Chapter 58: Five Treasures
Chapter 58: Five Treasures
The iron gate gradually turned white and gave off a soft glow. With grinding clacks, it slowly rose.
Zi Xue said in surprise, “Things that come from the sea really are different. I’ve never been to the ocean before.”
I smiled. “When we get the chance, I’ll definitely take you. I’ve never seen the sea either. I heard people say the sea is just a huge lake so big you can’t see the edge—only the water is salty.”
Tian Zhong laughed. “The sea is actually very beautiful. When I was little, I went with my family once. I wonder what lies at the end of the ocean. Our Dragon God Empire has several coastal provinces, and our coastline is several times longer than the demon race and Beastmen race combined. When you go, you have to call me along. I really want to feel that vast, surging grandeur again.”
Zi Yan said, “I wonder what’s beyond the sea. Lei Xiang, later, shall we go exploring?”
Tian Zhong’s expression changed. “Absolutely not. It’s hard to tell direction on the open sea, and if you run into a storm, it’ll be trouble.”
By now, the gate was fully open. I said to Tian Zhong, “Lead the way.”
Tian Zhong shook his head. “You go in and pick yourselves. I don’t want my expression to affect what you choose. Take five items, then come out. It all depends on your luck.”
Zi Xue curled her lip. “Sly.” She was the first to head toward the vault.
Afraid something might happen to her, Zi Yan and I quickly followed. We passed through the iron gate and turned a corner. What we saw inside startled us.
There was no dazzling treasure light like we expected. There were quite a few items around, but they all looked old and dusty.
Zi Xue wrinkled her cute little nose. “How can it be like this? This isn’t a vault at all. It’s basically a trash heap.”
I put an arm around her shoulder and smiled. “Don’t rush. It’s probably because hardly anyone comes here—maybe it’s just the dust. Did you notice? Even though this place is sealed tight, there are many hidden vents. Otherwise, underground like this, we’d definitely feel stifled.”
Zi Yan walked to the side. “Look. This vault is mostly armor and weapons. The rest are just decorations. A Xue, use a small water ball to rinse this set of armor.” She pointed to the outermost set.
Zi Xue nodded and raised her left hand. The bracelet I gave her emitted a faint halo. “Gentle water, heed my summons—Water Pellet.” A small blue water ball formed in her palm. With a light flick, the water pellet flew out and struck the armor’s chest where Zi Yan indicated.
Zi Yan made her illumination spell brighter. We gathered around. The spot the water pellet hit turned pitch-black. I tapped it with my finger. It had a heavy, dense feel—neither metal nor iron.
Zi Xue said, “It really does seem different. Lei Xiang, do you want this armor? It should still be worth some money. Heehee.”
I shook my head. “Armor is useless to me. Once I transform, I’ll rip it apart. Besides, my skin is the best armor.”
Zi Yan brushed dust off the armor and smiled. “Skin defense and armor are two different things. Some high-grade armor has partial immunity against certain magic or special attacks. It’s extremely valuable. There must be that kind of high-grade armor here. Too bad you have wings after transforming, otherwise you really should get a set.”
I paused. “How come I’ve never heard of armor with attributes like that?”
Zi Xue giggled. “That guy’s biggest mistake was letting Sister come in with us to pick things. Sister is very knowledgeable, you know. She’s basically read all the classics in the academy library.”
I had long seen how learned Zi Yan was. Back then, with her help, I identified the uses of several gemstones. Hearing that, I smiled. “Then let our brilliant Zi Yan scholar help us pick what we need. It’s all free anyway. Don’t keep Tian Zhong waiting too long.”
Zi Xue asked, “Xiang, why do you trust that Tian Zhong so much? What if he brought us here with some scheme? This is his turf. If he plays tricks, he won’t be easy to deal with. Aren’t you being too careless?”
I froze. She was right—I had never even thought about Tian Zhong harming us. Zi Yan answered for me.
