Sword Among Us
chapter-978

Chapter 978: Secret of the Portrait

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Happy fought for half an hour, and sometimes, he exchanged blows with Empress Yin, at other times, he dodged her attacks. He stalled for time by trying to wear Empress Yin down and tried his best to make sure that Tendon Changing Classic could restore his internal injuries as well as qi. Meanwhile, he also continuously accumulated even more injuries on Empress Yin’s body.

Gradually, Empress Yin finally noticed that the situation was not right.

This was a Shaolin Temple disciple at Moksha Realm. He had already been struck for more than five hundred times by her palms, but he had not died yet. If any of the sect masters of the seven great sects were in his place, they might already be at the end of their life, but this boy was still as lively as a dragon, even though he was reduced to a rather pathetic state because of her attacks.

Whoosh!

Empress Yin finally stopped attacking. She moved more than thirty feet back and stared at Happy with her expression constantly changing. “Are you Mad Monk’s disciple, the man who is trapped at Punishment Mount?”

“…Indeed.”

Happy knew that he could not hide the truth from Empress Yin for too long. While he remained wary of Empress Yin’s subsequent attacks, he answered, “I’m practicing Tendon Changing Classic.”

Empress Yin instantly had her questions answered.

Even though Mad Monk had not appeared in the world for years, when he was still around, that had been the time when the evil cult had been at its greatest glory.

He used his own strength to defeat the top-class elites from the righteous and evil paths and slaughtered countless people. He was known as a vicious and fierce fiend in the Chinese plains. His qi realm had already reached One with the World, and he was an existence to whom someone like her, who was only at Myth Realm, could not hope to compare.

It was no longer an embarrassment that the successor of someone who was One with the World could last so long in her hands.

Empress Yin knew that even though Happy had not reached the point where his tendons were changed, his marrows cleansed, and his periosteum was fully formed. However, Tendon Changing Classic was in itself a peerless classic. If she wanted to defeat him alone, it was something incredibly difficult to do.

“Alright, since you are the successor of a senior of ours in the holy order, I will give you another chance. I will trade our peerless ultimate technique, Sky Demon Slip, with the portrait in your hands, are you willing to accept the trade?”

When he heard Empress Yin’s words, Happy instantly knew that she was now willing to reach a compromise.

At that moment, a system notification sounded in his head again.

“Ding!

“Activated quest. Use Madam Wang’s portrait in exchange for Nine Sky Demon Styles, an ultimate technique from Sky Demon Slip, which Empress Yin currently holds.

“If you agree to it, you will automatically give up on Madam Wang’s quest, but you will then become enemies with Mantuo Villa and the Murong Clan. Your Righteous Points will also be reduced by one hundred thousand points.

“If you reject it, you will gain ten thousand Righteous Points. At the same time, you will gain ten thousand Reputation Points and Chivalry Points. Your relationship with Mantuo Villa will also be upgraded to Friendly.”

Happy did not even need to think about making a choice. Even if he did not gain an increase in Righteous Points and Reputation Points, Happy will absolutely not choose to walk together with Yin Weed Faction.

No matter what, he was a Shaolin Temple disciple, not someone of the evil cult. If he made a deal with Empress Yin, it would be the same as him falling into the evil path.

Also, since the portrait in his hands was so attractive, did that not prove that the value of the portrait was even greater than Nine Sky Demon Styles?

“I’m sorry, Faction Master Zhu, if you want the portrait, you’re going to have to get it from me yourself.”

Empress Yin fell silent when even her cordial offer was rejected. A hint of anger flashed in her eyes. “You’d better think about this clearly. If you only have the portrait but no one to tell you the secret, it’ll just be a piece of scrap paper in your hands.”

The fierce killing intent in her words was incredibly clear.

Happy laughed. “Faction Master Zhu, are you threatening me?

“But do you actually think that Madam Wang will do nothing during the long duration of time we were here? If you want to continue staying at Mantuo Villa, I don’t mind continuing to experience the greatest of your Great Sky Demon Art. However, if you’re alone, you’ll be facing three elites from the Murong Clan yourself. At that time, I’m afraid it’ll be very difficult for you to escape from Mantuo Villa unscathed.”

Empress Yin’s expression turned dark once more.

Indeed, she had been lured by Happy to fight in this place for a long time, and there was no one keeping an eye on Madam Wang. The people at Mantuo Villa might have already sent word to the Murong Clan.

Even though there was no need for her to fear Mantuo Villa’s strength, those matchless old monsters from the Murong Clan had extraordinary strength, and they were incredibly difficult to deal with.

Her gaze moved back and forth between Happy and the direction where Mantuo Villa’s inner villa was. Her expression changed a few times before Empress Yin finally chose to leave with a cold snort.

“Today, I’ll show my respect to Mad Monk, but next time, if I see you interfering with my business again, I will definitely make you die being reduced to ashes!” She tossed some words for show before she dashed thirty-two feet away from Happy without a single sign.

“Senior Zhu, have a safe journey. Please allow me to send you off.”

At the same time Zhu Yuyan fled, Happy also activated Illusory Cave Steps to follow closely behind her.

“Hmph, you’re just a youngster. Are you actually worried that I would go back on my word?”

“Faction Master Zhu, you’re too oversensitive.”

While Happy said those things, he did not offer any additional explanation. He just followed Zhu Yuyan closely to the port. No matter what, he did not find himself at ease with how Yin Weed Faction conducted themselves.

“Hmph!”

Zhu Yuyan said nothing else. She landed on one of the boats lightly, pushed at it remotely, and the boat was immediately pushed more than thirty feet forward, charging forward like an arrow fired from a bow.

The boatman cried out in surprise before he fearfully used his quant pole to steer the boat to the center of the lake.

Since the moment she decided to leave, Zhu Yuyan never turned her head around to look at Happy.

