My disciples are all villains.

"If you're the first Nine-leaf cultivator, I advise you to weaken your cultivation base to Eight-and-a-half leaves. If you're the second, please kill the first. I've left a brush, a sword, and armor. You can kill a Nine-leaf cultivator with them. If you can't, then I'm sorry to say both of you will cause a huge disaster."

After Lu Zhou finished reading that paragraph, he discovered a paragraph at the side with fine writings. It read: An imposing tree grew in a forest. It grew upward with all its might in search of more sunlight and raindrops. Its thick trunk took up as much ground space as it could so that it could breathe the freshest air. Its roots dug deep to absorb the essences from the soil. Beside the huge tree, there were several weak trees struggling to survive. Their trunks were thin and fragile; their leaves were yellowing and wilting. The small trees glared at the big tree and said, "You're so powerful, why must you limit our growth?" The big tree looked at them indifferently and replied, "To me, your growth will forever be a threat."

Lu Zhou was slightly puzzled. Was this paragraph about the law of the jungle? He suddenly remembered the super heaven-grade weapon, High Void and the red Magistrate Brush in Liu Gu's possession, the red coffin, and the diary from the Roulian.

Lu Zhou continued reading the letter: Many madmen searched for the truth behind the heaven and earth's shackles and their lifespans' taboo. There are also many madmen who ended up becoming food to beasts… I hope you're not a madman. I like Great Yan… It's peaceful and quiet here. There aren't many killings, and there aren't many madmen. The lifespan of a cultivator is against the will of the heavens, to begin with. It's enough for Eight-leaf cultivators to live for 1,000 years. That's why you should tell the people that there is no Nine-leaf stage in this world and that men could only live up to 1,000 years… Snuff out their curiosity, and avert the danger! Don't try to investigate this. The things I left behind will be able to prove my words. You must be curious and confused. What is the disaster I speak of, and where did I come from? I'm sorry, I can't reveal the answers to you. My friend, if it's possible, please look for someone on my behalf. She has the surname Luo and was here 300 years ago. Find her and give her the brocade box. If you can't find her, you can have the box.

Lu Zhou was shocked. This mysterious elite was also searching for the Luo woman?!

He looked down at the letter again. "I hope that everything is well."

That was the ending.

'Is that all?'

The writer refused to reveal his origins or what the danger was. Did he really just leave an ominous warning behind without any context? That was all?

Lu Zhou re-read the letter several times. He checked, but there was nothing at the back of the letter. Based on the paragraph about the law of the jungle, he was sure it was written as an afterthought. The ink was lighter than the others.

Although the writer did not reveal his origin or detail the disaster, it was clear the danger existed. Lu Zhou recalled the final sentences of the secret tome in the red coffin. The handwriting and the tone were similar. They must have been written by the same person.

Lu Zhou would be lying if he said that he was not curious. Based on the content of the letter, the Nine-leaf stage would bring disaster. Perhaps, the disaster had something to do with the law of the jungle.

Humans would not care about the ants crawling in the grass, but what if the ants grew into fist-sized spiders?

Lu Zhou shook his head. 'I'm not an actual Nine-leaf cultivator…'

The four Evil Sky Pavilion elders were curious. They wanted to know what the letter said. However, they could not see anything.

Lu Zhou put the letter away. At the same time, he remembered Si Wuya. Si Wuya liked pondering over such things. Perhaps, Si Wuya would have a better idea about this. Then, he looked at the Empress Dowager and asked, "What's this Imperial tutor's name?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head. "He never told us his name."

"Did he leave anything else behind?"

"Inside Great Yan's Imperial city, that was all he left… If there's nothing else, it must be somewhere else."

Li Yunzhao chimed in at this moment, "The Ten Terminal Formation was drawn by the Imperial tutor himself."

"…"

The others were inwardly shocked.

Lu Zhou understood the writer's words about what he left behind being able to prove everything. If the writer was capable of drawing the Ten Terminal Formation, he must have been an incredible and cunning persona. The writer's words on the letter were airtight; he did not leave any clues about his origins at all. Perhaps, the writer was afraid of humans' inherent curiosity and decided to directly cut the bud off?

"Where did he go?" Lu Zhou asked again.

The Empress Dowager sighed. "The Imperial tutor left without warning. He didn't even tell the Emperor. It was as though he had vanished into thin air. The Emperor has commissioned men to look for him everywhere… They went as far as the Blackwood Forest in the extreme west. They tried to pass through the forest but failed."

Pan Litian frowned and said, "I've been to Blackwood Forest as well. I found my gourd bottle there… There are many treasures inside Blackwood Forest. There was a time where there was a treasure-hunting trend among human cultivators. There were countless casualties, and many Other Tribesmen cultivators joined in as well. So, that's all the doing of the Imperial family."

The Empress Dowager seemed regretful.

Li Yunzhao said, "The Evil Sky Pavilion's Mister Seventh, Si Wuya, set fire to a 10,000-mile area on the eastern side of Blackwood Forest. That stopped the treasure hunting."

"…"

The others looked at Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou's expression remained calm. He acted as though he did not hear anything. 'What does it have to do with me?'

He looked at the brocade box on the floor. He flipped his palm and drew the box to him with a surge of energy.

His action attracted everyone's attention. They no longer paid attention to the topic before this or the letter's content. Now, they were all curious about the brocade box's content.

"Master, what's in it?"

The brocade box was exquisite. It was rectangular with several red lines and patterns. A red lotus was carved onto one side of the brocade box. They were merely lines without any color. The cover of the box was designed to be slid off. There was no need for a key nor were there sealing Formation veins.

Lu Zhou opened the box.

Click!

An unadorned but elegant and delicate red-stringed zither lay silently in the brocade box.

"Ding! Obtained weapon: Nine Strings Zither. State: Merits undetermined; grade not activated."

When he heard the system's notification, Lu Zhou counted the strings on the zither. Indeed, there were nine strings. He took the Nine Strings Zither out of the box and placed it on his palm.

The Nine Strings Zither was as long as the Lantian Jade Flute, and yet, it was only as wide as his palm.

"A zither?!"

The others were stunned.

"It's a zither!"

"It doesn't look ordinary." Zhou Jifeng stared at it keenly.

"I feel like you're stating the obvious…"

When the Nine String Zither touched his skin, Lu Zhou felt a faint cold sensation. It felt solid to the touch, and its aesthetics were stunning.

Lu Zhou's disciples were baffled. How was anyone supposed to play such a small zither? It was only as wide as a person's palm. Was the player supposed to use a toothpick to pluck the zither's strings? Anyway, that was not important. The point was, why did Great Yan's Imperial tutor leave a zither behind?