“Tian Zhong isn’t necessarily a good person, but I don’t think he’s that kind of person. We don’t have any deep hatred with him. Money is ultimately something outside the body. At first, I was worried too, but once I saw Tian Zhong, that worry disappeared. He looks like the best kind of gambler—the kind with gambling integrity. People like that are often easier to deal with than so-called upright gentlemen. That’s why I didn’t stop A Xiang from coming with him.”
I nodded. “That’s true. I don’t know why, but I never suspected him. Maybe it was instinct. His gaze always felt clear to me. Alright, our learned and talented Zi Yan scholar—pick quickly. Don’t make him wait outside too long.”
Zi Yan answered with a soft “Mm” and began studying the items around her carefully. Zi Xue assisted her, using water magic to clean anything Zi Yan took interest in.
Since I didn’t need to pick, I was happy to be idle. I wandered around the vault. In truth, it was just a wide, empty stone chamber. One item here, one item there—no real order.
Even though I wasn’t injured in the match this morning, I still felt tired. I found a corner, rinsed the ground with water magic, then dried it with fire magic, planning to sit there and meditate to regulate my breathing.
Just as the ground was nearly dry, I suddenly noticed something beside me on the floor glint under the light of the fireball.
Curiosity drove me to pick it up. After brushing off a bit of dust, I saw it was a heart-protector mirror used on armor. It was round, with many slots around the edge, likely meant to connect to armor.
The heart-protector mirror itself was not made of metal. Only the slots around the edge were wrapped in some unknown metal. The mirror looked more like a large gemstone—smooth and round, but pitch-black, with no luster at all.
I didn’t know why, but even though it didn’t exchange energy with me like Mo Ming did, the moment I held this heart-protector mirror, I felt a strange sense of familiarity—as if it was meant to be mine.
I called out, “Zi Yan, come take a look at this heart-protector mirror.”
Zi Yan and Zi Xue hurried over when they heard me. Zi Xue was holding a strand of necklace beads—it seemed like one of the things they had chosen.
I handed the heart-protector mirror to Zi Yan. “Look at this. I feel like it’s a little special.”
Zi Yan took it and examined it carefully from top to bottom. “It is special. A heart-protector mirror inlaid with gemstones would usually only appear on armor with special effects, but I’ve never heard of a heart-protector mirror where the entire piece is cast from ore. Let’s test whether it has any attributes.”
As she spoke, she signaled me to inject five types of magic elements one by one—water, fire, earth, wind, and dark. After each injection, we waited a moment to see its reaction. But what we got was disappointment. We tried all five, yet no matter what we put in, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea—no response at all.
Zi Xue said, “Sister, try it. Maybe your light-element magic will react.”
Zi Yan nodded. She raised a hand, condensed a ball of light, and slowly fed it into the heart-protector mirror. The heart-protector mirror seemed to tremble slightly and flashed once, then had no further reaction.
I hurriedly asked, “Does that count as a response?”
Zi Yan shook her head. “It only had the faintest reaction to light-element energy. Ore like this isn’t enough to serve as the central piece of high-grade armor. It should be useless.”
I took the heart-protector mirror back. That sense of familiarity surged into my mind again, like meeting family. Reluctantly, I put it back where it had been.
Zi Yan smiled. “A Xiang, what’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I just really like this heart-protector mirror.”
Zi Yan smiled. “If you like it, then take it. We’ll help you look for any other parts that match it.”
I asked in confusion, “But didn’t you say it’s useless?”
Zi Yan’s eyes were full of tenderness as she said softly, “If you like it, what does it matter whether it’s useful? I’ve already picked three items. With yours, that makes four. We’re only missing the last one.”
Hearing that, I happily picked the heart-protector mirror up from the floor and tucked it into my clothes. I searched with them, but after circling the entire vault, we did not find any armor that matched it. It seemed this was a single piece left here. Still, with Zi Yan’s encouragement, I kept the unremarkable heart-protector mirror.
