There Is Wood... Xuanhun

Riding on Chen Kangbao’s back, the two headed toward Kunling Ferry. The mountain path was rugged, winding upward past rocky ledges where wild ferns grew in profusion. Yet Kunling Ferry was far too remote and perilous, so no peasant women ever came here to forage for wild vegetables. Before long, Chen Kangbao—bolstered by his "Blessing" state—flew across the ground with brisk strides, carrying Qi Yuan straight to Kunling Ferry. Kunling Ferry was terrifyingly silent, with only the faint, chirping hum of insects in the grass. "Young Master, it looks like a fierce battle took place here. Was that the commotion from earlier?" Chen Kangbao pondered aloud, gazing with trepidation at the ruins of Kunling Ferry ahead. The entire ferry landing looked as though it had been cleaved in two by a giant’s sword. The mud, swamps, and thickets had suffered catastrophic destruction, and a foul, reeking stench drifted from the distance. "Put on my gas mask and our gear, then carry me in!" Qi Yuan commanded. Right now, he was still thoroughly drained. He wouldn't even be able to win a fight against an ordinary adult. Venturing across a place like Kunling Ferry in this state was practically seeking death. "Understood." Chen Kangbao strapped on a gas mask. Qi Yuan put his on as well. Suddenly, he glanced at Chen Kangbao, a bizarre look crossing his face. "Why does it feel like we’re heading to an orgy?" "And up in the mountains, no less?" Well, back on Blue Star, certain crowds frequently headed into the mountains for raves and wild parties, though whether they wore masks or not, he couldn't say. "What does 'orgy' mean?" Chen Kangbao couldn't help asking. "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. Let’s go—into Kunling Ferry we go for a look." Before coming here, Qi Yuan had prepared numerous props and artifacts. Every single one was self-made. Fully equipped and laden with these artifacts and contraptions, Chen Kangbao trudged forward, carrying Qi Yuan into Kunling Ferry with great effort. Soon, the two stopped before a smear on the ground. Indeed, a smear—a puddle of residue. This mark was all that remained of Elder Black Crow. His physical body had been vaporized by that sword of light, leaving practically nothing behind. A perfectly fine living person had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving scarcely a trace in this world. Witnessing this scene, Qi Yuan felt a pang of genuine sorrow, moved by the sight: "You died such a horrible death! I didn't even get the chance to properly look after your estate! Boohoo!" To have the entire inheritance wiped out filled Qi Yuan with deep grief. He had always been eager to help others. Whenever a white moonlight died, he was more than willing to play the dutiful beast of burden, taking over to look after their estate. He wouldn't let their legacy suffer the slightest mistreatment. Alas, tragedy had struck; the enemy was far too ruthless, leaving behind not a single copper. "Young Master, don't be sad! There’s good stuff over there!" Chen Kangbao pointed not far off to the spot where Winged Serpent had perished. Winged Serpent had been considerably stronger, after all, and possessed plenty of fine treasures. Even in death, some inheritance remained. "What good stuff? Am I that sort of person? I’m simply worried that their posthumous belongings won’t be properly looked after!" Qi Yuan snapped back. Some men killed someone only to covet the widow they left behind. Qi Yuan was different—he coveted their surviving belongings. "Hurry up and take me over to look. It's so hot out today; it’d be awful if they got heatstroke." "Right away!" Chen Kangbao hoisted Qi Yuan and hurried over toward the remains of Winged Serpent. Compared to Black Crow, Winged Serpent had left behind rather more. A gleaming, polished bone. A shard of an Earth-rank artifact. A shattered storage artifact. And a wooden box. The bone was the reverse bone nestled beneath Winged Serpent’s reverse scale, the hardest part of its entire body. When the colossal sword of light struck, its entire form had dissolved, leaving only this fist-sized bone. The fragment of the Earth-rank artifact was already ruined. When Qi Yuan picked it up, he could only treat it as raw material. As for the storage artifact, he