Chapter 234: Disfigured
After Chu Li left the High Duke’s Public House, he looked like he had aged into his thirties.
Matured, reliable, bold, and calm. His charming look was full of spirit. Anyone could have told that he was someone righteous and well versed in martial arts.
Chu Li no longer held the Modesty Sword on his waist, switching it out for a simple long knife.
Ten days later on a mid-afternoon, he traveled under the sun to the foothill where the Snow Lunar Pavillion was located.
It was a tall and sloping great hill that was full of greenery as if there were an abundance of green swords stuck into the ground. The peak of the mountain was like a sword pointing to the sky, with the top of the mountain covered by clouds.
There was only one road leading up the mountain. It was very hard to traverse with all the obstacles. Only masters from the martial arts world were capable of scaling it.
Chu Li released his inner energy and limited his martial arts level to an Innate Master. He pretended to be a travel-worn martial arts master. For someone this age, he was already counted as elite in the martial arts world and still the standard where people looked up to him.
In the martial arts world, the number of people who achieved the Grandmaster Boundary did not exceed a handful. It was too easy for him to be found out the moment they checked as well as him being too eye-catching. This definitely was not a good thing for Chu Li.
As Chu Li rode his horse up to the foothill, he saw a paG.o.da hidden to the side of the forest.
There were two old men playing chess in the paG.o.da.
They looked alike – one was thin while the other was fat. They looked like a pair of brothers.
The two men seemed to not hear any noise made by the horse as they were too focused on their chess game.
Chu Li got down from the horse and walked to the paG.o.da. He fist saluted and asked in a low voice, “Both of my elders, may I know if this is the Snow Lunar Pavillion?”
The two elders lazily lifted their heads and sized up Chu Li for a bit.
The fat elder smiled, he did not have many teeth left. He laughed. “Hehe, you young man want to go to the Snow Lunar Pavillion?”
“Yes,” replied Chu Li.
“Tell us about yourself. Why do you want to go to the Snow Lunar Pavillion?”
“I am Du Feng. My sister is a follower of the Snow Lunar Pavillion and I am here to visit her.”
“Du Qiu?” The thin elder next to him said. “The young lady that joined the sect not long ago?”
“My sister used to self-cultivate at home previously. She used to be a part-time follower but now she’s being taken in as a full-time follower by her master so she was brought to the Snow Lunar Pavillion.”
“Ah, it’s her. I’ll ask.” the fat elder nodded.
He lifted his brush and wrote a few words. Then, he rolled the paper and put it into a bamboo tube. The tube was sent right to the clouds the moment he whistled, clear and loud.
After a while, a long cry was heard from the sky.
Chu Li lifted his head and saw a golden eagle rus.h.i.+ng down towards them.
He turned into a huge eagle the size of a man from a small black spot in the blink of an eye. Its wings were four or five meters long when he stretched them out.
The killing power of a Golden Eagle was really high. Both its claws could break a rock. Its beak could make a hole in one’s skull. Usually, Acquired Masters were not their level of opponent.
He flew down with a swirling tornado around him, flapping his broad and long wings while he stood on a pine tree in front of the small paG.o.da. The pine tree bent and almost broke.
The fat elder leaped onto the tip of the tree and tied the bamboo tube onto the eagle’s claw.
The golden eagle flapped his broad and long wings again and swirled up a tornado and flew into the sky. Turning into a small spot in the blink of an eye before disappearing into the sky.
Chu Li was impressed.
It was quite great to have a Golden Eagle as a pet. He was quite envious of it and he started having thoughts of getting one.
“You’re the biological brother to Lady Du Qiu?”
“We are cousin brother and sister.”
“Oh, no wonder.”
Looking at Chu Li, of course, they would have such a question.
In only a short while, the golden eagle’s cry was heard in the sky.
“Very well, you can now continue your journey.” The two elders waved their hand.
Chu Li fist saluted and left the paG.o.da. He walked up following the small path.
The small path led to sloping hills. In the end, it was almost a vertical climb. Chu Li had to use both hands and legs to climb it. Those who had a weaker cultivation level in the martial arts world would definitely fail in this climb.
He climbed like a spirit chimpanzee without slowing his pace.
Halfway up the mountain, everything became clear. There was a wide ravine right in front of him.
Looking in from the entrance of the ravine, it was rather green. There was a round lake in the middle of the ravine. It looked as if there was a huge mirror placed on the floor, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.
