Chapter 00303: The Verdant Treasure Vase
# The Verdant Treasure Vase
Chapter 303
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 303: The Verdant Treasure Vase
“That was before,” Hong Chenglüe said bluntly. “After He Chunhua was appointed Governor of Xia Prefecture, he kept sending grain to the front lines nonstop. Looks like he’s still able to keep it up and keep supplying. Zhao Pan wouldn’t be short on provisions—Lord Nian, how do you plan to fight then?”
Nian Zanli suppressed a bit of anger and met him with a smile. “Then, General Hong, what brilliant plan do you have?”
If it weren’t for Wu Qing delivering the news that Hong Chenglüe had a special method for slaying enemies, dammit, would he have to endure this humiliation?
Of course, there was another subtle reason that both understood but neither could say out loud:
Hong Chenglüe was a bona fide general of the Beijia Kingdom, with meritorious deeds to his name, while Nian Zanli was a recently surrendered general.
Who should be more polite to whom, that was obvious.
Hong Chenglüe glanced at the heavy rain outside the tent. “Stealing rain but not snow, such terrible weather actually provides the best rhythm for an attack.” The sound of rain and the darkness could cover all enemy preparations.
Nian Zanli waited for the next words.
Any sensible commander wouldn’t force a river crossing in such conditions, or the troops might riot.
Sure enough, Hong Chenglüe continued: “What if I could get your troops to cross the river and reach the shore?”
Here it came.
Nian Zanli’s expression turned serious. “Please continue.”
“Twelve years ago, Juan Bao, a disciple of the Qingyang National Master of Beijia, betrayed and defected. He was a foreign spy infiltrating us, but luckily was quickly captured. However, among the treasures he stole, a few have never been recovered—most importantly, a replica of the Cloudwater Treasure Vase from the Qing Palace, also called the Verdant Vase.”
Beijia had four palaces—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—each housing a National Master of exceptional status and待遇.
The other three palaces were straightforward, but the "Spring Palace" sounded somewhat inappropriate with "Spring" (春) before "Palace" (宫); it might easily be misread or corrupted.
Thus, “Qing” (青) was used instead, with the Qing Palace presided over by the Qingyang National Master.
“A replica?” Nian Zanli asked curiously. “Where is the original then?”
“The original is in the hands of ancient immortals. So much time has passed, it’s probably long since vanished,” Hong Chenglüe replied. “The true Cloudwater Treasure Vase could gather water from the three rivers and five lakes. Legend says an immortal used it to end a drought in an entire state.”
“The replica held by the Qing Palace was made in the late ancient era, when the world’s spiritual energy was much more abundant, but immortals were already becoming scarce and fading away. This replica was accidentally made and can only hold half a river’s worth of water. Its effects are far inferior to the original, so it consumes much less spiritual energy. Later generations took great pains to carefully preserve it, passing it down to the present.”
Nian Zanli’s eyes flickered with interest.
Hong Chenglüe wouldn’t have mentioned this treasure without a reason, which meant—
Sure enough, the next moment Hong Chenglüe pulled a soft cloth bundle from his chest and opened it in front of Nian Zanli.
Inside was a gray vase.
Its material made it impossible to tell if it was jade or stone—or perhaps a gray stone zun vessel.
It had a round belly, narrow neck, and large mouth.
The poetic name “Cloudwater Treasure Vase” didn’t seem to match this simple object.
The lid was carved into a gecko; its tail draped over the body, front legs hugged the mouth tightly shut, but the head and nose had horns sprouting.
Four characters were carved onto the vase’s body:
“润山沃野” (Moistening Mountains and Fertile Fields).
Nian Zanli was delighted. “Thank you, General Hong! If we seize Zhao Pan’s territory, the general will be the top merit!”
“No need. I’m just lending you a vase.”
Nian Zanli carefully took the vase to admire it and asked, “Wasn’t this treasure lost? How did it end up in your hands?”
“After I resigned, I passed through Xiling Town. The neighboring county was where the Qingyang National Master’s disciple was captured. I brought my wife in to eat and unexpectedly saw the Verdant Vase in a grocery shop, just sitting on a shelf behind the door.” Hong Chenglüe shook his head, “The treasure was dusty and covered in spiderwebs, very inconspicuous. If I hadn’t seen it back in the Qing Palace, I would have missed it. In the end, I paid fifteen copper coins for it. The shopkeeper looked at me like I was a fool.”
Nian Zanli sighed. “Such a priceless treasure, yet no one recognized its value?”
“Heavy artifacts aren’t for everyone nor usable all the time. Lord Nian, do you sense any magical fluctuations when you hold it?”
Nian Zanli shook his head.
In his hands, it felt no different from ordinary stone or jade.
“Try infusing a little yuan power.”
Nian Zanli obeyed.
As soon as a trace of yuan power was poured in, the gecko on the lid stretched and opened its mouth.
When it opened its mouth, the vase’s opening was open.
Hong Chenglüe grabbed a teacup and poured some water into the vase.
Immediately, the dull gray stone-like exterior faded, revealing a base of white jade like mutton fat. “It also reacts to spiritual power, but with all our combined spiritual power, we can’t awaken it fully.”
Nian Zanli withdrew his yuan power, and within three breaths, the vase returned to its original state.
“To swallow half a river’s water, how do you operate this vase?”
“There are only two kinds of power that can bring this treasure into full effect,” Hong Chenglüe said seriously. “Either massive spiritual power or massive yuan power.”
