Chapter 682
Qixia Academy, located between green mountains and clear waters, has experienced a century of ups and downs and is a world-famous holy place for learning. Its architecture is simple and elegant, with pavilions and towers scattered in an orderly manner, and the courtyard is lush with flowers and plants, filled with a strong cultural atmosphere. However, behind this tranquility and peace, there are hidden unknown secrets.
That night, the moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the back hill of the academy. A dark figure sneaked in like a ghost. He was agile and light, and every step seemed to blend into the silent night. Under the moonlight, the golden toad pattern on the man's cuffs was faintly visible, flashing a strange light in the cold moonlight.
The shadow carefully avoided the patrolling disciples. The patrolling disciples of the academy held long swords and walked in neat steps in every corner. They were alert and did not miss any suspicious figure. The shadow relied on his familiarity with the terrain and cleverly used the cover of rockery, trees and corridors to avoid the sight of the patrolling disciples again and again.
He came to a remote corner. The place was overgrown with weeds and moss on the walls, making it look particularly eerie. The shadow stopped and looked around vigilantly. After confirming that there was no danger, he slowly squatted down. He whispered to himself, "Found it." The voice echoed in the silent night, as if it came from another world.
He took out a special detector from his arms. The detector had a strange shape, was engraved with mysterious runes, and flashed a faint blue light. The shadow pointed the detector at the ground, and the pointer on the instrument began to swing wildly, making a "beep, beep" sound, and finally pointed to the depths of the ground. A hint of excitement flashed in the shadow's eyes, and he knew that what he was looking for was down there.
At this moment, a burst of sword energy suddenly attacked! The sword energy was as sharp as a blade, cutting through the air and making a sharp whistling sound. The black shadow was startled and dodged hastily. He turned around and retreated like a gust of wind, but his arm was still scratched. A blood mark appeared on his arm, and the blood slowly seeped out, which was particularly dazzling under the moonlight.
He turned around and saw Fu Shaoping standing there with a sword in his hand, his eyes like lightning. Fu Shaoping was wearing a white robe and a black scarf on his head. His face was stern, and his eyes revealed a sense of determination and courage. He held a long sword in his hand, and the sword was flashing with cold light, as if he could cut off all evil at any time.
"Are you from the Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce?" Fu Shaoping asked coldly. His voice was deep and powerful, echoing in the silent night. The Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce was a mysterious organization in the underworld, making a living by smuggling treasures and reselling intelligence. They acted in a secretive and cruel way. Fu Shaoping had been in the underworld for many years and had heard of the name of the Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce.
The shadow didn't answer, but suddenly shot out several poison darts from his sleeves. The poison darts came like meteors, flashing strangely in the moonlight. Fu Shaoping swung his sword to block, and the sword and the poison darts collided, making a harsh metal friction sound. Sparks flew, and the poison darts were blocked by the sword and fell to the ground one after another.
Taking this opportunity, the shadow retreated quickly. His figure was as fast as lightning, and he disappeared into the night after a few jumps. Fu Shaoping was about to chase him, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain - a cut had been made on his arm. He frowned and looked at the blood oozing out, with an ominous premonition in his heart. Although the wound was not deep, the blood kept flowing, as if he had been injured by some kind of poison.
Fu Shaoping endured the pain and quickly took out a small bottle from his arms, poured out some powder and sprinkled it on the wound. When the powder came into contact with the blood, it made a "sizzling" sound and emitted a puff of white smoke. The pain was slightly relieved, but Fu Shaoping knew that this poison was not simple and he had to find an antidote as soon as possible.
He began to carefully observe the surrounding environment. There were some faint footprints on the ground where the black shadow disappeared. Fu Shaoping squatted down and carefully examined the footprints. These footprints were very small and very light, obviously an illusion left by the black shadow. Fu Shaoping's heart moved, he knew that the black shadow was deliberately confusing him.
He followed the direction of the footprints, but soon found that the footprints disappeared in front of a forest. Fu Shaoping stood in front of the forest, frowning. The forest was dense and deep, with tall and straight trees, and the branches and leaves were intertwined, completely blocking the moonlight. It was pitch black inside, as if hiding countless secrets.
