Chapter 2023: The Four Treasures of the Study

Chapter 2023: **Bi Mo Zhi Yan**

"Precisely right." Yin Yue Huang Fei sighed. "In the past, the Qin Dynasty was founded because of me, yet it was also destroyed because of me. This might be the legendary cycle of cause and effect."

Seeing the woman admit it, Yang Ge Lao's expression was one of extreme excitement.

He had only heard the stories from his ancestors before, but this was his first time meeting the real person. How could he not be thrilled? The world might never imagine that Yin Yue Huang Fei from the legends was still in the mortal realm, hidden beneath this ancient tomb, existing as a soul body and guarding the Qin emperor for several centuries.

Ye Chen continued drinking, merely playing the role of a loyal listener.

He didn't need to ask about the events of that time; he could easily picture them. Throughout history, people in power often became consumed by greed, and the wars among mortals could be even more brutal than those among cultivators. Dynasties rose and fell repeatedly, a common occurrence.

"Senior, how did the Qin Dynasty fall? Tell me about it!"

"Was it a rebellion by the feudal lords?"

"Or perhaps a joint attack by neighboring countries?"

Yang Ge Lao was restless again, gossiping nonstop without pause.

Ye Chen was quick to act, slapping him across the face.

You fool, you know it's a painful topic, yet you're stirring it up. I'm here to explore the tomb, not to have you clowning around. And you call yourself a martial arts expert? All talk and no substance.

As for Yang Ge Lao, he was sleeping soundly.

Yin Yue Huang Fei ignored him and looked at Ye Chen. "Senior, can you truly revive him?"

"Not yet." Ye Chen coughed lightly. "My powers are sealed, making me no different from an ordinary person. But please rest assured, Imperial Consort; he still has a breath of life left. In the future, I will find a way to revive him."

Ye Chen's words made Yin Yue Huang Fei's soul tremble violently, her beautiful eyes filling with tears.

"Don't worry, I'll handle everything." Ye Chen smiled reassuringly. "In the years to come, it's best if you don't go out. Stay in this ancient tomb for now. Once my seal is lifted, I'll come back for you."

"Thank you, Senior." Yin Yue Huang Fei knelt down with a thud.

"If you kneel again, I'll lose years of my life." Ye Chen hurriedly stepped forward and helped Yin Yue Huang Fei up once more.

Yin Yue Huang Fei choked back sobs, overcome with gratitude.

It truly was karma. Her husband must have accumulated good deeds in his past life, leading to this good fortune in the present. In this cold ancient tomb, they had encountered a benefactor, and that benefactor was the young man before her. Though she didn't know Ye Chen's origins or his connection to her husband, she believed he might truly perform a miracle, pulling someone back from the gates of death.

"Imperial Consort, could you tell me about this Yuan Jing and where it came from?" Ye Chen asked with a smile.

"Back then, when the eight feudal lords rebelled and the Qin Dynasty fell, I was still just an ordinary person. My husband was severely injured protecting me. Facing that army of thousands, I was utterly despairing. I held him and jumped off the cliff together. Perhaps it was fate that we survived; we got caught on a tree branch on the cliff wall and accidentally entered a cave dwelling. The Yuan Jing came from there." As Yin Yue Huang Fei spoke, she glanced upward. "It holds immense divine power, making me realize that immortals might truly exist in the world. With its help, along with the ancient scrolls left from the Qin Dynasty, I figured out the path of cultivation. Using the principles of yin and yang, I sealed his last breath and buried him here, waiting until my skills advanced enough to revive him. However, the world lacks spiritual energy. Even with the Yuan Jing, I couldn't outlive time. I died at one hundred and fifty years old, but because my obsessions were too strong, my soul didn't dissipate, leading to my current state."

"So that's what happened." Ye Chen smiled. "For you to independently explore the path of cultivation is already a defiance of heaven. You truly live up to the title of an extraordinary woman. Your mastery of yin, yang, and the eight trigrams has even shocked me, and you nearly caught me off guard. Such talent, if placed in the cultivation world with enough time, would surely make you a supreme powerhouse. It's a pity that this ancient star lacks spiritual energy and proper guidance. Reaching the eighth level of Qi Condensation is already remarkable."

"Whether immortal or mortal, I'm tired now." Yin Yue Huang Fei floated to the ice jade bed and gently touched the reincarnated Qin Xiong with her ethereal hand. "I only wish to see him revived in my lifetime."

"He will be revived." Ye Chen smiled, then rolled up his sleeves. "Imperial Consort, do you have any paper and pen? Since I'm here, I'll leave you some cultivation techniques. Something for the foundation building stage would be most suitable for beginners."

"Paper and pen? I don't have any."

"No problem." Ye Chen walked over to Yang Ge Lao, plucked a strand of his white beard, and combined it with a divination bamboo stick to make a brush.

They had the brush for writing, but no paper.

The clever Ye Chen quickly stripped off Yang Ge Lao's outer shirt.

