Chapter 329

Seeing Pei Ye was stunned for a moment: "W-what?"

"'Zhao You'," Ming Qitian said. "It should be the name of an object. If this is a magical artifact, this should be its name."

". Yes."

"Hmm?"

"Tianshan says this is Zhou Zhou Muwang's prison-governing artifact, said to 'observe the outside and candle the inside'—"

Seeing Pei Ye suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably. He had consulted Shi Zanxue about this information, and she had also told him the story recorded in the "Precepts Against Theft" chapter.

—"Arriving at the mountain of 'Most Wood', the King climbed it. After a long time he returned, the carriage bells lost their jade. He warned them three times, but no one returned. The King then beheaded the daughter of the Ling clan, and the jade emerged from the corpse."

She said that 【Zhao You】 could illuminate the places one guards and monitor those one has locked onto. So, the bead had always been stored by this thing. Of course, there was no answer more reasonable than this.

Therefore, as long as one wields this magical artifact, would one not be able to see who stole the "jade," just as Zhou Zhou Muwang did back then?

Seeing Pei Ye pressed his lips tightly together and first injected his true Qi into it.

Yet, as expected, there was no reaction. It was not that it did not absorb true Qi, but rather that it was like a bottomless abyss; the true Qi probed inside like a clay ox entering the sea, unable to stir up a single ripple.

Seeing Pei Ye knitted his brows and continued to inject it. Gradually, he began to vaguely feel that the jade pendant in his hand was like withered wood meeting water, changing from shriveled to plump. Its luster actually had no change, but Seeing Pei Ye clearly felt a kind of vitality; the eye in the middle of the jade pendant seemed to have truly come alive.

Then, the next moment, Seeing Pei Ye suddenly felt a hollow, suffocating sensation. This thing that had awakened suddenly turned into a long whale drinking water. In just one breath, more than half of the true Qi in Seeing Pei Ye's body had been swallowed.

The rapid, weakening sensation of power flowing away made his breathing tighten, but before he could even open his mouth, a rich, gentle, cloud-white true Qi poured into his back. Seeing Pei Ye's body, which had been sucked in, suddenly felt light. The woman's true Qi wrapped around his dantian and, starting from the meridian tree, took over this connection.

After four breaths, Seeing Pei Ye felt the true Qi coming from the woman stop.

He looked down and saw that the jade pendant in his hand had stopped swallowing true Qi. It lay in his palm like a sated beast, and any further injection of true Qi was simply repelled.

But that was all there was to it.

No changes appeared, and Seeing Pei Ye received no feedback, as if it were truly just a tree that withered without water and lived with it, having no other use besides that.

Seeing Pei Ye frowned and turned it over twice, then tilted his head to look at the woman beside him. Ming Qitian raised a finger, and the surrounding mystic Qi obediently flowed toward the jade pendant, yet it was even less effective than true Qi; the jade pendant had no reaction to mystic Qi.

Ming Qitian stared at it, and in the end, she still shook her head gently.

For a magical artifact, if neither true Qi nor mystic Qi can work, it actually means its activation points to something deeper or more unique, such as a password, a mystic array, or even another magical artifact, or even a weapon or martial art. In short, it is a portal designed from the beginning to open only for a specific person.

"King Zhou Mu's prison-governing artifact, it should be so," the black cat on his shoulder said softly. "I think it is precisely because of this that the Hushanjian Sect, the Huan Si Lou, and the Tunri Society have actually never found a way to use it."

Seeing Pei Ye remained silent—to King Zhou Mu, this surveillance artifact he carried with him naturally would not allow others to activate it. However, Zhou Zhou Muwang had many things that others did not. After several thousand years, where were they to go to find them?

"Zhou Zhou Muwang of Zhou was a monarch whose great power returned to himself," Ming Qitian suddenly said softly. "The 'Sword Family Tracing the Ancient' says he 'trusted himself and made light of objects.' During the Zhou era, the way of artifacts flourished, but this monarch had very few magical artifacts by his side. Legend has it he possessed a famous sword, yet he asked the master craftsman Yan if he could refine away the metal and iron, returning the divine power into his own body."

The image of this name became much clearer in Seeing Pei Ye's mind—the insecurity buried in his personality, the paranoid pride and arrogance.

"So... what Zhou Zhou Muwang used to control this object was most likely his deepest reliance. He firmly believed in its uniqueness and that it could not be stolen," the black cat's cold, green eyes looked at the youth. "Just like..."

"... Just like 【Chun Shou】!"

He immediately remembered what the black cat had said about the 【Chi Fire】 sensing when they were in the Three-Layer Pavilion of the Immortal Platform, facing the unactivated jade pendant.

Before the black cat could act, the dark blue flame in Seeing Pei Ye's hand had already risen, wrapping around the entire jade pendant. The next moment, like clouds entering a wind tunnel, all the dark blue vanished in an instant into the pupil in the center of the jade pendant, and then this eye truly came alive.

