Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Source Pool Golden Glow [Thanks to the silver alliance member, Yuan Chang who loves drinking tea]
“That’s how it was!”
Seeing Miss Mo’s anger, Feng Jin’s eyes flashed with a hint of harshness. Biting his teeth, a voice of sorrow rose, “After Miss Mo left, Wu Xiang and I planned to take Suxiang to the stable over there to rest. We had only walked a few steps when Suxiang’s body suddenly gave way and it collapsed to the ground. It didn’t take long before it started convulsing and died!”
“We then realized, it had already been seriously injured! The reason it could withstand the Moyun jade’s killing intent was that the pain in its body exceeded its inner fear… Otherwise, how could a not yet mature horse have a willpower far exceeding that of an experienced warhorse?”
“This…”
Miss Mo Yanxue’s elegant brows frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes, “Injured?”
“Yes, Miss Mo, this way please!”
Feng Jin did not explain further but stood up to lead the way. They rounded a corner and indeed, there lay Suxiang, who had previously been majestic and spirited, now lying motionless on the ground, having ceased to breathe.
Her heart ached, and Mo Yanxue hurried over to its side. With just one glance, her fists involuntarily clenched.
The chestnut horse that now lay stiff as a board had an increasingly pungent odor wafting from its body due to the heat.
Without even needing to reach out and touch it, she knew it was truly dead, with no possibility of revival.
Seeing the grief and anger in the girl’s eyes, Feng Jin knew the time was ripe and pointed at Suxiang’s belly:
“Miss Mo, look here. Suxiang’s belly had already been sliced open. It must have been Zhang Xuan’s means of controlling it. Otherwise, how could he, a mere coachman, make the thousand-li horse that even you couldn’t submit willingly, become so obedient?”
Following his finger, Mo Yanxue indeed saw a bloody wound on Suxiang’s belly; the blood had long coagulated into a crust. Although it was only half a foot long, one could imagine the pain it endured when it was cut open and how cruel the person wielding the knife must have been.
Her fists clenched tighter, and Mo Yanxue’s body couldn’t stop trembling.
This horse was a treasure she had cherished ever since her father spent a great sum to buy it from Baiyan Horse Farm for her sixteenth birthday. She couldn’t have imagined that a mere coachman, in an attempt to tame it, would directly use a knife… The brutality and malevolence were simply appalling.
Feng Jin and Wu Xiang exchanged a glance, and the latter, understanding the situation, quickly knelt on the ground.
“Miss Mo, it’s my fault… Actually, I noticed something was off about Suxiang yesterday. It usually jumps around the yard, unable to exhaust its stamina, but last night, it lay on the ground, motionless. I should have reported to you in time…”
Taking a deep breath, Mo Yanxue calmed the anger in her heart and turned her head, “What exactly happened?”
“It was like this…” Wu Xiang hastily recounted what he had seen yesterday and what happened today in great detail.
His account included some fabrications and false accusations.
After hearing his explanation, Mo Yanxue’s eyes reddened, “You mean to say, Zhang Xuan, in order to tame Suxiang, subjected it to abuse continuously, and after I left for the Source Pool evaluation, Suxiang couldn’t withstand the dual pressure on its spirit and body, and that’s why it fell dead…”
“It must be so. Otherwise, how could a proud thousand-li horse like Suxiang submit willingly to him, a mere subordinate…” Feng Jin nodded.
Wu Xiang: “Exactly. All that talk about his beast taming is nonsense! I’ve never heard of someone naturally eliciting fondness from a Primordial Beast…”
“Naturally adept at beast taming, that really is hard to believe…”
Nodding her head, Mo Yanxue had only gotten halfway through her statement when her pupils suddenly constricted, “Oh no, he went to help the city lord tame the Cangbai Eagle…”
If what the two men said were true, and Zhang Xuan’s so-called taming was just brutal beating… offending the city lord was already a certainty!
“Take Suxiang’s body to the City Lord Residence. I’m going to find this Zhang Xuan now. If his mistreatment indeed caused Suxiang’s tragic death, I wouldn’t mind dealing with him according to the family rules…”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Mo Yanxue’s foot stamped on the ground, and she dashed towards the City Lord Residence at breakneck speed.
Hopefully, she could catch up with his carriage. If something happened to the Cangbai Eagle, their Mo Family would likely have to bear the city lord’s wrath.
Seeing him gone far, Feng Jin and Wu Xiang exchanged a glance and finally let out a sigh of relief at the same time.
“Damn kid, daring to oppose me, see how I’ll destroy you…”
With a flicker in his eyes, Feng Jin sneered coldly.
