At this moment, Ding Songyan felt he had almost perfectly reenacted that classic joke:
"What kind of situation have I not seen?"
"This situation, I truly have not seen."
Not long ago, he had been dragged into a dangerous storm because of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*, feeling relieved that the item had been traded away and that he had long since "forgotten" everything—otherwise, the aftermath would be endless. Yet, turning around, he had just unearthed a copy in his own home?
Is this a rotten cabbage leaf from the market, something you can just pick up whenever you please? No, it was even easier to find than a rotten cabbage leaf; you didn't even have to fight for it...
*Hiss.* Wasn't it said that his predecessor wasn't very bold? How did he manage to sneakily transcribe a copy and hide it at home? Comparing the handwriting and annotations to other storybooks, it must have been his predecessor who copied it...
Thinking of this, Ding Songyan narrowed his eyes slightly, a reasonable yet unsettling speculation suddenly forming in his mind:
If I were the predecessor, I would certainly have returned to retrieve this transcribed *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* before leaving Dingjiang Prefecture. Otherwise, wouldn't the effort of transcribing it have been in vain?
Moreover, leaving it at home would only bring disaster upon his family. After all, as his "disappearance" dragged on, his parents, older brother, and younger sister would inevitably inventory his "belongings." If they were unaware of the importance and danger of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* and failed to keep it secret, the destruction of their entire household would be imminent.
Was his predecessor’s trip to the ruined temple outside the city not a flight to freedom, but something else entirely?
Was he planning to finish a certain task, return home to retrieve this *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*, leave a few words for his family, and then depart Dingjiang Prefecture?
That would be more logical and secure, and it would avoid the risk of his family searching for him later...
Wait, I still have a question that hasn't been answered: where did the predecessor get the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* in the first place?
Before he left Dingjiang Prefecture, he couldn't even spare the time to go home first, insisting on visiting the ruined temple outside the city. Does this have any connection to the origin of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*?
Did the true provider of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* kill Ding Songyan and take the money?
Why is there no end to this?
Ding Songyan couldn't help but mock himself:
"You’ve ruined me.
"If you were going to die, why leave such a mountain of trouble for me?"
With the affair of Flag Master Chen, the strategy of "beating the grass to startle the snake" and testing the waters would likely no longer be effective. Ding Songyan only dared to drop a hint to Cousin Nansheng or Mr. Yu, saying, "It is still unclear where the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* came from; perhaps someone else is the one who wanted to murder me," but he dared not mention that he had a transcribed copy hidden at home.
He could only pray now that the Zhen Mansion, while appearing to have dropped the matter, had actually realized there was still a provider of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* lurking in the shadows, and was silently continuing to monitor and investigate. Or perhaps that provider had already fled far away after receiving the silver, or had been lying low for many days, deduced the "truth" from the death of Chen Yuliang, and, upon gathering news that he had lost all his memories, decided to let the matter go and never bring it up again.
Since things have developed to this point, I might as well see what this tattered book actually says... Ding Songyan steeled his heart, focused his mind, and began to read the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* with its plain white cover.
Before the description of the Feiyi, there were other records of traits:
"Its shape is like a quail, with a yellow body and a red beak..."
According to his younger sister, if one practices the cultivation arts related to the Feiyi to the end, will they grow wings and be able to fly? Ding Songyan kept an eye on Ding Qingyan’s movements as she washed the laundry while casually flipping through the pages:
"Heavenly Emperor: The Central Yellow Emperor, the first of the Five Emperors, who unites the Great Dao, governs Yin and Yang, manages all things, rules over heaven and earth, and establishes the lives of all sentient beings."
Is it that powerful when practiced to the end? This doesn't look like martial arts; it’s clearly cultivation! What a pity, the 'Severing of Earth and Heaven' has long since passed... There is no "consuming it." What the Heavenly Emperor left behind must be the cultivation art. I wonder which sect is related to this—one of the Holy Lands? Ding Songyan felt a complex mix of emotions, his heart rising and falling.
"Northern Emperor Zhuanxu: The virtue of water, the master of winter, the source of the stars, who wields northern disasters and establishes precepts and laws.
"……
"Candle Dragon: Consuming it opens the chaos, illuminates the nine darknesses, governs day and night, alternates the four seasons, and summons wind and rain."
Wait, there is a "consuming it"? Who has consumed the divine remains left by the Candle Dragon? Where are the sects and cultivation arts created from it? Ding Songyan was both astonished and envious.
"Xiangliu: Consuming it erodes the earth, swallows mountains, poisons for a hundred generations, with nine heads acting independently.
"……
"Houtu: The virtue of earth, the mother of the land, dwelling in the center to carry all things, nurturing all life, and ruling the netherworld.
"……
"Queen Mother of the West: Governs heavenly disasters, holds the five punishments, communicates with the netherworld, ends immortality, and births blessings and gold.
"Taotie: Consuming it dispels evil and avoids disaster, swallows heaven and earth, dissolves all things, with insatiable greed and endless desire.
"……
"Great Yi: Eliminates fierce evils, shoots the nine suns, pities the hundred hardships, the pinnacle of humanity.
"……
"Lizhu: Consuming it governs the great sun, purifies all Yin, observes the finest details, and sees ten thousand miles away.
"……
"Phoenix: Consuming it commands the hundred birds, bears the five virtues, brings peace to the world, is reborn in fire, and gathers all the colors of the world.
"……
"Shengyu: Consuming it overcomes the hundred fish, mimics the dance of the phoenix, and floods a nation.
"……
"Shetu: Consuming it governs righteousness, judges merit and demerit, divides the three realms, and possesses brilliance. (Note: Pronounced 'tu')
"……
"Xiegou: Consuming it is skilled at climbing, carries the five plagues, and brings pestilence wherever it goes.