This jade eye stared straight at him. In an instant, Seeing Pei Ye felt a deep connection between himself and it. A "door" opened to him; as long as he wished, his consciousness could sink into it at any time.

"..." Seeing Pei Ye was not in a hurry for a moment; he gently turned the pendant over twice, waiting for other changes that might appear.

"Is this your second 'Immortal Authority'?" Ming Qitian suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Seeing Pei Ye was bewildered.

"You previously had a 【Chun Shou】, and now you have this..." Ming Qitian pointed her finger at the dark blue that had just vanished.

"This is... the ability I gained from making a pact with it, 【Chi Fire】. I see the Zhushi Sect also uses this kind of flame." Seeing Pei Ye looked at the woman. "【Chun Shou】... is also possessed by the Black Chi. Through the pact, we can share... does Miss Ming know what they are?"

This was almost the origin of him walking this path. The Black Chi vaguely called it a "fruit," the Zhushi Sect wrote it on the "Heart-Transmitting Candle" as "【Chun Shou】 Immortal Authority," and now it seemed he could finally know its name in this world.

"... I also do not know their origin or destination," Ming Qitian pondered slightly. "But this is indeed the name given to them by those in the know today. Its history is short, and the scope it refers to is not yet very clear. It probably means some kind of ability without origin that is not based on mystic Qi or true Qi, or it often represents the ultimate end of a path..."

"... Strange Arts Absolute Scripture? Famous sword?"

Ming Qitian nodded: "These are the most typical existences."

She added: "In the last few decades, many high-level gazes have focused on them. Their usage is not yet very clear, but they must be very precious. You must preserve them well."

Seeing Pei Ye gave a serious "Hmm," looking at the campfire that only had embers left: "Perhaps... this time we will know what they are for?"

The black cat interrupted at this moment: "【Chun Shou】 and 【Chi Fire】 do not seem to be on the same level."

Ming Qitian was slightly stunned: "... Yes, this is a very new question."

She paused for a while: "The Immortal Authorities discovered so far actually have a sense of being disorganized. The Immortal Platform has a very new, not yet widely circulated theory, which is to divide them into 'True' and 'False' categories, and within 'True,' there is a distinction between 'Large' and 'Small'... In short, this is very cutting-edge stuff. If Seeing Pei Ye cultivates step by step, it will be a long time before he can come into contact with it."

The black cat looked silently at the empty space, obviously verifying the knowledge brought by the woman with its remaining ancient memories. A moment later, it said softly: "'Large' and 'Small' sounds a bit strange... Actually, I think 【Chi Fire】 is more like a part of a fruit..."

Ming Qitian's brows lifted slightly: "Hmm! Indeed, some people say 'Large' and 'Small' is better said as 'Whole' and 'Half'... But of course, it is still being debated."

Seeing Pei Ye tilted his head: "So we can say 【Chun Shou】 is a complete 'Immortal Authority,' and 【Chi Fire】 is a 'Half Immortal Authority'?"

The black cat paced a bit anxiously; it was obviously deeply invested in this topic: "Actually, the name 【Chun Shou】 itself carries a sense of orthodoxy that cannot be changed. 【Chun Shou】 is one of the twelve stars; since ancient times, the mandate of heaven has been in the stars... But this name is imprinted in my mind. I don't know where it came from. I brought it down, perhaps it is not the name it should have in the human world."

The black cat knitted its brows very tightly.

"【Chi Fire】..."

"【Chi Fire】 is not," the black cat's green eyes stared at the youth. "It is the name of the Chi Dragon's authority, yet it was not like the Chun Bird's authority... listed as a star."

"..."

The black cat looked silently at the sky. The autumn night was clear, cold stars like they were embedded in water. In the southern position of Chun Shou, the Jing and Gui constellations were dotted there, distant and tranquil.

Seeing Pei Ye stroked it and said in a low voice: "No rush, we will slowly find the answer."

Ming Qitian nodded: "You are already walking very far ahead."

Seeing Pei Ye looked at the woman: "Miss Ming, does Yunlang Mountain also not compete for these things?"

Ming Qitian shook her head: "Master says that in the human world, things will always move in the direction they should go, and being able to walk one's own sword path to the end is Yunlang's heavenly step."

The woman also looked at the vast starry sky and said softly: "And 'sword' itself, perhaps it is also a kind of Immortal Authority."

"..." Seeing Pei Ye was stunned for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Ming Qitian looked back.

"Nothing, just suddenly realized Miss Ming, you know so much." Seeing Pei Ye smiled and shifted his gaze.

Actually, the time he had known the woman was not too short, yet after that time talking about swords at the old house, there had never been another opportunity for such a long conversation. Now, in the quiet night, the youth very clearly felt that every conversation with the woman benefited him greatly—disorder was ordered, blockages were cleared, and there were always new things he had never thought of or heard of.

