Comprehension against the sky, creating the Five Thunders in the real world

"What's going on? Is it because of the recent tense atmosphere that I'm too nervous?" Xuanmingzi pondered to himself.

Recently, a large-scale investigation has been carried out within Japan, and even those who practice asceticism have felt the pressure.

Just as he was trying to blame his unease on his external circumstances, at the bend in the mountain path at the end of his line of sight, a pair of figures walked slowly towards him, embracing each other.

They looked like a couple taking a nighttime stroll.

The man was tall and upright, and the woman, dressed in a pale yellow dress, nestled beside him.

Seeing this "ordinary" scene, Xuanmingzi's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

"It seems I was indeed overthinking things." He shook his head inwardly, perhaps the tense atmosphere of the past few days had made him paranoid.

He continued walking upwards, gradually closing the distance between himself and the "couple".

The mountain wind seemed to pick up a bit, rustling the leaves and ruffling the wig on the "woman's" forehead, revealing for a fleeting moment her slightly hardened jawline.

But the night was deep, and this fleeting detail did not attract Xuanmingzi's attention.

However, he was unaware that danger was lurking beneath the seemingly peaceful night.

The "couple" who were getting closer and closer were none other than Lin Beichen, who had come for him, and Aishus, who had carefully disguised himself.

An operation targeting the reclusive hermit of Futu Mountain is about to begin on this dark and stormy night.

As the distance closed, Lin Beichen could clearly feel the stiffness in Aisius's body.

He knew that for Ishus, who always paid attention to his image, such a disguise was undoubtedly a form of torture.

But these sacrifices are necessary for the successful completion of the mission.

“Relax,” Lin Beichen whispered in Aisius’s ear. “Just think of it as acting. Remember, we’re a normal couple now.” Aisius nodded reluctantly, trying to appear more natural. He took Lin Beichen’s arm, deliberately slowing his pace and mimicking the gait of women he remembered.

This simple action made him feel incredibly awkward.

Xuanmingzi was getting closer and closer to them.

When they were about ten steps apart, the old man suddenly stopped, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

He keenly sensed that the "couple" seemed to carry a faint but palpable aura of murderous intent.

"Please wait, both of you." Xuanmingzi suddenly spoke, his voice old but carrying an undeniable authority.

Lin Beichen was startled, but he remained calm on the surface.

He stopped and looked at Xuan Mingzi with a smile:
"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

Xuanmingzi carefully examined the two of them, his gaze lingering particularly on Aishus for a moment.

Although it was dark, he felt that something was off about this "woman".

"Why are you two still lingering on the mountain so late?" Xuan Mingzi asked slowly, while secretly circulating his inner energy to sense the changes in the surrounding atmosphere.

Lin Beichen was prepared and answered calmly:
“We are tourists from out of town. We heard that the night view of Futu Mountain is beautiful, so we came up here to see it. We didn’t expect to get lost while walking around.”

This explanation was reasonable, but Xuanmingzi's doubts were not completely dispelled.

He noticed that the "woman" kept her head down, seemingly shy, which only deepened his suspicions.

Just as the atmosphere was growing tense, Ishus suddenly tugged at Lin Beichen's sleeve and said in a deliberately feigned soft voice:

“Darling, I’m a little cold, let’s hurry down the mountain.” This sudden action startled Xuan Mingzi.

His tense expression relaxed slightly.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it; they're just an ordinary couple.

“Since you two are tourists, please descend the mountain as soon as possible. The mountain path is difficult to traverse at night, and,” Xuan Mingzi said meaningfully, “this mountain is not always safe.” Lin Beichen nodded in agreement and pulled Aisius away.

However, just as they turned around, a strong gust of wind blew by, and Ishus's wig was suddenly blown askew, revealing his short male hairstyle underneath.

Although this flaw only flashed by, it was caught by Xuanmingzi, who remained vigilant.

The old man's eyes sharpened instantly, and he began to exude a powerful aura.

"Halt!" Xuan Mingzi shouted. "Who exactly are you people?"

Seeing that their disguise had been exposed, Lin Beichen and Ai Xiusi knew they couldn't continue pretending any longer.

The two reacted almost simultaneously, quickly separating and assuming fighting stances.

