Chapter 588 A New Cauldron Sword! [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but recall the moonlight illusion that occurred when he first used the moonlight sword energy of the Moonlight Sword to activate the four-character blessing of "Return Home" in the Pure Land Palace.
As the dust of history was lifted, the moonlight and sword energy that had lingered in the underground palace for a hundred years strangely outlined the figure of a long-browed monk in a kasaya sitting on a lotus platform.
It recreates the scene of Master Zhongma drawing a circle on the ground as a prison, before his death.
On that very day, Ouyang Rong saw that when Master Zhongma's illusory image was carving words below the lotus seat, there was a dazzling "spot of light" at the tips of the two fingers he raised.
He never expected that this was the [Dingjian] sword.
Because the illusory images outlined by the moonlight sword energy are inherently simplified.
At the time, he thought it was some kind of Buddhist magic.
Or perhaps the mythical sword is too special, and the moonlight sword energy cannot depict it, so it is hidden in the illusion and shadow, replaced by [light spots].
Who would have thought that this "spot of light" was actually the very body of the cauldron sword?
Inside the pitch-black underground palace, Ouyang Rong clutched a crystal-clear luminous pearl as he silently walked in front of the murals.
He tried to demonstrate, placing the tiny luminous pearl between his two fingertips.
Ouyang Rong squinted and recalled for a moment, and it did indeed match. He slowly nodded.
"I see. I was mistaken before."
"After Master Zhongma passed away, it was only about ten years later that the underground palace was opened by Master Shandao's teacher, the then-new abbot of Donglin Temple."
"That is, the miracle of physical Buddhahood that Master Shandao witnessed when he was young. Later, the underground palace was renovated and transformed into the Pure Land Palace we see today. Master Zhongma was also cremated and turned into a pile of relics... It has been several decades since then."
The dark underground palace was quiet. Not far behind Ouyang Rong, Xiuzhen sat on the ground, tightly hugging the Taoshouzhai pastry box, scooping out pastries to eat, smacking her lips from time to time, completely ignoring the brat who kept taking advantage of the temple.
Ouyang Rong held the luminous pearl in his hand, rubbed his face, and continued to mutter in a barely audible voice:
"I thought everyone was smart. Master Zhongma had already lost the Mad Emperor's Cauldron Sword during this process. If it hadn't been taken away by someone with ulterior motives, or hidden by the monks of Donglin Temple, it might have been lost during the renovation of the underground palace. It's impossible that it was left behind for me to pick up decades later."
"But I overlooked one thing: this world is a huge makeshift operation, and the form of this new [Dingjian] is even more outrageous than [Craftsmanship]. In sword-wielding mode, it is... a pure white [spot of light]."
"From this perspective, on the day Master Shandao and his master opened the underground palace, they followed Buddhist rituals and cremated Master Zhongma on the spot. As a result, this luminous pearl was mixed in with the ashes and mistaken for a relic, and was placed in that golden lotus lamp along with the relics of other eminent monks..."
"Ha, later when I first woke up in the underground palace, this golden lotus lantern was broken when I tied a rope to it and threw it out of the well... That makes sense."
After reviewing the logic, I determined that the luminous pearl in my hand was most likely a new cauldron sword.
Ouyang Rong suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
To fully verify this, we need to make it visible!
Without a doubt, Master Zhongma, who had a strong sense of theft, was the first master of this new Ding sword, but unfortunately his life was short.
But it's still better than following the mad emperor. It's pitiful that he spends every year pressing gold thread, making wedding dresses for others, without even getting to touch his little hand.
After losing its master, the [Light Point Cauldron Sword] became dull and lifeless, no different from an ordinary object. It needs to be activated, but how can it be done without a true name?
He licked his dry lips, stopped pacing in front of the mural, turned around, and in a flash, arrived in front of the lotus pedestal in the very center of the underground palace.
The Mo family sword case that he had been carrying was now placed on the lotus stone base.
A beam of silvery moonlight fell from the wellhead overhead, sprinkling onto the lotus-shaped stone base, as if washing away the dust from the zither-shaped box.
Ouyang Rong's expression turned serious, and he opened the sword case ahead of time.
If the luminous pearl is activated and transforms into a "light spot," it needs to be hidden in the Mo family's sword box immediately.
This was Lao Liu's basic courtesy; he didn't want to be so happy for a short while before hearing that nagging voice from some blonde mixed-race woman saying "I've got you!"
In fact, Ouyang Rong still doesn't know how these Yunmeng Yue women managed to pinpoint the [Craftsmanship] that left the Mo Family Sword Box.
Clang—!
Ouyang Rong first drew a moonlight longsword, gazing at the flowing white sword light above. He then picked up a luminous pearl with two fingers and slowly brought it close to the moonlight longsword.
The two are getting closer and closer.
With a soft "ding," the luminous pearl touched the sword blade and was immediately enveloped by the snow-white sword light.
The luminous pearl remained completely still.
It was only through the sword light shining through the bead that a faint, hazy moonlight was emitted, just like under the moonlight.
Like an ordinary luminous pearl.
Ouyang Rong's brow remained unchanged, and he was not discouraged.
