"No need to speak of him," Jiang Yifan interrupted. "Can the teleportation array be used?"
The manager nodded. "It can be activated at any time."
"Lead the way."
The manager's fingers unconsciously rubbed the dark embroidery on his cuff. "In response to the young master, the array can be started at any time, but..." His Adam's apple bobbed noticeably as his gaze swept over Li Nanzhu and the other two.
Jiang Yifan raised his hand as a gesture. "It is fine; they are all my fellow disciples."
The manager suddenly knelt, his forehead nearly touching the floor. "Young master, please understand, according to ancestral instructions, those not of the Jiang bloodline may not—"
"Are you the master of the Jiang family? Can you make decisions for me?" Jiang Yifan looked at him coldly.
Seeing this, the manager immediately stood up and bowed quickly. "I would not dare. It is just that... the head of the house received a secret report the day before yesterday, saying that the Sword Heart Sect is making a major move in Chishui City. He specifically instructed that if I saw you, I should have you return to the main house immediately..."
Jiang Yifan's brow furrowed slightly. "It seems the Sword Heart Sect's movements are faster than we imagined." He turned to Li Nanzhu. "There is no time to lose; we must leave now."
The manager hesitated for a moment but finally led the four of them up to the attic. The wooden stairs made a slight creaking sound under their feet. Suisui suddenly jumped from Li Nanzhu's shoulder and tapped its bone claws against a certain spot on the wall, producing a hollow echo.
"Eh?" the manager said in surprise. "Even the newcomers in the pavilion do not know about this hidden compartment..."
A trace of complexity flashed in Jiang Yifan's eyes. "It is... a mechanism he designed when he was young." Spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips as he traced a frost flower pattern on the wall; the wall slid open silently, revealing a narrow secret room.
In the center of the secret room, a small teleportation array floated quietly. Its runes were complex, emitting a faint blue light.
As the four stepped into the teleportation array and the manager was about to perform the hand seal to activate it, a burst of rhythmic footsteps suddenly came from downstairs.
The manager's expression changed slightly, and he quickly walked to the window to lift a corner of the curtain.
"It is the people from the Sword Heart Sect," he said in a low voice. "The leader is the direct disciple Li Nanyi, and he has six inner sect disciples with him."
Li Nanzhu noticed that when the manager said this, Jiang Yifan's fingertips trembled imperceptibly. Feng Qingping's face also changed slightly as she leaned over to begin observing the array.
From downstairs came the sound of Li Nanyi's intentionally loud voice: "Manager Jiang, this is a routine patrol by the Sword Heart Sect. Please cooperate."
The manager took a deep breath and looked toward Jiang Yifan for instructions.
Jiang Yifan nodded slightly, and only then did the manager turn to go downstairs. Through the gaps in the floorboards, they could see the manager bowing politely. "So it is the direct disciple of the Sword Heart Sect. What brings you here in person today?"
"I heard that your pavilion recently received a batch of Northern Territory snow lingzhi." Li Nanyi's smile was warm, but his gaze constantly drifted toward the stairs. "My master happens to need such a thing."
Inside the attic, Feng Weilan's blade was already three inches out of its sheath. Jiang Yifan pressed down on his wrist and shook his head gently.
The dialogue downstairs continued: "There is indeed snow lingzhi, but it is stored in the secret room. Immortal Master Li, please wait a moment, I will go..."
"No need for trouble." Li Nanyi's voice suddenly rose. "I heard that several young friends from the Five Elements Dao Sect are also guests at your pavilion? My master specifically instructed me to invite them to the Sword Heart Sect for a chat."
The air froze instantly.
The manager's voice turned cold. "You must be joking. Shuanghua Pavilion has only hosted our young master today."
The smile on Li Nanyi's face froze, and a flash of bewilderment appeared in his eyes. He clearly had not expected such an answer, nor had he expected the people from the Five Elements Dao Sect to be related to the main Jiang family.
"The young master of the main family?" Li Nanyi's voice sank as his gaze searched the manager's face. "Since when did a direct descendant of the Jiang family come here?"
The manager remained composed. "That is not convenient to disclose."
In the attic, Feng Qingping's fingertips moved rapidly over the runes of the teleportation array, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
She suddenly looked up. "Starting this array requires a special method; it cannot be activated by simply injecting spiritual energy."
Jiang Yifan frowned. "I only know the activation methods for several commonly used teleportation arrays of the main house. This one..."
"Give me half a quarter of an hour." Feng Qingping took three copper coins from her storage bag and placed them in a triangular formation at the array eye. "I can forcefully activate it, but I cannot guarantee the destination."
Downstairs, Li Nanyi suddenly laughed. "Since that is the case, why not invite Young Master Jiang down for a meeting? My master has always held the direct line of the Jiang family in high regard..."
"Fellow Daoist Li," the manager interrupted, "the young master is currently in secluded meditation and is not available for guests."
Li Nanyi's gaze gradually turned cold. He hid his right hand behind his back and made a quiet gesture; the six sword cultivators immediately dispersed.
Inside the attic, Feng Weilan's blade was three inches out of its sheath. "They are setting up a sword array."
"They are determined to keep us here..." Jiang Yifan's expression was very grim. Although the other party had not spoken plainly yet, once a conflict truly broke out or the truth was revealed...
He could not guarantee that the manager would not simply lead them upstairs to let them take Suisui away.
After all, the only person they were required to protect was him, the direct descendant; they did not care about the lives of the others.
Moreover, the person standing behind the group below was none other than Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao!
Feng Qingping's copper coins spun rapidly at the array eye, emitting a faint hum. The spiritual energy at her fingertips wound around the coins like silk threads as she attempted to forcefully pry open the core of the array.
"There is a reaction!" Feng Qingping whispered. "But it is not stable enough..."
"Fifth Senior Sister, do not worry," Li Nanzhu said. "We still have time."
"Ten breaths left..." Feng Qingping gritted her teeth, the veins on her forehead faintly bulging.
Downstairs, Li Nanyi's voice suddenly rose. "Manager Jiang, I will ask one last time—are the people from the Five Elements Dao Sect upstairs or not?"
The sound of the manager's footsteps retreated half a pace. "Are you going to force your way into a Jiang family property? Moreover, the Five Elements Dao Sect disappeared a thousand years ago. How could they show up here as soon as they resurfaced?"
A sharp ring of a sword sounded from below.
Li Nanyi finally lost his patience. "Since Manager Jiang insists on obstructing us, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"
The manager said deeply, "Fellow Daoist Li, this is a Jiang family property."
"I know that, of course." Li Nanyi sneered. "So I will not take action myself. However, if someone refuses to cooperate with the Sword Heart Sect..." A jade slip slid from his sleeve. "My master's sword qi will not show mercy."
Everyone's expressions changed; even the manager had not expected the other party to be carrying Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao's sword qi.
The manager's Adam's apple bobbed as beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. He stared at the glowing jade slip, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the jade pendant at his waist—the token of his status as a Jiang manager.
"Fellow Daoist Li..." His voice was somewhat dry. "Could this matter be..."
In the attic, Feng Qingping's copper coins suddenly let out a piercing hum.
"It is done!"
The runes of the teleportation array lit up one by one. But the light was extremely unstable, flickering like a candle in the wind.
"This..." Jiang Yifan frowned. "Will it work?"
"It has to work!" Feng Qingping quickly used a rope to bind the four of them together. "Otherwise, wait to be 'guests' at the Sword Heart Sect!"
Hum—
Just as the light of the teleportation array reached its peak, Li Nanyi broke through the door, only to grab a wisp of dissipating blue light.
All that remained was a blurred warning—
"Destination... shifting..."
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