"So your grandfather wants me to go in with you?"
Ning Beichen immediately understood the meaning behind Chen Mingyue's grandfather's words. After all, there was no Grandmaster among the younger generation, and he, Ning Beichen, was a Grandmaster. Once inside, he would naturally be the most likely to help Chen Mingyue obtain the Breaking Grandmaster Pill.
The Chen family's ancestor was indeed a cunning old fox. However, Ning Beichen was naturally very willing to take such an opportunity.
He didn't need the Breaking Grandmaster Pill, but Liu Yilin did, his senior sister did, and several of his confidantes also needed it. If he had the chance to obtain the Breaking Grandmaster Pill, he certainly wouldn't refuse such a good thing.
Moreover, the Chen family's ancestor had helped him out so much. Coupled with the previous incident, Ning Beichen would not refuse this favor no matter what.
"Mr. Ning, my grandfather is merely offering a suggestion. He doesn't intend to make things difficult for you, Mr. Ning. It's mainly up to you," Chen Mingyue said softly.
After what had just happened, Chen Mingyue dared not be assertive with Ning Beichen. Even the Sakura Island Sword King was no match for Ning Beichen. If she displeased him, it might even implicate the Chen family.
"I agree." Ning Beichen knew Chen Mingyue's thoughts clearly and replied.
"That's wonderful, thank you, Mr. Ning." Hearing Ning Beichen's words, Chen Mingyue breathed a huge sigh of relief. If Ning Beichen had refused, she wouldn't have dared to resent him.
"No need to thank me. This is also an opportunity for me. By the way, where is the place you mentioned?" Ning Beichen asked her.
"It's at the Sun Moon Mountain in Sakura Country," Chen Mingyue glanced around and then said in an even smaller voice.
"Sakura Country's Sun Moon Mountain?" Ning Beichen was surprised. He had originally thought it would be in the Eastern Ancient Country, but he didn't expect it to be in Sakura Country. This was rather interesting.
"Alright, when shall we go?" Ning Beichen asked.
"The time is set for the morning three days later," Chen Mingyue replied.
"Okay, then we'll stay in Sakura Country for a few more days." Ning Beichen nodded.
Next, the two of them went to a hotel in the Ōtani-juku area near Sun Moon Mountain to stay. Ning Beichen also took the opportunity to study the last volume of the Nine Palaces Strategy he held in his hand.
However, to his disappointment, the last volume of the Nine Palaces Strategy still revealed nothing. No matter how he looked at it, these nine volumes of the Nine Palaces Strategy had absolutely nothing to do with cultivation techniques or practice.
Water immersion, fire scorching, sunlight penetration, microscopes, and other tools were all used, but Ning Beichen could not find anything hidden within these Nine Palaces Strategy volumes.
"Could the rumors be false?" Ning Beichen had to consider this possibility.
He had also thought about it.
If there was indeed a method to achieve unity of man and nature hidden within the Nine Palaces Strategy, it was impossible for no one to have discovered it. After all, for some major powers, such as those in the Grandmasters' Alliance, collecting all nine volumes of the Nine Palaces Strategy would not be a difficult task.
However, for so many years, he had only heard of the legend of the Nine Palaces Strategy, but never of anyone actually succeeding.
"Perhaps the rumors are just rumors and should not be taken seriously." Ning Beichen put down the Nine Palaces Strategy with some reluctance and rubbed his forehead.
Just as Ning Beichen was feeling troubled, Chen Mingyue came to find him, suggesting they go out for a stroll. Ning Beichen put away the Nine Palaces Strategy and readily agreed. After all, if he continued to study it, Ning Beichen suspected he would become obsessed. Going out for a walk and clearing his head would be good.
Upon hearing that Ning Beichen agreed to go out with her, Chen Mingyue immediately became excited. She went back to her room, changed into a beautiful outfit, and made herself look stunning.
Like tourists, they visited various scenic spots nearby and also enjoyed a seafood feast.
"By the way, Mr. Ning, I heard there's a temple on the nearby Yuguan Island. Why don't we go and see it?" Chen Mingyue suggested.
"Sure, no problem. But you don't need to keep calling me Mr. Ning. It makes us seem like strangers. Just call me by my name. I'll call you by your name from now on, how about that?" Ning Beichen said to her.
"Then I shall respectfully accept your kind offer," Chen Mingyue said with a smile. After all, relationships between people are built over time. Although they knew each other before, they weren't exactly close. Furthermore, in her mind, Ning Beichen was mysterious and powerful, and Chen Mingyue dared not be disrespectful to him.
However, after a day of sightseeing, they were both young, and their mindsets relaxed considerably.
The two of them took a boat to Yuguan Island. Indeed, there was a temple on the island. However, this was not a famous tourist spot, nor were there any tourists. The so-called temple was located on a hillside on the island. To reach it, one had to climb a simple stone staircase all the way to the summit.
Therefore, by the time Ning Beichen and Chen Mingyue reached the temple at the summit, it was already dark, and there were no boats back. This meant they had to spend the night there.
However, there were no hotels or guesthouses on this island. Forget guesthouses, there weren't even any villagers here, only a solitary temple. There were people in the temple, but not many, only about five or six. The abbot of the temple was an old monk who had lost all his teeth. Fortunately, the old monk of the temple was kind and agreed to let them stay for the night.
However, both Ning Beichen and Chen Mingyue felt a strange aura about this temple, but they didn't think too much of it.
When it was time to sleep, Ning Beichen and Chen Mingyue's rooms were separate and not adjacent. The rooms were tatami rooms, facing north to south and east. Wind chimes hung on the porch, and behind the house was a paper-covered window. The furnishings inside were all old, including the bedding.
Chen Mingyue was a young woman. Although she didn't have洁癖 (jiépǐ - germophobia), seeing the bedding that had likely been used for who knows how long, she had no intention of using it. Since they were both martial artists, she planned to simply lie on the tatami for the night, fully clothed.
After Ning Beichen entered his room, his brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze swept across the surroundings like lightning. Ever since he entered the temple, he had sensed something was not right. However, he could not pinpoint what exactly was wrong for the moment.
But he was a Grandmaster. He didn't care if it was strange or not, as long as it didn't provoke him. Ning Beichen sat cross-legged on the tatami, his eyes slightly closed, releasing his Grandmaster senses in all directions. Senses were just perceptions and could not see physical objects, but nothing could escape Ning Beichen's notice, not even the slightest disturbance.
Although he didn't care for himself, Ning Beichen didn't want Chen Mingyue to be in danger. Chen Mingyue's cultivation was not weak, and she could handle ordinary dangers. However, the martial world was perilous, and people's hearts were unpredictable, especially in a foreign land. Chen Mingyue might not be able to handle it.
As expected, in the dead of night, Ning Beichen sensed unusual movement outside his room. A moment later, smoke seeped in through the cracks in the room. Ning Beichen inhaled a little and felt a slight dizziness.
"What a divine temple, so it's actually a sinister temple." Ning Beichen snorted coldly, suppressed his breathing, and feigned unconsciousness on the tatami. He wanted to see what these sinister monks from the sinister temple wanted.