The air in the mountains and woods abruptly froze. Even the chirping of insects and birds cut off mid-note. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the iron box held in the burly guard's hands. It was only about the size of a palm, pitch-black all over, its surface covered in strange, dark-red patterns that glinted with the cold sheen of metal in the sunlight.
Young master! We found it!
The guard dropped to one knee and raised the iron box over his head. The veins stood out on his thick arms; clearly, the box was heavier than it looked. Stranger still, the air around it seemed to warp, as if an invisible chill were spreading outward.
Sun Yu's eyes blazed. He strode forward and snatched the box away. The instant his fingers touched the lid, a thin layer of white frost formed over them. With a soft click, he slowly lifted the lid—
Hiss...
The few constables nearest to it drew in sharp breaths as one and instinctively retreated several steps. Inside the box lay a pitch-black ginseng root, its surface covered in fine silver-white lines that pulsed faintly like a living thing. Most horrifying of all was the indistinct human face at its root: hollow eye sockets and a twisted mouth, as though silently screaming.
The Nine Nether Spirit Ginseng! It really is the Nine Nether Spirit Ginseng! Sun Yu's voice trembled with excitement, and a nearly crazed greed glittered in his eyes.
Ye Yun stood at the edge of the crowd, his pupils contracting sharply. The spirit ginseng looked exactly as described in the Ye Family's ancient Records of Strange Objects. It grew only in places of extreme yin and took in the resentment of nine hundred and ninety-nine people who had died unjustly before it could take shape. The silver lines on its body were the very embodiment of that resentment.
Where did you find it? Sun Yu barked, his fingers tightening without thinking. The iron box groaned in his grip, its edges dented by the force of his fingers.
In reply, young master: beneath a fresh mound of earth thirty paces behind the bandits' hideout. The guard answered respectfully. It wasn't buried deep, and there was a bluestone on top as a marker.
A flicker of suspicion crossed Sun Yu's eyes. Take me there!
The group made their way behind the bandits' hideout. Seven or eight pits of varying depths were scattered about, clearly dug and searched over and over. The guard pointed to an inconspicuous little pit. The earth around its edge was still fresh, and beside it lay a moss-covered bluestone, tipped on its side. Beneath the stone was half a broken hemp rope, its end stained with blood that had already blackened.
Interesting... Sun Yu crouched and brushed the dirt with his fingertips. Then he gave a sudden cold laugh. Someone packed this soil down with Essence Qi. No wonder you didn't find anything suspicious when you searched earlier.
Ye Yun's heart gave a jolt. Packing down soil with Essence Qi was a feat reserved for at least an 8th Rank martial artist. It seemed there was someone formidable hiding among this group.
Keep searching! Sun Yu sprang to his feet, his black robe stirring despite the windless air. That Big Shot had two treasures stolen from him, both kept in boxes like this one. The Nine Nether Spirit Ginseng is only one of them. There's another...
His gaze swept over everyone like a hawk's. Whoever finds it will receive a thousand taels of gold!
The constables erupted at his words. A thousand taels of gold could keep an ordinary family in silks and fine foods for the rest of their lives. They scattered at once, expanding their search from the bandits' hideout to the entire stretch of woods.
Ye Yun deliberately fell behind, occasionally glancing toward the spot where he had found the bronze plaque. That mound was no more than a hundred paces away, but the thick covering of fallen leaves had hidden it from view.
Brother Ye... Yan Xiao Liu came up beside him, lowering his voice. That ginseng looked downright sinister. I was close to it just now, and I thought I heard it... heard it crying.
Ye Yun was about to reply when he suddenly felt the bronze plaque in his arms grow warm. He pretended to bend down to tie his shoe and quietly took it out to look. The eye symbol on its face glowed with a faint bloody light, and its pupil pointed straight southeast!
Sixth, go have a look over there. Ye Yun casually pointed in the opposite direction, then headed toward the spot indicated by the plaque.
With every step, the plaque grew hotter. By the time Ye Yun stopped beneath a crooked Old Locust Tree, it was almost too hot to hold. He crouched and swept aside the thick layer of fallen leaves, revealing soft earth underneath—
There's a reaction here!
A sudden shout came from not far away. Ye Yun's heart jolted, and he swiftly hid the plaque in his sleeve. A young constable stood beside the mound he had found earlier, the wooden token in his hand glowing with an eerie red light.
Sun Yu flashed over like a ghost and snatched the token away. Seeing its fierce red glow, he began breathing noticeably faster.
Everyone, stand aside!
Sun Yu shoved the others roughly out of the way and crouched down to brush aside the leaves himself. As he swept away the soil bit by bit, an iron box just like the first gradually emerged. The difference was that the patterns on this one were golden, shimmering with an unusual halo in the sunlight.
The moment the lid was lifted, a gentle column of milky-white light shot into the sky, illuminating a radius of ten zhang as bright as day. Countless tiny golden runes swam through the light like fish, forming one mysterious pattern after another before vanishing in an instant.
The Thought Spirit Pearl... Sun Yu's voice was almost a moan, his greed nearly tangible. It really is the Thought Spirit Pearl...
A precious pearl the size of a pigeon's egg lay quietly in the box, its surface as clear as crystal, with what looked like swirling nebulae inside. More miraculously, when light shone on it, fine golden lines appeared across its surface, forming tiny arrays that gave off a calming aura.
At the back of the crowd, Ye Yun's heart churned like a storm-tossed sea. The Thought Spirit Pearl was a hundred times more precious than the Nine Nether Spirit Ginseng! According to the Records of Strange Objects, only when a Technique Cultivator with spiritual power at the Divine Wandering in the Void realm passed away did they have a one-in-ten-thousand chance of forming such a treasure. Its wearer would not only see their spiritual power surge but also attain the wondrous state of gaining insight in a single thought. To a Technique Cultivator, it was a priceless treasure.
Young master, both treasures have been found. Should we... The thin guard asked quietly, a concealed yearning flashing in his eyes.
Sun Yu snapped the lid shut. His greed vanished at once, replaced by his usual haughty air. Everyone, listen! If anyone dares breathe a word about what you saw or heard today... His cold gaze swept across every face. I'll wipe out your entire clans!
The constables were too frightened to breathe. They lowered their heads and agreed in a flurry. Ye Yun lowered his head too, pretending to be terrified, while his mind raced. Either of these two priceless treasures could stir up a storm of bloodshed. Why had they appeared among a band of bandits? Who exactly was that mysterious Big Shot? And what did he have to do with the destruction of the Ye Family?
Fall in! Sun Yu barked, personally tucking both iron boxes close to his body. Before leaving, he gave Chen Qingzhou a meaningful look. Captain Chen, about what happened today...
Chen Qingzhou suppressed his pain and cupped his fists. Rest assured, young master Sun. None of us knows anything.
Sun Yu nodded in satisfaction, mounted his horse with the two guards, and rode off in a cloud of dust.
Once the sound of hoofbeats faded, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yan Xiao Liu dropped onto the ground and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. My goodness, we finally got rid of that walking calamity...
Silence! Chen Qingzhou suddenly shouted, his expression unusually stern. If anyone dares say a word about what happened today, don't blame me, Chen, for turning against you!
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