The Bamboo Chest Chapter Thirteen One Day, the Sword Will Pierce the Wilderness

That night, near Qianjing City.

“Remember, no backing out—two promises,” the woman in the Taoist robe chuckled.

“Thank you, Senior.” Lu Yun bowed respectfully. “May I ask your name?”

“My name is rather unpleasant, so you needn’t know it.”

The woman waved her sleeve and gazed toward the distant city, a strange light flickering in her eyes.

“Well, I’ve brought you this far. What you choose to do next is none of my concern, nor do I wish to know.”

Watching the woman’s retreating figure, Lu Yun began to ponder deeply.

For some reason, the head of the Moonlit Pavilion always gave him a peculiar feeling.

“Lord Lu!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded beside Lu Yun. He turned and saw the siblings, An Luo and Shui Ze.

“Didn’t I just ask the senior to explain things to you? Why have you come as well?” Lu Yun asked, baffled.

He truly couldn’t understand why the two siblings had followed him.

“Hey, we’re coming with good intentions to help you, and you talk to us like that?” Shui Ze placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

Lu Yun scratched his head and looked apologetically at An Luo.

An Luo smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Perhaps Lord Lu has urgent matters; no need to look at me like that.”

“Since we’ve already sworn an oath before Old Master Bai, I shall not go back on my word. The martial contest to crown the king is still over a month away, but I must leave for a time,” Lu Yun said, clasping his fists.

“Then let us part here for now.”

“Wait a moment.”

An Luo pulled out a few slightly yellowed sheets of paper from her sleeve and handed them to Lu Yun.

“Lord Lu will likely find these useful.”

Lu Yun took them, his pupils narrowing.

The yellowed papers were official documents.

“Yun Daoist, one of the thirty-seven city lords, has always been of little renown. He did not come to this contest to crown the king, instead entrusting us to deliver these documents to His Majesty. But I think Lord Lu needs them more now. Though they can’t conceal you forever, at least in Qianjing City, they grant you a respectable status,” An Luo explained with a smile.

Lu Yun took a deep breath and bowed once more.

“Thank you kindly.”

…

Watching the youth’s figure disappear into the darkness, Shui Ze furrowed her brows and asked, “Brother, why are you so kind to him?”

“What, are you upset?” An Luo ruffled Shui Ze’s hair and laughed. “Come on, let’s head into the city.”

“Why so early to enter the city?!”

“Because I feel that following Lord Lu will lead to interesting adventures.”

“You said you couldn’t win two against one, and now you still dare to enter the city? If Grandfather knew what you were doing, he’d beat you to death!”

“Hahaha, he can’t reach me now, and besides, our hostage prince should be very sensible!”

…

Within Qianjing City, Lu Yun walked through a narrow alley when suddenly someone grabbed his shoulder.

The youth instinctively drew a short blade from his sleeve.

“Don’t worry, it’s me.”

A familiar and heavy voice sounded in Lu Yun’s ear.

He turned to see a somewhat scruffy middle-aged man.

“Senior Sword Immortal!” Lu Yun whispered in surprise.

“You kid, you really showed up,” Dong Sangen said, gazing at Lu Yun deeply. “You’re still alive?”

“How could I possibly die?”

A clear, cool voice sounded as a stunning woman in a white dress appeared beside Lu Yun.

Moonlight spilled over them. Before Lu Yun’s eyes, the scene shifted, and upon opening them, he saw a celestial vista where sky and water merged, the bright moon hanging high.

“Senior Shengge, what exactly is going on?” Lu Yun asked urgently.

Hearing the youth call the woman Shengge, Dong Sangen raised an eyebrow and looked at her oddly.

Shengge answered without changing expression, “I have a karmic bond with the Dong family. I once left them a mental imprint, which somehow passed down to him… And don’t call me ‘senior’!”

“I heard from elders that upon entering the Upper Five Realms, one experiences certain sensations, but you seemed to avoid it. I kept it all this time, never expected it would save my life today,” Dong Sangen said as he looked at his body steadily recovering. “Truly, the most secret lineage of the Dragon Clan… but this moonlight seems…”

“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t,” Shengge said coldly. “Though your cultivation surpasses mine now, you have need of me.”

Dong Sangen smiled and looked at Lu Yun.

“Though the moonlight helps me conceal my aura, once I leave Qianjing City, that old fellow will definitely sense it. So I must stay here for now. From here on, I’ll be relying on you to take care of me.”

Lu Yun nodded. “Rest assured, Senior.”

“For some reason, I feel you resemble those from the Vast World Sect.”

Dong Sangen looked at Lu Yun with a complicated expression.

“Just a reminder: you’re helping me now, but someday in the future, I might not hold onto old favors. You can abandon me anytime. Qianjing City is perilous.”

“That day will never come,” Lu Yun said after a moment of silence.

Dong Sangen smirked and patted Lu Yun’s shoulder. “Have you thought about coming back with me to the Sword Qi Great Wall?”

“You might not be able to return,” Shengge reminded him. “The Wild World won’t let you go that easily. At the very least, you have to deal with that old monster in Qianjing City.”

Dong Sangen snorted coldly. “Though the old fellow is near death and is a gambler, willing to accept the outcome, I can admit defeat. But since he let me live, then once I’ve recovered…”

“Sword Immortal Dong, how much longer do you need to recuperate?” Lu Yun suddenly asked.

Dong Sangen was taken aback. “About ten days. Why do you ask?”

Lu Yun looked a bit embarrassed; he couldn’t very well tell Dong Sangen that in just a few days, he had tried to assassinate two people, both attempts ending in failure.

Seeing the youth’s awkward expression, Dong Sangen laughed heartily. “Made enemies, huh? No worries, I’ll wait for you. A man who doesn’t avenge his grudges isn’t a gentleman!”

“I really don’t understand. I asked you at the time—both times when I had the chance to kill, you refused to act,” Shengge said as she gathered her sleeves, elegant and otherworldly, like a celestial goddess Lu Yun had once seen in an illustrated book.

“What do you understand? Revenge tastes better when you do it yourself.”

Before Lu Yun could speak, Dong Sangen said with a laugh, “I’ll take the big one, you take the small one. Once we’ve avenged ourselves, we’ll return to the Sword Qi Great Wall. Oh, and bring your sister along.”

Dong Sangen rarely acted so willfully, but seeing the youth willing to save him stirred something in his heart.

He did not trust people without reason, but this youth gave him a truly different impression.

Lu Yun’s eyes shone brightly as he nodded firmly.

Shengge watched the youth and the somewhat disheveled, scruffy man, momentarily lost in thought.

She suddenly wondered if these two might truly become close friends in the future, eventually drawing their swords together to venture into the Wilds.