Chapter 411 (2/2)

“Suitable for forging. Then again, I think I’ve heard of your tribe’s name before. It’s been a long time, I can’t remember much.” In the past, Gongjia Heng mainly focused on forging so he merely knew what other people mentioned and never asked questions. After that, when he started looking for the Mountain, he was even more cut off from the outside world.

After a full meal, Gongjia Heng extinguished the fire to rest. However, he saw Shao Xuan take out the glowing crystal, an animal skin scroll and a peculiar pen. He was drawing on the animal scroll.

“What are you writing?” asked Gongjia Heng.

“Filling in the map,” said Shao Xuan.

“What for? How many times do you plan to come here?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’ll be great if you even make it back alive. Don’t overthink it. I’m a true Xia, yet I haven’t found it after twenty years. You think you can find it in one trip? But it doesn’t matter if you don’t, just treat it as training,” said Heng in a comforting tone. Actually, he was looking forward to finding the Mountain too. However, after so many rounds of failure, he had prepared for this to be a long fight. He was not going to give up though. If it wasn’t for the convenience in getting materials from trading with the tribes nearby, he would have chosen to stay here.

However, he was still very curious, leaning in to read the map. Shao Xuan showed him the map he got from deciphering the cloud patterns. In the beginning, it was just a rough sketch but by now, it was filled with the places he had passed- the monkey forest, the swamps, woody forest, plus mountains were indicated too.

“Why is this part empty?” Gongjia Heng pointed.

“I haven’t been.”

“I have! Let me tell you…” Gongjia Heng started talking nonstop as he pointed at the empty spot on the scroll. Although it had been a few years since he had been there, he had a vague idea.

When he finished, he said, “When we get back, lend me your map. I want to make a copy.” Heng loved Shao Xuan’s efficient and simple markings on the map. He wanted one too.

“Sure.” Since Heng liked it, Shao Xuan was generous too. “I’ll just draw another one for you.”

When he heard Shao Xuan, he was satisfied. At this point, Heng was tired too.

“Sleep early, or you’ll suffer tomorrow!” They had been hurrying through their journey for the past two days, their minds and bodies were tired. It felt like he had been forging for ten days in a row. Yet this kid was still planning to stay up?

“Alright.” Shao Xuan continued studying his map.

Heng did not speak another word. The kid was going to regret it.

However, when he woke the next day, he noticed Shao Xuan was more energetic than he was. Shao Xuan had even gone hunting and brought back breakfast.

Heng was about to say something when Shao Xuan asked in surprise, “Master Gongjia, why are there two suns?!”

When they arrived yesterday, it was sunset and there was only one sun. Shao Xuan had only seen one. However, there were two this morning! Where did the other one come from?

Heng no longer thought about why Shao Xuan had such astonishing rejuvenating powers. He smirked mysteriously. “There are two suns and you’re already so afraid? If later we see even more suns in the sky, what will you do?”

Shao Xuan fell silent, then probed curiously, “Illusion?”

Gongjia Heng was surprised. Other people would ask more questions- if they weren’t already terrified, but he hadn’t expected Shao Xuan to guess it right.

“Sort of.” Gongjia Heng walked out of the cave and looked up at the two suns in the sky. He sighed. “If Gongjia Mountain was that easy to find, then there wouldn’t be so many deaths here.”

Not just the people in the forest, even the people in the slave masters’ cities all used the sun to pinpoint directions and time. However, what happens when the sun’s movements are erratic? Right now, two suns did not affect their journey too much but the further they travelled, the more illusions there would be. It would become more and more difficult to pinpoint directions and one’s travels would be greatly disturbed.

Although the two suns in the sky were not far apart from each other, anyone who was not familiar with this phenomenon would still struggle to make out the time.

“Do you know which one is the real sun?” Gongjia Heng asked in delight. However, when he thought of Shao Xuan’s knot divination skills, he got a little curious too. “Why don’t you use your divination to find out?”

Gongjia Heng went looking for some rope but Shao Xuan just closed his eyes. Then, he opened them and pointed at the sun that was slightly to the left. “That’s the real one.”

Heng was about to hand him the rope excitedly, expecting to watch his divination process again. However, he paused and then tossed the piece of rope.

“Why do you say that?”

“I guessed.”