450 The Carefree Valley (1/2)
Pedestrians jostled against one another, their shoulders bumping and rubbing together amongst the flow of the masses going about their business. Despite the stream of people rushing about, they parted before the pair that stood motionless in the middle of the crowd. Like a river that flowed around a large rock, the passing crowd seemed to avoid both men that stood in the center of the street.
Meng Qi was wearing a green garment with his long sword hanging from his waist. He brushed past Shangguan Heng, who wore a blank expression as he stood in place. He put on an air of carefreeness as if he was sure that Shangguan Heng wouldn't strike him in a fit of embarrassed anger. Or perhaps he had complete confidence in his strength and didn't care if Shangguan Heng tried to ambush him.
Shangguan Heng's face reddened. He could hardly believe that he was defeated just like that. But the facts couldn't be denied. He had clearly been defeated.
The brutality in his eyes became more and more apparent, but even more was his sense of confusion. It was as if he was still immersed in the memories of his previous incarnations in Samsara earlier.
His previous incarnations as both male and female, traversing through cycles of life and death, seemed like a mere dream. Where was 'he'?
The man who spoke in the accent of Lulong was awestruck by what unfolded on the street. He swallowed nervously, unable to speak.
Was this the invincibility of he who reigned as one of the top warriors of the Ranking List of Young Masters?
Was this Killing Blad' Su Meng?
He had envisioned a fierce battle between two warriors of great strength and finesse, a close and intense battle where both combatants would exchange blows after blows. However, the actual battle hadn't even had a fraction of a resemblance to what he had envisioned. The duel had ended as swiftly as it had begun. It had been a duel that had demonstrated Killing Blade's shockingly potent prowess.
The few merchants from the Great Jin Dynasty were also dazed by the shocking outcome of the battle. Killing Blade's name was known far and wide in their homeland, hence they were confident that Meng Qi's triumph was inevitable. Still, they hadn't expected that there would be such an appalling difference in their strengths and skills.
The crowd engulfed the drifting green robe. Shangguan Heng remained rooted in place. He couldn't detach himself from his trance for a long time.
…
It was the dead of the night, at a dense jungle near the desolate mass grave.
Meng Qi had found Sikong Tu's buried cache, as per Madam Sikong's instructions.
Recalling the arrangement of Sitong Ku's various contraptions, Meng Qi used his spiritual sight to search for the best entry point.
If he wasn't afraid of damaging the items inside, he would've used his Precious Weapons to cleave the tomb open. That would be the easiest way to gain entry into the cache but he couldn't do so now.
The most vicious trait of Sikong Tu's traps was the corrosive venom that would be triggered in the event that the initial contraptions lost their effectiveness or became damaged. The venom would destroy the ancient manuscripts and historic items, rendering the robbers' hard work useless. This was what troubled Meng Qi the most. According to Sikong Tu's wife, unless it was Sikong Tu himself or masters of contraptions, no one would be able to outmaneuver the traps.
Deep within the forest, a few rogue grave plunderers were spying on Meng Qi.
”Brother, what do you think he's standing there for?” asked a younger thief in a mask with only the eyes and nostrils visible.
”I don't think he's here to pay his respects to the deceased in the middle of the night,” the leader of the thieves replied, speaking as if he was nursing a toothache.
He suspected that the person was also targeting the tomb.
”Brother, didn't you say the tomb is laid with many hidden traps? That we're supposed to slowly dig a tunnel inside it to excavate?” The younger thief was surprised. He truly trusted his leader's judgment.
”Of course. Based on my experience, there are no less than five layers of traps inside the tomb! If I'm mistaken, I'll spell my name upside down!” the leader said confidently.
”But Brother... Your surname is Tian (a Chinese character which would appear the same written upside-down)...” the younger thief whispered.
”... Either way, he'll definitely retreat after seeing how difficult it is. He'll retreat slowly, no, he'll instantly plan for the future!” said the leader, displaying a sudden aptitude for literacy.
Meng Qi ignored the thieves and made a decision after pondering over it. He extended his right hand and fashioned his fingers into claws. A faint golden glow enveloped his fingers. He suddenly grabbed the tomb ferociously.
The grave crumbled like it was made out of decrepit wood and burst with countless poison needles. They flashed past him in a blurry haze. It was hard for him to avoid them, so all the needles ended up striking his palm.
The rattling steel on steel echoed through the night as downpours of needles battered Meng Qi's golden protective aura. The poison needles fell feebly onto the ground. With swift movements, he swept off the debris of broken rocks from the grave and whisked away a lurking venomous bug.
”Crack!” A bamboo tube containing jet-black corrosive venom broke. He could see in the dark, how the liquid seeped out of the crevices of the tube and flowed onto a bundle of books wrapped in leather and fur.
With the swiftness of an arrow, Meng Qi's hand, coated in a golden glow, reached into the burrow and scooped up the bundle.
A few drops of the corrosive liquid spilled on the back of his hand and arm. Little strands of smoke rose as the acid tried to burn through the glowing shield. The acid gradually evaporated into thin air, leaving not a single blemish on his golden coat.
Meng Qi covered his hands with his sleeves. Riffling through the fruits of his endeavor, he nodded with satisfaction before turning to leave.
He had chosen to strike at a corner with the least traps.
”He succeeded just like that?” The young thief watched in disbelief. The stranger had simply struck the grave and reached in to retrieve his prize with ease!
The leader was momentarily dazed before saying with some difficulty, ”To... To be able to destroy the grave with such ease, he... he must be a master! We're no match for him!”
”But what about the traps?” the younger thief asked.
”I...” The leader didn't know how to answer him.
The younger thief put aside his confusion as curiosity overcame him. ”Brother, I think there are no traps after all! Let's go and take a look! Who knows if we might find some leftover treasure?”
”Perhaps there were traps but the stranger disabled them!” The leader wasn't willing to eat his words yet as he was a greedy man.
Meng Qi exited the jungle with the books in hand. He suddenly heard shrill screams of agony tearing through the forest. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He didn't turn around. He found a quiet place to sit and began pouring over the books under the moonlight.
”To think it's in Bomi...” After a long time, Meng Qi frowned and muttered to himself, ”To think it's in Bomi...”
One of the ancient manuscripts described in detail the search for Carefree Valley. First, the owner had determined the general location of the valley. Next, he discovered clues by inspecting the surroundings. However, before he could find the entrance, he succumbed to his illness. Before his death, he left behind information related to the valley so his heirs could continue the search. However, for unknown reasons, the manuscript ended up being part of someone's burial.
Based on the manuscript, Carefree Valley was an ancient secret. Today, it was believed to be the Immensity Sea of Bomi.