He changed his approach, turning his gaze to the "Return Home" stone carving beneath the lotus pedestal.
Ouyang Rong slowly approached the luminous pearl, which emitted a faint, hazy moonlight, with the "Return Home" stone inscription.
The two came into contact.
The luminous pearl remained completely still.
The inscription "Return Home" remains unchanged, utterly silent.
None of them were activated.
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly.
He pondered for a few moments.
He suddenly brought the moonlight sword close to the "Return Home" stone inscription.
In the next instant, the four characters "Return Home" on the stone carvings bloomed with hazy, pure white moonlight sword energy as expected! At the same time, the same moonlight sword energy slowly bloomed on the four walls of the underground palace.
The brand-new mural on the wall was restored later, covering the stone carving of "Returning Home". Now, the moonlight sword energy on the stone carving is about to break out of its cocoon and burst through the mural just like last time.
Taking advantage of the fact that the sword energy on the four walls had not yet destroyed the murals, Ouyang Rong placed the four-character stone carving of "Return Home" that was radiating moonlight and sword energy close to the luminous pearl.
The luminous pearl... remained completely still.
Nothing has changed.
Ouyang Rong frowned and, before the mural was destroyed, quickly put away the Moonlight Sword that was close to the four-character stone carving.
The brilliance of the four characters "归去来兮" carved on the stone has faded.
The strange features on the four walls of the Pure Land Palace slowly disappeared.
The underground palace returned to silence.
"It's not working... The blessing wasn't triggered either..."
Ouyang Rong looked puzzled and tried calling out, "Moon? Bright Moon?"
The luminous pearl remained completely still, and the blessing bell made no sound at all.
Ouyang Rong wanted to prove that this was indeed the Light Point Cauldron Sword, and at the same time see if he could activate it.
However, neither the Moonlight Sword nor the Moonlight Sword Qi on the four characters "Return Home" carved in stone could elicit the slightest reaction from this luminous pearl.
Moreover, the hazy moonlight emitted by the luminous pearl could not even activate the mechanism of the four characters "归去来兮" carved on the stone.
Although it can still be explained by the fact that the cauldron and sword have become dull and ordinary after being covered in dust.
However, this still somewhat shakes Ouyang Rong's recent logical deduction that the luminous pearl is most likely the [Light Spot Sword].
His trip to Longcheng and his return to the Pure Land Palace was to verify this point.
My main goal is to trigger good fortune!
Based on past experience, as long as you find the right opportunity, you can activate or even possess this sword and cauldron with the help of good fortune.
That's how I obtained the [Craftsmanship] master; it cost me 10,000 merit points...
But these hopeful attempts have all just failed.
The blessing bell inside the merit pagoda also remained completely still.
What should we do then?
A moment of silence.
He held up the luminous pearl and placed it before his eyes.
Ouyang Rong looked at it with a stern face:
"I think you're completely impervious to reason."
In the next instant, Ouyang Rong suddenly jumped up and used the momentum to slam the luminous pearl hard to the ground.
"Smack—!"
The sound of the luminous pearl hitting the bluestone floor echoed throughout the underground palace.
"Clatter, clatter—" The luminous pearl bounced a few times and then flew away.
Xiuzhen, who was engrossed in showing off her late-night snack, turned around and stared blankly at a person and a bead in the distance.
Ouyang Rong also turned his head sharply.
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment.
Xiuzhen was the first to break the silence, raising one hand and letting out a sigh:
"Amitabha, benefactor has gone mad... Ew, this pastry is so sweet, hehe, so sweet, delicious, delicious..."
He seamlessly changed his expression, chuckled foolishly, lowered his head, and started popping the pastries into his mouth.
Ouyang Rong remained expressionless as he continued walking, picked up the luminous pearl, and smashed it on the ground.
"Slap—slap—slap—!"
A series of slamming sounds echoed throughout the underground palace.
Xiuzhen buried his head in his food, oblivious to everything, and the mad benefactor did not affect his appetite at all.
Ouyang Rong seemed unsatisfied, so he picked up a stone and started smashing the luminous pearl.
Even after the stones were smashed, the luminous pearl remained crystal clear, smooth as ever, and unharmed.
Ouyang Rong dusted off his hands and said with satisfaction:
"Still saying you're not Dingjian? Keep pretending."
He paused for a moment, then nodded;
"If you keep pretending, we'll bring out the [Craftsmen] and see who can keep their mouth shut the longest."
The luminous pearl lying on the ground: ...?
Ouyang Rong picked up the luminous pearl, which was indeed impervious to oil, salt, sword, and spear, tossed it in his palm, and curled his lip:
"Where in this world is there a luminous pearl, kidney stone, or relic as hard as yours? Indestructible, huh?"
It's no challenge for him at all.
After the simple and direct verification, Ouyang Rong felt much more at ease; at least it was a genuine Ding Sword.
He put away the luminous pearl, swept up the broken stones on the ground, wrapped them in a cloth bag, stuffed them into his clothes, and took them with him.
Before leaving, Ouyang Rong turned and glanced at the dirty, dull-looking monk who was showing off his pastries, worried that he might pick up anything to flaunt if he got hungry.
