The Nine Cauldrons
chapter-8

“Of course, these are just my suggestions. You still need to decide how you should do it,” Zhuge Yuanhong said with a smile.

Teng Qingshan nodded and smiled as he replied, “Teacher, you thought more thoroughly than I did. By the way, Teacher. Can I take some of the ‘Elixir of the North Sea’ with me?”

“You risked your life to obtain the Elixir of the North Sea. Tell me. How many drops do you require?” Zhuge Yuanhong asked. After pondering for a while, Teng Qingshan answered, “There are only approximately three thousand Fiery Gilt Steel Armors. I just need to train one thousand and five hundred elite soldiers in Tai Ah Mountain. Teacher, you only have to give me one thousand and five hundred drops of the Elixir of the North Sea.”

Zhuge Yuanhong gazed towards Elder Wu and said with respect, “Martial Ancestor, the Elixir of the North Sea is with you. Could you please bring two bottles here?”

“Sure.”

With a smile, Elder Wu vanished in the room, leaving behind an afterimage.

Moments later, Elder Wu returned.

“Qingshan.” Elder Wu said as he handed two black jade bottles with wooden corks, “Each bottle contains roughly one thousand drops of the Elixir of the North Sea. There are two bottles, thus, there is a total of two thousand drops.”

On the side, Zhuge Yuanhong showed a faint smile as he said, “Tell us if it’s not enough.”

“I don’t have that many subordinates. It’s enough.” Teng Qingshan grinned as he took the two jade bottles and placed it into the bundle that he carried on his back. “Teacher, how many Blazing Flame Red Lotus Seeds do you need? One lotus seed will be able to help an expert at the peak of Postliminary realm achieve a breakthrough and become a Hollow Dan Innate Expert. It can also help a True Dan Innate Expert reach the Golden Dan of the Innate Realm!”

“This is indeed magical and precious.” Elder Wu couldn’t help but praise.

“Three will suffice.” Zhuge Yuanhong nodded.

Hearing this, Teng Qingshan opened the jade box in his bundle. He retrieved three of the remaining eight lotus seeds and gave them to Zhuge Yuanhong. Who wouldn’t want such precious items? To tell the truth, Zhuge Yuanhong himself desired to take a lot more. However, Zhuge Yuanhong acknowledged the fact that an expert that attained Emptiness Realm at the age of twenty-one had never happened before and might never happen in the future!

Ultimately, Teng Qingshan will attain Emptiness Realm Culmination.

He will definitely attain Profound Emptiness Realm.

It’s possible that he could even become a legendary Omnipotent Expert and be ranked along with Emperor Yu, The Heavenly Emperor of Qin Mountains! If the Gui Yuan Sect wished to exist for several thousand years, they would most likely have to rely on Teng Qingshan. Thus, Zhuge Yuanhong naturally only gave a lot of advice and didn’t covet anything even if there were any precious items.

“Teacher,” Teng Qingshan’s voice suddenly deepened.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Zhuge Yuanhong asked.

“Where are Qing Qing’s ashes?” Teng Qingshan could feel his heart ached as he asked this question.

Zhuge Yuanhong’s facial expression changed. He sighed and answered, “Come with me.”

Because of the unceasing battles in the Land of the Nine Prefectures, cemeteries were rarely built. For instance, if some great sects built their graveyards outside the city, it would be worrisome as some people might dig the graves. How many graveyards in the city would a sect that had existed over thousand of years build? There wouldn’t be enough space to build the cemetery. Therefore, the corpse would be cremated and the cinerary casket would be kept safe.

“Eleventh!”

Teng Qingshan focused his gaze on a tower in the front. The cinerary caskets of the contemporaries and antecedents of Gui Yuan Sect were extremely great in number.

“Qignshan, Qing Qing’s cinerary casket is on the third floor of the eleventh tower. It is a cinerary casket forged with icicle jadestone. It’s the first thing you will see when you reach the third floor.” Zhuge Yuanhong said with sadness in his eyes. The most painful incident in the world is seeing one’s child die before oneself.

The death of Zhuge Qing gave Zhuge Yuanhong an immense emotional shock.

“Yes, Teacher.”

Carrying a basket filled with candles, joss sticks, wine pot, cups, as well as many other sacrificial offerings, Teng Qingshan stepped into the tower. Although the sunlight shone through the windows of the tower, the entire tower felt eerily cold and gloomy. A great number of monuments with the height of three Zhang were found erected on each floor and numerous names were engraved onto each of the monuments.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

As he ambled up the stony staircase, cold gusts of wind blew within the tower.

