Chapter 285: Childhood Land, Eastern Emperor Fragments

Kaka————

Sparks flew everywhere as the grilled fish was pierced on wooden sticks and placed next to the fire, sizzling with oil.

Zhao Wumian held the grilled fish in one hand and stuffed it into his mouth silently. With the other hand, he opened the booklet, looked at the words on it, chewed the fish meat, and then looked at the small valley with a dazed look.

“Is this where Jiu’er lived when she was a child? Since she wrote it down specifically for me, she must have never told me these things before.”

Xiao Yuanmu took a small bite of another grilled fish. It had no seasoning and tasted dry, but she shouldn’t care about that at this time. She said calmly:
“I don’t know. You rarely mentioned anything about you and her to me… In fact, not long after the Jingnan Campaign, you were the only one who came back every year… I guess she went back to Qingcheng Mountain alone at that time, and she was sure that you would come here to find her, so she left these things behind.”

Zhao Wumian blinked and closed the book, “You haven’t seen her body?”

Xiao Yuanmu nodded slightly.

“She’s still alive?”

“How should I know? I’ve never heard of her in all these years.” Xiao Yuanmu used a wooden stick to stir the fire, feeling a little annoyed.

One is the Rong people, and the other is the royal family of the Li Kingdom…If it weren’t for them, Xiao Lingyun and the Crown Princess wouldn’t have ended up in this situation today…Back in Jiangnan, the Crown Princess was depressed and died of illness in Lin’an because she couldn’t get any news from Xiao Lingyun and Jiu’er day and night, and thought that they had already met with accidents.

Xiao Yuanmu thought to herself that if she had been there during the battle in Taiyuan years ago, she would have been able to kill Wudamu with her own hands… Alas, but she was in seclusion at that time.

The more I think about it, the more annoyed I become.

Guiyi Zhenren and Gun Master Chen Qiyuan are really the worst of the worst. Wudamu was almost killed by gunpowder, but they didn’t kill him…

Zhao Wumian fell silent again and started to look through the booklet again, but apart from these old events, there was indeed nothing else recorded in it… Since his name was written at the beginning, Jiuer must have left some clues, but he hadn’t discovered them yet.

He was not the only one who could come to this valley. Even Yangshe Congyun had occasionally set foot here. Therefore, if Jiuer really left something for him, he would never leave it in the house so openly… It must be a message that only Zhao Wumian could understand.

For example, a special code that only two people know.

But Zhao Wumian doesn’t even remember what happened before…

He pinched the paper; the booklet was surprisingly tough. He then put it over the fire to try to heat it up…but it didn’t catch fire.

Thinking it was waterproof and fireproof, and of good quality, Zhao Wumian poured some of his own blood on it and mobilized his internal energy… but there was no reaction.

He took another bite of the fish silently, then stood up and searched the cabin.

Yangshe Congyun had indeed never set foot here, and the furniture and furnishings remained the same, but apart from some daily necessities, she didn’t find anything noteworthy… Hiss, what else did Jiuer leave for her?

Xiao Yuanmu bit the fish meat and tilted his head to look at Zhao Wumian who was rummaging around, then turned his head to look at the rock wall above the valley… According to Jiuer’s words, Xiao Lingyun was buried there.

If you just casually bury Xiao Lingyun’s body up there, aren’t you afraid that someone will steal his body one day? After all, he is the last prince of Chen State, so he should be buried in a safer place.

Before, Xiao Yuanmu didn’t know there was a valley here, so he had never thought about this matter. Now that he thinks about it carefully, it is obviously full of doubts…

Xiao Yuanmu was not a man who was indecisive. After recalling the position below in his mind, he apologized in his heart. Then, in front of Luo Xiangzhu’s astonished gaze, he suddenly exerted force, jumped up from the ground, and slapped the rock wall above with one palm.

Click————

The rock wall suddenly cracked under Xiao Yuanmu’s powerful internal energy, and several pieces of gravel fell down. Then, with a loud “bang”, a coffin fell from the rock wall.

