Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the Governor’s Residence, light purple peach blossoms were in full bloom.
A light breeze blew Jiang Caijin’s clothes. He pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, “This matter must not be leaked in the slightest.”
“Yes.” Jiang Yuping nodded respectfully.
He was very clear about what the governor meant. This was because he knew once the matter was leaked, Master Yu would become famous in the Big Ruins and would no longer be controlled by the ancient city.
50 years of life might not be considered much outside the Big Ruins but inside, this level of medicinal pill was considered a top-grade item.
“Let’s go and see him,” Jiang Caijin said with a faint smile.
“Yes, Governor.” Jiang Yuping’s expression was respectful as he followed behind him.
The main hall was filled with a vintage vibe and was decorated appropriately. It was gorgeous but not charming, elegant but not ordinary.
3 cups of Thousand Leaves Tea. The fragrance of the tea spread in all directions.
Jiang Caijin smiled faintly and said, “Come, Master Yu, try this Thousand Leaves Tea. It’s not a product of the Big Ruins, but it’s even more precious than gold. Normally, I wouldn’t be willing to drink it. Only when a distinguished guest arrives would I be willing to take it out. In the Big Ruins, I’d only serve this tea to less than 5 people.”
Ou Yangming hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand and did a fist salutation as he expressed with a smile, “Thank you, Governor Jiang, for your favor. I’m flattered.”
“Ah, Master Yu, you’re being too polite. If it weren’t for you, My Dantian Lake couldn’t have been filled with vitality.” He waved his hand and even pretended to glare.
“Dantian Lake?” Ou Yangming’s interest was greatly piqued, and he turned his head to ask.
“Yes, after a cultivator overcomes the Heavenly Disaster, one can break through to become a Venerable One, and one’s dantian will be transformed into a lake. Perhaps it’s because of the different naming but in the Big Ruins, cultivators call it Dantian Lake.” Jiang Caijin had a smile on his face, but his words carried an inexplicable meaning. It was the same when he talked about the Thousand Leaves Tea earlier, and it was the same now.
Ou Yangming knew even if he imitated the Qi momentum of the local of the Big Ruins, he would not be able to hide it from a formidable Venerable One.
Even if the Venerable One’s Qi momentum was blocked, and his life force was indistinct, he was still a supreme being.
Of course, this was also because Ou Yangming had come to the Big Ruins for a short period. If a few months passed, he was confident that even those who were most familiar with him would not be able to tell the truth. After all, it was the Heavenly Phoenix Fire, which was so powerful and unreasonable.
After some time, Ou Yangming decided not to hide anything. He smiled and glanced at Jiang Yuping, his eyes shining with a sharp light.
Jiang Caijin was an old fox, so he naturally understood Ou Yangming’s meaning. He said softly, “Master Yu, if you have anything to say, just say it. Yuping has been with me for hundreds of years, so he’s trustworthy.”
Ou Yangming did not hesitate at all. His expression was solemn as he asked in a deep voice, “Governor Jiang, I want to know, what’s the matter with the Bloodline Power in the Big Ruins?”
In actuality, Ou Yangming had carefully considered the question before he raised it. Firstly, the question was not difficult, but it was very difficult to explain the matter in a simple manner. Secondly, he could use this to find out how powerful the forces behind Jiang Caijin were. Only then could he have a clear understanding of the situation. As such, he would have a deeper and better grasp of his next few questions.
Jiang Caijin looked like he had expected this.
He organized his thoughts and sighed softly. “No one knows where the Big Ruins came from. It seems like it fell from the heavenly palace overnight. According to the ancient scrolls in my clan, the Big Ruins was originally a dead land, which was barren and lifeless. A blood river flowed through the place and hid a mysterious power that was incredibly powerful. Later on, after thousands of years of trying, 10,000 clans absorbed the power from the blood and turned it into 2 branches, which are the Dragons and the Phoenixes. They were then specifically divided into 3 Dragons and 3 Phoenixes. Taking the Black Dragon Clan as an example, a thread of the bloodline represents light, 2 threads of the bloodline represent flat, 3 threads of the bloodline represent mystery, 4 threads of the bloodline represent life, and 5 threads represent atavism.”
Ou Yangming nodded and thought to himself, Lil’ Man originally had the Atavistic Bloodline but after his blood essence was extracted, he should have 4 threads of bloodline now.’
Jiang Caijin took a sip of tea and continued, “Of course, the Atavistic Bloodline is very rare.” As he said this, he seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes dimmed.
Nonetheless, as he had said before, he had indeed told Ou Yangming whatever he knew.
Ou Yangming organized his thoughts for a moment and asked again, “Governor Jiang, have you heard of Mount Return Sword?”
Jiang Caijin moved his wrist and the memories in his mind flipped like pages of a book. He searched carefully and after an hour, he shook his head and answered, “Forgive me for my lack of knowledge, but I’ve never heard of it. I’ve read 3,000 scriptures of Dao, but I’ve never seen those words. The Big Ruins is boundless and only 30% of the place is known. The rest of the place is filled with black mists such that even the grey sunlight can’t penetrate them. Even Venerable Ones don’t dare to approach those places easily. Mount Return Sword—if there really is such a place, I’m afraid…” He did not finish his sentence, but Ou Yangming understood what he meant.
“What about the Dragon God Temple?” Ou Yangming did not give up and asked in a deep voice.
Jiang Caijin still shook his head and gently took a sip of his tea.
Ou Yangming’s mind was in a mess. He gently rubbed the space between his eyebrows and asked again, “Among the known areas, are there danger zones?”
This time, Jiang Caijin did not think. He opened his mouth and exhaled, then he uttered 3 places in a row, “The Barren Desert, the Extreme Smoke Pond, and the Extreme Death Sea.”
