Chapter 1975: Broken Piece
In the Eastern Palace, after who knew how much time had pa.s.sed, Rong Mo yawned. She suddenly sensed something, and a breeze brushed past. When she turned around, she saw that Zu An had already returned into the room with the crown princess in his arms.
When Rong Mo saw that, she was dumbstruck. She asked, “She fainted again?”
Zu An was also a bit embarra.s.sed. He gently placed Bi Linglong on the bed and covered her up before saying, “Help me take care of her.”
“Rather than having me take care of her after the matter, can’t you just go a bit easier on her?” Rong Mo retorted, giving him a resentful look. She moved over to the bed and helped her master wipe the fine sweat off her forehead and the kiss marks around her neck. “The miss’ body is delicate and n.o.ble. Everyone else is scared to hurt her even in the slightest; only someone like you wouldn’t hold back at all.”
Zu An was a bit apologetic, but it was precisely because of her special status and the scene of them looking down on the Imperial Palace that he had gotten so worked up in the first place. He awkwardly responded with a few words.
When the maid outside heard the activity, she knocked on the door and asked, “Big sister Momo, is there anything the crown princess needs our help with?”
Zu An couldn"t stay here any longer. He looked at Rong Mo with an apologetic expression, then hurriedly disappeared into the night sky.
“Just help us prepare some hot water,” Rong Mo said as she sent off the maid that was asking outside.
Eventually, Bi Linglong gradually woke up. When she saw that she was lying in her own chambers, her pretty face couldn"t help but turn red.
“Young miss, it’s not that I really want to say malicious things, but that guy really doesn’t know how to cherish women! I really wonder just how he tormented you earlier," Rong Mo muttered to herself as she gently helped Bi Linglong wipe her body with a handkerchief.
“It has nothing to do with him. It’s something I wanted to do,” Bi Linglong replied. As she recalled what they had been doing not too long ago, her heart started pounding.
Ever since she was little, she had already begun to learn the customs and practices of the royal family. She"d known she had to become the future crown princess ever since she was little, so that was why her natural disposition was to be cautious. Normally, she didn’t dare to make a single mistake. And yet, after she met Zu An, the things she had done became riskier and riskier. She was already no longer that distinguished daughter who behaved with inflexible etiquette.
And yet, she felt as if an entirely new world had opened up before her. Even though she was a bit scared sometimes and got anxious, she felt a deep sense of allure toward those strange forms of stimulation.
“Miss, you really are…” Rong Mo was a bit stunned. “If he really cared about you, how could he possibly humiliate you like this?”
“Huh? I wasn’t humiliated. I feel pretty happy,” Bi Linglong reflexively replied.
Rong Mo was speechless.The first miss is beyond saving.
Bi Linglong looked at the red marks on her body and felt a bit embarra.s.sed. She reflexively pulled up her covers, saying, “Ah Zu is actually quite gentle normally. Maybe it’s because he fought a huge battle against a great monster, but his movements today were… a bit rougher.”
Rong Mo was a bit curious, asking, “Then how does he treat you normally?”
“Normally…” Bi Linglong was about to reflexively reply when she suddenly reacted and slammed the pillow next to her at Rong Mo. “What are you thinking, you silly girl! If you want to know that badly, you can experience it for yourself next time!”
“No way!” Rong Mo cried as she got up in alarm. Her face was also becoming red.
…
Zu An returned to Mount Yuquan. After he"d worked hard all night, the sky was already starting to show the first glimmer of light. When he pa.s.sed by the lotus lake and saw his reflection, he cried out in alarm, “I’ve been ruined by wine and women! I’ve actually become so wan and sallow!”
Apart from refining pills as of late, because he had become the Regent, he"d had to attend some feasts as well. Large drinking gatherings had happened continuously, so he had naturally drunk his fair share. On top of that, after fighting those ‘evening battles’ for days on end, he"d almost had no time to rest, which was how he had ended up in his current haggard state.
“From today on, I’m giving up drinking!”
Zu An decided to just sit down by the boulder next to the fish pond to circulate his ki. This time, when the sun and moon exchanged places, was when the world’s ki was the richest, so cultivating now was extremely efficient.
The elite disciples at the foot of the mountain were waking up as well. They were about to start their morning exercises. When they lifted their heads, they saw the libationer meditating on the boulder with hazy mist surrounding him. As the morning sun cast its first rays of sunlight on his body, it made him look just like an immortal from the heavens.
The disciples were completely won over. They had thought that they were already hard workers by waking up so early, yet now, compared to the libationer, they realized that they were really far off. The libationer’s cultivation was already so ridiculously high, and yet he was still so diligent, so what reason did they have to slack off?
The female disciples’ eyes were all sparkling.
“Ahhh! The libationer is so handsome!”
“I heard that he was still single. I wonder if I have a chance…”
“Wake up already; he"s already gotten married. His wife is Brightmoon City’s number one beauty, Chu First Miss.”
“But I heard that they already divorced each other… And isn’t she just pretty in her own city?”
…
On the mountaintop, Zu An didn’t pay attention to the disciples’ discussions. Roughly two hours later, he opened his eyes. He felt incredibly refreshed, with his mind fully recovered. The world of cultivation really was incredible. Compared to Earth’s ordinary people, the bodies of cultivators were on an entirely different level.
However, he quickly sensed something off. The energy within his body wasn’t all that calm, likely because he had absorbed the War Priest’s cultivation. Its cultivation was so great that there was no way for him to completely dissolve it in a short amount of time.
