Chapter 1338: Ring and Cauldron Clash

Since the other side had already said that much, it was clear they had made a concession only with great reluctance. If Chuan Ying refused to leave a written acknowledgment, they would not let him go. He could only agree.

In truth, did it matter to him whether he left a note or not? He was the one taking the artifact. Written proof or no written proof, the account for borrowing the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron would still be charged to him and would still alarm the Sacred Realm. Since he had borrowed the cauldron in the Ice and Snow Pavilion's name, the responsibility would ultimately fall on the Ice and Snow Sacred Land.

All he could do now was pray that the people behind the scenes kept their word, that this truly was only a temporary loan and the cauldron would be returned. Otherwise, Granny Xue would probably be the first person unwilling to spare him.

But refusing to do it was impossible too. If he did, neither side would spare him. By following the instructions of the people behind him, at least he still had a thread of hope.

Preparing the loan note was simple. Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were brought over, and Chuan Ying wrote out the acknowledgment, signed and affixed his mark so there could be no dispute, and promised to return the artifact within one month.

Whether it could actually be returned within a month, Chuan Ying had no confidence whatsoever. But lacking confidence changed nothing. The benefits given to him by the people behind the scenes had never been free.

Once he had left the note, Chuan Ying wrapped the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron in cloth and carried it away. Chi Qingli wanted to send people to escort him, but Chuan Ying refused. There was no need.

Watching him leave, Chi Qingli's expression shifted between dark and light.

By this point, how could she still fail to understand? Everything before had been an act. His apparent ignorance had been deliberate. His true objective from the beginning had been the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron.

If she had not followed the path he laid out and let the cauldron fall into his hands, leaving them unable to use force, he could never have "borrowed" it this way.

The principle was simple. Just as they could not forcibly snatch something from Chuan Ying's hands, if they had left the cauldron inside the secret chamber and never brought it out, Chuan Ying could not have simply robbed them of it.

Thinking back to how her heart had fluttered earlier and how she had preened like an old flower pretending to be fresh, even she felt embarrassed.

In the end, it all came down to one thing.

She had fallen for the trick!

Holding the loan note, Nie Zhenting's face was grim. "Sect Leader Chi, if he doesn't return the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, what becomes of the State of Han?"

Chi Qingli sighed. "If he truly doesn't return it, the problem still isn't too severe. Granny Xue's grandson-in-law borrowed it in the Ice and Snow Pavilion's name. When Granny Xue's people step forward, we cannot refuse them. That explanation will stand anywhere. As for the foundation of Han's legitimacy, Granny Xue will have to shoulder this matter. Otherwise, if people from the Ice and Snow Sacred Land come forward in the future, no one beneath Heaven will believe them anymore."

Cheng Hu, Elder of Baichuan Valley, asked, "Sect Leader Chi, are you certain that really was Chuan Ying and not someone impersonating him?"

"You can put that worry aside," Chi Qingli said. "I met him at the Ice and Snow Pavilion. Many people witnessed it. At the time, Chu Anlou, shopkeeper of the Rainbow Inn, and several other Ice and Snow Pavilion people were with him. He can't be fake."

Liao Pingdong, Elder of Wushang Palace, said heavily, "Why bring this on ourselves? Everything was fine. Why did you have to invite him here? If something truly goes wrong, none of us will have an easy time."

Chi Qingli immediately concealed part of the truth as she defended herself. "You think I wanted to provoke him into coming? He wanted to come himself. Could I stop him? If it had been either of you, could you?"

Naturally, she could not tell them the truth. She immediately shifted the subject. "The only thing to do now is report this matter to Misty Pavilion at once."

...

At Boundless Pavilion, beneath Heavenly Lake, blue water pressed against a vast transparent crystal window while daylight filtered down from above, turning the depths into a magnificent dreamlike scene.

Lan Ming, Master of Boundless Pavilion, stood before the crystal window and moved one hand slowly. Outside the window, a flood dragon pressed close to the crystal and played along with his gestures.