…
Zhang Xuan, who had been falsely accused by Feng Jin, was now sitting outside the carriage, side by side with the Coachman.
Yu Xiaoyu had earlier offered to let him ride inside, but he felt it wasn’t suitable and had declined her kindness.
Regardless, this girl was the city lord’s daughter and also so beautiful. If people knew that a young man of similar age shared a carriage with her, he would definitely face many unnecessary troubles.
“Elder brother, your carriage was parked next to Suxiang just now. Did you happen to notice if Housekeeper Feng took good care of it? I’ve been raising horses for so long, and I’ve already grown attached to it. I would hate for something to go wrong and fail to fulfill Miss Mo’s trust…”
Zhang Xuan looked over with a simple and honest face.
“This…”
The coachman’s eyelids twitched, “The horse has been well taken care of, rest assured!”
“That’s good!”
Zhang Xuan feigned relief, apparently failing to notice the coachman’s unusual behavior.
The reason Suxiang died by crashing into a wall after being touched by Feng Jin was naturally at his instigation.
Before going to the campus with Mo Yanxue, he had intentionally pulled on the ears of the thousand-li horse and gave some instructions, which was a detailed arrangement.
There was no helping it; the creature was already dead and in this hot weather, the stench had started to become somewhat unbearable overnight. In half a day’s time, it would surely be discovered. Instead of having issues found later, it was better to take initiative and let it “sacrifice” itself.
In this way, he could also clear himself of any connection.
Initially, he had instructed Suxiang to die in front of the coachman, who, being a subordinate of the City Lord Residence, would serve as a credible witness.
Now it seemed the thousand-li horse had done well. Even though it wasn’t admitting anything at the moment, once Miss Mo or Xiaoyu personally inquired, it wouldn’t be able to maintain its story for long.
Knowing the net was cast and whether he could break free from the Mo Mansion and regain his freedom in this move, Zhang Xuan stopped thinking about it and with a shift of his thoughts, turned to look at the books absorbed into the Library of Heaven’s Path.
With a tap of his finger, a book fell into his palm and he gently flipped it open.
“Hong Mountain Pool-Seeking Method”: Created 157 years ago by the old ancestor of the Mo Family, Mo Qingliu, it contains methods to locate the Source Pool and how to develop it…
Flaws: First, the process of locating the Source Pool cannot utilize Origin qi or the power of the world, which is too slow and requires multiple trials, often proving fruitless. Second, the development methods require materials that are too precious and hard to find. Third…
At the hundred and third point, when developing the Source Pool, it uses the mountain’s power but lacks the mountain’s solidity…
“This many?”
Just looking at it once, Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitched.
It’s been a while since he practiced a cultivation method with so many flaws. If he really continued with it, it would be hard to succeed even in an absurdly long time.
Forget it, don’t look at it for now. Just like before, better find more secret manuals first and fuse them into the Heaven’s Path Divine Art!
Isn’t he just about to visit the City Lord Residence? Perhaps he could take this opportunity to accomplish this task.
With his consciousness withdrawing from the Library of Heaven’s Path, he then realized that a stream of energy was still wandering in his meridians.
It was the energy that had burrowed over from Source Pool Mountain. Currently, it was carelessly drifting like a fish without purpose, unable to find the Source Pool but unwilling to leave.
“Forget it, let’s send it to the new world for now!”
Fearing it would cause troubles in his body, Zhang Xuan’s consciousness stirred, and he threw it into the new world.
This wasn’t Heavenly Mandate Vitality; throwing it into the Library of Heaven’s Path could be problematic if it damaged the books, wouldn’t it?
At the same moment.
Next to Source Pool Mountain, watching the last student walk away, Dean Lu Mingrong’s eyes showed deep disappointment.
“None of the evaluations turned out positive… Dean, do you think it’s possible that the appearance of ‘Nine Dragons Summoning Heavenly Fate’ wasn’t because a super genius has emerged, but because… the Destiny Plate is broken?”
Wu Yunzhou suddenly spoke up, as if struck by a thought.
“This…”
Lu Mingrong was taken aback.
Honestly, it’s possible that issues with the Destiny Plate and Nine Dragons Pillar could lead to such a result.
If that were really the case, it would be a major embarrassment…
“I’ll go take a look…”
Realizing this possibility, Lu Mingrong was just about to check the broken Destiny Plate when suddenly, Source Pool Mountain violently shook, and in the next moment, red, yellow, and green lights blended together, illuminating the sky as if igniting the most dazzling evening glow right before their eyes.
Lu Mingrong stood there transfixed, his throat dry. He took a deep breath and murmured slowly:
“This, this… is this Source Pool Mountain’s highest level evaluation, ‘Source Pool Golden Glow’?”