On the fifth morning, the fog-covered desolate mountains and wild ridges were very quiet. A team of people set up several green tents with agility in a patch of overgrown grass in a forest, and many boxes were transported inside.
A slender young man took insect repellent powder and slowly sprinkled it around the area where they were working. He turned around to see his master, who was sitting on a stone, leisurely wiping a half-arm long, three-finger wide, flat-tipped straight knife with a cleaning cloth.
"Master, why aren't you going inside the tent when the weather is so hot?"
"This tent is too green." The woman said absentmindedly while holding the knife.
The thin young man, called Xiaoluo, sighed, "Master, if you don't want to be with them, just say it. This is a tent, not a hat. A little bit of green won't hurt. We still have to sleep in it at night."
The woman glared at him, "Dare to argue with your master? If I didn't hit you, it's just a matter of stubbornness. The green looks like a tortoise shell! And you, remember my words, apart from Zhenmu, that straightforward one, don't trust anyone here. They're all greedy ghosts!"
Xiaoluo knew better than to argue with his master in this matter, so he readily nodded, "I understand. I won't bother with anyone except for Zhenmu, Zhenbei, and you, master."
"It's not Zhenmu and Zhenbei, it's only Zhenmu."
"Ah? Why is that?" Xiaoluo was puzzled.
The woman narrowed her eyes, "That Zhenbei... I always feel that he is inherently evil."
Xiaoluo scratched his head and thought: Perhaps it's just my master's sixth sense. But he made a mental note of this. Having been taught by his master for many years, Xiaoluo always believed his master's words the most.
With that in mind, he picked up the bag of special insect repellent powder and returned to the tent, deciding to check the equipment.
The woman, on the other hand, saw Zhenmu walking out of the tent with a bronze sword and her face lit up. She quickly called out, "Zhenmu! Second Brother Zhen! It's been so long, and you didn't even say hello. Let me show you your Changfeng!"
Zhenmu looked at the woman with some reservation, but upon hearing her mention his weapon, he walked over to her with a serious face and said softly, "Sis Lei."
Sister Lei's eyebrows curved with joy, and she quickly put down her own weapon, reaching out her hands to take the bronze ancient sword from Zhenmu's hands, gently pulling out the blade and stroking the characters "Changfeng" embossed on it.
The Lei family had been swordsmiths for generations, and craftsmen treated precious items with great care, even to the point of sacrificing themselves to carve their most perfect work in their lifetime.
Sister Lei had entered this profession out of her obsession with ancient swords and artifacts.
"I haven't seen you in so long and you're still as beautiful..." Sister Lei said tenderly to the bronze sword. The care of each owner had not made the sword oxidized and fragile, but rather as sharp as it had been in the past. Sister Lei had also repaired it twice. If it weren't for Zhenmu's reluctance to part with it and his saving of her disciple Xiaoluo, Sister Lei would have been willing to pay any price to obtain it!
Sister Lei carefully wiped the blade with a cleaning cloth and inspected the pattern on it. The special material of the cloth made a faint buzzing sound as it brushed over the blade.
Zhenmu watched Sister Lei as she inspected the sword, silently sitting on another stone nearby.
After a while, Sister Lei suddenly said, "Your elder brother, Zhenhao... did he suffer any injuries in his childhood?"
Zhenmu, with a sharp and handsome face, showed a moment of surprise. He thought for a moment and said seriously, "No."
"Then why do I see him acting like an idiot?"
Zhenmu: "..."
With narrowed eyes, Sister Lei leaned against the sword, carefully scrutinizing it, and said casually, "I've always been straightforward, and I don't have much insight, but everyone in the circle knows that Yan Laogou is a merciless person. His men are all brute animals who deserve to be struck by lightning. Your elder brother is following him silly-like and giving him everything, but I can see it coming - he'll end up dead inside sooner or later!"
"That unlucky mother of your Zhen family, does she still make you protect him? Can you even protect yourself? You'd be lucky to get out alive."
Zhenmu was silent for a moment before he said, "I know you're reminding me, thank you, Sister Lei."
"Tsk." Sister Lei knew he was obstinate, so she didn't say much more, and handed him the beloved 'Changfeng sword,' saying, "It's hard to persuade a stubborn ghost. Be careful with your little brother."
Their sensitivity to the sharpness and aura of the weapons as swordsmiths made them similarly perceptive to people.
"My little brother..." Zhenmu shook his head, "My little brother is a good boy, Sister Lei, you're overthinking it. Also, if I die inside, I'll leave this sword to you. Please take care of my little brother and bring him out, okay?"
Sister Lei glanced him up and down, "Oh, what are you saying? I have no intention of causing disputes, and if you can't handle it, how can I save your little brother?"
Zhenmu smiled with less expression, "Sister Lei, others may not know, but I know your capabilities. You wouldn't have come here without the lure of those artifacts,"
Sister Lei shot him a glance and then looked longingly at the Changfeng sword in his hand, finally lazily agreeing.
"Ah, if I get to see the 'Liao Yue Sword' and 'Open-minded' this time, I'll die laughing even if I die inside!"
Seeing her consent, Zhenmu also laughed with relief.
Inside the tent, Zhenhao fanned himself slowly with a fan as he half-closed his eyes and listened to the man surnamed Yan deploying his subordinates.
