Chapter 688
Chapter 688
How could Prince Jiang have solved this problem? Shen Lang truly couldn't believe it. When Prince Jiang was in the State of Yue, he was certainly a genius, but not one of this caliber. This problem was actually more difficult than the four-color theorem on Black Stone Island—perhaps they were on par. Moreover, it was another arithmetic problem that required laborious, long calculations. So, how long would it take Shen Lang to solve it? One second! No, not even a second. His supercomputer could produce the answer in an instant. Now, Shen Lang had to write the answer on the fifth line of the cave's stone wall.
‘But there’s no brush. How am I supposed to write? Do I have to bite my finger and use my blood? No way. The number for this answer is extremely long. To write it all, I’d need to bleed at least half a *liang* of blood.’
After a moment's hesitation, Shen Lang pulled a brush from his robes. At a glance, it looked identical to the brush at the entrance of the ancient ruins on Black Stone Island. Of course, this wasn't that brush; Fudao Mountain had already taken that one. Shen Lang had scanned the material composition of that brush and made one himself. To be honest, this brush was made from a special stone from Black Stone Island, so it possessed a unique magnetic force and faint radiation.
Shen Lang went to the wall and wrote the answer. It was an exceedingly long number, with more than a dozen digits.
(*Apologies. I cannot write out the answer. I just wasted over ten minutes trying to find the 2401st prime number. —The Author*)
After writing the entire answer, Shen Lang stepped back, but there was no reaction. The entrance to the ancient ruins did not open.
‘What’s going on? Did I miscalculate? Impossible. How could the computer make a mistake?’
Beside him, Li Qianqiu spoke.
“Young Master Shen, patience. You must have patience.”
“Senior Sword King, how do you know? Do you think I wrote the correct answer?”
“I do not know. But I believe you are very intelligent, so you must have written the solution. The only thing you lack is patience.”
‘Ugh, right.’
Shen Lang took the Sword King's advice, sat down beside the stone wall, and waited patiently. Eventually, he found a clue. As the moon shifted slightly in the sky, the reflected light inside grew dimmer and dimmer, until it finally disappeared completely. The only thing shining there was the answer Shen Lang had written.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, Shen Lang felt as if he were falling endlessly. The small cave was plummeting. The descent was so fast that the pressure on his eardrums made his ears ring. Only after a dozen seconds did the fall stop. They were likely even deeper underground now. Shen Lang turned and discovered a passage. Ahead was a bridge, and beneath it, a mighty river flowed. To think there was an underground river here as well. The bridge was adorned with various carvings, including figures of a man and a woman.
‘Are these ancient humans? So tall, with such long and slender limbs? Huh? They look a little like Mulan.’
On either side of the bridge stood a hundred carvings, each with a different form, yet all brimming with lifelike vitality. It was as if their eyes were inlaid with special gems. Those jeweled eyes emitted a light that illuminated the stone bridge. At the end of the bridge was a door. That was probably the entrance to the ancient ruins.
Shen Lang and Sword King Li Qianqiu carefully crossed the bridge. The strange thing was that the eyes of the statues on both sides of the bridge seemed to watch them with every step. They walked to the end of the bridge and stood before the stone door. There was a hole in the door, which meant a key was needed to open it. In front of the gate stood two statues, also of a man and a woman, and in their hands, they held a tray. Perhaps the key was originally on this tray? There was something in the statue's hands. Sword King Li Qianqiu leaped up lightly and retrieved the object. It was a wooden sword, and on it, a few words were engraved.
Seeing his own name, Shen Lang’s heart pounded. To see his name at the entrance of ancient ruins. Beside it lay a letter. He opened it. The calligraphy was excellent, far better than that of Shen Lang or Ning Yuanxian.
From Sha Jiang.>
* * *
‘Is this a letter left by Prince Jiang?’
Shen Lang was stunned and filled with admiration for him. Sword King Li Qianqiu, on the other hand, felt an even deeper sense of existential doubt. He was keenly aware of his own intellectual shortcomings. Perhaps in the eyes of supremely intelligent people like Shen Lang and Prince Jiang, Li Qianqiu's intellect was no different from Big Dummy's. After a long while, Li Qianqiu spoke.
“It seems Prince Jiang predicted you would find this place?”
“He probably wasn't certain. This was his worst-case scenario. I don't think he truly expected this to happen.”
In truth, Shen Lang was now exhausted. The duel with Prince Jiang had been anything but easy. How many preparations had he made? The second Nirvana Army, the first Nirvana Army, the golden dragon's blood, and even a plan to attack Southern Sea City as a feint, which he abandoned, thinking it wouldn't succeed. Then he devised the insane plan of an expedition to the Great Southern City, but that too failed. Finally, he had to rely on his unpredictable imagination to come and find these ancient ruins, which might not have even existed. After countless hardships, passing through the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes, finding the entrance, and solving the age-old puzzle, this plan had finally succeeded. Could this be considered a victory? Yes. Let's say he won against Prince Jiang by half a point. Yet, even this was within Prince Jiang's calculations. However, since these ancient ruins were Prince Jiang's absolute weakness, by touching upon them, Shen Lang had won.
