Chapter 448: Sneaking into the Heavenly Mountain Sect?
a bed in meditation. Seeing this scene, Xie Yujia was half surprised but quickly understood it; she also figured out why Hao Ren had been to Su Han’s office earlier."Hao Ren said you got injured, so...Chapter 448: Night Raid on the Heavenly Mountain Sect
"This is..." Lulin and Lilili's eyes gradually began to shine.
"Lotus seeds," Hao Ren nodded slightly, confirming their guesses.
In fact, when Hao Ren took out the Seven-hearted Five-colored Lotus from the golden small box, three lotus seeds had already rolled out.
Therefore, he decided to give the Seven-hearted Five-colored Lotus to Zhao Kuo and keep three seeds for himself to nurture gradually.
Zhao Kuo has been cultivating for over two hundred years but failed his celestial tribulation, forcing him to start all over again. It's like wasting two hundred years of cultivation time. Without the Seven-hearted Five-colored Lotus, reaching the peak of the Heaven grade realm would require even more effort, making that lotus exactly what Zhao Kuo needed.
However, Hao Ren is merely at the lower level of Earth grade now and still has a way to go before he reaches the Heaven grade. Therefore, the black crystal wasn't his most urgent need right now.
The three seeds in Hao Ren's palm were pitch-black with no signs of spiritual energy whatsoever.
"Young Master..." The sisters from the Lu family were excited but then somewhat disappointed, "A Five-colored Snow Lotus takes a thousand years to mature. A Seven-hearted Five-colored Lotus would need ten thousand years."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be fully grown; as long as it starts growing," Hao Ren said.
A fully grown Seven-hearted Five-colored Lotus would produce seeds like the one given to Zhao Kuo, but for black crystals, a mature lotus isn't necessary.
"Even if it blooms, it will still take a thousand years!" Lulin and Lilili added.
Xie Yujia was curious and couldn't help asking, "Is this really that important"
During her recent cultivation of spirit grass in the fifth layer of heaven, she found nothing extraordinary about these hundred-year or thousand-year plants. However, the sisters' strong reaction made her realize it must be significant.
"This is Young Master's black crystal! It relates to his future realm!" Usually gentle Lilili was now a little anxious.
"Alright, alright," seeing how excited Lilili was, Hao Ren patted her small fist. "I have my own plans."
Lilili realized she had gotten too worked up and blushed as she quickly retracted her fist.
"What are Young Master's plans" Lulin asked.
"For the seeds to grow, there must be a cultivation process," Hao Ren calmly explained. "We have a field in the fifth layer of heaven with relatively rich spiritual energy, but neither Yujia nor Zhen Cunming has experience in growing these lotus seeds."
Xie Yujia nodded; this was the first time she had heard about such a Seven-hearted Five-colored Lotus. The spirit grasses above the fifth layer of heaven were planted based on Zhen Cunming's descriptions of their medicinal properties.
In reality, Zhen Cunming only stole and never planted; he lacked experience with growing spirit grass as well.
"However, I heard that the Heavenly Mountain Sect is most skilled at planting lotus-type spirit grass," Hao Ren said, changing the subject.
Tianshan Sect… Hearing this name, Lulinlin and Lu Lili glanced at each other.
Zhaoyanzǐ, who was holding a cup of milk tea and gazing out the window at the rain, suddenly perked up her ears.
"I heard that after the great battle several hundred years ago, Tianshan Sect relocated to above Five Heavens and became one of the major sects in Six Heavens. So…" Hao Ren looked at Lulinlin and Lu Lili, "We can go to Six Heavens and look for secret manuals about cultivating lotus flowers."
Lulinlin and Lu Lili glanced at each other again, and their minds suddenly opened up.
The bored Zhaoyanzǐ drinking milk tea immediately became interested and looked at Hao Ren with great anticipation—sneaking into a sect in Six Heavens sounded very exciting! Besides, Tianshan Sect… this name seemed familiar.
