C8 Exploring the Four Spirits Cult

"I do have an important task at hand, so for the sake of finding some clues, I would be rude to you all. If you don't want the truth to be known, then resolve the suspicions in my heart, and I won't force you any further."

Ning Yuan knew in his heart that at this point, if the few of them were not willing to speak, there was no need for them to pursue the matter further. There would be a day when the truth would be revealed, so there was no need to rush.

The old man said, "Young Hero's behavior is strange, but he is not lacking in etiquette. Since Young Hero's identity is mysterious, it is not convenient for us to ask too much, I am one of the tenth elder, Song Yunangang, and these two are disciples of my senior brother Jia Lin. I have been wandering here and heard that something might have happened to them, so I secretly protected them.

"Young Hero's actions are definitely not the doing of a Four Spirits Cult dog disciple. Young Hero, as long as it does not involve too secret matters, I will definitely tell the truth to the two Junior Sisters."

"So it's Senior Song, this junior greets you, junior has offended you in many ways, I hope you will forgive me, the reason why I did this was because I had no other choice, I hope senior can forgive me." Ning Yuan said.

"This Jinlong Casino, for the sake of making a huge profit, does not suffer much loss to those who go to the gambling house. This kind of loss business is rarely seen in this world, I would like to ask grandma to inform me a little," Ning Yuan bowed and said.

He Lisha thought for a moment, "Young Hero, at this time, the gambling house was opened by my late husband, who, due to some fortuitous encounters, got to know a few famous seniors of the Jianghu. Under the teachings of a few seniors, she changed the entire situation and was entrusted by a few seniors to turn the gambling house into a place where a few gangs of the Jianghu secretly contacted each other, only the people of the Jianghu know about this secret."

"Most of the people in the gambling den are from the different sects, and most of them were ordered by their sects to contact each other. Other than the matter of the gambling den, they were not controlled by me.

"When my late husband was engrossed with gambling, he missed out on some important matters. Thus, after knowing a few seniors, he made a rule that everyone who came to Jinlong Casino would smile and leave, and not let anyone lose all their money in the gambling house. That's why he has the gambling house that he owns today."

Is this a place to connect? Ning Yuan's heart was moved, there were many sects in the martial arts world, it could be said that their eyes were mixed, many schemes might arise out of them, but it was also possible that this place was just a simple place for people to pass on information.

"Brother Qian, I have a question, you are an expert in gambling, winning against me is a small matter, but why did you remove the dice in the last round, and why is that?" Ning Yuan bowed to Qian Lin.

"Hehe, this is also for Jinlong Casino's reputation, my junior sister will not let everyone who comes to the gambling house lose their heart and return home, thus she will have evil thoughts and cause harm to the martial arts world, so she will not let you lose like this!" Qian Lin smiled and said.

"Truly a group of benevolent people in the Jianghu, junior will once again apologize to you, junior is causing trouble here, and should not, I hope that you can forgive me for doing this," Ning Yuan said as he stood up once again to atone for his actions.

"Madam, can you tell me the reason for your husband's death?" Ning Yuan asked He Lisha.

Tears welled up in the corner of He Lisha's eyes, "I didn't want to mention it anymore, my husband is an open and honest man, he didn't want to get involved in the struggles of the martial arts world, thus he decided to live in seclusion here. It was only because he was entrusted by a few seniors that he was able to open this Jinlong Casino, the gambling den is actually related to the various sects, so he has been safe and sound for many years."

"It's just that a few years ago, my husband accidentally provoked someone from the Four Spirits Cult, and on a trip out, he ambushed me. I only found out recently that it was the people from the Four Spirits Cult who did this, and for all these years, I just wanted to guard my husband's gambling house and secretly find the person who killed him.

"I thought Young Hero was someone from the Four Spirits Cult, and wanted to kill everyone here. When they killed my husband, they did not know my husband's identity, and because many sects protected us secretly, they became afraid, but one day, they will come here and cut off our roots. Although the Four Spirits Cult is secretive, after I have searched for them for a few years, I still have a good idea."

"I, as a individual, am powerless to fight against them. I just want to find the culprit and use his head to perform my husband's ritual against him. At that time, even if I were to die under his sword, I would have no regrets," He Lisha said, her face filled with tears. (TL: UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…))

Ning Yuan's heart did not seem to sink, "I'm sorry to have caused Madame to brood over this matter. What kind of organization is this Four Spirits Cult, can you tell me?"

"Young warrior, this Four Spirits Cult is actually not some big sect, it is usually four people dressed in black who take advantage of the unsuspecting heroes in the martial arts world to sneak attack us from the shadows. This sect is too evil, its movements are mysterious, it is good at using poison, it is an expert in concealed weapons, and when fighting against heroes in the martial arts world, it often uses despicable methods, so it is impossible to prevent people from knowing whether they are men or women, the old or young."