Fu Shaoping took a deep breath, drew his sword, and walked into the woods carefully. The woods were filled with a damp smell, which made people feel gloomy and terrifying. He was extremely careful with every step he took, and his eyes were fixed on everything around him, for fear of missing any suspicious signs.
Suddenly, a nightingale flew out from the woods and uttered a sharp cry. Fu Shaoping was startled and instinctively swung his sword in the direction of the sound. However, it was just a false alarm and nothing happened.
He continued to walk forward, and suddenly heard a slight sound of footsteps. Fu Shaoping stopped, held his breath, and listened carefully. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and it was obvious that someone was approaching him. Fu Shaoping held his sword tightly and prepared for battle.
A figure walked out of the woods. Fu Shaoping looked closely and found that it was a young monk. The young monk was wearing a gray monk's robe, with a childish face and a hint of fear in his eyes. When he saw Fu Shaoping, his body trembled slightly, as if he wanted to run away.
Fu Shaoping quickly put away his sword and said gently, "Young Master, don't be afraid. I am Fu Shaoping, a disciple of Qixia Academy. I was chasing a suspicious person just now and accidentally broke into this forest. Have you seen a black shadow with a golden toad pattern on his cuffs?"
The young monk hesitated for a moment, nodded, and said, "I did see a black shadow when I was collecting herbs in the woods just now. He ran very fast, and I only saw a golden toad-like pattern on his cuffs."
Fu Shaoping was delighted and asked quickly, "Do you know where he went?"
The young monk pointed to the depths of the woods and said, "I saw him running over there."
Fu Shaoping thanked the young monk and continued to chase deeper into the woods. However, the deeper he went, the denser the woods became, and the harder it was to walk. Fu Shaoping's pace gradually slowed down. He knew that blindly chasing was not a solution, and he had to find a way to find the real trace of the shadow.
Fu Shaoping stopped and began to think about countermeasures. He suddenly thought that the black shadow sneaked into the back mountain of the academy to find something deep underground. Then, he might have left some clues related to the target. Thinking of this, Fu Shaoping began to observe the surrounding environment carefully.
He found some strange symbols under a big tree. These symbols were carved on the trunk of the tree in strange shapes, like a mysterious text. Although Fu Shaoping knew about the various codes and symbols in the martial arts world, he had never seen these symbols before.
He took out the pen and paper he carried with him and carefully wrote down the symbols. Then, he continued to look for other clues in the woods. Under a stone, he found some powdery substances. Fu Shaoping dipped a little with his finger, put it to the tip of his nose and smelled it, and a pungent smell came to his face. He was moved, thinking that this powder might be related to the poison used by the black shadow.
Fu Shaoping carefully collected the powder and put it into a bottle. He knew that these clues might help him find the whereabouts of the shadow and solve the secret of the mountain behind the academy.
At this moment, Fu Shaoping suddenly heard a deep roar. The sound came from the depths of the woods, as if it came from hell, making people shudder. Fu Shaoping's heart tightened, he knew that this roar was definitely not made by an ordinary beast.
He gripped his sword tightly and walked cautiously towards the direction where the roar came from. As the distance shortened, the roar became clearer and clearer, as if it was right in front of him. Fu Shaoping quickened his pace and finally came to an open area.
The scene in front of him stunned him. In the open ground, a huge black panther was squatting there, exuding a strong aura, and its eyes revealed a fierce and vigilant look. There were some strange patterns on the black panther's body, which were somewhat similar to the golden toad pattern on the cuffs. Fu Shaoping's heart trembled, he knew that this black panther was probably related to the black shadow. He clenched his sword and took a fighting posture. The black panther seemed to be aware of Fu Shaoping's presence. It roared and then pounced on Fu Shaoping.
Fu Shaoping dodged the panther's attack. He swung his sword at the panther, and the sword collided with the panther's body, making a loud noise. The panther was knocked back a few steps by the sword, but it quickly stood up and pounced on Fu Shaoping again.
Fu Shaoping and the black panther had a fierce fight. The black panther was agile and nimble, and each attack was powerful. Although Fu Shaoping was skilled in swordsmanship, he did not dare to be careless in the face of such a ferocious black panther.
During the fight, Fu Shaoping discovered that the black panther had an obvious wound on its body. This wound was caused by his sword. Fu Shaoping's mind moved, he knew that this black panther might be the black shadow's mount or his companion.
