The old man coughed twice as he spoke, but his eyes lit up even more, as if recalling the past. His face also became more energetic. "I was only a twelve or thirteen-year-old apprentice at that time. My master was very strict. When I followed him into the old palace, I had no idea what I was going to do. Only when I arrived did I find out that I was going to repair the imperial seal."
Zhongli actually looked at the square crystal box and asked, "How could the jade seal be so valuable, damaged?"
"I only remember the rumors in the palace at the time saying that the retired emperor had taken a fancy to the precious jade used to make the imperial seal, saying that its purity could protect a person's soul from disintegration, and he wanted the seal to be buried with him a hundred years later. The then Emperor Niehyun naturally disagreed. How could the imperial throne be passed down without the seal? The two of them argued in their chambers, and in the chaos, the secret seal fell to the ground, breaking a corner. It was all fate, I guess. The damage to the imperial seal was not a good omen, and it later proved to be true."
Zhongli actually heard this, and he didn't know what he was thinking. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes. "According to what you think, old man, is there really a precious jade in this world that can make people immortal?"
The old man laughed upon hearing this, his face wrinkled. "If it were true, why would I be struggling on my sickbed? I've worked in the Jade Tower all my life, handling the finest jades, but I've never seen a piece of jade that has become a spirit, capable of holding a human soul. A stone is just a stone; it just depends on who holds it."
Time has left traces of aging on the body, but it has also endowed him with profound wisdom. His cloudy eyes can no longer distinguish small objects, but they can see through many truths of the world.
"Sir, you came to me not just to confirm whether something like this is real or fake, right?"
Zhongli's expression was calm, and without further disguising, he asked directly, "Old sir, do you have any way to get the things out?"
Unexpectedly, the old man shook his head and said, "Although I know the workings of this box, I can't do anything about it."
Zhongli Jing's voice was still calm, but it also carried a hint of oppression: "Old sir, are you unable to do this, or are you unwilling to do this?"
The old man was a man who had seen the world. His voice was frank, yet neither humble nor overbearing. "Young Master, you are of such noble status that I dare not conceal anything from you. It's not that I don't want to help you obtain the things inside, but I'm afraid that between you and me, and indeed in the entire world, there is no one else who can open it."
Zhongli frowned slightly. He looked at the small, perfectly round hole in the middle of the box. There was a sharp protrusion in the hole, and he didn't know what it was used for. "Sir, are you saying that the key to this box has been lost?"
"I believe you have noticed the secret, but this box has no key. To open it, you need the blood of a member of the Qiu family."
I see.
The hole wasn't a keyhole, but rather a hidden thorn for drawing blood. Zou Sifang, struggling to open the box, accidentally pricked his finger, becoming poisoned.
However, ever since the change of the throne, the Qiu family has been wiped out. If the Su family wants to secure the throne, they cannot afford any mistakes. Nearly a hundred years have passed, and if you want to find a drop of Qiu family blood, it would be harder than picking stars and catching the moon.
"What if we forcibly destroy the box outside?"
"Do you know why the Qiu family went to the trouble of making this box? It was so that if something unexpected happened, the seal would be locked inside the box, and no one but the descendants of the Qiu family could open it. Destroying the box would destroy both the seal and the stone. This was the craftsmanship of the old Jingyin Tower. If you don't believe me, you can give it a try."
Jingyin Tower was once the largest jade tower in Chizhou, and the jade used to craft the secret seal originated from this building. Rumor has it that the ground beneath Jingyin Tower has been hollowed out over ten feet, housing countless rare and ingenious treasures. The tower is also home to many skilled craftsmen who, in addition to polishing jade, delve into the study of mechanical mechanisms, custom-making them for the powerful and influential.
Jingyin Tower had vanished into the long river of history along with the turmoil of a century ago, and the items that passed through its hands were rarely circulated on the market, becoming priceless treasures. Now, was this item before me really as miraculous as the legend said?
After the old man had said so much, his previously high spirits began to weaken again, his eyelids drooping heavily. "I have told you all I know, sir. It is up to you to decide."
The night wind suddenly rose, and the eaves bells rang clearly.
The person on the bed was already drowsy, not knowing whether he had entered into an old dream in the long night and did not want to wake up.
The man at the edge of the collapse slowly stood up. He was covered in dust due to his journey, but he did not look tired or haggard at all. Instead, his eyes were dark and shiny.
No, things are far from as simple as they seem.
That night in the Niehyun Imperial Palace, what were the two emperors arguing about, causing the jade seal, always kept in its box, to fall and get damaged? And why did the Qiu family place only this jade seal in the box, hiding it with such painstaking care, determined to protect it even if the country was destroyed and the family was ruined, and to destroy it if they couldn't protect it.
Secret seal, a seal of secrets.
What other secrets does the Qiu family have?
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