"Mn, then where is their base?" Ning Yuan asked.

"I'm not too sure about that, but there's a place called Sandstorm about three hundred kilometers to the west. They often roam there, so there's a high chance that someone there knows about their lair," Song Yunxian said.

Ning Yuan thought, he had already wasted a lot of time here, and the disciples had gradually arrived at their destination, waiting to meet up.

"Can you draw me a picture of the exact location of the sandstorm?" I will definitely be able to expose their schemes and schemes, this group of scum will definitely get what they deserve, "Ning Yuan said righteously.

"Young Hero, why do you need to do this? Although Young Hero has powerful martial arts, he can easily dodge on the surface, and can even block the dark sword. In the Four Spirits Cult, there are many villains who will not fight face to face with you, and I am afraid that Young Hero will not be able to protect himself in battle. If something were to happen, how would we be able to face with Young Hero's sect? "Song Yungang asked. (TL: UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU)))

"Senior, you worry too much. All of our disciples walk the martial arts world with the goal of harming their martial practitioners. If we meet with such scum and do not dare to stand up for us, how can we face the teachings of our masters?"

"Mm, if Young Hero says so, then you can be considered a hero of the martial arts world. Then let Lin Sheng draw a map for you. I hope Young Hero will be careful." Song Yunangang said.

Without waiting for a response, Ning Yuan took the map and returned to the inn to rest. After packing up his luggage, he continued to travel westwards. According to Qian Lisheng's map, Ning Yuan was galloping at full speed. In less than two days, he had arrived at Sandstorm City.

Compared to Qing He Town, this place was a lot more desolate and there were not many families here. Ning Yuan saw a small hut in front of him with a weak oil lamp lit, seeing that there were no houses nearby, adding that it was already late, he wanted to sleep here.

Ning Yuan stepped forward and knocked on the door, "Is there anyone inside?"

After half a day, a woman slowly shouted through the door, "Who is knocking on the door in the middle of the night?"

Ning Yuan answered, "People roam the martial arts world, especially borrowing treasures to rest."

The woman slowly opened the door and looked at Ning Yuan carefully, then said softly, "I do not have any males at home, a good man can cause people to become suspicious when he enters the house, please wait a moment."

After a while, the woman took out a blanket, "A good man can hide under my house for a while, and make some rest. When tomorrow morning comes, you can leave on your own, and at that time I'll come back to get your bedding." After speaking, she gave the blanket to Ning Yuan, and closed the door to rest.

Ning Yuan could not help but laugh bitterly in his heart, if the other party did not have any males, it would be inconvenient for him to enter, so he had to find a relatively flat place under the roof, he could help with the bedding and rest, and did not have to do anything else. For the past two days, Ning Yuan had been in a hurry, so he was tired.

Ning Yuan was awoken by the noise and realized that the woman's husband had returned. This man was tall and sturdy with a full beard, carrying a bow and arrows on his back, and had a treasure sword strapped to his waist. He looked like a hunter.

Ning Yuan kept the bedding properly and once again knocked on the door of the house. It was still the same woman who opened the door. "The good man has woken up. Now that my husband is back, if there's anything you need, you can tell him."

"Big Brother Han, this one has been rushing for two days already. Yesterday, I was lucky to have Sister-in-law take care of me, so I rested outside for the night and now I want to ask for more water to drink. Since there is no restaurant here, can you give me a few more mouthfuls of rice to eat? I have silver taels with me, so I won't eat them for nothing."

The big guy laughed, "It's just a few taels of silver. The good guys have already put it away, so there's no need to stand on ceremony in the martial arts world. Yesterday, I was not at home, so please forgive my wife."

After Ning Yuan expressed his thanks, he entered the house. Although the room was simple and crude, the woman had cleaned it up neatly and put away all kinds of items without a speck of dust.

"My wife, please cook something delicious for this brother. Make him a wild chicken that I beat a few days ago and let him drink a few cups with me." The big man commanded.

Ning Yuan thanked him once again, and the two exchanged greetings before they sat down together. "There is no one here, it is very desolate. Why did big brother's family choose to hunt for a living?"

The big man laughed heartily and said, "Since there are very few people around, we decided to stay here. We lived in peace, so as not to disturb the outside world, we would occasionally meet one or two guests who passed by and we wouldn't be too lonely. With my wife accompanying us, we would go hunt and come back every day and we would have some fun, but we don't know how, my wife would weave some cloth at home every day, and when we gather more prey and cloth, we would find a town to trade for some rice and salt."

