Wayfarer

Chapter 86: The Sealed Chests of Great Wei

Xiao Nanfeng stowed the golden crow spirit's carcass and helped Yu'er into the depths of the forest. They found a remote valley within which to rest.

"Nanfeng, what are you doing here? I thought you were dead!" Yu'er gripped Xiao Nanfeng's arm tightly, worried that if she let go, he would vanish.

"How could I have died? I wouldn't be able to bear leaving you behind, Senior Sister," Xiao Nanfeng replied jokingly.

"Shoo!" Yu'er blushed and slapped Xiao Nanfeng on the shoulder, though her eyes shone with delight at the unexpected reunion. Joke as she did, though, Yu'er hissed as she sucked in a breath. She was wounded and hurting all over.

"Senior Sister, swallow this golden crow's inner core to heal yourself," Xiao Nanfeng offered, immediately turning serious.

"This inner core is pure yang, and it'll be particularly beneficial to your cultivation..." Yu'er visibly hesitated.

"I don't need it anymore. Please, take it!" Xiao Nanfeng shook his head.

Yu'er had just discovered the tremendous growth in Xiao Nanfeng's cultivation. Although she didn't know what had happened, it wasn't the time to press him. She nodded and accepted his kind gesture.

Yu'er swallowed the inner core and began to heal her injuries with qi. Her face relaxed. This was the first time in almost a month that she felt so at ease.

Four hours later, Yu'er had just about recovered and was about to end her meditation when she suddenly smelled a delectable scent.

Yu'er sniffed as she opened her eyes. "How fragrant! What could be so fragrant?"

She turned to see Xiao Nanfeng roasting a large spiritbeast by a nearby stream.

"Nanfeng, is this an Ascension-realm spirit?" Yu'er remarked in surprise.

"Golden crows don't taste that good. This is a goat spirit, but I haven't finished roasting it. Do you want to clean yourself up first? There's a small pond over there, and I've checked to ensure it's safe." Xiao Nanfeng pointed further into the valley.

Yu'er glanced at the dried blood and scabs all over her body, thinking that she really was due for a bath.

"Don't look!" she warned, then ran off into the valley.

Xiao Nanfeng quashed some of the irreverent thoughts in his head as he continued to roast the goat spirit.

Not long later, Yu'er returned. She had washed up and changed into a set of clean black robes, revealing her slim physique and curvaceous body. Her hair drifted in the wind. The sun shone down, illuminating her beauty for one and all. Xiao Nanfeng was momentarily enraptured.

"What are you looking at?" Yu'er scolded, but her smile was filled with unmitigated happiness.

"Senior Sister, the roast goat is ready. Please, have a try!" Xiao Nanfeng handed her a goat leg.

Yu'er sniffed it. A wave of fragrance drifted toward her. She tore the leg into strips and began eating it daintily.

"Nanfeng, your roast goat is amazing! It's as tasty as the dishes my mother used to make!" Yu'er commented in delight.

"Is she a good cook?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"Of course! I've loved her cooking since I was a child," Yu'er bragged proudly.

The two cultivators began devouring the feast.

Yu'er had been running and fleeing for days on end, and having a good rest and a sumptuous meal were luxuries she had taken for granted.

"Senior Sister, how have you been?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"The day you fell unconscious after being struck by the serpent's tail, I tried my hardest to find you, but didn't manage to do so even after an entire day. I did find a number of junior disciples, who helped me search for you for a few days thereafter. I was going to keep searching by the river, but they convinced me that you were likely already back on land, and that we would have more of a chance to find you in the forest.

"After that, we were chased by the red-armored and black-armored warriors. Just then, a group of black-armored warriors and crow spirits found us, forcing us to scatter and flee. If I hadn't encountered you, I'm afraid that..." Yu'er shuddered.

She was worried about the group of disciples she had found; she didn't know where they were now, and whether they were alive or dead.

"Senior Sister, eat your fill first. Only then will you have the energy to seek revenge," Xiao Nanfeng consoled her.

Yu'er nodded and continued eating the goat. She asked, "How have you been, Nanfeng? How have you grown so much stronger?"

"I..." Xiao Nanfeng briefly recounted what he had done over this period of time.

"You were with the elder?" Yu'er cried out in surprise.

"The elder doesn't need my protection any longer. I was worried about you, so I rushed over. Fortunately, I made it back in time," Xiao Nanfeng replied, realizing how precarious the situation had been.

"Well, I'm glad you have a conscience!" Yu'er wrinkled her nose playfully. Her eyes quickly flashed with worry. Xiao Nanfeng had had an even more stressful and dangerous experience than she had.

"You made a trade with the centipede spirits? Just what did they give you?" Yu'er asked curiously.

Xiao Nanfeng showed her a chest, one carved with scripture. He tried to open it again, but was unsuccessful.

"A sealed chest from Great Wei?" Yu'er's eyes suddenly lit up.

"You're familiar with this?" Xiao Nanfeng asked in astonishment.

