Chapter 10: 10. Nine-Rank Three Talents Pavilion Perfection
After achieving a Rank, Xu Yongsheng visited the blacksmith shop less frequently, but he wouldn't completely abandon it or stop overseeing it.
This was precisely due to certain conveniences.
For instance, at this moment, after dismissing the shop assistants again, with no one else inside or outside, Xu Yongsheng personally began to melt that golden ring.
After this period of familiarization and understanding, he had basically confirmed that the reason the golden ring could help weaken and isolate external divination and deduction was due to its inherent material, which was a special, rare gold, rather than the shape or style of the ring, or any special powers or rituals it might have been imbued with.
Therefore, after some consideration, Xu Yongsheng decided to melt it down and change its shape.
He took out another mask, completely different from the one he wore to the night market. It was a pure black mask with four eyes, depicting a wild and ferocious image.
The Savage Fangxiang Mask.
In this world, the ancient Nuo ritual has existed since ancient times. By the Great Qian Dynasty, the court would perform Nuo dances every New Year's Eve, and the Fangxiang represented strength in these performances.
However, generally, the Fangxiang would wear a golden four-eyed mask, dark robes, red skirts, and bear skin.
The Fangxiang mask Xu Yongsheng made himself was black.
Now, after melting the golden ring, he fused it with his Fangxiang mask.
After cooling, the mask remained black, but faint golden patterns were subtly visible on its surface.
Xu Yongsheng nodded slightly, put away the mask, made sure everything was properly handled, and then left.
In the days that followed, he continued as before, focusing diligently on his cultivation, accumulating the Confucian Benevolence within the Earth Chamber at his lumbar spine.
About ten days later, in mid-July, one evening after the diting diagram returned as usual, it brought back news that made Xu Yongsheng's eyes light up:
“On the Su Rock at the northern foot of Yunzhe Peak in Mang Mountain, north of the city, ten grass green jades have formed.”
Among the five treasures that aid Nine-Rank martial artists in Confucian cultivation, silver red blood corresponds to “Righteousness,” golden moon chips correspond to “Wisdom,” mystic yellow stone corresponds to “Trust,” and zitong jue (purple bronze jue) corresponds to “Propriety.”
And grass green jade corresponds to “Benevolence.”
Upon receiving this news, Xu Yongsheng prepared the necessary items for an outdoor excursion, then left the city through Anxi Gate, north of the city, as daylight broke.
North of the Eastern Capital was precisely Mang Mountain.
Xu Yongsheng put on his black square face mask and discreetly entered the mountain, ascending Yunzhe Peak.
Looking back, the mountains were majestic, and within them, strange wisps of Qi subtly soared into the sky, connecting with the clouds.
Heluo Eastern Capital is a famous city in the world, an ancient capital for many dynasties. It is rumored that imperial relatives, nobles, and even emperors from more than one former dynasty are buried in Mang Mountain, north of the city.
Witnessing those mysterious and bizarre Spiritual Qi soaring into the sky, it was clear the rumors were not false.
Correspondingly, there were bound to be grave robbers and mountain patrols here.
Xu Yongsheng carefully concealed his tracks and found the base of Su Rock on the northern slope of Yunzhe Peak.
He looked up and saw more than one wisp of fine green smoke rising slowly from Su Rock, like a misty haze.
Xu Yongsheng's eyes once again took on the appearance of an Eagle Eye, with flames flickering in his pupils. He simultaneously employed the mysteries of the Eagle Eye and the Fire Observation Pupil to carefully examine his surroundings.
After a thorough check, finding no abnormalities, Xu Yongsheng ascended Su Rock.
Following the fine green smoke, he quickly found his target.
Several green jades, resembling both fruits and dewdrops, lay quietly on the grass blades, looking heavy.
Xu Yongsheng stepped forward, and after a brief inspection, he understood:
As the diting diagram's message stated, unlike the golden moon chips that were previously collected, then plundered, and finally dropped into a well, these grass green jades were naturally formed by heaven and earth and had only recently come into being.