Xiao Yuanmu raised his palm to support the bottom of the coffin, feeling the weight. A faint smile appeared in his eyes. He fell down lightly as if riding the wind, and then raised his palm to slap the edge of the coffin.

bang——

The coffin lid made a cracking sound and flew out backwards.

Luo Xiangzhu was so scared that her face turned pale. She held the grilled fish in one hand and the hem of her skirt in the other and hurried into the house to find Zhao Wumian.

Xiao Yuanmu was crazy. She actually dismantled her grandfather’s coffin! The grandfather was kind and the grandson was filial…

Zhao Wumian heard the noise and peeked out the window with Luo Xiangzhu, only to see Xiao Yuanmu taking out a jar of wine from the coffin. He glanced at the two people who were acting furtively and became very angry.

Why didn’t I know before that these two people seemed to have a couple vibe?

Zhao Wumian walked out of the house and looked inside the coffin… There was nothing inside except the wine jar in Xiao Yuanmu’s hand.

Suddenly I felt that Jiu’er was indeed an old hand, playing games like this… The booklet said that she moved Xiao Lingyun’s tomb to an upper place, which was obviously a lie, as she did it to guard against outsiders.

From this perspective, the storyline in this booklet may be correct, but there are probably some differences in the details.

“I’d rather not be your father, for fear that you’ll open my coffin after I die.” Zhao Wumian shrank his neck.

“Be careful, I’ll put you in the coffin right now.” Xiao Yuanmu raised his hand and picked up the wine cloth, nuzzled it lightly, and frowned, “It is indeed wine… It is estimated to be fifty years old. It was put in there when Sister Jiu’er left Qingcheng Mountain… I think it is a clue.”

Zhao Wumian pondered for a while, and suddenly felt that he might have overthought. Perhaps the clues left by Jiu’er were not something obscure. He turned to look at the lake… Could these fish grow so fat and big just by eating mayflies?
He silently took another bite of the fish, swallowed it, and sensed it carefully…it seemed to contain more energy than ordinary fish.

He looked at Xiao Yuanmu, and Xiao Yuanmu was also looking at him.

Xiao Yuanmu smiled, “You guessed it too?”

Zhao Wumian smiled, picked up the wine jar from Xiao Yuanmu’s hand, walked to the river, and slowly poured the wine into the lake.

Luo Xiangzhu stood behind the two of them, looking puzzled.

However, after pouring out half of the jar, there was no change in the lake. Zhao Wumian pondered for a moment, then turned back to look at Luo Xiangzhu, “Princess, I’m sorry to inconvenience you for a while.”

Luo Xiangzhu tilted her head and saw Zhao Wumian raise his hand to lift up her sleeve, revealing her crystal white jade-like forearm.

Luo Xiangzhu blushed. With her skinny face, she felt embarrassed just showing her arms to Zhao Wumian.

Zhao Wumian held her little hand with one hand and pulled out the Bamboo Sword with the other hand. With a clang, the sword flashed and a trace of blood appeared on Luo Xiangzhu’s forearm. Then a few drops of blood dripped from his fingertips into the lake.

tick, tick-

A little bit of blood quickly melted into the lake and disappeared, but gradually, ripples began to appear on the calm lake surface.

Kaka————

The sound of machinery touching each other could be heard faintly, and the lake surface rippled into a vortex, gurgling, and the water level dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Obviously, there is a secret passage at the bottom of the lake.

Zhao Wumian was overjoyed. “If that’s the case, there is only one one-way road in this valley, which is obviously not suitable. Considering the situation of Jiu’er and his daughter at that time, they could not have considered the possibility of being exposed here, and they must have left a retreat route… I think the real tomb of the prince of Chen country is also here.”

As he spoke, Zhao Wumian secretly sighed in his heart. The conditions for opening this secret passage were, first, Xiao Lingyun’s wine, and second, the red pearl jade… Both were indispensable. Fortunately, he brought Princess Xiangzhu with him into the mountains this time…

Xiao Yuanmu is also very important. After all, Zhao Wumian is not as kind a grandfather as she is a filial grandson. Without sufficient evidence, he would never do such a thing as demolishing someone else’s grave.