Zi Yan and Zi Xue were still excitedly choosing the final item. I waited off to the side, bored. At last, when I was starting to feel drowsy, they came back.
“Alright. I’ve found everything. Let’s go out.”
Seeing how delighted they looked, they must have found something they liked. As long as they liked it, I didn’t care. I touched the “treasure” in my clothes and walked out of the vault with them.
Tian Zhong sat alone, pitifully cross-legged, circulating his energy. Hearing our footsteps, he drew in a long breath, slowly opened his eyes, and smiled. “Well? Did you pick what you like?”
From his expression, it looked like he wasn’t worried at all that we might pick the most valuable items.
I nodded. “We’ve chosen.” I pulled out the heart-protector mirror and said, “This is what I picked. I can’t see anything precious about it, but I really like it.”
Tian Zhong walked over, looked at the heart-protector mirror, and laughed. “Brother Lei, you really know how to pick. This is probably the only item in the vault with no value at all, because for generations my family’s ancestors could never identify what material this heart-protector mirror is made of, or what armor it belongs to. It’s exactly the kind of thing that’s tasteless to keep but a pity to throw away. Using it to make up the debt is perfect. Hah.”
I glared at him, ignored his mockery, and stuffed the heart-protector mirror back into my clothes.
Tian Zhong, very gracious, said to Zi Yan, “May I see what the young ladies picked?”
Zi Yan pouted. “Why should I show you? Don’t you trust that we only took five items?”
Tian Zhong smiled. “Of course I do. I mainly want to see what you took, so I can go back and remove those names from the vault catalogue.”
That request was not unreasonable. I said, “Zi Yan, show Brother Tian. Let him also help you identify exactly what they are.”
I didn’t really know what they had taken. Right now, what I cared about most was whether they could stay in a good mood. Only then would it be more likely for me to obtain their forgiveness after we returned.
Zi Yan nodded. “Alright. Little sister, take it out.”
Zi Xue glanced at her sister, then pulled out a small cloth pouch from her clothes. Tian Zhong’s face changed drastically.
“A mustard-seed pouch! You—how did you pick that? It’s over. This time my eldest brother is going to scold me to death.”
His good mood from my choosing a “worthless” item vanished completely.
I said in surprise, “It’s just a small cloth pouch. What’s so special about it? Even if it’s made of gold, it wouldn’t be worth much. Is it really that serious?”
Tian Zhong said with a bitter face, “Brother Lei, you don’t understand. This isn’t an ordinary pouch. Its value isn’t something gold can compare to. In the vault, it’s among the top ten treasures. Since you already picked it, I have nothing to say. Call us unlucky.”
I pressed, “You still haven’t said what it’s for.”
Zi Yan giggled. “A Xiang, I’ll tell you. I saw this mustard-seed pouch in an ancient book before, so I recognized it. Otherwise, who would choose something this inconspicuous? The greatest function of a mustard-seed pouch is to turn Mount Sumeru into a mustard seed.”
I froze. “What is ‘Sumeru,’ and what is a ‘mustard seed’?”
Zi Yan explained patiently. “Sumeru means something infinitely large, while a mustard seed is the opposite—infinitely small. This mustard-seed pouch can hold a lot of things. I don’t know exactly how much, but I think it depends on the user’s ability. The stronger you are, the more you can store. It’s very useful. Look—there are two incantations on the pouch. One is for storing items, and the other is for retrieving items from the mustard-seed pouch. As long as you think about what you want to store or what you want to take out while chanting, you can use it naturally. It’s very easy.”
Not only was I stunned—Tian Zhong also sat there blankly. “Miss Zi Yan, about this mustard-seed pouch, what I know is limited to the fact that it can store a vast amount of things. It’s said that in ancient times, a Great Magister crafted it according to the principles of spatial magic. Now that spatial magic has already been lost, its value is self-evident. I never expected you to be so learned. I truly admire you.”