"……
"Yuzu: Consuming it endangers the human heart, governs darkness, shoots sand to harm people, and injures the body through the shadow.
"Yu: Consuming it is skilled at lying in ambush and hiding, and shoots sand to harm people."
After quickly scanning a dozen or twenty key entries, Ding Songyan discovered a certain pattern in these descriptions:
Some had five segments, some four, some three, and some only two...
The vast majority of those who could be called "Emperor" had five-segment descriptions; the secondary divine beasts and monsters had four; those he had barely heard of had only three or two... From strong to weak, a classification of levels? Yes, that must be it.
Xiaoming, Zhuguang: The light of stars, the fire of candles, illuminating the long night, piercing the profound depths. It has four segments, not bad. It is worthy of being the sect I am targeting, though the cultivation art is not quite complete...
I used to read the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* without really digesting it, but I remember there was a nine-tailed fox... Found it, found it... Qingqiu Fox, also known as the Heavenly Fox, Nine-Tailed Fox, or the Tushan Clan; consuming it prevents parasitic infestations, allows for thousands of transformations, toys with all living beings, and charms the world... I wonder which sect it belongs to...
I wonder if consuming two different divine beasts would cause a conflict...
Ding Songyan flipped left and right in excitement, imagining what it would be like if he could obtain the corresponding inheritance or consume the corresponding divine object...
As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly froze:
For me right now, these are all meaningless...
Divine beasts and monsters have long since gone extinct. Unless one is blessed with great fortune, it is unlikely one would ever encounter them, let alone the serious problem of whether one could even defeat them—it’s not certain who would be eating whom.
And those top-tier sects that possess the corresponding inheritances are not places he could join.
Even if I memorize the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* by heart, it has no meaning for my current situation or my future development.
Not only is it meaningless, but it also brings great risk!
"The *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* is most useful to experts who have a certain level of strength but do not belong to major sects: first, one can rely on it to identify divine objects, especially those fruits and trees—some, when consumed, grant photographic memory; some can control weapons and make one invulnerable to blades; some are good for fertility; some cause infertility; and some are simply elixirs of immortality.
"Second, by understanding the descriptions of their traits, one can master the strengths and weaknesses of a target in advance and make preparations. For instance, if you encounter someone skilled in insect-based cultivation arts, you should never fight them head-on if they are related to the Feiyi or the Nine-Tailed Fox; run as far as you can... Similarly, those who practice martial arts of plague and disaster should never provoke a descendant of the Feiyi, and a descendant of the Feiyi should never wander in front of a Phoenix—the ability to command the hundred birds is truly, genuinely real... Of course, this is on the condition that one already knows which Heavenly Emperor, deity, or divine beast the corresponding sect originates from, or can judge it from the characteristics of their martial arts...
"From the perspective of such experts, the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* is worth a fortune. Even if they have to take great risks, they will try to collect it.
"No wonder Chen Yuliang was willing to pay a high price to buy it..."
Ding Songyan analyzed the value of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt like a beggar holding a mountain of gold, entering a treasure vault only to return empty-handed.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, and some ideas began to emerge in his mind:
"I should just burn it to eliminate future trouble and avoid being discovered one day.
"It’s a pity I’m not a disciple of a major sect; otherwise, I could openly master the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*. However, disciples of major sects can already read the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*; they have private collections internally, though many are incomplete.
"Incomplete..."
Ding Songyan’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Use the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* to trade for a chance to join a sect?
Once I become a member of a sect, I can openly read the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*!
Hmm, the prerequisite is that the sect’s *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* is incomplete, but they cannot have none at all. The latter would indicate a lack of foundation and insufficient strength, and they might kill me to silence me and hide the secret.
Also, I must find one with descriptions of traits that are relatively 'bright.' Since the body partially changes when the cultivation art is practiced to the end, the heart and spirit should also be influenced to some extent. Those with descriptions of light and justice would be more or less righteous, which would be more favorable and less dangerous for me...
The one related to the Shetu would be very suitable—possessing brilliance and governing righteousness—but I don't even know which sect it corresponds to or which country it is in... The Xiaoming Sect is also fine; it’s all about starlight and candlelight, illuminating the long night and piercing the profound depths—it shouldn't be too evil, right? And it’s right here locally, so there’s no need to risk a long journey...
I will first find a way to inquire whether the Xiaoming Sect has the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* and whether it is complete, then make a decision.
If I can join the Xiaoming Sect, I won't have to fear the true provider of the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*!
Having found a line of thought and clarified his direction, Ding Songyan felt as if his entire being had become clear.
He felt the sky was high and the earth was wide, and the sunlight seemed much brighter.
Hearing the sudden sound of Ding Qingyan’s footsteps as she walked into the main room, he hurriedly put down the *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas*, hid it in a pile of books, and picked up a storybook his predecessor used for storytelling.
"Second Brother, what are you reading?" Ding Qingyan shook her hands and asked casually.
"Preparing to return to my old profession," Ding Songyan said, brushing off his sister while pretending to flip to a page.
The handwriting on this page was sparse, and it began with:
"Qi did not inherit the throne, but was merely the Human Emperor."
Note: The divine beasts, monsters, and races in this book's *Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas* will be more numerous than in the original *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. For example, among the Four Perils, only three appeared in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. My obsessive-compulsive nature couldn't stand having only three, so I added the remaining one. For instance, there aren't many divine beasts or monsters suitable for assassination-style arts, and they aren't very strong, so I split the 'Yu' into the 'Yuzu' and the ordinary 'Yu' to boost their strength. There are also other reasons for these additions.
0 Comments