Shangguan Family School
Lord Liyang said, “I am also quite familiar with the ancient Mohist mechanical arts. The original name of this lock is ‘Mysterious Water Elephant Lock’, which means ‘locking up the country’s mountains and rivers’ and is as solid as a rock. However, in my opinion, the mechanism hidden inside this lock has been changed by contemporary skilled craftsmen, so I cannot open it with the methods I am familiar with.”
He casually let go and said, "Over the years, I haven't had any particularly important matters that required me to enter the tomb, so I've never seriously studied the method of unlocking it."
Xiao Chang'an finally got a chance to mock, and laughed, "So you brought us here just to stare at this lock? Do you think it will open by itself after three days and three nights?"
Lord Liyang, who was usually impassive, finally fixed a sharp look in his eyes behind his mask and said calmly, "While I am not confident that I can activate it in one go, I am confident that I will at least not cause an underground collapse. I can leave you at the entrance as bait and test it repeatedly to see how many mechanisms it has. I will succeed in no more than three attempts."
After he finished speaking, Xiao Chang'an was furious, but he couldn't find any words to refute him. This was because he knew that what Lord Liyang said was not a false threat.
The other party's cultivation has reached a transcendent level, which can only be described as unfathomable. If one were to completely control him, directly testing the mechanism with his life, it would be something that could be done easily.
Lord Liyang had never shown any emotional fluctuations before, ignoring all of Xiao Chang'an's provocations. But now that Xiao Chang'an had repeatedly provoked and attacked, he finally became angry, and the oppressive and intimidating atmosphere in the air reached its peak.
A clear, cold voice rang out, "I'll give it a try." It was Shangguan Yuqi, who had been silent until now.
Shangguan Yuqi passed right through the two people facing off, her path precisely between them. A gentle flow of sword energy rippled through the air, instantly breaking the tense, stagnant atmosphere.
Xiao Chang'an immediately said, "This is not something to be tried casually. Miss has seen what happened just now. If we don't do it right, we will all perish here."
Shangguan Yuqi said in a deep voice, "I know what I'm doing."
But despite her words, A Qiu and Xiao Chang'an were far from reassured. Shangguan Yuqi was a lady from a prestigious family, unlike Xiao Chang'an, who was dissolute and wandered the world. Xiao Chang'an had at least tried his hand at tomb raiding, and A Qiu had broken into houses and committed murders in the dead of night. But judging from Shangguan Yuqi's situation, she had never done anything like lock picking or tomb raiding. It seemed the Shangguan family would never need her to do such a thing.
The two people, with four eyes, kept a close eye on the movements of her hands.
Shangguan Yuqi stared intently at the stone disc for a moment before closing her eyes, extending a slender hand to weigh and grasp it, sensing the mysteries within.
Lord Liyang seemed relaxed and unconcerned, allowing Shangguan Yuqi to silently examine him without any obstruction.
Seeing Shangguan Yuqi concentrating on sensing, Xiao Chang'an couldn't help but remind Lord Liyang, "Hey, aren't you worried? I don't think Miss Shangguan has any experience in unlocking doors or entering houses."
Lord Liyang said calmly, "Don't you know that the lineage of martial arts in the Shangguan family school is passed down through the line of tomb guardians in their family?"
A Qiu suddenly realized that Shangguan Yuqi had vaguely remembered telling her that the Shangguan family was a family of upright and scholarly officials for a hundred years. The men in the family were good at philosophical discussions and had a refined and elegant style. If they entered officialdom, they would all become important ministers in the government, and many virtuous ministers and famous ministers emerged from the family. However, there was another secret martial arts lineage in the family, known as the "Tomb Keepers".
The heir to the tomb keeper is forbidden from ever leaving the forbidden area, nor can he hold an official position. He must practice the Shangguan family's martial arts, ensuring its transmission through generations. The only two exceptions in this lineage are Shangguan Jin, the thirteenth great-uncle of Shangguan Yuqi, the former Grand Secretary of the Huan Dynasty, and Shangguan Yuqi himself.
