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墨書 Inktalez
The water in the swamp was deep, with square patches of "Land" three feet in diameter distributed evenly, resembling a chessboard. These patches varied in size, with the deeper areas hidden beneath the murky green water.
Li Hong landed on a small patch of "Land" covered with Mugwort, her body swaying slightly with the plant. She bent down to pull at the Mugwort, uprooting a large bundle of grass roots along with clumps of black mud. Li Hong decided to jump into the thicket of Mugwort.
With a splashing sound, her feet sank deeply into the muck. Li Hong did not use any techniques; she coldly watched as the dirty water rose higher than her white silk shoes. When it reached just below her calves, her feet stopped sinking, and she felt solid ground beneath her.
Bending down to touch the ground, Li Hong was taken aback. The surface was icy cold and smooth, almost like... jade!
Mud splattered everywhere as Li Hong pulled out all the Mugwort from this small patch of "Land," only to discover that she was standing on top of a platform.
The platform was made of Black Jade, shaped like a trapezoid with a smaller top and a larger base, deeply embedded in the swamp below. The upper part was half a foot above the water's surface and surrounded by a railing, with mud accumulating inside. Weeds and Mugwort seeds easily settled into the mud, sprouting into evenly sized clusters of grass.
Looking around, Li Hong saw that the entire elongated swamp was filled with such small platforms. Whether it was an illusion or reality, these platforms seemed to be slowly moving with the murky water.
Seeing this vast chessboard-like layout, Li Hong was overjoyed; she had clearly found the right spot! If her guess was correct, this was another entrance to the Celestial Mansion Map.
However, entering through this door would not be easy.
The three of them flew high again, using the Fire Phoenix's flames to examine the entire layout.
Li Hong hesitated and said, "The Ancient God loves to use Black Jade to set up Restrictions; there's no doubt about it. This place is definitely related to some Celestial Mansion Map. The current problem is: what exactly are these Restrictions? Do we have to solve riddles?"
The firelight illuminated Chu Xi's fair face as she frowned slightly, resting her right palm against her cheek in thought.
She said, "Do you feel like this layout looks somewhat familiar? I feel like I've seen something like this before."
Li Hong was stunned: "No way! You've actually seen the Ancient God's Restrictions somewhere? Could it be in the Ancient Celestial Field?" However, Li Hong knew that there were no similar layouts in the Ancient Celestial Field; otherwise, she wouldn't have failed to recognize it.
Chu Xi shook her head: "It's not in the Ancient Celestial Field; it's somewhere else. I think... yes! It was in Nine Li Sect! I seem to have seen something similar there a long time ago... It's been too long... Let me think." She lowered her head in contemplation.
Li Hong thought for a moment, and White Shadow flashed to the platform where Mugwort had just been pulled out, preparing to leap down. Chu Xi shouted, "Don't do it!"
Li Hong almost moved but looked up in surprise and said, "Why not? There's no activity anyway. I might as well try to put some force into this platform; maybe it will create some commotion, and then we'll know what to do."
"Are you not afraid of triggering the Ancient God's Restrictions?" Chu Xi countered.
"Well..." Li Hong pondered, realizing that Chu Xi was right.
"Let's not rush into action. First, I need to think a bit more, and second, I want to wait until dawn. Perhaps there will be other discoveries under the sunlight."
Chu Xi's suggestion was immediately supported by Chuxiong, who raised both hands and exclaimed, "Absolutely! I think we should rest for the night. The ground here feels ominous; even if we trigger the Restrictions during the day, it's better than at night. Who knows what strange things are watching us!" As he spoke, he glanced toward the marshy edge near the cliff, where Mugwort grew thicker and was swaying, surely hiding something inside.
Li Hong readily agreed and returned to the air. Seeing Chuxiong's playful expression, he chuckled, "I'm going to catch something delicious!"
"Delicious?!" Chuxiong's eyes lit up.
"Don't follow me; it'll make too much noise, and that thing will definitely escape." Li Hong winked mysteriously at Chuxiong and went off on his own.
In mid-air, Chu Xi continued to ponder over the square jade platform below. This Fire Phoenix could support them for an hour. If Ji Lianzi, the Ancestor, saw Li Hong using Fire Phoenix for illumination in the celestial realm, he would surely stomp his feet in frustration and scold Li Hong for being an unfilial descendant who disrespected a supreme skill by using it for trivial purposes...
As night deepened, a bright bonfire was lit by the riverbank. Chu Xi and Chuxiong sat on the ground waiting for Li Hong's so-called delicacies.
After a long while, Li Hong finally emerged from between the rocky ridges, holding two plump objects resembling chicken drumsticks. He rinsed them in the clear river water for a while before skewering them with branches. In a flash, White Shadow leaped to the bonfire and began roasting them.
Chu Xi and Chuxiong focused their gaze; these drumsticks were unusually large—almost like small lamb legs. Under the firelight, they appeared tender and white, with meat so juicy it seemed like it could be squeezed for water. As Li Hong turned them over on the fire, one side gradually turned golden brown, releasing an enticing aroma that filled the air.
"What is this?" The two were greatly astonished.
"Good stuff!" Li Hong said mysteriously, winking.
After a while, the "chicken drumstick" was ready. Li Hong tore off a small piece and handed it to Chuxiong. "Try it, it's really fragrant!"
"Alright!" Chuxiong eagerly took it, popped it into his mouth, and after just a couple of chews, his eyes widened in surprise. "What kind of meat is this? It's so aromatic! The more I chew, the more fragrant it gets, and there's a hint of Mugwort fragrance. I've never tasted anything like this before!"
