Back then, Fu Danwei had upheld justice and roamed as a hero, and he had once dealt with the Demon Palace.
The Demon Palace stood foremost among the Thirteen Devil Halls of the devil sect. Under it were the five altars of Profound Heart, Baleful Demon, Nimo, Origin Fire, and Mystic Illusion, whose altar masters were all Golden Core Realm cultivators.
"The means of luring out heart demons came from the Profound Heart Altar, didn't it? Hmph. Taking advantage of the old man's surging devilish thoughts, they nearly caught me in their trap."
A clear breeze surged from within his body, silently winding around the waters of Coiling Dragon Island and spying the devil cultivators hidden in the shadows.
At the same time, he discovered that Fu Liuhui was not on the island.
"That girl really ran off? Could Heng Hua have deliberately taken her away?"
Fu Liuhui's departure from the island instead set Fu Danwei's mind at ease.
But Zhang Qiulan and his other three granddaughters were still on the island, and Fu Danwei began to ponder.
"Tomorrow, I'll send them to the Yin Family first. Only without worries behind me can this old man properly contend with the Demon Palace."
Suddenly, a wisp of starlight quietly entered the island.
Fu Danwei looked toward the entrance of the main hall and asked in surprise,
"Weren't you in seclusion? Why have you come out now?"
The starlight gathered, and Fu Beidou appeared.
"Great-Uncle divined that Coiling Dragon Island would face a calamity, so he sent me here to help."
The Fu Family's First Elder was renowned throughout Yanlong for the Heto Calculation Canon.
Fu Danwei glanced at the extinguished bright candle and thought, Good thing this old man hid it away already. Otherwise, if my nephew saw me trapped by a heart demon, I'd lose every shred of my old face.
"You came at just the right time. Tomorrow, send several girls to the Yin Family. This old man will have a proper contest with those devil brats."
A sharp glint flashed through Fu Danwei's eyes.
"After living like a snail in its shell for thirty years, do they all think this old man is about to die and can no longer fight?"
Sensing that fleeting pressure, Fu Beidou said softly, "Uncle, rest assured. I came precisely for this matter. You need only remain seated in Coiling Dragon Pavilion, and I will handle it."
"No need. You need not act. Take care of the children. This old man will take on everything else alone."
Upon realizing that heavenly demons were attacking, Fu Danwei directly suppressed that trace of evil intent in his heart.
His grudge against the Demon Palace ran deep.
Back when the Demon Palace Master had been entangled by several Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, he had slaughtered one-third of the Demon Palace's disciples alone with a single sword.
Seeing that Fu Beidou still wanted to speak, Fu Danwei waved his hand.
"Don't worry. This old man used Hetu Luoshu's secret art to calculate it. I still have ten years of lifespan left. Before then, I won't die."
Fu Beidou knew his temperament and did not try to persuade him further, instead bringing up another matter.
"When I came ashore just now, I did not sense Heyi's aura. Has he left?"
At that, Fu Danwei glanced behind the main hall and silently cast a spell to divine the answer.
Fu Henghua took on another two transactions.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat as he sensed someone divining him.
Leaving Xiaoyu in his place, Fu Henghua hurried back into his room and pulled a finely crafted redwood lacquer box from his book chest.
Inside were three coins cast from red copper. They were round coins with square holes, each two inches and four fen in diameter, engraved with the four seal-script characters: "Qianyuan Wuji."
Heng Hua muttered an incantation and used the Nine Mysterious Heavenly One Divination Art to divine.
When he saw the result, Heng Hua's expression changed drastically.
"Grandfather has discovered what happened to Nineteenth Uncle?"
Not daring to delay, Heng Hua immediately cast another divination.
"Fortunately, there is no disaster. For now, there is nothing to worry about. Grandfather does not intend to come out and look for me."
Still uneasy, Heng Hua cast several more divinations. Only after none foretold misfortune did he finally relax.
"Heyi has left."
Fu Danwei calculated the chain of events, yet pretended ignorance. Before Fu Beidou, he summoned Deng Lan and questioned her.
Because of Fu Liuhui's arrangements, everyone on Coiling Dragon Island knew that Nineteenth Master had hurriedly left the island to cultivate after breaking through in his cultivation.
After hearing Deng Lan's reply, Fu Beidou did not think much of it.
"I did not see him on my way here. He must have taken a different route. It matters little. We should first tend to Coiling Dragon Island's affairs. Still, without him presiding over them, the island's formations may prove inconvenient."
