26: King?

Song Zhu endured the severe pain in her body and said in a hoarse voice,

“I know them. heaven and earth treasures are naturally formed. In some special places, such as those with heavy Killing Intent, heavy Death Qi, abundant Spiritual Qi, or lingering grievances, there's a very small chance for heaven and earth treasures to be born through unique coincidences.”

“You must have investigated the situation in Shannan Village, right? Tell me.” Xu Sanyan withdrew his hand from her embrace as a sign of respect.

Song Zhu slightly exhaled, “According to my investigation, the location of Shannan Village was once the site of a major battle in the previous dynasty, where tens of thousands of soldiers were buried. After hundreds of years of nurturing, a Heaven and Earth Treasure might have been born there.”

“Might?” Xu Sanyan frowned.

Song Zhu shook her head, “I haven't seen it, I just feel like it's a Heaven and Earth Treasure.”

Xu Sanyan pondered for a moment, “What are the usual characteristics of heaven and earth treasures?”

Song Zhu thought for a moment, “It's not certain. It could be a sword, or it could be a stone. You can only recognize it once you see it.”

Xu Sanyan nodded, “You are just a Mortal; what use would a Heaven and Earth Treasure be to you?”

Song Zhu was unwilling to say more. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, feeling she had already said enough.

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow, slowly reaching out to pull open her collar, “Oh, you're getting addicted, aren't you?”

Song Zhu hastily opened her eyes, “I'll talk, just take your hand away!”

Xu Sanyan withdrew his hand, motioning for her to continue.

“heaven and earth treasures have extraordinary and varied uses, but they are undoubtedly very powerful. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, a young man accidentally obtained a Heaven and Earth Treasure, an ancient wine cup. Every morning, a cup of fine wine would appear in it.”

Xu Sanyan asked curiously, “That is indeed peculiar, but what use is it?”

Song Zhu said, “If it were ordinary wine, it would naturally be useless. But that was wine brewed by an Immortal. It is said its effects surpassed precious medicines a hundredfold; just one sip could lead to a Breakthrough in a Realm.”

Xu Sanyan's expression was astonished. A Realm a day? That effect was too Heaven-Defying.

Thinking carefully, it was possible it was a rumor that had become increasingly exaggerated. The Immortal brew's ability to increase cultivation should be correct, but the idea of breaking through a Realm every time was too terrifying.

“What happened to that young man later?” Xu Sanyan asked, looking sideways.

Song Zhu shook her head, “He was said to have died. The news of the Heaven and Earth Treasure was accidentally leaked, attracting countless Immortals to fight over it, and he was killed.”

Xu Sanyan nodded. heaven and earth treasures, each one unique, born from the creation of heaven and earth, with extraordinary effects, naturally drew covetous eyes.

“I've said all I can. Just give me a quick end.”

Song Zhu closed her eyes. She wasn't afraid of death; she only regretted not being able to avenge her brother.

Xu Sanyan nodded, finally saying, “Your brother really wasn't killed by me. When you go down, remember to say hello for me.”

Since Xu Sanyan was helping her siblings reunite, how could it not be considered a good deed?

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Sanyan gathered his Qi and raised his palm, striking directly at Song Zhu's forehead.

Song Zhu closed her eyes, quietly awaiting the arrival of death.

Just then, a loud shout came from afar, “Stop!”

Upon hearing the voice, Song Zhu's heart skipped a beat, thinking she had found a way to live. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of fleshy palms rapidly enlarging in her vision, striking her skull with a “bang.”

Song Zhu didn't utter a sound, falling to the ground lifeless.

Only then did Xu Sanyan turn his head, wanting to know who was so impolite as to shout randomly in public.

A young man in plain cloth clothes rushed over from afar. Seeing Song Zhu on the ground without breath, his face instantly turned grim, “Didn't you hear me tell you to stop?”

Xu Sanyan's eyes narrowed slightly, “May I ask who Your Excellency is…”

The young man's sword-like eyebrows stood erect, and he glared at him with piercing eyes, “Hmph, are you even worthy of knowing my name?”

Xu Sanyan nodded faintly.

...

A moment later,

Two corpses lay side by side on the ground. Xu Sanyan gently closed Song Zhu's eyes, “I've found you a handsome man to be buried with; it's not a wasted trip to this world after all.”

This young man appeared out of nowhere, and with only a Refining Essence Realm cultivation, he dared to act as a righteous hero. It was truly Heaven's favor that he had lived this long.

With everything settled, a crescent moon had already risen in the sky. The city gates were closed, and Xu Sanyan could only shake his head helplessly. The city wall was too high, and there were patrolling soldiers on it, so he couldn't get in. He would have to spend the night outside the city.

The next morning, as the city gates opened, Xu Sanyan returned home. The Chieftain's Wife hurried over, “Fourth Master, you're back.”

“Yes, do you know where Shannan Village is?” Xu Sanyan asked.

The Chieftain's Wife shook her head, “I have not heard of it.”

Xu Sanyan left his home and went to the gang's headquarters, summoning Wang Gang and asking about the location of Shannan Village. Only then did he realize it was quite far, about seventy to eighty li from here.

It was better sooner than later. The Heaven and Earth Treasure was of great importance, so Xu Sanyan decided to depart immediately. He turned to Wang Gang and said, “Find twenty brothers to come with me. We're leaving at once.”

Wang Gang hesitated slightly, “Chieftain, what happened?”

Xu Sanyan's eyelids drooped, and he looked at him with a cold gaze. Wang Gang immediately broke out in a cold sweat, “Your subordinate will go now.”

A moment later, the twenty men were assembled. Xu Sanyan waved his hand, “Depart.”

The size of Shannan Village was still unclear, so taking more people would make the search easier. As for concerns about leaked information...

Heh, Xu Sanyan sneered inwardly. The people were dead, so there was naturally no risk of information leakage.

...

The sky gradually darkened, and the group finally arrived outside a village. They had ridden horses for an entire day to cover the seventy-plus li distance.

Xu Sanyan stood on the slope, looking at the quiet and peaceful village below, and spoke softly, “Wake up all the villagers.”

“Yes.”

Twenty fierce-looking swordsmen behind him rushed into the village, immediately causing dogs to bark incessantly. Many villagers were awakened and opened their doors to look, only to see a group of large men on horseback, carrying swords, bursting in.

“Bandits! There are bandits!”

“Run!”

Some of the gang members were displeased and shouted loudly, “You're the bandit! Your whole family are bandits! We are proper righteous heroes of the greenwood!”

Xu Sanyan stood on the slope, watching the chaos in the village, and slowly rode his horse forward.

Shannan Village was not large. He had just counted it, and there were only forty-odd households, which, counting four people per household, amounted to no more than two hundred people.

There was a small open space south of the village. Everyone was herded into the open space and surrounded. Xu Sanyan rode over, glanced at the terrified villagers, and smiled faintly.

“Everyone, there's no need to be afraid. We are not bad people; we are just looking for something. Which one of you is the village chief? Ask him to come out and speak.”

A small old man walked out, trembling, and knelt on the ground with a thud, saying with a tearful face, “Great King, we are just ordinary folk; we have nothing valuable. Please, Great King, spare us.”

Great King?

Xu Sanyan pursed his lips. This address made him unsure how to respond.

“Elder, don't worry. We just want to ask you some questions. Just tell the truth. We are not bandits either.”

Saying this, Xu Sanyan took out a silver ingot from his Arms and casually tossed it in front of the old man, “There's more if you speak well.”