held high hopes. "Hopefully there’s some good stuff inside." Yet when Qi Yuan opened the storage artifact, his face fell with disappointment. "Empty? Nothing at all?" Qi Yuan was rendered speechless. "A storage artifact this massive, and you kept nothing inside?" The storage artifact was enormous, easily matching the volume of several large trucks. Yet inside, it was entirely bare. Who knew what Winged Serpent had even carried such a pouch for. "*Sigh*, it’s not a complete loss. A storage artifact of this grade is comparable in value to an Earth-rank artifact—easily worth tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand taels." "You don't need to worry down there in the underworld; I’ll look after your surviving belongings for you." Qi Yuan stowed the storage artifact, his gaze falling upon the final wooden box. The box was made of an unknown material and was only the size of a palm. Beneath that devastating strike, it had miraculously survived completely intact. This filled Qi Yuan with anticipation. "This has got to be a treasure. I’ve struck it rich." [A strange box, handed to you by Guan Zhu, and ultimately conned away by Black Crow.] "Wait... this is my box?" Qi Yuan blinked, utterly astonished. A flood of thoughts rushed through his mind. Fang Shisan of the Radiant Society had plotted to harm the matrilocal son-in-law Qi Yuan precisely because Qi Yuan had given something away to someone else. Now it seemed the son-in-law Qi Yuan really had handed it over—he had given it to Black Crow. "My own belongings..." Rather than feeling the thrill of recovering a lost treasure, Qi Yuan felt as though he had suffered a massive loss. "Winged Serpent traveled thousands of miles, presumably to escort this wooden box. It must be something extraordinary." Back when As My Divine Descent was active, Qi Yuan had already gathered some understanding of Winged Serpent’s and Black Crow’s identities. Holding the wooden box, Qi Yuan opened it with ease, which surprised him quite a bit. After all, for this box to withstand such a terrifying blow without damage, logic dictated that it shouldn't be so easy to open. Inside the box rested a slender wooden plaque, resembling a bookmark. The front of the plaque was carved with intricate patterns, faintly revealing the characters "There Is Wood," while the back bore the characters "Xuanhun." It looked utterly ordinary. "There Is Wood... Xuanhun... What does that mean?" Qi Yuan pondered, unable to make sense of it. [Divine Wood Token: Carved from the Divine Wood. Gather three, and the Divine Wood Abyss may be unlocked.] "A special game item? Collect them all to unlock a dungeon?" Qi Yuan guessed as much. This ought to be a rare treasure. He held the Divine Wood Token, inspecting it closely. Suddenly, an urgent and desolate woman's voice echoed from within the Divine Wood Token. "Flee!" Just a single word, appearing and vanishing in an instant. Qi Yuan blinked. "Who's speaking?" He activated his ability, attempting to converse with the voice he had heard. Unfortunately, the voice seemed like a mere hallucination, completely nonexistent. "Could it have been my imagination?" "Hey, what did you say? Can you say it again? Flee from what?" Qi Yuan muttered to himself for a while, receiving no answer whatsoever. His attention settled back on the Divine Wood Token. He probed his consciousness into the token once more. Abruptly, a string of characters flashed before Qi Yuan's eyes. "Who are you? Flee quickly! Thorn Blood is hunting down the bearers of the Divine Wood Tokens without mercy!" *A chat group?* *QQ?* Seeing this, Qi Yuan felt an instant sense of familiarity. This Divine Wood Token possessed a messaging function. "I am a Cleaver. Were you the one who told me to flee just now? What on earth is this Divine Wood Token? Do you know where the Divine Wood Abyss is? Do you have a Divine Wood Token too?" Qi Yuan fired off a barrage of four questions in one breath. The other party fell silent for a moment, seemingly wary. "You aren't one of Thorn Blood's people?" The person seemed hesitant. If he were from Thorn Blood, he wouldn't need to ask any of this. "Nope." "Then hurry and flee! Thorn Blood is hunting down the bearers of the Divine Wood Tokens everywhere. In the Qingshan Realm, probably only a handful of