Luo Xiangzhu was surprised. She never thought that just by pouring some wine and her own blood, she could discover this different world.

At this moment, she felt itchy on her arm again, but she saw that Zhao Wumian watched the mechanism being triggered, but still did not let go, but gently stroked her forearm… itchy.

Luo Xiangzhu’s face turned red after being touched by Zhao Wumian. When she was about to pull back, she found that the wound on her forearm had healed in just a few seconds and was as smooth as new.

Oh, so he was healing me. I thought he was taking advantage of me… Yes, he is a gentleman. If he really wanted to take advantage of me, he would definitely say “I want to touch you” directly. He would not take this opportunity to touch her secretly…

Hmm? Is this a gentleman? I guess so.

Luo Xiangzhu almost forgot how Zhao Wumian treated her when she first met him…

Xiao Yuanmu ignored the two of them. He watched the lake water pour into the dark room and see huge fat fish flapping back and forth on the lake bed. Then he jumped to the bottom of the lake with his hands behind his back and walked towards the secret passage.

The bottom of the lake was about ten meters away from the shore. Zhao Wumian picked up Luo Xiangzhu by the waist, jumped to the bottom of the lake, and followed Xiao Yuanmu down.

Luo Xiangzhu was almost used to being carried on Zhao Wumian’s back and in his arms, so she didn’t react much now.

Arriving at the entrance of the secret passage, Zhao Wumian sensed some dissipated energy… a bit like the feeling that the red ribbon of Naraku gave him.

Things created by heaven and earth must contain pure energy of heaven and earth around them… To put it bluntly, this kind of energy is actually what is needed when eating to restore physical strength, qi and blood, internal breath, etc. The energy here is purer and has no impurities. It can be used as long as you use your internal energy to absorb it.

Tread————

The sound of footsteps echoed in the secret passage; the floor tiles were wet and made a slightly sticky sound when stepped on.

The light was dim and a bit eerie. Luo Xiangzhu held the corner of Zhao Wumian’s clothes with one hand and followed him closely.

“Wine and the red jade are actually the core of the trigger mechanism… So, Jiu’er’s father is also a master of mechanism?”

Zhao Wumian’s tone was slightly respectful. In his opinion, if one wanted to open this kind of mechanism, one would have to press down a stone slab or something… but it could actually be triggered by wine and blood.

It’s amazing, it’s really amazing. In this world, apart from martial arts, other aspects should not be underestimated. It’s just that the clothing is a bit lacking. There is not even a pair of elastic pants… Zhao Wumian glanced at Xiao Yuanmu who was walking in front of him, and his eyes couldn’t help but look down, looking at her little hips swaying slightly as she walked.

After returning to Beijing, I’ll find a way to let the people at Jinxiufang study it.

There is no such thing as underwear in this world. Women usually wear thin pants under their skirts… Zhao Wumian didn’t know how many pairs of thin pants he had torn off from Mu Li’er and Su Qingqi.

Xiao Yuanmu walked forward holding the fire stick, not knowing that Zhao Wumian was thinking about customizing underwear for her. She explained calmly, “The Chen Kingdom relied on mechanical engineering to get started. Grandpa was the crown prince and has been deeply involved in this since he was young. His level can be said to be the best in the world.”

“Has it been lost?”

“Taixuan Palace still has inheritance. If you want to learn, follow me back to Jiangnan after this matter is settled.”

“I can’t go back for now. I promised the Queen Mother that I would go back to the capital first.”

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him, but did not force him. There were no forks in the secret passage, and he walked along the one-way street all the way to the main tomb in the middle. In the center, a stone coffin stood on a high platform. Needless to say, this was obviously the real tomb of the prince of Chen State.

The surroundings were dark, and the stone coffin stood horizontally on the platform. The atmosphere was a little gloomy, but the person in the tomb was Jiuer’s father, the former crown prince of Chen Kingdom. Thinking of this, Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu would not feel scared.

The person was gone, and the two men had no intention of continuing to dismantle the coffin. They looked at it for a few times, bowed silently, and then looked away.

