Han Tao glanced at him, then his gaze fell on Fu Mingxu, who was sitting by the window, engrossed in writing and drawing.
"Just add a trace of my dragon soul, and that will suffice," he said casually, as if adding the most ordinary material.
Han Zhengzhi's mouth opened and closed, his eyes filled with shock, but in the end he said nothing. Instead, he stood there and reported the recent activities of Yunhan City and the Dragon Clan to Han Tao, emphasizing that he had discovered that Ao Yushu had had dealings with the Demon Clan.
"Yes, I know." Han Tao didn't seem surprised by this.
A gust of wind blew by, and as the black hair fluttered, a golden hairband was revealed underneath.
Han Zhengzhi noticed the change in his city lord's unchanging attire and couldn't help but ask curiously, "City lord, why are you wearing a headband now?"
Upon hearing this, Han Tao smiled slightly, his golden eyes softening with affection: "Yes, it was a gift from him."
A note from the author:
Han Zhengzhi: Waaah, I also want a partner.
Chapter 64
At that moment, Han Zhengzhi finally smelled the sour and foul odor that the other dragons had mentioned.
Han Tao glanced at him, her tone emphasizing, "He gave it to me, so of course I'll wear it."
Han Zhengzhi glanced at the headband that shone brightly in the sunlight and solemnly praised, "It is a perfect match for the city lord. Master Fu has excellent taste. You two are truly very loving."
After saying this, he saw the smile on his city lord's lips grow wider and wider.
The city lord's mood always improved whenever Fu Mingxu was mentioned. At this moment, Han Zhengzhi felt that he had mastered a good way to avoid angering the city lord.
The two spoke in hushed tones, completely unaware of Fu Mingxu's immersion in the "totem" map.
Han Tao carefully scanned the layout of the folded space, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Is everything arranged the same as before?"
"Of course, my memory is excellent." Han Zhengzhi proudly straightened his chest and casually pointed to a cluster of flowers and plants not far away. "Even the number and shape of these flowers, plants and trees are almost identical to what you saw before you left."
"I guarantee that Master Fu will feel completely at ease when he returns."
Looking at Fu Mingxu, who was deep in thought by the window, Han Zhengzhi felt that he had done a great job.
But for some reason, he noticed that the city lord's upturned lips drooped slightly.
"It must be my imagination," Han Zhengzhi scratched his head, not forgetting to say, "I've already hired a chef from the human race to prepare the food you ordered. Shall I bring it to you now?"
Han Tao pursed his lips slightly and nodded, saying, "Alright."
A chill lingered at the back of his head, and Han Zhengzhi felt as if he had missed something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Once he emerged from the folded space, he bumped into the priest and, after a moment's thought, voiced his doubts.
The priest stared at him for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Han Zhengzhi, how can you be so stupid?"
Han Zhengzhi was stunned for a moment by his laughter. After recovering, he became furious, grabbed the man's beard, and said angrily, "I am eager to learn from you. Why are you laughing at me?"
If it weren't for his age, the dragons would have immediately started a fight given his mocking manner.
Seeing that he genuinely didn't understand, the priest didn't press him. He wiped away the tears of laughter and asked with amusement, "Tell me, what's different about the current city lord and his partner compared to before?"
Fearing he still didn't understand, the priest directly reminded him: "I'm talking about the relationship between the two of them."
“Still partners.” Han Zhengzhi replied without hesitation. Seeing the mockery in the priest’s expression, he added, “If there’s any change, it’s that Master Fu used to be very resistant to the city lord, but after returning this time, the two have gotten along quite well.”
The more he spoke, the clearer it became, but the more confused he became.
The priest continued, "Since you have a good relationship, then what?"
Han Zhengzhi asked, puzzled, "What do you mean, 'then'? Are you just looking for trouble?'"
"So you really don't understand." The priest shook his head and explained after realizing that he really didn't understand, "When Master Fu was hostile to the city lord, it was natural to keep them in separate places and let them get to know each other slowly."
“But the two of them are very much in love now, and you, with your stubborn mind, are even arranging a courtyard for Master Fu. Isn’t that just leaving the city lord alone in an empty room?”
