Shuang Chongshan thought about his circumstances over the years and realized that there was a world of difference between them.
In order to gather the raw materials for an early mid-level puppet for his son, he had made plans early on. Even so, it took more than thirty years to gather them all.
At this time, he didn't think about other things at all. Zhu Luomu came here only for this matter.
Before the others walked into the hall, Zhu Luomu's voice was heard outside the courtyard.
"Brother Shuang, I won't go in. Uncle Zhang asked you to go to his cave!"
Outside the courtyard, as soon as Zhu Luomu flew here, he saw that the other party's courtyard restriction had been opened, but he did not enter. Instead, he stood outside the courtyard and spoke loudly.
After Zhu Luomu received the message from Li Yan, he could have simply sent a disciple to pass on the message, as he had a lot of things to do.
In addition to the various trivial matters of the sect on weekdays, he also has to practice and refine pills.
But after thinking about it, I decided to go there in person.
Elder Zhang seldom lets others do things for him. On the rare occasions when he does, he even asks his disciples to do it, which seems a bit disrespectful.
Shuang Chongshan paused as he walked towards the hall, and the smile on his face turned into surprise.
Outside the courtyard, Shuang Chongshan looked at Zhu Luomu with a puzzled look on his face.
"Junior Brother Zhu, what does Elder Zhang want from me?"
He is older than Zhu Luomu, and at Zhu Luomu's insistence some time ago, he still called the other party "junior brother".
"I don't know about that. I thought Senior Brother Shuang knew the reason himself!"
Zhu Luomu smiled and shook his head. He knew that his master and Elder Zhang had gone out together, apparently to deal with an extremely secret matter.
But the specific reason is unknown. Elder Zhang summoned Shuang Chongshan as soon as he returned.
He thought that Elder Zhang left in a hurry and did not explain some things clearly before, so he agreed to meet again after a while.
After all, after Shuang Chongshan came, Elder Zhang only met him once and then left the sect.
In his opinion, if Shuang Chongshan was really skilled in mechanical engineering, Elder Zhang would definitely regard him as a confidant, and would certainly have to personally instruct him on some matters.
Shuang Chongshan also shook his head when he heard this.
"Hehe, maybe I just want to ask you about your recent situation in the sect. I'll take you there and you'll know!"
Zhu Luomu chuckled.
When the two flew to the "Starry Cave", Zhu Luomu turned and left.
Only the somewhat nervous Shuang Chongshan was left, and he still felt somewhat afraid of this Elder Zhang.
The scene of the other party easily wiping out two foundation-building monks that day is still vivid in my mind. The other party kills people as easily as drinking water.
Jindan cultivators are powerful, but if their methods are too strange, it will inevitably make people feel chilled. The less contact you can have with them, the better.
"Come in!"
Just as Shuang Chongshan was looking at the entrance of the valley in front of him and was about to speak, the fog at the valley mouth rolled up, revealing an elegant path passing through the maple forest.
At the same time, a voice without much emotion entered his mind, causing him to feel a chill in his heart.
After a cup of tea, Shuang Chongshan stood in Li Yan's cave, with his hands hanging down and a respectful expression on his face.
"Uncle Master, what is the matter with you that has summoned me here?"
Li Yan sat at the top, his face expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Li Yan pointed to a stone chair on the side.
"Please sit down, I have something to ask you!!"
As soon as he said this, Shuang Chongshan's heart skipped a beat. From the tone of his voice, it seemed that something had happened.
But I told him almost everything because I was afraid of being searched. Could it be that the other party found something wrong
The reason why Shuang Chongshan said this was that he could only guarantee that what he said at the time was true. It was just that there were some things that were too secretive and were hidden deep in his heart.
If the other party searches his soul, he cannot be considered to have lied. After all, a person experiences so much in his life, it is impossible for him to tell everything.
"What did he discover?"
Shuang Chongshan's heart trembled a little, but his long years of exile made him maintain a respectful expression on his face and he sat down as he was told.
Li Yan asked seemingly casually.
"I heard you say that you are a branch of the Duye clan. Does the Duye clan have a branch that is proficient in formations?"
Li Yan's question made Shuang Chongshan startled. He didn't understand why the other party asked such a question and what was his purpose?
After a slight hesitation, he answered cautiously.
“My dear uncle, my Duye clan does not have a lineage that practices formations alone. Some of them are proficient in alchemy, while others are proficient in refining equipment.
However, there are many types of weapon refiners. Some are good at refining magic weapons, some are good at refining mechanical puppets, and some are good at refining zombie puppets...
But no matter which branch or what they are good at, they need to have a certain level of attainment in formations, otherwise they will not be able to engrave formation restrictions in elixirs or magic weapons.
But it doesn’t count as practicing the formation alone! "
After Shuang Chongshan answered, he glanced at Li Yan out of the corner of his eye, and saw that the other party still had no expression on his face. For a moment, he had no idea what the other party was up to.
As he said these words, he kept weighing them in his mind, fearing that he would reveal the secret that he most didn't want to expose.
"Oh? Then do you remember that there is a female cultivator in your clan who is proficient in formations and is in the Jindan stage?"
"Of course there are. Not to mention the clan, even in our branch there are two Jindan elders who have strong attainments in formations, and they are both women. Uncle, what are you doing..."
Li Yan didn't say anything more at this time. He suddenly waved his hand, and with a "thump", a figure fell limply to the ground.
The person had a plump figure and a beautiful face, but at this moment her beautiful eyes were tightly closed, and she looked as if it was unknown whether she was dead or alive.
Shuang Chongshan was startled by Li Yan's actions, and then he saw someone falling to the ground. He was a little confused for a moment, but he subconsciously looked over.