But Happy just stared at Zhu Yuyan, never daring to relax his guard. He watched the boat leave into the distance, and the clear as well as pleasant sound of the system telling him that he finished his quest rang in his mind. Then, he released a long sigh.

He finally managed to send the fiendish Empress Yin away. Even though the entire process was filled with all sorts of dangers, he managed to come out of it safely.

He could be considered to have completed the first part of his quest safely. Now, if he searched for Madam Wang, he should be able to have the questions in his heart answered and figure out the secret in the portrait.

But Happy was not in a hurry to immediately meet Madam Wang. Instead, he checked the information of his martial arts.

Over the past half an hour or so, he fought a martial artist at the peak of Myth Realm and withstood hundreds of palm strikes from her. It would be a lie to say that he had gained nothing from it.

As expected, when he looked at his martial arts log, a hint of happiness shone in Happy’s eyes.

He did not suffer through those hundreds of palm strikes in vain!

His Tendon Changing Classic had leveled up to the tenth realm. His Indestructible Body had also leveled up to the middle stage of the eighth realm.

Great Demonic World Destruction Art did not increase by much, but it was already close to the middle stage of the tenth realm. Before long, he would reach Grandmaster Realm. Instead, his Illusory Cave Steps, which had leveled up by leaps and bounds at Ghost’s Domain, had leveled by only a small margin. He practically did not see any improvement in it.

‘Saying that you’ll get blessings from misfortune is indeed true. Looks like I’ll have to cause trouble to Myth Realm elites more in the future.’ While Happy muttered in his heart, he charged to Mantuo Villa’s inner villa.

No matter what, Mantuo Villa was Madam Wang’s territory. Soon after Empress Yin left, Madam Wang received the news. She also restored the villa to its former silence.

Once Happy stated his identity, the girls even skipped the step of sending word to Madam Wang about Happy’s arrival. They just passionately led him inside.

They naturally did not go to the pavilion at the hot spring, because someone died there. Instead, they went to the guest hall at Mantuo Villa.

“Young Swordsman Happy, you have actually forced Empress Yin to flee? That is truly against my expectations. I have actually already sent messenger pigeons to the seniors at the Murong Clan to ask them to help me fight against Empress Yin. I didn’t think that you would have already negated the disaster brought to the villa.”

Madam Wang had already been waiting for him in the hall. When she saw Happy being led inside by the girls, she quickly got up to receive him. Her face was full of smiles, and her expression was full of excitement and passion.

“I feel at ease seeing that you’re safe too, madam.” Happy wrapped his fist in his palm humbly.

“I’ve not asked you which monk is your master yet. Next time, I will definitely prepare incense to head to Shaolin Temple.”

“Madam, you embarrass me. In truth, even without my help, Mantuo Villa will definitely have its danger resolved with the Murong Clan’s aid. I was just there at the right time and used the Murong Clan as well as Shaolin Temple’s grand name to force Empress Yin to leave. I simply cannot take credit.

“Also, my master is Master Xuan Zhi.”

“I see, so it is a divine monk with Xuan as his generation name! It’s no wonder why you are humble and not strive for glory, even though you’re so young. As expected of a disciple from a famous sect.” Madam Wang was full of praises for him.

Once she voiced her gratitude, the topic of conversation changed to Empress Yin’s goal for coming to this place.

Madam Wang had a hurt look on her face.

“I am to blame for not being observant enough. I didn’t expect that there would be spies lurking in a place like Mantuo Villa. Once the news of the portrait was leaked, Empress Yin was coincidentally in the area, and she immediately showed up to control the inner villa of Mantuo Villa and restrained me as well as my patients–”

“Pardon me for asking. Empress Yin had actually offered me to use Nine Sky Demon Styles of Sky Demon Slip in exchange for your portrait. Clearly, she places a lot of value on your portrait, so I hope that you will tell me the secret hidden behind the portrait. Why would someone like Empress Yin chase after it?”

Happy used the momentum to change the topic to the portrait.

Madam Wang sighed with a complicated expression. “I have actually decided to never reveal the secret of the portrait to another outsider even if I die. But since you mentioned that Empress Yin had actually offered an ultimate technique from Sky Demon Slip in exchange for it, I must have unintentionally revealed some information to Yin Weed Faction, and there’s no need for me to continue hiding it.”

When Happy heard this, Happy instantly perked up his ears.

Madam Wang’s airy voice came over. “In truth, a long time ago, during the Great Yan Dynasty, the elites from the palace, which are the current seniors in the Murong Clan used several decades to gather all the martial arts in the world to create Langhuan Blessed Ground. But as the Great Yan Dynasty was destroyed, and while the army scattered, reduced to living the lives of refugees, the people who created Langhuan Blessed Ground died. Of their descendants, only their Clan master has the secret address for Langhuan Blessed Ground, but he does not dare activate it readily.”

Happy nodded slightly.

Having the martial arts of various sects gathered in one place was a taboo among taboos. If there was a strong power protecting the place, such as the power of a dynasty, it was still alright. But if only the Murong Clan protected it, it would easily lead to various sects venting their anger at them, and they will be reduced to nothing.

“Later on, the clan masters of the Murong Clan passed down this secret generation after generation. The Murong Clan was also gradually reduced to a second-rate aristocratic family in the land of wanderers. Now, many of its members wish to rebuild Langhuan Blessed Ground.

“Only my cousin knows that it’s impossible for the Murong Clan to restore the Great Yan Dynasty, but he does not wish that this diaster that might destroy the Murong Clan continued existing. Hence, he drew my portrait and hid the secret address of Langhuan Blessed Ground inside before he gave it to me.”

When he heard Madam Wang say this, even though Happy had long expected this, once he verified this piece of information, he still could not help but have his heart race!