Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Do You Want to Learn the Chaos Seal?

Chang Xiang suddenly blurted out this abrupt and disconnected sentence, which left Lou Yun dazed and completely unable to understand what he meant.

"That sentence means," he explained, "that everyone in the Helian family, whether wielding a magical weapon or a common weapon, absolutely always uses a sword, while people in the Huangfu Family rely on the qin. You especially need to pay attention to this: the Huangfu Family not only uses the qin as a weapon but also attacks enemies powerfully through its sounds and tunes. Those who don’t know this can easily be tricked!"

"And since the Huangfu Family and the Helian family are relatively close," Chang Xiang added, "this saying links the two families together!"

Lou Yun looked at Chang Xiang suspiciously. Although he really wanted to ask for more details, he knew Chang Xiang’s annoying character—if Chang Xiang didn’t want to talk, asking was pointless.

Sure enough, Chang Xiang changed the topic directly. "Let me tell you about that cauldron your sister is holding," he began. "Since ancient times, be it people or objects, there’s always something unsurpassed for a long time. That cauldron is the supreme and unmatched ruler among all cauldrons, still unbeaten even today. It is known as the Chaos Golden Cauldron."

"As for its origin," he went on, "there are many theories: some say a skilled weapon maker forged it, while others claim it was naturally born between heaven and earth. But the true origin—well, hardly anyone knows it. However, that doesn’t matter; what truly matters is its functionality!"

Lou Yun’s curiosity was successfully ignited, and he hurriedly asked, "What functions?"

"First, heat resistance!" Chang Xiang explained. "Your Azure Cloud Cauldron is made from bronze, so it actually can’t withstand the high temperatures of the heavenly fires. It only endures them thanks to some special added materials and blessings from a skilled weapon maker, but that’s relative. I’m certain the Azure Cloud Cauldron would melt under Hellfire."

"The Chaos Golden Cauldron is different," he continued. "No one knows what materials it was forged with, but none of the Eighteen Known Heavenly Fires can damage it!"

"Second," Chang Xiang said, "it can change size at will! You saw this earlier—it shrunk to the size of a ring, but it can go even smaller. Right now, it’s in a nascent state, not activated yet by human blood, so it just holds that form without altering."

"Third," he added, "it has infinite internal space! You can put any amount of materials inside it. But unlike the Azure Cloud Cauldron, which has many small compartments, this one is completely empty—yet the materials won’t mix together at all."

"Fourth," Chang Xiang went on, "when you forge weapons or elixirs using the Chaos Golden Cauldron, you gain a much higher chance of producing top-tier gems!"

"Finally," he concluded, "there’s the Chaos Seal. This set of seals is incredibly powerful—it’s not just for forging weapons; it can even act as a part of weapon techniques!"

Lou Yun couldn’t hold back a cry of shock. "Weapon techniques?" he said. "Aren’t seals about commanding the energy of heaven and earth?"

"Yes!" Chang Xiang nodded in agreement. "I told you last time that controlling that energy governs the growth of life, the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, and so on. If you manage to unleash this set of seals, it’d be like directly using that command to attack enemies. Just imagine the power you’d wield!"

Lou Yun pondered the kind of damage caused by wielding the force that controlled all life’s growth, but he felt his imagination was lacking—he simply couldn’t picture what that would look like.

"So, do you really want to learn it?" Chang Xiang asked.

Lou Yun nodded eagerly. With the Chaos Seal having such immense power, only a fool wouldn’t want to learn it!

Yet Chang Xiang’s next words poured cold water over his enthusiasm. "But sadly," he confessed, "I myself can’t master this set of seals. And learning it isn’t just about having enough spiritual energy or knowing the hand gestures to cast it. To truly grasp it, you need genuine insight into the way of nature before you can unleash it!"

"Pfft!" Lou Yun said grumpily. "If you don’t even know how to use it, why bother asking if I want to learn?"

"I don’t know it," Chang Xiang admitted, "but once you become the owner of the Chaos Golden Cauldron, the Chaos Seal will naturally engrave itself in your mind. As for whether you can execute it, that depends entirely on you—no one can help, not even its creator if it had one!"

Lou Yun nodded and spread his hands helplessly. "Basically," he said, "you’re telling me to take the Chaos Golden Cauldron back from Huier, right?"

