prynovel 007 Immortal-grade Square Pot
007 Immortal-grade Square Pot
Inside the west wing, Li Yu, draped in a wide silk shawl, stepped out of the bath tub, dried himself off briefly, and then squatted down in front of the pile of [fragments].
He had already cleaned all 152 fragments while scrubbing himself in the bath. The 98 fragments that are shining now are the ones that are shining.
Li Yu held it up in a silk cloth and examined it carefully.
The light shifted and shimmered, seemingly pointing to something.
Li Yu then followed the light's "direction," leaving the side room and entering the main room.
Here are his old tattered linen clothes, his bronze bladed knife, and three [unknown fragments].
Could it be?
Li Yu's mind raced, and sure enough, he saw that two of the three fragments had become active.
A flash of light, and two fragments flew into the silk cloth like weary birds returning to their nests.
At this point, the light from the hundred fragments merged and combined, forming an irregular ball of light the size of a fist, which hung above the silk cloth.
Those fragments transformed into streaks of light, all of which flew towards the ball of light.
A few breaths later, the ball of light turned from ethereal to solid, transforming into a square pot with a wide belly and a straight mouth.
The base of the pot is a tortoise, its head raised to the sky, supporting the entire body of the vessel.
The shape of the body and neck of the pot is rather simple and unadorned, only vaguely outlining a few mountains and rivers, yet it appears ancient and profound, in accordance with the creation of heaven and earth.
The top of the pot is empty; the lid is missing. It's unclear whether it was lost or was always like this.
The pot was about the size of a palm. Li Yu picked up the neck of the pot and examined it in his palm.
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'Finely Broken Square Pot' 100/1000
[Rank] Immortal (Corpse Dissolution).
[Attribute] The pot contains a vast universe, capable of holding all things, and grants the holder +10 Immortal Affinity.
[Description] Fragments of the ancient Ten Continents and Five Islands, namely the Fanghu, were left here after the worlds were shattered.
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Square pot!
A divine product!
Li Yu raised an eyebrow, his delight evident on his face.
Just a few days ago, Xiong Ba told him that [Immortal Items] are elusive and impossible to find, but he never expected to encounter one today.
Li Yu was familiar with the term "corpse disintegration" in parentheses in the "immortal grade" category.
He enjoys reading "miscellaneous books" and still remembers the passage in "Baopuzi: On Immortality" that says, "The superior person ascends to the heavens and is called a celestial immortal; the average person travels to famous mountains and is called an earth immortal; the inferior person dies first and then sheds their skin, and is called a corpse-dissolving immortal."
This Corpse-Dissolving Immortal, though described as a "Talented Person Below the Immortal," has already transcended the mundane world.
In today's world, powerful families regard any treasure of the "Earth Grade" as a precious heirloom to be passed down through generations.
If they knew that Li Yu possessed a "celestial treasure," it's hard to say what Liu Bei and Cao Cao would do. Ze Rong, the Xiliang group, the Yellow Turbans, and the like would probably just lead their troops to kill and seize the treasure.
If it were Liu Hong, things might be better. He could offer a "county magistrate of 600 shi" or a "military officer of 1000 shi" as a bargaining chip, and maybe even earn the reputation of "buying a horse bone for a thousand gold pieces".
Shaking his head to dispel his wandering thoughts, Li Yu began to ponder the "square pot" again.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, legends of immortals have been prevalent. Most of them are related to Mount Kunlun and overseas fairy mountains.
Leaving aside Kunlun Mountain for now, let's talk about this overseas fairy mountain.
Legend has it that in ancient times, giant turtles carried mountains and rivers on their backs, their movements causing upheavals and the transformation of seas into fields. Several mythical islands, rootless and without origin, drifted with the currents east of the Bohai Sea. The Heavenly Emperor commanded the God of the North Sea to drive fifteen giant turtles to carry these islands. "The giant turtles, carrying the Penglai Mountains on their backs, danced and frolicked in the vast sea."
Then, the giant from Longbo Kingdom sought divination and fished away six giant turtles, which directly led to the disappearance of the two immortal mountains, Daiyu and Yuanqiao. Of the five immortal mountains, only three remain.
Fanghu, Penglai, and Yingzhou are referred to as the "Three Pots" by Dongfang Shuo in his "Inscription on the Treasure Urn"—Fanghu, Penghu, and Yingzhou.
Fanghu, also known as Fangzhang, is described in the *Records of the Ten Continents Within the Seas* as follows: "Each of these continents is five thousand li in circumference. Dragons gather there, and there are palaces of gold, jade, and lapis lazuli… Hundreds of thousands of immortals cultivate the fields, planting lingzhi herbs, calculating the area in acres, much like rice cultivation. There are also jade springs…"
Li Yu's heart burned with excitement. This was a blessed land of immortals! If he could find even a trace of the "divine legacy," wouldn't he be able to rise to the top and become the most outstanding person in the world?
With this in mind, Li Yu focused his attention on the [Fine Fragmented Square Pot].
