The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The bedroom door was tightly closed.

Zhao Douan sat by the round table, feeling and observing the creamy white, jade-like leaf in his hand.

Just as seen "in the dream," the leaf was not large, with clearly discernible veins.

Only upon closer inspection did he realize that it wasn't purely white but "transparent," and within the jade-like leaf, dense white luminescent sap flowed slowly, like cloud fluff.

"Ding!"

Zhao Douan flicked the leaf with his finger, and it emitted a crisp, pleasant sound, accompanied by a ripple of light on its surface, extremely mystical.

"Master Gu Huo said this thing can block a slash from the Divine Soul... How did he incorporate it into his body at that time?"

Zhao Douan murmured.

In his mind, he again recalled the memory from the ruined temple in the desolate mountain that housed the treasure trove.

"That must be Gu Huo's treasure trove, huh? There should be plenty of treasures hidden there; sadly, in my memory, I only saw the general appearance of the temple and the surrounding mountains.

But with just these memory fragments, I can't find where the treasure trove is. Otherwise, I would've really struck it rich."

Zhao Douan thought back to the Demon Path memory filled with an array of treasures, feeling a surge of envy.

Shaking his head to clear distracting thoughts, Zhao Douan tried to expel breath energy from his palm.

Then, the mysterious leaf actually began to "melt," slowly seeping into the palm of his hand.

At the same time, he caught a glimpse of a fleeting, ethereal white leaf vein in his brow from the room's mirror.

"Is it inside my body now?"

Zhao Douan could sense that the leaf still resided within him, and as soon as he manipulated his breath energy, he should be able to force it out.

"Phew, it looks like Martial Artists can use it too." His greatest fear was that this thing could only be effective when sorcerers activate it with "Mana."

However, no matter how he played with it afterward, he made no further discoveries.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind:

"Since this thing materialized in the dream, can I show it to the big boss for appraisal?"

Zhao Douan did not hesitate; he immediately got up and sat cross-legged on the bed, trying to visualize the "Six Chapters Scripture."

...

As if in a trance, he once again found himself in the familiar sparse forest on the outskirts.

"Wuuu—"

A somber wind lifted his hair, and the dilapidated temple in front of his field of vision was clearly visible.

Zhao Douan didn't hurry to enter the temple but first raised his palm, trying to imbue it with the thought of 'manifesting.' After a slight delay, luminescent sap surged out of his palm and slowly coalesced into the form of a white jade leaf.

"It really works!" Zhao Douan exclaimed joyfully, feeling even more certain of the treasure's extraordinariness.

Clenching his palm, Zhao Douan confidently approached the broken temple, stepping on the cracked and crumbling steps, and pushed open the slightly ajar heavy door.

In the courtyard, the desolate grass was still desolate, the collapsed incense burner in the corner of the courtyard, and the spider webs under the main hall seemed to freeze in time.

"You've arrived." On the roof, Pei Niannu, dressed in a deep red wedding gown with her face covered by a dark gold mysterious mask, and a tasseled balancing pole lying beside her, watched him with cold eyes: "Let's begin."

After bowing, Zhao Douan cleared his throat and began to tell the story of the day.

The legs of the female sorcerer dangling from the eaves, clad in shoes, gently swayed.

He discovered that being a figure within the "Six Chapters Scripture" had no sense of time, meaning even if Zhao Douan took a month to visualize himself here, for Pei Niannu, there would be no perception of the passage of time.

This greatly relieved his agony as Cavin.

When Zhao Douan had finished the story for the day, he cautiously said:

"Predecessor, I have an unusual object, and I'd like to ask if you recognize its origin."

He wasn't very sure because on one hand, Pei Niannu, the sorcerer in the bridal gown, was temperamental, cold one moment and hot the next, difficult to serve.

Secondly, she was a person from six hundred years ago, and the treasure collected by Master Gu Huo might not be that old...

"Bring it... Let me see..." Pei Niannu said.

Zhao Douan hurriedly presented the jade leaf, only to see it lift from his palm, slowly floating in the air towards Pei Niannu, who grasped it in her hand.

At this moment, her gaze from behind the mask, originally lazy and indifferent, sharpened a bit, as if surprised, she re-examined Zhao Douan and spoke:

"Daluo Mountain Jade, kept in the heart-sea, can nurture the spirit and ward off souls."

Perhaps it was because she was a "figure within the painting," the female sorcerer's speech was not fluent, but it was enough to convey the key information.

Did the sorcerer really recognize the value? Zhao Douan was first jubilant, then he caught the words "Daluo Mountain Jade" and paused.

Daluo Mountain is said to be the peak where deities reside, worshipped by sorcerers as "Xuan City," not existing in the mortal world.

It is rumored that the trees on Daluo Mountain are all made of jade-like material, varying in color, even emitting bright lights that illuminate the night sky.

This claim was too fantastical, bordering on myth, but in some rarely visited special places, plants really do grow with a jade-like texture.

Thus, what's referred to as "Daluo Mountain Jade" in the Jianghu is also this kind of material.

Her words gave clear information:

This object was not an artificially made Suppressing Object, but a "natural treasure" grown within nature, used to sustain and protect against Divine Soul attacks... consistent with Master Gu Huo's statement.

Zhao Douan breathed a sigh of relief, smiling; his worst fear was that this item belonged to the Evil God and might pose a risk if kept.

But as a heavenly treasure, it was without concern.

Just as he was about to thank her, he heard the female sorcerer playing with the leaf briefly, then suddenly sighed, "Hidden beneath Yansuo Lake, lies the Mystic Turtle Seal, this is the key."

Zhao Douan abruptly raised his head, only to see Pei Niannu flick her wrist, tossing the white jade leaf back as the surroundings faded away.

She seemed unwilling to engage with him further.

...

In the room.

Zhao Douan suddenly awoke, the female sorcerer's last sentence still echoing in his mind.