Chapter 271: Two Hundred and Eighty-One: The Unknown Cauldron Sword and Auspicious Omen Are Forged

Two Hundred and Eighty-One: The Unknown Cauldron Sword and Auspicious Omen Are Forged

The craftsman said, "Your complexion doesn't look good, Young Master."

After a pause, Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned back and asked seriously, "You didn't invite me to drink tea at Yunshui Pavilion?"

"......" Li Fu's face turned away.

"Don't joke, Young Master," he rubbed his deeply shadowed eyes and smiled bitterly, "I'm praying for my grandmother's blessings—couldn't sleep well last night."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong gave him a strange look: "You're actually praying for her sincerely?"

Li Fu scratched his head: "My father stays day and night at the Pagoda praying. As his son, I can't just hide away eating well and drinking well—I have to stand by him."

At this, the bearded young man's face grew worried, his complexion pale:

"My father is exhausted too. The deadline for reporting the auspicious omen set by Magistrate Ouyang Lianghan draws nearer, and lately he's been restless—I must stay by his side." Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled slightly:

"Your father has no choice. Fine then, but don't let your uncle collapse before your father does—you falling ill won't help. No one cares if you're sick."

"Insomnia from vexation? Try the Zao Ren Decoction. Give it a shot." Li Fu blinked in surprise: "Young Master, you know medicine?"

"Lately I've flipped through a few medical texts and learned a bit. One can't just..."

The young county magistrate spoke coolly:

"Don't you even know what injury or illness you've got? You just follow others' advice?"

With that, Magistrate Ouyang Rong and Li Fu parted as usual before the Pagoda. The early morning sun, golden and bright, shone upon the newly built, solemn Pagoda before them.

A hundred-foot tower, eaves jutting like bird beaks, gilded and brilliant, countless glazed tiles glimmering fiercely.

Li Fu entered the Pagoda, where faint solemn chanting echoed, to find Li Su Xian and Master Venerable Shan Dao and begin the day's prayers.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, familiar with the path, circled past the Pagoda and stopped before a familiar well opening behind it, hands behind his back.

He glanced down at the ancient well beneath the palace, then turned to look at the newly completed golden Pagoda, muttering softly:

"Was it built a bit off? Didn't the original Lotus Pagoda stand right above this underground entrance?"

"But if we'd rebuilt it exactly on the old site, it'd block the sun—down below would be pitch black. How can the Master get no sunlight? That won't do..."

"My Pagoda? Fully human-centered care. One small step off, a great leap in merit."

"So, little wooden fish, give me more merit, will you?" Magistrate Ouyang Rong smiled.

He was satisfied with this strictly reconstructed Pagoda—the largest in Jiang Nan, built to the scale of the original Lotus Pagoda.

These past days, aside from essential county office duties, Magistrate Ouyang Rong had spent most of his time at Donglin Temple, overseeing the Pagoda's construction from nothing to rising stone.

He'd watched it grow from the ground up.

The new Pagoda's construction was remarkably fast.

Thanks to the tailwind from the large-scale water channel and dock projects in Longcheng County earlier this year.

The town below had no shortage of skilled craftsmen and strong laborers; as long as the Su family's silver was delivered, the Pagoda's scale and speed posed no problem.

As for the Buddha statues and memorial plaques inside the Pagoda, they naturally bore the Empress's self-bestowed titles and Buddhist honors.

The central Buddha's face was carved to resemble the Empress's imperial visage.

It was entirely a private custom, made to her exact template.

The only thing bothering someone in his heart was that the Empress's titles and honors were too numerous and too long.

To outsiders, it might seem the Pagoda housed many deities—but luckily, the new Pagoda was large enough to hold them all.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong tugged at his lips slightly.

Though this was a Buddhist sacred ground, the interior decorations were extravagantly lavish.

As Li Su Xian sighed, "Mother would surely love it."

Now, the newly erected, towering Pagoda had become Donglin Temple's new landmark.

Master Venerable Shan Dao, in his dreams at night, grinned so wide his mouth twisted.

But Wei Mei, the woman in charge of accounts and silver down the mountain, couldn't hide a pained expression.

Yet before Magistrate Ouyang Rong, she showed none of it—who knew the sighs and groans she uttered behind closed doors?

As for Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang, they weren't household managers and weren't sensitive to money. The father and son deeply trusted the young strategist who had endured countless hardships to join them, treating him with the respect of a teacher and obeying his every word.

As for the young Xie Xiao Niangzi Li, who also managed accounts, she was surprisingly calm, silently cooperating with Magistrate Ouyang Rong's actions without a single complaint or sign of distress.

At the Su family's Lu Ming Street mansion, people came and went daily, carrying away boxes filled with treasures and calligraphy.

It was the young Xie Xiao Niangzi Li quietly pawning her birthday gifts.

These past days, Magistrate Ouyang Rong's three meals and snacks were provided daily by the Su family, never missed.

His sharp eyes noticed that as the new Pagoda neared completion, the daily meals of Wei Mei and her daughter, and of Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang, visibly declined.

Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang, stationed at the temple, began leaving early and returning late to eat the temple's morning and evening vegetarian meals.

Yet the meals Wei Mei and Su Su Guoer personally delivered to Magistrate Ouyang Rong each day remained unchanged, punctual and consistent.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong noticed all this, but said nothing.

He even ate them with great relish—after all, happiness comes from contrast. Still, if Li Su Dalang and Yan Yan Liulang didn't keep sticking their heads over to steal his food...

"According to the letter from Jiangzhou a few days ago, Little Sister should be returning soon."

Before the well enclosed by stone railings, Magistrate Ouyang Rong touched the knife at his waist and murmured, then leapt gracefully over the railing.

The new Pagoda and the Saint's Buddha statue were now fully completed.

Li Su Xian and Li Su Dalang, under the banner of filial piety, joined Master Venerable Shan Dao and other senior Donglin monks in daily and nightly prayers for the Empress in the capital.

Meanwhile, the Empress's gift—a brocade box containing a jade disc—was sealed with wax and enshrined before the Buddha, receiving incense offerings.

As for Little Sister, the latest news was that three days ago she secretly acquired the jade in Guangzhou of Lingnan Circuit and returned to Jiangzhou.

But she didn't immediately return to Longcheng; she stayed only half a day in Jiangzhou City, leaving a message of safety and successful jade acquisition, then hurried off to Gezao Mountain to seek an elixir.

Now that the Pagoda's construction was complete, Magistrate Ouyang Rong suddenly found himself idle.

Each day, besides encouraging the timid old assistant magistrate with gentle persuasion and grand promises, his free time was spent as it was now—wandering the Pure Land Underground Palace.

Seeing no one passing by the well, Magistrate Ouyang Rong flipped over and swiftly descended into the underground palace.

After routinely activating the Gaunt Monk, Magistrate Ouyang Rong quickly skipped past his daily ritualistic questions and answers.

He pulled out a osmanthus cake and handed it over; the Gaunt Monk stopped, delighted, and sat on the ground nearby, munching happily.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned and walked aside, drawing a long sword from his waist.

Using the hazy moonlight on the blade as a "torch," he carefully circled the enclosed underground palace.

"Logically, after Master Master Zhong Ma died, it should have remained here."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong frowned slightly, murmuring to himself.

His recent frequent returns weren't to accompany the mad monk in his delusions—he was investigating something he'd long pondered.

After recovering and descending the mountain, Magistrate Ouyang Rong had re-examined everything that happened after activating the "Return and Come" blessing.

He suddenly realized something he'd overlooked.

If the inscriptions left by Master Master Zhong Ma on the palace walls were true, not deceitful,

then the new Cauldron Sword stolen from the Mad Emperor by Master Master Zhong Ma must still be here—in the underground palace?

Or perhaps still within Donglin Temple?

Based on Magistrate Ouyang Rong's experience intercepting the "Craftsman," Master Master Zhong Ma exploited a loophole: the Cauldron Sword born at Butterfly Creek would use the entire Longcheng as its forge for its first sword-cleansing.

Master Master Zhong Ma hid in the underground palace, used the sword incantation and true name first, summoned the new Cauldron Sword, and successfully intercepted it from the Mad Emperor.

Later, the Mad Emperor set fire to the temple, the Lotus Pagoda burned, yet Master Master Zhong Ma never left the Pure Land Underground Palace—he suffocated in the thick, scorching black smoke.

So the Cauldron Sword, whose true name remains unknown, still lies within the Pure Land Underground Palace. Magistrate Ouyang Rong glanced down at the moonlit sword.

He'd long suspected this strange longsword might be that unknown Cauldron Sword.

The reason: its blade emitted hazy moonlight that strangely activated the moonstone carvings on the palace walls.

Based on the vision of Master Master Zhong Ma's phantom that day, Magistrate Ouyang Rong guessed those carvings were likely made by the unknown Cauldron Sword.

So... was this faint, cold moonlight glow from the carvings the sword's aura?

And did the moonlight from this blade, sharing some ancestral connection, awaken the dormant moonlight sword aura within the carvings after decades of stillness?

If so, the probability that this moonlit blade is the unknown Cauldron Sword is high. But this moonlit blade was "dropped" from Liu Liu Ziwen.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong had recently investigated the Gu Yue Sword Shop; an old craftsman revealed the moonlit blade was newly forged from the Yi Sword Furnace, crafted by that old swordsmith... a lineage?

But that eliminated suspicion.

Imagine—if this moonlit blade were truly the unknown Cauldron Sword, how could the old swordsmith have so easily given it away?

If he had an extra Cauldron Sword, why not send it directly to Xie Xiao Niangzi Yunmeng Sword Marsh to fulfill the Lotus Pagoda pact?

Magistrate Ouyang Rong frowned, gazing around the empty, dim underground palace.

"Master Master Zhong Ma was already cremated, turned to relics—so where did this unknown Cauldron Sword go?"

"I asked Master Venerable Shan Dao about the state of the underground palace after it was opened. Besides Master Master Zhong Ma's bodily attainment of Buddhahood, they said they found no object resembling a sword..."

