Chapter 492: Beauty is its least noteworthy advantage

I need Tang Xun to help me gain momentum.

First send word back to the Feng Clan to state my position, see how Feng Xianqiu reacts, then decide what to do next based on his reaction.

After Di Luan was flayed, he did not return to the Feng Clan to heal his wounds, nor did he incite the whole Feng Clan to avenge him; instead, he first blocked me in the Nether Realm, then used corpses to trade at Dang Pu. All these signs show he is now a stray dog.

One transaction can basically confirm that Di Luan is the Feng Clan's Right Protector.

Then, as his son, what has Feng Xianqiu done?

If not for utter disappointment, would Di Luan willingly swallow these hardships and be reborn?

He has no other choice, so he resorts to this desperate measure.

However, he left that thousand-work key to me, intending to use my hand to strike back.

This makes me even more curious about what is hidden behind the thousand-work key.

Tang Xun said solemnly, "Xiao Jiu, you're the one who least wants to take over the Phoenix Lord's position, right? Don't you want to think about it again?"

"Aunt, I've thought it through," I said. "I'll just send the message back first; as for whether I'll ultimately take over, or whether the Feng Clan will let me take over, those are still unknowns."

Tang Xun then realized: "I understand; I'll handle this matter, and I've already placed people on the Feng Clan's side."

"Aunt," I said after weighing my words, "this time returning to the Feng Clan, I need you to assist me covertly throughout; I will tell you immediately any information I obtain, without reservation. I will complete my Nirvana there; if my Nirvana fails, everything afterward will have to be left entirely to you."

It was like giving last words.

But I cannot help but make plans early.

Tang Xun choked up a little; although she has never undergone Nirvana, she knows well how dangerous Nirvana is and how slim the chance of success.

Therefore, most of the time, Phoenix Nirvana is chosen when one is at death's door, placing oneself in a deadly situation to survive thereafter.

My situation is relatively special.

But I have been pushed to this point; if not for Feng Wu, I would probably already be on Cangwu Mountain.

This is my fate.

"All right, Xiao Jiu, no matter what you do, Aunt will support you, and Aunt will do her best to carry out whatever you assign."

I smiled: "Aunt, having you is wonderful."

As for what needs to be arranged at Dang Pu here, I've already taken care of it.

In fact, without me and Liu Junyan, Dang Pu would struggle to maintain cohesion; even without external forces, they would each stick to their own groups and form separate factions.

What I didn't expect was that Xiaoye would bring Zhong Susu to Dang Pu.

After the battle at the Linghai Forbidden Ground, Xiaoye subdued the entire Linghai Dragon Clan with iron-fisted methods; the subsequent purges and reorganizations still need time and effort, and Zhong Susu has been helping him all along.

Since then, we haven't seen each other.

Xiaoye has grown thinner all over, his whole person now looks sharp-angled and imposing, dignified even without anger.

Meanwhile, Zhong Susu's face has regained some color, looking far healthier than her pallid complexion back when she was in the Dragon Transformation Cauldron.

Our interactions have been limited; after a long imprisonment, Zhong Susu's personality has also turned somewhat cold.

We sat face to face, looking at each other, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

Still, Xiaoye said, "Zhong Susu, you aren't supposed to be giving something to your younger sibling?"

"Oh, right." Zhong Susu pulled a small leather pouch from her pocket, opened it, took out a silver bracelet, handed it to me, and said, "Xiao Jiu, this is for you."

I hastily took the silver bracelet with both hands; it felt heavy, much heavier than I expected, and I immediately felt doubtful.

The silver bracelet is made by ancient craft; its pattern was formed by repeated hammering, a silver dragon coiled on its surface, head to tail, lifelike.

Zhong Susu said, "Xiao Jiu, try putting it on."

I did as she said and put it on; unexpectedly, it felt loose when I slipped my hand in, but after putting it on, the silver bracelet seemed to adjust its own circumference, fitting my wrist snugly—neither too big nor uncomfortable—a strange feeling.

Zhong Susu came over, took hold of my left hand wearing the silver bracelet, lifted it, and lightly touched the dragon's eye position; the silver dragon's eye suddenly opened, revealing blue pupils.

That color was stunning—pure like a gemstone, deep like the sea.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so beautiful, I love it!"

"Beauty is its least noteworthy merit," Zhong Susu enumerated. "The silver dragon pattern on the bracelet's surface is something I personally hammered on using my family's secret art not passed outward; in a critical moment, if you drip blood into the dragon's eye, you can activate the latent formation within, preserving your life."

"The drawback is that each activation of the formation incurs a ten‑minute cooldown, and if the formation is triggered repeatedly in a short span, its power diminishes—so good steel must be used where it counts, understand?"

I was overjoyed—this is indeed a magical treasure—and I nodded repeatedly.

Zhong Susu continued, "You should be able to feel that this silver bracelet feels a bit heavier than normal when worn, right?"

I nodded again: "Yes, a bit heavy."

"But it's hollow," Zhong Susu said. "Xiāo gē infused it with a strand of pure yang dragon qi; since you're returning to the Feng Clan this time, and I've heard Seventh Lord might also be in the Nether Realm, we considered that in such an environment, even if your opponents resort to witchcraft, they'd likely rely on yin qi. This pure yang dragon qi was designed to counter yin qi and break their witchcraft. The way to release the pure yang dragon qi is to press hard on the dragon's eye—this is the mechanism."

I thought that was the end of it.

As it turned out, after Zhong Susu finished speaking, she adjusted the angle of my wrist, pressed hard on the dragon's tail, and with a soft "whoosh," a silver needle shot out, embedding itself deeply in a nearby cabinet.

So there were hidden weapons after all!

"This single silver needle I placed inside just for demonstration," Zhong Susu said. "Each silver needle you fire thereafter will reduce the bracelet's own weight; you can fire a total of ten in succession, after ten shots the bracelet is useless—so this is reserved for your escape, be sure to remember."

I was deeply moved.

Everyone around me treats me this well!

With all this ingenuity, forged through a thousand hammerings, from design to manufacture to completion… how long has it been since Zhong Susu returned from danger? One can say her heart has always been thinking of me.

I sincerely said, "Elder sister Zhong Susu, thank you."

"No need to thank me," Zhong Susu said. "Xiao Jiu, you and Seventh Lord have helped me, Xiaoye, and the Linghai Dragon Clan so much; this little trinket can hardly express my gratitude to you all, but time was rushed, so I could only do this much. I await your triumphant return, and our friendship will endure for many more years."