Chapter 56: Heaven’s Thunder, Earth’s Metal
“We’re rich! Hahaha!”
Sha Lifei carried the chest on his back, drenched in sweat, his face full of foolish delight.
Li Yan turned helplessly. “Uncle Sha, we can just bury the chest and come back for it later. Why bother exhausting yourself like this?”
The chest was small, but it was packed full of high-quality gold bars and weighed a great deal. Even Sha Lifei was struggling under its weight.
The moment he heard that, Sha Lifei’s eyes widened. “How can we have that?! Old Sha here’s never seen this much money in his entire life. What if something happens and we lose it?! From now on, I’m sleeping with it in my arms. Nobody’s stopping me!”
Li Yan sighed. “Fine, fine...”
He exchanged amused smiles with Wang Daoxuan. Neither of them had expected such gains from tonight’s trip up the mountain. Even if the four of them split it evenly, they would already have enough money to construct the inner temple they had planned.
When fortune descended from heaven, no one could stop it. Of course, retrieving the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood remained their main objective. Now that they knew the bandit stronghold had been destroyed, everyone relaxed considerably and continued along the mountain trail toward Leopard Ravine in the western mountains.
But it was not as though no beasts lurked nearby. That was when the power of the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coins truly became apparent. Li Yan merely activated them slightly, and the wolves hidden in the dark forest immediately retreated in alarm.
He secretly glanced toward Zhao Luzi and noticed the man was not surprised at all. Li Yan understood that the mountain forager treasure-hunters spent their lives wandering forests and mountains. They certainly possessed techniques for avoiding fierce beasts.
For example, Zhao Luzi himself had no scent whatsoever, and Li Yan still had no idea how he accomplished that. Without companions traveling alongside him, even wild wolves likely could not detect his presence.
Half an hour later, the group finally arrived at Leopard Ravine.
Sha Lifei was already drenched in sweat. Hugging the chest, he collapsed onto the ground.
“I can’t do it anymore...”
“Shh!”
Zhao Luzi immediately gestured for silence. Crouching, he waved for the others to follow. The group climbed a nearby ridge behind him and peered through the grass.
A strange scene instantly appeared before their eyes.
Leopard Ravine was not large, but because few people ever entered it, the forest had grown thick and the weeds stood waist-high. From the outside, it looked completely impassable. Yet beneath the moonlight, a wandering glow flickered faintly below them.
It was dim and indistinct, but because it flickered constantly, it resembled a streak of lightning.
Li Yan had already witnessed such phenomena once before. He knew heavenly treasures always manifested strange signs, though they would not appear before ordinary people. Moreover, without the correct method of retrieval, forcibly seizing them would simply disperse their fortune.
Naturally, his Great Luo Dharma Body was an exception. So long as he touched such treasures, he could plunder their fortune. But since the Thunderstruck Jujube Tree was intended to become a spiritual artifact, he clearly could not act recklessly.
The group carefully withdrew again at Zhao Luzi’s signal
Li Yan asked, “Brother Zhao, how exactly do we retrieve this treasure?”
Every heavenly treasure had methods specifically designed to restrain it. The troublesome part was that heavenly treasures existed in countless varieties. Even the same type of treasure herb might require completely different harvesting methods depending on where it grew and how its five-element properties evolved.
Knowledge, experience, and techniques were all indispensable. That was the true reason the treasure-seeker lineage had survived until today.
Zhao Luzi immediately replied, “It’s simple.”
He was naturally poor with words and had originally remained wary of everyone. But Li Yan had spoken kindly throughout the journey and even offered him a share of the gold they found, causing the young man to completely trust them.
Thus, he explained the principles without reservation.
“Thunderstruck Jujube Tree belongs to the wood element among the five phases, so we require metal to restrain it. But if someone only understands that much, then they’re fated to miss the treasure. Even if they find it, it’ll be no different from ordinary trees that have been struck by lightning.”
Wang Daoxuan glanced toward the sky, a sharp gleam appearing in his eyes. “And also Heaven's Lightning!”
“Exactly!” Zhao Luzi nodded. “The reason this thing became a heavenly treasure lies precisely because of the heavenly spirit.
“Heaven's Lightning governs the rightful order of heaven, regulates the four seasons, gives birth to all things, preserves fate and calamity, slaughters heavenly demons, sweeps away plagues, and suppresses all difficult evils and monstrous entities.
“Whether it possesses that strand of Heaven's Lightning astral qi makes all the difference! Thus, this treasure can be considered heavenly wood. Only Earth's Metal can restrain it and allow the treasure to be fully extracted.”
Li Yan praised him sincerely. “I’ve truly learned something today. Then what exactly is Earth's Metal?”
Zhao Luzi glanced toward the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood and lowered his voice. “Earth's Metal generally exists in two forms. One is a kind of heavenly treasure that is created from gold, silver, and copper essences born from underground mineral veins. These heavenly treasures are called Spring Jade Spring, Youth Binder, and Swift Thunderclap. All three can transform into spirits and are exceedingly rare.
“The other follows the principles of yin and yang. Wherever venomous snakes appear, antidotes are always nearby. Likewise, there will always exist something around heavenly treasures that is capable of restraining them.
“If I were alone, it would probably take half a month to locate it. But with help from you two, it’ll be easy. Daoist Wang, since you’re skilled in fengshui, help me determine where the metal position lies if this area is divided according to the Nine Palaces. Brother Li, your divine ability means that you should be able to locate it quickly. I’ll rely on you. Hero Sha, there are extremely fierce leopards hidden in Leopard Ravine. They’ll attack anyone approaching the Thunderstruck Jujube Tree. You must stop them and keep them from interfering.”
