Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King-Chapter 261 - 251: Tomb of Inheritance, Pure Yang Scholar, Like an Immortal Realm
The mountain is mighty, its aura extraordinary. Colored cranes fly south, white mist lingers.
Steep cliffs hang green pines, murky lotus grow from the ground. Red clouds spread eastward, rainbow lights flow. Tranquility does not notice the winter and summer, and reaching afar, one does not feel the passing of time.
In the perilous mountain ridges, a piece of mystical paradise lies hidden.
Wen Caishang laughed: "Even if we can’t find the map to get out, it wouldn’t be a waste to have walked this path. Settling here surpasses just resting in the forest."
They entered the Tomb Hidden Mountain.
It felt like stepping into a new world. The damp and stifling sensation completely vanished, replaced by a refreshing sense of rebirth. This place has nurtured for thousands of years, breeding miraculous fruits.
A vine hung down, with a small vermilion fruit at its end. Li Xian casually plucked it and consumed it. His blood surged rapidly, and his hair turned much blacker.
[You have consumed the Green Vine and Red Fruit, skill Consumption, skill level +5]
[Consumption]
[Skill Level: 1036/3000 Great Success]
...
Li Xian leapt up, agilely and swiftly. He gathered all the vermilion fruits to serve as stock. The Tomb Hidden Mountain stretched several miles, with side peaks and front peaks... randomly overlapping, yet arranged grandly and orderly.
Wen Caishang observed the mountain and measured the land, using all she had learned in her life. She perceived that the structure of the tomb involved "Nanyang Customs", "Geomancy and Construction", "Weather and Geography", "Daoist Theories" and many other miscellaneous studies. She further confirmed that the tomb owner was "Pure Yang Scholar Lv Dongzhi", even with her status, upon hearing of the clues about the ancient scholar, she couldn’t help but be fascinated.
She generously imparted her knowledge.
In her speech, she leaked out knowledge, it was all unheard secret lore.
Li Xian, born humble but incredibly intelligent, always knew "Martial Arts are hard to find" and "knowledge is hard to come by". All the way hearing Wen Caishang’s high-minded discourse, relying solely on knowledge and intelligence, he managed to resolve many difficulties and cleverly avoided various crises. He considered "knowledge" precious. Whenever he got the opportunity, he would wholeheartedly gather and collect all secret knowledge into his mind.
After exploring for half a day, they had an overview of the mountain. Wen Caishang shook her head and said lightly, "The tomb owner’s geomancy skills are far superior to mine."
Li Xian said, "Can’t get in?"
"Not at all," Wen Caishang said:
"The tomb’s layout is vast. There are several lakes amidst the mountains of the tomb, the mountain stance is like embracing stars and a moon, implying encompassing the universe, as broad-minded as the sea. With such character, I guess his tomb won’t be completely sealed, fearing future generations to enter. Instead, it may be at certain places with fate and nature, but it requires one’s own exploration."
Cranes chirped in the spring, with light clouds sending warmth. Wen Caishang took slow steps up the mountain, deeply pondering, sweat beading on her forehead, yet her eyes were full of excitement.
She climbed over 190 zhang. The main gate of the tomb, facing a lake amid the green sea and tranquil forest. The lake was named "Dianjing Lake", the feng shui key of the tomb. Wen Caishang had already seen it, so she had determined that there was the main gate. But the tombs, the tombs... the main gates were often difficult to pass through.
She specially went up the mountain, only to observe the master’s demeanor. There are countless tombs in the world, due to the master’s lifetime encounters, personality, means, preferences ... etc., the danger level of the tombs, naturally also varies greatly.
Wen Caishang, although more certain the tomb belonged to Lv Dongzhi, what she knew about Lv Dongzhi all came from ancient records. There must be biases among them.
Therefore, observing the main gate, she deduced the danger level of the tomb from the details.
She saw that under the gate on the mountainside, overlooking the green sea, the door was square with the might to embrace the world.
The view was broad, the winds high and refreshing. There was no Yin Qi at all, Wen Caishang secretly admired, thinking that if she were to die, the tomb would surely be full of traps, calling those who came to have no return. The tomb gate must be stately and magnificent, but miles away, danger should already be lurking.
Wen Caishang murmured:
"Guests come from the clouds, please take the Crane Pill."
In front of the gate stood a stone stele, with several words inscribed on it. It was written in a chaotic "cursive script", with an air of wild abandon vividly displayed in its strokes.
