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墨書 Inktalez
Suddenly, there was an unexpected interruption, and Old Qiao realized that in front of his junior brother, who had a “take-it-all” mentality, there was no need for any buildup or embellishment. The longer the prelude, the more variables would arise. Moreover, given his junior brother's literary level, he might not even appreciate it—no, he definitely wouldn’t.
After some hesitation, Old Qiao’s junior brother finally took out the treasure again, but it was only for viewing and strictly off-limits to touch. Old Qiao shook his head helplessly; he was still quite interested. However, seeing it but not being able to touch it made him feel a bit restless. As he opened his mouth, his hand instinctively wanted to reach out. Just as he made a move to take it back, Old Qiao waved him off and dryly explained, “This black stone is called Obsidian. Its surface is clear and translucent; when sunlight hits it, it emits a dark green glow. Here, hold it steady and let me show you.”
Old Qiao leaned in, unable to resist tilting his head to look underneath the Bracelet. I also sat closer and glanced at it under the sunlight; indeed, I saw a ring of dark green light—bright yet composed. Having dealt with antiques for some time now and having handled hundreds of large jade pieces, I could tell at first glance that this was no ordinary object. My curiosity grew even stronger; who had given this to me?
The junior brother held it in the middle, worried that we might damage it or that someone else might snatch it away. He anxiously said, “Hey hey hey! Wipe your mouths; don’t let any drool get on it! If you do, it's still not yours!”
Seeing that we had all taken a look at it, Old Qiao reluctantly returned to his seat and continued, “This type of Obsidian that glows under light is even more precious. The green light you just saw is known as the ‘Green Eye’ in Rainbow Eyes. Of course, there are also Blue Eyes, Red Eyes, Yellow Eyes, and so on—named for their colorful resemblance to a rainbow. The higher the purity of the Rainbow Eye, the higher its market value. This one in your hands should be the pinnacle of Rainbow Eyes.”
Hearing Old Qiao say this made the junior brother cherish it even more as he held it in his palms with eyes sparkling like gold—he looked like he was about to kiss it. Watching him like this made me reluctant to remind him of the nature of this treasure—it belonged to someone else.
I asked, “Such a valuable piece turned into a necklace; it can’t just be for show, right?”
Old Qiao stroked his chin and smiled meaningfully: “That’s right. In this world, no matter how precious or rare something is, if it cannot be used by humans, it's worth nothing. Obsidian itself has protective properties against evil spirits; if made into an ornament and given to a friend of the opposite sex, it carries a deeper meaning of unspoken affection.”
I was taken aback and felt my face flush. I had very few friends to begin with, and almost none were friends of the opposite sex. Who could have given me this? If they wanted to gift it to me, why didn’t they do so openly? If my junior brother hadn’t been quick enough to take it off just now, I probably wouldn’t have discovered it until my next bath—what a missed opportunity for a beautiful fate!
As I lamented silently about this missed chance, my junior brother suddenly exclaimed, “A Li! Why is your face so red?” Then he paused and added incredulously, “No way… This unspoken affection isn’t from you, is it?”
I froze and looked up at A Li. The moment our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away and said to my junior brother, “So what if I gave it? You should return it to Brother Qian Yi.”
I suddenly recalled the time at Emerald Villa when A Li… oh no, back then she was still Kui Xue. The last time we met was on a staircase with obsidian steps, and I mistakenly thought it was a black Python Snake, which startled me quite a bit.
This green-eyed obsidian is so precious; it must be that only Emerald Villa has the capability to acquire such a piece. A Li is the foremost contributor to Emerald Villa, and Kui Liu Ye gifted it to her, so it wouldn’t be impossible for A Li to pass it on to me.
My junior brother’s expression changed slightly as he raised his arm above his head, teasing A Li in an attempt to snatch it away from her, refusing to give it up. Old Qiao stood by, chuckling, wearing the demeanor of someone who had been through it all.
Although I didn’t have any particular feelings for A Li, this situation arose because of me. Seeing A Li’s face turn crimson from my junior brother’s teasing made me feel guilty. Seizing the moment when my junior brother wasn’t paying attention, I snatched the bracelet and put it on my wrist.
Everyone was momentarily stunned, looking at me in unison. I calmly said, “It belongs to its rightful owner.” My junior brother muttered a few more excuses before we finally moved past the incident.
We had some water and ate a bit of the biscuits and bread we bought at the train station while continuing our discussion about Illusionary Technique.
My junior brother’s emotions come and go quickly; he soon forgot about the earlier incident of the “ownership change” and returned to our previous topic. “ Senior Brother, your first two explanations clearly don’t make sense. You said that dropping blood into the incense burner broke the trigger, but in the illusion, there are only souls without bodies. How can souls bleed?”
Old Qiao stroked his chin and replied, “That statement is erroneous. Our understanding of Illusionary Technique comes entirely from that ‘master’ in the illusion, who is an Illusionist in the Illusionary Realm. His words cannot be fully trusted but also cannot be dismissed entirely. At that time, in order to gain Qian’s trust, he would certainly tell part of the truth. However, when it comes to critical aspects of Illusionary Technique—like the method we are discussing now for breaking through—he would inevitably mislead us for self-preservation; this is only human nature.”
I nodded in agreement. My junior brother pouted and said, “Damn, isn’t that just nonsense! If we think like that, we won’t even know what’s real and what’s fake. It would be better not to know at all! Damn it, we haven’t even seen our opponent’s face and are being toyed with like fools; there’s no way for us to show our skills. The gap between Shimen techniques is just too vast; this is outright discrimination!”
Suddenly, my junior brother snapped his fingers and asked A Li, “By the way, A Li, aren’t you Master Sun Gongzhou’s disciple? Has your master ever discussed Illusionary Technique with you?”
I was taken aback; how did I not think of that? I eagerly turned to A Li, but she shook her head. “Let’s not forget we are New School while they are Old School; the two factions have been estranged for a long time and no longer communicate or interfere with each other. Even if we belong to the same faction, as long as we don’t share a master or have any interactions, we remain completely unaware of each other’s knowledge. This is meant to prevent techniques from leaking out and also for our own safety.”
I suddenly recalled how Third Granduncle Master had tested me repeatedly back in the underground palace; he seemed unaware of what my skills were. Clearly, A Li wasn’t lying to me. But I distinctly remembered seeing notes about Errand Runner's eight unique techniques hidden beneath my master’s box. Could it be… that my master had conducted investigations in secret? Why would he do that?
Master, oh Master, how many secrets have you kept from me...
Our discussion made no progress, and as I listened, drowsiness overtook me. I fell into a deep sleep, so heavy that I didn't even dream. Time passed in that illusion as if it were years, and I slept soundly until a few drops of icy rain splashed onto my face. Lazily, I opened my eyes to find that the scene had changed dramatically; dark clouds loomed overhead, thunder rumbled, and large raindrops began to pour down.
I jolted awake, intending to rouse everyone, but as I turned my waist, I realized with shock that I was stuck on a tree branch.
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