Such a standard representing "correctness" was truly precious to him. Seeing Pei Ye's voice was slightly hoarse: "Miss Ming, thank you for being willing to tell me so much rare information. It is really important to me."

The woman shook her head: "I also like chatting with you, it's nothing."

"... Then, I will ask Miss Ming for advice again tomorrow."

"Hmm." Ming Qitian nodded casually.

The night grew deeper and more tranquil, and it was not long before the arrival of dawn. The black cat lay silently on his knees, its green eyes staring motionless at the edge where the night curtain fell.

Seeing Pei Ye indeed still had no sleepiness at all. His fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of the page of the booklet in his hand. He lowered his head, and the pupil in the center of the pendant was still quietly gazing at him.

During this time of waiting, it did not show any abnormalities. At this moment, it was like a portal to another world, distant and profound, the glowing substance flowing slowly within it like the Milky Way.

The black cat turned its head, the Chi Fire flowed through the pendant again for a cycle, and it nodded at him.

Seeing Pei Ye took a light breath, silently met those eyes, and looked deeply into them.

In an instant, Seeing Pei Ye again experienced the feeling of a god "observing the world with spiritual clarity" from the sky, but this time what he chose was not a vast plain, but a trickling long stream.

Passing through this pupil, his mind descended into a strange space. Under his feet, the milky, glowing texture was flowing; it was precisely the jade substance that made up that pupil. And at the bottom of this eye, a gray-white, wide river flowed silently, and the countless tiny tributaries branching off from the side were like a human blood network.

Seeing Pei Ye cast his gaze, and a huge wave of dizziness immediately swept over him. It was hard to describe this feeling; it was information so dense it was unbelievable, squeezed into a small square and hitting his eye membrane. It was not a flat surface like text or pictures, nor was it a three-dimensional scene; another axis and countless branches were added inside—that was "time" and the "perspectives" of many people.

King Zhou Mu might have seen the node he wanted at a glance in such information density back then, but the youth obviously did not have such a powerful mind yet. 【Chun Shou】 activated instantly, everything slowed down, and he finally saw some static cross-sections.

Human figures still flowed, perspectives still changed, but on a scale with a wider field of view, an unchanging scene gradually became clear.

The lake surface like a thousand-acre ice mirror, white snow spread in a flat layer, the frost forest on the shore holding up piles of fine pine snow. Around it, a high and steep ring cliff surrounded all this, leaving only a narrow opening. A high, regular, good mountain faced this opening; if the ring cliff was a ring, it was the gemstone embedded on it.

It was as if no one had set foot there for a thousand years; it was an icy and quiet secret realm. And in the winding paths dotted with high stones and frost trees, one could vaguely see eaves and palace edges sparsely distributed from top to bottom.

No need for anyone to remind him, a noun had already been gently spat out from Seeing Pei Ye's mouth: "Hushan... Jianmen."

Right against this silent background, pictures composed of human figures flowed past his eyes. They were not continuous; Seeing Pei Ye could neither understand what they represented nor touch them.

It was like the covers of stories, but Seeing Pei Ye could not find a way to open them. The gray-white static pictures slid past one by one before his eyes. Several decades seemed to flash by in an instant. Those strange faces flowed past, but he could not stop any of them.

"Magical artifacts work through the heaven and earth's spiritual mystic energy," the black cat, which had been silent, finally spoke. "【Zhao You】 records those things that have happened by controlling the changes in the spiritual mystic energy within a specific range. It is like turning pictures into text; it records the 'past' by transcribing it into spiritual mystic energy of a specific shape."

"..."

"Therefore, when you enter now, it places everything before you for you to choose. Every static picture represents the beginning of a 'tributary.' You enter it, and you can see its beginning, end, and full picture."

"But I can't choose any of them."

"... This should be the innate limitation of this magical artifact," the black cat said. "After turning 'experience' into spiritual mystic energy, it cannot easily turn it back; it needs to find a fulcrum from the artifact owner's mind."

"Fulcrum?"

"I think, perhaps it is a concrete thing that exists in the 'tributary,' which simultaneously exists in the 'tributary' and your mind, so 【Zhao You】 can climb it and present everything to you."

"... That is to say, things I have seen and know?"

"I think so. It is precisely because of that 'sense of strangeness' that you cannot grasp those pictures drifting past, isn't it?"

"Then can people work?"

"..." The black cat was slightly stunned, its green eyes looking at the youth.

"Go downstream!"

When this gray-white long river was near its end, Seeing Pei Ye finally saw a touch of clear and concrete color.

Before this picture even came near, Seeing Pei Ye had already seen the vivid human figure within it.

The youth's face was right between being tender and having sharp edges, a somewhat shy countenance, bright and spirited eyes, familiar yet with a hint of strangeness.

Obviously, everything had not happened yet. The youth's shoulders were relaxed at this time, his body did not have that habitual tension, and he was laughing foolishly, more like a rabbit than a wolf.

"... Yang Yan," Seeing Pei Ye murmured softly.

(End of chapter)