Chapter 322 Tibetan Armor Scroll
"Brother Gu?" Yu Sui asked in surprise and confusion, "How could you..."
Her mind raced, and she quickly remembered that the Leisure Pool had an underwater passage connecting to the Legalist school's Inverted Moon Cave. Could Gu Gan have come to the Leisure Pool via this underwater passage?
Gu Gan's face was dripping with water, and he was soaked to the bone. He looked Yu Sui over and, relieved to see that she was not injured, he grabbed a tree root and climbed up: "Sui Sui, did you choose the spirit rune that fell down just now?"
"Yes, I chose it carefully." Yu Sui's voice was a little hoarse. Although she was very satisfied with obtaining the spirit rune at the very top of the Azure Bird Tree, she was exhausted from controlling the Five Elements Light Core to climb up.
"Brother Gu, what are you doing here? Have you and your senior brother broken the True Spirit Chain? Where is your senior brother?" Yu Sui asked, glancing into the water as she spoke.
Gu Gan, who had just climbed out of the water, couldn't help but frown: "Why do you keep bringing up Mei Liangyu? Don't you care how I got here?"
Yu Sui asked blankly, "Didn't my first sentence show concern?"
Although she asked the question in her first sentence, Gu Gan still felt unwilling. He glanced at Yu Sui sideways and gave a light hum:
“I know you finally got into the treasure vault of the Free and Unfettered Pool, and you certainly won’t give up, but you don’t recognize the spirit patterns of famous calligraphers, so I came to help you.”
After pausing, Gu Gan continued, "There is an underwater tunnel leading to the Upside-Down Moon Cave beneath the Free and Unfettered Pool. I know that once the treasure vault is opened, only one person can enter at a time, so I tried to find a way to get here through the underwater tunnel."
Yu Sui's eyes widened upon hearing this: "Brother Gu, does that mean you can come and go as you please at the Leisure Pool Treasure Vault from now on?"
"What are you thinking about!" Gu Gan couldn't help but reach out to tap her forehead, but Yu Sui took a step back and shook her head to avoid it. "This pool of water looks filthy."
Gu Gan: "..."
He awkwardly withdrew his hand.
"You can only enter when the treasure vault is opened by the golden key. If this method can be used normally, wouldn't I be able to empty the entire Bluebird Tree of all its wonders?" Gu Gan said irritably, while igniting the Zhou Tian Fire to remove the moisture from his body.
Yu Sui nodded obediently: "I understand, Brother Gu. What happened after you broke the True Spirit Chain in the Reverse Ancient Tower? Xiang Feifei didn't come with you either."
This girl's true intentions were not what they seemed.
For some reason, Gu Gan immediately realized that the person Yu Sui wanted to ask was not Xiang Feifei, but Mei Liangyu. Not only was he afraid of making him angry, but he also asked indirectly, even bringing up Xiang Feifei, with whom he had little relationship.
"What you want to know isn't why Xiang Feifei didn't come along, but why Mei Liangyu, right?" Gu Gan bluntly exposed her.
Yu Sui blinked: "Senior brother definitely won't agree to act with you."
"Would I agree if I were in his shoes?" Gu Gan laughed, his face darkening. "Once the True Spirit Chain is broken, Mei Liangyu will disappear. He can go wherever he wants."
That's true, Mei Liangyu did indeed disappear, but he didn't tell Yu Sui his guess. It must have been an instructor or the dean who intervened.
But since the other party wasn't targeting him, Gu Gancai didn't bother with it.
Mei Liangyu is usually arrogant and has offended many people, including his teachers. Some people want to take this opportunity to teach him a lesson, which Gu Gan is naturally happy to see. He will not say a word to Yu Sui.
Yu Sui also knew that after his senior brother broke the True Spirit Chain, he definitely wouldn't act with Gu Gan, so it was normal that the two of them didn't appear together.
She lowered her head and didn't speak. In Gu Gan's eyes, she looked pitiful, as if she were admitting her mistake. His heart softened again, and he sighed softly as he approached her and asked, "Do you recognize the spirit runes in your hand?"
Yu Sui shook her head: "I don't know him."
