C4 He Did Not Recognize Mount Tai

Descending from Three Essence Mountain, Yang Xiu followed the broad, straight path, passing two unnamed hills before reaching Tang Family Castle. Despite a decade having passed, the malevolence of this place lingered, deterring most from staying long, save for the occasional traveling merchant seeking respite.

Upon his arrival at Tang Family Castle, Yang Xiu noticed several sleek, dark horses—a clear sign that others were present.

"Keep your eyes peeled and search thoroughly," one voice commanded.

"Boss, I'm scared. This place is cursed," another whimpered.

"Scared? It's broad daylight; there are no ghosts here. Remember, this is the big boss's order. Any slip-up, and it's our heads on the line," a third retorted.

As Yang Xiu drew closer, he overheard their conversation.

"Boss, with so many deaths here, do you really think there's treasure?"

"If the big boss says it's here, then it's here," came the gruff reply.

Yang Xiu could easily picture the scene inside: burly men turning the place upside down in their search.

"Digging for treasure among the dead, without fear for your own life?" Yang Xiu scoffed to himself as he stepped forward. The commotion alerted the man who had just spoken, who spun around, fixing Yang Xiu with an intense glare.

"You gave me quite the fright. I thought you were someone else, but you're just a green kid," the man said.

Before he could continue, a gaunt man with shifty, triangular eyes, resembling a bandit, piped up.

"Kid, beat it. This area's off-limits."

The skinny monkey advanced, his tone dismissive, clearly underestimating Yang Xiu.

"If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to fear from ghosts knocking at your door. What's spooking you?" Yang Xiu challenged, his eyebrows arching meaningfully.

"Fear you? As if! Skinny monkey, let's take this kid out before he blabs," the hot-headed man snapped, drawing a gleaming blade from his belt and striking at Yang Xiu with a fearsome cry.

His presence was commanding, his strength formidable.

"So that's the source of your confidence—you're a Blood Refining Apprentice," Yang Xiu noted, as the man's aura betrayed his status. The skinny monkey, however, was just a notch below Yang Xiu's own level.

"Die!"

The blade gleamed menacingly as the burly man's mouth twisted into a sneer.

Yang Xiu didn't confront the burly man directly. Instead, he swiftly retreated, his gaze fixed intently on the deeper part of the courtyard.

"Haha, scared, are you?"

The burly man bellowed with laughter upon seeing this.

"Boss... save me!"

Before the burly man's mirth could fully bloom, a desperate cry for help from Skinny Monkey pierced the air. Turning to look, he saw Skinny Monkey clutching his throat in agony, his face turning the color of a liver.

Soon, a chilling scene unfolded. Skinny Monkey's body inexplicably shrank, as if his very essence had been drained away, leaving nothing but a husk of skin behind.

"What the..."

The burly man, still reeling from shock, attempted to flee but found himself immobilized by an unseen force.

In the blink of an eye,

Before Yang Xiu, the burly man met the same grim fate as Skinny Monkey, dying in an identical manner.

"Reveal yourself, demon or ghost causing this mischief!"

Yang Xiu bellowed, his powerful voice echoing in all directions. His challenge went unanswered, and the courtyard fell back into its usual stillness.

Utter silence reigned.

Several moments passed.

Still no sound. Yang Xiu, with his keen eyes, spotted a red blood bead next to the burly man's discarded skin.

With a swift motion, the bead was in Yang Xiu's grasp.

Without a moment's hesitation, Yang Xiu vaulted from the courtyard, acutely aware that something was amiss with the malevolence at Tang Family Castle, yet his own power was too meager to uncover the truth.

This red blood bead should suffice to fulfill his obligation.

...

At Three-Essence Mountain.

Since Yang Xiu's departure, Cui Lang had all but erased him from memory, considering the malevolence at Tang Family Castle was something even he wouldn't dare confront lightly.

Let alone Yang Xiu!

Yet, to Cui Lang's surprise, he once again beheld the sight of Yang Xiu.

Yang Xiu had returned, alive and well!

"Even if you've managed to cling to life, failing to complete the task will still lead you to a dead end."

According to the rules of the Three-Essence Sect, failing to complete one's first mission meant being stripped of official disciple status and relegated back to menial duties. Cui Lang would then have his chance to deal with Yang Xiu as he pleased.

It was a piece of cake.

"Yang Xiu, you have the audacity to show your face after failing the mission?" Cui Lang called out from a distance.

Yet, Yang Xiu paid him no mind and headed directly for the Hall of Deacons, leaving Cui Lang fuming and grinding his teeth in frustration.

Inside the hall, Cui Yuanhai sat in contemplation, his eyes closed, atop the elevated platform.

"I've come to report the completion of the mission," Yang Xiu declared as he strode toward Cui Yuanhai. Recognizing Yang Xiu, Cui Yuanhai's brow furrowed; he was well aware that Cui Lang had assigned him the mission from the Tang Family Castle.

"How can you speak of handing over a mission you haven't completed?" Cui Yuanhai asked, his tone cool. He himself wouldn't dare to undertake a mission from the Tang Family Castle lightly. He suspected Yang Xiu was making a mockery of him.

"I wouldn't have come here if I hadn't completed the mission," Yang Xiu retorted, now fully aware of the collusion between Cui Yuanhai and Cui Lang.

"Oh? Then let's see this legendary Tang Family Castle mission," Cui Yuanhai said, his voice dripping with scorn. His words piqued the interest of the other Deacons in the hall, who watched Yang Xiu with smirks.

"Young man, the last disciple who spoke like you did was two years ago. His 'great revelation' turned out to be nothing more than a piece of bark from an old tree," one Deacon recalled with a laugh. "Afterwards, Cui Yuanhai sent him flying down the mountain with a single slap. His fate remains unknown."

The Deacons laughed openly, showing no concern for Yang Xiu's feelings.

"Did you hear that? There's still time to back out if you're having second thoughts," Cui Yuanhai advised.

"Why bother talking to him, Uncle? I'm curious to see what he can produce. If he's trying to fool us, he'll find himself on a one-way trip to the underworld," Cui Lang sneered as he caught up.

"Some people, lacking talent themselves, are quick to envy others. These individuals usually achieve very little and aren't worth the effort," Yang Xiu commented, pulling out the blood bead.

Cui Lang's fury reignited at Yang Xiu's thinly veiled jabs, and even Cui Yuanhai's composure was shaken as his eyelids twitched. Yang Xiu was openly challenging Cui Lang's authority.

It was akin to a slap in the face.

"Hiss!"

Yet, upon glimpsing the blood bead, his heart skipped a beat, and his hands clenched involuntarily.

"This is..."

"There's no mistake, it's the presence of a Blood Master Expert. Could it possibly be..."

In a flash, Cui Yuanhai's mind raced with possibilities.

"The aura within this blood bead is so powerful and grand, far surpassing our own strength."

"What was the task this young man accepted?"

"Tang Family Castle!"

"The tragedy at Tang Family Castle was the work of a Blood Master Expert!!!"