token bearers are still alive, hiding in fear. Hurry and leave the Qingshan Realm! Thorn Blood’s reach here is far too vast—it isn't safe in the slightest!" The person seemed extremely anxious and somewhat frantic. "Flee where? I'm still playing a game here! I just killed two old men from Thorn Blood and took this token. What is it actually used for? Enlighten me." Qi Yuan began questioning the story NPC. The other party went quiet, seemingly struck with disbelief. "You killed people from Thorn Blood and snatched the Divine Wood Token?" "Yep." "..." "In the Qingshan Realm, there is a forbidden ground known as the Divine Wood Abyss. It is the sole sacred land in the hearts of every implement master. Within the Divine Wood Abyss grows a Divine Wood. Its branches and leaves are the most precious crafting materials under heaven. Many of the legendary divine artifacts of this world were forged from the Divine Wood. Materials from the Divine Wood can even forge something surpassing divine artifacts!" The person sounded utterly fanatical, brimming with longing toward the Divine Wood. "Oh, so it's a gold mine," Qi Yuan said flatly. "Since you are so strong, hurry and leave the Qingshan Realm! Do not let Thorn Blood get their hands on your Divine Wood Token! Otherwise... once they gather three, Thorn Blood will be able to enter the Divine Wood Abyss." "Thorn Blood has boundless ambition. They aren't thinking of harvesting materials from the Divine Wood—they want to transform the Divine Wood into a guiling! Once the Divine Wood becomes a guiling, a terrifying entity surpassing the divine rank will be born, and the entire Qingshan Realm will be reduced to ruin!" "Oh..." Qi Yuan remained calm. To the other person, this might be a world-ending catastrophe. To Qi Yuan, he had heard such tropes far too many times; it didn't stir a single ripple in him. "Does Thorn Blood have a Divine Wood Token too?" Qi Yuan asked. "They do." "Doesn't that mean they can see our conversation?" Qi Yuan asked. Right then, a new message flashed before Qi Yuan’s eyes. "Indeed. I have been watching the entire time... seeing how you plan to oppose me." A Thorn Blood operative chimed in. "..." Ji Wuyun. Qi Yuan was slightly stunned. It felt just like gossiping behind someone's back in a group chat, only to realize the person had been in the chat the whole time. Even so, his skin was thick enough: "Want to cooperate with us and enter the Divine Wood Abyss together?" Qi Yuan extended an invitation without hesitation. These words left Ji Wuyun completely dumbfounded. The Thorn Blood operative also seemed incredulous. "Don't! Thorn Blood’s might is terrifying; they even possess legendary divine-rank weapon wielders! If we cooperate and enter the Divine Wood Abyss, the moment they turn on us, we will certainly die!" Ji Wuyun hurried to dissuade him, desperate with worry. "Brother Cleaver, you’re quite an interesting one. This cooperation... I agree to it," the Thorn Blood operative said. "Minority obeys the majority. How about it, shall we go together?" Qi Yuan invited. Ji Wuyun fell silent, saying nothing more. Evidently, he suspected Qi Yuan was also an operative of Thorn Blood, baiting him into a trap. "Brother Cleaver, if he is unwilling, the two of us can head to the Divine Wood Abyss first. Perhaps by then, another token bearer will arrive, and we’ll still be able to enter," the Thorn Blood operative suggested. "There are less than two years left before the Divine Wood Abyss opens next." "Sounds good. Well... I'd love to go, but I don't have travel expenses. Could you spare some silver for the road?" Qi Yuan wanted to freeload. The Thorn Blood operative paused slightly, then replied, "Where are you right now?" "Don't you already know?" Qi Yuan smiled. Elder Winged Serpent had died right here; it wouldn't be long before Thorn Blood caught wind of the news. "Very well. Brother Cleaver, wait a moment while I check our roster of Thorn Blood members. When the time comes, take the secret order and seek them out. As long as you give the secret order, they will hand over all their savings and silver to you," the Thorn Blood operative stated casually. Evidently, he couldn't care less about the lives of those members. Or rather, he was far more interested in the Divine Wood Token on