Chapter 970 Return to Sword Swamp
In the dimly lit tomb passage.
The two returned the way they came.
Miao Si was speechless for a moment after hearing Ouyang Rong's words.
A look of realization dawned on her eyes:
"Hmm, that makes sense. Xiao Xuan might be able to break it, and she also knows the lightning magic of Longhu Mountain, which is one of the top lightning magic techniques in the world. If there really is a ghost inside that black gate, Xiao Xuan can send down a bolt of lightning to kill it..."
Ouyang Rong, standing ahead, seemed to be talking to himself:
"Hmm, but we need to think about how to explain this place to her first."
Upon hearing this, Miao Si waved her little hand dismissively and said:
"You don't need to explain anything to Xiaoxuan. What's there to explain to her? Think about it, does Xiaoxuan seem like the kind of person who would ask you questions? She just does whatever you tell her to do. You brought her here, and she didn't ask about anything she saw along the way. You just need to tell her what to do. Humph, Xiaoxuan trusts you the most, her beloved brother."
"Also, do you really think that a prefectural governor can order around the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan at will? Or that she can help with simple tasks like traveling between the two places and escorting messengers? Who do you think you are? On Maoshan and Longhu Mountain, even the senior uncles and senior masters probably wouldn't dare to order Xiaoxuan around like this. You're just ungrateful for your good fortune, and you're still being pretentious."
These "truths" made Ouyang Rong frown.
Soon, they reached the end of the tomb passage, passed through the tomb opening, and returned to the top of the tomb.
Looking up, the distant horizon was already faintly bright, and the light of day was gradually taking over a corner of the sky.
It was already early morning.
When we entered the tomb last night, it was still midnight. This trip took three or four hours.
Ouyang Rong looked up at the sky and exhaled a breath of stale air.
Although they didn't bring anything out of the tomb, they at least explored the area behind the blood bronze door, examined a strange tomb painting, and roughly explored a peculiar dark chamber.
Ouyang Rong snapped out of his daze, took out a shovel, and tossed it to Miao Si.
"Stop slacking off, help out and fill the grave with soil first, so the coffin won't be exposed to the sun in the wilderness."
Miao Si reluctantly took the shovel, glancing at him as he diligently shoveled the dirt, and muttered a complaint under her breath:
"If you had any conscience, you wouldn't be digging up graves and stealing tombs."
Before Ouyang Rong could even frown and look up, Miao Si darted forward to help shovel the soil.
A short while later, Lu Changgeng's grave was reburied. Ouyang Rong lit three sticks of incense that had been prepared in advance, and with a sudden thought in mind, he quickly left.
Only the white sturgeon remained, hiding in place, guarding the grave...
When Ouyang Rong returned to Taoyuan Town in disguise, it was already noon.
The streets were bustling with traffic, and the lively sounds of vendors hawking their wares rose and fell.
Ouyang Rong put on the guise of "the fierce man Zhao Rushi," sneaked into the inn, and arrived at a familiar private room upstairs. He knocked on the door according to the agreed-upon code.
"Young Master Ouyang!"
Fang Shengnan opened the door. She seemed to be dozing off at the table, her eyes still a little drowsy. But when she saw Ouyang Rong, she blurted out a greeting and immediately perked up.
"Um."
Ouyang Rong responded, slipped inside, glanced around the empty private room, and asked:
"Where are Xiaoxuan and the others? Why are you all alone?"
Fang Shengnan scratched her head and said:
“Young Master Ouyang, not long after you left, Little Fairy and my elder sister left. They took the beautiful hair and returned to Jiangzhou to deliver your message. My elder sister asked me to stay here and guard the place, just in case.”
After speaking, she looked at Ouyang Rong in front of her with some curiosity:
"Why has the young master returned again? Is there something you forgot to tell him? What should we do? Should I go after them or send a letter back? I don't know if it's safe."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong immediately shook his head:
"No need. It is a small matter, but since they have been away all night, let's just leave it at that and talk about it next month."
Fang Shengnan asked curiously, "Is it a small matter... um, here you take this."
As if remembering something, she suddenly returned to the bedside, pulled a piece of paper from under the pillow, and handed it to Ouyang Rong.
"What's this?"
Ouyang Rong looked at it strangely, then took the item she handed him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it looked like a talisman with some patterns drawn on it.
Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was covered in vermilion runes, and I could faintly smell the fragrance of jasmine.
It's Xiaoxuan.
"This was left behind by the little fairy before she left. She told me to keep it safe and to give it to you if I saw you beforehand. She said that this talisman is a kind of communication technique of the Three Pure Ones and Three Mountains. As long as you light the talisman, she can sense it from afar and will return immediately."