A small world, appearing and disappearing between reality and illusion.
The sky is round and the earth is square; the sea surrounds the isolated island.
There are no "dragons", no Zhitian, no Liuli Palace, and no immortals.
Do we need to find another 900 [Fragments of the Square Pot] to upgrade the [Fragmented Square Pot] to the [Square Pot] in order to obtain the true "Immortal Mountain Overseas"?
Li Yu was somewhat disappointed. He paused for a moment before continuing to look.
Fanghu is named "Fairy Mountain," but the scenery on the island is not as Li Yu imagined: "towering mountains and islands with strange rocks."
To the northeast of the island, there is a small mountain several hundred feet high. At the top of the mountain is a clear spring, no more than an acre in size and less than ten feet deep, yet it seeps out among the rocks, dripping and gurgling, and converges into a narrow stream at the foot of the mountain.
The narrow stream meanders through the island, eventually flowing into a small pond on the southwest side.
Rocks, narrow streams, ponds, and coastlines occupy two-thirds of the area. The remaining third is mostly open, flat plains.
The entire [Xi Sui Fang Hu] area, excluding the surrounding sea, is roughly the size of Chaoyang District in Beijing, equivalent to twenty Macau districts.
With a thought, Li Yu placed himself in the scene.
As soon as he entered, the entire little world seemed to come alive.
Previously, the mountains were silent and the waters still, the sea frozen over; now, the mountain winds howl and the waves roar. The sun and moon are nowhere to be seen, yet there is a brightness reminiscent of dawn and dusk. There are no deer, cranes, or fish, but lotus leaves stretch across the fields and pines and cypresses stand tall and ancient.
Li Yu walked on the soft sand, looking at the mountains, the water, and the sea, feeling very comfortable.
Although this place cannot be found to have any "divine blessings", it is still a treasure land where people can live and work in peace and contentment.
At this thought, Li Yu suddenly realized that it would be wonderful if he could use the [village construction blueprints] here.
Just as I was about to continue my calculations, a thought suddenly struck me.
Someone is coming.
A knocking sound came from the gate of the courtyard.
"Brother Yu, Brother Yu." It was Chen Lizheng who sent Xiong Ba to invite Li Yu.
Li Yu took out the [Fine Fragmented Square Pot] and stepped out of the main room, somewhat worried about how to store this palm-sized celestial treasure.
He was afraid that if he put it inside, someone would covet it and steal it. If he kept it in his arms, aside from the inconvenience, he was also afraid that he might accidentally lose it while walking, sitting, or lying down.
Suddenly, the [Fine Fragmented Square Pot] transformed into a stream of light and entered his palm. Li Yu looked closely and saw that a square pot pattern had appeared on the pad of his left index finger.
Wow, it really is a magical treasure, with endless uses!
Pushing open the door, he walked out and headed towards the center of the village with Xiong Ba.
The victory celebration banquet was held at the street corner in the center of the village.
Street trolls, also known as "street troll rooms," were originally set up in the streets during the Han Dynasty to inspect and troll the people within a mile. In the Zhou Dynasty, they were called "lichu," and in the Han Dynasty, they were called "street trolls." In modern society, they are equivalent to "village chief's offices."
Along the way, people came and went, and the air was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.
Many adults greeted Li Yu with smiles, while children, holding sticks and riding wooden horses, circled around the two of them.
The older women and unmarried girls, though unable to approach him directly, still looked at him with eyes full of curiosity and admiration.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the separation of men and women was not as strict as in later periods, but it certainly did not reach the point where "men and women lived in separate groups, inside and outside the palace, and did not peek outside the walls or go out into the outer courtyard. When they went out, they would cover their faces; when they peeked, they would hide their forms. Men who were not relatives would not exchange names with each other."
Moreover, this was in the rural area of Chenwangli, during a time of village celebration.
Although Li Yu felt somewhat uneasy along the way, he was also extremely happy. Because, in just a short while, his reputation had increased by another 20.
We walked and stopped frequently, and it took us fifteen minutes to reach the street.
A group of people greeted them from the left side of the road.
Leading the group was County Magistrate Liang Hong, beside whom stood a dignified-looking middle-aged scholar. Dressed in hemp shoes and a long robe, and wearing a Lin Zong cap, he exuded an air of solemnity, like a gentle breeze beneath a pine tree.
"Xiongba greets the County Magistrate and the Minister of Works." Xiongba pulled Li Yu a few steps forward and bowed in greeting. After the two nodded, he took half a step back, leaving the scene to Li Yu.
"Greetings, County Magistrate; greetings, Minister Boqing." Li Yu followed suit and bowed.
"Very good!" Magistrate Liang smiled and gave him a helping hand, then took his hand and introduced him to the scholar, "Boqing, the hero who killed the python has arrived."
The scholar laughed and praised, "To slay the Corpse-Eating Python, the Corpse Python, is truly a great feat! A feat indeed!"
Li Yu was taken aback. Why did this person's voice echo?