"It seems I still couldn't hide it from the old man's eyes." Lin Beichen sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness, but his eyes became extremely serious.

Aisius also ripped off his wig, revealing his true face.

Although she still had makeup on, the aura of a powerful person was already being released without reservation.

Xuanmingzi looked at the two whose expressions changed instantly and sneered:
"As expected, you came prepared. Tell me, what is your purpose in infiltrating Mount Futu?"

Lin Beichen and Aishus exchanged a glance, knowing that tonight's battle was inevitable.

They had originally planned to complete the mission quietly, but now it seems they have no choice but to change their plans.

“Our purpose is very simple,” Lin Beichen said slowly, “we just want to invite the three experts to come out of seclusion for a discussion.”

Xuanmingzi laughed loudly upon hearing this:

"You think you can take it? Young man, you're far too overconfident!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xuanmingzi had already made his move.

He formed a hand seal, and a powerful yin and yang energy surged from his body, transforming into a black and white vortex that swept towards Lin Beichen and Aisius.

Faced with this sudden attack, Lin Beichen and Aishus remained calm.

The two worked together seamlessly, splitting up to defend themselves from the left and right.

Lin Beichen channeled his inner energy and unleashed a palm strike, the force of which contained an unparalleled masculine energy; while Aisius employed a feminine and unpredictable technique, perfectly complementing Lin Beichen's fierceness.

Three powerful forces collided in mid-air, producing a deafening roar.

The shockwave spread outwards, causing the surrounding trees to rustle and leaves to flutter down.

This exchange gave both sides a preliminary understanding of each other's strength.

Xuanmingzi was secretly shocked, never expecting that these two young people would have such profound skills.

Lin Beichen and Aishus also sensed Xuan Mingzi's power and knew that this would be a tough battle.

"Not bad, you have some skill," Xuan Mingzi said coldly. "However, with this level of strength, you're not qualified to run wild in Futu Mountain!"

After saying that, Xuanmingzi attacked again, this time with even greater ferocity.

He quickly formed hand seals, and the yin and yang energies around him began to fluctuate violently, forming a huge tai chi pattern that pressed down on the two of them.

Lin Beichen and Ai Xiu Si dared not be careless and immediately unleashed their full power to deal with the situation.

The three engaged in an earth-shattering battle on the mountain path, their powerful energies clashing and creating deafening roars. Just as the fierce battle reached its climax, two whooshing sounds suddenly came from afar.

Two other Yin-Yang masters also sensed the commotion and quickly came to provide support.

Seeing the situation reverse, Lin Beichen and Ai Xiusi knew they could no longer linger in the fight.

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly decided to retreat.

"Let's call it a night!" Lin Beichen shouted, and he and Aishus simultaneously unleashed their ultimate techniques, temporarily forcing Xuanmingzi back, before quickly retreating down the mountain.

Xuanmingzi initially wanted to give chase, but considering the opponent's considerable strength and the possibility of an ambush, he ultimately stopped.

He stared in the direction the two had gone, his face grim.

"It seems the peaceful days are coming to an end," Xuanmingzi muttered to himself.

Although Lin Beichen and Ai Xiusi's operation tonight was not entirely successful, they managed to get a sense of the enemy's strength.

They knew that the next move would require a more thorough plan.

However, Lin Beichen was not sure if the older generation of Yin-Yang practitioners could understand the way of thinking of today's young people. The Yin-Yang practitioners themselves were particularly concerned about the concept of Yin-Yang harmony.

As night fell, Mount Fuji was shrouded in a hazy darkness.

Lin Beichen and Aishus hid behind a dense thicket of bushes, discussing their next plan of action in hushed tones.

"For the mission to be completed smoothly, you'll have to make do a little." Lin Beichen lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of apology, but more so an undeniable firmness.

Upon hearing this, Ishus's expression immediately turned ugly.

“This is all part of the plan, I understand. But why do I have to play this role? Can’t you just do it yourself?”

"You can't expect me to dress up as a woman, can you?" Lin Beichen interrupted Aishus directly, his tone crisp and decisive.

His meaning couldn't be clearer: this "difficult" task was none other than that of Ishus.

Seeing that Ishus was still reluctant, Lin Beichen added:
"You need to understand that cross-dressing will affect my combat performance. To ensure the plan goes perfectly, this task must be undertaken by you. This is not me deliberately making things difficult for you, but rather for the sake of the overall strategy."