"It is no matter. Over these thirty years, Coiling Dragon Island's formations have already been repaired. Even if a host of devils comes attacking, there is nothing to fear."
Fu Danwei knew Fu Beidou was not skilled in divination, so he fooled him regarding his grandchildren.
After Fu Beidou went down to rest, Fu Danwei's face darkened as he continued divining Fu Heyi.
"That brat Heyi fell into that bastard's hands. He is unconscious now, but there is no serious danger. That boy will naturally find a way to make amends and let him vent his anger.
"As for little Liuhui, she does not know the roads at all on her first trip from home. Even with Huang Qiong... Hm? This girl has some fortuitous destiny."
Wei Lingzheng and the other four flew through the night. After suffering several attacks from water demons, they finally found the Wei Family members.
The reef island was strewn with wreckage from treasure ships, while several Wei Family cultivators lay on the ground. Their heads were smooth and bare, gleaming under the moonlight.
"What happened to you?"
Wei Lingzheng was greatly startled and hurried forward to ask.
One man finally caught his breath and said through gritted teeth, "A Spirit-Energy Treasure Vortex emerged. Who would have thought it would draw Fu Family people here? That girl, with one person and one sword, not only destroyed our ship, she even... even our hair..."
Seeing the fallen hair scattered all over the ground, Wei Lingzheng's face filled with sympathy.
Then he came to his senses. "The Fu Family again? Wait, a girl? Does this generation of the Fu Family have an outstanding woman?"
Fu Liuhui sat within the Jade Dragonfly Vessel, examining a golden egg in her hand.
"What kind of egg is this?"
The girl tapped it a few times. A crisp and pleasing sound rang out like heavenly music.
Mysterious, profound patterns emerged across the surface of the golden egg.
After thinking for a long while, Fu Liuhui still could not recall the egg's origins.
"What a pity Sixth Brother isn't here. Otherwise, I could ask him."
She had been resting on a reef island when she suddenly saw treasure light shooting into the heavens in the distance, so she rushed there with Huang Qiong.
An Immovable Reef had risen from within a Spirit-Energy Treasure Vortex, and the Wei Family had already arrived.
Thus, Fu Liuhui fought the Wei Family. Not only did she smash their treasure ship, she also took away the heavenly materials and earthly treasures from the Immovable Reef.
But she had shown mercy, merely kicking them onto the reef island and leaving them alive.
After studying it for a while, Fu Liuhui suddenly had an idea.
"This egg is brimming with spirit energy. If I eat it, it can increase my cultivation by at least a hundred years."
Fu Liuhui acted decisively and directly set up a large pot to boil the egg.
Heng Hua came out of his room and continued appraising treasures for everyone.
"Fellow Daoist—"
Seeing the others making transactions in twos and threes, the cultivator who had set up a stall of strange and bizarre objects could no longer sit still.
Several times, other cultivators passed by and stared at those items of unknown origin, studying them without daring to step forward.
Everyone wanted to stumble upon immortal fate, but who knew what those things were for?
That egg might have belonged to a phoenix or Vermilion Bird, or it might have been laid by some fish demon in the water.
The seller wanted a high price, but why would the buyers be willing to play the fool and pay for it?
In the end, he brought over the three items at hand. "Fellow Daoist, could you help appraise these?"
Heng Hua stared at the black object the seller had placed down, the red-and-white egg, and a shattered jade seal.
"One Bright Moon Pearl for each appraisal."
Then Heng Hua reached out and took the egg.
He had not examined it carefully from afar just now.
Now that he held it in his hand and studied it repeatedly, he finally saw some clues.
Could it actually be that thing? No way. Look more closely. This thing has quite a few similar relatives; don't mistake it.
He held the egg and inspected it for a quarter of an hour before slowly exhaling. It was indeed that thing!
"This is a Nine-Radiance Ghost Serpent egg. You might as well boil it in a pot and eat it. My family's spirit vessel happens to have cooking utensils, which I can lend you for free."
"A Ghost Serpent egg?"
The burly man looked utterly bewildered. "Th-this... what is it?"
Nie Xing, listening nearby, could not help laughing. "Nine-Radiance Serpent? Fellow Daoist, count me in when you boil that egg. I can pay for a diner's seat and have a taste."
"E-eat the egg? Wait, can't this thing be hatched?"
