Liao Yi thought he must have heard wrong. The Nine-ringed Heavenly Xuan Bell would only ring when the Sword Sect encountered significant events. He pressed for confirmation, "Elder Master Four, nine rings?"
Lu Wen nodded, "Yes, nine. Hurry up. All of you, co with ." His last sentence was directed at Ah Dai and the others. After speaking, he turned and walked towards the main gate of the courtyard.
Ah Dai and his companions followed Lu Wen into the Tian Gang Sword Sect. The interior of the Sword Sect was very simple, without any decorations; the floor was paved with bluestone, and the surroundings were empty. Under Lu Wen’s guidance, they crossed the first courtyard and headed straight for the grand hall in the back. In the Tian Gang Sword Sect, apart from the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang and the second-generation disciples, other sect mbers were not allowed to enter the grand hall without being summoned.
As the four of them stepped into the grand hall, a clear and loud bell rang out. Since the summit of Tian Gang Mountain rose much higher than the surrounding peaks, the sound of the bell imdiately carried out for miles. The bell tolled nine tis before it stopped, signaling the ringing of the Heaven Profound Bell of the Tian Gang Sword Sect.
Entering the grand hall, the first thing that caught their eyes was a giant Tian Gang Sword hanging in the center of the front wall. The sword was about ten feet long, with a broad blade one and a half feet wide and half a foot thick. The chill emanating from the sword indicated that it was not rely for display. Such a colossal sword likely weighed close to a thousand pounds. Two large characters were engraved on the blade of the giant sword—Tian Gang. In front of the great sword, at the head position, was a wooden chair, with five chairs on each side below it. The grand hall was about two hundred square ters in size and was normally where the second-generation ’X’ disciples discussed matters.
Lu Wen casually took a seat on one of the chairs below the head position and looked at Ah Dai and the rest, "You all look weary, as if you’ve traveled a long distance."
Yan Shi replied, "Yes, we have co from the Tian Yuan Clan of the Federation of Suo Region, intending to handle so matters in the Empire of Sunset City. As we were passing through here, we wanted to visit Teacher Xi Wen. I am Yan Shi from the Pu Yan Clan. This is my brother Yan Li. These two are Ah Dai and Xuan Yue. You are?"
Lu Wen smiled kindly and said, "I am Lu Wen, a second-generation disciple of the Tian Gang Sword Sect; Xi Wen is my senior brother. You’ll have to wait a mont. Once my other senior brothers arrive, we have so questions for Ah Dai."
Ever since arriving at the Tian Gang Sword Sect, Ah Dai had felt a comforting sense of familiarity. Perhaps it was because this place was Uncle Owen’s ho. Would Uncle Owen be pleased to know that I arrived here so quickly? Ah Dai said, "Uncle Lu Wen, I was wondering if I could et the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang. Before he passed away, Uncle ntioned that he wanted to et him." As he spoke of Owen’s death, Ah Dai’s face imdiately darkened with sorrow, and his heart twisted in pain recalling Owen’s tragic end.
The smile faded from Lu Wen’s face, and with a sigh, he said, "Did little junior brother truly pass away? Child, even if you didn’t wish to see the master, we would still ask you to et him. We’ll talk more once your senior uncles arrive."
Just then, a loud voice sounded, "Who ordered the ringing of the Heaven Profound Bell to disturb my sweet dreams, before I had fully awoken?" A burly man with a grizzled beard approached; it was the seventh disciple of the Sword Saint, Zhou Wen. Though he was already in his sixties, his aggressive temperant was no less than in his younger years.
Lu Wen shook his head helplessly and said, "Old Seven, even at your age, you still oversleep every day, not setting a good example for the disciples. It was I who told Liao Yi to ring the bell."
As soon as Zhou Wen entered, he noticed Ah Dai and the others, assessed them with a few glances, and sat next to Lu Wen, "Fourth brother, I’ve had this habit for more than a day or two. Who are they?"
Lu Wen answered, "Let’s wait for senior brother and the others to arrive. They should be here shortly."
Zhou Wen was about to say sothing more when the second-generation Sect Leader Xi Wen and four other people entered one by one. Lu Wen and Zhou Wen quickly stood up, "Senior Brother."
Xi Wen nodded at them and then looked towards Ah Dai and his companions. Xi Wen hadn’t changed much compared to fifteen years ago; Yan Shi and Yan Li recognized their forr martial arts teacher at a glance and hurriedly approached to pay their respects, "Teacher Xi Wen."
Xi Wen’s eyes flashed with an electric sharpness, slightly puzzled, he said, "You are?" Yan Shi and Yan Li had studied martial arts under him over a decade ago; their appearances had changed so much since then, especially now with their shaved heads, that he couldn’t recognize them.
Yan Shi, with excitent, said, "Teacher Xi Wen, I’m Yan Shi from the Pu Yan Clan! This is my brother Yan Li; don’t you rember us?"
A realization dawned on Xi Wen, "So it’s you two! It has been more than ten years, and you have both grown up. What brings you to our place?"
Yan Shi explained, "We were just passing through and took the opportunity to co and see you."
Xi Wen smiled and nodded, then looked at Lu Wen, "Fourth brother, you were the one who ordered the ringing of the Heaven Profound Bell. Is it because of them?"
Lu Wen stepped forward and said, "Sect Leader Brother, they ca with Ah Dai. The one Feng Ping ntioned, that is Ah Dai." He said this while pointing at Ah Dai standing to the side.
Xi Wen’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes sparkled brightly. Under his intense gaze, Ah Dai felt as though he could be seen through. He greeted them, "Hello to all the uncles here."
Xi Wen was not bothered by his address and asked with so excitent, "Are you Owen’s disciple? We heard from Feng Ping that Owen..."
Ah Dai responded sorrowfully, "Uncle Owen has passed away."
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