The Prodigal Son

Some of the characters on the jade disc have become blurred.

Some can be roughly inferred from the preceding text, but others are so vague that they cannot be distinguished.

This made it particularly difficult for Nan Que'er to read.

Even so, Qin Yu still understood.

This describes the so-called "god" descending upon the tribe of Nan Que'er's ancestors.

Based on the text, it can be roughly determined that the ancestral home of Nan Que'er and her family was located below a cliff in a large mountain.

It must be a secluded place, shrouded in mist year-round.

As she was reciting, Nan Que'er suddenly stopped.

Qin Yu looked at Nan Que'er with a puzzled expression, "Isn't there more to read? Why did you stop reading it?"

Nan Que'er said in a deep voice, "The Nine Dragon Pendant!"

"The Nine Dragons Pendant?"

Qin Yu's heart skipped a beat. "This mentions the Nine Dragon Pendant?"

"no."

Nan Que'er gently shook her head. "It says this is the Void Jade, but I feel it's the Nine Dragon Pendant! It also says that in order to seize the Void Jade, foreign enemies slandered our ancestors as demons and used this as a pretext to unite and kill them. Our ancestors suffered heavy losses, and to prevent the Void Jade from falling into enemy hands, they split it in two, with each group taking half of the Void Jade to escape..."

This is quite different from the ancestral legends she heard from her elders.

But one thing remains the same: their ancestors were indeed killed by a coalition of forces.

Their people were indeed forced to split into two groups.

"Divide into two?"

Qin Yu nodded slightly. "Then it's most likely the Nine Dragon Pendant!"

The Nine Dragons Pendant was likely named simply because of its shape.

It's just like a person; you can call him by his name, his nickname, or even use "cat" or "dog" to refer to him.

"Does this inscription explain the purpose of this 'Xu Heng'?"

Xu Wan's interest was piqued, and she hurriedly asked.

"I said so."

Nan Que'er nodded gently, but a bitter smile appeared on her face. "But I can't make out many words in this passage. Based on what I can make out, this Xu Heng is the Eye of the Gods, and it's about gazing into the abyss or something..."

As for the Eye of God and all that, not only did Qin Yu and the others not believe it, but even she herself didn't believe it.

She felt it must be some kind of metaphor, but because the text was incomplete, she couldn't understand it now.

As for "staring into the abyss" and such, she recognized the individual words, but when they were put together, she had absolutely no idea what they meant.

Hearing Nan Que'er's words, Qin Yu and Xu Wan became even more curious.

If the records above are true, it is enough to show that the Nine Dragons Pendant is indeed more than just a jade pendant.

The Northern Qi royal family must have learned about the function of the Nine Dragon Pendant from the Lian family or through other means, which is why they have always wanted to obtain the half of the Nine Dragon Pendant in Zhao Luan's possession.

Qin Yu pondered silently for a moment, then asked impatiently, "Is there any other content later?"

"there is none left."

Nan Que'er shook her head, "It ends when our ancestors fled their ancestral land."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu was secretly disappointed.

"etc!"

Xu Wan seemed to have thought of something and asked Nan Que'er eagerly, "What was the first line you just recited?"

"The deep ravines are hidden in the abyss, and the majestic Xuan Mountain stands tall in the eastern wilderness."

As Nan Que'er spoke, she pointed to the jade disc again, "There's another character before the character 'Yuan,' but I really can't tell it."

"Yes, it's the majestic Xuan Yue Mountain standing tall in the Eastern Wilderness!"

Xu Wan's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Think about it, the Eastern Wilderness! Is it possible that this Eastern Wilderness is Yuwang Mountain, or Dajian Mountain, or Xiaojian Mountain?"

Although there are many mountain ranges to the east, there are only three truly large mountains: Yuwang Mountain, Dajian Mountain, and Xiaojian Mountain.

Mountains like Qixia Mountain and Shigong Mountain cannot be considered large mountains at all.

"Is it possible that this is Yuwang Mountain?"

Qin Yu suddenly realized, "To stand majestically in the eastern wilderness means this mountain must be more precipitous than the surrounding mountains! The largest mountain in this area to the east must be Yuwang Mountain!"

Suddenly, Qin Yu remembered the story about the ancient King Yu that Wang Yansi had told them.

King Yu the Great slays the wicked dragon!

Could this wicked dragon be the ancestor of the Wind Clan?

"You know what, it's actually possible!"

Xu Wan nodded in agreement, "Let's quickly find someone familiar with Yuwang Mountain and ask if there are any areas shrouded in mist!"

"good!"

Qin Yu stood up. "You guys see if you can glean any more clues from this. I'll go ask Wang Yansi!"

After saying that, Qin Yu quickly went out.

Soon, Qin Yu found Wang Yansi drinking with someone.

Upon learning that Qin Yu had arrived, Wang Yansi's heart skipped a beat.

Qin Yu doesn't know about that, does he?

Feeling guilty, Wang Yansi hurriedly went out to greet him, his face beaming with a smile, saying, "General Qin, it's so late, you..."

"I have a question for you."

Qin Yu interrupted Wang Yansi, "Are there any places shrouded in mist in Yuwang Mountain?"

"Ah...this..."

Wang Yansi was somewhat bewildered by Qin Yu's sudden question, but he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems Qin Yu is unaware of his and the Crown Prince's plans!

That's good!

Wang Yansi was relieved. After thinking carefully, he replied, "Mount Yu is high and densely forested, with many places shrouded in mist. I don't know which place General Qin is referring to!"

Qin Yu pondered for a moment and replied, "That place should be below a cliff."

Wang Yansi went through the question in his mind and replied, "It could be somewhere in the Zhanlong Gorge area. Legend has it that the ancient King Yu cut the evil dragon in two from there..."

That entire area is made up of cliffs and precipices, with the Qujiang River flowing between them. Many places are shrouded in water vapor and mist year-round.

Especially in autumn and winter, many places in that area are shrouded in thick fog all day long.

When the fog is at its thickest, it's difficult to see people even a meter away on the river.

Every year, fishermen lose their way while fishing in that area, and some are unlucky enough to crash into the cliffs on either side, resulting in the loss of their boats and lives.

That area is often swept by strong winds that capsize the fishermen's boats, sometimes accompanied by eerie howls.

This is why there are many folk tales that it is the resentment of the evil dragon that was killed by the ancient King Yu.

This led to the saying that the statue of King Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty was used to suppress the resentment of the evil dragon.

Even after autumn and winter, when the water level of the Qujiang River drops and the current is not so rapid, fishermen around Zhanlong Gorge dare not risk going to Zhanlong Gorge to fish.

After saying this, Wang Yansi asked with great curiosity, "General Qin, why did you suddenly ask about this?"

"Don't even mention it!"

Qin Yu said with great annoyance, "I don't know which bastard told the Empress Dowager that there are immortals living in a misty place under a cliff in Yuwang Mountain, and that the immortals have mastered the art of immortality. The Empress Dowager just sent someone with a secret decree, asking me to seek the art of immortality for her. Where the hell am I supposed to seek the art of immortality...?"

Qin Yu became increasingly agitated as he spoke, leaving Wang Yansi speechless with astonishment.

The art of immortality?

Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?

He, a native of Min, had never heard of immortals or the art of immortality, yet the Empress Dowager of Da Ning had.

Could this be a message sent by His Highness the Crown Prince?

If Qin Yu fails to obtain the elixir of immortality, Empress Dowager Da Ning can easily punish him.