There was a waterside paG.o.da on the clear lake. The wooden bridge was bent in shape, its path quiet. Surrounding the ravine was a number of pavilions built on top of the sloping stone wall. There were luxuriously decorated cornices in the air, making people feel relaxed and enchanted as if they were in a place deemed for G.o.ds.
Chu Li was impressed. The Snow Lunar Pavilion deserved the well-known name. It was indeed a famous sect of the martial arts world.
In a small paG.o.da in front of the ravine, a man in green was training with his sword. When the man saw Chu Li, he sheathed his sword and walked towards him and closed fist saluted. “Are you the brave Du?”
Chu Li smiled as he made a closed fist salute. “I, Du Feng am here to pay a visit.”
“Do follow me.” the man in green looked at the long knife Chu Li brought on his waist. He first saluted and smiled. He left the paG.o.da and showed the way forward.
Chu Li sized up the man in green. The man was an Innate Master. He had complete inner energy and spiritual force. He was smart and capable too.
“Sister Du is now living at the waterside pavilion. Let’s go,” the man in green said. “I am Shen Bai.”
“Brother Shen, thank you,” said Chu Li.
Both of them entered the ravine and stepped on thick and soft green gra.s.s. The ravine was warm like the spring. All the flowers bloomed and the ravine was filled with flowers at every corner.
Chu Li did not rush to activate the Omniscient Mirror, just in case there were any other masters guarding the place that sensed his abilities.
Both of them stepped onto a small path on a wooden bridge on the lake in no time. Chu Li had delicate senses. He realized that it was even warmer on top of the lake. The lake water was actually warm.
Shen Bai led Chu Li and they entered a waterside pavilion.
This waterside pavilion had a white veil curtain surrounding it. When the wind blew, the curtain floated and moved. It felt like a dream in a fantasy.
Shen Bai knocked on the door and gently said, “Sister Du, there is a guest here.”
“Brother Shen, who is it?” Su Ru’s voice pa.s.sed to the outside.
Chu Li said in a low voice, “It’s me.”
Su Ru could tell that it was Chu Li the moment she heard his voice. She was surprised. “Come in!”
Shen Bai pushed the door and went in.
The smell of herbs and medicine encapsulated them.
Chu Li furrowed his brow, he saw Su Ru with her face covered by a white veil.
Su Ru saw how Chu Li looked, her startled expression disappeared immediately. She plainly asked, “Why did you come?!”
Chu Li replied, “Young Sister, I was working with something else and I pa.s.sed by so I came to visit. What happened? Are you hurt?”
Su Ru scoffed. She entered the room and sat on the couch.
Shen Bai fist saluted and smiled as he said, “I shall not bother, please have your time.”
“Thank you, Brother Shen,” replied Su Ru.
Shen Bai smiled as he shook his head and left.
The both of them watched as he left the room, leaving the two of them. Chu Li sized up the house.
The decoration was simple, plain but elegant.
“Why do you look like this now?”
“It’s the Bone Shrinkage Skill.” Chu Li furrowed his brows and looked at her. “What’s with the wound on your face?”
Su Ru touched her own face and sighed. “I’m hurt.”
“Who did it?” Chu Li scoffed.
Su Ru lazily said, “The Green Hill.”
“You just joined the sect and you fight already?” Chu Li sat on the garden stool. “Where is Du Xia?”
They gave up their previous pseudonyms and used new ones before they had left the High Duke’s Public House. Du Feng, Du Xia, and Du Qiu were the names they came up with. Chu Li was Du Feng, the eldest brother. Du Xia was the elder sister while Du Qiu was the youngest.
After they left the High Duke’s Public House, they called each other by their new names whenever they met each other. If they faked their ident.i.ties like this, no one could figure it out. It was enough to hide their ident.i.ties.
“Lady An… Sister Du Xia is now isolated for cultivation,” Su Ru said. “Master is now isolated to cure his injuries. Master let Sister Du Xia join too.”
“To perceive the Grandmaster Mastery?” Chu Li said. “Is your Master a man or a woman?”
“Hmph, of course, she is a woman!”
“I am afraid that it will leave a scar on your face and you are going to be disfigured.”
“You can say that again!” Su Ru slammed onto the bed as hard as possible, clenching her teeth as she scoffed. “Feng Shaohua!”
Chu Li was surprised. “It was Feng Shaohua who did it?”
Su Ru said full of hatred, “That sc.u.m deserves to die, I must kill him! If it was not for Sister Mo that sacrificed herself to save me, I would have already been killed by him!”