He even dropped a classical phrase, causing Chu Xi to laugh so hard she bent over, her eyes squinting into crescent shapes. She stretched out her hand and said sweetly, "I want some too!"
But Li Hong shook his head. "You can't have what your brother eats."
"Why not?" Chu Xi exclaimed in surprise, her eyes wide.
Li Hong looked at Chu Xi's delicate features and smiled. "I'm afraid you might find it dirty. You can guess what this is; consider it a fun game."
Chuxiong caught on and his eyes widened. "What is it? Don't tell me it's Slug!"
Just mentioning Slug made Chu Xi feel nauseous despite the enticing aroma. Thinking about how Li Hong wouldn't let her have any made her feel warm inside.
Even such a small concern touched Chu Xi's heart deeply. She looked at Li Hong, feeling a lump in her throat with countless unsaid words.
Li Hong was unaware of Chu Xi's little feelings and joked with Chuxiong, "Finish these two 'chicken drumsticks' first, and I'll go get you another one so you'll understand. Just to clarify, this isn't Slug and it's not poisonous; we've eaten it before!"
Hearing this reassured Chuxiong immediately. He laughed heartily, "Then what’s there to be afraid of! Hand it over; I'm feeling a bit hungry!"
With the wind sweeping through, they devoured the sweet delicacy in no time. The two "chicken drumsticks" were quickly gone, and Chuxiong still wanted more, urging Li Hong repeatedly, "Hurry up! It's a pity there's no oil to brush on; if only we could brush some oil and sprinkle a bit of salt before roasting it—gods wouldn't even give that up!"
Li Hong laughed heartily as he floated down through the stone crevice.
In just a moment, Li Hong returned, carrying a huge green creature on his shoulder. This creature was bound tightly by Li Hong's Binding Immortal Rope, with its two enormous eyes bulging out and a deep croaking sound coming from its belly, unable to struggle at all.
Chuxiong suddenly stood up, nearly knocking over the campfire. "What the heck! That's one massive frog!"
The creature was indeed a type of frog that squatted in the mountain stream, commonly known as the Stone Chicken. It was incredibly delicious, and when they were young, Li Hong and Bear Kid, now known as Chuxiong, often caught them in the mountains to roast for a feast. However, this particular Stone Chicken was so large it could rival a small table. Its body was covered in green lumps the size of teacups, and its eyes were as big as copper bells, blinking helplessly as it croaked mournfully, unable to move due to the Binding Immortal Rope.
Li Hong had discovered earlier that there were countless enormous Stone Chickens hidden among the Mugwort bushes; this one was relatively small and just right for a feast.
Chu Xi immediately stepped back, scolding, "You’re going to eat something so disgusting? How could you trick Chuxiong into this? Chuxiong, why don’t you go over and hit him?!" Though her words were fierce, Chu Xi felt sweet inside, thinking that he really understood her feelings and was considerate enough to stop her; otherwise, she would probably be throwing up right now.
Unknowingly, a smile appeared on Chu Xi's face.
Chuxiong realized what was happening and calmed down. Rolling up his sleeves, he shouted boldly, "Come on! This time I'll take care of it; I’ll roast it better than you did. Back when we were at Nine Li Sect and had nothing to eat, we even roasted Fire Mice; how could we not handle a big Stone Chicken!"
Chu Xi turned away and giggled. The two brothers then proceeded to gut the creature, not wasting even the liver of the Stone Chicken. They roasted it until the fat dripped onto its four legs again, filling the air with an incredibly tempting aroma.
As they devoured it heartily, Chuxiong remarked in surprise, "Does this Stone Chicken eat Mugwort? The meat has a fragrant Mugwort flavor; it's truly delicious."
Li Hong mumbled while chewing, "I can't say; if I do, you definitely won't dare to eat anymore."
"What are you afraid of! I've figured it out; what kind of man would shy away from food? Just tell me!" Chuxiong said boldly.
Li Hong whispered something to him. As he listened, Chuxiong's expression changed dramatically. He paused with a piece of the Stone Chicken leg near his mouth, unsure whether to eat or not.
Chu Xi was genuinely curious and couldn't help but lean closer to ask, "What exactly does this big Stone Chicken eat to grow so large?"
Li Hong pointed at Chuxiong and laughed. "Just look at his face; you can tell it's not something good for you. So it's best if you don't know. I'm really worried you'll get sick!"
Chu Xi smiled and spat lightly, unable to help but laugh at Chuxiong Strange's expression. Her laughter, like the sound of silver bells, flowed through Li Hong's heart like a clear mountain spring.
********
At noon, the three of them descended into the rocky crevice again.
The sun was high in the sky, and the square platforms in the swamp were now clearer.
The deep green murky water was indeed flowing slowly, and the bases of these trapezoidal platforms were actually pressed together. This meant that within this elongated swamp, there was a section of Black Jade Platform. It was not a single piece but rather composed of countless square platforms with a diameter of about six feet, stacked together. The upper ends gradually narrowed, leaving a gap of three feet above the water surface.
This was clearly some kind of mechanism. The dark green murky water was slowly flowing between the platforms.
This area, located in the Southern Wilderness, receives abundant rainfall year-round, so this water should be accumulated rainwater. If the water were drained, what would be revealed would undoubtedly be a spectacular and massive Black Jade mechanism component.
Looking around, the entire Black Jade Platform consisted of sixty Black Jade trapezoids. It formed a perfect rectangle that filled the central part of the entire Rift Valley.
Chu Xi looked again and suddenly exclaimed, "I remember where I've seen this before!"
She turned to look at Li Hong, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
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