The reason these two men were exceptional was because, despite both being tomb keepers, they entered officialdom one after the other. Shangguan Jin's entry into officialdom was due to the fact that at the time, the Former Huan dynasty lacked a pillar of support, and the Five Barbarian tribes were gathering a large army, soon to cross the Yangtze River to the south. Therefore, Emperor Dezong, the father of the last emperor and then the retired emperor, specially issued an edict, ordering him to break the Shangguan family's agreement that "civil officials should not hold military power," and summoned Shangguan Jin from the tomb to take command of the three armies, making him a famous prime minister who went down in history. It can be said that this was due to the national situation at the time.
Shangguan Yuqi, having mastered swordsmanship at the age of sixteen, was summoned from the forbidden tomb by two imperial edicts from Xie Lang to lead the Flying Phoenix Guard at Jianzhang Palace. There were even plans to make her the Crown Prince's concubine and the future Empress of Dayan. This was all thanks to the influence of her aunt, Shangguan Yanxiu.
According to the Liyang Divine Lord, the tomb keepers of the Shangguan family must not only practice swordsmanship and martial arts in the cemetery, but also be well-versed in the ingenuity of ancient mechanisms and civil engineering. After all, tombs themselves are the culmination of architecture, feng shui, and mechanisms, and if a person grows up in a cemetery, they will inevitably be immersed in it to some extent.
When A Qiu thought of Shangguan Yuqi, the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, who was dressed in white like snow and as graceful as an immortal, and realized that she had grown up in a gloomy cemetery, he couldn't help but be secretly shocked by her radiant detachment, tranquility, and indifference. It was hard to imagine that a place like a cemetery could produce such a celestial flower as Shangguan Yuqi.
Upon hearing Liyang Shenjun's words, Xiao Chang'an couldn't help but look at Shangguan Yuqi, who was deep in thought, with new respect, but he simply said, "The Southern Dynasty is indeed full of talented people."
Shangguan Yuqi opened her eyes and said with certainty, "The original of this lock is the 'Mysterious Water Symbol Lock' made by Lu Ban, but it has been slightly modified by later generations to form the 'Eight Directions of Stars' pattern. It requires special techniques combined with internal energy to unlock the mechanisms layer by layer in order to open it all at once."
At this moment, A Qiu was completely in awe of Shangguan Yuqi and immediately asked, "Are you confident that you can open it intact?"
Shangguan Yuqi gazed at the sand flowing rustling through the stone slab, its flow following the cycle of yin and yang throughout the four seasons. For some reason, a sense of loneliness and desolation crept into her eyes.
She paused briefly before replying, "Yes."
Just as A Qiu was wondering why Shangguan Yuqi could agree so readily when even the well-informed Lord Liyang said he would need to try at least three times to open it, Shangguan Yuqi had already given the answer.
"The person who modified and designed this lock was my thirteenth uncle."
A-Qiu was first surprised, then suddenly realized.
The lock on the gate to the "Lingwei" secret realm beneath Wuyang Mausoleum symbolizes the eternal stability of the empire and the sealing of its feng shui for the continued prosperity of the Great Huan Dynasty. Therefore, its designer was no ordinary person. Shangguan Jin, as a powerful and influential minister who held absolute power at the time, and also a former tomb keeper, was indeed the most suitable person to design this lock for the reigning emperor.
Shangguan Yuqi said softly, "Once this lock is closed, it is impossible for outsiders to open it, because it requires the unique Yang energy of our Shangguan family to activate the central core." Her voice was low and somber. "Therefore, only a descendant of the Shangguan family can open this door."