Zi Yan cast him a smug glance and said, “Save the flattery. Let me show you what we took. Other than the heart-protector mirror Lei Xiang chose and this mustard-seed pouch, there are three more items. Mustard seed transforms into Sumeru—appear.”
With only a simple incantation, the pouch mouth opened. Three items drifted out, expanding from small to large. They were a blue cloak, a blue necklace, and a small pink gemstone.
The blue cloak’s fabric was soft and fluffy. A deep blue phoenix was embroidered on it in flight, and a faint magic six-pointed star was stitched across the whole cloak. It looked pretty, but nothing about it looked special. If, as Zi Yan said, it contained strong magic energy, then it was probably a water-element protective item.
The blue necklace was strung from small transparent beads, crystalline and clear. It was called a “blue necklace” mainly because of the pendant—a naturally formed diamond-shaped blue gemstone. Its blue was not like a diamond’s blue. It was much deeper. Under Zi Yan’s light-element illumination, it glittered, exceptionally captivating.
The pink gemstone was also a necklace, but its chain was only a thin white string. If you didn’t look carefully, you might not even notice it.
As the three items appeared, Tian Zhong’s face changed drastically. He said tremblingly, “Y-you… you really know how to pick.”
Zi Yan said, “I didn’t pick anything too valuable. The cloak and necklace are for my little sister. The pink gemstone is mine. I only chose them because their energy fluctuations were intense. Is something wrong?”
Tian Zhong sighed. “Looks like fate decided it. There’s nothing wrong. For you, it’s simply too good. Among these three treasures, the Sea-Blue Stone is the most precious. In my family’s catalogue, it ranks second. It is especially helpful to water-element mages. When casting, it reduces incantation time. It also increases water-element magic by thirty percent.
“When using water-element magic, the Sea-Blue Stone releases a protective barrier. As long as the enemy’s attack does not exceed its maximum load, it ensures the caster can complete their incantation. Of course, it consumes the user’s magic power accordingly, but it solves the problem mages hate most. What does a little magic power consumption matter?
“It also has a water-avoidance effect. It is absolutely a top-grade magic stone. If Brother Lei’s chicken-blood stone were compared to it… it’s simply… Sigh. Miss Zi Yan, I truly yield to you.”
Zi Xue exclaimed happily, “Sister really knows how to pick. This is the best for me.”
Zi Yan said sternly, “A Xue, don’t rely too much on items. Your own strength is more important than anything. Understand?”
Seeing her sister’s serious face, Zi Xue stuck out her tongue and didn’t dare speak.
I nodded. “Zi Yan is right. Only your own strength is the greatest guarantee. Brother Tian, continue.”
Tian Zhong looked at us and continued, “This cloak is called Water’s Protection. Its function is defense, and it’s also suited for water-element mages. It’s far inferior to the Sea-Blue Stone, but it’s still a rare treasure.
“As for this pink gemstone, it’s called Ephemeral Blossom’s Love. ‘Ephemeral blossom’ is said to have been a very beautiful flower in ancient times—fragrance rich and deep—but its blooming period is short, often only a few hours.
“This pink gemstone’s material is unknown. A very powerful mage set a magic array inside it. After wearing it, when its owner suffers a life-threatening attack, it will release energy to block it once. Its weakness is that, like the ephemeral blossom, it appears and vanishes. It can only be used once per day. You can treat it as a life-saving item.
“Among these three items, aside from the Sea-Blue Stone, the other two are each worth no less than Brother Lei’s top-grade chicken-blood stone. And the Sea-Blue Stone is priceless. With the mustard-seed pouch as well, you truly profited this time.”
I took the Sea-Blue Stone from Zi Yan and carefully hung it around Zi Xue’s neck. The deep blue gemstone looked exceptionally beautiful against Zi Xue’s snow-white skin. Zi Xue cried out, “So cold! But it’s really beautiful.”
No girl disliked gemstones. Seeing how entranced she was, I found it amusing. I draped Water’s Protection over her shoulders and said with a smile, “Now your equipment is complete. By the way, the amethysts I gave you before—have they been made into staffs yet?”
