Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Five Radiant Stones

The four of them returned to Sun Fanbai’s residence and settled themselves around the tea table.

Shi Qi took a careful sip of hot tea before beginning to recount her experiences.

“That day,” she began, “Su Xiaomu and I left Donghai City heading south, planning to go to Egret Beach—the location of my master’s cave that he entrusted to me. Unexpectedly, we were ambushed by Yuan Chenglu and his companions on the way. I tried to escape with Su Xiaomu, but they were clearly prepared. They activated a magical artifact and locked down the area, leaving us with no choice but to fight head-on.”

“But they had come fully ready. Three formidable Nascent Soul cultivators: Yuan Chenglu and two others I didn’t recognize. One was a swift swordsman, the other operated the restrictive artifact from the shadows.”

“We couldn’t match them. Su Xiaomu was gravely wounded. I did my best to hold them off, but was caught off guard by the one in hiding and had my cultivation sealed with a Spirit-Sealing Nail.”

“I thought death was certain, but at the critical moment, Su Xiaomu used some secret technique to send me out of the restriction. I was unconscious, drifting inside the Thousand Resilience Shield for who knows how long before finally waking on a remote island. Su Xiaomu… her whereabouts are unknown.”

The other three fell silent. From Shi Qi’s account, it seemed likely that Su Xiaomu had resorted to some forbidden art to forcibly raise her cultivation, but such techniques always came at a terrible price—at best burning away lifespan and power, at worst dying on the spot.

On the day of the Grand Unification Assembly at Tianyuan Sect, Jiang Wei and An Zhengqing’s match had ended with the use of a forbidden technique, calling down the incarnations of the Six Ding and Six Jia to assist. Had the ritual not been interrupted by Master Tongpu, Jiang Wei would likely have perished then and there.

If Su Xiaomu had truly used a forbidden art, the cost must have been severe. Coupled with the presence of three Nascent Soul experts, it was hard not to fear that she had perished.

No one spoke.

After a moment’s silence, Shi Qi continued, “When I finally awoke, it was on a desolate island in the outer seas. My cultivation was sealed, and I had no way to contact any of you. I had no choice but to stay there, slowly working to break the seal on the Spirit-Sealing Nail. Only a few days ago did I finally succeed.”

The three nodded. Though Shi Qi spoke lightly, they all understood that being stripped of cultivation and marooned alone for months on a deserted island was suffering beyond what words could express.

Shi Qi deliberately left out the dreams, the divine thunder, the mad swordsman Bai Li Jian, and the events on Linyun Island—not out of mistrust, but because there were things she wished to understand herself before sharing. Somehow, she felt that the mysterious man in her dreams, the madman, the enigmatic woman on Linyun Island, and even her master, the Real Person Egret, were all connected.

Bai Qiu sighed. “It’s good you’re back, Xiao Qi. What’s your plan now?”

At this, Shi Qi’s gaze turned cold. She replied softly, “Vengeance.”

Sun Fanbai nodded. “Brother Shi, we’ve already discovered who ambushed you that day. Besides Yuan Chenglu, the current master of Dot Star Manor, there were two known as the Sun and Moon Brothers. The elder, Hai Ri, is a master of scheming and restriction artifacts. The younger, Hai Yue, specializes in stealth and assassination.”

Shi Qi nodded. “I’ve experienced their ferocity firsthand. Hai Yue is blindingly fast, wielding a deadly sword. I could barely defend myself. As for Hai Ri…”

She tore open her robe, exposing a terrifying scar on her chest—left by the Spirit-Sealing Nail, a wound that would never fade.

Bai Qiu frowned. “Xiao Qi, how much have you suffered?”

Shi Qi shook her head. “It’s all in the past now…”

Bai Qiu clenched her fist. “That accursed Dot Star Manor!”

Suddenly, Shi Qi said, “Xiao Bai, speaking of Dot Star Manor, I just remembered something!”

“What is it?” Bai Qiu asked.

Shi Qi pondered. “When Yuan Chenglu and his men attacked me, he claimed it was to avenge his brother, the previous master Yuan Chengtian, who fought me before.”

Bai Qiu nodded. “Indeed. Yuan Chenglu only became master after Yuan Chengtian’s death.”

Shi Qi continued, “But the thing is—I never took Yuan Chengtian’s life.”

Bai Qiu looked puzzled. “You mean you didn’t kill him?”

Shi Qi nodded. “I have no reason to lie. That day, Su Xiaomu, Yan Yu, Yuan Feixue, and I fought Yuan Chengtian together. We wounded him badly when he grew careless. I intended to finish him, but he used a secret technique to escape. Though badly hurt, I don’t believe it was fatal.”

