The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 21: The Calamity of the Iron Palm Sect

An important matter? Upon hearing this, Nameless grew even more puzzled. If it were so important, why not say it during the day instead of coming for a nighttime ambush? After a moment’s hesitation, he opened the door to see what Lei Ming was up to. There stood Lei Ming, panting heavily from exhaustion and looking extremely anxious. Seeing that Nameless had opened the door, Lei Ming immediately rushed inside. He didn’t seem to harbor any ill will, though. Once inside, he plopped down beside the table and, still catching his breath, said, “Hero, you must flee at once—a great disaster is upon us!” “A disaster is coming?” Those four words startled Nameless, and he hurriedly asked, “Brother Lei, what disaster are you talking about?” “Brother Wu, run! You’ve fallen into a trap! If you don’t run now, it’ll be too late!” Lei Ming said anxiously. “A trap? What do you mean by that?” Nameless was even more bewildered by Lei Ming’s words. “I know you might not believe me, Brother Wu, but I must tell you the truth so you aren’t kept in the dark and ambushed by villains!” Lei Ming seemed very sincere. So Lei Ming recounted the sequence of events. It turned out that Nameless had been targeted by a villain who intended to capture him at Tiezhang Peak. And this villain, none other than Nameless’s own senior uncle, the Poison Sovereign Xuan Yinzi, was the one seeking to capture him. Ever since his defeat at Zheng Family Village, the Poison Sovereign Xuan Yinzi had been seeking an opportunity to exact revenge. At the same time, Xuan Yinzi was deeply intrigued by Nameless—primarily because of the extraordinary constitution Nameless had displayed during the great battle, which allowed him to remain completely unaffected by potent poisons. This was truly baffling and, to those who refined poisons, a rare treasure they coveted intensely. This time, when Nameless and Shi Jingyu left the valley, they kept a low profile, and their journey was a short one. With the Poison Sovereign himself still recovering from severe injuries, he would normally have had no chance of finding Nameless—it should have been a safe trip. However, the “Flower Thief” case in Suiyang County catapulted Nameless to sudden fame, instantly exposing his whereabouts. Furthermore, their five-day delay in Suiyang County provided the Poison Sovereign with the opening he needed. The Poison Sovereign dared not cause trouble in Suiyang County—partly because the Divine Constable Zhui Feng was still there, and more importantly, because he dared not offend the Jingshi Confucian School. Thus, he bided his time, waiting for an opportunity. Once he learned that Nameless would certainly escort Shi Jingyu to Tiezhang Peak, the Poison Sovereign devised a vicious plan: to use the Iron Palm Sect to capture Nameless. Originally, the Iron Palm Sect had no fear of the Poison Sovereign, but through some unknown means, he managed to persuade the Tianmo Sect of the Western Regions to launch an assault on Tiezhang Peak. They demanded that Shi Taifeng capture Nameless and hand him over to the Poison Sovereign, threatening to slaughter the entire Iron Palm Sect if their demands were not met. With no other choice, Shi Taifeng, the sect leader of the Iron Palm Sect, sent men down the mountain to search for Nameless, which led to today’s banquet. Lei Ming had grown up alongside Shi Jingyu and was closest to her. and being a hot-blooded young man himself, he was extremely reluctant to cooperate once he learned of this plan, deeply feeling that it was a disgrace to the righteous path of the Martial Arts World. Coincidentally, today he also heard his master say that Shi Jingyu was to be betrothed to Nameless, which made him even more impetuous. That’s why he spoke sarcastically to Nameless, intending to scare him off and sabotage the entire plan. But he didn’t expect Nameless to be “so skilled in martial arts”—Lei Ming was actually defeated by Nameless. However, Nameless hadn’t struck him with full force, and since Shi Jingyu and Nameless seemed to share mutual affection, Lei Ming felt it was all the more important to reveal the truth—which is why he had rushed over again in the dead of night to warn Nameless. Upon hearing this, Nameless was startled. So that was it—no wonder the Iron Palm Sect had been so warm toward him; they really did have an ulterior motive. He stood there speechless with astonishment. Seeing that Nameless remained silent, Lei Ming guessed that Nameless was at a loss for the moment, so