Zi Xue nodded. “They’re being made. Since we couldn’t find suitable materials, Sister and I sent the amethysts into the palace. Crown Prince Brother promised us he’d find someone to make them into beautiful mage staffs.”
Zi Yan smiled. “With this set of equipment, Little Sister’s magic strength will probably rise by more than two ranks.”
I took Ephemeral Blossom’s Love from Zi Yan’s hand and carefully put it on her. Zi Yan’s peerless beauty paired with the hazy light of the pink gemstone made both Tian Zhong and me stare in a daze.
Zi Yan said reproachfully, “What are you staring at? Shouldn’t we be leaving?”
Only then did we snap back. Tian Zhong walked to the door and pressed several spots on the wall. The massive iron gate slowly descended. With grinding sounds, it returned to how it looked when we arrived. The blood-red key turned white again and withdrew. Tian Zhong carefully put it away.
“Let’s go. Be careful going back too. The mechanisms here are all death traps.”
Zi Yan stuffed the mustard-seed pouch into my hands. “You take this. Out of the five treasures, you have to keep at least one useful one. This was picked for you. You’re always running around outside—if you have it, you won’t have to carry a pile of things.”
The mustard-seed pouch was indeed useful to me, so I didn’t refuse. I tucked it into my clothes.
Tian Zhong suddenly turned back. “Right—there’s something I must tell you. The mustard-seed pouch can only store objects. Living creatures cannot be stored, because there is no air inside that magic space. If you put a living thing in, it will suffocate to death before long.”
I nodded. “Thanks. I understand.”
We carefully made our way out of the underground tunnel without incident and returned to the water basin. To my surprise, the sky was already dark. It seemed we had stayed down there for quite a long time. After this trip to retrieve treasures underground, my goodwill toward Tian Zhong deepened even more. To watch others take the most precious treasures of his family and not make excuses to stop them—this kind of character was rare.
Tian Zhong escorted us all the way to the mansion gate. Zi Yan said unusually, “Tian Zhong, thank you.”
Tian Zhong froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. “Take good care of those things. If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll definitely gamble with Brother Lei again and win those treasures back.”
Zi Xue smiled. “With A Xiang protecting us, who could ever snatch them away?”
Tian Zhong nodded. “That’s true. In Xi Lun City, there really aren’t many people who can beat Brother Lei. I should be worrying about myself. I still don’t know how I’m going to explain this to my elder brother. You should go.”
Seeing him like that, I felt a pang of sympathy. I took out a piece of mo jing from my clothes and handed it to him. “Do you know what this is?”
The dejected Tian Zhong brightened the moment he saw it. He snatched it over and said excitedly, “Th-this is mo jing from the demon race? Y-you… how do you have this?”
I smiled faintly. “I got it by chance. I only know it can be eaten, and it should have some benefit for cultivating dark magic. You can try it.”
Tian Zhong stared blankly. “You mean… you’re giving this to me?”
I nodded. “Consider it making up for some of your loss.”
Tian Zhong still didn’t quite believe it. “But I lost to you. You don’t need to give me something this precious.”
I said seriously, “Brother Tian, even though we haven’t known each other long, I feel you’re a friend worth having. Consider this a gift between friends.”
Tian Zhong’s eyes reddened slightly. Holding the mo jing, he murmured, “Thank you. This is incredible. With it, my dark magic will definitely leap forward. Brother Lei, you don’t understand—I’ve loved dark magic since I was little. Maybe I should have been reborn in the demon race.”
Seeing him like that, I was satisfied too. I smiled. “Then that’s that. Brother Tian, it’s late. We’re going back.”
Tian Zhong’s eyes were full of gratitude. “Brother Lei, if you ever need me, just come find me. I will definitely—”
I raised a hand to stop him. “If I treat you as a friend, don’t say things like that. A gentleman’s friendship is as bland as water. I’m not giving you mo jing because I want something from you. Goodbye.”