When he saw the woman lying on the ground, his butt, which had just sat down, felt as if it was pricked by a needle, and he jumped up. "Fourth Aunt..."
Seeing Shuang Chongshan's face change drastically and he lost his voice, Li Yan was not too surprised.
When he first saw the bear-shaped puppet that the other party took out, he felt that the aura it exuded was very similar to that of the puppet that Shuang Lianzhou took out.
"Senior, senior, Fourth...she...what happened to her?"
Shuang Chongshan lost his composure for only a moment, and his face regained its composure, but he had already stood up.
With a "thump", he knelt down towards Li Yan.
However, although his seemingly calm expression fell into Li Yan's eyes, he could also see that Shuang Chongshan was extremely panicked at this moment.
He had already forgotten the word "Uncle Master" and started calling him "Senior".
"It seems that you really do know her. It's nothing. She just fainted after I sealed her magic power."
“Senior, she is my fourth aunt, one of the few elders in my lineage.
When the clan was besieged, several elders in the clan tried their best to stop the enemies, which allowed the younger generation and my son to escape.
The younger generation thought that my father and I were the only ones left in the clan, but unexpectedly, Fourth Aunt is still alive.
I don’t know how Fourth Aunt has offended you, Senior. Please show some mercy and let her go. Junior… Junior…”
Having said this, Shuang Chongshan was actually a little stuck. For a moment, he had no idea what precious thing he could come up with in exchange for his elder's life.
The most valuable thing on him is the "Divine Technique", but the other party is not interested in it, otherwise he would have snatched it away long ago.
Li Yan gently raised his hand and brushed away the frost on the mountain.
“No need, I have no grudge against her, she just assisted my enemy, and I felt the aura of the puppet she brought out was somewhat familiar, so I didn’t kill her.
I asked her if she knew you, and she said she didn't. I wanted to search your soul, but after considering it, I decided to let you come over to confirm.
In this case, you two can talk, but don't even think about removing her seal, otherwise, you know the consequences. "
After Li Yan finished speaking, he immediately stood up and walked to the back.
Before leaving, he flicked his sleeves casually, and a black light fell on the woman on the ground, and then Li Yan's figure disappeared.
Only Shuang Chongshan was left with a surprised and happy expression on his face.
"Fourth Aunt is a friend of Elder Zhang's enemy. This... this matter could be a big deal or a small one..."
With his mind in a mess, he hurried towards the woman.
After waiting for a while, Shuang Chongshan's surprised voice was heard in the hall.
"Fourth Aunt, are you awake? It's me, Chongshan!!"
"Heavy...heavy mountains..."
Then came a somewhat weak voice, which was filled with surprise and confusion...
Li Yan was sitting in the side room drinking tea, his eyes slightly narrowed, making it hard to tell what he was thinking about.
"This female cultivator is also proficient in puppetry, and her attainments are definitely not comparable to Shuang Zhongshan's. But what is her relationship with Jiang Baibi? Without searching her soul, we may not be able to know the true situation..."
Just like that, Li Yan finished a cup of tea while thinking, then stood up and walked towards the hall in front.
In the hall in front, the female cultivator named Yang had been helped by Shuang Zhong to sit on a stone chair.
Although she was awake, her body was lying limply in the chair, without any strength to support herself.
Shuang Chongshan stood aside with his hands hanging down, whispering to him. When footsteps were heard, both of them stopped talking and looked to the back of the hall.
The female cultivator named Yang could only glance over with the corner of her eye; she didn't even have the strength to turn her head.
Li Yan deliberately made his footsteps heavier. When he entered the hall, he ignored the two people who were looking at him and went straight to the main seat and sat down.
Before he could speak, Shuang Chongshan stepped forward and paid his respects with great respect.
"Uncle Master, my aunt wants to tell you something..."
Having said that, he hesitated for a moment, then continued.
"I don't know how my aunt offended my uncle, but I still ask my uncle to let her go for the sake of my being a disciple of Falling Star Valley.
After all... After all, there may be only three of us left in my clan, and my aunt said that she has never met your uncle and has no grudges against him. Everything happened because of others. Please help me, uncle!"
After saying this, Shuang Chongshan bowed respectfully and walked directly out of the cave.
Just now, when he heard the footsteps, the female cultivator named Yang told him that he would have a private talk with Elder Zhang in a while, and there were some things he didn't need to know, so he had to avoid it.
Although Shuang Chongshan was worried about the safety of the elder, he did not dare to disobey him. Moreover, Zhang Ming wanted to kill Fourth Aunt, and he was powerless to stop him.
So, he immediately did as he was told and went outside the cave to wait for the result.
He was also a man who was used to seeing life and death, so he would not dwell on things that he could not do anything about. Doing so would only make Elder Zhang unhappy.
In response, Li Yan remained silent. After Shuang Chongshan left, he slowly spoke.
"You didn't tell him about what happened under the sea?"
The female cultivator named Yang sighed and did not immediately answer Li Yan's question. She spoke weakly.
“I have learned about his past from Chongshan, and I also know that you once saved the lives of his family of three, and that you have not coveted the inheritance of my Shuang family.
I am deeply grateful for these things from the bottom of my heart, and this gratitude must be expressed first without any other consideration.
Secondly, since fellow Daoist is a cultivator from the 'Falling Star Valley', it further proves that the secret cave on the seabed was not opened up by a few fellow Daoists.
But now, for me, no matter whether the secret cave is a relic from ancient times or has other relationships with several fellow Taoists, I will not mention it to others again.
I have nothing to guarantee this. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."