Divine Tang Era

Chapter 141 Legends Can Kill People

Chapter 142 Legends Can Kill People

Xu Dan responded, then thought of Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er, who should also have plaques recording the aura of ghosts.

So he said to the two of them, "You should both have tags on you. Master Xue probably won't be taking you treasure hunting. How about you come with us?"

Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er exchanged a glance and took out their respective storage bags to rummage through them.

Sure enough, not long after, he pulled out a dark wooden tablet from among the rewards. It faintly emitted a cold, eerie aura and was the tablet used to record the aura of ghosts.

Holding the wooden plaque, Xue Bao'er couldn't help but picture the white-haired Master Xue in her mind. The image of him accompanying them through the wilderness, sweating profusely and digging for treasure, suddenly struck her as somewhat comical.

Xue Diao couldn't help but shake his head, quickly dismissing the absurd thought.

"In any case, we can't let Master Xue lead us to dig. However, whether or not we should go, we'll have to ask Master Xue's opinion."

Although they, like Xu Dan, are all called Xue An and Xue Shi, in terms of seniority, they should actually be called Grandfather.

Master Xue is a very senior member of the Xue family, especially among the younger generation. Therefore, it's still necessary to consult the elders.

Xu Dan felt there was no problem; it was a matter of course.

After asking the two men, Xu Dan then said to Lu Shizong, "Senior brother, these two are members of Master Xue's clan and are currently learning archery from him. If Master Xue agrees to let them go digging for treasure, they would like to come with us so they can look out for each other and avoid any danger. I wonder if that's feasible?"

"The Xue family's sons are naturally no problem," Lu Shizong readily agreed.

Xu Dan then turned to Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er and said, "If you're sure you want to go, you need to prepare for camping outside, such as food, drink, shelter, and all other necessities, as well as digging tools and warm clothes, so that you don't find out you have nothing when you get outside, which would be very troublesome."

"Alright, if you want to go, we'll wait for you at your house tomorrow," Xue Diao said.

"Mm." Xu Dan nodded.

After talking for a while, the group was preparing to leave. Suddenly, a white line flashed across the sky like lightning, moving at an astonishing speed, and in the blink of an eye, it had already flown close.

"The Void Shuttle!" Xue Diao blurted out, his face filled with surprise and envy.

"What a grand gesture!" Xue Bao'er couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"What is a Cloud Shuttle?" Xu Dan asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Look at that thing flying over there. Doesn't it look like a shuttle used by women weaving? Because of its similar shape and its pure white color, like a cloud, it's called the Cloud Shuttle." "And 'Soaring Through the Sky' describes its unimaginable speed. Although the Cloud Shuttle isn't large, it's incredibly expensive. The cost of using it once is enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a lifetime. I wonder what kind of wealthy person uses the Cloud Shuttle to travel?" Lu Shizong explained from the side.

Upon hearing this, Xu Dan couldn't help but look up.

A cloud shuttle shaped like an olive pit flew in from afar at breakneck speed. Upon reaching the skies above Jingning City, its speed began to slow, and it gradually flew into the city.

At this moment, several people came out of the county government office and stood quietly at the entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.

The Sky-Piercing Shuttle landed smoothly on the open ground in front of them. The shuttle door opened, and a middle-aged man with a refined appearance walked out with a woman and a chubby little girl.

The people waiting outside the county government office immediately greeted them with smiles on their faces. After exchanging a few polite words, they went into the county government office together.

"It seems the new county magistrate has arrived," someone in the crowd whispered.

"The one who just came out to greet us was the former county magistrate. I heard that his term has ended and he has now been transferred to Liangzhou. It seems that the new county magistrate has really arrived," someone added.

"This new county magistrate looks like a well-read scholar."

"Which official doesn't appear to be a refined and cultured person?"

"That's not necessarily true. Most of the officials who have come here in the past have led troops in battle, and they are all big, strong, and burly. But we've never seen anyone like this before." The disciples of the Mo Clan Martial Arts School discussed among themselves as they looked at the scene before them.

"No wonder they're so extravagant; they're from the Cheng family," Xue Diao said in a low voice, watching the group enter the county government office.