Ouyang Rong turned around and went to climb the rope in the center of the underground palace, waving his hand.
"Don't pick up anything from the ground and eat it, understand?... I'm leaving now, Master, goodbye."
Xiuzhen, who had been staring blankly, suddenly became agitated: "Don't go up there, benefactor! What's up there is..."
"That's where you go—the deepest hell. If you have the chance, bring the embroiderer back next time, and I'll give you something even sweeter."
"Huh, what's sweeter?" Xiuzhen perked up, forgetting all about trying to persuade others.
"Dog food."
Ouyang Rong looked sincere and liked to tell the truth.
"Dog...food?"
Xiuzhen temporarily put down the pastry box, raised one palm, faced the Jataka mural of "Moonlight King's Benefactor" on the north side, and turned his back to the young benefactor who was climbing the rope and treating people with sincerity. He smiled and shook his head:
“Amitabha, this humble monk will wait for the benefactor to return, but this humble monk will not eat dog food.”
"Then let's have wedding candy."
"good."
...
morning.
In front of a main hall of Donglin Temple on Dagushan Mountain.
Aqing, Master Shandao, Xiufa, and others saw Ouyang Rong off.
Master Shandao learned of this early in the morning and came to see him off.
However, Ouyang Rong seemed somewhat distracted.
The main problem is that although it has been confirmed that the luminous pearl is the cauldron sword, a method to activate it has yet to be found.
I've been touching it for so long, but for some reason, the merit tower hasn't responded, and it hasn't been triggered.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time. He couldn't afford to waste any more time and had to set off today to return to Xunyang City.
"Wait, Your Excellency, please wait."
"What's up?"
Ouyang Rong turned around curiously.
Master Shandao glanced at the beautiful hair, and the bald young novice trotted forward and handed over an object wrapped in yellow cloth.
The old monk hesitated and said, "Didn't you write to me last time asking about Master Zhongma's matter?"
"Yes, I have." Ouyang Rong nodded. Last time, he not only wrote to Huang Xuan to ask, but also sent a letter to Donglin Temple in advance to subtly inquire about it.
"What's wrong, Master? Has something come to mind?"
"It's because I remembered something..."
Master Shandao turned his prayer beads, his expression recalling the past:
"Actually, before my master was cremated that day, everyone found something on his body. We didn't know what it was for, but it had been kept near his memorial tablet. Well, this is it."
Ouyang Rong took the yellow cloth-wrapped item, opened it, and looked inside:
It is a small, square seal, seemingly made of copper, with a metallic sheen.
The words "Red Lotus" are faintly visible at the bottom of the seal... but its purpose is unknown.
However, the seal is old and missing a small corner. It's obviously not as durable as the luminous pearl, so it's probably not the Dingjian sword.
"Found on his body?"
"That's right."
Ouyang Rong accepted it with some doubt, examined it for a while, and then put it into his sleeve.
"Thank you, Venerable Master Dahui. Your Donglin Temple... is indeed a blessed place for me, full of good fortune and hidden talents."
A glint of light flashed in Master Shandao's eyes: "Eh, Your Excellency is praising this humble monk?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Ouyang Rong laughed and said, "Besides, coming back is just like coming home."
"Your Excellency is too kind to our humble temple. It is truly an honor for our temple to have you feel at home. We hope you will visit us often in the future, and we wish you a successful promotion."
"See you at Xunyang Grottoes next time."
"Alright, see you at Xunyang Grottoes. Take care, Your Excellency. We'll celebrate together when the Buddha statue is completed."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong bid farewell to the overwhelmed Master Shandao in front of Donglin Temple.
Aqing continued to follow silently, intending to escort him all the way down the mountain.
On the mountain path, Aqing whispered:
"Brother, you must come back often."
"good."
Aqing handed over a bundle from her arms, saying, "It's the change of seasons, brother, wear this in early spring."
Ouyang Rong accepted the package, opened it, and found two newly made blue scholar's robes inside. His expression immediately turned somewhat embarrassed.
"But I came in a hurry this time, so I don't have any gifts to give you."
Ah Qing said softly, "My brother's good health is the best gift for me, my mother, and my sister-in-law."
Ouyang Rong lowered his head, carefully packed his bundle, and suddenly asked:
"By the way, didn't that blonde oriental woman leave you a white jade pendant to call her back then?"
"Yes, brother, should I throw it away?"
Aqing frowned, her brow bearing the character "Yue".
“Aqing doesn’t want to go with them. She’s doing well now, and her brother is here too.”
"Don't throw it away yet."
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment and then gave his instructions.
"Brother, would you like some?"
What would I need this for? To summon her and beg for a beating?
Ouyang Rong coughed and casually said:
"Put it away safely, just don't break it. The main concern is that she might haunt you again. If she finds the white jade missing, she might think your family is stopping you, which could easily anger her. This woman seems prone to impulsive actions."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, brother."
Half an hour later, at the foot of the mountain.
The quiet girl silently watched Ouyang Rong's elegant waving figure disappear into the distance.
(End of this chapter)
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