With the tomb chamber as the center, there are several stone chambers built around it. Several people first went to the place where the energy was concentrated. There was a small stone table inside, and a wooden box in the middle. The box surface was embroidered with intricate patterns… The energy was escaping from the box.

Zhao Wumian let out a long sigh. Standing in front of the box, the energy released from the air gave him a comfortable feeling, like a fish swimming into the sea or a bird flying into the sky.

Xiao Yuanmu looked at the wooden box with great interest. “This wooden box is from Wugong Mountain… It is customized with the Sheath of Retreat as the center. The overall design is closer to the Four Glazed Jades. They are all treasures developed by Nine Bells, but their status is definitely not as good as the Four Glazed Jades.”

Zhao Wumian knew about this thing. When Mu Lier picked up the dragon robe fragments, she also used something similar to cover up the smell… If there was no wooden box, Yangshe Congyun would have realized that there was a treasure related to the Nine Bells hidden underneath when he accidentally entered this place that year.

The ability of a martial arts master to perceive this treasure of heaven and earth cannot be underestimated, otherwise it would not be called the ‘Bridge Between Heaven and Earth’ after the breakthrough.

Zhao Wumian was secretly excited. Just one red thread of Naraku had helped him a lot and saved him from danger so many times. If he could get another 19th bell…

But when he opened the box, he saw a piece of iron carefully placed inside… The iron piece was about the width of a palm, and it was embroidered with patterns that Zhao Wumian could not understand.

Luo Xiangzhu’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated, beating rapidly… This was the resonance between the crimson pearl jade in her body and the other nine bells.

Zhao Wumian picked up the iron sheet and looked at it over and over for a long time, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He analyzed:
“Most of the Nine Bells have already been possessed. The Naraku Red Silk is in my possession, the Qingying Jade Clothes is in the court, the Out-of-this-world Sword, the Secluded Sheath, and the Pearl Relics Treasure Banner are controlled by the three major sects respectively. The Imperial Seal is in the hands of Wudamu, and the Inlaid Gold Boshan Furnace is lost in the world. I heard from Lady Canghua that Huanzhen Pavilion also has a Nine Bell. These are the eight pieces, and only the last one is left…”

Zhao Wumian was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Xiao Yuanmu, his expression becoming complicated. “The last item should be the Donghuang Bell…”

The Donghuang Bell, also known as the Bronze Bell, is the first secret treasure known to the world. Because of it, all the treasures that appeared in later generations were collectively called the “Nine Bells”.

Judging from the shape of this piece of iron, it is very likely a fragment of the Donghuang Bell.

Xiao Yuanmu frowned slightly, took the iron piece from Zhao Wumian’s hand and looked at it for a few seconds, “The fragment of the Donghuang Bell… How could the master of the Nine Bells be broken into pieces like this? Are there really immortals in this world?”

Apart from the battle between the immortals, Xiao Yuanmu really couldn’t think of why the Donghuang Bell would be broken into pieces and scattered around the world.

And this fragment now appears in such a place…

Even though the Donghuang Bell was broken into pieces, it had been left here for a long time. As time went by, it also gathered a large amount of pure energy from heaven and earth nearby…

Xiao Yuanmu looked at Zhao Wumian and said quietly, “It seems that when you traveled around the martial arts world with Sister Jiu’er, you were not just looking for the Four Glazed Jades… You also gained a lot from other things.”

The tone was a little resentful, perhaps blaming Zhao Wumian for not telling her before.

Zhao Wumian was a little helpless. He had no idea what he had been thinking before. He asked, “What is the use of the Donghuang Bell?”

“Suppress and mobilize.” Xiao Yuanmu sensed the fragment for a moment and said:

“After mobilizing the Donghuang Bell, no matter how strong a warrior is, his strength will not be able to be exerted to a few percent… The specific degree of weakening is determined by the holder of the Donghuang Bell. This is suppression.

