Heaven-Collapsing Start [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 24.1

Chapter 24.1

Gu Yun stood beneath the old pine tree. Before him sat Ji Liang, seated in a chair reading a book. Looking further ahead, under the dappled light of the early morning sun, was the silhouette of the youth practicing his sword diligently.

The sky was cloudless, the sunlight bright, and the atmosphere peaceful.

Gu Yun savored this tranquil moment. His Eldest Brother was no longer cold or indifferent to him; it felt as though they had suddenly returned to the past. Yet, he knew clearly in his heart that times had changed, and the environment they were in did not allow him to let down his guard.

After this is over, Eldest Brother’s contribution will be significant. Everyone should be able to set aside their grudges and accept him again…

Though the vision in Gu Yun’s heart was beautiful or rather, he had always held this almost naive hope he did not know that prejudice in the human heart is like a great mountain. Even if things appeared to soften on the surface, the things the original host had done in the past remained like a deep chasm carved into people’s hearts.

To expect them to look at Ji Liang as if nothing had ever happened was, quite frankly, an extravagant delusion.

However, at this moment, Gu Yun had only one thought: to annihilate this Demonic Sect as quickly as possible and restore his brother’s reputation.

The message had been sent. Gu Yun did not know the owner of the blacksmith shop personally, but he had seen him once. Three months ago, when he was being acclaimed as the new Alliance Leader, he had glimpsed this man among the many martial artists who came to congratulate him.

If his deduction was correct, that owner or someone he trusted was already on the way to the Martial Arts Alliance.

Barring any accidents, in a day or two at most, the brothers of the Martial Arts Alliance would arrive swiftly and surround the hiding place of these remnants. No matter how clever the Sect Leader’s methods, he would be unable to escape even if he grew wings.

…

While Gu Yun was silently planning, Xu Wei felt a growing sense of unease.

He visited Ji Liang’s residence again. As he approached, a cold glint suddenly flashed before his eyes. Caught off guard, he retreated two steps. Looking closely, he saw it was that sword-practicing brat!

As the former second-in-command of the Shadow Pavilion, Xu Wei’s own martial strength was not low. He could see through the youth’s meager skills at a glance; ten of him wouldn’t be enough to fight one of Xu Wei. Yet, the fact that he hadn’t detected that sudden strike just now was incredible.

In his shock and rage, Xu Wei struck out with a palm, holding nothing back. If the youth were hit solidly, he would be heavily injured if not killed. At the critical moment, a hand suddenly swept across from the side to meet Xu Wei’s blow. With a dull thud in the air, Xu Wei was forced back another two steps, his palm numbed.

“You—”

Gu Yun, disguised as Xiao Ba, looked at Xu Wei with an impatient tone.

“What is your business now, sir?”

Xu Wei had never seen the person “Xiao Ba” before, but since he followed Ji Liang, he assumed he was a member of the Hidden Pavilion. Facing Gu Yun’s internal strength—which was no less than his own he was astonished. Since when did the mostly low-strength Hidden Pavilion produce such a figure?

His gaze swept over Ji Liang, who remained as calm as ever. The fire in Xu Wei’s heart surged, and he began to suspect that Ji Liang had stopped trusting him a long time ago.

Xu Wei narrowed his eyes and snorted. “I see Young Hero Ji is quite leisurely. I trust you slept well last night.”

“If you only came to say such things, do not trouble yourself further.”

Gu Yun was blunt, issuing a direct order for him to leave.

Xu Wei, slighted once again, left in a fury, completely forgetting the tiny anomaly he had felt earlier.

He went to the main courtyard of the manor, which was the residence of the Sect Leader. Currently, Yin Ren was practicing on wooden stakes. A thick, powerful aura swirled around him, enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

After a long while, Yin Ren exhaled and finished his exercise. The externalized internal energy slowly retracted into his body. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Xu Wei standing not far away with lowered brows.

Xu Wei stepped forward and congratulated him: “Congratulations, Sect Leader, on your greatly increased power.”

In truth, after Yin Ren took that fatal palm from Gu Yun, he had luckily survived because of his unique heart placement, but the injury was real. While evading the Alliance’s search recently, he had been constantly healing.

Later, with Xu Wei’s defection, he was presented with a divine healing medicine. Not only did his injuries heal rapidly, but perhaps due to experiencing a brush with death, his previously stagnant martial arts suddenly showed signs of breakthrough.

Yin Ren was naturally overjoyed. Aside from the time he took Ji Liang away, he had been in secluded cultivation. If he could master a divine technique because of this, would he still need to fear the Martial Arts Alliance?