Sun Fanbai mused, “As a Nascent Soul expert and the master of Dot Star Manor, it’s normal for Yuan Chengtian to possess rare treasures or escape arts. If you all could have killed him so easily, it would be strange indeed.”

Bai Qiu said, “Come to think of it, Xiao Qi never explicitly said she killed Yuan Chengtian. We only assumed it because Yuan Chenglu kept repeating it.”

Sun Fanbai nodded. “It does seem suspicious.”

Bai Qiu speculated, “If you didn’t kill him, maybe he ran into an enemy while fleeing—someone who took advantage of his weakened state?”

Shi Qi frowned. “That’s possible. I can only say for certain that we did not kill him.”

Sun Fanbai continued, “But would things really be that coincidental? What if Yuan Chengtian was being watched all along, caught up in someone else’s scheme? But then, what made him worth targeting?”

“Worth…” Shi Qi echoed thoughtfully after Sun Fanbai finished.

Suddenly, a realization struck her. She jerked upright and withdrew an object from her storage pouch.

Everyone turned as she placed a golden stone on the table.

Sun Fanbai studied the stone. “Brother Shi, what is this?”

Shi Qi shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t know. I found it in a hidden compartment of the stone bed where Yuan Chengtian secluded himself. At the time, I was in a hurry and didn’t think much about it, only that anything hidden so carefully must be extraordinary.”

“But when I examined it later, I discovered nothing. The stone is incredibly hard, but when I tried to channel my energy into it, there was no response at all, as if it were just an ordinary stone. Eventually, I tossed it in my pouch and forgot about it.”

“It wasn’t until just now, when Brother Sun mentioned ‘worth,’ that I wondered if this thing is valuable, though I don’t know its purpose.”

Bai Qiu picked up the stone, peering at it in her palm before passing it to Sun Fanbai and admitting, “I don’t recognize it.”

Sun Fanbai accepted the stone, performed a few hand seals, and tapped it, but then shook his head. “I have no idea what it is, either.”

At that moment, Yuanwu, who had been silent, spoke. “Allow me to take a look.”

With that, Sun Fanbai handed the stone to Yuanwu.

Yuanwu received it, his eyes focusing intently as he activated his Buddhist Heart Eye to examine it closely.

The others quietly watched him, sipping tea as they waited.

After a while, Yuanwu spoke. “If I’m not mistaken, this is known as Golden Radiance Stone.”

Bai Qiu looked puzzled. “Golden Key? Master, it doesn’t look like a key.”

Smack.

Shi Qi slapped Bai Qiu on the back of the head. “The master said Golden Radiance Stone, not key. Are your ears stuffed with donkey hair?”

“Ahem.” Yuanwu coughed awkwardly, then explained, “I’m from the Western Sands, not fluent in the local dialect—my accent is a bit thick.”

Shi Qi hurriedly said, “Pay no mind to Xiao Bai, master. Please continue. So, you’re saying this is called Golden Radiance Stone?”

Yuanwu nodded. “That’s right.”

Sun Fanbai asked, “And what is the purpose of Golden Radiance Stone?”

Yuanwu replied, “Legend has it that in ancient times, when the sky collapsed and the earth was torn asunder, the world fell into disaster. Lady Nüwa, moved by compassion for all living things, forged five-colored stones to mend the sky, broke the legs of the divine turtle to support the pillars of heaven, calmed floods, slew monsters, restored balance, and brought peace to all creatures. Surely you all know the legend.”

The others nodded—Nüwa mending the sky was a tale known throughout the Twelve Provinces.

Yuanwu continued, “The stones Nüwa used to patch the heavens are said to be the Five Element Stones—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.”

“The Five Elements theory is ancient, and I needn’t elaborate here. You all, as orthodox Daoists, are far more versed in it than I.”

“Later, it’s said that ancient cultivators discovered the place where Nüwa refined the five-colored stones and found five small stones of differing hues. They collected them and named them the Radiance Stones.”

Shi Qi’s eyes widened. “This thing has such a storied origin?”

Yuanwu nodded. “I’ve only heard the tales myself and can’t vouch for the truth, but the legend’s real point comes after.”

“They say that if one gathers all five Radiance Stones—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—they can unlock an ancient seal, behind which lies a trove of uncountable wonders and treasures!”

Bai Qiu sighed, “What an irresistible temptation, but…”

Sun Fanbai interjected, “But if such a legend were true, why has no one in the Twelve Provinces ever heard of it? Even Bai Brother the omniscient seems unaware.”

Yuanwu shook his head. “I asked my master the same. He said that ten thousand years ago, the righteous, demonic, and heretical paths fought a bloody war across the provinces for the Radiance Stones—countless cultivators perished. Then, suddenly, the five stones vanished overnight. No one knew where they went. Over time, the major sects simply stopped mentioning them, as if the whole matter had never happened. Very strange, indeed.”