White-Robed Chief

The three men remained at the main hall after Ma Kun left.

Fu Mengshan and Xu Huande looked terrible.

They had prided themselves on their intelligence and experience, and yet they made such a rookie mistake.

For Chu Li to be so daring as to come to such conclusion meant that he was very certain about it. They were afraid that what he said was true.

Fu Mengshan said, “Chu Li, is it true that they found the Great Light Scripture?”

Chu Li shook his head. “Maybe they have gotten a clue as for its whereabouts and didn’t want us to interfere. That’s why they planned this to distract us in order to continue their search!”

“I have asked the Emperor before.” Fu Mengshan frowned. “The Great Light Scripture was the treasure of the Holy Church of Light. Three hundred years ago, the church had an internal conflict, and the scripture was separated into two parts. Part two was missing.”

“That means the Holy Church of Light only has one part of the scripture?” Chu Li’s eyebrows knitted together.

He thought that it was unbelievable. The Holy Church of Light had some of the most powerful secret techniques, and the disciples in the church were really strong. He was surprised at the fact that their power was only gained from the training of one half of the scripture.

“The original name of the scripture was the Great Sun Ru Lai’s Scripture of Light.” Fu Mengshan sighed and said, “The legend was that it was a ceremony that lasted for thirty-three days. Once you have cultivated it, you’ll become an Enlightened Master for sure. Three hundred years ago the church was at its prime.”

“Then, is there any Enlightened Masters the Holy Church of Light now?” Chu Li asked.

Fu Mengshan shook his head.

“There isn’t any Enlightened Masters?” Chu Li was surprised by his answer.

He once thought that such a powerful organization like the Holy Church of Light should be some Enlightened Masters in there like the Tempest Temple. That should be the reason why these organizations always tend to act so recklessly.

He replied, “No way, I’ afraid they already have Enlightened Masters… I think the reason for their sudden change in the ways they plan their strategy wasn’t because of the change in their leader, but because they now have an Enlightened Master helping them!”

“Not necessarily.” Xu Huande shook his head.

“If they get their hands on the second part of the scripture, they’ll cultivate some Enlightened Masters for sure!” Fu Mengshan said. “That’s why they’ll do anything to get it!”

“Does the emperor know where the Great Light Scripture is?” Chu Li asked.

Fu Mengshan replied, “The Emperor doesn’t know. The scripture is not in the imperial house.”

“Then can he find out where it is?” Chu Li said. “If those from the Holy Church of Light managed to find it, then it’ll be even harder to fight them!”

The worst thing about the Holy Church of Light was that its disciples were not afraid to die. Their martial art skills and secret techniques were already surprisingly powerful. If they found the other part of the scripture, they might grow hungry for power. By then, the martial arts world in the Ji dynasty would not be able to stop them. Even the Tempest Temple would have a hard time handling them.

Fu Mengshan forced a wry smile. “If the Emperor wants to search for its whereabouts, the task will still land on us.”

“The Emperor is an Enlightened Master. Shouldn’t he have divine powers? Don’t tell me he still won’t find it with his divine powers?” Chu Li said.

“The divine power is not invincible. It would have been used to control the world if it was!” Fu Mengshan shook his head and sighed. “Since this secret scripture would suppress one’s divine powers, we definitely can’t use them to find it!”

Chu Li frowned. “How about we trick them into falling into their own trap?”

“It’s easier said than done,” Fu Mengshan replied.

He understood what Chu Li was planning. Chu Li wanted them to act like they had been distracted, but had, in reality, sent a group to monitor the situation of the Holy Church of Light. The group would prepare to put an end to their plan at any time.

Xu Huande replied, “It’ll be hard for us to stop them if we don’t know where the Great Light Scripture is. They have hidden it in great depths!”

Fu Mengshan heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyebrows. He stood up and paced with his hand behind his back. “This Holy Church of Light is so troublesome! Young Chu, can you try and search for some of the disciples of the Holy Church of Light?”

Chu Li replied, “At the moment, I definitely cannot find them!”

“Are we just going to sit and stare as they acquire the Great Light Scripture then?” Fu Mengshan said, sighing.

Xu Huande replied, “Commander, let’s just inform the Emperor and let him come up with a plan!”

“I think that’ll be our only option for now…” Fu Mengshan exhaled through his nose. “But we need to confirm Young Chu’s hypothesis.”

He knew that the Emperor still had some powers which even those working for him would not be aware of.

Chu Li stood up and gave a fist salute. “I shall make take my leave then.”

