The original playacting unexpectedly gained a hint of unintended sincerity, causing both master and disciple to be slightly distracted. Who would have thought that in this chaotic place, as disorderly as a vegetable market, Yan Zheng could still single them out with just a glance.

That said, compared to the surrounding group of "monkeys" in various states of undress and bizarre appearances, the two of them did stand out a bit.

Taking advantage of the liquid courage, Shi Jingzhi shed his layer of mushy sentimentality, transforming back into that respectable old swindler. He took a slight breath, putting on a perfectly ingratiating expression: "Sect Leader, this subordinate Huo Changying is an elder of the Boshui branch. This time, having the fortune of being summoned by the Sect Leader, I've come to lend the Sect Leader a hand... no, a finger's worth of assistance."

With that said, he imitated Huo Changying's villainous smile to a tee. The earlier hint of naivety was nowhere to be seen, even Yin Ci found it a bit hard to watch.

The real Huo Changying's manner of speaking was pretentious and affected, capable of rendering three catties of lard from a single stewing. Shi Jingzhi wasn't quite so greasy, but besides that, his imitation was spot on. Without needing to add much deliberate effort, it was enough to disgust Yan Zheng.

Seeing this reaction, Yan Zheng's eyelids twitched. He suspiciously sized up Shi Jingzhi for a while, clearly starting to doubt his own judgment. He hesitated for a bit, not yet speaking up, when another person made a move - the elder who had been watching Shi Jingzhi stood up, flicking his sleeve.

A sinister aura swept across the entire hall, causing the crowd to become even more silent as cicadas in winter.

The man had a head full of white hair, one blind eye covered by a black eye patch, and a long face wrinkled like a piece of pickled radish. As this person unleashed his aura, Yan Zheng obediently shut his mouth, quietly stiffening in his seat.

Just from this difference in status, it was clear that this man was the one holding the reins of the Ling Sect.

Shi Jingzhi seized this opportunity, hurriedly sitting back down. He hugged Yin Ci as if embracing a human-shaped safety charm, his entire being relaxing once more. Yin Ci silently sized up that pickled radish-like one-eyed old man, assessing the current situation in his heart.

This man was named Chai Xin, the previous sect leader of the Ling Sect. Chai Xin's appearance was nothing special, but his martial arts were truly formidable, ranking in the top five of the jianghu. After Yan Zheng appeared, this man readily "abdicated", turning around to become an elder.

Chai Xin's actions were not out of any sense of loyalty.

It was only because the jianghu still existed, with villains constantly emerging in the rivers and lakes. Yan Budu could be considered the pinnacle of villains, and his Ling Sect was more like a symbol of faith than a sect.

As long as the Ling Sect remained undefeated, the madmen had a backbone to congregate their evil. Now that the Ling Sect had established a new sect leader possessing the Ghost Eye, it pushed these lunatics' "faith" to the extreme.

Rather than a living person, Yan Zheng was more like a breathing spirit-summoning banner, attracting all sorts of underworld demons. The position of sect leader also attracted attention like a tall tree in the wind, with assassination attempts from orthodox sects coming one after another. With Chai Xin firmly controlling Yan Zheng, his days were probably even more comfortable than when he was the sect leader.

Just like at this moment, Yan Zheng was placed in the seat of honor as a signboard while Chai Xin himself spoke first.

Just from Chai Xin's tone, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was the sect leader: "This old man received news that the fat donkey from Jianchen Temple has become roast donkey meat, and the old tortoise from Taiheng has also entered the earth. Now that the bloodline of the Divine Sect Leader has appeared and the Shi Rou's clues are in Mount Zongwu, it is a time of perfect opportunity - the revival of the Divine Sect is just around the corner!"

The people below cheered in a messy cacophony, with shouts of "The Divine Sect shall never perish for a thousand years!" ringing in one's ears. Shi Jingzhi also shouted a couple of times, his expression looking quite authentic.

Chai Xin extended both hands, gesturing for everyone to quiet down, then abruptly changed the topic: "It's just that even though Taiheng's old man is dead, his son is still unwilling to give up. Relying on their family's power and influence, they're wildly charging around Mount Zongwu with a dharma formation. Some minor sects unafraid of death have also received the news and have all come to try their luck - you lot go clean up those ignorant fools, bring back a few heads, and collect however much reward you want."

Shi Jingzhi muttered a couple of sentences: "Just to deal with the lackeys, they've summoned elites from all over?"

Yin Ci understood his confusion.