he took the initiative to say, “Brother Nameless, there’s no need to worry. Since I’ve come to warn you this time, I’ve naturally thought of a way for you to escape. The place where you’re staying, Brother Wu, happens to be the former residence of our sect’s founding master, Shangguan Feihong. Inside the master’s former residence, there is a secret passage—an escape route left behind when the master founded the sect. This secret passage should lead to the foot of Mogan Peak; you can use it to save your life.” “There’s a secret passage here?” Nameless was dumbfounded upon hearing this. If it was a secret passage, why had Second Senior Brother Lei Ming discovered it? He couldn’t help but have even more questions. Lei Ming sensed Nameless’s confusion and quickly added, “Originally, no one was supposed to know about this secret passage, but when my little junior sister used to play hide-and-seek here as a child, I accidentally discovered it. Every time I hid inside, she couldn’t find me, so that’s how I knew.” After saying this, he felt a bit embarrassed himself, as memories of his mischievous childhood flashed before his eyes. “Where is the secret passage?” Nameless’s curiosity was piqued. “Brother Nameless, please follow me.” Lei Ming led Nameless to find the secret passage. The two left the room and walked toward the back of the courtyard, arriving at the rear wall. “It’s right here,” Lei Ming pointed to the wall. Nameless looked closely. It was a solid wall with no visible signs of a secret passage. “Where is it?” Nameless couldn’t find it. “Right here, Nameless. Look closely,” Lei Ming pointed at the wall again. Nameless looked closely and finally saw a hole at the base of the wall—it was very small. In the pitch-black night, it was impossible to spot without careful inspection. Upon closer examination, Nameless realized it was actually a doghole—the kind wild dogs and cats used to squeeze through. “This is a dog hole, right?” Although Nameless had just undergone a soul transfer and was unfamiliar with the ways of the world, he could still recognize a dog hole. Was this dog hole actually a secret passage? Could it be that Lei Ming was still seeking revenge? Lei Ming blushed slightly and said sheepishly, “It really is a dog hole. When my junior sister and I were playing hide-and-seek as kids, I didn’t know any better and crawled inside. That’s why she couldn’t find me—and that’s how we discovered this secret passage.” Nameless remained noncommittal. Was this really a secret passage left behind by Shangguan Feihong? If so, the founding patriarch of the Iron Palm Sect must have been pretty clueless. “If you don’t believe me, Nameless, I’ll crawl through it for you first,” Lei Ming said, knowing Nameless was skeptical. Without another word, he crouched down and began to crawl. At first, Lei Ming’s burly frame had some trouble getting through, but he moved faster and faster as he crawled, and to everyone’s surprise, he actually made it through. A moment later, a voice came from inside the wall: “Brother Wu, you can come in and take a look, too.” Nameless thought, “It’s worth a shot,” so he crouched down and crawled in as well. It was very cramped at first, but the passage grew wider as he went, and he actually made it through. Once he emerged, he found himself in a whole new world. He and Lei Ming were inside a cave, with gusts of cold wind blowing from the depths. But since it was already dark and the cave was pitch-black, they couldn’t see a thing ahead of them. “Brother Wu, if you keep following this path, you’ll find the way down the mountain. Wait here a moment—I’ll go find my junior sister. You and she should hurry down the mountain to save your lives.” This proved that Lei Ming had been telling the truth all along and had no ill intent. “Thank you, Brother Lei, for saving me. Nameless is deeply grateful. Should we ever meet again, Nameless will surely repay you in full.” Nameless hurriedly expressed his gratitude. “There may not be a ‘someday.’ Brother Wu, just take good care of my junior sister, and I’ll be satisfied.” Lei Ming suddenly said, as if with a bitter smile. There was something off about that tone, and Nameless immediately sensed something was wrong. “Brother Lei, if I run off with my junior sister, what will become of your Iron Palm Sect?” “Hmph! We of the Iron Palm Sect are all heroes and warriors. As for that worthless Tianmo Sect—let them see the might of the Central Plains Martial Arts World!” Lei Ming spoke with righteous indignation, yet there was a hint of a martyr’s resolve in his tone.