Chapter 817 The New Cauldron Sword

Ouyang Rong's entire attention was focused on the Moonlight Longsword and the Crimson Lotus Sword Seal.

Unaware that something was amiss in the atmosphere around them.

Li Dalang couldn't help but ask:

"My love, didn't you go to find the embroiderer and say you were going to bring her back? Why are you bringing her back now..."

Li Guo'er, Li Xian, and Wei Mei immediately knew what he was going to ask next.

Li Dalang suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged, and he stopped speaking. He turned around and saw his mother.

Wei Mei observed the situation for a moment, then sternly reprimanded his eldest son:

"Brother, what are you saying? Tanlang is just concerned about us. The matter of Xiu Niang has been temporarily delayed."

Li Xian couldn't help but ask:

"My love, what's the situation like in Xunyang City now...?"

"Father, is there even a need to ask?"

Li Guo'er turned her head, a smile playing on her lips, and said:

"Even Lady Rongzhen has been brought here. The situation in Xunyang is self-evident. Hmm, as expected of you, Ouyang Lianghan, you can handle even a man whom Sister Xie admires. Impressive."

The words of praise from the young lady in plum blossom makeup sounded strange to everyone; they just didn't sound right.

Li Xian and Li Dalang couldn't help but exchange glances.

Wei Mei had been carefully observing Tan Lang's expression out of the corner of her eye. At this moment, she couldn't help but glare at her own daughter, as if warning her to refrain from saying anything sarcastic.

Rong Zhen cast a cold glance at Li Guo'er, whose smiling expression remained unchanged.

The usually aloof and taciturn female official suddenly spoke:

"I came here on my own, to see the Prince and discuss the remaining issues in Xunyang. This has nothing to do with anyone else."

Everyone turned to look.

Li Guo'er nodded understandingly.

Rongzhen's face remained cold and aloof.

Upon hearing this, Li Xian paused slightly, preparing to clasp his hands in greeting and speak, truly wanting to have a proper discussion with this lady historian.

However, Wei Mei grabbed his waist and interrupted him. He turned around in confusion and found his wife silent, as if nothing had happened.

Li Xian scratched his head and looked around, finding all the women standing quietly.

He felt the atmosphere on the field was very strange.

Only Lu Ya ignored it, his attention was entirely on the white sturgeon, and he did not participate in the chat.

Ouyang Rong remained silent for a while.

"I couldn't find the embroiderer. She wasn't in Xunyang City or Shuangfengjian. She might have been taken back to Yunmengze."

His voice was hoarse.

The crowd was slightly moved.

Li Guo'er glanced at his dusty scholar's robe and swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Rongzhen pursed her lips.

Seeing his friend's somewhat forlorn figure, Li Dalang stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and gave him an encouraging look.

Wei Mei sighed deeply, "Alas, perhaps it truly is a case of being destined to meet but not to be together..."

Li Guo'er asked for details, and Ouyang Rong answered them one by one, including how he followed the clues to Fang Family Manor to find Yu Nianyuan, and incidentally destroyed the rebel headquarters of Tiannan Jianghu.

However, he only mentioned a few brief points and did not go into details.

After hearing this, everyone fell silent, trying to process what had happened.

Just then, Li Xian suddenly said:

"By the way, Master Zhang is back. I remember he said that he was released by Xue Zhongzhu and also rushed back from a mountain villa. Master Zhang stayed there for a long time, so he might know some clues. Why don't you ask him later, my lord?"

Ouyang Rong tilted his head: "Master Zhang?"

"That's right."

Lu Ya took over the conversation and gave a brief introduction.

Ouyang Rong vaguely remembered such a person; Lu Ya had mentioned him before.

"So, he's still behind us?"

Li Guo'er looked up at the sun, estimated the time, and said softly:

"That's right. Judging from the time, they should be back soon, a little earlier than Sister Xie."

"good."

Ouyang Rong let out a sigh of relief.

But then Li Guo'er reached out and pointed at the moonlight longsword in his hand:

Is there something wrong with this sword?

She asked directly.

"Well, something's come up. I need to verify something."

Ouyang Rong nodded, turned around, walked to the shade of a tree, and drew his long sword.

A sword light, like moonlight, poured out.

This Moonlight Longsword was forged by an old craftsman. Later, in the Pure Land Palace, it unexpectedly unlocked the "Return Home" blessing, saving Ouyang Rong's life. Not only was his mind reborn, but it also made him a rare swordsman.

Ouyang Rong later discovered that the hazy light emitted by the luminous pearl he brought out from the Pure Land Palace was very similar to the sword light of the Moonlight Sword.

There seems to be some connection between them, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet. The only thing I can be sure of is that the luminous pearl is most likely the dusty cauldron sword.

But all of this is just speculation.

Or rather, as long as the cauldron sword is covered in dust, it is no different from an ordinary object. Whether it is a cauldron sword or not is not important; it is just a piece of junk.

Ouyang Rong shifted his gaze from the Moonlight Sword to the small seal on his right hand.

