Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 49 Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus

"Squeak—squeak—"

The two-eyed mouse darted into a crack less than half a foot wide.

Lin Jingchu followed closely behind and squeezed through, stepping into another side path, where he saw the Twin-Eyed Rat standing still.

Two corpses lay across the side passage, and several magical artifacts, devoid of their spiritual light and reduced to scrap metal, lay scattered nearby.

Lin Jingchu bent down and picked up two storage bags. One of them was still usable, so he probed it with his divine sense.

"Less than a thousand spirit stones. So stingy even as bait? Hmm? This is... a memory bead?"

A purple bead the size of a longan fell into Lin Jingchu's palm. Upon inspection, he found the bead to be completely empty.

"Squeak!"

The Twin-Eyed Rat darted off again to lead the way, and Lin Jingchu put away the recording bead and quickly gave chase. The surrounding corrosive mist gradually thinned and eventually disappeared completely.

He squeezed through a narrow crevice and entered a mine tunnel rich in spiritual energy, the surface of which was covered with raw spirit stones.

"Where is this twin-eyed rat trying to lead me?"

The thought had barely formed in his mind when the answer was revealed around the corner. A stone chamber with an open doorway came into view, and the two-eyed rat darted straight in and disappeared without a trace.

Lin Jingchu stepped into the stone chamber and scanned his surroundings.

The front and left and right sides of the stone chamber are all man-made, while the ground, dome and back wall are large layers of spirit stone ore.

At the top of a small hill in the center of the stone chamber, a solitary nine-leaf lotus, as white as jade and radiating spiritual light, grows.

Lin Jingchu approached cautiously and soon discovered that the Jade Lotus was surrounded by several powerful restrictions.

This lotus is nearly half a zhang in diameter, with golden light condensed at the tips of its petals. Golden patterns extend downwards from the golden light to nearly half of the petal surface. The lotus heart and seedpod have nine ingenious features, continuously absorbing and releasing spiritual energy, and endlessly regenerating.

As Lin Jingchu was weighing his options, two clear footsteps came from outside the stone chamber.

His gaze swept quickly and he discovered a deep ravine behind the rocky hill, which was not covered by the restriction. He immediately leaped in and held his breath.

"Patriarch Qin, I never expected you to be so lucky as to find the Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus. If you were to offer such a treasure to the three sects of Yunmeng, it would be a great achievement."

A slightly surprised male voice rang out; it was the Zhao surname cultivator from the Luanming Sect!

Lin Jingchu's heart skipped a beat.

A great achievement? And what about that thoughtfully provided blank photo recorder bead?

Concealed by the dazzling jade lotus and the stone mound barrier in between, he wisely activated the image-recording bead.

"Ha! How can the rewards from the three sects of Yunmeng compare to this precious lotus?" A slightly deep, unfamiliar male voice spoke up, presumably the "Head of the Qin Family".

"Patriarch Qin is indeed a wise man. The Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus grows within spirit stone veins, and its cultivation, when practiced alongside it, can gradually purify one's true essence and condense one's magical power. If one cultivates in this way for ten or more years before forming the Core Formation stage, the success rate can be increased by one or two percent." The cultivator surnamed Zhao laughed, "However, judging from the age of this lotus, it is only enough for three people to cultivate at the same time. How could the three sects allow the Qin family to share the spoils? If your entire clan submits to my Luanming Sect, the spot will be permanently reserved for the Qin family."

"I hope your sect will keep its promise. Fellow Daoist Zhao has already witnessed the Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus firsthand, so why don't we go up and discuss the details first?"

"That's exactly right."

The two footsteps gradually faded into the distance and eventually disappeared.

Lin Jingchu rose from the ravine and gazed at the strange flower before him.

What a brilliant plan! Regardless of whether this "Master Qin" is real or not, news of his sudden death will surely spread soon.

Once he, a direct disciple of the Luoyun Sect, hands over the image-recording pearl, the Luanming Sect will be in deep trouble—even if it's not shit, it'll still be shit!

He tossed the dark purple image-recording bead in his hand—he had deliberately avoided being recorded during the recording process.