As the master of the Nine Bells, it can mobilize the other nine bells to its side with a thought… But now it is just a fragment, it definitely does not have this ability, at most it can mobilize the energy of heaven and earth… Look, there is so much pure energy in this place, it is obviously thanks to this, if it is replaced by the other nine bells, although they can also accumulate energy over time to fill the surrounding area, it is definitely not as pure and rich as the Donghuang Bell. “

“What about the range?”

“It depends on the strength of the person who mobilized it.”

“After one comprehends the other nine bells, one will become neither human nor ghost. Xu Ran became schizophrenic, and the abbot of Xiao Xitian, Master Dongwen, also lost his human emotions… This Donghuang Bell doesn’t sound like there are any side effects?” Zhao Wumian thought of the Naraku Red Silk and the Pearl Relic Tower, and his expression was puzzled.

“The side effects of comprehending the Nine Bells are not good for humans. They cannot bear the power of heaven and earth… The Nine Bells are just external objects, not evil spirits. They are idle and will not target anyone… Naraku Red Thread will deduce. If one has a strong will and sticks to his original heart in the life deduced a hundred times, he will not suffer from schizophrenia. As for the Pearl Relics Treasure Tower…”

Xiao Yuanmu paused, “Human desires are evil in its eyes. Once emotions are lost, isn’t that the state of ‘originally nothing’ that Buddhism pursues? Therefore, the so-called side effects depend on the individual. After the Donghuang Bell is enlightened, there may be some problems, but I’m not sure. This thing hasn’t been seen in a hundred years.”

“It is better to have harmony between man and nature.”

“Only after you enter the realm of heaven and earth and communicate with the bridge of heaven and earth can you be considered to have your own path and be qualified to ascend to immortality. Naturally, you are better than those useless people who can only break through by comprehending the Nine Bells.” Xiao Yuanmu threw the fragment of the East Emperor Bell to Zhao Wumian, “I think you and Jiu’er found this thing, so you can keep it. There is no other clue about the East Emperor Bell at the moment, so focus on the Four Colored Glaze Jades first.”

Zhao Wumian put away the iron piece and did not refuse. Given his relationship with Xiao Yuanmu, there was obviously no need to make too many distinctions when it came to the treasures. Pulling at it would seem pretentious and artificial.

He then went to another stone chamber. This room had more signs of life, including a bed, a cabinet, a bronze mirror and other furniture. There were also many sword marks on the walls.

Obviously practiced swordsmanship.

Zhao Wumian opened the cupboard, inside were some of his daughter’s clothes, with a faint fragrance lingering inside… Zhao Wumian couldn’t remember this smell, but it was very familiar.

Zhao Wumian was silent for a few seconds and didn’t look inside, in case he saw private clothing like a bellyband for girls… He respected Jiu’er very much.

Luo Xiangzhu also walked into the stone chamber and looked at the stone wall next to the cabinet. On her calves, there were sword marks parallel to the ground… Each one was higher than the other, a bit like sword marks recording height.

Looking around, this place doesn’t look like the stone chamber where Xiao Lingyun and Jiuer lived together.

Luo Xiangzhu blinked her eyes, squatted down, stroking her skirt, and opened the drawer, which contained some children’s toys such as rattles and small wooden swords.

And… well, it’s more children’s clothing for boys.

Luo Xiangzhu looked at Zhao Wumian beside him, then at the clothes in the drawer. He was stunned for a few seconds, then took out a rattle and turned it twice towards Zhao Wumian, “Ding Dong Ding Dong”.

Look, this must be a toy you had as a child.

Xiao Yuanmu looked at him curiously and couldn’t help but smile, “It seems that you and Jiu’er lived here for a while when you were a child… If you hadn’t lost your memory, we wouldn’t have to guess the answer and spend so much effort to come in.”

“This secret passage must have an exit… Although Jiu’er had already given the Crimson Pearl Jade to Princess Xiangzhu when I was a child, we can just come in from the exit.” Zhao Wumian guessed secretly and came to the weapons rack.

On the weapon rack, there was a sword with a handle about three feet three inches long and about one finger wide.

The scabbard is bluish-white with decorative patterns.

Choke——

When the sword was unsheathed, the blade was clear and beautiful, also with a bluish hue, and the color scheme was somewhat similar to Su Qingqi’s “Qingming Sword”.