Gu Gan reached out and took it, his expression somewhat strange.
Yu Sui asked, "Brother Gu, did I make a bad choice?"
It wasn't bad, it was too good, far exceeding his expectations.
"How did you get it?" Gu Gan looked at the bluebird tree behind the two of them. "It wouldn't be hanging down here."
“It’s very high up.” Yu Sui raised her hand and pointed to the Bluebird Tree. “It’s at a height that’s out of sight. I used the Ghost Daoist’s Sound-Detecting Spell to keep probing upwards, which is why it took almost a day.”
Gu Gan turned to her and asked, "Have we reached the top of the tree?"
Yu Sui shook her head, looking dejected: "No, you can't see the top of the tree at all."
"Come here." Gu Gan gestured for her to come closer, and had Yu Sui hold the red ribbon. He then helped her decipher the spirit patterns and taught her to recognize the characters. "The spirit patterns of famous calligraphers are a kind of cipher. Once you find a way to decipher the characters, they are the simple and easy-to-understand characters we use in daily life."
Yu Sui listened attentively, his eyes fixed on the golden spiritual patterns on the red stripe. The lines they combined were strange, some delicate and light, others complex and heavy, but the combination of those lines seemed to follow some kind of rule.
Gu Gan's finger touched the spirit runes, and golden light flowed as his finger moved, causing the character lines to disperse. In Yu Sui's eyes, this scene was like a house made of building blocks being removed one by one, with the same blocks being used to build different shapes.
“Some characters and spirit patterns need to be split in half. By changing the direction of their symmetrical parts and recombining them, we can get the characters we are familiar with. Look, can you recognize them now?” Gu Gan turned to look at the girl beside him.
Yu Sui was watching intently and didn't notice Gu Gan's gaze. The two were close together, and Gu Gan was a head taller than her. When Yu Sui looked down, he could see the side of the girl's neck, which was as white as porcelain against her smooth black hair.
A few strands of hair slipped from her earlobe, clinging to her cheek and obscuring her vision. Gu Gan was about to reach out and brush the hair away for her, but Yu Sui beat him to it, raising her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear.
"The Tibetan Armor Scroll?" Yu Sui said softly.
Gu Gan stared blankly at her profile.
"Brother Gu, am I right?" Yu Sui looked up at him, her sudden gaze meeting Gu Gan's unseeing eyes.
Gu Gan turned his face away in a fluster. Before he could speak, the red ribbon flew out of Yu Sui's hand and burst into golden light, so dazzling that it was impossible to open one's eyes.
Both of them raised their hands to shield themselves. The red ribbons continued to spin rapidly in a circle. When they unfurled, a golden scroll embroidered with landscape patterns unfolded before Yu Sui's eyes. The scroll was made of white paper with gold patterns, and thousands of characters were engraved on it. The characters were lively and dynamic. As the scroll unfolded, it seemed to be infused with life, making them come alive. They leaped off the paper and transformed into spirit birds, singing the sounds of all things.
Golden spirit birds danced around Yu Sui, who watched them in amazement. Several spirit birds landed on her shoulder, and she reached out and touched them. The five elements came into contact, and the spirit birds transformed into dewy crabapple blossoms, slender green grass, and fluttering golden butterflies, becoming real from their names.
“Brother Gu,” Yu Sui said with a smile, her bright eyes following the spirit birds around her, “Are these all from the Hidden Armor Scroll? They’re so beautiful!”
She turned around and looked at Gu Gan. Gu Gan felt as if a heavy hammer had hit his heart, and a loud thud exploded in his ears.
The Hidden Armor Scroll is a collection of extraordinary and powerful artifacts by renowned masters. It contains tens of thousands of characters from famous calligraphers, and all the characters in the Hidden Armor Scroll can be visualized. These characters record the mountains, rocks, flowers, grasses, birds, beasts, clouds, rain, wind, snow, and the myriad phenomena of the four seasons in the world.
For renowned masters and sorcerers like Gu Gan, these were invaluable treasures.
If it were anyone else who opened the treasure vault of the Carefree Pool today and took the Hidden Armor Scroll from it, Gu Gan would definitely try to snatch it. But the person in front of him was Yu Sui, so he didn't have any such thoughts.