Oh right! That capricious girl was from the Tianshan Sect!
Zhaoyanzǐ finally remembered Duan Yao riding on a golden lion.
Great! We can take something from her sect’s place! Just thinking about it, Zhaoyanzǐ's blood boiled.
"What the young master said is worth trying. But we’re not familiar with Six Heavens," Lulinlin and Lu Lili said.
"No worries, someone knows." Hao Ren glanced at another small table where Zheningming and Wu Luxue were sitting opposite each other, playing chess.
Zheningming was scratching his head, while Wu Luxue remained calm as usual.
"Check," Wu Luxue moved a piece and said softly.
Zheningming widened his eyes and panted heavily. Finally, he waved his hand vigorously, "This game doesn’t count! I made two mistakes on purpose to let you win!"
Wu Luxue didn't say anything; she took back the piece and began rearranging it.
Lulinlin and Lu Lili weren’t particularly close with Zheningming. Seeing Hao Ren’s gaze, they understood his intention.
"I’ll go too!" Zhaoyanzǐ suddenly interjected.
"What for" Hao Ren asked her.
"W… W…" Zhaoyanzǐ was stumped for a few seconds, "I’ll keep watch for you guys!"
"We need to decide on the plan before going." Lulinlin said calmly.
She and Lu Lili weren’t spoiled brats, but they were of noble status. They had never done anything like stealing chickens or dogs. However, this time, for Hao Ren’s sake, they would gladly become female thieves.
Hao Ren actually had his own plan; when the sisters from the Lu family volunteered to steal the Seven-Hearted Five-Colored Lotus in Longshen Temple, he immediately thought of Tianshan Sect.
Instead of venturing into the Dragon God Temple, it would be better to visit the Sky Mountain Sect on the Sixth Heavenly Layer. With the seeds of the Seven Heart Five-Colored Lotus in hand, obtaining the secret methods for cultivating the lotus flowers wouldn't be too difficult or dangerous. They could proceed with their plans earlier.
"Alright, I will definitely accompany you guys; I can’t let you two take all the risks. Zhen Ciming is familiar with the Sixth Heavenly Layer and will lead the way. Since your levels are higher, one of you can go ahead while the other follows behind to provide support. So it’s just us four," Hao Ren said.
"Me too! Me too!" Zhao Yanzi hurriedly raised her hand.
"You don't need to come along; you're only at the Foundation Establishment stage," Hao Ren glanced at her and said.
Xie Yujia, who was about to speak, could only swallow her words upon hearing this.
"I'll keep lookout for you guys at the door!" Zhao Yanzi blinked her big eyes as she said.
How could such an interesting and thrilling matter happen without her
Hao Ren looked at her and suddenly recalled his middle school days, where he often climbed walls and stole sweet potatoes—far from being a well-behaved kid. Therefore, it was understandable that Zhao Yanzi, who was around the same age, would be mischievous.
If she wasn't allowed to go along, she'd likely be unhappy for quite some time. Moreover, Zhao Yanzi knew the North Dipper Sword Technique, and in case of problems, pretending to be a disciple of Sky Mountain Sect could also serve as an escape route.
"Alright, you can come if you promise not to cause trouble and follow my instructions!" Hao Ren said while glancing back at the table where Zhao Yanzi's parents were seated. He thought that taking Zhao Yanzi out without her parents' knowledge might not be a good idea.
"Sure! Definitely sure!" Zhao Yanzi nodded enthusiastically.
Hao Ren didn't realize that the North Dipper Sword Technique wasn't something ordinary disciples of Sky Mountain Sect could learn. It was actually the personal technique of the sect leader's daughter, Duan Yao.
Seeing Xie Yujia staring at him, Hao Ren continued, "Yujia doesn’t need to come; you can stay and guard the Fifth Heavenly Layer. We should be back soon."
"Mm-hmm…" Xie Yujia nodded slightly.