Qi Yuan’s person. "Awesome, travel funds acquired!" Qi Yuan was delighted. "One last question: does Thorn Blood have many old men and old ladies who don't like taking baths?" "Why does Brother Cleaver ask this?" "I'm running short on high-quality white moonlights, *sigh*," Qi Yuan lamented. "Brother Cleaver must be joking." The other party went quiet after that. The group became utterly silent, with no one responding to Qi Yuan’s remarks. Qi Yuan was rendered speechless. "Whoever doesn't talk is a puppy!" Back in the Tiankun Curious Land, he had engaged in a prolonged slanging match with that Holy Light Clan member; Qi Yuan’s trash-talking skills were now formidable enough to shatter anyone’s composure. "Stop lurking! I know an old man whose urine is super yellow—he's about to spray!" With that, Qi Yuan turned to look at Chen Kangbao. Just then, a cry of dismay rang out. "*Wuwu*... This old servant..." The old fellow Chen Kangbao was hunched over, taking a massive bite out of the bone left behind by Winged Serpent. *Crack!* It wasn't the sound of the bone snapping—it was the sound of teeth shattering. Qi Yuan looked over and saw Chen Kangbao’s lips clamped tight, bruise-black and dark as if he had just devoured hundreds of mulberries. "Young Master... I've been poisoned!" Chen Kangbao couldn't open his mouth at all, able to make sounds only through his throat like a croaking toad. His face was a picture of sheer terror, frightened out of his wits. "You really will eat anything. What are you, the Desolate Heavenly Emperor?" Qi Yuan stared at Chen Kangbao speechlessly. "Don't worry, this poison won't kill you. It's just that your mouth... will be numb for seven or eight days, unable to open or speak, that's all." "Noooo!" Chen Kangbao looked utterly wretched. If that was the case, how was he supposed to eat?! Grandpa's tummy was hungry! "Hurry up and carry me back. If Thorn Blood’s reinforcements show up, we won't be able to get away!" Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to waste words with Chen Kangbao. The top priority right now was getting out of harm's way. His strength had yet to recover, so he needed to lie low in the Shen Manor first. Only once his power returned would he dare to gallivant around. *** One day later. Qi Yuan sat before a pile of artifact-crafting materials, his expression conflicted. "My body is so weak that even my crafting is nowhere near what it used to be. Old man, hurry over and help me temper these materials," Qi Yuan called out to Chen Kangbao. "Young Master, wait a moment! This old servant is eating—almost done!" Before Chen Kangbao sat several bowls of porridge and a few large meat buns on the table. Two straws were shoved into his nostrils, and he was inhaling fiercely through his nose. Cold porridge and meat-bun filling flowed up through the straws into his nose, sliding down his esophagus and into his throat. Indeed, with his mouth poisoned and clamped shut, he was eating through his nose. *(Purely fictional—do not attempt!)* Eating through one's nose was terribly inefficient, however, and Chen Kangbao was a gluttonous old man, spending more than half his day just trying to eat. "Do you want me to chisel two more holes into your face?" Qi Yuan groaned. Just then, a message arrived in the silent chat. "Brother Cleaver, in the State of Ning, we don't have many members of Thorn Blood—three hundred and seventy-two in total. Here is their personal information and the secret order. Use this information to find them and speak the secret order; they will hand over all the silver on their person to you," the Thorn Blood operative posted. "Much obliged," Qi Yuan replied with a laugh. At this point, the lurking Ji Wuyun finally resurfaced, posting several question marks. "???" "Aren't you afraid he'll slaughter your Thorn Blood members and steal their silver?" "Death is merely another destination. In several decades, or several centuries, their corpses will become a guiling," the Thorn Blood operative replied. Reading this, Ji Wuyun could only conclude that both of these individuals were lunatics whose thought processes were utterly beyond comprehension. "Thanks a bunch. I'll go check who’s closest to me right now—I'm off to borrow some silver," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.