He had arrived the third floor!

There weren’t many cinerary caskets on the third floor. It was apparent that the third floor was not fully occupied. Although there were ten lofty monuments erected, only one monument had countless of names engraved on it. The other monuments had none.

“Qing Qing.” Teng Qingshan stood before the first monument. His eyes flickered across the first monument.

The seventeenth name on the fifth row—Zhuge Qing

The goddess-like young girl in the past was now just a name amongst the many names engraved on the tombstone.

“It has been four years, Qing Qing…” Teng Qingshan paced behind the tombstone and stood before numerous cinerary caskets. Amidst the great number of cinerary caskets, a cinerary casket forged with seemingly transparent ice chunk appeared very conspicuous. Two words were engraved onto the lateral side of the seemingly transparent cinerary casket—Zhuge Qing.

There were also a few tiny words engraved on the right side of the three words—Written by the father, Zhuge Yuanhong!

“Qing Qing, four years had passed… but I feel that the incidents had just happened yesterday.” Teng Qingshan squatted down and placed many kinds of sacrificial offerings on the ground. He lit the candles and poured two cups of rice wine.

……

“Big Brother Teng.”

“Can….can…you kiss me once? Just like how a husband kisses a wife!”

……

The sad memory surfaced in his mind. As Teng Qingshan stared at the cinerary casket, his heart couldn’t help but ache.

He held the wine pot. Over half of the wine remained in the pot. Teng Qingshan raised his head and continued pouring the pot of wine into his mouth. Guruguru~~~ Teng Qingshan carried on drinking and almost finished the wine in one breath, spilling some wine on his clothes. He felt so hot that it was as though a fire burned within his chest.

“Qing Qing, Big Brother Teng hasn’t visited you for such a long time. I am finally here today.”

“I have finally returned!”

Teng Qingshan stroked the cinerary casket softly, feeling the bone penetrating coldness that the cinerary casket, which was forged with icicle jade stone, emanated. Teng Qingshan lowered his head and gave the cinerary casket a kiss. He kissed the cinerary casket of the pitiful girl who plead a kiss from Teng Qingshan before her death, the kind of kiss that a husband gave a wife.

“Qing Qing, Big Brother Teng can no longer do anything for you.”

“However, I promise to let your brother and your parents live a good life…I will ensure the perpetuity of Gui Yuan Sect and wipe Qing Hu Island, the existence that caused your death, away from this world!”

Teng Qingshan vowed before Lady Qing’s cinerary casket.

During the evening, Teng Qingshan brought the two bottles of the ‘Elixir of the North Sea’ and returned to the Li Residence in Nanxing County.

The next morning.

Whew~~ The cold wind blew in the morning. On the training field, the massive Six Legged Bladelike Chi laid in the pit. It focused its huge protruding gold-colored eyes on Teng Qingshan, who was practicing his fist art. When Teng Qingshan had completed his practice, the massive creature began pondering arduously on its own.

“In-hale~~”

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi breathed out a puffs of bad breath.

“Ah Shou! Ah Dong!” Teng Qingshan shouted.

“Instructor (Teacher)!” Teng Shou and Yang Dong hastily responded.

Teng Qingshan reflexively glanced towards Ah Shou and scolded, “Ah Shou.”

“Senior Martial Brother forgot to call you ‘teacher’ again.” Yang Dong snickered and said. Ever since their arrival in the Land of the Nine Prefectures, Teng Qingshan had been forcing those two to change their habits, instructing them to no longer refer him as instructor but teacher. The term follower was also changed to ‘disciple. Embarrassed, Teng Shou rubbed his head and said in a low tone, “Yes, Teacher. This disciple will bear this in mind.”

Teng Qingshan responded with a nod. He turned towards Yang Dong and asked, “Ah Dong, how is the progress of your fist art?”

“Not much progress.” Yang Dong shook his head helplessly as he answered, “I still can’t grasp the feeling.”

On the side, Teng Shou interrupted, “Teacher, it seems like Ah Dong isn’t suitable to practice Internal Martial Art.”

Half a year had passed since Teng Qingshan had accepted Yang Dong as his disciple. However, Yang Dong accomplished nothing in his cultivation of Internal Martial Art. The difference between Yang Dong and Teng Shou, the phenom, was too great.