Man and flood dragon interacted through the window. Farther out in the depths, the shadowy forms of two even larger flood dragons could be seen swimming through the lake, an intimidating sight.

Chief Steward Ban Hai arrived and presented a letter. "Pavilion Master, another letter has come from that Shao fellow."

Lan Ming continued gesturing toward the flood dragon outside. "Didn't I say I would no longer exchange letters with him?"

Ban Hai hesitated. "Pavilion Master, I think you should read this one."

Lan Ming slowly turned his head. One glance at Ban Hai's expression told him there was a reason for the warning. He lowered his hand from the window and casually accepted the letter.

There were only a few words on it.

Yet those few words made his pupils contract sharply.

The message read:

I know who you are. Wu!

Lan Ming read the words over and over. An outsider would not have understood them, but he did.

With a snap of his hand, he crushed the letter into a ball. Through clenched teeth, he forced out the words, "A mere mortal dares act this insolently toward me!"

Ban Hai stood silently at the side.

...

Deep in the mountains of the State of Qin, beside a stream winding through a secluded valley, a broad-shouldered man stood bare-chested with long hair hanging over his shoulders. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes had remained closed as though he were resting.

It was Wu Chang.

Hei Shi, standing quietly nearby, suddenly raised his head.

A flying mount descended. Three people jumped down from it, one of them Chuan Ying, carrying a heavy cloth-wrapped bundle in both hands.

Seeing Wu Chang himself at the rendezvous, Chuan Ying was startled. He hurried forward in alarm, bowed deeply, and paid his respects. "Greetings, Sacred Venerable!"

He had never formally met Wu Chang. He had only seen him from afar twice before. Yet Wu Chang's presence was unmistakable, and Hei Shi's deferential attitude beside him made the man's identity obvious enough. Chuan Ying recognized him at once.

Wu Chang remained standing sideways with his eyes closed, unmoving. Mountain wind occasionally lifted his long hair, revealing a profile cut in hard, sculpted planes.

Hei Shi glanced at the bundle in Chuan Ying's hands. "You got it?"

Chuan Ying hurriedly answered, "I was fortunate not to fail the mission!"

Hei Shi immediately reached out, took the bundle, supported it in one hand, and undid the wrapping with the other. The black cauldron was revealed.

After a brief inspection, he turned toward Wu Chang. "Sacred Venerable, this should be the right object."

Only then did Wu Chang open his eyes and turn. He caught one of the cauldron's handles and lifted it, then swept a cold glance over Chuan Ying.

That one look made Chuan Ying's heart pound with fear.

Wu Chang turned the cauldron over in his hand and examined it, then gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. "Chuan Ying, you handled this matter well."

Chuan Ying hurriedly replied, "It was only this subordinate's duty."

Hearing Wu Chang speak his name aloud, Chuan Ying did not even know whether he ought to feel pleased.

Wu Chang said nothing more.

Hei Shi immediately questioned Chuan Ying closely about how he had borrowed the cauldron. Chuan Ying recounted everything from beginning to end and dared conceal nothing. Who knew whether Wu Chang's side had people inside the Han imperial palace?

Once Hei Shi confirmed there was no obvious problem, he waved a hand. "Withdraw for now."

After Chuan Ying and the other two had moved away, Hei Shi turned to Wu Chang. "Sacred Venerable, Chuan Ying will probably face questioning when he goes back."

"Then don't have him return yet. Let him hide for a while. We'll deal with it after I come back."

Hei Shi asked, "When does Sacred Venerable expect to return?"

"For now, I still can't determine the situation over there. I don't know when I'll be back."

"Chuan Ying agreed with Han on a borrowing period of only one month. If the deadline passes and the cauldron still hasn't been returned, while Chuan Ying himself remains missing, then even if he goes back to the Ice and Snow Pavilion afterward, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to extricate himself. Sacred Venerable, planting a man like him beside that old hag was not easy."

Wu Chang said, "Whether the cauldron will be returned depends on what I find after I examine the situation over there."

Hei Shi was slightly startled. "If it isn't returned, this affair may become very large."