If that's the case, wouldn't the secret manual he gave to the city lord be useless?
The priest suddenly remembered something and cursed, "You brat, you've ruined my plans!"
Han Zhengzhi was still in shock from his incompetence and, after a while, was looking for an opportunity to make amends. He didn't really think carefully about the meaning of the priest's last words.
The priest left, cursing and swearing, leaving him alone, conflicted and bewildered in the wind.
As a result, Fu Mingxu did not see him for several days after returning to the city lord's mansion.
“It really does look like some kind of totem.” Fu Mingxu drew the pattern formed by the lines on the “map” that day, but no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he couldn’t recognize the pattern on the paper.
He looked at the paper in his hand, thought for a while, and seeing that the door to Han Tao's residence was still tightly closed, he finally chose to send a message to Immortal Lord Siyang.
At the Star-Picking Platform of the Tianyan Sect, Si Yang felt the communication talisman in his storage bag light up. He opened his double pupils and casually swept away the starlight surrounding him.
"Huh, it's Fu Mingxu." Since their parting at the market, considering the deep karmic ties between them that were difficult to fathom, he left a communication talisman for the other party.
The communication talisman floated in front of him and opened automatically, from which Fu Mingxu's polite voice came through.
"Immortal Lord Siyang, I have a totem here, but I can't recognize it no matter how many books I search. I wonder if you could take a look at it for me?" The voice was as pleasant as spring water, even through the communication talisman.
Si Yang became curious and raised his voice, "Describe it to me in detail."
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingxu composed himself and described it as: "A human body with a snake's tail, surrounded by auspicious clouds, with the blazing sun above its head and a lotus flower supporting its tail."
Although these connected lines are colorless, he could still feel the mystery emanating from them just from their simple outlines.
"Oh, right, the picture also has the characters '无妄' (wuwang, meaning 'unfounded' or 'ignorant') on it."
Although each generation of Tianjizi may not have the highest cultivation level, they are the most capable of discerning the secrets of heaven. They also need to be well-read and knowledgeable about the past and present in order to glean a trace of the secrets of heaven from the boundless expanse of time.
Fu Mingxu thought that if even Immortal Lord Siyang didn't know, then probably no one in the Cangling Continent would know either.
"Wu Wang?" Si Yang's brow twitched. He carefully recalled the description he had just received. With a wave of his hand, a phantom of a star descended from the sky. The starlight burst and reformed, and a totem stood before him.
This is..
He recalled the fragmented past and future he had glimpsed in Phoenix Mountain when his profound power intertwined with the secrets of heaven.
No one knew that he saw in the future that Qi Muyuan, holding a long sword and covered in blood, stood in front of a statue.
His eyes held a despair he could not reach, while the statue behind him was a human with a snake's tail, its tail supporting a lotus flower.
That's why he allowed Qi Muyuan to follow him closely, and after returning to the Tianyan Sect, he kept deducing the secrets of heaven.
Unfortunately, the future is hidden deep within time. After the Heavenly Ladder was severed, the spiritual energy of the Cangling Continent gradually dried up, and even the Heavenly Dao did not know where it would go.
The secrets of heaven were incomplete, making his deductions even more difficult. Even after returning for so long, he could only prevent Qi Muyuan from leaving the Tianyan Sect, while he had closed his eyes for a long time at the Star-Picking Platform but still could not obtain even a trace of the secrets of heaven.
But today, in the instant Fu Mingxu depicted the totem he saw, under the shimmering starlight, a corner of fate, as if with pity, finally unfolded a faint glimmer.
"Innocence?" He pondered the two words carefully, as countless starlight fell upon him from the starry sky.
As soon as Qi Muyuan stepped onto the Star-Picking Platform, he witnessed a scene that sent chills down his spine. His master was bathed in starlight, his wide, moon-white sleeves fluttering, and starlight adorning his double pupils, as if he were about to ascend to immortality and leave him.
"Master!" Extreme fear swept over him instantly, and he ran towards Si Yang in almost two steps instead of three.
The totem formed from starlight is neither sad nor happy, quietly watching everything.
