Invincibility Begins with a Super Fairy Manny

Chapter 2733: Chapter 2734: The Secrets Within

From the old man’s account, Xue An finally grasped the general outline of what had happened.

It turned out that this old man really was the former Domain Master of Ling’an Domain, Xu Ling’an, while the current one in the City Lord’s Mansion was his disciple, named Shi Chang.

Back then, after successfully advancing to Great General, Xu Ling’an took charge of Ling’an Domain.

At that time Ling’an Domain was even more desolate than it is now, with its Spirit Veins withered and the literary ethos crude and shabby—a barren land in every sense.

But after Xu Ling’an assumed control, he vigorously revived the Spirit Veins and rectified the literary culture, and soon had Ling’an Domain thriving and prosperous.

Not only that, Xu Ling’an also selected many gifted and qualified children from among the common folk and trained them, ultimately choosing several exceptionally talented youths to take in as his disciples.

Shi Chang was one of them, and he was the most gifted of all.

Xu Ling’an doted on him and cultivated him with great care; under this meticulous guidance, Shi Chang’s Cultivation Level advanced at a staggering pace.

If events had followed this trajectory, it would have been a beautiful tale of master and disciple in harmony, jointly governing a domain.

Yet what Xu Ling’an never imagined, not in a thousand lifetimes, was that this very disciple he’d painstakingly nurtured would strike him a fatal blow from behind.

It happened when Shi Chang had just proven his Dao at the rank of Fifth-Grade Capital Commandant. Xu Ling’an held a grand celebration ceremony for his disciple, and during the ceremony he openly declared that he would hand Ling’an Domain over to Shi Chang in the future.

But no one expected that on the night after the feast ended, Shi Chang would secretly slip into Xu Ling’an’s room, where he lay dead drunk, and strike directly with poison and violence.

Hearing this, Xue An raised his brows slightly. "No. At that time he had only just proven his Dao as a Fifth-Grade Capital Commandant, while you were a dignified Fourth-Grade Great General. Even if he caught you off guard with a sneak attack, he shouldn’t have been able to do anything to you."

The old man gave a bitter smile at these words. "You’re right about a lot of it, but that wolf-hearted bastard somehow got his hands on a Third-Grade Upper Great General Seal and used it to completely suppress my Cultivation Level!"

Xue An’s gaze flickered slightly. "And then?"

"Then I woke up. When I realized the situation I was in, I couldn’t help cursing Shi Chang furiously. But he just listened with a smiling face, and only after I’d worn myself out did he give a cold laugh and say..."

"’Master, it’s too late to say anything else now. This world has always been a winner-takes-all world. I’m very grateful for your cultivation of me, but your way of thinking can no longer keep up with this world!’"

"Those were his exact words?" Xue An asked, frowning.

"His exact words."

"Keep going."

"Afterward, I questioned him in anguish. I’d already decided to hand Ling’an Domain over to him, so why was he in such a rush? He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, ’I have no choice either.’"

"’No choice...’" Xue An softly repeated the phrase.

The old man’s emotions grew increasingly agitated. "At the time I was beside myself with rage, certain it was just a flimsy excuse. I asked him, ’Even if you kill me, then what?’"

"’Ling’an Domain was built up by me alone. If I suddenly die, it will surely cause a great upheaval in all directions. You, who were only a Fifth-Grade Capital Commandant at the time, could never suppress the situation!’"

"But what I absolutely didn’t expect was that Shi Chang just gave a cold snort and said to me, ’That’s not something I need to worry about. Since I’ve chosen this path, I obviously have the means to see it through.’ And as he spoke..."

The old man paused, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"His face and build began to shift rapidly, and in the end he looked exactly like me—down to my speech and temperament, which he mimicked to perfection!"

"Then he asked me smugly, ’Tell me, can I pull the wool over everyone’s eyes like this?’"

At this point, the old man’s tone and expression were filled with desolate sorrow.

"And then he locked you down here?" Xue An asked.

The old man nodded. "That’s right."

Xue An frowned and paced a few steps in the darkness.

The old man watched him quietly, then finally couldn’t hold back and asked, "What’s the situation outside now? How did that bastard handle everything afterward? You know I trained many disciples besides him. What happened to those people?"

Xue An stopped walking and sighed softly. "You should have realized it long ago. Given what he did, do you really think your other disciples—or anyone who knew what happened back then—could still be alive?"

The old man fell silent.

Just as Xue An had said, his heart was actually clear as a mirror; he knew those people could not possibly have survived. But he’d always clung to a sliver of hope. Now... that hope was shattered.

At the same time, Xue An looked at the old man with a grave expression.

"From your story I’ve found three very critical issues."

"What three issues?"

"First: Shi Chang was a disciple you raised from childhood. What was his temperament like in the beginning?"

"You could call him honest and solid to a fault."

"Then why did his temperament change so drastically later? Why suddenly kill his master and seize power? As you yourself said, you had already publicly announced you would hand Ling’an Domain over to him. He could have obtained authority openly and legitimately, so why was he so impatient as to snatch it through such a vile method?"

The old man fell into confusion. "Yes... that’s precisely what I haven’t been able to figure out all these years."

"The second issue is: where did he get that Third-Grade Upper Great General Seal he used to suppress you? And who taught him the Secret Technique he used afterward to transform into your likeness?"

The bewilderment on the old man’s face deepened.

"The third issue is also the most crucial one. Since he went this far..."

Xue An gave him a long, deep look. "Why did he refrain from killing you and instead imprison you in this underground cage?"

The old man shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Young man, your mind is indeed sharp. I’ve pondered these questions for years, and you managed to summarize them after hearing the story only once. To be honest, I don’t know why he did it either."

"Perhaps only he himself knows the real answer."

With that, the old man turned his gaze back to Xue An.

"Young man, you came here looking for that girl and happened to run into me—that’s fate of a sort. But I still must warn you: never underestimate Shi Chang. The fact that he could reach the position of Great General in such a short time is proof enough of how terrifying he is."

"So you really shouldn’t carry out this plan of infiltrating the City Lord’s Mansion."

Xue An gave a small smile. "Sorry, you’re too late."

While this avatar of Xue An was speaking with the old man, the real Xue An outside wasn’t idle either.

He finally managed to pick out several Spirit Veins leading into the City Lord’s Mansion’s barrier from the tangled mess of Spirit Veins, then once again split off a thread of Divine Sense and slipped into them.

The whole process went extraordinarily smoothly, without alarming anyone, and in the end he successfully reached the City Lord’s Mansion.

At that moment, in the banquet hall of the City Lord’s Mansion, the air was filled with music and dance, a scene of boisterous revelry.