Wen Caishang said: "During the Nanyang Period, calligraphy emphasized meaning rather than form. It differs greatly from the calligraphy of Great Yu and Great Wu. The calligraphy masters of Great Wu of this age, like your brother’s master Fu Haoran, have always sneered at the Nanyang school’s calligraphy."
"Yet in my view, this audacious calligraphy has quite its charm. At that time, the situation was chaotic, scholars naturally ought to be uninhibited. However, later generations hardly have such characters anymore."
She spoke eloquently, gently stroking the stone stele. Inevitably pondering the meaning of the inscription, her character was by no means open-minded, fully contrary to that of the tomb’s master, and she was truly puzzled.
Li Xian had a narrow knowledge, but possessed an open-minded spirit. Although unfamiliar with calligraphy, he stood confidently before the stele, pondering.
At the first glance, Li Xian felt the characters ugly and chaotic. But upon a careful look, he sensed that the person writing had to be bold and unrestrained, laughing wildly while writing. So he dismissed the character form, to experience a faint rhythm.
Wen Caishang said: "Although cursive script is messy, it has its own rules." Taking the opportunity to teach Li Xian calligraphy and literature.
Li Xian’s comprehension deepened, as if making a spiritual connection with the tomb owner in a trance. He actually felt quite congenial, thinking, "Am I dreaming in broad daylight? How could a tomb owner of such magnitude connect with me spiritually?"
His mind swirled, gradually feeling weary and sleepy. Li Xian gazed at the mountain range, called out loudly twice, then his mind became clear, and he felt good.
The stone door was old and had moss attached. Unable to push it open, they searched for another path.
Wen Caishang observed that there was a flaw in feng shui. On the side peak of the Tomb Hidden Mountain, there was a section eroded by wind and rain for years, affecting the geology, which resulted in a crack.
The crack could lead into the tomb. Although located slightly off the main path, walking along it, one could reach the main burial chamber and other places. If there truly was a map in the tomb, this would be the breakthrough point.
The mountain crevice was extremely narrow, barely allowing a person to pass. Li Xian looked into the darkness, but obstructed by chaotic rocks, he found it difficult to see the bottom.
Li Xian thought to himself: "No matter, I’ll give it a try!" He loosened his limbs, tied the Silk Jade Rope to the tree trunk, pulled hard to ensure its firmness, then activated the Seven Stars Step to explore downward.
Wen Caishang was deeply embarrassed, cursed lightly. The method of tying the rope originated from the "Silkworm Robe Mismatched Jade Technique". It was originally meant to be tied around oneself, but now it was tied to a tree trunk.
"You brat, intentionally teasing me." Wen Caishang’s eyes were moist, her feelings growing stronger. After spending so much time together through life and death...so many emotions were pent up in her heart.
The first few feet were pitch black and cramped, but as he went deeper, the rock walls began to shimmer with slight halos, the space slightly more expansive.
A breeze blew from below, lifting his clothes and hair. Li Xian, assisted by the shimmer from the rock walls, delved a few more feet. The Silk Jade Rope was more than halfway used, and he found himself in a vast emptiness,
Li Xian thought to himself: "I don’t know how deep this crevice is, the length of the Silk Jade Rope is limited. Blindly delving further would not work. I need to devise a way to first probe the bottom."
He noticed the dim light in the crevice, resembling starlight, and reached out to grab it. He felt some fine stone minerals and suddenly understood: "These stone minerals are shaped like gravel but emit a faint glow. They must be Star Spot Stones, originally hidden deep within the mountain walls, but exposed through sun and rain washing the crevice. I’ll put them to use!"
Exercising the "Miao Yun Hand" to probe clouds and mist... probing the wall to collect stones, after a few more attempts, he gathered all the Star Spot Stones surrounding him. Feeling it still not enough, he swung lightly, doing his utmost to collect more "Star Spot Stones".
After gathering enough, Li Xian opened his palm, the starlight in his hand was radiant, extremely bright.
Then he subtly activated the "Jade Palm", causing mist to burst from his palm. He squeezed with force, shaping them into a ball. The blue glow of the Star Spot Stones enveloped the area, illuminating about ten feet around him.
Then, he threw the Star Spot Stones downward.
After a few moments, he heard a "bang" as they hit the ground and shattered. The star sand scattered across the ground, revealing the bottom of the crevice clearly. It seemed roughly only a dozen feet deep.
There were some weeds and venomous snakes. Li Xian thought: "I don’t know how potent the venom of these snakes is, but a single bite could be disastrous." His toes hooked into the rock wall crevice. He drew his bow and shot continuously, eliminating all the dangers.