"And if it does?" Wu Chang replied. "The old hag's people borrowed the thing. What does that have to do with me?"

Hei Shi froze.

Then he understood.

If the cauldron was not going to be returned, that meant it had become more valuable than Chuan Ying. And if Chuan Ying could no longer return the cauldron, then there would be no need for him to remain alive in this world either.

Whoosh!

A black sack lying on the ground flew into Wu Chang's hand. He pulled open its mouth and casually placed the cauldron inside.

He looked up toward the sky.

His long hair suddenly stirred despite the absence of wind.

In the next instant, Wu Chang blurred into a shadow and shot toward the heavens.

Hei Shi remained below, hands cupped, watching him depart.

...

High above, Wu Chang never paused. Traveling at a speed far beyond any flying mount, he crossed the sky in a continuous rush.

When he reached the edge of the Boundless Desert, he hovered in the air and examined the terrain below. He chose a desolate mountain region for cover, then dropped into the desert.

After sweeping a cold gaze around, Wu Chang opened the black sack. He took out the Heaven-Swallowing Ring and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, then tucked the sack at his waist.

Holding the cauldron in one hand and the ring in the other, he walked unhurriedly to the crest of a dune and looked out over the vast sands.

He lowered his gaze to the ring and cauldron.

Then abruptly struck them together.

Dong...

A dull, grating metallic note rang out, carrying something strange within it.

The instant the sound appeared, it seemed to form a peculiar connection with the desert around him. Faint shuddering noises trembled beneath the sand.

Wu Chang concentrated briefly, analyzing the cause, and soon understood.

The strange sound produced by striking the ring and cauldron together was resonating with the spaces between the grains of sand.

His gaze suddenly shifted forward.

Several sand scorpions burst from beneath the surface.

The strange resonance seemed to make the creatures unable to remain underground. They scrambled out as though desperate to escape, fleeing in panic.

That reaction confirmed for Wu Chang that striking the ring and cauldron together truly had a special effect, one no one had ever discovered before.

Yet that was understandable.

Even if the Saints who had previously possessed these artifacts had them in hand, who would ever think to bring the ring and cauldron to the Boundless Desert and test them by striking them together? Anyone who had never seen the Demon Canon would never think in that direction.

Dong... dong... dong...

Having seen that the method produced a reaction, Wu Chang immediately began striking the two objects together again and again.

He soon discovered that repeated blows seemed to carry the desert's resonant response farther away.

Looking out across the sands, he saw more and more sand scorpions forced from hiding, crawling out and fleeing.

Wu Chang continued striking the ring and cauldron while closely observing the desert's response, wondering inwardly what exactly the guiding object might be.

At first, just as Niu Youdao had, he suspected it might be the sand scorpions themselves. What else could there be in this desert besides sand scorpions?

But when he saw that the scorpions clearly could not tolerate the sound and fled as soon as they heard it, he began doubting his own judgment.

He kept striking the artifacts.

Gradually, not even fleeing sand scorpions remained within the range of his sight. Nothing else reacted around him either.

Doubts piled up in his mind.

Had someone tampered with the Demon Canon?

Or perhaps he could not remain in one place while striking the artifacts and needed to keep changing locations?

Whatever the answer, since he had come all this way, he intended to test the matter thoroughly. The desert was vast, and he had no idea how long it might take to summon the guiding object.

He decided to spend a full day testing here first, then travel throughout the desert and try elsewhere.

Roughly half a day later, near dusk, a young man and woman suddenly appeared on the mountaintop behind him.

Wu Chang's senses were extraordinary. The instant the pair appeared, he turned his head toward them without stopping the steady striking of the artifacts in his hands.

The young man and woman pointed toward him and spoke to each other for a while. Then both flashed down from the mountain and landed atop a neighboring dune.

The woman called out, "Hey, big guy! What are you doing?"

The striking stopped.

Wu Chang slowly turned.

He stared at the pair, lifted the objects in his two hands for them to see, and asked in his deep voice, "Are you here to guide me?"

[End of Chapter 1338]