National-Level Precious Vessel (Fourth Update!)

In the small hours of August 18th, Pingluanshan and the others had all drunk themselves into a stupor and fallen fast asleep.

Having fought continuously for so many days, they had long since exhausted their physical limits. Previously, they had been sustained by the ecstatic euphoria of victory, but now, with the tension gone, they collapsed one by one, their loud snores shaking the air.

Jiang Feng was in a slightly better state. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his tolerance for alcohol was quite decent, and coupled with the fact that he had slept for a couple of hours earlier, his energy level was much higher than theirs.

He carried these fellows back to their rooms one by one, tossing them onto their beds. After checking on Yexiao and finding him still fast asleep, he pondered for a moment and stepped out alone.

It felt as though a thread had been tied somewhere deep within his heart, silently guiding him toward a specific destination.

Following the pull of that invisible thread, he walked forward, crossing broad avenues and narrow alleys, wading across the Changchuan River, and arriving at the southwestern quarter of Taicang City, standing before the gates of the Myriad-Character Pavilion.

In the dead of night, the Myriad-Character Pavilion lacked its usual daytime splendor. A solitary lantern illuminated its plaque, casting a dim and desolate glow.

The pavilion possessed formidable defensive arrays and remained one of the most intact structures in the current Taicang City. Even so, various parts of it had suffered collapses, awaiting repairs in the days to come.

At this late hour, even the Myriad-Character Pavilion was closed.

Treading in the moonlight, Jiang Feng walked up to the doors and raised his hand to knock.

A small window on the door opened, and a face poked out. Upon seeing Jiang Feng, the man immediately exclaimed, "Young Master Jiang, I'll open the door for you right away!"

Jiang Feng gave a soft "shh" and lowered his voice. "Just open the side door."

Having entered and exited the Myriad-Character Pavilion numerous times alongside Wen Liangji and Hua Su, he knew that the attitude of the two prominent figures toward him clearly indicated that this young man was someone extraordinary.

The doorman hurriedly unlocked the door. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Is there an urgent matter that brings Young Master Jiang here at this hour?"

Jiang Feng asked, "Did Master Gan Fuxing live here before?"

Gan Fuxing was a treasure artisan invited by the Myriad-Character Pavilion, so naturally, accommodations had been provided for him here. However, ever since his arrival, aside from attending to basic human necessities, he had spent the vast majority of his time at the Thousand Lions Bridge pavilion.

That was the very center of the entire city, a place where demonic energy converged. It was the most convenient location, whether for a treasure artisan sensing demonic energy or for transmitting messages.

The doorman spoke softly, "Yes, he was assigned quarters in the eastern courtyard. But..."

A look of sorrow flashed across the doorman's face, and he trailed off. Jiang Feng sighed softly and asked, "His mourning hall... it's set up here, isn't it?"

The doorman nodded, pushing the door open further. "Please come in, Young Master Jiang. His mourning hall has indeed been set up in the eastern courtyard, and Lady Bai has been keeping vigil there all this time. During the day, Lord Hua and the others all came by. No one is there right now."

Jiang Feng patted the doorman's shoulder in gratitude. Being somewhat familiar with the layout of the Myriad-Character Pavilion by now, he bypassed the main hall and strode quickly toward the rear.

Before long, he reached the eastern courtyard. The moment he stepped inside, the scent of incense and candles drifted toward him. Following the fragrance, he discovered a secluded compound, where a faint yellow glow spilled through the moon-shaped doorway.

A mourning hall had already been erected within the courtyard, draped in white cloth on all sides. A brazier sat beneath the tree at the center of the yard. Bai Guo was sitting beside the brazier with her knees hugged to her chest, staring blankly into space. Her eyes were terribly red and swollen, yet tears continued to well up and roll down her cheeks.

At the sight of Jiang Feng, a look of joy flashed across Bai Guo's face, but it quickly dissolved into profound sorrow. She whispered his name, "A-Feng..."

Jiang Feng asked softly, "May I see Master Gan one last time?"

"Of course." Bai Guo stood up and led him into the main room of the courtyard. Beneath white draperies, Gan Fuxing lay inside a coffin.

A long table stood before the coffin, upon which Gan Fuxing's Illustrated Codex of Treasures lay unfurled, radiating brilliant, shifting lights.

The codex clearly displayed every single divine treasure he had designed and crafted during his lifetime, each one rising from the parchment to cast luminous shadows into the air.

The most eye-catching one was right in the middle. It was quite unique; unlike other divine treasures made entirely of Bright Beast materials, this one was composed of one hundred and two human beings and thirty-six divine treasures working in unison. Four rings of golden light emanated from the projection, signifying that it was a prefecture-grade divine treasure!

This was precisely Gan Fuxing's final masterpiece—the Demonic-Sealing Great Array of Taicang City!

The coffin lid had not yet been sealed. Gan Fuxing's body had been neatly laid out, dressed in clean garments, resting quietly within.

His brows were furrowed, a trace of lingering worry still etched upon his face. After a moment of silence, Jiang Feng sighed. "Even back then, he was still worrying about the Demonic-Sealing Great Array..."

He bent down and whispered by Gan Fuxing's ear, "Master Gan, you don't need to worry anymore. We have won. The demonic cave has been sealed, all the demons have been driven back, and Taicang City is safe! All of this is thanks to your Demonic-Sealing Great Array!"

The moment these words fell, the projection of the Illustrated Codex of Treasures suddenly shifted.