According to his heartfelt conversation with the embroiderer, she pointed out that this item was called the Red Lotus Sword Seal, which was forged by the Mei family of Longcheng.

The Dingjian sword can be traced back to the Meilu sword-making technique.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, a guess vaguely emerging in his mind.

He greeted the crowd:

"Please wait a moment."

As everyone saw, after Ouyang Rong finished speaking, he suddenly brought the simple seal close to the Moonlight Sword.

The sword light quietly fell upon the Crimson Lotus Sword Seal.

Nothing has changed.

As everyone grew curious, they noticed that the young man in the scholar's robe, who was holding two objects, changed his expression and then took one of the objects out of his pocket.

Li Guo'er, Rong Zhen, and the others looked closely and saw that it was an ordinary luminous pearl.

However, Ouyang Lianghan stared intently at it, seemingly lost in thought.

Rong Zhen, who had always been aloof and silent, finally spoke, and the crowd showed some concern upon hearing her voice:

"Ouyang Lianghan, what are you looking at?"

Ouyang Rong looked around at everyone, shook his head, then nodded:

"One thing has been confirmed."

He gripped the scalding hot luminous pearl tightly in his palm and took a deep breath.

There's a response! There's finally a response!

Even someone as composed as Ouyang Rong couldn't help but feel delighted.

Even though it was just a simple heat, this luminous pearl was finally no longer covered in dust and revealed its true nature.

Under the influence of the Crimson Lotus Sword Seal, the bead became scorching hot.

Ouyang Rong gazed at the bead in his palm and murmured softly:

"What a fine example of the Mei family of Longcheng! What a fine example of Mei Lu's sword-making skills! I understand now. The Mei family's sword shop on the north bank of Butterfly Creek, under the sway of the Mad Emperor, was actually forging two swords simultaneously. One was completed, and the other was secretly under construction but never finished. The former was stolen by Master Zhongma, and the other was the prototype for the later 'Craftsmanship' sword. So that's how it is..."

Li Xian, Li Dalang, and the others didn't hear clearly and were completely confused.

Rongzhen and Liguo'er were closer and heard a little more clearly, but some of the words in his speech still puzzled them.

Only the words "Dingjian" instantly refreshed them.

"What cauldron sword?"

Rong Zhen looked at the luminous pearl with suspicion and said, "You mean this is..." She paused, lowered her voice, and confirmed in a very soft voice, "This is also the Ding Sword?"

Ouyang Rong exchanged a glance with her and nodded slightly.

Rong Zhen's small face flushed slightly, and she spoke in a bewildered tone:

"Where...where did you get so many cauldron swords? Are you sure these are cauldron swords? Old or new? Are you sure they're not fake cauldron swords?"

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

He was not comfortable describing whether the "luminous pearl" was new or old.

It is indeed old, but it has been covered in dust for many years since it came out of the oven, so it is also new.

Rong Zhen's face turned extremely serious, and she asked, word by word:

"Lianghan, please don't joke around. Do you know that the birth of every [Dingjian] is accompanied by bloodshed? Although you already have one that has recognized its master, you should know how rare it is. Your mythical Dingjian was also hard-won, requiring great fortune to grasp."

Li Guo'er, who was standing beside him, remained silent, but she heard everything the two were saying. Her eyes were fixed on the small luminous pearl in Ouyang Lianghan's palm.

Ouyang Rong looked at the two women, who were both somewhat incredulous, and casually tossed the scalding hot beads forward.

Rongzhen and Liguo'er were so frightened that they turned pale and instinctively reached out to catch it.

The luminous pearl flicked in Rongzhen's hand; she didn't catch it properly, as if it had been burned and slipped from her grasp.

Li Guo'er, however, reacted quickly and grabbed it. Feeling the bead's scalding heat, she looked at it with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty on her pretty face.

What does "feeling hot" mean?

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "The Crimson Lotus Sword Seal was made by the swordsmith of the Mei family. The embroiderer once used it and the sword energy left behind by the [Craftsmanship] to sense the location of the [Craftsmanship]. Now that this bead is hot, it is understandable. It has been confirmed that it is the one. It has the same origin as the [Craftsmanship], but it does not have a real name and cannot be awakened for the time being."

"Real name?"

Li Guo'er murmured.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Rongzhen reached out and took it, gazing at it intently.

Li Guo'er looked somewhat displeased, but her eyes remained drawn to the luminous pearl.

Rongzhen muttered to herself:

"Has it lost its true name? According to the secret records of the Imperial Observatory, the true name of a cauldron sword does not necessarily have to be chosen by the swordsmith, nor is it fixed. In fact, it can be changed. A person with a strong affinity for the cauldron sword can name a cauldron sword that has lost its true name according to its true meaning. For example, the former [Emperor Wen] was renamed [Emperor Wen]. Adding characters or giving a name, but it all needs to be in harmony with the true meaning of the cauldron sword..."

Suddenly, Li Guo'er asked, "Where did you find it?"

Ouyang Rong remained calm: "The Pure Land Palace of Donglin Temple."

