CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 103: STEALING ACHIEVEMENTS

High places are bitterly cold. Chen Ku transformed into a huge white-feathered eagle, soaring 7,000 meters above Baojiao County. From that height, he could clearly see everything within a radius of several hundred miles below him.

When he focused his gaze on the residence of Baojiao County’s County Magistrate, Shangguan Yun, he could even discern the individual whiskers on Shangguan Yun’s face.

This venerable County Magistrate of Baojiao County appeared to be no more than around thirty. He had a fine, handsome face and, while not particularly burly, possessed a tall, slender figure with long hands and feet.

Merely standing in that pavilion, it seemed as if he merged with his surroundings, giving off the illusion that he was the center of that environment.

Even from the sky, 7,000 or 8,000 meters up, Chen Ku felt an inexplicable pull from Shangguan Yun.

What’s going on? Although this County Magistrate is said to be the foremost martial artist in the city, Master Yang is also a great master of the Five Internal Strong realm. In terms of Realm, he and Shangguan Yun are on the same level. But why have I never felt this kind of inexplicable spiritual oppression from my master?

Gazing down from the sky at Shangguan Yun, who stood with his hands behind him near the pavilion, Chen Ku felt an unexplainable sense of oppression.

Could this be official authority?

Impossible! Chen Ku quickly dismissed this thought.

After all, he had seen other officials in the county. If so-called official authority could truly reach such a degree, then why hadn’t he felt it when he saw that County Magistrate from afar?

There was only one explanation. This feeling must be related to some personal characteristic of Shangguan Yun, or perhaps...

Has it got something to do with the Cultivation Technique he’s practicing?

Chen Ku, after all, was a well-informed person from his previous life and currently possessed a spiritual power enhancement from Ling. He had many conjectures about various things in this world.

From over 7,000 meters away, I have this feeling, giving me the impression that this County Magistrate is like a spiritual vortex, capable of drawing in one’s mind. Dangerous! It’s lucky he doesn’t know I’m watching him from above, otherwise... This vague and indistinct spiritual power could very possibly attack me imperceptibly.

Chen Ku was certain the County Magistrate could hardly detect him from over 7,000 meters away, nor sense him from a distance of more than a dozen miles.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be human, but a god.

Just as Chen Ku silently "spied" on the residence of the county’s top expert, he saw someone walking towards Shangguan Yun.

That Counselor who spun the rattle-drum that day, causing all the experts from the Xu Family to explode... He’s also Sui Qingfang’s father...

Chen Ku could see Sui You approaching Shangguan Yun from behind, his lips moving.

Although he could see clearly, he couldn’t read lips. He could only hazily make out a few basic and simple lip forms for ’My Lord,’ ’mountain,’ ’found,’ ’person,’ ’dead,’ but he wasn’t quite sure.

The mountain found... people dead?

Chen Ku analyzed, his mind stirring slightly.

Has Shangguan Yun found the location of the Hero King Treasure? On some mountain? Was it found from Xu Minjun’s memories? ...They found it in such a short time... Could it be that the treasure’s location is on some ’mountain’ within Baojiao County?

He thought it over carefully and felt it was very likely.

After all, the Xu Family, who knew the location and secret of the treasure, was certainly present in this area for a reason.

High above, Chen Ku strained to interpret the lip movements of the two people conversing below.

...

In the pavilion, despite the cold winter, no fish were visible in the pond.

Only when Shangguan Yun casually tossed in fish food did a few golden carp leap from the water, blowing bubbles and scrambling for the meal.

"My lord, according to the map drawn by Miss Minjun, we have indeed found the approximate location of the Hero King Treasure. It’s right in Two Realms Mountain. We’ve explored the area several times and secretly found a Geomancer. After performing divinations to locate auspicious sites, he found the entrance to the Underground Palace. However, just as the Geomancer started digging a hole downwards, sounds of a struggle and screams came from below. In the end, we only heard the Geomancer’s final cry before his death, shouting up to us..."

Sui You watched the fish in the pond fighting for food. His tone was calm as he relayed the Geomancer’s last words,

"Wood and stone walk, bronze speaks..."

Inside the pavilion, Shangguan Yun’s hand, which was feeding the fish, paused slightly. He had already gleaned the answer from those eight words.

Indeed, it’s Heavenly Craftsman’s Mansion.

Heavenly Craftsman’s Mansion. This was a power that had never been known in Baojiao County.

Sui You looked up and said,

"It must be the Heavenly Craftsman’s Mansion. ’Wood and stone walk, bronze speaks’—in the entire world, only their ’Mechanical Puppets’ could match these eight words."

"That’s quite normal. Back then, when the Hong Dynasty forced the world into rebellion, Hero King Pei Dongliu led an uprising with various Martial Path Sect forces against the Hong. A large part of his resources and soldiers came from these Martial Path Sects. The Four Great Heavenly Kings, for instance, were the stalwarts of four top Martial Arts Holy Lands. Naturally, the Heavenly Craftsman’s Mansion was also among them."

Shangguan Yun scattered all the fish food in his hand into the lake, causing hundreds of carp to leap and break the surface.

He clapped his hands, shaking off the fish food, and walked towards the garden.

"When Hero King Pei Dongliu was the first to storm Hongjing City back then, the ’Divine Puppets’ of the Heavenly Craftsman’s Mansion contributed significantly. Indeed, in previous discoveries of the Hero King Treasure, Heavenly Craftsman’s Mansion puppets and mechanisms were found."

Shangguan Yun walked ahead into his rear garden. Even though it was winter, many unique flowers bloomed as if the garden were full of spring, giving it a transcendent quality, detached from the cycle of the seasons.