Chapter Twelve: Stunned! A Wealthy Family Legacy

This cave dwelling was also arranged by Master Xuan Cang before his passing. To prevent his legacy from falling into the hands of outsiders, all the formations, restrictions, and mechanisms within the cave are extremely effective against other races. Even if one managed to get through the labyrinth and formations, without a Daoist technique as a key, it would be impossible to open the stone doors of the cave. As for the jade pendant in Zhang Xiao’s hand, it was given by Master Xuan Cang to a Chinese merchant he met upon arriving here; the man was already elderly and unable to cultivate, so Xuan Cang gifted him the pendant in the hope that one day his descendants might have the fortune to inherit his legacy. How the pendant eventually came into Song Qing’s possession, Zhang Xiao could not say—perhaps Song Qing acquired it by chance, or perhaps it was passed down through generations. Too much time had passed to verify the truth. Gathering up the three jade tubes, Zhang Xiao knelt before Master Xuan Cang’s remains and said, “Senior, though inheriting your legacy may not have been your original intention, since fate has granted it to me, it too is a kind of karma. Please accept my ceremony of apprenticeship.”

Zhang Xiao was no saint, but he understood the ways of karma and destiny. Since he had received Master Xuan Cang’s legacy, the rites of apprenticeship must be observed, even if Master Xuan Cang had already passed on. After all, as the saying goes, the heavens see what people do; Zhang Xiao sought only a clear conscience. He performed the three bows and nine kowtows of the formal apprenticeship ceremony with utmost reverence, leaving nothing out. Just as Zhang Xiao completed the ceremony, the token before Master Xuan Cang’s remains suddenly flashed and transformed into a delicate young maiden. Startled, Zhang Xiao quickly rose and summoned the Five-Colored Cloud Banner for protection.

“Ha! Young master, don’t be afraid. I am the housemaid of the Xuan Tian Cave, and its steward as well.” The girl laughed at Zhang Xiao’s defensive posture. The steward of the Xuan Tian Cave? Zhang Xiao was amazed but soon felt reassured. Using his spiritual sense, he discovered that the young maiden was neither human nor ghost, but the spirit of an artifact. Turning his gaze to the token on the table, the girl floated lightly to his side and said, “Greetings, young master. My name is Zi Yan; you may simply call me Yan’er.”

“Young master!” Zhang Xiao was somewhat unused to Zi Yan’s address. “Yes, young master,” she replied. “You have performed the apprenticeship ceremony to the old master, and henceforth you are the master of the Xuan Tian Cave.” Seeing the surprise in Zhang Xiao’s expression, Zi Yan explained herself. Zhang Xiao had not read about Zi Yan’s existence in any of the jade tubes; could this be a hidden arrangement left by Master Xuan Cang? He silently rejoiced, grateful that he had shown proper respect to Master Xuan Cang’s remains; otherwise, this girl would surely have activated the cave’s defenses against him. Zhang Xiao had seen mention of this in Master Xuan Cang’s testament: aside from the main cave formations, there was a hidden mountain-protecting array within the cave itself, with countless hidden restrictions, all keyed to the token on the table. Since the girl was the artifact spirit of the token, she could control all these formations. “Young master, what are you thinking?” Zi Yan asked curiously, seeing Zhang Xiao close his eyes in silence.

Naturally, Zhang Xiao would not reveal his thoughts to Zi Yan. He smiled and said, “Since I am now the master here, could you explain the situation within the cave dwelling to me?”

Zi Yan pointed her finger in the air, and a carved jade dragon on a nearby pillar suddenly came to life, leaping down and coiling obediently at Zhang Xiao’s feet. Zhang Xiao was inwardly astonished—though Maoshan was famed for its artifact refinement, he had never seen anything quite so wondrous. “Please, young master,” Zi Yan said, inviting Zhang Xiao to step onto the dragon’s back. The dragon ascended, carrying Zhang Xiao and Zi Yan out of the main hall. Its speed was not fast, but it was steady, and Zhang Xiao felt as stable as if he were standing on solid ground. Zi Yan pointed to the buildings below and said, “Young master, that is the alchemy chamber. Inside is a Panlong Furnace, a ninth-grade furnace—the finest for pill refining.” Zhang Xiao was at a loss upon hearing this; a ninth-grade furnace was a treasure equivalent to a ninth-grade artifact, the best for pill-making and even rarer than a ninth-grade artifact. His own master, Daoist Kong Ling, had only an eighth-grade furnace in his Thousand Mechanisms Hall. As Zhang Xiao gazed at the alchemy chamber below, saliva almost pooling in his mouth, Zi Yan continued, “Young master, that is our medicinal garden. It holds all manner of spiritual herbs, each aged no less than ten thousand years.”