Si Yang was startled by his sudden shout. The communication talisman fell to the side. Fu Mingxu recognized Qi Muyuan's voice and felt it was inappropriate to listen to the conversation between the master and disciple, so he cut off the communication and planned to ask again a day later.
"Who let you up to the Star-Picking Platform?" Qi Muyuan's sudden appearance interrupted the glimmer of heavenly secrets that had finally been revealed.
The secrets of heaven are rare and cannot be sought after. Si Yang could no longer pry into them, so his tone towards him was not very good.
Hearing his master's angry rebuke, Qi Muyuan felt a surge of grievance, and his heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of the pattern formed by starlight.
What does Master know?
He composed himself and said aggrievedly, "I just wanted to see Master, why was Master so fierce to me? And who were you communicating with just now?"
"It's none of your business." Seeing his attitude, Si Yang felt a headache coming on.
"Is Master studying this totem?" Qi Muyuan's heart stirred slightly. Finding an excuse not to be kicked off the Star-Picking Platform, he deliberately glanced at the totem a couple of times, pretending to think before speaking, "This totem... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."
Sure enough, the fragments of the future that Si Yang had seen before resurfaced in his mind. His heart skipped a beat, and he looked at him with his double pupils: "You know him?"
Those double pupils were adorned with a captivating starlight that mesmerized Qi Muyuan. He couldn't help but move closer to Si Yang, his voice becoming urgent: "If I tell Master, will Master grant my request?"
Si Yang was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then realized what was happening and flew into a rage: "Traitorous disciple!"
He was certain that Qi Muyuan knew the secret of this totem.
If there were outsiders present, Qi Muyuan would still have some reservations, but now that they were alone on the Star-Picking Platform, he couldn't help but feel jealous when he thought about how his master had been angry because he had interrupted him while communicating with others.
Si Yang looked at the desire churning in his eyes. Nian couldn't help but feel a chill. Unbeknownst to him, Qi Muyuan's feelings for him had undergone a qualitative change long ago, and on the night he became the sect leader and Si Yang imprinted him with the Heavenly Evolution Sect's star mark, the other party finally revealed his formidable side.
"Master," Qi Muyuan looked at him almost obsessively, "Do you remember the night I became the sect leader? Master cried and begged me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Si Yang slapped him across the face and yelled, "Shut up!"
The slap was crisp and clear, causing Qi Muyuan to tilt his head slightly, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing the bright red handprint on his face, Si Yang felt a pang of heartache and a sense of guilt.
"Master did a good job. It's much better than him hiding from me all this time." Qi Muyuan's expression was obsessive and crazed. He threw his longsword, and the boundless sword energy shattered the starlight, trapping the two of them in between.
Then, he actually shoved the longsword into Si Yang's hand, leaned down, and said in a dangerous voice, "If Master hates me, just kill me..."
He had looked at this person for too long and thought about him for too long. The memory of that night haunted him day and night, eventually turning into an endless obsession.
Si Yang never imagined that he would be pinned down by the disciple he had raised himself. The long sword in his hand pierced through Qi Muyuan's waist and abdomen, but he couldn't bear to go any further.
Now he fully understands Qi Muyuan's possessiveness towards him. Even though he has witnessed countless worldly affairs over the long years, he is still unable to resolve his current predicament.
The longsword landed on the ground of the Star-Picking Platform, making a clear, crisp clanging sound.
This voice was like a signal, making Qi Muyuan both frantic and passionate.
Under the starlight and amidst the sharp glint of swords, everything was spiraling out of control.
...
Fu Mingxu did not expect that his message to Immortal Lord Siyang would disappear without a trace the next day. It was not until the fourth day, after he had used up most of the spiritual plants he had accumulated in the Heaven and Earth Mystic Mirror space and storage bag to refine pills, that he hesitated whether to ask Han Tao.
Just before he left the courtyard, the communication talisman given to him by Immortal Lord Siyang finally trembled.
Fu Mingxu quickly took out his phone and opened it. The other person's voice came through: "Sorry, something came up and I was held up."
Si Yang's voice was filled with exhaustion, "I know what that totem is."
Fu Mingxu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "What is it?"