Xiao Chang'an suddenly said, "I've heard that the Shangguan family's martial arts are divided into two lineages, Yin and Yang. The Yin lineage is the female sword 'Seven Stars,' passed down only to women; the Yang lineage is the male sword 'Ice Bamboo,' passed down only to men. Each generation of tomb guardians practices only one technique, while the other is passed down orally through secret manuals to future generations. This alternation of Yin and Yang ensures the lineage's continued existence. However, what makes the eldest young lady famous is the male sword 'Ice Bamboo,' wielded by her great-uncle Shangguan Jin. Is there any reason for this?"
His question inquired about the secrets of the Shangguan family's martial arts. Shangguan Yuqi could have refused to answer, but at this moment, no one could blame him for asking.
This is because Shangguan Yuqi just said that opening this lock requires "Yang energy" from the Shangguan family's martial arts. Shangguan Jin, who designed this lock, is a man who practices the Gentleman's Sword "Ice Bamboo," which also cultivates Yang energy. He would only design according to his own internal strength and would never design a lock that requires Yin energy to open.
However, Shangguan Yuqi, the tomb keeper of this generation, is a woman and should be cultivating the Seven Stars Female Sword. But everyone knows that the sword Shangguan Yuqi wields is the "Ice Bamboo" sword inherited from her great-uncle. Therefore, Xiao Chang'an has this question: is Shangguan Yuqi's internal energy cultivation method Yang or Yin?
But A-Qiu, who was present, already knew the answer to this question.
When she rescued Shangguan Yuqi from the Yeting Prison, she used her internal energy to force out the sleeping drug from her. At that time, she discovered that Shangguan Yuqi's internal energy was actually a fusion of Yin and Yang, which waxed and waned and regenerated in a cyclical manner. This was a strange state that had never been heard of in the history of martial arts.
But of course she wouldn't reveal Shangguan Yuqi's secret internal strength.
Shangguan Yuqi replied flawlessly, "Since I said I could open the lock left by my thirteenth uncle, it means that my internal strength is on the same level as his. You don't need to ask about the rest, and I won't answer you."
Xiao Chang'an, however, was oblivious to the situation and went a step further, laughing, "Speaking of which, I have another question. Everyone knows that Miss Shangguan inherited your great-uncle's 'Gentleman's Sword,' but when your great-uncle passed away, Miss was probably only six or seven years old. Perhaps she didn't have time to learn swordsmanship then? I wonder who taught Miss the Gentleman's Sword?"
Shangguan Yuqi, who was always well-mannered and had a calm and composed mind, raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "The Shangguan family has a long tradition of martial arts, so there is no need for Young Master Xiao to inquire about it."
Xiao Chang'an, however, was not giving up and continued to press, "It is said that the Shangguan family only has one tomb keeper per generation. The generation before that was your uncle, the former Grand Secretary, and the current one is you, Miss. I am very curious, who was the one in the middle? According to the rule of yin and yang, the former Grand Secretary was a man, so the next tomb keeper should be a woman, and you, Miss, should be a man. But you are a woman, and you use ice bamboo. That's why I am curious and asked this question. Is there something wrong with the Shangguan family's succession?"
Ah Qiu then realized that the question he really wanted to ask was the last one.
Throughout history, maintaining the lineage of prominent families has been the most difficult task. This is because not every generation produces outstanding individuals with the corresponding talents. Even in a century-old family like the Shangguan family, with its numerous members, those who possess the qualifications to be tomb keepers in each generation, yet are willing to spend their entire lives secluded in the tomb, abandoning all worldly fame, fortune, and romantic relationships, are extremely rare.
However, if there is a break in the lineage within two or three generations, the family will decline. The Shangguan family is not likely to decline in status, because among its members who have entered the world, there have been many famous ministers and virtuous empresses, and there is no shortage of talented people. But the inheritance of martial arts, which requires both talent and temperament, is extremely difficult to ensure that there are successors in every generation.
Xiao Chang'an himself came from the prestigious Xiao clan of the Northern Dynasty, which is why he paid special attention to this point and asked this question.
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