At this, veins bulged on Zhang Xiao’s forehead. If his constitution were not so robust, his heart might have failed from excitement. He recalled a joke from before the great change: a beggar picked up a lottery ticket and won five million; upon hearing the news, he was so overwhelmed he went mad. Now Zhang Xiao felt much like that beggar—what lay before him was no less than a five-million prize. As Zi Yan went on to point out the training hall, treasure tower, artifact refinement chamber, and other buildings, Zhang Xiao grew dizzy with delight and collapsed onto the dragon’s back.

“Are you alright, young master? Please don’t frighten me!” Zi Yan, not understanding the cause, was startled to see Zhang Xiao’s flushed face as he sat on the dragon’s back.

Zhang Xiao blushed even deeper—he, a hero in his own right, had nearly fainted from joy at the abundance of treasures before him. If word got out, the heirs of the nine great sects would surely be envious. Even the future leaders of those sects would covet such wealth. Fortunately, Zhang Xiao quickly regained his composure, and seeing the concern on Zi Yan’s face, he smiled and said, “I’m fine. Let’s go have a look at the treasure tower.”

With such riches at his disposal, Zhang Xiao naturally wanted to explore the treasure tower and see if any treasures suited him. Zi Yan, though inexperienced, could guess Zhang Xiao’s intentions and smiled sweetly, steering the jade dragon toward the treasure tower. Although its name suggested a pavilion, it was actually a pagoda. Zi Yan led Zhang Xiao to the base of the tower and stopped, not going further. Zhang Xiao, expecting her to open the door for him, asked, “Why have we stopped?”

Zi Yan pointed to the tower’s entrance and said, “Forgive me, young master, for any offense. The old master instructed that all treasures and pills in the Xuan Tian Cave must be claimed by the young master himself; I am not allowed to assist. The treasure tower has seven levels, each filled with treasures, but young master must meet the cultivation requirements to enter. At your current Golden Core stage, I fear... you may not even access the first floor.”

Zhang Xiao’s burning anticipation was instantly doused. Indeed, nothing comes easily. Unwilling to give up, he placed his hand against the door, but the restrictions on the door forcefully pushed him aside. Zi Yan hurried to his side, asking, “Are you alright, young master?” Zhang Xiao looked at the treasure tower and smiled wryly. “Master's requirements are indeed high. Well then, what cultivation is needed to enter the first floor?”

“The old master said, to enter the first floor, young master must cultivate the Seven Transformations of Xuan Tian Art to the first transformation. The seven floors correspond accordingly.” Zhang Xiao was momentarily stunned by Zi Yan’s explanation, then laughed, “You little rascal, already playing tricks on your young master!”

It was intended as a jest, but Zi Yan’s expression changed; she hurriedly replied, “I would never trifle with the young master! The old master instructed me to never speak unless the young master asks.”

Zhang Xiao realized Zi Yan misunderstood him and shook his head. “Alright, since I am the young master here, let’s do away with that rule. And don’t call yourself a servant or keep addressing me as young master—just call me young lord.” Being a modern man, Zhang Xiao disliked the terms ‘servant’ and ‘slave’. Zi Yan was uncertain at first, but seeing Zhang Xiao’s firm attitude, she agreed and began calling him young lord. She continued her introduction and handed him the token.

This token was a painstakingly crafted treasure by Master Xuan Cang. Besides controlling the mechanisms of the Xuan Tian Cave, its greatest function was a teleportation array within. With the token in hand, one could return to the cave in an instant, even from a thousand miles away—a life-saving treasure for Master Xuan Cang’s inheritor. Of course, it had its limitations: after each use, it required the spiritual energy within to be replenished, with a three-month interval between uses. If trapped in a formation or in a different realm than the cave, it could not be used. Nevertheless, Zhang Xiao was overjoyed; with this, he finally had some assurance in carrying out the nation-building task that Heaven had imposed upon him. He put away the token.

At that moment, he saw Zi Yan beside him frowning in deep thought. Curious, Zhang Xiao asked, “What’s wrong? You seem troubled.”

Zi Yan looked at Zhang Xiao and asked, “Young lord, are the three outsiders outside the cave acquaintances of yours?” Upon hearing this, a sharp light flashed in Zhang Xiao’s eyes—it could only be those three old monsters. Recalling their insults, Zhang Xiao’s aura turned murderous. “Yan’er, where are those three bastards now?” Seeing Zhang Xiao’s attitude shift so abruptly, Zi Yan realized he bore a deep grudge against the three outsiders and finally felt relieved.