Chang Xiang finally showed his true colors, smirking slyly. "I never said that," he replied. "I just asked if you wanted to learn it. What happens next is none of my concern. Anyway, almost everyone in this mansion is asleep now—you should get going!"

After saying that, Chang Xiang vanished, and Lou Yun stood up, stretched, and checked the time. It indeed felt like the right moment to leave.

So he quietly pushed open the door and walked over to Wan Huier’s room entrance. He tapped lightly on the door two times with his finger, and a soft response instantly came from inside. A moment later, the door opened as Wan Huier stepped out.

Lou Yun and Wan Huier then found two dragon horses in the stables, opened the back door, and slipped out softly. Once outside, they didn’t dare ride yet but walked the horses stealthily for a while longer, evading the patrolling guards until they reached a safe spot. Only then did they mount up and gallop away.

After they had ridden far enough, Wan Huier finally burst into laughter. "Brother Lou," she exclaimed, "I feel like I’m being a thief—it’s so thrilling!"

"Heh," Lou Yun chuckled. "Being a thief isn’t easy—you’re someone who can’t face the light!"

"Mm, I know," she acknowledged. Then she added, "By the way, Brother Lou, that Huangfu En just invited you to visit his family—when are you planning to go?"

Lou Yun could tell exactly what Wan Huier was thinking from her gaze and couldn’t help laughing out loud. "You there," he teased. "You want to come with me, don’t you?"

Wan Huier grinned and nodded warmly. "Brother Lou treats me best," she affirmed. "I’m sure you’ll take me along, right?"

Lou Yun stretched out his hand and affectionately rubbed Wan Huier’s head. "If there’s a chance, I promise I’ll take you there. But for now, let’s focus on the matter at hand. Are you ready to hunt demon beasts?"

After spending this period of time together, Lou Yun had basically figured out how to handle Wan Huier. He certainly couldn’t take her to the Huangfu Family, but he also didn’t want to refuse her outright. Shifting the topic and using the demon beasts as a distraction was a better tactic.

Wan Huier’s attention was indeed successfully diverted. Excitedly, she said, "I’m ready! Oh, Lou-gege, I just remembered! Earlier, when Elder Brother Zuo mentioned Chiyan Mountain, he said there were people living on it, but then Huangfu En interrupted him. Do you know who exactly lives there?"

Lou Yun shook his head. "I don’t know either. But whoever they are, as long as they don’t provoke us, we won’t provoke them. However, if they dare to pick a fight with us, then we certainly won’t show them any mercy, right?"

"Right!" Wan Huier had practically become Lou Yun’s staunchest supporter. "Lou-gege, let’s get going with the hunt! I can’t wait to slay some demon beasts!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Wan Huier cracked her whip. The dragon horse let out a joyful whinny, stretched its hooves, and began to gallop. Lou Yun smiled faintly and quickly followed after her.

…

Early the next morning, as Zuo Mingyang woke from his sleep and opened his door leaning on his crutch, he found the atmosphere in the manor strangely tense. Every person he saw involuntarily lowered their heads as if they had done something shameful, completely avoiding his gaze.

Zuo Mingyang naturally knew something must have occurred in the manor. However, observing that everyone moved about with the same usual order, it likely wasn’t a major incident.

"Xiao Sanzi! Get over here!"

Although extremely unwilling, Xiao Sanzi shuffled over nervously, stuttering, "O-Old boss, w-what is it?"

"So you do remember I’m the boss!" Zuo Mingyang scowled, eyes wide. "What is it? I’m asking you what’s the matter! What’s wrong with all of you today? Seeing me first thing in the morning, you look like you’ve seen a ghost! What exactly happened?"

"This… this…" Xiao Sanzi hemmed and hawed for a long time, unable to spit it out.

Only when Zuo Mingyang lifted his foot as if to kick him did Xiao Sanzi hastily cry out, "Boss! I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Those two new friends you made yesterday, they… they snuck off quietly!"

"What!" Hearing this, Zuo Mingyang completely forgot his leg injury hadn’t healed yet. He threw aside his crutch and rushed frantically towards the two guests’ rooms.