Dozens more divine treasures appeared within the Demonic-Sealing Great Array, connected to the martial cultivators by subtle threads of light and shadow that represented the flow of bright energy. At the same time, an extra ring of golden light appeared around the projection, signifying that—having gained the function of annihilating demonic seeds—Gan Fuxing's posthumous work had been recognized by the Illustrated Codex of Treasures as a nation-grade divine treasure!

Bai Guo abruptly covered her mouth, her tears flowing even more fiercely.

An ordinary third-tier treasure artisan could at best forge prefecture-grade divine treasures, and even then, the success rate was exceedingly low. The birth of a nation-grade divine treasure, however, was enough to make one renowned throughout the world!

During his lifetime, Gan Fuxing had once joked with Bai Guo, self-deprecatingly remarking on his limited talent and saying that if he could ever forge a nation-grade divine treasure one day, he would die with no regrets.

Earlier, as Bai Guo sat beneath the tree, she had been thinking of those very words. Remembering that he would never be able to fulfill his own wish, she had been overwhelmed with grief.

Yet now, the Illustrated Codex of Treasures was declaring that he had indeed fulfilled his wish. In the final moments of his life, he had completed a nation-grade divine treasure, used it to seal the demonic cave, saved countless lives in Taicang City, and preserved the entire city!

As if a gust of wind had swept through, the candlelight in the room flickered and dimmed for a fraction of a second before burning brightly once more.

Bai Guo saw that Gan Fuxing's furrowed brows had smoothed out, and a faint smile now graced the corners of his lips!

Unable to hold back any longer, Bai Guo wept as she threw herself into Jiang Feng's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "A-Feng, thank you... thank you..."

She repeated the word "thank you" countless times, every single utterance carrying the full weight of her heart. Jiang Feng's voice tightened as well, and he murmured, "This has nothing to do with me. This was something Master Gan accomplished himself before his death..."

The candlelight flickered, and Bai Guo cried even harder. Previously, she had only shed silent tears, the grief trapped inside her growing heavier and heavier with every drop.

Now, held within Jiang Feng's warm embrace, she finally released her burden and wept aloud!

Her heart-wrenching wails pierced through the room, filled the entire space, and drifted out into the night sky.

Crying and shouting, Bai Guo called out, "Master... Master... Master..."

She called out to her master over and over again, as if by doing so she could call him back.

Jiang Feng said nothing, only gently patting her back, stroke after stroke. At the same time, two tears slipped from his eyes, falling into Bai Guo's hair.

...
...

As the first faint light of dawn broke, Bai Guo had finally calmed down.

With red and swollen eyes, she sat beside the brazier, the sorrow between her brows now dissipated.

Jiang Feng asked, "What are your plans for the future? Will you go back to find your parents?"

Bai Guo bit her lip, looked at him, and remained silent.

Jiang Feng mused, "If you aren't in a hurry to go back, I suggest you travel with me for the time being."

Bai Guo's eyes lit up instantly, and she hurriedly said, "Okay, I'm willing!"

Jiang Feng shook his head with a bitter smile. "That's not what I meant. Listen quietly to what I have to say first."

He hesitated briefly to find the right words. "Bai Guo, I know you have a deep affection for us—for me—right now, and honestly, I am very glad. No one would be unhappy to be liked by a girl like you. But this isn't real."

Bai Guo straightened her posture and anxiously said, "It is real!" Pressing a hand against her chest, she added hurriedly, "This feeling comes from the bottom of my heart, it's genuine!"

Jiang Feng pressed his hand downward, signaling her to sit still. He asked, "What if this feeling was never real to begin with?"

He continued, "You are a descendant of the Heavenly Dancers, and your bloodline is inherently purer, which is why you naturally possess the power of allure. As for me, though I'm not entirely certain, I should also possess a unique bloodline. My bloodline influenced you, triggering an atavistic phenomenon that awakened and granted you the power of the Heavenly Dancer. The affection and attraction you feel right now stem entirely from the resonance between our bloodlines, not reality."

Bai Guo wanted to say something, her lips parting a few times, but in the end, she closed them again.

Jiang Feng stated, "Bloodline awakening in itself should be a good thing for you. You can use the Song of Heavenly Allure and the Dance of Heavenly Allure—these are two extremely powerful abilities. They allow you, even at the Heavenly Bright realm, to attract and suppress demonic beings three or four realms higher than you. However, your current strength is still lacking, and you cannot freely control these two powers. Therefore, your top priority is to raise your strength so you can protect yourself."

He suddenly smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I still have to thank you. When the incident with Master Gan happened, I was supposed to lose my life as well. Fortunately, I had a drop of your blood on me at the time, and the power of allure contained within it shook that demonic beast, buying me a precious sliver of survival time."

"The power of allure is a formidable force, but when your strength is insufficient, it will bring you fatal harm. For now, I have used the power of my bloodline to temporarily seal this alluring power, but only when you truly grow strong can you freely control it and attain true safety."

Bai Guo listened quietly, then suddenly asked, "You asked me to stay with you because of this?"

Jiang Feng nodded. "That's right. Although your power of allure has been sealed, I have a feeling this is only temporary. Once the bloodline suppression fades and Master Gan's divine treasure is gone, what will you do? Staying with me gives you at least some form of security!"

Bai Guo was silent for a long time before finally nodding. "Mm. Of course, that's fine. It's for my own good, isn't it?"

The light of dawn grew brighter and brighter. The night had passed, and a new day had arrived once more.

Gazing at the morning sky on the horizon, Bai Guo suddenly said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

(To be continued...)
p Fourth update!
Goin' all out! (83 Chinese Net)