Yin Ren accepted Xu Wei’s flattery indifferently. Thinking of Ji Liang and the Hidden Pavilion, he asked casually: “How is the progress?”

Yin Ren had given Xu Wei full authority over Ji Liang and his intelligence network, as a sign of his favor.

Xu Wei lowered his head and said respectfully: “Reporting to the Sect Leader, Ji Liang has already contacted the Hidden Pavilion. In a few days, Chun Niang should arrive.”

“Very good.”

In Yin Ren’s eyes, Ji Liang was already a dead man and required no further attention. Once he brought the Hidden Pavilion network under his command, the Demonic Sect could hide in peace and wait for a comeback in a few years.

At that time, he would settle the scores with the Martial Arts Alliance one by one!

Then, the Demonic Sect would become the new overlord of the martial world and unify the Jianghu!

Who said Yin Ren had no ambitions? His ambitions were vast. His previous loss to the Alliance was a miscalculation; he hadn’t expected a dark horse like that Gu boy to appear. He heard the boy was now the new Alliance Leader.

Heh, just a green brat.

Yet it was this green brat who had nearly killed him.

Yin Ren’s eyes grew increasingly sinister and cold.

He did not know that the very Gu Yun he harbored hatred for was currently hiding right under his nose, preparing to gather the experts of the Martial Arts Alliance to besiege him once again.

“Is there anything else?”

Xu Wei spoke the truth: “This subordinate has been feeling somewhat uneasy lately, fearing some accident.”

Yin Ren frowned and ordered: “Then increase the guard. If there is any movement in the city, report immediately.”

“Yes.”

The reason the Demonic Sect had been able to evade the Alliance until now was their extreme caution; they never ignored any “wind or grass” and were ready to move their hiding place at a moment’s notice. Once a stronghold was exposed, it would be completely abandoned.

Yin Ren speculated that because he had captured Ji Liang, the Alliance was surely frantic and would launch a large-scale operation. As long as they weathered this wave, the Demonic Sect could go into complete hiding.

His cold eyes flashed for a moment, eventually returning to stillness.

…

Martial Arts Alliance.

Elder Wang called together all high-level members for a meeting. Based on the message Leader Gu sent back, after two hours of discussion, they finalized a plan.

“Those remnants are truly audacious, hiding right under our noses!”

“Indeed. The traces we found before were likely decoys to make us think they were hiding in desolate areas.”

“In that case, we must be even more careful this time. We can’t let them be spooked before our people even arrive, haha!”

“The words are crude but the logic is sound. Qingyang City is likely full of their eyes and ears. The slightest movement would be sensed in advance; that’s probably how it happened the previous times.”

“Then, we must strike first, moving faster than those remnants. Before they can react, we will strike from within and without coordination with the Leader to wipe them out in one go!”

…

Qingyang City was a large city, and since it was only a day’s journey from the Alliance headquarters, many martial artists passed through besides the local residents. The city gates were open daily, and since the Demonic Sect was hiding in secret, they wouldn’t go around shouting their identity that would be suicidal.

Thus, the final method the Alliance decided on was to send several experts disguised as ordinary martial artists into Qingyang City to find a way to rendezvous with Leader Gu.

Then, they would piece by piece surround the hiding place without alerting the sect. They would catch them off guard and wipe them out!

Since the enemy was in the dark and they were now effectively “in the light” (in disguise), it was feasible.

Perhaps the only variable in the plan was the traitor Ji Liang. They feared he might sell out Leader Gu to the Sect Leader, which would cause the plan to fail.

When this doubt was raised, the room fell silent.

Gradually, someone argued that since the Leader was safe and had accurately located the hideout, Ji Liang must have reformed.

Everyone knew Ji Liang’s current state; he had quietly complied with the “bait” plan, and with his ruined body that could no longer practice martial arts, he was effectively a cripple. A favored son of heaven falling from the clouds in a single day… putting themselves in his shoes, anyone would find it unbearable. Perhaps he had finally attained a great awakening.

Dr. Dong stood up and said: “If we can thoroughly destroy the Demonic Sect this time, it shall be counted as a great merit for him.”

Thinking of that thin figure in green, Dr. Dong sighed.

And so, the plan was set.

“Master Jiang, we must trouble you then,” Elder Wang said.

The head of the security bureau waved his hands hurriedly. “To be able to serve the Martial Arts Alliance and eradicate the Demonic Sect is everyone’s responsibility!”