When he returned to his room, Zu An took out the golden brick he had used in the battle against the War Priest. During the fight, he had thrown it at the Naihe Oblivion Water, resulting in all of its magical properties being erased. It was now dull and lightless, inferior to even ordinary gold. Even so, it was still a heaven-grade weapon in the end. Losing it just like that would be a bit of a waste.
He quickly summoned the Forging System. In the past, he had awakened this new system along with the ‘Rune Weapon Chart’; not only could it forge all kinds of weapons, it could also repair damaged weapons. A platform similar to a blacksmith’s forge appeared in the room. Whenever he saw the Keyboard System’s abilities, Zu An always felt amazed. He really wondered just where something so huge normally hid.
He placed the dull brick at the very center of the table that was embedded with all manner of runes. Soon after, the system produced a reaction.
Damaged Golden Brick detected. The required materials for repair include Soaring Flames Gla.s.s, heaven-grade crystal ore…
When he saw the materials that were listed, Zu An was stunned. He just happened to have Soaring Flames Gla.s.s. He had won it from his gamble in the Fiend races’ territory in the past. What a coincidence!
However, after thinking about it, with his current authority on both the human side and Fiend races’ territory, it wasn’t all that strange for him to have rare materials. Not even Zhao Han himself probably had as many channels to acquire resources as he had now. After all, there had been no way for Zhao Han to get things from the Fiend races’ side. If it were anyone else, any material they needed of this sort could take decades to find.
“Repair!”
As soon as Zu An said that, the strangely-shaped furnace erupted into flames. He then summoned and moved the White Lotus Flame in. The entire furnace became spotlessly white, and white lotuses continuously appeared inside. They gradually withered before being born once more, repeating the cycle.
The Forging System’s flames alone were already enough to smelt all kind of weapons, but if he added in special flames, it would lend a helping hand and accelerate the repair or forging process. Sometimes, it could even grant the weapons some additional properties.
Zu An placed the Golden Brick, Soaring Flames Gla.s.s, and heaven-grade crystal ore into the furnace. At the same time, he used his ki to spur on the bellows to the side. Soon after, the Forging System began to move. The Golden Brick in the flames gradually recovered its usual color.
For the final step, he picked up the hammer to the side. He began to transfer the power of his soul to repeatedly strike the Golden Brick, thus establishing a soul link between himself and the magic weapon, allowing him to use it like an extension of his body.
After many hours of work, the Golden Brick suddenly erupted with golden brilliance. Then, it flew out from the furnace and continuously rocked back and forth, as if it were cheering toward Zu An.
When he sensed the strange connection, Zu An reached out and summoned it to his hand. He gently stroked it. Even though it hadn’t produced a weapon spirit, because he had reforged it himself, he felt a strange sense of intimacy with it.
Suddenly, he was startled. He discovered that the Golden Brick now seemed to have become a bit more spiritual than before. Previously, he had only been able to enlarge it into the size of a small mountain to crush his enemies, but now, there was a slight fire attribute to it. When he brought it down on an enemy, it would no longer be an ordinary mountain, but rather a mountain covered in flames!
He put the Golden Brick away and took out the Soul Summoning Banner. After examining it carefully, he discovered that because it was damaged by the Violet-Gold Alms, even the imprint left by the War Priest on it had become considerably weaker. With his current strength, he was able to directly refine away the leftover spiritual imprint. Thus, he placed it on the Forging System. Previously, he hadn"t been too confident that he could repair the Golden Brick, but this Soul Summoning Banner was something he was more certain of repairing.
Sure enough, the Forging System told him that it needed ‘True Corpse Bamboo’. That was also something he had obtained from the Fiend races’ territory in the past, and he had heard that it was the main ingredient for making things like Soul Summoning Banners. Naturally, it could be used here.
He quickly tossed the various materials into the furnace. This time, he didn’t dare to add the White Lotus Flame, because it just happened to be the exact opposite of something treacherous like the Soul Summoning Banner. It would be bad if he accidentally destroyed it.
He continued to carefully repair it just like before. He was much slower than before, but after many hours, he finally repaired the Soul Summoning Banner. He removed it from the forging table. This entire room immediately became filled with an eerie and sinister feeling. It was as if transparent skulls were scurrying around the room.
Just then, the formations around the room began to faintly shine. Zu An quickly put the item away. The late libationer had previously resided here, so this place was full of righteous energy. Furthermore, if the various defensive formations activated, it would be bad regardless of which side was damaged.
He now knew that this thing wasn’t actually called the Soul Summoning Banner, but rather the Fallen Soul Banner. As long as it was swayed in front of the enemy, if they didn’t have any soul-protecting skills, their soul would immediately leave their body. If it was shaken a few more times, their soul could even completely scatter.
Even if one had a certain degree of soul defense, they still had to face off against the power of the Fallen Soul Banner and see if they were strong enough. Even if they were successful in keeping their souls, they would still be affected. Their bodies would temporarily be a bit sluggish, and even that difference could often be fatal.
Zu An couldn"t help but gasp at these abilities. Fortunately, he"d had the Violet-Gold Alms to protect him; otherwise, if this thing had been effective against him, he wasn’t sure whether he would even have had a chance to use his Hundredwarble ability.
The Fallen Soul Banner was currently an immortal-grade weapon, but he felt that it could perhaps become stronger than that. It even seemed to be a broken piece of a certain other weapon. If just a broken piece was already so powerful, what more of the original weapon?