After a pause, Fang Shengnan instructed:
“The little fairy said that if there is an emergency, you can use this talisman to call her. Because you left too early yesterday, she was careless and forgot to give it to you. She asked me to pass it on to you, saying that if you don’t come back in the next month, let me keep it first. The same applies if I encounter a crisis.”
Ouyang Rong pursed her lips and looked down at the delicate handwriting on the talisman.
If this talisman were burned now, Xiaoxuan would definitely drop everything and rush back immediately.
He sensed Xiaoxuan's feelings for him.
However, Ouyang Rong glanced out the window and estimated the time.
Xiao Xuan and Fang Juxiu have been gone for a day and a night, which is about fourteen hours.
If we return now, it will take seven or eight hours, almost until tomorrow morning, even if we rush. We definitely won't make it tonight to explore the tomb.
The agreed meeting time between Ouyang Rong and Madam Chen to return to Jianze is tomorrow morning.
The hidden chamber in Lu Changgeng's tomb certainly cannot be explored so easily; to be on the safe side, it will require ample time.
Almost the instant he received the communication rune, he slipped it into his sleeve and left a message:
"Alright, I'll keep it for now. However, we don't need Xiaoxuan to come back yet. Let her accompany Miss Fang to deliver the message. The roads haven't been safe lately. Miss Fang, guard this place well. Around this time next month, in a few days, I'll go down the mountain again. Xiaoxuan and Miss Fang should be back by then. We can talk about anything else then."
"Okay." Fang Shengnan patted her forehead, then hurriedly ran to the inner room, rummaged through the room, and brought out a small bundle. "Oh right, there's this too. I almost forgot. It was also left by the little fairy. She said that if the young master comes back halfway, he should hand it over together."
"This is……"
Ouyang Rong took the bundle from Fang Shengnan, picked it up with his fingers, and weighed it in his hand; it was rather heavy.
Fang Shengnan also looked at it curiously: "I don't know what it is either, I've never opened it."
Ouyang Rong reached out and touched it; it felt somewhat hard, square-shaped, and somewhat familiar…
The next moment, he chuckled.
It is an ink stick.
Xiao Xuan wasn't given to him, but to some lazy, good-for-nothing little ink spirit.
That saves me the trouble of buying ink sticks... Ouyang Rong nodded.
"It's okay, I understand."
Ouyang Rong calmly put away the small bundle full of inksticks.
After a short while, the two discussed the method and code for their next meeting, and Ouyang Rong left alone.
He walked out of the Red Dust Inn, blended into the crowd, and his figure disappeared into the distance.
Halfway there, he sneaked into a dark alley and switched back into the fake body of "Liu Aliang".
"What did Xiaoxuan leave behind?"
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to leave the alley, Miao Si poked her little head out from her sleeve, looked up, and asked with a sharp look on her face.
"Runes".
Miao Si's little face was stern: "This fairy is asking about that fragrant bundle."
"Oh, you mean this?" Ouyang Rong nodded calmly, then took out a small bundle without batting an eye and handed it to him: "I haven't looked at it much, I was just about to open it, you open it, I need to hurry on my way."
Miao Si couldn't help but swear: "You're talking nonsense! If it weren't for my good nose that I smelled it, you'd probably be trying to sneak it in, trying to get something for nothing, and then using it to string me along. I know you're all that! It was clearly Xiao Xuan who gave me these snacks..."
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and said, "It's also possible that it was given to me. I help her correct scriptures, and I need ink quite a bit. Xiao Xuan is too sensible."
Miao Si's eyes widened; she had never seen such a shameless lackey: "You're shameless! The most shameless of all, bar none!"
Ouyang Rong reached out and pressed her head back down, saying gently:
"Alright, shut up. Remember to eat slowly, don't gulp it down like a starving ghost. After you finish eating this, you'll be starving for a month when you get back to Jianze."
Miao Si was a little sulky. Holding the inkstone, she waved her little fist at him: "Xiao Rongzi, you really need to learn from Xiao Xuan in some ways. She never ignores or makes those around her suffer, and she does the same to your beloved brother."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Given my current status, it's not convenient for me to help you buy ink sticks from the Chen family's ink shop. It would easily arouse suspicion from Aunt Chen and the others. It's not that I'm unwilling to buy them for you."
"Hmph, you better be like that."
Having finally appeased the little imp, Ouyang Rong turned and left the alley.
About half an hour later, a dull figure appeared outside the door of Chen's ink shop. He mingled with the customers and went inside...
Another incense stick's time passed.
In the VIP room on the second floor, Ouyang Rong, who was drinking tea and waiting, saw Madam Chen walking out of a hidden door.
"Why are you here again? It's not time yet. What do you want to ask of the young lady?"