With that, I took Zi Yan and Zi Xue’s hands and turned toward Xi Lun Academy. Behind us, Tian Zhong was left standing there, still looking a little dazed.
Zi Yan and Zi Xue had gotten things they liked, and both looked very happy. On the street, passersby saw me holding the hands of two such beautiful girls and gave me looks filled with envy and jealousy.
As we walked, Zi Xue suddenly said, “A Xiang, do you know? When Sister told me back then that you were a Beastman, my heart felt terrible.”
My eyes dimmed. “I know I’m not worthy of you. After all, we’re not the same race. Even though I have human blood, still…”
Zi Xue covered my mouth. “Silly. Why would you think that? I felt terrible because you didn’t tell me the truth—not because I minded your identity or race. Do you remember? Back then you asked me: if one day you left Dragon God and never came back, what would I do? I answered that no matter where you went, I would follow. What I love isn’t your identity, status, martial skill, or magic. It’s you. Don’t you understand yet?”
I stopped walking and stared at Zi Xue blankly. Her words moved me deeply—and hurt me deeply as well. For a girl who loved me this much, I truly couldn’t bear to hurt her. But I still had to tell them about Mo Yue.
I nodded hard. “Zi Xue, I understand. I understand everything.”
Zi Xue tightened her grip on the hand I was holding and said with deep feeling, “Later, Sister talked me through it. She said you also had your difficulties—being in a foreign land, you couldn’t casually expose your identity. When I thought about it, I agreed, so I forgave you. You’re impressive—secretly you even chased Sister too. Hmph. So what are you going to do about it?”
With Zi Xue, I had no temper at all. I turned and looked to Zi Yan for help, but she wore the expression of someone enjoying the show, smiling without speaking, waiting to see what I would say.
I sighed, resigned. “Whatever you want. You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Alright?”
Zi Xue giggled. “I’m not teasing you anymore. Honestly, I’m so happy you got Sister. Since childhood, Sister and I have always been closest. Now we won’t have to be separated either. I should be thanking you, not the other way around. Haha—you fell for it.”
I froze for a moment, then understood. Pretending to be angry, I said, “Alright then, you little brat—daring to play me. See if I let you off.”
I let go and reached out to tickle her. Zi Xue shrieked and giggled as she dodged away. Just like that, we laughed and jostled all the way back to Xi Lun Academy.
Zi Yan suddenly stopped. “A Xiang, Little Sister and I will go back first. We’ll wait for you in Little Sister’s room. You go check on Feng Wen first. Ever since they learned you went missing, all your friends have been anxious, especially Feng Wen. He practically went to the military department every day to ask about news of you. He should have woken up by now.”
Those friends from Tianshou Academy had treated me extremely well. Hearing Zi Yan mention Feng Wen, warmth rose in my heart. “Yes. I should go see him. I’ll come find you soon.”
Zi Yan said seriously, “A Xiang, I don’t know what you want to tell us. Maybe that matter makes you confused and lost, but anything can be discussed. We’ll wait for you to come back and tell us. Don’t avoid it, alright?”
My heart sank. The good mood from earlier vanished. I nodded. “I will. Sigh… You two go back and wait for me. Which room is Feng Wen in?”
Zi Yan said, “First room on the left.”
After that, she pulled Zi Xue away, who still seemed to want to say something.
I stood there for a long time without moving. Mo Yue’s matter had been tormenting me. It was time to confess to them. Zi Yan said it could be discussed, but would they really forgive me for this?
With a heavy mood, I walked to Feng Wen’s door and knocked gently. A weak voice came from inside. “Come in. The door isn’t locked.”
I pushed the door open and entered. Feng Wen lay on the bed, his face pale, with a faint medicinal smell in the room. When he saw me, he was extremely emotional and struggled to sit up. I hurried forward and helped him, propping a pillow behind him.
“Brother, I’m back.”