Ning Yuan suddenly saw a tiger skin hanging in the room. He clasped his hands at the big sized man and said, "Big Brother, could I borrow the tiger skin to have a look?" This tiger's skin was over ten feet long and six or seven feet wide. The tiger's body was quite enormous.

"Big brother, did you capture this tiger?" Ning Yuan asked.

Haha, how could I have such a godly skill that can capture this beast and make me laugh? This was gifted to me by a brave man a few years ago, and that hero was the one with the best martial arts.

"He even helped a few people in the villages. A lot of people have seen him. He was a head taller than others and did not speak much. However, as long as he spoke, it would cause others to uncontrollably respect him, "The big man said.

Ning Yuan thought, could this person be his third senior brother?

Ning Yuan said to the big sized man, "I will use it for two moves. Take a look and see if it has any similarities with that hero's martial arts."

When the big sized man saw this, he thought for a while, "His movements are indeed similar, but that hero is too fast, so ordinary people cannot see through his moves. Although I am also good at martial arts, my talent is too shallow, so I am unable to judge the moves that brother used just now."

Ning Yuan said: "Big brother does not need to be modest, if we meet such a hero, I think that even those with powerful martial arts skills would not be able to see through his background, not to mention the martial arts students like us."

Ning Yuan asked curiously: "Can you tell me about that hero?"

That man said, "Alright, that was five or six years ago. I went hunting in the mountains. As I walked, I sang a song of the mountains while searching for prey."

"There were a lot of grasses in the mountain. After walking for a while, we still could not find any big prey. We only shot a few birds, but we didn't even catch any wild rabbits. Suddenly, I saw some movement in the grass ahead. I thought that there must be some ferocious beasts here, so I secretly pulled on my bow and waited for the wild beast to come out. It seemed like the beast found someone outside and didn't move for a long time. "

"I stared fixedly at that place. I didn't expect that there would suddenly be a 'Ling Ling' sound coming from behind me. That sound would cause anyone who heard it to tremble! I turned around and saw a huge tiger with sharp teeth, a strong appearance, and a fierce aura. On its forehead, there was the word "King" engraved on the pattern. "My life is over!"

"Just as I closed my eyes and waited for that beast to come, that tiger suddenly collapsed on the ground and let out a few roars. That roar reverberated through the entire forest, making people's hearts even more desolate!"

I opened my eyes and saw a nine feet tall, cold-faced hero standing there. In his hand was a sword dripping with blood, and as the blood flowed down the tip of the sword, he looked extremely heroic.

"Later on, the hero skinned the tiger and told me to sell the tiger meat and bones. He also gave me this tiger skin, and I let him stay for a few days. He also gave me some pointers on sword arts and taught me a few moves."

After Ning Yuan heard the man's words, he suspected that the man was Zheng Cong. It was impossible for such a fast sword person to exist in this world, unless it was Zheng Cong himself. Why don't we ask this hunter to look at a few sword moves.

Ning Yuan said: "This big brother, how about you use a few of the sword techniques passed down to you by the hero, how about it?"

The man then pulled out the sword on his waist, and with a few moves, from the moment the man held his sword, Ning Yuan knew that it was his third senior brother.

Ning Yuan and the man then talked about the other matters of the martial arts world, the two of them were extremely compatible and happily chatted.

Not long later, the lady had already prepared some dishes for the two of them. Although it was just a common dish, for the past two days, Ning Yuan had been eating out and enjoying the delicacies in the world.

After eating his fill, Ning Yuan said to the big sized man: "Thank you big brother for taking care of me, I am not very grateful, I will give you a few dozen taels of silver, I hope big brother will accept it."

The big man smiled and said, "My wife and I live in seclusion here. Money is only for us, so there is no need for you to be so polite, brother."

Ning Yuan said: "Since Big Brother has said that, then I will follow your orders. I thank you here, but I still have one thing to ask of you."

The big man said, "If you have something to say, brother, be straightforward!"

Ning Yuan thanked him: "It's said that there are many people from the Four Spirits Cult coming and going the Sand Wind region. I wonder if Big Brother has some understanding about this sect."

The couple looked at each other, a surprised look appearing on their faces, "Brother, you are out alone, any other matters in the martial arts world can be avoided, but how can you look for trouble yourself? This Four Spirits Cult is indeed a place where people look for trouble, but not many people know their background, and the legends say that the people in this sect are vicious, so brother should not provoke them."

Ning Yuan thought, he had to figure out the background of this Four Spirits Cult, and although the biggest goal of this trip to the Western Regions was to find out the clues about that strange case fifty years ago, with this Four Spirits Cult being so strange, it was still fortunate that he could find a clue.