Upon seeing the taciturn young man, Madam Chen frowned and asked with a sigh.
Ouyang Rong took a sip of hot tea and said without looking up:
"Couldn't it be that you finished your work and came back early?"
Madam Chen was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with joy.
"Good, good, good. You're still a decent kid, you didn't dawdle and didn't let Miss down."
Ouyang Rong drank his tea with a blank expression.
Before long, a curtained carriage slowly drove away from the back door of the Chen family's ink room, heading to the ferry and leaving Taoyuan Town by boat.
As evening fell, Madam Chen led Ouyang Rong back to the safe island.
All afternoon, Madam Chen found Ouyang Rong quite agreeable; after all, returning early would reduce many risks.
Back on the island, Madam Chen was summoned by Lantang Yue Nu for her routine questioning, while Ouyang Rong remained calmly at the resting place.
Tomorrow is the day everyone returns to Jianze. It has been three days since they came down the mountain. The goods needed for purchasing houses have all been delivered by the secret messengers of the nine clans in the town. The Lantang Yue women who went out on missions have also begun to return one after another.
Nothing happened that night, and Ouyang Rong spent the night quietly on the island. At noon the next day, Lantang Yue Nu led everyone to set off and evacuate the island.
The fleet slowly sailed into the white mist that blotted out the sun above the great marsh, and the familiar antidote lotus seeds were handed to Ouyang Rong.
He glanced at the thick white fog obscuring his view, wondering how those Lantang Yue women had found their way back to Jianze.
Anyway, Ouyang Rong had made several trips back and forth, trying his best to memorize the route multiple times, using every method he could think of. Even though he was never bad at directions, he was still a little confused about the route.
The only way to escape the poisonous miasma of the foggy sea is to rely on the remote sensing of the white sturgeon in Zhuodao.
I wonder if these Lantang Yue women leading the group also use the same method, similar to him, with anchor points at the top and bottom of the mountain to guide them.
With this thought in mind, Ouyang Rong, who was standing on the bow deck of the large ship that was purchasing houses, turned his head and glanced at the figure of the Orchid Yue woman appearing on the main ship next door.
Suddenly, he remembered Huang Xuan's mention of seeking the precious elixir at the Queen's Palace.
Logically, Yunmeng Sword Marsh should be completely silent and keep a low profile right now, and no one should leave the Yunmeng Marsh area. But these Lantang Yue women are frequently coming down the mountain...
I wonder if they're busy searching for the Transcendent Golden Elixir.
If this is true, it confirms Ouyang Rong's previous judgment that this pill is extremely important to Jian Ze.
Or rather, it was extremely important to a certain Yue woman who was very important to Jianze.
As for who it is... well, let's rule out Chen Jiaxin first... Ouyang Rong nodded silently.
Because Chen Jiaxin is the "second oldest" among the younger generation of Yue women, and she always gives him attitude in private, it's clear she's not his favorite.
As for whether Aqing is the number one Yue woman of the younger generation, it is not yet certain.
The main reason is A Qing's talent; she doesn't need the Transcendent Golden Pill to assist her. Taking this pill wouldn't have much effect on her.
Zuo Si thought again, and it didn't seem like it was for the younger generation of Yue women. Could it be... it was for the previous generation? That is, one of the current queens in the Queen's Palace?
Ouyang Rong touched the bamboo tube at his waist, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
If that's the case, the Transcendent Golden Pill he hid in the Peach Blossom Spring painting might actually be of great use.
However, it's best to find out who exactly needs the Transcendent Golden Elixir before taking the appropriate Western medicine.
The figures of A Qing and Chen Jiaxin flashed before Ouyang Rong's eyes.
With the channels he currently has access to within the Sword Swamp, he can inquire from them. As a young direct disciple of the Queen's Palace, she has access to far more secrets about the Sword Swamp's higher-ups than he, a mere cook.
Especially Chen Jiaxin, because A Qing was low-key and focused on cultivation, if it weren't for his prior instructions, she probably wouldn't have been aware of her master Zhi Shuang's movements at all...
Nothing unexpected happened on the way back to Jianze.
The fleet passed through the misty, poisonous miasma at dusk, before the sun set. The outermost edge of the Sword Marsh was the two initial islands where Ouyang Rong and his companions had stayed. By the time the fleet arrived at Qingliang Valley, it was already late at night.
Ouyang Rong disembarked at the ferry crossing on the west side of Qingliang Valley Island. With Chen Da Niangzi's help, he did not need to go with the team to the warehouse to unload the goods.
As soon as Ouyang Rong disembarked and stood on the shore, he heard Madam Chen's admonition from behind:
"Liu Aliang, go to the dining hall for your shift as usual tomorrow night, don't forget."
"Okay, sure."
(End of this chapter)
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