Entering the rooms, he saw the bedding on both beds was neatly made, obviously completely untouched.

A group of his underlings rushed in after him, but they all halted at the doorway, not daring to step inside. They knew Zuo Mingyang’s temper all too well – whoever entered now was practically asking to die!

However, this time they were dead wrong. Instead of erupting in fury as he usually did, Zuo Mingyang stood with tightly knit brows, a look of deep concern etched on his face.

My brother, my brother, I hadn’t finished speaking yesterday! The demon beasts on Chiyan Mountain are nothing to fear. The truly dreadful one is the person dwelling on that mountain! He’s no mere bandit. He’s a beastman, the master of those demon beasts! He’s the one who raised them. If you go to slaughter his beasts, how could he possibly let you live?

Completely forgetting the injury on his leg, Zuo Mingyang paced restlessly around the room, deeply worried. Finally, he slapped his thigh angrily, exclaiming, "No! I absolutely cannot just watch them march to their deaths! Xiao Sanzi! Fetch my horse!"

Xiao Sanzi, scared shitless, scrambled off to prepare the horse. The others finally snapped out of their shock and rushed forward to block Zuo Mingyang, pleading, "Boss, you can’t go! Your leg is still wounded!"

"Get out of my way, all of you! What’s a minor injury compared to my brother’s life? Anyone who tries to stop me again won’t like what happens!"

"Boss, then let us come with you!"

"You lot, with your pitiful cultivation levels? Going would be nothing but a death sentence. Stay at home, behave yourselves, watch over the place, and wait for me to come back!"

Ignoring their pleas, Zuo Mingyang mounted the prepared horse, snapped the reins, and sped off urgently towards the direction of Chiyan Mountain.

…

Although Zuo Mingyang’s manor lay over a thousand li away from Chiyan Mountain, the two dragon horses Lou Yun and Wan Huier rode were top-tier steeds. By noon, Chiyan Mountain looned in the distance.

The mountain earned its name because, seen from afar, its entire form resembled a blazing flame. Topped with sheer rock faces towering ten thousand ren high, piercing the clouds, particularly the summit section, which glowed a brilliant, eye-catching crimson like blazing fire through the wreathing mist and clouds, it presented a truly spectacular sight.

"It’s so beautiful!" Wan Huier gazed at Chiyan Mountain, letting out this heartfelt sigh of admiration.

Lou Yun nodded in agreement. Indeed, red mountains were rare. Actually, Chiyan Mountain’s redness didn’t come from its soil, but rather from the sprawling forest of red fir trees that covered its slopes densely.

Soon, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain. A gust of wind swept down, rustling the red firs loudly while also carrying a distinct, foul stench of blood and decay unique to demon beasts. This odor was noticeably stronger and more pungent than what Lou Yun remembered smelling back in Tianliang Forest.

The moment Wan Huier caught the smell, her face instantly changed color. She clapped a hand over her mouth, nearly gagging.

"Huier, hold your breath! Don’t inhale it! The stench is absolutely overpowering!"

Wan Huier hastily held her breath. She surreptitiously glanced up at Lou Yun, noticing his expression remained completely normal, showing no visible change. This sight helped settle her nerves slightly.

Right then, Wan Huier finally realized the hunting expeditions she’d participated in before probably couldn’t truly be called hunts. The environments alone were worlds apart, not to mention the disparity in power between the demon beasts inhabiting each setting year-round!

Lou Yun scanned their surroundings and chose a sheltered spot relatively far from Chiyan Mountain to tether their two dragon horses.

"Huier, don’t be afraid. Demon beasts maintain their own territories. We’ll only hunt the low-level ones, not the higher-ranked ones. So as long as we don’t head up the mountain, there shouldn’t be any real danger."

Wan Huier nodded vigorously. "Lou-gege, I’m not scared!"

Lou Yun extended his finger again and playfully, gently poked Wan Huier’s forehead. "Don’t forget, I still need to watch you slay demon beasts later!"

Strangely enough, she felt a wave of immediate relief wash over her tense mind following this teasing gesture. Her demeanor softened visibly, and she gave Lou Yun a sweet smile. "Okay!"

Satisfied to see Wan Huier finally relaxing, Lou Yun nodded. "Right, let’s go! The hunt begins!"