"I've seen such chests before in my father's study. He once said that these chests were created by the Empire of Great Wei a millennium ago, specifically for storing treasures. There's a special way of opening them," Yu'er recalled.

"Oh? Can you open them?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Yu'er put down her goat leg, wiped her hands, and inspected the chests carefully.

"It really is identical! My father said that the treasure chests of Great Wei are filled with formations and can be used to seal, preserve, and maintain its contents in stasis. The chest itself is constructed out of some special material carved with seals to prevent external inspection and damage. You need to use spiritual power to activate and unlock these seals, and you're meant to infuse spiritual power into some of the characters engraved in these scriptures. You can't get the order wrong, so... Let me think..." Yu'er frowned as she concentrated on her memories.

Then, she infused spiritual power into a few dozen characters represented in the scriptures, but the chest stubbornly refused to open.

"I must have gotten the order wrong. Let me try again!" She tried a few more times before the chest suddenly glowed golden.

"Is it open now?" Yu'er glanced at the chest expectantly.

The chest began to hum and resonate before frosty air dissipated from it. It opened a crack.

"Did you succeed?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up.

"It really was a treasure chest of Great Wei!" Yu'er exclaimed happily.

The two cultivators immediately opened the chest. There seemed to be countless formations within, glowing with pale white light. Frosty aura seeped out from the light, preserving two fruits glowing with silver light in the middle of the chest.

"These are moonspirit fruits?" Yu'er seemed very excited.

"Quick, let's check out all the other chests!"

Xiao Nanfeng retrieved the other nineteen chests. Emulating Yu'er's technique, the two cultivators opened them all—only to find all sorts of natural treasures within.

"I understand now. The empires of Great Yan and Great Qi must have been scouring the spirits' domain for natural treasures, and this is what the red-armored warriors of Great Qi have found so far. They were intending to bring the chests back to the Empire of Great Qi, but the centipedes seized them all midway!" Xiao Nanfeng guessed.

"These are far more precious than the inner cores of Ascension-realm spirits!" Yu'er gasped.

"Senior Sister, I couldn't have opened these chests without your knowledge. Let's split these treasures equally!" Xiao Nanfeng suggested.

Yu'er nodded.

"Consuming the first of each of these natural treasures confers the greatest benefit. The more you eat, the weaker the effect becomes. We can each take half of every unique natural treasure here, splitting the unique ones down the middle," Xiao Nanfeng continued.

"Very well!" Yu'er nodded.

The two cultivators quickly finished the roast goat and cleaned up their surroundings. They found a hidden cave, then began distilling the essence from these natural treasures.

As they consumed these treasures, their bodies began to glow with light. Golden light radiated from Xiao Nanfeng's body. As he consumed the treasures, they were quickly converted into yang qi and channeled to his seventh divine conduit.

Indeed, later stages of cultivation needed a tremendous amount of qi. Fortunately, these natural treasures were brimming with spiritual power, and contained more than double of what was in the dozens of inner cores that Xiao Nanfeng had eaten previously.

Two hours later, a gust of energy was expelled from Xiao Nanfeng's body.

"The seventh stage of Immanence! Let's continue." Xiao Nanfeng took an expectant breath. Roiling energy continued on toward his divine capillaries. Muted thuds came from his body as he concentrated.

The first... the second... the fifth... the ninth! Xiao Nanfeng had just enough qi to unclog the last of his divine capillaries. He opened his eyes as he released a breath.

He tested his newfound defenses, only to discover that he could now withstand a blow from a late-stage Immanence-realm cultivator. His defenses had strengthened once again.

With a deep exhalation, Xiao Nanfeng happily ended his meditation. His skin returned to normal, the golden coloration fading.

Just then, a burst of energy emanated from Yu'er, scattering the rocks and pebbles on the cave floor. Multicolored energy radiated around Yu'er as she slowly opened her eyes in excitement.

"Senior Sister, have you broken through to Ascension?" Xiao Nanfeng remarked in surprise.

"I have! Nanfeng, these natural treasures really were potent!" Yu'er exclaimed happily. Suddenly, the multicolored haze around Yu'er was sucked into her eyes, which flashed softly with rainbow light.

"Ah?" Yu'er shut her eyes and returned to meditation.

Xiao Nanfeng didn't understand what she was doing, but he waited patiently. After quite some time did Yu'er open her eyes again, confusion on her face. By then, the rainbow light had vanished.

"Nanfeng, did you see rainbow light flash in my eyes just now?" she asked.

"A bit, but it's gone now." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.

"So I wasn't mistaken! It really did happen," Yu'er murmured.

"Is it related to the technique you cultivate?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"No. It's part of my family bloodline, but it's not fully been unsealed yet," Yu'er replied, sounding somewhat vexed.

"A family bloodline?" Xiao Nanfeng prompted.

"From the looks of it, though, it's almost unsealed. I'll tell you more about it when it happens. For now, it's my secret," Yu'er said happily.

Xiao Nanfeng: ...

"Now that I'm an Ascension-realm cultivator, can we take revenge for our juniors?" Yu'er glanced at Xiao Nanfeng expectantly.