The spiritual power here was almost entirely concentrated in this spot, making it difficult for such a phenomenon to reappear in a short time.
Xu Yongsheng's expression was solemn. He carefully put away the grass green jades, then bowed in all four directions, showing respect to the creation of heaven and earth for the treasure, before descending the rock and leaving.
He never stopped paying close attention to his surroundings.
As he descended from Su Rock, he looked down from a height and vaguely saw other people moving in the forest on the northern slope of Yunzhe Peak in the distance.
Xu Yongsheng had no desire to cause further complications, so he left from another side of the mountain.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
Zheng Jinyuan, a scion of a prominent family from Heluo Eastern Capital, led several family servants up Su Rock. He looked around, and his brow suddenly furrowed slightly:
“Earlier, from a distance, I saw green smoke like a mist rising from this rock. There must have been a Spirit Treasure here. Why is there no smoke now?”
He was still unwilling to give up and waved his hand: “Spread out and search.”
The Zheng Family family servants behind him dispersed to search but found nothing.
Zheng Jinyuan's brow furrowed even tighter: “It’s impossible that I was mistaken. Someone must have gotten here first…”
He led his men down the rock: “Let’s search around again. The person might not have gone far. At least find out who it was…”
Before he finished speaking, the sound of a zither suddenly rang in his ears.
As soon as the zither music began, Zheng Jinyuan and everyone around him instantly became unable to move their bodies.
Zheng Jinyuan, with his profound family background, was startled at first, then greatly alarmed.
But before he could speak, he had already been tied up and put into a sack.
… … … … … … … … … … … …
“Is it my imagination? I seem to hear something in the distance.” Although Xu Yongsheng was puzzled, he did not stop walking, nor did he intend to return to check. He left Mang Mountain directly and re-entered the Eastern Capital city.
In the days that followed, he recited the “Odes” daily, using the grass green jade to nourish the illusory jade in the Earth Chamber at his lumbar spine, gaining the gentle and benevolent virtue of the “Odes,” awaiting the completion of the jade.
However, the tree desires tranquility, but the wind will not cease.
Ma Yang and Ouyang Shu soon came to his door: “Second Brother, besides at the academy, have you seen Zheng Shisi Lang, Zheng Jinyuan, from the Zheng Family family anywhere else these past few days?”
“Zheng Jinyuan? I haven’t seen him.” Upon hearing this, a young man’s figure appeared in Xu Yongsheng’s mind.
He was the one who, during the Spring Festival, when participating in the “early admission” Rank ceremony, remarked about a pheasant flying out of a chicken coop.
Zheng Family, Xu, and Cao were among the most prominent and upper-class families in River Luo.
Although Zheng Jinyuan was not one of the most core disciples of the Zheng Family clan, he was still one of the representative figures of the younger generation’s direct lineage.
And now, this Zheng Shisi Lang… had been kidnapped.
“Is the Eastern Capital really that dangerous now?” Xu Yongsheng lamented: “First, the former imperial painter’s family was massacred, and now a direct descendant of a prominent family in the Eastern Capital has been kidnapped?”
Ma Yang and Ouyang Shu were both distraught and sighed: “The world has been at peace for too long. His Majesty has also not visited the Eastern Capital for many years. Now it seems, on the contrary…”
Xu Yongsheng: “I will help keep an eye out these days. I’ll notify you if I hear anything.”
“That would be truly excellent.” Ma Yang and Ouyang Shu thanked him and then hurried off to other places.
Unfortunately, as time passed, there was no news of Zheng Jinyuan's rescue.
Xu Yongsheng continued as usual, helping Ma Yang and the others gather information, but he wasn’t particularly invested, focusing more on his own cultivation.
By late August, autumn had arrived.
One day.
Within the Earth Chamber at Xu Yongsheng’s lumbar spine, an illusory circular Jade Bi gradually solidified.
The Confucian Benevolence in the Earth Chamber was full and perfect, forming the “Benevolence” Jade Bi.
At this moment, all three of his Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Talents Pavilions in the Nine-Rank Realm were complete.