The word “wine” is engraved on the sword, and the word “sleep” is engraved on the other side of the sword.

The character “眠” (mian) is obviously much newer than the character “酒” (jiu), and is relatively less neat. It is obvious that it was carved later.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him and said, “That is Jiu’er’s sword, ‘Qing Xu’. The reason why the word ‘Mian’ is engraved on it is because you asked her to do so… She always obeys you in everything. No matter what you say, she will say ‘yes’… That’s why she made you into such a fearless person.”

Zhao Wumian remained silent. A scene seemed to appear before his eyes: Jiuer sitting on the bed, carving words for him with a carving knife in his hand…but this happened several years ago, and he had no idea when it happened.

Zhao Wumian silently sheathed the sword and slung it across his waist.

The fragments of Donghuang and the personal sword were left here by Jiuer, waiting for Zhao Wumian to take them… It was as if he was making arrangements for his final affairs and leaving behind a legacy.

But since he didn’t find Jiuer’s body, he didn’t believe that she was dead.

Zhao Wumian took a deep breath, turned around and left, went to the stone chamber where the Donghuang fragments had just been placed, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and meditated, absorbing energy and nourishing his body.

Relying on the Red Silk of Naraku and Liu Wujing, Zhao Wumian estimated that it would take half a day to fully recover and regain his fighting power. Now, relying on these energies, it obviously won’t take that long.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at Zhao Wumian, then looked at the rattle in Luo Xiangzhu’s hand, shook his head slightly, and turned to look at the last stone chamber.

Inside is a long and narrow corridor…Obviously, this is the exit.

Xiao Yuanmu withdrew his gaze, sat cross-legged next to Zhao Wumian, and entered into a state of meditation to recover from his injuries.

Even though Fan Wucheng was being chased all over the ground by Zhao Wumian, after a few moves, both of them were injured… This place is blessed by nature, if all the energy is absorbed, it will only be a drop in the ocean for Xiao Yuanmu, but it will be of infinite benefit to Zhao Wumian.

Luo Xiangzhu had nothing to do, so she squatted in front of the cabinet and folded the clothes that Zhao Wumian wore when he was a child on her lap.

At least it has commemorative significance, so I should take it back and give it to Zhao Wumian and my sister’s baby to wear in the future.

Many people from the Fan family stood near the collapsed valley, searching for the bodies of the three people, but the three people disappeared without a trace. Not to mention the bodies, not even a strand of their hair was found.

Fan Shunan led the search. He stood on a high place with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, “Could it be that Zhao Wumian and the others escaped?”

Master Qin San pondered for a moment, “No matter how strong they are, they will die if they are crushed by a mountain. But there is an underground palace under the flower field. If they react quickly and sneak into the underground palace, they will definitely not die.”

Fan Shunan’s face was a bit strange. “Zhao Wumian has been overcoming all obstacles since the year before. He can be said to kill anyone who touches him. He can turn danger into fortune and is at the peak of his career… The possibility of his survival is really not low.”

He immediately gave instructions to his men, “Go, guard the exit of the underground palace. Zhao Wumian has used the Heavenly Demon Blood Solution, and the side effects alone are enough to make him unable to fight for at least a day… But you don’t have to kill him by force, just send a signal when you hear any movement.”

“Yes!”

The underground palace was built by Xiao Lingyun and renovated by the Fan family. Because Xiao Lingyun designed the underground palace extremely complicatedly, they have not found the valley yet, but they do know where the exit is.

There are only a few of them going back and forth, and with dozens of people guarding each place, there is no need to worry about not getting any harvest.

A moment later, fireworks really lit up in the distance.

But it was not Zhao Wumian, but Tang Weiyu and…Fan Wucheng.

Without Luo Xiangzhu, Tang Weiyu would not have been able to find the valley. He circled around the underground palace and found Fan Wucheng instead.

When the two men met, they were like enemies meeting each other with jealousy, and they immediately fought from inside the underground palace to outside.

——–

Thanks to ‘S’sense’ for the reward.

(End of this chapter)