"Could it be, like my 'Craftsman,' it exists in a non-sword form, unrecognizable—pearl hidden in dust, swept up and discarded by the monks?"

"Or was it taken and hidden by someone with intent?"

"But for all these years, since the 'Literary Emperor,' no new Cauldron Sword has ever been reported..."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong stroked his chin, pondering:

"The sword's master is dead, and it's in a non-sword form... so hidden in dust is understandable. Besides, later generations don't know its true name—how could they even recognize it, let alone wipe away the dust?"

He sighed lightly, frowning as he looked around:

"So it's completely lost?"

"Wait—not necessarily. I've heard that those with strong qi can mysteriously sense an unclaimed Cauldron Sword. The sword has spirit and chooses its master—like my 'Craftsman,' which is oddly both annoyed by me and dependent on me, can't live without me... sounds strange, cough..."

"But strong qi is rare. Ordinary people don't know the true name—how do they find it?"

The morning passed. Magistrate Ouyang Rong circled the underground palace several times, still found nothing.

Where is this tripod sword?

Not long after, he frowned and turned away.

Hmm, before leaving, I used pastries to distract him, then searched the Master's body—didn't even skip his prayer beads, bit one, left tooth marks—definitely not the tripod sword.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded.

In the end, on Master Xiuzhen, he found nothing but fleas.

Leaving behind the dazed monk with his innocent, damaged prayer beads, Magistrate Ouyang Rong walked off with ease.

That evening, Magistrate Ouyang Rong returned to Meilu Garden; as soon as he entered the gate, a vivid crimson silhouette appeared in his vision.

"Big Brother!"

The little sister leapt down from the swing, her bright face beaming as she handed him a red cloth bundle and a pill box.

Inside the red cloth was a flawless, round jade ring; inside the box lay two pills of differing colors.

"I did not fail the mission." She lifted her chin. "Little sister worked hard!"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong pulled out a slice of su shan and offered it. Chenjun Xie Ling: "..."

"Eating cold desserts before meals is bad—it causes stomach pain."

"Stomach pain?" Magistrate Ouyang Rong frowned. "Then drink more..." He immediately corrected himself: "Fine, give it to me, or it'll melt."

"No."

The su shan, steaming with cold mist in Magistrate Ouyang Rong's hand, was swiftly snatched away by a red sleeve.

"But you just said cold desserts before meals are bad?"

"Can't Big Brother wait for me? Let me eat later—I need time to digest."

"..." Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded. "You're impossible to outwit. Fine, I'll go next door first. Little sister, digest well."

Ignoring the little sister's resentful glance, Magistrate Ouyang Rong took the two items and immediately went to Su Fu to gather everyone for a meeting.

On the way, he muttered... Why didn't this feeding increase merit? Huh, little sister's getting harder to feed... no, harder to appease.

Next door, Su Fu.

Wang Wang Lixian and the others saw Magistrate Ouyang Rong's figure and tensed up. Finally, he's come.

An hour later, the study door opened. Before leaving, Magistrate Ouyang Rong glanced at Wang Wang Lixian's flushed face and trembling hands, then left a pill box on the table.

Deep night.

A tall figure appeared before the newly built pagoda beside Beitian Tian Jiyang Courtyard. The figure moved soundlessly, his aura deeply contained, utterly silent.

He wore a bronze mask, carried a narrow wooden case, entered the pagoda, and glided through shadows, bypassing the dozing guards.

The figure arrived before a brocade box sealed with golden tape, offered before the Buddha.

In the orange glow of the candlelight before the Buddha, a sliver of clear blue light suddenly appeared.

An arc floated silently above the box. The box itself appeared intact, resting quietly on the table.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong's fingers slipped past the seal and tapped a spot on the box's side; a neatly broken circular fragment detached and was drawn into his palm.

Though a piece was lost, the box remained stable, showing no sign of disintegration.

He took out a round jade ring, inserted it into the perfectly sized arc-shaped gap, then, like stacking blocks, calmly reassembled the fragments—seamlessly.

The brocade box's exterior was flawless.

The young man in the bronze mask cast one final glance at the benevolent golden Buddha statue, then turned and left.

The "arc" vanished. The next day.

The deposed Prince of Prince Xunyang, Wang Wang Lixian, and the masters solemnly prayed for the Empress of Zhou in the largest pagoda in the south.

A sweeping monk accidentally knocked down the brocade box; it fell and shattered into pieces. Wang Wang Lixian and the monks rushed to save the jade.

To their astonishment, among the shards, the jade disc bestowed by the Empress was not broken—its missing corner had healed, perfect and radiant as the moon.

The Buddha has manifested. The beautiful jade has been restored.

The assembly of high monks was stunned; the auspicious omen of the jade's restoration spread instantly through Longcheng, leaving all townsfolk in shock.

In the first year of Shengli, the fifteenth day of the ninth month, a county assistant surnamed Official Diao submitted a memorial, offering this auspicious sign.

The memorial flew swiftly to Shenjing Luoyang. Instantly, it stirred waves upon waves.

Some people died, but not completely...