Looking at the girl surrounded by the spirits of the characters, Gu Gan composed himself and explained, "Sui Sui, the Hidden Armor Scroll is one of the top-tier magical weapons in military strategy. The spirits of the characters inside were written and blessed by famous masters and sages throughout history. It's like you can obtain countless secret techniques of famous masters without having to cultivate."
Yu Sui was stunned: "Is it really that powerful?"
“Of course,” Gu Gan raised his eyebrows and said, “but the power of the spirit words in the Hidden Armor Scroll is related to the user’s cultivation level. The higher the cultivation level, the stronger the spirit words, and the lower the cultivation level, the weaker the spirit words.”
Yu Sui just smiled after hearing this. She had climbed the Bluebird Tree all day and was already very satisfied with obtaining the Hidden Armor Scroll.
At least you won't lose money, you definitely won't lose money.
The pool water suddenly boiled and bubbled, and Gu Gan knew that the treasure vault was about to close and they had to leave.
“There are many people up there. If they find out you got the Hidden Armor Scroll, they will definitely try to snatch it. We won’t go back the way we came.” Gu Gan grabbed Yu Sui’s hand and turned around, just as they saw a giant wave rising up.
Before Yu Sui could speak, Gu Gan grabbed her and dragged her into the water.
The pool swelled, creating emerald waves. A massive waterspout swallowed the Bluebird Tree and carried it away in an instant. After the waves subsided, the surface of the water was empty.
The barrier at the entrance finally disappeared, and those who noticed it shouted, "They're out! They're out!"
Those waiting outside all looked towards the entrance, but after a long time they still couldn't see Yu Sui emerge. Some of the bolder ones shouted that they should go down and take a look. Princess Shangyang had just taken a step towards the entrance when a loud bang came from the sky, followed by a burst of colorful light like fireworks.
"It's tobacco from the Six Kingdoms!"
Shouts came from the crowd, and everyone looked up at the sky.
The six kingdoms sent messages to announce the death of Yan Manfeng, the sage of agriculture, to the people of the entire Xuangu Continent.
Those who were about to go down into the Treasure Cave stopped in their tracks. Those who had already gone down some distance heard the shouts of "Six Kingdoms' Letters" behind them and hurriedly ran out of the cave again.
The only sage of Yan died, and the scattered people of Yan looked at the smoke signals from the six kingdoms in the sky, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Taiyi Academy had no sages from the Yan Kingdom, but it did have students from the Yan Kingdom. Within the Wujian Abyss, despite the gathering thunderclouds, messages from the six kingdoms could still be seen. Su Jichun's eyes filled with tears as she thought of many things. Behind her, Qin Yidong and his group impatiently shouted, "Are you leaving or not? Su Jichun, do you want to back out?"
Su Jichun sniffed, wiped away the tears in her eyes, turned around and walked towards them with her head down.
This time, Yan Xiaochuan didn't approach the Hundred Schools Night Tour with a playful attitude. He was seriously engaged in the trials of the famous schools, but he was distracted by the news brought by the Six Kingdoms' messenger smoke. He subconsciously looked towards the instructors not far away, searching for his master's figure.
Mu Yong'an also looked up at the sky, his eyes reflecting the light of the smoke, revealing neither joy nor anger in his heart.
Yan Xiaochuan felt a little irritated. He turned his back to the bustling crowd and walked away, letting out a soft breath, trying to dispel the anxiety in his heart.
He told himself not to think about the past.
Most people only knew that the agricultural sage Yan Manfeng had died, and very few knew that many changes had occurred with Yan Manfeng's death, such as the sages of the academy. However, they just silently watched the smoke from the six kingdoms without saying a word.
Liang Zhen, still in the Reverse Ancient Tower, remained indifferent. The boy sitting by the window asked him, "Yan Manfeng is dead. Let's not make things difficult for the younger generation by making them take over the mess that is Yan Kingdom, okay?"
Liang Zhen said, "Then I am a man who breaks his word, and the other countries will not let them off the hook."