"The Nine-Radiance Ghost Serpent is a demon serpent with excellent combat strength. If raised from childhood as a spirit pet, it can provide the fighting strength of the Foundation Establishment Realm. However—" Heng Hua shook his head and pushed the egg back.
Liu Xu cut in, "This demon serpent's hatching method is extremely strange. One must blood-sacrifice a spirit turtle, place the serpent egg within its shell to incubate, and finally use the blood of the Ghost Serpent's parents to awaken it. Now that you have obtained this egg, leaving aside finding a spirit turtle to serve as its warm bed, how will you hatch it without the blood of its parents? If it cannot be hatched, what use does it have besides eating it?"
Heng Hua lowered his head to inspect the black object, and the fishy stench of waterweed rushed at his face.
"The Nine-Radiance Ghost Serpent lays dozens of eggs each time. Some eggs happen to fall into cultivators' hands. Since no one could work out how to hatch them, they began boiling them as food. Everyone then discovered that they tasted quite good. Some say they resemble Black Tortoise meat."
Liu Xu smacked his lips and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "I once heard a Martial Uncle say that these eggs are best simply boiled. Then make stock with a Five-Colored Pheasant and slowly simmer it over low heat. Finally, sprinkle some mountain pepper on top before taking it from the pot. That gives the best flavor."
Mei Zhongtian raised his head from the side. "Are they really that delicious?"
Xin Mao was tempted as well. "The egg is quite large. If we all share it..."
Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the Jade Dragonfly Vessel.
Fu Liuhui stared at the bubbling soup in the pot.
Huang Qiong stood to one side, curiously pecking at it with its beak.
The girl hurriedly stopped it. "Don't touch it randomly. Once it's cooked, we'll split it half and half."
Watching the steaming vapor rise from the pot, Fu Liuhui was brimming with excitement.
With this egg, she could make up for her lack of cultivation.
Then, even against cultivators of a higher level, she would have the power to fight with one sword.
Crack—
Suddenly, a fissure appeared on the egg, and something inside seemed to stir.
Facing the burly man, Heng Hua kindly said, "I know you surely want to raise a qilin or phoenix from this egg. But how can the immortal fate of such divine beings be forced? Though the Ghost Serpent has some connection to the Black Tortoise, it is still not a divine creature."
Liu Xu agreed. "Since the Tianyi Calendar began, over fifteen hundred years have passed. Only two people in total have found and hatched divine beasts or immortal birds. Such fortune and opportunity are far too elusive."
Seeing the people nearby waiting eagerly to eat, the burly man decisively put away the serpent egg.
He refused to believe that the egg could only be used as food.
The burly man pointed roughly at the other two items. "Fellow Daoist, have you identified these two things?"
Heng Hua stared at the black substance tangled in waterweed. After studying it for a long while, he still could not make out what it was.
"This thing..."
As he hesitated, Nie Xing and the others nearby gathered around.
Everyone had already witnessed Heng Hua's appraisal skill. He had merely touched and looked at all those gold essences of differing properties, then explained them as though reciting treasures from his own home.
But now—could this truly be some divine object whose treasure light had hidden itself?
Nie Xing secretly considered, If Fellow Daoist Heng Hua cannot identify it, I can spend twenty or thirty Bright Moon Pearls to buy it. What if it proves useful?
Xiang Feng sat atop the boat, rubbing his chin as he stared toward the bow.
He was considering it as well. Could our luck be so good this time that we have directly stumbled upon great fortune and encountered some treasure? How much should I spend to help buy it later?
Seeing everyone around him gather closer, the burly man secretly grew wary. What if these people murder for treasure and try to snatch my treasure away... No, I need to prepare first. Later, I must quickly seize it back and flee for my life.
Supplement:
Canglan Travelogue: The Nine-Radiance Ghost Serpent was born in response to Star Spirit and was suspected to be capable of evolving into a Black Tortoise. Yet this kind of water serpent reproduced with difficulty. Its eggs had to be hidden within a turtle shell, then enlightened with the vital essence of blood relatives.
I once obtained a serpent egg in Flame Waters and cooked it with spirit grass and Heluo Fish. The broth tasted like dragon-bone soup, fresh and sweet with a lingering aftertaste. After peeling the shell and eating it, the egg white was refreshing while the yolk left a sweet finish, close to Black Tortoise meat. Thus, I speculate that the ancient immortals' claim that Ghost Serpents could evolve into Black Tortoises was not empty talk.
Before you continue