Chapter 59: Mystic Yin Flag

Following the natural cave system, they encountered no dangers, not even insects or moss.

Clearly caused by the Mother of Grievance’s resentment spreading unchecked.

Fortunately, traces remained, and with Da Bao’s senses, they easily found the source.

“It’s this one.” Guo Ming reached out and pulled out a crumpled bundle of cloth.

Buried underground for so long, it was covered in stains.

When Chu Danqing took hold of it, a chill surged through him—like a blast of air-conditioning on a sweltering summer day.

Not a biting cold, but a comfortable, cool sensation.

[Mystic Yin Flag]

[Type: Equipment · Flag]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Mystic Yin Nourishing Qi (Passive): All allied targets within one hundred meters recover one energy point per turn.]

[Equipment Requirement: Spirit 5]

“This is a Mystic Yin Flag.”

“Pity its quality has plummeted—its power is now less than one percent of what it once was.”

“And it’s missing its paired Mystic Yang Flag,” Guo Ming added with regret.

Though he had not entered the Dao, his eye for things was sharp enough to see the Mystic Yin Flag was ruined.

“Had I not helped the Mother of Grievance before, this flag’s quality might still have been much higher,” Guo Ming said, his voice tinged with shame.

If he hadn’t forced Chu Danqing into the fire to pacify the Mother of Grievance, its quality wouldn’t have degraded.

“No need to worry—I think it’s fine,” Chu Danqing replied, unbothered; though limited in range, the recovery effect was valuable.

For an Excellent-grade item, this effect was already excellent.

After equipping it, he remembered something: “You said the other Mystic Yang Flag might be with the One-Horned River Dragon.”

They hadn’t learned the location of the Human Lord Dao Master, but he knew where the One-Horned River Dragon was.

“That’s unlikely,” Guo Ming shook his head. “Though the Mystic Yin and Mystic Yang flags aren’t top-tier artifacts, they’re almost always used as a pair.”

“The Human Lord Dao Master used the Mystic Yin Flag to nurture the Mother of Grievance as food for the Zhanji Tiger was merely coincidence.”

“Combined with the flag’s long burial deep in the well’s cavern, accumulating Yin energy over centuries, this transformation occurred.”

“Ordinary Mystic Yin Flags are typically used to gather Yin energy.”

“The one in Chu Brother’s hands, soaked in the Human Lord Dao Master’s and the Mother of Grievance’s resentment, is no longer the original Mystic Yin Flag.”

“From what I observe, it can now spontaneously exhale and absorb Yin energy to nourish its power.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Danqing immediately abandoned the idea of going to Xishui to retrieve the Mystic Yang Flag.

If they truly were a pair, he wouldn’t have passed it up—but according to Guo Ming, his Mystic Yin Flag had mutated.

Otherwise, a traditional Mystic Yin Flag would likely be a set item, and its effect wouldn’t be a passive boost to energy recovery within range.

“That’s truly a pity,” Chu Danqing said, then searched the underground cavern again with Da Bao and Guo Ming.

After a thorough search, they found nothing and left the well to return to the surface.

He glanced at the sky—it was still before noon, so he thought of descending the mountain.

“I’m heading back to Yangxian County. What about you?” Chu Danqing asked, then added: “Come stay temporarily at the Lu residence with me.”

“You’re alone now, and the snow shows no sign of stopping—it’s unsafe for you to leave alone.”

“I’ll use my connection with the Lu family to contact your family.”

Guo Ming naturally didn’t refuse Chu Danqing’s kindness: “Then I’m in your debt, Chu Brother—I have nowhere else to go.”

He hadn’t entered the Dao, had no cultivation energy; the danger wasn’t just the snow, but also the refugees.

In the desolate wilderness, one must fear wolves, tigers, and leopards; in the city, even his clothing alone would draw envy.

With low productivity, cotton-padded robes and fur coats were rare—even woven fabric was hard to come by.

Not to mention far-off examples: even Lu Xun’s Ah Q could pawn his cotton robe for cash.

Guo Ming walking alone in such fine attire? He’d likely be knocked unconscious around the next corner.

The three descended the mountain together. Along the way, Chu Danqing said: “I just thought of something.”

“The Three Corpses in the Zhanji Tiger’s body were the son of the Human Lord Dao Master—I’ve killed him.”

“Can you handle it?”

Guo Ming’s face twisted into a bitter smile at the question: “What merit do I have to handle it?”

“I suppose the Human Lord Dao Master is in Yangxian County.”

Chu Danqing shook his head: “I don’t know.”

How could he possibly have contact with the Human Lord Dao Master?

“If you can’t handle it, I won’t go into the city,” Chu Danqing proposed a solution: “I’ll have Da Bao take you to the Lu family.”

“The Lu family won’t abandon you just because I’m not dead yet—if all else fails, seek help from the Lu family’s eldest daughter.”

“On my account, she’ll surely help you,” Chu Danqing said. “I’ll find a place to hide my identity.”

Hearing this, Guo Ming fell silent for a moment.

After roughly ten seconds, he replied: “My reputation alone can’t handle it—but my father still holds some influence in the court.”

“As long as I’m here, the Human Lord Dao Master won’t dare touch either of us.”

Upon hearing Chu Danqing’s last two sentences, Guo Ming resolved to confront the Human Lord Dao Master head-on.

His earlier silence hadn’t been about whether to act—it was about how to leverage his greatest advantage.

“Let’s be clear—I’m from the countryside. I don’t know your background,” Chu Danqing smoothly covered his ignorance: “So the Human Lord Dao Master must know who you are.”

“Otherwise, if you follow me and get caught in the crossfire, you’d be better off leaving quickly.”

“I’ve met the Human Lord Dao Master several times—he recognizes me,” Guo Ming’s words eased Chu Danqing’s tension.

“Good,” Chu Danqing clapped Guo Ming on the shoulder like a true brother.

He hadn’t placed all his hopes on Guo Ming—his return eligibility gave him a safety net, which allowed him to pursue fortune through risk.

Otherwise, he would’ve fled long ago.

Doing what is clearly hopeless does not include dying at the hands of the Human Lord Dao Master.

“Chu Brother, doesn’t this strike you as strange?” Guo Ming changed the subject: “Why is there a Mystic Yin Flag at the bottom of the well in Nanshan Temple?”

Chu Danqing didn’t pause his descent, offering his view: “Most likely a historical relic.”

“It can’t be that someone is secretly manipulating this whole affair, can it?”

Here, he himself felt less certain—not because of anything else, but because too many coincidences ceased to feel like coincidences.

“Eight or nine out of ten,” Guo Ming offered a different view: “The Lord of the Taiping Dao was made state advisor, and is seen in court as a thorn in the flesh.”

“This scheme is likely not aimed at the son of the Human Lord Dao Master—but at the Human Lord Dao Master himself.”

“Using this incident to spark a new wave of suppression against the Lord of the Taiping Dao.”

After hearing this, Chu Danqing no longer cared—as long as it wasn’t about overthrowing Yangxian County or sacrificing civilians, it was fine.

Like the case of Yang Naishu and Little Cabbage, seemingly a wrongful conviction overturned, but in truth, merely the spark of a purge.

The method is to break the whole by striking a single point.

(End of Chapter)