Li Guo'er was stunned for a moment, then involuntarily thought of the prophecy of a certain deceased old celestial master.

"A dragon lies hidden in the abyss, emerging with the bright moon in its beak..."

She gazed into the distance, her lips murmuring softly.

Rongzhen, standing to the side, was carefully examining the luminous pearl that emitted a faint moonlight, her expression becoming extremely complex:

"If it truly is the New Cauldron Sword, even ten Heavenly Pivots or Great Buddhas cannot compare... Lianghan, is this... the explanation you promised...?"

"almost……"

Ouyang Rong stopped mid-sentence.

Rongzhen sensed something was wrong and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent, turned around and walked to the side.

"I need to relieve myself."

Concise and to the point.

Li Guo'er and Rong Zhen, who were originally going to follow, both hesitated. The former looked away, while the latter blushed and quickly looked away as well.

On his way to relieve himself, Ouyang Rong heard the sound of bells vibrating in his ears, and a faint purple aura lingered in his eyes.

Upon reaching a secluded spot, he went directly into the Pagoda of Merit.

Entering the familiar pure white space, he came to the Blessing Bell, looked up, and saw the ancient bronze bell trembling slightly.

Purple mist was continuously emanating from the ancient bell.

This is a long-awaited blessing.

"Four thousand merits?"

Ouyang Rong frowned slightly as he processed the message from the Blessing Bell.

It feels like this little thing is constantly monitoring his merit balance.

After observing for a while, Ouyang Rong discovered that the purple mist emanating from the Blessing Bell was primarily tinged with golden light.

“Golden Blessing, the Blessing of Returning Home was also golden before, so this is related to the Cauldron Sword, right…”

He instantly understood the golden color, but upon closer inspection, he also noticed some delicate pink threads moving within the golden light and purple mist.

At that moment, Ouyang Rong's temple throbbed.

Damn it, can you please stop wearing this pink silk every day? Good fortune is good fortune, but don't attract a bunch of bad romantic encounters.

Fortunately, it was his gentlemanly conduct that allowed Ouyang Rong to barely restrain himself.

He glanced at the small wooden fish; only four thousand merits remained on it.

If you use it all up, you won't be able to use the spirit medium anymore.

After hesitating for only three breaths, Ouyang Rong closed his eyes.

In the next instant, the four thousand merits above the small wooden fish were instantly cleared.

"clang--!"

With a deafening chime, the entire pure white world seemed to change.

The golden blessing with a touch of peach blossom has been redeemed!

Ouyang Rong opened his eyes and returned to reality.

He immediately returned to Rongzhen and Liguo'er's side.

"Why did you take so long to get back?"

Ouyang Rong remained silent, took the luminous pearl from Rong Zhen's hand, and examined it with some anticipation.

But then, after waiting for quite a while...

The luminous pearl remained motionless.

He remained calm and looked around.

Li Guo'er asked, "What are you looking at?"

Ouyang Rong didn't know how to answer.

You can't say he's waiting for good fortune, but based on past experience, this good fortune won't come immediately; it will come unexpectedly.

Just then, a tremendous, earth-shaking sound was heard.

Everyone turned their heads and looked towards the woods behind them.

Lu Ya leaped onto a tree branch, gazed at the scene for a moment, and then his expression changed:

"A large number of cavalry! Their identities are unknown."

Everyone immediately thought of the possible enemy.

Rong Zhen's face immediately turned cold.

Ouyang Rong immediately untied the scroll on his back and went to the painting to retrieve the sword case.

Li Guo'er suddenly reached out, took the luminous pearl, and asked in return:

"Let me see it first. By the way, Ouyang Lianghan, why didn't you take this out sooner?"

Ouyang Rong glanced in the direction the cavalry had come from, too preoccupied to offer any explanation:

"You and the prince should hide well."

Li Guo'er calmly asked, "Is it just missing a real name now?"

"Yes, what do you mean by asking this? Is there a clue?"

Li Guo'er remained silent, then turned towards the carriage, as if to help Cai Shou pack her luggage and run away.

Ouyang Rong ignored him and turned to join Rong Zhen and Lu Ya in setting up defenses.

Right now, only the three of them remain to protect Li Xian.

Li Xian and Wei Mei were so frightened that they quickly told Shunbo and the others to prepare horses and simple luggage for their evacuation.

Only Li Guo'er, with her back to the crowd, opened a piece of luggage against the tide. Amid the noise, she quietly rummaged through it and soon pulled out an old book.

She turned to a page in the old book and found a yellowed old piece of paper next to a red label.

I remember it was given to her by Ouyang Lianghan, who was then the magistrate of Longcheng County, in a plum grove in Longcheng.

Seeing the note, Li Guo'er breathed a slight sigh of relief; at least it was still there.

Amidst the clamor of shouts for evacuation, the little girl with plum blossom makeup unfolded this old piece of paper.

A faint trace of the character "墨" (mo) can be seen above, the script being intricate...

(End of this chapter)