Bai Yichen tentatively asked, "Uncle, does our grandmaster have any plans regarding this?"

Master Guanzhi smiled wryly: "I'm not sure. The grandmaster only told us to rest easy; he will make his own decisions."

After a moment of deliberation, Master Guanzhi added, "However, I saw that Uncle released several homing pigeons. Perhaps he is contacting someone."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yichen's eyes flashed with speculation.

"Never mind. I will mention this to Uncle. You don't need to worry too much about it."

Saying this, Master Guanzhi chuckled lightly, "Don't worry. Even if the sky falls, we old fellows will still be here."

Bai Yichen felt a moment of emotion in his heart but quickly composed himself.

"Uncle is joking. We will certainly get through this challenge."

Bai Yichen said with firm determination.

Master Guanzhi felt somewhat reassured upon hearing this and then spoke:

"However, in the next few days, you should help me manage the Chongyang Festival's ritual ceremony to prepare for the upcoming grand event."

Bai Yichen readily agreed, bowed, and took his leave.