Otherwise, during the years he struggled in Yuanbei, he would have sold this vase for money long ago.
After resigning, he lost his yuan power and couldn't make the vase change; it looked like a worthless handmade trinket.
As for spiritual power—ha, who in the world still has ‘massive’ spiritual power?
“A fair warning: this treasure could originally only be operated by the National Master. With our ranks and positions, we don’t meet its requirements. To get it running, Lord Nian will have to mobilize massive yuan power from the entire army and pour it into the vase.” Hong Chenglüe had already calculated this. “Even then, how long the Verdant Vase can swallow the river depends on how long the yuan power supply lasts. The Han River is currently swollen with floodwaters, its flow much greater than usual.”
The Han River was now flooded; its flow was an impressive number.
Nian Zanli showed no sign of retreat.
As the supreme commander, even in non-combat status, endless troubles arise in the army.
If there were too many lice, the soldiers would bite.
“General Hong, how long do you think our army could calm the Han River using this vase?” If the army crosses halfway and the vase suddenly fails, with the flood rushing in—that would be a massive joke for this attack.
Zhao Pan on the other side could laugh for years.
“I see your army is neat and disciplined, Lord Nian must have their loyalty,” Hong Chenglüe, a seasoned commander himself, could tell at a glance.
“They’re all old subordinates who have served together for over ten years,” Nian Zanli said.
Having spent years guarding the border, he had shared hardships and sweetness with his troops. “I’m grateful for their trust; it makes leading them easier.”
“There are fifty thousand men here?”
“Forty-six thousand.”
“Then this army’s yuan power could at least sustain... just over a quarter of an hour?” Hong Chenglüe couldn’t give an exact number. “You and I both know, the essence of magical tools is to use human power against nature. Facing such floodwaters, how long your army can hold, I can’t guarantee.”
Although the Verdant Vase was amazing, it was still essentially a medium, allowing the Xunzhou army to use yuan power to resist the flood.
How long it can last depends not just on the vase, but on the strength, morale, faith, and resolve of Nian Zanli’s troops.
“Only a quarter of an hour? That’s too tight,” Nian Zanli pondered. “Besides, this attack is a one-way trip. The Verdant Vase probably can’t be used twice in such quick succession, right?”
“You can pour the water out and swallow more,” Hong Chenglüe pointed out. “The key problem is that by then you won’t have any yuan power left to supply it. Also, as the vase continuously drains all the army’s yuan power during the river crossing, every soldier will feel heavy-hearted, depressed, even wanting to drop their weapons.”
In other words, this sneak attack on the other shore must succeed, or there would be no retreat.
And because the Verdant Vase consumes all yuan power, the Xunzhou troops won’t have yuan power to defend themselves after landing.
If Zhao Pan retaliates quickly...
Nian Zanli fell into thought, then lightly slapped the table. “It’s not impossible. Cut off their retreat, and that’s what will give them the courage to charge forward.”
Advance or die, retreat and surely die—the army will fight with all their might for survival.
Otherwise, a morale-slumped army with an escape path might all break and scatter at once.
Using yuan power was truly a vital art for commanding generals.
“But a quarter of an hour is far from enough.”
Hong Chenglüe had anticipated this problem and pulled out a maple leaf, offering it over. “This is a ‘Word Order’ gift from the Frostleaf National Master. General Nian, if you want to use the Verdant Vase, you could ask the Frostleaf National Master for temporary yuan power support.”
Looking closely, it wasn’t a normal maple leaf but a gold foil talisman.
According to Hong Chenglüe, as long as you write on it and seal it with a bloody handprint, then burn it, the words would be sent in real time to the Frostleaf National Master.
A one-time communication tool.
Nian Zanli was delighted.
Beijia’s yuan power was so vast even he could scarcely imagine.
Now he was commanding the Beijia army.
If the Frostleaf National Master could allocate some yuan power to him, would the army still need to worry about the time limits on crossing the river?
“But I must warn you, General Nian, the Verdant Vase hasn’t been used for a very long time. It’s not an easy treasure—it can sometimes be uncooperative, and it will cause great damage to your personal essence, energy, and spirit when you use it.”
“An ancient treasure, it’s to be expected,” Nian Zanli smiled. “Victory always comes with a price. It won’t suck away my lifeblood or lifespan, right?”
Some wicked treasures were so hard to manage.
Nian Zanli didn’t want to fall into such a trap.
“No, it won’t,” Hong Chenglüe stood up. “Take your time to decide whether to use it. If you’re going to proceed, choose a day with favorable winds.”
Nian Zanli heartily agreed, clapped his hands, and called for someone to lead him to a clean tent to rest.
￥￥￥￥￥
Three days later, the rain grew heavier day by day.
Even in northern Xia Prefecture, such heavy and prolonged rain was rare, a once-in-a-century event.
He Lingchuan woke up, still dark outside.
He realized he had only slept for about an hour.
Probably because the Rock Wolf was gnawing on a beef bone nearby—its chattering noise couldn’t be drowned out even by the rain.
But though his sleep was short this time, He Lingchuan had defeated two challengers in the Dragon Coiling Dream and successfully defended his position.
The Martial Viewing Hall had given him forty days of rest, but every time he entered the dream state, he was at full strength, so he didn’t need the rest and went straight back into action.
The skinny fellow had been right—everyone who came to challenge the champion had their secret skills.
The last challenger was especially agile, too quick to track.
(The End of this chapter)