He made up his mind and said to the big sized man: "Brother, I and Four Spirits Cult have an irreconcilable feud. My brother died in their hands, and they still want to take over my wife's family business, they must be wiped out, and the roots must be cut, so I must make them pay with their blood."

The big man said: "Little brother, do you know the background of their martial arts? If we were to go, how many chances would we have to win?

Ning Yuan replied: "It doesn't matter, as long as big brother can inform little brother about some of their situation, if I can find their lair, I will have my own plans, I wonder if big brother will be able to help?"

I do not know much about the Four Spirits Cult, but there is a Black Wind Mountain that is twenty miles to the west from here. There is a high possibility that their base place is there, you must be careful, the Four Spirits Cult has always been a villain who travels far and wide, but my ability is weak, I do not dare to go head to head with them. Today, Young Hero is willing to sacrifice my life to eliminate evil for the martial arts world, that is truly admirable, but when Young Hero goes alone, it is extremely dangerous, and people can't help but to be worried!

Ning Yuan said: "Big Brother does not need to worry, just a mere Four Spirits Cult, although his methods are sinister, there is nothing to fear. I will suppress him, and if it is really as the people of the world said, I will flatten this sect."

The big man said in surprise: With Young Hero being so confident, he is definitely a person with profound martial arts skills, but this Four Spirits Cult being able to exist in the martial arts world, there must be something special about it! With Young Hero's power alone, it is truly difficult to achieve, I hope Young Hero would be modest and cautious, and would not act rashly.

Ning Yuan laughed: "Big Brother's teachings are correct, but because I still have a heavy responsibility, I am temporarily unable to contact my other friends in the martial arts world, so I wish to go alone and test the waters. If I cannot force it, I will definitely evacuate in time."

The two of them continued with their greetings. Seeing that it was getting late, Ning Yuan bade farewell to the two, and followed the direction that the hunter couple had pointed to, and in a moment, Ning Yuan was already at Black Wind Mountain.

Seeing that the sky was getting late, Ning Yuan found a quiet place to hide himself and observed the movements of Black Wind Mountain. Only until midnight did a few black-clothed people carried a treasure sword in their hands and a travel bag on their back as they rushed up the mountain.

One look was all it took for them to know that Qing Gong was very good. Ning Yuan took a deep breath, then leaped up lightly and followed behind the night people.

In the silence of the night, the water shone with a bit of moonlight. As the wind blew, the leaves swayed in the wind, and the cries of birds and beasts could be heard. Deep in the mountain, a sense of terror was hidden in the silence.

Ning Yuan had been secretly following behind them the entire time, and when they were about to reach the mountainside, they suddenly stopped and whispered a few words to each other, and then separated into different paths and started to move forward.

Ning Yuan thought, they definitely did not find any traces of him. In terms of qinggong, other than the few senior brothers from the Qing Cheng Sect, Ning Yuan felt that his own qinggong was considered top-notch in the martial arts world. Although their qinggong was good, it would not be easy for him to find them.

However, since these people were going to split up, which one should he follow? Ning Yuan's mind stirred. The last one to leave should be the person with the highest status amongst them, so why not follow him? Ning Yuan immediately leaped and followed the black clothed man who was the last to leave.

On Black Wind Mountain, when night fell, it would appear dark and deep, and was extremely terrifying. There were many birds of prey here, and the sounds they made were like the cries of infants.

Ning Yuan's inner force was deep, his eyes were sharp, he had been following closely behind, but suddenly, under a big tree, the person suddenly disappeared, causing Ning Yuan to exclaim in his heart.

The tree was about twenty meters tall and about four or five meters wide. The branches were lush, and there was a thick layer of fallen leaves under the tree. If he did not see it with his own eyes, Ning Yuan believed that there would be someone who would suddenly disappear into the tree.

Ning Yuan could only find a secluded place nearby to quietly observe his surroundings. After pondering for a while, Ning Yuan determined that this event happened on top of the big tree, there must be a hidden entrance here.

It was only to prevent himself from being caught in the trap that Ning Yuan was able to calm down and did not act rashly. Someone else would come in, he thought.

Ning Yuan thought that as long as he guarded this place, he would definitely discover the secret at their entrance. If he alerted them, then all his previous efforts would have been for naught.

Just what kind of organization was the Four Spirits Cult? They left such a bad name in the martial arts world, yet they still did not change their ways, and would definitely make many enemies.

The Four Spirits Cult was so elusive, how many unspeakable secrets were hidden, Ning Yuan just wanted to find out as soon as possible. There were no signs of human life here, so what kind of secrets were hidden in such a lone mountain?

Could Ning Yuan uncover the secret of the Four Spirits Cult? How was the Four Spirits Cult related to the events that happened fifty years ago? How does it all go?