Chapter 448 - 231: Crystal

Chapter 448: Chapter 231: Crystal

On Jianzhen Lake.

All the chosen prodigies who had earned a spot to enter the ruins had already leaped from their small boats, slowly sinking into the "lake within a lake" until they vanished from sight.

Only the boatmen remained on the twelve small boats. They all turned their vessels around, preparing to return to shore.

「Suddenly.」

The sky began to dim.

A wind seemed to rise over the lake, instantly whipping up row after row of waves.

"There’s something strange about this wind..."

An old boatman was muttering to himself, but before the words had even left his lips, the waves grew, one cresting higher than the last. Soon, even these men who had spent their lives on the water could no longer keep their balance.

Jianzhen Lake abruptly began to churn as if it were boiling. The wind howled and the waves surged, making it look less like a mountain lake and more like the raging sea.

In an instant, a series of panicked cries rang out as the small boats capsized. All twelve boatmen disappeared without a trace.

The remaining boatman on the shore watched, dumbfounded. Although the weather around large bodies of water could be unpredictable, he had never seen a change so violent.

But before he could even cry out for help, the raging waves on the lake instantly calmed.

The autumn lake surface was once again placid, as tranquil as ever. Its reflection showed the mountainsides covered in red maples and yellow leaves. Only a few overturned boats now drifted silently on the water.

The old boatman on the shore stared at the scene, which was beyond his comprehension. His mouth hung open. Then, with a look of terror, he turned his head.

"S-Sir, is there a Dragon King in this lake...?"

He had just turned his head, his sentence unfinished, when he was suddenly sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string. He coughed up blood in midair before plunging headfirst into the lake.

Ripples spread across the lake’s surface as it swallowed the boatman’s body, then it grew quiet once more.

Yao Qinglai retracted his arm and walked to the lake’s edge. He washed his hands in the clear water as if disgusted by something dirty on them.

Then, he reached into the water and retrieved something. When he stood up, he was holding a Jade Pendant in his hand.

A figure emerged from the woods behind him. It was the smiling Mr. Qian.

"It seems we’ve succeeded," he said.

Yao Qinglai said in a low voice,

"Is what you said really true? Is that Zhang Mountain really Xie Yuan in disguise? But with so many people watching, including the Patriarch and Duke Ning, how could no one have noticed anything amiss?"

"My information comes from the Spring Rain Building. Xie Yuan is an expert in disguise; even a Grandmaster might not be able to see through it. As for whether he can deceive a Grandmaster in battle..."

Mr. Qian spread his hands.

"I’m not sure either."

"You’re not sure?"

Yao Qinglai’s brow furrowed tightly.

"If we mistakenly kill an outstanding disciple of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, we will have completely offended Li Xingtuo! He’s at the height of his power right now. Never mind my Yao family, even Elder Yongyang would have to give him a wide berth!"

"With Wang Zhiyi dead in Jinling, your relationship with the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect was already on thin ice."

Mr. Qian said with a nonchalant smile.

"You were the one who killed him!"

Yao Qinglai growled.

"Brother Qinglai, such words create distance between us. Our two families have long been in the same boat, haven’t we?"

Mr. Qian chuckled softly.

Yao Qinglai looked at him, then suddenly calmed down.

’The Qian family’s ambition is no small thing,’ he thought. ’His killing of Wang Zhiyi... claiming he was afraid of exposing secrets or wanted to lure out Xie Yuan... those were probably just flimsy excuses.’

’His real goal might have been to prevent the Yao family from getting close to any other powers...’

’But even so, the Yao family can’t break away from the Qian family’s support right now.’

’Over a decade ago, at our weakest, we made a deal with the Qian family. That was when we let the wolf in the door.’

’However... a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The thousand-year-old Yao family can’t be swallowed in a single bite.’

’What happens in the future remains to be seen.’

Yao Qinglai stared at the lake, his eyes dark and profound.

He changed the subject, asking Mr. Qian,

"Is Yang Sheng confident? If that really is Xie Yuan, he won’t be easy to deal with."

"My seventh brother may be younger than me, but his cultivation level surpasses my own. Besides, doesn’t he have the Water-Stabilizing Pearl you gave him? In this lake, he’s like a fish in water. And now that you’ve scattered everyone away from him, Xie Yuan is without his helpers. He’s nothing special. Hmph. He’s only ever gotten by because he has powerful backers. On his own, what does he amount to?"

Mr. Qian said coolly, then glanced at Yao Qinglai.

"But has your control over Jianzhen Lake really reached such a level?"

’First the Water-Stabilizing Pearl, and now the ability to control people’s positions... It seems the Yao family has plenty of secrets.’

Yao Qinglai shook his head.

"The Yao family has operated here for a thousand years, after all... But this is as far as our control goes. No one has ever been able to descend to the very bottom to find out what’s really there."

"What a pity."

Mr. Qian said noncommittally.

It was no secret that in the Yao family’s history, more than one Grandmaster had gotten lost while exploring Jianzhen Lake.

...

「Within the lake’s waters.」

Xie Yuan and Zhang Junyi stood side by side, facing the man opposite them who held a Treasure Bead.

"The Water-Stabilizing Pearl..."

Xie Yuan murmured.

Judging from the way his opponent had commanded the water just now, it had to be the Water-Stabilizing Pearl.

Legend had it that a pearl, formed from the condensed essence of the water, existed within every waterway in the world—from the smallest pond to the vastest ocean. Obtaining this pearl granted one free rein over that body of water, as if it were their own domain.

And the one this man held must be the Water-Stabilizing Pearl of Jianzhen Lake. It had likely been in the Yao family’s possession for a long time, and now they had specially given it to this arrogant, unrestrained young man before him.

Qian Yangsheng, the young Third Transformation Realm genius of the Qian family.

Xie Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’It seems the Yao family and the Qian family came prepared. Could it be? Have I been exposed?’

’But where was I exposed?’

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

Qian Yangsheng’s gaze shifted between the two of them for a moment before he asked in a solemn tone,

"How did the two of you end up together?"