“What are the strange phenomena in those places?” Ou Yangming rose his voice a little, and his fingers rubbed his teacup.
Jiang Caijin did not keep him in suspense. He answered directly, “The Barren Desert is located outside Wangqian. It’s always burning with flames and the deeper you go, the higher the temperature. Only cultivators with the bloodline of the Dragons or the Phoenixes can go deeper. That said, how far you can go depends on the purity of your bloodline. Even if you have the Atavism Bloodline, you can’t go to the core. No one knows what secrets are hidden there. The Extreme Smoke pond has a wisp of cold smoke that kills without form. It isn’t huge but countless people got lost and turned into dried corpses. Even so, they didn’t collapse when they died, and they have the instinct to fight. As for the Extreme Death Sea, the water is black and red. The resentment on the sea is monstrous and hasn’t dissipated for 10,00 years. Particularly for the Extreme Death Sea, even a top-grade Venerable One wouldn’t dare to say that he or she could escape unscathed.” The elder’s voice was hoarse. When he spoke of the Extreme Death Sea, his voice even trembled slightly.
“Thank you for informing me, Governor Jiang.” Ou Yangming cupped his hands and bowed.
“It’s alright, they aren’t unspeakable secrets anyway. Once you reach a certain level, you’ll eventually know. Nevertheless, I only managed to answer one of the questions that you asked earlier, Master Yu. It’s truly embarrassing.”Jiang Caijin waved his sleeves, and the wrinkles on his face were all wrinkled together.
Although Ou Yangming was a little disappointed, he saluted the elder and said, “Governor Jiang, you’re too kind. It’s already late, so I won’t disturb you anymore.”
Jiang Caijin nodded lightly and said in a deep voice, “Yuping, send Master Yu off.”
“Yes!” Jiang Yuping’s expression looked respectful.
He ordered a palanquin to send Ou Yangming back to the Longevity Alley.
After returning, he took the initiative to go to Jiang Caijin’s study and knocked on the door.
“Come in.” Jiang Caijin’s voice was flat. One could not tell whether he was happy or angry.
He glanced at the painting of the fairies of the nine heavens hanging on the wall. In the picture, more than half of it was fog, and the mountains were faintly discernible. In the middle of the painting, a woman wearing a long dress had an ethereal figure. Her face was fair, her collarbone was perfect, and her eyes were lively as if they could speak. The ethereal figure was at the top of the mountains, giving people a feeling that she was difficult to approach.
There was an inkstone placed at the bottom of the painting, and the ink was very delicate.
After Jiang Yuping entered the study, he said softly, “Governor, I’ve sent him off.”
Jiang Caijin took out a high-quality writing brush made of brownish rabbit hair, dabbed some ink on it, and wrote the words “Mount Return Peak” on a fine piece of paper.
He placed the brush on the inkstone and asked in a low voice, “What do you think of Yu Tianrui?”
“He’s a wise man that looks slow-witted, and his mind is like a demon.” The contradictory words were used together by him.
Despite that, Jiang Caijin did not refute and nodded slightly. “Yes, at his age, not only is his alchemy skills superb, but he’s also a caster. Even his shrewdness isn’t much inferior to ours Someone like his is destined to be born for chaotic times. Now, the great storm is about to arrive, and the few great aristocratic families are looking for ways to save themselves.”
Jiang Yuping pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice, “When will the great disaster arrive?”
Jiang Caijin’s face revealed a dazed look as he shook his head. “I don’t know but every great disaster requires the death of many, many people. Nobody knows how the disaster was formed.” It was a heavy topic, thus even his voice became heavy.
The study instantly fell as silent as death.
It was worth noting that the candlelights in the Big Ruins were not dim yellow but faint grey.
After a moment of silence, a light flashed in Jiang Caijin’s eyes as he said in a low voice, “Use the power of our clan to investigate the names of Mount Return Sword and the Dragon God Temple.”
Jiang Yuping did not hesitate at all. He cupped his hands, bowed, and left.
Jiang Caijin looked at the dark sky, and his thoughts flew to an unknown place.
By the time Ou Yangming returned to Longevity Alley, it was already evening. The sun shone down, but it was not warm at all. Instead, it carried a penetrating chill.
The pill workshop was still crowded with people, who were cultivators who came to buy medicinal pills. It was orderly and harmonious. The news of Master Yu being invited by the governor in a palanquin had long spread in the city. Oh my god, a Venerable One! Even the alchemists who had wanted to suppress the pill workshop had hurriedly stopped. Offending a Venerable One? Did they not want to live anymore?
Jiang Qingcheng was bustling around in the shop. She was still a little girl, but her figure already appeared to be slender.
She had a great complexion, her skin was as fair as snow, and her black hair was fluttering behind her back. When she smiled, she looked stunning indeed.
When she saw Ou Yangming, she took 2 steps forward and ran up to him. Her face revealed cute dimples, and she said with a smile, “Uncle Yu!”
Ou Yangming’s face darkened as if a cloud of black fog could be seen above his head.
When Jiang Qingcheng saw this, she smiled even more proudly and called him “Uncle Yu” twice.
“Bad girl!” Ou Yangming cursed and pretended to hit her.
Jiang Qingcheng’s eyes suddenly became watery, and she said pitifully, “I helped you look after the shop for the whole day…”
Ou Yangming smiled embarrassedly and withdrew his hand. He rolled his eyes and smacked a poisonous insect. He laughed and responded, “What did you think I was doing? I was just afraid that it’ll bite you.”
Jiang Qingcheng tilted her head. Her eyes looked crafty as took 2 steps back and exhaled. “Uncle Yu, I’m going home.”
Right after that, she ran away with a charming smile. Her smile was bright and carefree.