…

When some Alliance experts accompanied the security bureau head, disguised as an escort convoy, and returned to Qingyang City, the Demonic Sect also began to tighten security. Specifically, wherever Gu Yun walked within the manor, he could see members of the sect.

After a moment of thought, Gu Yun returned to Ji Liang’s courtyard. The youth was still there, practicing his sword with a diligence that suggested he sensed some great event was coming.

But Gu Yun knew the youth actually knew nothing of the impending arrival; his brother hadn’t told him. This grueling practice, besides the youth’s inherent diligence, was likely because being kidnapped by the Demonic Sect had affected him.

But powerful martial arts aren’t mastered overnight; the road for this youth’s growth was still long.

Shifting his gaze, he saw the thin figure under the pine tree. The green robes draped over him looked empty; his brother seemed to have grown thinner again…

Gu Yun sighed softly and walked straight into the room, coming out with an extra coat in his hand.

“Thank you,” Ji Liang said.

Gu Yun opened his mouth to say there was no need for such politeness, that he did it willingly, but after a moment of silence, he eventually said:

“I have sent word. We should establish contact with the Alliance in a day or two. At that time… before then, I will first protect you and help you leave this place for a safe location.”

When the battle between the Alliance and the sect broke out, this manor would inevitably become the primary battlefield. With his brother’s poor health, there could be no room for error. It was absolutely impossible to let him be caught in the crossfire.

Ji Liang didn’t accept or refuse, merely saying flatly: “I must trouble Leader Gu, then.”

That distant “Leader Gu” made Gu Yun feel miserable again, and he could only reply somewhat gloomily: “It is no trouble.”

…

At the Qingyang City gates, a commotion broke out as several empty wagons drove into the city. It turned out the security bureau had returned from an escort mission.

The hidden eyes of the Demonic Sect watched for a few moments and then withdrew their gaze. They naturally knew of this security bureau; to be precise, the sect had a clear understanding of all the small and large forces in Qingyang City. Since they had chosen this place as a hideout, this information was essential.

However, they were not professional intelligence officers after all. They only knew of the bureau’s existence; they weren’t so detailed as to know exactly when the bureau had left on a trip or that they were only just returning.

Thus, the vanguard experts sent by the Alliance successfully entered the city with Master Jiang.

Today, the brawny blacksmith walked out of his shop as usual, walking along the busy street. Before long, he arrived at the security bureau. As soon as he entered, he saw Master Jiang and his eyes lit up with joy.

Without much talk, he followed Master Jiang into a room. Sitting or standing there were several tall, powerful figures. Master Jiang introduced them immediately:

“These are several seniors from the Martial Arts Alliance.”

The blacksmith’s eyes were burning with fervor. He cupped his fists and said: “I have waited a long time for you all.”

“Leader Gu made an appointment with me to meet tonight at the hour of the Pig (9-11 PM)!”

…

The night was dark and the wind high; dark clouds shrouded the moon.

With Gu Yun’s high martial arts, it was very easy for him to evade the sect’s eyes and, without alarming them, leap out of the manor.

Inside the blacksmith shop, the brawny man was already waiting. Seeing Gu Yun, he said: “The seniors from the Alliance have arrived. Leader Gu, please follow me.”

Back at the security bureau, the Alliance experts finally saw Gu Yun and rose one after another to cup their fists.

“Leader!”

Gu Yun nodded and placed his hands behind his back. “What is Elder Wang’s strategy?”

…

In the room, the candlelight was dim and peaceful. Ah Heng pushed the door open, bringing in a cold draft that made the shadows flicker. Thinking of his teacher’s health, Ah Heng quickly closed the door.

When he looked up into the room, he saw the candlelight reflecting his teacher’s silhouette. At the desk, his teacher had raised his wrist, brush in hand, as if writing something.

However, before he could walk over, Ji Liang had already set down the brush. He folded the finished rice paper and placed it into a brocade pouch. Along with it was a piece of black jade.

As the youth approached, Ji Liang flicked his hand and tossed the pouch to the youth, as if casually throwing away a trifle.

Ah Heng, caught off guard, hurriedly caught it, only to find that the pouch landed precisely in his arms.

“Teacher, this is…?”

Ah Heng scratched his head, clearly a bit confused.

“Keep it safe. When you feel you are in a dilemma you cannot solve, open it.”

Ah Heng’s hand holding the pouch became cautious. Though he didn’t understand his teacher’s intent, he knew this pouch must be important. But why was his teacher doing this?