He began to attack the black panther's wounds in a targeted manner. Every time the sword blade passed by, the black panther would let out a painful roar. The black panther's attacks became more and more fierce, and it seemed that it wanted to do its best to kill Fu Shaoping.
When the two sides were deadlocked, Fu Shaoping suddenly thought of a way. He took out a small bottle from his arms and sprinkled the powder on the sword. When the powder touched the sword, it gave off a pungent smell.
Fu Shaoping swung his sword at the black panther, and the blade of the sword cut through the panther's wound. The black panther screamed and fell to the ground. Fu Shaoping quickly walked to the black panther and took a small sign from its neck. There were some strange symbols engraved on the small sign, which were somewhat similar to the symbols he found under the big tree.
Fu Shaoping was delighted, as he knew that this small sign might be the key to solving the mystery. He carefully put the small sign away and began to look for the whereabouts of the shadow.
He found a hidden path in the woods. The path was rugged and overgrown with weeds on both sides. Fu Shaoping walked along the path and finally came to an abandoned temple. The door of the temple was half-open, making a creaking sound.
Fu Shaoping drew his sword and walked into the temple carefully. The temple was filled with a rotten smell, and the murals on the surrounding walls were blurred. He walked into the temple hall and saw a figure standing in front of a stone platform.
The shadow heard the footsteps and turned around. His face was hidden in the darkness, and only a pair of eyes flashing with strange light could be seen. The shadow said coldly: "Fu Shaoping, you are finally here."
Fu Shaoping said vigilantly: "Are you from the Jinchan Chamber of Commerce? Why did you sneak into the back mountain of my Qixia Academy?"
The black shadow sneered and said, "There is a treasure buried underground in the back mountain of your Qixia Academy. Our Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce wanted to get it. Unfortunately, you ruined our good fortune."
Fu Shaoping was shocked and asked, "What treasure?"
The black shadow said, "This treasure is a mysterious elixir. Legend has it that taking it can greatly increase one's power and prolong one's life. Our Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce has been planning for a long time to obtain this elixir."
Fu Shaoping frowned and said, "This elixir is the treasure of my Qixia Academy. How can you get your hands on it? Today, I will bring you to justice."
After saying that, Fu Shaoping swung his sword at the black shadow. The black shadow was not to be outdone, he took out a dagger from his arms and started a fierce fight with Fu Shaoping. The two of them fought back and forth in the hall, the sword shadows flashed, and the daggers shone coldly.
In the fierce fight, Fu Shaoping found that the black shadow was very agile and his dagger was coated with a deadly poison. Fu Shaoping did not dare to be careless at all. He relied on his superb swordsmanship to dodge the black shadow's attacks again and again.
Suddenly, the black shadow saw the opportunity and pounced on Fu Shaoping. The dagger in his hand stabbed Fu Shaoping's chest. Fu Shaoping dodged the black shadow's attack. Then, he swung his sword at the black shadow's wrist, trying to take away his dagger.
The shadow turned his wrist and avoided Fu Shaoping's sword. Then, he swung the dagger again and stabbed Fu Shaoping's neck. Fu Shaoping quickly stepped back, but was still scratched on the shoulder by the dagger. Blood flowed down his shoulder, staining his white robe red.
Fu Shaoping was furious. He knew that he could not passively take the beating like this any longer. He took out the small sign from the little leopard from his arms, and then sprinkled the powder on the blade of the sword. He swung the sword at the black shadow, and the blade of the sword cut through the black shadow's body.
The black shadow screamed and fell to the ground. Fu Shaoping quickly walked to the black shadow and subdued him. He searched the black shadow and found a box, which contained the mysterious pill.
Fu Shaoping took the elixir and walked out of the temple. At this time, the sky was gradually getting brighter, and the sun shone on the back mountain of Qixia Academy, dispelling the night haze.
He handed the pill to the elder of the academy. The elder looked at the pill and said with emotion: "Thanks to you, Fu Shaoping, we have saved the treasure of our Qixia Academy."
Fu Shaoping said modestly: "This is what a disciple should do. However, the people from the Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce are so bold that they dare to sneak into my Qixia Academy. This matter needs further investigation."
The elder nodded and said, "You are right. I will send people to investigate the whereabouts of the Golden Toad Chamber of Commerce. We must not let them do evil again." (End of this chapter)