“Let's go!”
At Shen Lang's words, Sword King Li Qianqiu was startled and asked.
“Just like that? Aren't we going to take a look inside?”
“We can't get in. Prince Jiang has the key.”
“Then… have we won?”
“We’ve won.”
Li Qianqiu expressed his admiration in amazement.
“You two are truly like supreme masters in a duel, settling the match by striking a single pressure point!”
Shen Lang had undoubtedly won. He never needed to enter or destroy these ancient ruins. Merely exposing their existence and revealing the answer at the entrance would be enough for the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Fudao Mountain, and even the Great Yan Dynasty to swarm here like bees. That would spell a fatal disaster for Prince Jiang. These ancient ruins were his lifeline, where all his hopes of strengthening his nation lay.
* * *
They were back inside the small, shimmering, transparent cave, but it did not ascend again. If it didn't go up, Shen Lang would be unable to return to the surface.
“Perhaps we need to press some kind of mechanism?”
“Senior, do not be anxious. This is powered by hydraulics. The underground river we just saw. The water pressure is building now. Once it's sufficient, the mechanism will automatically activate, and this small cave will rise.”
Sure enough, after waiting for about fifteen minutes, the small cave began to rise continuously. A dozen seconds later, they were back where they had started, in the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes. Returning to the large central cavern of the labyrinthine cave, they found tens of thousands of venomous snakes coiled there. This time, however, as Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu walked through, the countless venomous snakes all moved aside to avoid them, as if each was respecting the other’s territory.
Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu tied themselves to the rope, and with a gentle tug, the two ascended as if riding on a cloud. Big Dummy was just too strong. Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu together weighed nearly three hundred *jin*, yet Big Dummy lifted them as if they were nothing.
* * *
Back on the surface, Shen Lang returned to the Nirvana Army's barracks. No incidents had occurred during their absence.
“Big Dummy, deliver this letter to that old man in the Great Southern City, State Preceptor Sha Yin.”
“Okay!”
Big Dummy took the letter and ran off like a madman, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye. His running speed was faster than a thousand-league horse.
* * *
Big Dummy once again stood outside the gates of the Sha Barbarians' Great Southern City.
“Tall Dummy, you coming in?” a female Sha Barbarian on the wall shouted.
“Yep.”
Big Dummy answered loudly. A moment later, the gate opened, and the same female Sha Barbarian warrior from before came out and said.
“Tall Dummy, why don't you stay here? Big Sis will be your bride and give you a baby.”
Big Dummy blushed to the tips of his ears and shook his head.
“No, no. I already have a bride and a baby.”
With that, he ran into the city as if fleeing.
“Where's the old man?”
He still couldn't remember State Preceptor Sha Yin's name. A moment later, the old man appeared.
“Big fella, did Young Master Shen send you with a message?”
State Preceptor Sha Yin's gaze upon Big Dummy was exceptionally kind.
“Yep, here!”
Big Dummy handed over the letter. The moment State Preceptor Sha Yin opened it, his body trembled, and his face showed utter disbelief. This was the letter Prince Jiang had left for Shen Lang outside the gate of the ancient ruins, the one admitting his defeat. State Preceptor Sha Yin read it over and over. Of course, he didn't suspect the letter was a forgery, but the shock was so great that he needed time to process it.
‘Is Young Master Shen this formidable? To be able to retreat from the Great Southern City and still find my lord's absolute weakness? How incredible. He and my lord… could they be the legendary peers of this age?’
State Preceptor Sha Yin was filled with endless admiration. The contest between these two was truly a clash of the highest order.
“Very well. You go back and tell Young Master Shen that I will send this letter to my lord as quickly as possible. Also, convey my words. Tell him I am deeply moved by him.”
Big Dummy tried his best to remember, to memorize it.
“One more time, please. It's too long, I can't remember it well.”
State Preceptor Sha Yin repeated himself once more.
“Okay, I remember now.”
Big Dummy turned and ran. As he ran, he kept repeating State Preceptor Sha Yin's words, afraid he would forget them in an instant. As he ran out of the city gates, the same female Sha Barbarian warrior spoke to him again.
“Tall Dummy, how about staying for just an hour and giving Big Sis a baby?”
Big Dummy thought it would be impolite not to answer, but he couldn't understand what she meant.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Big Sis will sleep with you and make you feel good.”
“No, no. I'm leaving.”
Big Dummy fled, but he felt that something was amiss.
‘Oh no. I think I forgot a few words of what I just memorized.’
But he didn't have the courage to go back into the city. The women here were too frightening. Big Dummy ran straight back to Shen Lang and quickly said.
“The old man said he'll do it. He'll send the letter to his lord at top speed, and he said he's deeply moved by you.”
Shen Lang nodded and said.
“Good, I understand. We are leaving this place!”
As soon as Shen Lang gave the order, the two thousand soldiers of the Nirvana Army began their march north, back to the State of Jiang.