Chapter 247: Hidden Contact

After setting a ten-day deadline with Mu Zixi, Xu Xiaoshou watched the girl leave Lingcang Pavilion, leaving only the two of them on the third floor.

"Something else?" Sang Lao looked at him.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. Setting aside those minor details, there were some crucial questions he still hadn't figured out.

The old man with the straw hat in front of him was clearly the best encyclopedia available.

He didn't dare ask others, but with Sang Lao, there was nothing to hold back.

"I have a few general questions..."

"General?"

Sang Lao's lips curved into a smile, surprised that Xu Xiaoshou was taking the initiative to ask about things beyond cultivation. He replied directly, "Go ahead."

Xu Xiaoshou pulled out "Zang Ku" and drew the black sword sheath from it. "In Tianxuan Gate, I ran into Luo Leilei and got her to reveal a 'Sheng Nu.' That's her real purpose for going there."

Sang Lao's expression remained calm, as expected—it was about "Sheng Nu" again.

"As I told you before, with your current level, I won't say anything about 'Sheng Nu.'"

"The more you know, the greater the danger!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt anxious. Still not telling me?

That masked person had targeted him twice already—wasn't that dangerous enough? What exactly was this old man hiding?

"I'm not asking about 'Sheng Nu'..."

His first question still went unanswered, but Xu Xiaoshou was prepared. He continued, "What I mean is, out of the twelve town boundary treasures of Tianxuan Gate, why did they go after this one specifically?"

"They even exposed Luo Leilei, who's been hidden for years, just for this sword sheath..."

"In my view, it's not worth it!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were firm as he said, "But they did it anyway, which means this sword sheath is far more complicated than I thought."

Sang Lao was surprised at first, then his expression turned to one of anticipated understanding.

"You're quite perceptive." He clasped his hands behind his back and turned away, his demeanor tinged with regret. "I mentioned the Eighth Sword Immortal to you before, right?"

"Hmm?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't understand what he meant.

"This is his sword—the sheath of 'You Si Jian'!"

The young man was stunned. The Eighth Sword Immortal's sword sheath?

He thought about his own Ten-Stage Sword Fingers, his path of pure sword intent, and his ordinary mind power...

It seemed, somehow, that he had a faint connection to this legendary figure.

A coincidence?

"The Eighth Sword Immortal's sword sheath..."

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes, feeling like he had grasped a hidden link in all this chaos!

He recalled the stele at the bottom of Black Fall Cliff, where the first name was just a single character: "Ba."

Back then, Xu Xiaoshou had guessed it might be left by the Eighth Sword Immortal, Ba Zun An, but he quickly dismissed it and even added "Qi Big Snake" afterward...

Now, it seemed the two were deeply related!

Did the Eighth Sword Immortal go to Tianxuan Gate and leave this sword sheath there?

But why would such a figure be connected to Tian Sang Spirit Palace?

Xu Xiaoshou revisited a judgment he had previously overturned, asking in shock, "The masked person is..."

Sang Lao shook his head and cut him off: "As I said, I won't say a word about 'Sheng Nu.'"

"Damn!"

"Hmm?" Sang Lao turned back in shock, his sparse eyebrows twitching repeatedly. "What did you say?"

"Cough, cough, nothing, nothing..."

Xu Xiaoshou awkwardly scratched his head, realizing he had almost let his inner frustration show.

Hold it in!

This wasn't the time!

The idea of "lying low for ten years and then beating Sang Lao" had been shattered by that one punch from the old man, which transcended the level of a grandmaster.

He couldn't win now, so he had to endure.

Sang Lao looked at the youth, who had gained nothing, and sighed. "Keep the sword sheath safe. Try not to expose it—many people covet it, and if you're discovered, you'll be in grave danger."

"It relates to many things to come, so handle it with care!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill in his heart, realizing his plan to carry the sword sheath openly was no longer feasible.

After nodding to show he understood, he pulled out another item: the Sealing Ring!

Sang Lao's eyelids twitched. If he wasn't mistaken...

"The town boundary treasure, Sealing Stone?"

"Yes."

"How many things did you take from Tianxuan Gate?" Sang Lao suddenly grasped the key point.

"Four pieces. That doesn't matter, though—what's important is..."

"Four pieces?!" Sang Lao was completely shocked. He stared through his straw hat, his scalp tingling and his face paling. "So, you're the one who took down Tianxuan Gate?"

"Half and half. That doesn't matter—what's important is..."

"Explain!"

"Uh." Xu Xiaoshou froze for a moment, then weakly replied, "Sort of..."

Seeing the old man's face starting to darken, he quickly rattled off, "But the dean already knows about it. He was impressed and praised me for getting the four treasures, and he said he'd reward me, but he forgot to give it. I didn't want to push, so if you have time, could you ask for me?"

Sang Lao: "..."

He almost got sidetracked by this nonstop chatter, but he regained his focus. "Don't try to dodge with jokes. Be honest—what exactly did you..."

"Old man, do you know about Gui Shou?" Xu Xiaoshou interrupted again, determined not to let him probe further.

He couldn't let this old man dig deeper!

He had just dodged the dean—how could he end up in the vice dean's hands?

What Xu Xiaoshou feared most was Sang Lao deciding to act on some twisted sense of justice... given his eccentric behavior in the past, it was entirely possible!

"Gui Shou?"

Sang Lao was successfully diverted, his eyes narrowing completely. "How do you know so much?"

His words were calm, but inside, the old man with the straw hat was utterly astonished.

He hadn't shared much with Xu Xiaoshou, afraid of dragging him into the plan too early.

Yet, somehow, this young man seemed to have experienced things even he hadn't anticipated...

He vaguely felt that if it were Xu Xiaoshou, the future might truly spiral out of control!

"Tell me in detail—what's the deal with Gui Shou?"

Through the "suspicion" in his information panel and the old man's shocked expression, Xu Xiaoshou had already guessed that "Gui Shou" was as complicated as he imagined.

He promptly recounted everything that happened in Tianxuan Gate—encountering Mo Mo and the gray mist figure—in full detail.

He left out about eighty-five percent, mostly his various trump cards and his knowledge about Gui Shou.

Time to verify!

Sang Lao fell silent for a long while before speaking. "You said you resealed it back into Mo Mo's body?"

"Yeah, the rules of that small world restrained it. The thing was weak as could be—I knocked it out with one punch."

"Huh..." Sang Lao's face grew heavy as he said gravely, "You should be thankful you're still alive!"

"Uh." Xu Xiaoshou couldn't joke about this anymore. He stared blankly at the old man opposite him. "Is it that terrifying?"

Sang Lao didn't respond. He expanded his spiritual sense widely, retracting it after a moment, and sighed. "Mo Mo isn't in the spirit palace anymore. So, she's the second spy?"

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded. In just that short time, Sang Lao had scanned the entire spirit palace grounds?

What kind of terrifying cultivation was that?!

He suddenly felt that the day he could stand on his own was still far off...

"Aren't you curious about 'Sheng Nu'?" Sang Lao gazed at the young man for a long time before finally deciding to speak.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up.