“But he has Chang Gen protecting him, and Chang Gen won’t let him die.” The boy spread his hands and said, “As long as he doesn’t leave Taiyi, he will never die. He’s in Taiyi, and we can protect him too. Who in the world can harm him in Taiyi? Even if all the saints of the six kingdoms came, it would be impossible.”
The boy appeared very confident.
Liang Zhen's expression grew increasingly indifferent: "Senior brother, how can you be so sure that Chang Gen will protect him for the rest of his life?"
"Do you think you can do that?" the boy retorted. "And can you consistently choose Mei Liangyu in any situation?"
Before Liang Zhen could answer, the boy immediately held up one finger and said, "Okay, then which one do you choose, me or him?"
Liang Zhen: "..."
Qingyang, the imperial capital.
Zhong Lique stood outside, looking up at the sky. The agricultural sage of Yan Kingdom was dead. Every time she heard people mention Yan Manfeng, she would think of Yu Sui.
Now that Yan Manfeng is dead, the people of Yan will surely launch a final, fierce attack. Even if Sui Sui is in Taiyi, it will not give people peace of mind.
She saw her mother seeing her father off, and judging from his attire, he was probably going to the palace.
Zhong Lique touched the light-colored scar on the back of his hand. In the instant he closed his eyes in concentration, several images flashed rapidly through his mind: the vermilion lacquered wood of the Golden Palace, a few people standing inside, and the Emperor's voice, broken and intermittent: "...the six prefectures of Yan...suppression...I need you to go..."
"Your subject obeys."
The girl's breath hitched, and she opened her eyes in an instant.
Many people were summoned to the palace tonight, and some even left the city overnight with imperial jade tokens. The one who stayed in the palace the longest was Nangong Ming. Inside the Nangong Prince's residence, Madam Han was temporarily in charge. She was discussing important matters with the Nangong family in the Mingxuan Hall, and no one else was allowed to enter without her order.
A light rain fell during the night, and raindrops dripped from the eaves. The woman in white standing under the eaves looked at the brightly lit Mingxuan Hall with a cold expression.
Chu Jin was lost in thought when the sound of rain brought her back to reality, but it also displeased her, and a melancholy welled up in her eyes. Every rainy day reminded her of the moment she first touched her severed hand.
The thirteen masters of medicine and machinery collaborated to create a new right hand for her using the finest materials. The stitches were so seamless that no trace could be seen, but Chu Jin still felt a dull ache at the joint from time to time. Only she knew how difficult this hand was to use; every movement reminded her of the humiliation of losing her hand.
Chu Jin raised her left hand and gently stroked her right hand. Her dark eyes flickered as she looked at the woman in brocade standing behind her. A mocking smile appeared on her lips: "I heard that Father used to put you in charge of Mingxuan Hall. Why isn't it you in Mingxuan Hall now?"
A hint of weariness appeared between Madam Su's brows. She was naturally at a disadvantage in front of her eldest daughter, and Chu Jin didn't need to do anything; she was already filled with guilt.
“Tonight they are discussing matters related to the Legalist school, so it would be more appropriate for Madam Han to go,” Madam Su said softly.
"It's getting chilly outside, go inside. Your injury shouldn't get cold," she said with concern.
But Chu Jin's expression instantly turned cold: "Are you trying to remind me that I'm disabled, or are you trying to remind yourself that you have a disabled daughter?"
Madam Su's face also darkened: "You know that's not what I meant, I just don't want you to..."
“I don’t need your useless words,” Chu Jin said, staring at her. “I’m no longer the naive child I was when I was little, easily satisfied with just a few kind words from you.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Su couldn't help but recall the days she spent atop Mount Luo, and her heart ached once more.
Chu Jin sneered, "Mother, sometimes I wonder if you are truly ruthless or just pretending. Your senior brother, whom you grew up with, died, yet you showed no sadness or grief. But when faced with the child you abandoned, you were willing to humble yourself."
"Are you just pretending too well, or are you simply such a cruel person?"
Madam Su turned pale at her words and stared at the person in front of her in disbelief.
"Young Miss, you..." The maid standing beside Madam Su was stopped by the mute woman before she could speak. The mute woman stood quietly behind Madam Su, her head always lowered.