“The most suitable cultivation method is the best. We shouldn’t force it.” Teng Qingshan shook his head. It would be good if all the disciples he accepted managed to cultivate Internal Martial Art and help the cultivation of Internal Martial Art flourish. Unfortunately, Internal Martial Art’s requirement in regards to the aptitude was slightly higher.

“Ah Dong, open your mouth.” Teng Qingshan instructed.

“Eh?” Yang Dong froze.

Teng Qingshan walk to the side and picked up a bundle. He took out a jade bottle from within the bundle and gently removed the cork.

“Open your mouth.” Teng Qingshan frowned.

“Yes, instructor.” Due to his nervousness, Yang Dong called out ‘instructor’ again.

Teng Qingshan summoned up a streak of aqua blue Supreme Force and retrieved a drop of ‘Elixir of the North Sea’ from within the jade bottle. He then enveloped the drop of ‘Elixir of the North Sea’ and sent it into Yang Dong’s mouth before releasing the Supreme Force.

Drip!

The drop of the ‘Elixir of the North Sea’ flowed into Yang Dong’s body. Yang Dong’s face suddenly turned red and green. His body trembled.

“Eh?” Teng Qingshan stretched his hand and placed it onto Yang Dong’s shoulder. Immediately, a small portion of aqua blue Supreme Force permeated Yang Dong’s body, allowing Teng Qingshan to instantly sense the situations of the meridians within Yang Dong’s body. A smile appeared on Teng Qingshan’s face as he said, “As expected of the ‘Elixir of the North Sea.’ Its effect is even better than that of the Scarlet Fruit.”

Fifteen minutes later.

Yang Dong’s regained his composure and opened his eyes.

“Eh, Teacher.” Yang Dong stared at Teng Qingshan in elation and shock as he said, “I-I can sense it. The inner strength within me is so powerful.”

“You have now reached the peak of the Postliminary Realm. Your meridians have been completely remodeled.” Teng Qingshan retrieved a secret manual. The words written on the secret manual were the characters of the Duanmu Continent. “This is the top-notch secret manual of the Tianfeng Clan—Ardent Wind Secret Codex. This will be enough for you to cultivate to the Golden Dan of the Innate Realm. You will cultivate with the use of this secret manual.

TLN: I added a term. Secret Manual is a book with the recording of the moves of a secret technique.

Teng Qingshan hurled it over and Yang Dong caught it happily.

Of the hidden treasures of Tianfeng Clan, there were many secret manuals that the Mu Clan disregarded. After all, the Mu Clan were the descendants of the Duanmu Deity. Nonetheless, Teng Qingshan cared about those secret manuals and brought them to the Land of the Nine Prefectures.

The Tianfeng Clan possessed a great number of secret manuals. Additionally, they had taken the secret manuals of other clans. The number of secret manuals amongst the hidden treasure were several times greater than that of the Gui Yuan Sect’s.

“Henceforth, I will teach you the sword art 《Forty-nine Azure Lotus Strikes》. In terms of power, the《Forty-nine Azure Lotus Strikes》is almost on par with the 《Seventy-two Earth Splitting Forms》. You must practice attentively and conscientiously. If you can’t even succeed in the cultivation of this sword art, I will no longer teach you any martial arts,” Teng Qingshan said with a serious expression.

“Yes, Teacher.” Feeling the pressure, Yang Dong no longer dared to fool around as he responded with respect.

The day after he started teaching Yang Dong the sword art, Teng Qingshan hired some men and ordered them and the guards of Li Residence to escort three big boxes of ‘Fiery Gilt Steel’ to Jiangning County. After all, he couldn’t let the Six Legged Bladelike Chi descend in Gui Yuan Sect as the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was too enormous and their location would be easily exposed.

“Little Jun, I am going out. I will be back in a few days,” Teng Qingshan said.

“Be careful while you are away.”

At the entrance of Li Residence, Li Jun watched Teng Qingshan and a group of guards depart with the wooden box filled with Fiery Gilt Steel.

……

“Eh? Second Brother, take a look at that lady.”

Two ordinary-looking young men standing on the street nearby were examining Li Jun.

Eh? Isn’t she the lady which the higher-positioned people were searching for? They seemed to be searching for this lady for the last three years?”

“Yes, it’s her. She looks the same as the portrait. Three years have passed. I didn’t expect that we would be the ones to find her.”

The two young men stared at each other excitedly. They will be earning a great sum of money this time!