When he was done, he looked up at the sky.
“We don’t have much time. Once midnight passes, the tree will hide itself again. If we fail and alert the treasure, it may not emerge again for over half a year. And if we attempt to retrieve it at any other time, its fortune will scatter. There is no time to waste. Let’s move!”
With the plan set, the group immediately sprang into action.
Wang Daoxuan took out his compass and climbed up to the nearby high ground. Under the moonlight, he surveyed the terrain while muttering calculations beneath his breath. He marked several spots and even dug out shallow samples of soil to taste.
Reading fengshui terrain required understanding both the grand layout and the smaller formations. Fortunately, Wang Daoxuan was meticulous by nature and had already memorized the geography of Yetai Mountain during the daytime.
In less than half the time it took a stick of incense to burn, Wang Daoxuan pointed toward the southwest. “It’s over there!”
Everyone immediately looked up. Wang Daoxuan was pointing at the area near the forest edge where it connected to the cliff wall. Vegetation there was sparse and barren, noticeably different from the surrounding terrain.
Better still, it was some distance away from the Thunderstruck Jujube Tree itself. Even if they made noise there, it likely would not alarm the treasure.
Li Yan didn’t bother wasting time replying, and quietly snuck over. He had already activated his divine ability, yet at first he detected nothing unusual.
A thought suddenly struck him. Forming the yang seal with his hand, he focused completely and took a deep breath. Instantly, countless more scents flooded into his nose.
That was the benefit of learning to control his divine ability. Normally he kept it suppressed, preserving his strength. But when needed, he could unleash it explosively for short periods without damaging his soul.
Very quickly, he caught a strange scent that was coming from two meters underground. It was a metallic odor, mixed together with the smell of decay and mold. Though he did not know what it was exactly, it was the only metal scent nearby.
Li Yan immediately grabbed a shovel and began digging furiously together with Zhao Luzi, who had also rushed over. Both were trained martial artists with considerable strength. Before long, they had dug a pit over six chi deep, revealing a black mass that resembled moldy spiderwebs.
Zhao Luzi quietly exhorted, “Careful. Let me handle this!”
He signaled Li Yan to back away. He then grabbed a pair of deerskin gloves from his waist and carefully brushed away the dirt. Only after the thing was fully exposed did he locate its edge and begin gently rubbing it between his hands until it formed a black rope.
Li Yan asked curiously, “What is that?”
The object had lain buried underground, gathering some killing qi, but the concentration was extremely weak. It could never become a true evil-suppressing artifact.
“This is Iron Vestment.” Zhao Luzi explained, “It resembles mold growing on objects, but it’s actually formed from iron ore. There must be a mineral vein beneath it. It can only be seen under special circumstances.
“Certain burrowing insects love feeding on this stuff. Once exposed to human qi, it softens and rots, making it impossible to twist into rope...”
Li Yan suddenly understood. “Oh, I see.”
The thing was most likely a type of iron-eating fungus that only formed under special conditions, which explained why ordinary people failed to recognize it. Only treasure-hunters likely possessed the knowledge to identify such things.
After braiding the Iron Vestment into a rope, Zhao Luzi spoke again. “I’ll go retrieve the treasure. You all carry the scent of living people, so do not approach. Wait for my signal!”
With that, he quietly slipped into the forest.
Only then did Li Yan finally understand. No wonder the man carried no scent whatsoever. He had to have used some special method specifically for treasure-hunting, ensuring he would not disturb heavenly treasures.
At that moment, Li Yan suddenly frowned and looked sharply toward the southeastern forest. Snatching the sheepskin pouch from Sha Lifei’s waist, he untied it and scattered all the meat caltrops soaked in pig’s blood across the ground.
Instantly, the area filled with the smell of blood.
“They’re here?” Sha Lifei hurriedly asked.
Li Yan nodded slowly as he drew his blade. “There are two of them, and they’re big ones. We’ll lure them away and make sure they don’t interfere with Brother Zhao.”
Even as he spoke, a foul wind carrying a beastly odor drifted from the forest.
Two pairs of eyes, the size of bronze bells, emerged from the darkness of the woods. Faint green light glowed within them as they slowly approached from opposite sides. The two leopards revealed themselves as they stepped out beneath the moonlight.
Leopards in the ravine, or more specifically, Golden Coin Leopards, were extraordinarily fierce beasts. Though not as powerful as tigers, they were far more agile and vicious. Once enraged, they would even dare challenge tigers directly.
That was why people said someone fearless had eaten a leopard’s gall bladder. Moreover, those two leopards were not only larger than normal, but frighteningly intelligent as well. They merely sniffed the meat caltrops before ignoring them completely. Instead, they stared directly at the group, baring their savage fangs.
One of them even bore a clear scar across its face.
Wang Daoxuan’s expression darkened as he warned them in a low voice, “Be careful. These two are probably close to developing spirituality!”
Once a beast gained spirituality, the next step was developing true cultivation. The fact that it had survived injuries and refused to touch the meat caltrops meant it had already suffered from such tricks before.
Sha Lifei cursed under his breath, “It must’ve been those bandits.”
He gripped his blade and positioned himself protectively before Wang Daoxuan. His martial skills were mediocre, and despite years wandering the jianghu, he had never mastered hidden force. But he still possessed decent blade skills.
As the leopards crept closer, Li Yan frowned slightly and focused his spirit. The Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin tassel immediately began swaying from side to side. If he could scare them away, all the better. He had no desire to fight wild beasts.
Yet upon sensing the aura of the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coins, the two leopards instead went completely berserk. They immediately lunged toward the trio.