Putting aside whether Huo Changying counted as a proper elite, if it was purely to deal with external enemies, this was truly making a mountain out of a molehill. The members of the Ling Sect were not as obedient as those of other sects. Apart from idiots like Elder Huo who had just taken office, if they were simply ordered to exert effort, those elders with a bit of personality probably wouldn't be willing to budge.

It was as if Chai Xin had heard him. Before long, he continued: "As for the Shi Rou's clues, this old man has also traced them to Huilian Mountain, but unfortunately, the Compassion Stone Sword was taken first by that little thief from the Ku Mountain Sect. Fortunately, the Divine Sect Leader has shown favor and hidden the good stuff right in our backyard. Let that group of fools fight over the map! The Divine Sect Leader has set up this mechanism, there must be other arrangements-"

The cheers from below grew even louder, and the wine on the neighboring table nearly splashed onto the master and disciple.

Chai Xin took the opportunity to push the atmosphere of the hall to its peak: "This old man said it to everyone before, and will say it again - whoever finds the item left behind by the Divine Sect Leader, when the time comes to obtain the Shi Rou, can take half!"

Sounds quite convincing, Yin Ci thought to himself. Even if Elder Chai really managed to get his hands on the Compassion Stone Sword, he'd probably have ten years of his lifespan beaten out of him by the sword on the spot.

He turned his head to look at Yan Zheng sitting in the seat of honor. Yan Zheng still had no expression on his face. Upon hearing the words "Shi Rou", he didn't even lift an eyelid.

Interesting. Back when fighting against Zheng Fengdao, that man kept saying "the Sect Leader is interested in the prayer beads" and even obtained the Sect Leader's direct zombie squad. Now it seemed that who exactly was interested was still up for debate.

Since the Shi Rou was being dangled as bait, it wasn't strange for elders from all over to be willing to rush over. Firstly, they could earn some merit to stay at the main headquarters. Secondly, they could take a gamble on the legendary item of longevity, so why not?

A small movement from Shi Jingzhi interrupted Yin Ci's train of thought.

His face was filled with joy, but his brows were slightly furrowed. Taking advantage of the surrounding chaotic atmosphere, his lips brushed past Yin Ci's cheek, stopping beside his earlobe: "Ah Ci, do you have any arrangements later? There's something I want to say to you."

Perhaps as revenge for the breath he blew earlier, Shi Jingzhi's breath was warm and gentle. With a single sentence, it was like a heated silk ribbon brushing past his ear.

Yin Ci glanced at this self-taught brat and smiled faintly: "You already have all of me, so why be so polite?"

Sure enough, Sect Leader Shi's breathing instantly became a bit disordered.

At this moment, it was already late into the night. After Elder Chai passionately stirred up everyone's hearts a bit more, he went to rest. The Ling Sect crowd also wasn't in a hurry, continuing to drink and make merry, the scene becoming quite unsightly.

Shi Jingzhi put on a stiff front, pretending to be a scoundrel for a while longer. Using the excuse of "spring nights are short", he pulled Yin Ci and slipped out of the main hall.

Although Elder Chai had left, Yan Zheng was still sitting in his original spot. Yin Ci was extremely cautious, barely avoiding making eye contact with him. Yan Zheng's eyes kept intentionally or unintentionally glancing over, who knew what he was scheming.

The piercing gaze lingered like thorns until they left the hall.

There were many guest rooms in the Ling Sect's paviliion building, most of which were casually occupied, with dust nearly a foot thick in the empty rooms. After sending his two subordinates to meet with Shen Zhu, Sect Leader Shi leaned against the wall in exasperation—it wasn't that he didn't want to lie down, but he suspected even the beds in the Ghost Tomb's human-shaped coffins were cleaner than this.

Yin Ci shed his weak and spineless demeanor. He crossed his arms and looked at the deeply contemplative Shi Jingzhi.

Shi Jingzhi was not a timid person. If it were an ordinary discussion, he wouldn't have specifically sought out a secluded place. The last time he showed such a serious expression was when he talked to Yin Ci about the matter of the Desire Children.

Recalling the Desire Children matter, Yin Ci's heart sank even more.

In the past, Yin Ci would have been overjoyed to encounter a brand new "plaything". But this damned thing just had to happen to Shi Jingzhi. Yin Ci wished Shi Jingzhi was just an unlucky fellow with a strange illness, instead of being coveted by other forces.

The current problem was clear enough—the short-lived "Desire Children" who suffered from strong desires were deliberately created as part of some "century-long great undertaking", which the National Teachers of each generation might have known about.

But this mystery was too secretive, and even Yin Ci had never touched upon it. Why did the magic formation appear in the Desire Children's blood, and for whom was the century-long undertaking established? These were things that couldn't be figured out in a short time. Let alone the bizarre clue of the flesh god statue, even the pathology of Shi Jingzhi himself couldn't be clearly understood.