"Xiao Li, you're skilled, you and Zhenmu, the second young master of the Zhen family, will lead the way. If anything comes up, signal immediately and retreat."
"Understood."
"Tiezi and Chunlei, you two protect Mr. Zhen."
Tiezi and Chunlei, the two men, nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, Brother Yan."
"Lastly, I'll assign positions to evade the traps. We should have someone above ground just in case. Ashui, stay behind."
"Alright, don't worry, Brother Yan."
"Oh, and that woman and her disciple?" Zhenhao opened his eyes and frowned.
The man turned stiffly and replied without much fluctuation, "They'll come down with us. That woman and her disciple are formidable. They'll do as we arrange for the sake of safety."
"Okay," Zhenhao reluctantly nodded.
...
Under the underground palace.
Wen Fengjin looked at the former subordinate Mu Yi, now a guardian monster in front of him.
"You don't know the strength of the other party. You can probe, you can kill, but Mu Yi, remember, if you find someone with the previous scent, you must bring them in. Those people cannot be killed, absolutely cannot be killed. Understand?"
"Giggle." Mu Yi made a gurgling response in his throat, and the several monsters behind him also obediently responded.
"Very well." Wen Fengjin nodded in satisfaction. "Go, go to your respective guarding places, remember my words."
Several hideous-looking monsters obediently turned and quickly left the tomb passage. As Wen Fengjin turned around, Wang Xiaomie was standing behind him.
"Xiaomie?" Wen Fengjin was stunned for a moment, then lowered his eyes, but a smile appeared on his lips. "How long have you been here? Why didn't I hear your voice?"
Wang Xiaomie rubbed his sleepy eyes and replied, "Oh, I just arrived. I couldn't see you when I woke up, so I came to look for you. Did Mu Yi and the others just go over? What did you tell them to do?"
Wen Fengjin squinted and walked up to Wang Xiaomie, pulling his hands away from his eyes carefully and gently wiping the corners of Wang Xiaomie's eyes with his fingers.
"Don't rub so hard, your eyes will get hurt."
"Oh~" Wen Fengjin did not answer the previous question, and Wang Xiaomie did not mind. He hung down his hands, tilted his face up, closed his eyes, and obediently let him wipe.
"If my speculation is correct, they will come down to investigate tonight, but they won't go too deep. You must keep your dagger with you at all times, understand?"
"I got it." Wang Xiaomie turned his head and shook his head, and when he opened his eyes, he felt much better. He reached into the chest of his robe and pulled out a dagger. The dagger was ancient and dark, unadorned and uncarved, with only two words 'enlightenment' inscribed on the round handle.
"Here, I always carry it with me."
Wen Fengjin took back his hand and held him, leading him back slowly.
Wang Xiaomie sighed as he waved the dagger. "What's the use of me carrying this? It's so short. A short inch is dangerous. Isn't this asking for my death? If someone holds a knife to my head, I won't reach their stomach."
Wen Fengjin chuckled and explained, "The dagger 'Enlightenment' was once a weapon known as a divine tool. It was made by a master swordsmith and later handed over to an assassin to assassinate a tyrant. Because it was given the hope of 'removing tyranny and restoring the world,' it was called 'Enlightenment.' This dagger is extremely sharp, capable of cutting through other divine weapons, and has killed several famous incompetent emperors and nobles. As long as there are evil people nearby, 'Enlightenment' will heat up to warn you."
"Wow, that's awesome!" Wang Xiaomie instantly felt that the black appearance had turned into a stable and simple one. Even a scratch on the dagger seemed to have undergone vicissitudes.
Suddenly, he remembered something and blinked, asking Wen Fengjin, "You said it heats up when it encounters a bad person, but why didn't it react when you were next to me? You're not lying to me, are you?"
Wen Fengjin: "..."
Wen Fengjin: "...Brother, I'm just a good person in reality."
"..." Wang Xiaomie fell silent as he looked at Wen Fengjin, who was wearing a bright and colorful robe of crimson and ink, and Wen Fengjin subconsciously revealed what he thought was a gentle, but was actually a sinister smile. His eyes were dark, the corners of his mouth pulled, and a faint red mark between his eyebrows was burning, making him look like a real life version of a big villain!
"..." Wang Xiaomie looked at Wen Fengjin's face and stabbed him in the chest with the dagger.
"..." Wen Fengjin looked wooden-faced. "I'm a good person. Even 'Enlightenment' acknowledges it."
The dagger stabbed in his chest 'buzzed' and heated up.
"..."
"..." Wang Xiaomie averted his gaze from Wen Fengjin's face. It was too beautiful for him to look at.
"I told you, I'm telling the truth."
Wen Daolai, with a stern and beautiful face, finally told the truth under Wang Xiaomie's speechless gaze.
"Okay...actually, I got the dagger years ago and used it for...keeping warm in winter out of fun."
"..." Wang Xiaomie looked at the dagger 'Enlightenment,' which was getting hotter and hotter in his hand, and seemed to see the bitterness and anger of a divine tool being used as a heating appliance for years.
No wonder he didn't feel like warming up when he saw Wen Fengjin now. It was probably because he got used to the heat. He felt like crying when he smelled the scum on Wen Fengjin's body.