"Which program?" Xu Dan asked curiously.

"This is Cheng Zhijie, a famous general who founded our Tang Dynasty, one of the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion. He was successively enfeoffed as Duke of Su and Duke of Lu. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of General of the Cavalry and Grand Governor of Yizhou, with the posthumous name Xiang," Xue Diao explained in detail.

"A scion of a prominent family!" Xu Dan exclaimed.

He knows this person all too well.

According to folklore, Cheng Yaojin conquered the world with his three axe blows, calling himself the Mischievous Demon King. He found five treasures in a cave and was revered as the "Great Virtuous Emperor." He has been portrayed in many dramas and films, with a humorous and interesting image. Many legendary stories about him circulate in the market, and some even say that he was a born lucky general who lived to be 120 years old, until he died suddenly after witnessing Wu Zetian's downfall during Xue Gang's rebellion against the Tang Dynasty.

Taking this opportunity, Xu Dan asked, "Folklore says that Duke Cheng lived to be 120 years old. I wonder how old he actually was?"

"According to the book, Duke Cheng lived to the age of seventy-seven," Xue Diao said softly.

"Legends can be deadly!" Xu Dan exclaimed.

"What's so strange about that? There's a folk tale about a man from my Xue family named Xue Pinggui who grew up drinking tiger's milk. He fell on hard times and became a beggar. He was captured and sent to be a horse by a foreign land while he was on a military expedition. His first wife waited for him in a cold cave for eighteen years. In the end, he married two wives and became the ruler of two countries. There's also a Xue Dingshan who married three wives, one with a dark face, one with a fair face, and one with a red face. Yet he divorced his first wife, Fan Lihua, three times, knelt and begged her three times. It's all so fake." Xue Bao'er said in a muffled voice, her tone full of disdain.

Xu Dan rolled his eyes. If the story were true, would it still be a story? It would be history.

Fortunately, others didn't know that the legendary story of the Xue family was told by himself, otherwise they wouldn't know how to make fun of him.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this here. Let's hurry back and prepare what we need for tomorrow, and set off as soon as possible," Lu Shizong said, interrupting them as they seemed to be going on and on. After all, discussing the new county magistrate in front of the county government office could easily cause trouble if overheard by someone with ulterior motives.

So everyone started walking back together.

Because he was going to dig for treasure the next day, Xu Dan returned home and began preparations.

There's really not much to prepare. The tools we used for digging and treasure hunting are still there; all we need is some food and water. Of these, water is the most important. As for food, we already have plenty at home, so there's no need to buy any.

Meanwhile, after Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er returned to their residence, they told Xue An about the matter, and he agreed without hesitation.

Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er then busied themselves preparing, with a whole bunch of food, drinks, and other necessities. Luckily, they had storage bags; otherwise, carrying so much stuff would have been a real challenge.

Inside the room, Xue Diao rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a short knife, then took a cloth and gently wiped it clean. The blade gleamed coldly, clearly not an ordinary item.

Xue Bao'er rummaged through the contents of her storage bag, glancing up at Xue Diao every now and then, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Brother, do you think there might be any dangers on this treasure hunt?" Xue Bao'er finally couldn't help but ask.

Xue Diao stopped what he was doing, looked up at him, and said, "There is definitely danger, but if you go with the people from the martial arts school, there shouldn't be any problems."

Xue Bao'er wasn't afraid; it was just a mixture of curiosity and excitement about the unknown.

"Don't think too much, get some rest, we have to get up early tomorrow." Xue Diao said, then put away the knife and lay down on the bed to sleep.

Xue Bao'er tossed and turned a few more times, and finding nothing wrong, she lay down on the bed and went to sleep.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Xu Dan was woken by a knock on the door. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he opened the door and saw Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er, those two silly birds, standing outside. He was utterly speechless. Was it really necessary to be so early? The roosters hadn't even crowed yet.

The rooster wasn't refusing to crow; it was just too scared to do so because of his scolding.

Now even roosters don't dare stay at home much. They hide when they see Xu Dan, afraid that he will beat them.

This guy is incredibly smart.

Xu Dan ignored them and let them find a place to sit, while he, as usual, began to practice with Xiao Que'er.