“Go ahead,” Fu Mengshan replied with a smile. “Chu Li, if what you told me is true, I’ll gladly grant you the position of a centurion!”

“Thank you, Commander!” Chu Li gave a fist salute.

—

The next evening, the courtyard was painted red by the setting sun.

Chu Li was training his sword skills with two ladies.

He performed multiple moves while the two ladies tried to counter his moves using the Omni Sword Technique. They really had the ability to counter every move with that single technique. Their sword skills were getting better as they began to grasp the technique in full.

“Head Chief Chu really does know how to have some fun!” Lu Yurong’s voice rang out suddenly.

Chu Li turned and looked.

Lu Yurong’s white gown fluttered like a feather as she descended from the top of the wall.

Chu Li shook his head. “The guards in this residence really are useless!”

Lu Yurong said, “They’re not bad at preventing common citizens. You seem to be in a good mood… Lady Qing, Lady Qiu.”

She walked up and smiled. “You two practice your sword skills as well?”

“Sister Lu.” Leng Qing and Leng Qiu smiled at her.

Lu Yurong was indifferent towards men but warm towards women. She was popular among her friends. Naturally, she had a good relationship with both Leng Qing and Leng Qiu.

Chu Li pointed at the stone table and sat down.

Lu Yurong ignored him. She pulled Leng Qing and Leng Qiu’s hands as she continued to converse with them.

Chu Li coughed lightly and said, “What do you want?”

Lu Yurong gave him a sidelong glance and said, “Nothing much. Just want to see if you’re dead. People always say that villains live forever. Well, it seems like they were telling the truth.”

Chu Li laughed. “So, what happened to Leng Feng?”

“He’ll stay in the imperial residence for a while before moving to the High Duke’s Public House,” Lu Yurong replied.

“He still dares to go back there?” Chu Li asked. “Aren’t you afraid that he might get into another accident?”

“What other options do we have?” Lu Yurong replied, “He can only stay at my place. He knows how troubling this is, too”

A small smile flickered across Chu Li’s face. “I believe he doesn’t hate me anymore, right?”

“He has finally let it go. He has matured quite a lot after coming back from the brink of death… I see that the Secret Guardians Hall was quite busy, but why are you so relaxed?” Lu Yurong said.

Chu Li stopped smiling. “I see you’re here to get some information.”

“What actually happened?” Lu Yurong asked.

Chu Li answered, “The disciples of the Holy Church of Light was causing some trouble.”

“What?” Lu Yurong frowned.

Chu Li continued, “I cannot tell you much about the situation. Basically, a few disciples from the church have caused a huge problem and burnt something down. The secret guardians want to apprehend them.”

“Those disciples from the Holy Church of Light again!” Lu Yurong muttered.

Leng Qing and Leng Qiu continued to train practice with their swords. Lu Yurong sat across from Chu Li and asked, “Do you need my help?”

Chu Li paused to think for a moment before shaking his head.

“Why?” Lu Yurong asked. “Are you afraid that I might leak the information?”

Chu Li replied, “The whole story is very complicated. I can only say more after we have cleared things up.”

“The Secret Guardians Hall are known to be secretive!” Lu Yurong said, extremely annoyed. “Fine, if you don’t need my help then I won’t offer it anymore!”

As they were talking, Dong Qifei spoke from the outside, “Captain, I have something to report!”

“Come in!” Chu Li replied.

Dong Qifei and Yang Zongwen pushed open the door and entered. They halted their steps as they saw Lu Yurong. Then, they continued and walk to stand before Chu Li. “The frontlines have passed over some urgent reports.”

Chu Li asked, “What is it?”

Dong Qifei and Yang Zongwen looked at Yurong.

“A bunch of sneaky secret guardians!” Lu Yurong said. “Do you need me to go away for now?”

Chu Li replied, “That would be good.”

Lu Yurong rolled her eyes. She took her long sword and walked towards Leng Qiu and Leng Qing.

Not long after, the three ladies started to fight with their swords.

Dong Qifei lowered his voice and said, “Centurion Ma and both the Ning brothers suffered serious injuries!”

Chu Li frowned. “They didn’t manage to stop them?”

“They couldn’t,” Dong Qifei replied. “Centurion Ma said in his message that you were right and nothing else. Everyone was very confused. There were three people. All of them are highly skilled in martial arts!”

“Alright, I got it.” Chu Li nodded.

“Captain, are you not going to the Secret Guardians Hall?” Dong Qifei asked right away. “Everyone has already gathered in the main hall to discuss this.”

Chu Li shook his head. “I’m not going.”