Everyone exchanged glances and agreed.
Afterward, Chu Qing let everyone return, and Wen Kaiyuan arranged a room for Tie Chuming, so she finally didn’t cause a fuss with Chu Qing.
Chu Qing returned to his room and unfolded the paper the old beggar gave him at the end.
It was a map.
It was drawn rather roughly, but the core information was discernible.
There was a circle in the middle, with the crooked words ’Celestial Secret Valley’ written beside it.
Thirteen lines were drawn extending from this place.
At first, Chu Qing was baffled, as the drawing resembled a caterpillar.
But after observing it for a while, Chu Qing understood.
His expression became extremely peculiar:
"What exactly has Luochun Manor been doing all these years?
"This old beggar actually found thirteen paths leading to Celestial Secret Valley... while Luochun Manor has occupied Celestial Star Mountain for hundreds of years, yet remains completely unaware.
"Does this truly make sense?"
He couldn’t help but suspect Wen Kaiyuan and Wen Pingce.
For such a major event to occur right under their noses, unless there’s collusion and deceit, how could it possibly happen?
"Or is Celestial Secret Valley truly that extraordinary?
"The four seasons veil the secrets of the heavens, transformations encompass the void valley.
"Everything... is hidden beneath the surface?"
Chu Qing shook his head, deciding not to think about it any longer. He still needed to discuss something with Wen Fusheng tomorrow.
He lay down and quickly fell asleep...
After being on the run for so long, it had been quite a while since he had a comfortable night’s sleep.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, morning had already arrived before he even realized it.
Chu Qing stretched his arms, extending his muscles, causing his joints to crackle and pop.
Seeing that it was still early outside, he decided to pick up his saber and practice for a while.
Last night, with the help of the Old Immortal Yulong, he honed the blade further, allowing the Golden Crow Saber Technique and the Blood Saber Technique to merge even more.
Now, he was practicing a new saber technique that had evolved from these two saber techniques.
This saber technique integrates both righteousness and evil, attacking the righteous, cutting down the evil, with ever-changing and inscrutably clever moves.
It had become a complete system, and could further expand from there.
Chu Qing intended to take a character from both the Golden Crow Saber Technique and the Blood Saber Technique to name his new saber technique.
But no matter how he pondered, nothing sounded right.
So, he simply came up with the name "Sixteen Paths of Shocking Evil Saber" himself.
The "Sixteen Paths" was fictitious; Chu Qing didn’t want to reveal the number of moves in his saber technique like Wu Ganqi did, stating it directly in the name.
These four words were meant to deceive.
As for how many moves this saber technique truly had, only Chu Qing knew.
When his opponent thought they’d seen all his techniques, he could surprise them with something new.
After practicing the saber technique twice, the courtyard door was pushed open.
It was a disciple from Luochun Manor bringing over a meal. Chu Qing sniffed, and even though his nose wasn’t as sharp as Wenrou’s, he smelled the freshness and aroma.
Upon a closer look, it wasn’t anything extravagant, just a simple fish porridge.
But the fragrance was overwhelming, making one’s fingers itch with anticipation.
Chu Qing tasted a spoonful and immediately exclaimed:
"A true delicacy! Does this porridge have a name?"
Unable to resist, he asked.
The maid serving at the side quickly replied:
"In response to you, Young Master, this porridge is called ’Mandarin Duck Stewed Jade Porridge.’ It’s made with mandarin fish from Star-picking Lake, stewed with jade fragrant rice grown by our manor.
"The meat of the mandarin fish is succulent, only found in our Star-picking Lake.
"This Mandarin Duck Stewed Jade Porridge, boiled with jade fragrant rice, has some effects for martial artists and can help eliminate internal maladies over time if consumed regularly."
"Good stuff."
Chu Qing praised, feeling that the martial world was indeed quite forgiving to martial artists.
Many heavenly materials and earthly treasures, if consumed, could enhance one’s cultivation.
Though mandarin fish couldn’t directly enhance his cultivation, its ability to eliminate internal issues was still a significant benefit.