Sect Leader Shi's life was hanging by a thread. He could only investigate while trying to stay alive, not daring to alert the enemy too early. Their main goal at the moment was still the Shi Rou, which they had long agreed upon.

Thinking of this, Yin Ci leaned against the door. "What did you want to say just now?"

"Elder Chai's attitude is too enthusiastic. According to him, he is very certain that Kongshi's Tomb has clues—not speculation, but certainty from finding other indications. It seems that Yan Budu didn't just hide clues in Yuanxian Village, but likely in other places as well."

Shi Jingzhi stared at the dim guest room and spoke slowly.

"Yan Budu set up the Shi Rou not to pass it down properly. Previously, I thought he set up another 'key' just to play a prank at the last moment. Even if no one found the key, or if the Shi Rou didn't exist at all, it would fit his style... But now looking at his design, it's as if he's afraid people won't discover it."

Yin Ci smoothly continued, "Yan Budu doesn't need to make the 'fight for the Shi Rou' so complicated just to toy with the martial arts world."

Just the fourteen Buddha beads of the treasure map were enough to cause trouble. Snatching a key on top of that was just old wine in a new bottle.

Given Yan Budu's level of madness, nothing he did would be surprising. But now knowing about the Desire Children conspiracy, and with Shi Jingzhi's mention, Yin Ci also sensed a bit of unnaturalness.

"That's right." Shi Jingzhi nodded, his tone carrying more worry. "Even the Mi Lan Queen knew to take a bite out of the 'century-long great undertaking' before her death. Yan Budu had proper contact with immortals, yet he only left behind a farce and obediently committed suicide?"

"Are we really looking for a 'key', and not something else? Is the 'Shi Rou' we're seeking really just an immortality-granting divine object?"

Hearing this, Yin Ci was at a loss for words.

Shi Jingzhi was living on borrowed time. If they pursued the Shi Rou clues to the end only to find out there was another mystery behind the matter, it would be too cruel. Yin Ci had considered this possibility before and privately pondered other ways to save him. But he always remained silent, never bringing the topic to the table.

Because that was almost Shi Jingzhi's only remaining lifeline.

The Desire Children's desires were as deep as a ravine. In the past, just losing an object called a "disciple" would drive him mad, let alone not being able to hold onto his own life. Just developing wariness towards the Shi Rou must have taken a lot of courage for Shi Jingzhi.

As if sensing Yin Ci's concerns, Shi Jingzhi laughed. "It's fine, Yin Ci. Just treat this as a sandbox. If a leaf obscures your vision and prevents you from seeing Mount Tai, you'll misjudge the big picture."

A leaf obscuring vision—but that leaf was his life.

What desire had this man set, exactly? Saying he had no worries or fears, and then truly having no worries or fears?

Yin Ci let out a long breath and changed the subject. "Idle speculation is useless. Let's remove the spell on the Compassion Stone Sword and find the 'key' first."

"That's the second thing I wanted to mention. Thanks to Senior Chen, I've already unlocked it on the way here. Yan Budu focused on martial arts and dabbled in magic halfway, so it wasn't too difficult to break—covering the Compassion Stone Sword with human blood reveals the newly added incantation."

"Why are you only mentioning this now?" Yin Ci's voice dropped a few degrees.

With his undying body unafraid of the Fog Tomb Formation, as long as he knew the location, Yin Ci could retrieve the "key" himself. They didn't need to make a big fuss pretending to be Ling Sect members and take this troublesome detour—he could appreciate the consideration, but he absolutely did not want Shi Jingzhi's concern at the cost of his lifespan.

"Because it has nothing to do with Master Kongshi's burial place and seems to have another purpose. Previously, when we obtained the stone sword, we assumed it could help find the location, but that was just a preconceived notion."

There was more than one clue pointing to Jianchen Temple, but the Compassion Stone Sword was taken by the Ku Mountain Sect alone. Now, the entire martial arts world was convinced it held the key clue, and they all dispatched manpower to eagerly search for Kongshi's tomb, afraid of others getting there first.

Even a hundred years after his death, Yan Budu could still manipulate the martial arts world in the palm of his hand.

Shi Jingzhi sighed.

"Apart from the dharma words carved by Master Kongshi, there's only one newly added spell on the sword. You've seen that spell before. Remember the white jade hair tie I snatched for you?... It's just a simple protective spell, nothing more."

Author's Note:

Yan Budu: How could I possibly really play escape room with everyone? (?)