"But I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Du with this task of delivering the evidence."

He glanced at the Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus one last time before turning and leaving.

At the corner of the mine tunnel in the distance from the stone chamber, the Qin family head stood with his hands behind his back, and the cultivator Zhao stood respectfully behind him.

"Your acting just now was not up to par. Your tone needs to be more authoritative—you represent the Luanming Sect, not a devoted admirer of Qin Sanniang."

"Young Master is right," Zhao Xiushi replied, then reported, "That boy has already left the stone chamber."

Upon hearing this, the head of the Qin family spun around, instantly changing his appearance and physique.

Wearing a dark green brocade robe, with a delicate and handsome face, and a layer of pale theatrical makeup on his face, he was Du Dong who had regained his original appearance.

"Let's go, take back the seal on that Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus and bring it with us." A feather fan suddenly appeared in Du Dong's hand, and he waved it lightly. "The quality of the spirit stone vein that was temporarily transplanted does not meet the requirements for the survival of the Jade Lotus. We cannot let this lotus wither."

After saying that, he led the monk Zhao back to the stone chamber.

On the other side, Lin Jingchu moved with lightning speed, returning along the original route and soon arrived at the mine exit.

As soon as they stepped out of the giant stone gate, Qin Lao's aged voice rang out: "Fellow Daoist Lin, has the magic array been set up?"

"Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission."

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist, while I go inside to investigate."

Lin Jingchu found a corner to wait quietly. After a while, Elder Qin reappeared and praised, "The formation is exquisite, and the sealing of the eroding mist is solid. Fellow Daoist Lin's skills are indeed remarkable."

"Practice makes perfect." Lin Jingchu smiled slightly. "The matter is settled, and I cannot stay any longer. Please ask Elder Qin to convey my farewell to Fairy Qin."

He quickly summoned the Azure Winged Boat and took to the air, as his clone's time limit was about to expire!

Not long after Lin Jingchu's boat sailed away, Du Dong and Zhao Xiushi also quietly left, disappearing into the high-altitude clouds.

Du Dong flipped his hand and took out a communication talisman, activating its spiritual light to command: "Do it, kill that woman surnamed Song."

After sending out the communication talisman, the two set off—the Nine-Aperture Jade Lotus had been obtained, and the obstacle for the Heavenly Dao Alliance envoy had been placed; all that remained was to wait for the storm to brew.

But after flying only a few miles, a sound transmission talisman came from the sky and blocked their way!

Du Dong caught it, his expression instantly darkening. He said to the Zhao-surnamed cultivator behind him, "That woman surnamed Song hasn't shown herself since entering the Shen family's spirit mine! Go and breach the mine, and while you're at it, leave some traces of the 'Luanming Sect's' secret techniques!"

The cultivator surnamed Zhao bowed and accepted the order, then transformed into a streak of light, a skill typically reserved for cultivators at the Core Formation stage, and sped away.

Only Du Dong remained standing alone in the clouds, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty beneath his theatrical facade. His unease grew stronger; things seemed to be spiraling out of control.

Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour after the cultivator surnamed Zhao left, another transmission talisman arrived.

"Young Master! That Lin fellow suddenly vanished in a cloud of corrosive mist, leaving only the storage bag used as bait, which contained the recording bead. We searched frantically, but found no trace of him within several miles!"

Du Dong abruptly crushed the spiritual fire formed from the communication talisman, gritting his teeth and coldly saying, "You little brat, how dare you play tricks on me!" But then, he calmed down: "Luckily, I had a backup plan!"

Earlier in the mountain courtyard, when he got close to Lin Jingchu, he had already planted a secret technique mark of the Thousand Illusions Sect on the other party. However, due to the short time limit, this hastily planted mark would definitely be detected by the other party once activated.

and so--

A ruthless glint flashed in Du Dong's eyes. He slapped his storage bag, and a palm-sized, dark purple four-armed wooden puppet spun out and hovered in front of him.

The puppet holds a weapon in each of its four hands—a knife, a sword, an axe, and a mace.