Madam Su closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, she had regained her usual calm and composure.
"Fourth Madam." A man's casual voice called out from the back of the corridor. Chu Jin looked up and saw two tall figures, one in black and one in white, reflected in her eyes.
Han Bing and Su Feng walked towards them one after the other. Su Feng had a smile on his face, but his gaze towards the front showed no respect: "News has come from the palace that Father wants Fourth Concubine to come to the palace."
Madam Su said, "I understand."
Without saying much, she turned and walked out of the corridor.
The mute woman held the umbrella for her and silently accompanied Madam Su as she walked away.
The rain outside was getting heavier. Chu Jin stood still and glanced at Han Bing with a half-smile. The latter did not look at her and walked straight past her.
Su Feng stopped and asked, "I heard you went to see your grandmother today?"
Chu Jin glanced at her brother, who had disliked her from the beginning: "Father sent me. What, does Second Brother have a problem with that?"
The last "Second Brother" was rather disgusting.
"You certainly listen to your father." Su Feng walked past her, then pretended to realize something and took two steps back. The handsome young man smiled and said, "None of the four children in the Prince's mansion call him Father. Do you know why?"
Chu Jin's gaze darkened slightly at the question, but she maintained her smile and asked, "Why?"
"Your fourth aunt loves you so much, how could she not tell you?" Su Feng asked in surprise.
Chu Jin remained unfazed and said, "If you don't want to tell me, I can ask my older brother."
Han Bing, who had stopped ahead, turned around and watched the two men's silent confrontation with a cold expression.
“Firstly, because of His Majesty, and secondly, because he thinks such a form of address is more appropriate for superiors and subordinates, rather than for a father and child.” Su Feng’s tone lowered. “If Father hadn’t corrected your form of address, it seems that in his eyes you are just a subordinate, not a child of the Nangong family.”
The word "subordinate" struck Chu Jin's heart without warning, making her heart clench.
Su Feng, who was close to her, keenly noticed the change in her breathing in that instant. He chuckled and pulled away, saying, "You're good at the ways of running wild in the martial arts world, but you lack the discernment to handle things in the capital. You might as well go back to where you came from and focus on what you're good at, so you don't continue to embarrass yourself by staying here."
Su Feng had a smile on his face, but his words were indifferent.
Chu Jin quickly composed herself, realizing that Su Feng was deliberately provoking her, and that what he said might not be entirely true. There was no need to be swayed by his words at this moment.
"Then thank you for the reminder, Second Brother." Chu Jin replied indifferently, "Father also once said that what he liked most about me was that I was different from other children, which is that I can quickly turn things I'm not good at into things I'm good at."
Chu Jin slightly raised her face and gave Su Feng a provocative smile.
Su Feng didn't say anything more and stepped forward to catch up with his older brother who was waiting ahead.
The two walked into Mingxuan Hall. Su Feng looked up at the person walking in front and asked, "Brother, are you and her very close?"
Han Bing did not answer.
Su Feng pressed on, "Don't try to play dumb."
Han Bing said in a low voice, "We've collaborated many times."
Su Feng frowned: "What's going on?"
"I can't tell you," Han Bing said. "If you treat her as a collaborator, you won't have too many troubles."
Su Feng said coldly, "I will never be her partner."
Han Bing then said nothing more.
Chu Jin watched the two walk away from the corridor, her gaze cold. She stood alone for a while, and seeing that the rain was getting heavier, she walked indifferently into the rain back to her own courtyard.
She was still confined to the manor. Her visit to her grandmother today was on Nangong Ming's orders. Her father only said that his grandmother wanted to see her, and that was all.
Chu Jin had originally wanted to ask how long she was going to be locked up, but after listening to Su Feng's words tonight and looking up at the six kingdoms' smoke in the sky, she thought she knew what to do.
She returned to the house, where a long golden snake hung in front of the half-open window, its head poking out and looking at the people inside.
"Clean up everyone still in Taiyi," Chu Jin said. "If you can't bring anything useful back from Taiyi, you don't need to come back either."
The golden serpent hissed, as if in mourning, and withdrew its head to leave.
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