She actually wanted to go with Hao Ren but also knew that sneaking into a sect was inconvenient with more people, especially since her cultivation level was low and she couldn't help much. If she used the life-and-death talisman given by Granny, it would make too much noise. Therefore, it was better for her to focus on practicing the technique Granny had taught her to increase her strength so that she could accompany Hao Ren more.
"Alright then, we’ll act tonight. We’ll set out at 11 PM for the Fifth Heavenly Layer, prepare there briefly, and leave for the Sixth Heavenly Layer at midnight. I will inform Zhen Ciming about this," said Hao Ren.
“Sure!” The Lu sisters both agreed.
"Then I’m staying over tonight!" Zhao Yanzi exclaimed cheerfully, instantly forgetting all her bad moods.
Thinking about how she could sneak into that brat's sect and steal something, Zhao Yanzi forgot all the jealousy she felt when Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were chatting intimately.
On another table,郝中華、嶽陽、奶奶和趙廣、趙紅玉也交談甚歡。這樣的雨天，不方便到外麵逛街，就是坐著喝茶聊天，也是很不錯的。“General.”來自一側的小桌子傳來一個清脆又平淡的聲音。
At the other table, Hao Zhonghua, Yue Yang, Grandma, and Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu were also having a pleasant conversation. On such rainy days, it was inconvenient to go out shopping, but sitting down for tea and chatting was still quite nice.
"General."
Zhen Ciming looked at the chessboard with frustration, glared a few times unwillingly, and then said suddenly, "I made a mistake. It doesn't count!"
Wu Luoxue didn’t speak; she picked up all the pieces and slowly rearranged them.
Xie Yujia flipped open “The Law of Ten Thousand Symbols,” leaned against the glass, and carefully studied it.
Lulilin and Lulinlin borrowed Go from a waiter, sat across from each other sideways, and played Gomoku, which Hao Ren had taught them before.
They chattered away, lively and playful, making even Hao Ren忍不住要笑。（Note: The original text contains an incomplete thought or typo with "忍不住要笑" which directly translates to "couldn't help but laugh," but without context for what he couldn't help but laugh at, it's unclear whether this is a complete thought or needs further clarification. I've left the translation as is per instructions.)
Zhao Yanzi sipped her milk tea and looked out of the window, unusually quiet.
The area near the rotating restaurant’s windows was serene yet bustling, harmonious.
"Checkmate." A clear but calm voice rang out once again.
Hao Ren turned to look at the direction of the small table. He saw Zhen Ciming nodding his head and moving a piece. His brows were furrowed tightly, eyes full of spirit; it was evident that he had started taking things seriously now.
Wu Luoxue won two consecutive games, which severely challenged his authority in being smart.
Wu Luoxue gently moved a piece and softly said, "Checkmate."
Zhen Ciming hesitated for a moment before immediately moving another piece.
Wu Luoxue extended her small hand, pushing one of the pieces forward by an inch, "Checkmate."
Zhen Ciming’s gaze was fixed intently on the chessboard, his pupils slightly trembling.
"You lose," Wu Luoxue said three words that were as shocking as a bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky.
"This...this..." Zhen Ciming had no more excuses left.
"Xiaoxue, it's time to go learn piano!" Yue Yang stood up and said.
“Oh.” Wu Luoxue obediently got up, wiped her palms with a small towel next to her, leaving behind the dejected and despairing Zhen Ciming, and walked towards Yue Yang.
"How did it go Did you win" Yue Yang asked Wu Luoxue.
“I won three games,” Wu Luoxue replied.
“Didn't Zhen Ciming win against you” Yue Yang casually asked again.
“No, he’s very stupid.” Wu Luoxue clearly answered back before following Yue Yang towards the tea room's door.
Hearing this sentence, Hao Ren felt it was like a heavy blow to him.nly Mountain Sect. Its sharpness could be easily imagined; Duan Yao didn't dare to tell her father that she had lost this invaluable item from the sect, so when she secretly left the mountain this tim...