Aisius opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but didn't know where to begin.

He was indeed determined to go through fire and water to follow Lin Beichen to the Sakura Country to carry out this dangerous mission.

However, he never imagined that he would apply that determination to something like "cross-dressing".

As a man who received a traditional education from childhood, Ishus had an instinctive aversion to cross-dressing.

Wearing this pale yellow dress, he felt extremely uncomfortable, and every movement seemed particularly awkward.

He even worried that this discomfort would affect his performance in the upcoming battles.

"Don't worry," Lin Beichen seemed to see through his concerns, "You won't need to fight personally in the upcoming battle. You just need to cooperate from the sidelines. Your task is to maintain this disguise and keep the target from being on guard."

Despite his reluctance, Ashius knew that Lin Beichen was right.

In the dim light of the night, his female attire was indeed incredibly convincing.

Even Lin Beichen, who spent every day with him, was momentarily stunned when he first saw him dressed like this.

Their hushed conversation quickly came to an end, as they were approaching the location of their objective.

In a secluded clearing halfway up the mountain, an elderly man with white hair and beard slowly walked toward an ancient courtyard.

From his appearance, the old man seemed like a wealthy person who had grown weary of worldly troubles and had chosen to live in seclusion here.

However, this is merely a superficial appearance.

Lin Beichen and Ai Xiusi knew perfectly well that this seemingly ordinary old man was actually an important figure in the Yin-Yang School. Although he looked only sixty or seventy years old, he was actually over a hundred years old.

He chose to cultivate in seclusion at Mount Fuji because it is a place where dragon veins converge, which is conducive to spiritual practice.

At that moment, the old man noticed the "couple" strolling on the mountain path—Lin Beichen and Aishus, who were disguised.

But he didn't pay much attention to it, only glancing at it briefly before continuing to walk towards his residence.

In order to further lower the old man's guard, Lin Beichen had no choice but to continue playing his role.

He suppressed his discomfort and spoke some flirtatious words to his "female companion" in Japanese:

"Hehe, I'll show you what I'm capable of in a moment. Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you believe in my abilities? I hope you can maintain this aloof demeanor later."

These words almost made Ishus vomit on the spot.

He never imagined that Lin Beichen, whom he had always respected, could say such cheesy things.

In his mind, Lin Beichen had always been a serious and dedicated leader, but at this moment, that image had almost completely collapsed.

Despite feeling extremely awkward, the two perfectly maintained their relationship persona.

Their interaction looked so natural that even the slightest movement was flawless.

This is the quality a professional agent should have—the ability to perfectly immerse themselves in their role under any circumstances.

The old man indeed did not suspect anything.

He simply shook his head, seemingly somewhat helpless about the open behavior of young people these days, before turning to leave.

However, the moment he turned around, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.

Years of spiritual practice have given the old man an extraordinary intuition for danger.

He instinctively tried to circulate his internal energy to defend himself, but it was already too late.

Just as he realized something was wrong, a flash of cold light appeared, and a sharp dagger had already pierced his chest cavity with pinpoint accuracy.

The dagger pierced his heart, and blood immediately stained his clothes.

The old man's eyes were filled with disbelief; he could never have imagined that he would end his life in this way.

If he had trusted his intuition and taken precautions beforehand, the outcome might have been completely different.

"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."

Aisius looked at the old man lying on the ground and said in a complicated tone:
"Brother Lin Beichen, is this your reason for insisting that I wear women's clothing?"

A hint of doubt crept into Ishus's mind:
Even without this women's clothing, Lin Beichen's skills seemed sufficient to take care of this target.

So why make him make such a huge sacrifice?

Noticing the doubt in Aishus's gaze, Lin Beichen immediately explained:
“You have to trust my judgment. If it weren’t for your women’s clothing that completely lowered his guard, we would never have succeeded so easily. It was your sacrifice that created this excellent opportunity for us.”

Lin Beichen's words were not unfounded.

In fact, it was Aesius's perfect disguise that made the usually cautious old man completely lower his guard.

At that crucial moment, the old man had no idea that the seemingly ordinary "couple" would suddenly launch an attack. (End of Chapter)