Li Xian executed his lightweight skill to descend. After further exploration, finding no other dangers, he confirmed it was indeed a tomb passage. He climbed back up the crevice to bring Wen Caishang down.
Wen Caishang knew what Li Xian had done and praised him joyfully: "You are very cautious, well done." She further thought of how much Li Xian had done for her, growing more lost in feelings.
They lit a torch, and the path ahead was narrow.
The two proceeded one behind the other, arriving at an empty chamber. Inside, candles were burning, astonishingly for thousands of years without extinguishing.
Li Xian bowed sincerely, saying: "Disturbing the peace of the ancestors is truly inappropriate. I have come to borrow some items, I hope you will agree."
Wen Caishang slightly nodded and followed with a "Nanyang Hugging Handshake", observing the four walls. The east wall had a dragon, the north wall had a tiger... Any one of these paintings was invaluable. But in such a perilous situation, covetous thoughts would surely bring disaster.
Thus they only admired without touching. Wen Caishang said: "These four murals also predict the layout of the tomb." She explained what she knew and observed in detail.
The tomb’s mechanism was continuous, and the maze was endless.
Wen Caishang skillfully evaded traps, bypassed mazes, and delved deeper along the tomb passage. They saw many Nanyang jade artifacts, stone carvings, murals... innumerable items.
Entering the tomb felt like returning home, elegant and composed, yet taking nothing. Though Li Xian was naturally fond of wealth, he did not covet wealth. Nor did he take another look.
However, the layout of the tomb was intricate, some traps unavoidable. The two didn’t know how long they walked until they found a narrow path.
Wen Caishang stopped, gravely saying: "This is not good." Li Xian asked: "Why? Is there a trap in this path?"
Wen Caishang said: "There is no trap, but there is a deep mystery. It contains the Yin Yang and Eight Trigrams, the Five Elements changes. This path is called the ’Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract’, though narrow, its passage is complex. Sometimes a step forward or backward could separate us by a great distance."
Li Xian said: "Then we must hold tight to each other." He embraced her with the opportunity, hands exploring. Wen Caishang’s body softened, both helpless and shyly angry, she softly said: "You’re taking advantage again."
Wen Caishang shook her head, saying: "This Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract, its mechanism is complex. It doesn’t harm life, only separates people. If you hold me, we won’t get through. If you don’t hold me, we will surely be separated."
Li Xian said: "Look for another way?" Wen Caishang said: "The tomb master was a person of grand layout, broad as the sea. Though there are traps in the tomb, they only guard against petty thieves. Looking for another way, we may still encounter the Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract."
"In this situation... I will tell you all I know about the tomb. You enter the Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract and seek the mountain map. I will wait here, it is the safest."
Wen Caishang knew she wasn’t in the best fortune. Though knowledgeable, she was without Inner Qi. When encountering unexpected situations, she found it difficult to respond. Relying on Li Xian’s care for months, she had long been dependent. Thinking of parting in the tomb, she instantly felt no confidence.
Through the tomb, she glimpsed the tomb master’s broad mind, grand as the sea. Though strange, the tomb was not fierce or ruthless... As long as one mastered the strategies to cope, self-preservation should not be a problem.
Thus devised this compromise. Li Xian said: "Alright! For madam, I’ll risk a try!" His heart was open and unrestrained, without constraint. However, his flirtatious nature truly hard to change.
Wen Caishang knew his words were half-serious, yet she couldn’t help but be moved, saying: "You mustn’t get hurt, mustn’t die. If...if really..." Her eyes moistened slightly. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
They embraced for a long time, then for several days.
Wen Caishang taught Li Xian the tomb’s variety of knowledge, Nanyang wonders, geomancy... such and many more. Wen Caishang spoke concisely, Li Xian was smart and clever. He quickly grasped the tomb knowledge, Nanyang details, Lv Dongzhi’s life stories...and so on.
When fully prepared, Li Xian equipped with bow and sword, thoroughly prepared, stepped into the Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract. Walking a few steps, the path ahead became complex and convoluted, twisting back and forth, disturbing the mind.
Li Xian thought: "The Flower Cage Sect’s Pan Chang Xiaobu also has such capability. Are the two perhaps interconnected in principle?"
In truth, they were indeed interconnected. Pan Chang Xiaobu, Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract... the principles were similar, both involving the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. But Pan Chang Xiaobu was sinister and narrow, while Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract was grand and complex, being far more formidable.
Li Xian walked about half a day. He was completely uncertain of where he was.