Now they had paper and pen, but they still lacked ink.

This didn't stump Ye Chen. He simply drew a bit of blood from Yang Ge Lao.

The whole process was seamless, done in one fluid motion. Yin Yue Huang Fei couldn't help but twitch her mouth at the sight. Was this how senior cultivators operated? So utterly without shame!

With that, they had everything: brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

On the other side, Ye Chen got to work.

For foundation building techniques, none were stronger than those from Kunlun Xu. What he was writing now was the Qi Condensation chapter from Kunlun Xu. Back in the day, Donghuang TaiXin had taught him some, and he had picked up more during his visits to Tianxuan Gate—it wasn't just for sightseeing.

In just about fifteen minutes, he had written thousands of characters, covering the entire shirt.

At a glance, the shirt was drenched in blood, a chilling sight just to look at.

"Use this for now; I'll bring the rest later." Ye Chen smiled and handed Yang Ge Lao's shirt to Yin Yue Huang Fei. Although this foundation building technique was just the basics, it would be enough for her. Giving her more would be pointless, since this ancient star basically lacked heavenly spiritual energy.

"Thank you." Yin Yue Huang Fei replied with a soft smile.

Still, holding a shirt covered in blood writing felt awkward no matter how you looked at it.

With the technique done, Ye Chen wasn't idle. He went back to Yang Ge Lao and took another piece of his clothing—good thing Yang Ge Lao was dressed in layers, or he'd be left in just his underwear.

This time, he was drawing an array diagram, specifically for a Ju Ling Array.

This ancient star was a mortal one, with no spiritual energy in the outside world. However, the underground tomb had some, and that Yuan Jing wasn't just for show. It contained essence far superior to spiritual energy, and some of it naturally overflowed. It couldn't be wasted, so they needed to gather it, which required a Ju Ling Array for Yin Yue Huang Fei to absorb.

But here was the issue: he was just an ordinary person now, so even though he knew how to set up a Ju Ling Array, he couldn't do it himself.

He might not be able to, but Yin Yue Huang Fei could. She was a soul body, but still a cultivator. With a little true energy, she could activate the Ju Ling Array—it would be just enough.

"What's this?" Yin Yue Huang Fei asked curiously.

"A Ju Ling Array diagram." Ye Chen handed her the shirt. "Follow this diagram to set up the array, and it will gather spiritual essence. Since you understand yin and yang and the eight trigrams, this array shouldn't be too difficult for you."

"With this diagram, it's straightforward." Yin Yue Huang Fei chuckled lightly.

"In that case, I'll come back another day." Ye Chen smiled, grabbed one of Yang Ge Lao's legs, and headed straight for the main tomb door. He left with flair, but poor Yang Ge Lao looked quite embarrassing.

From a distance, Ye Chen appeared to be dragging a corpse.

Yin Yue Huang Fei twitched her mouth again. She hadn't experienced it herself, but just watching was painful. Still, she was deeply grateful to Ye Chen. He seemed like a destined benefactor, sent by heaven to save her and her husband—or, in cultivator terms, their great fortune.

Only after Ye Chen left did she turn her gaze away.

Glancing at her husband, she stepped down from the stone platform, waved her hand to lower the suspended Yuan Jing to about three meters in the air, and then began setting up the Ju Ling Array according to Ye Chen's diagram. Already knowledgeable in the five elements and eight trigrams, she had a strong grasp of arrays. With a complete Ju Ling Array diagram, arranging it was easy—it was just a bit rusty for her.

The night was extraordinarily quiet.

In a desolate forest, a bonfire blazed. Ye Chen squatted by the fire, roasting a wild chicken he had just caught. The aroma of the meat filled the air, making his stomach growl.

As for Yang Ge Lao, he was still asleep—who knew if it was from blood loss or just exhaustion.

After about half an hour, he finally rubbed his forehead and sat up, dizzy and seeing stars. For some reason, he felt chilly all over, and one part of his body hurt especially bad.

When he came to his senses, he froze. "Where are my clothes?"

"Oh, you're awake." Ye Chen let out a burp.

"Where are my clothes?" Yang Ge Lao stared straight at Ye Chen.

"Well, that's a long story." Ye Chen crossed his legs, tilted his head back at a forty-five-degree angle to gaze at the stars, and struck a profound pose. He seriously told Yang Ge Lao a very long story, describing the clothes incident in vivid detail.

Only after finishing the story did he hand over the leftover roasted chicken.

Yang Ge Lao was still dwelling on the clothes matter, but when he saw the roasted chicken Ye Chen offered, he felt an urge to curse. Was this even roasted chicken? It was basically just the bones! There wasn't a scrap of meat left—it was drier than what a dog would leave. Strictly speaking, it wasn't meatless; Ye Chen had left him the chicken butt, which was quite an eyesore.

"After visiting the old tomb, what's your take on it?" Ye Chen wiped the grease from his mouth.

"No take on it." Yang Ge Lao's face grew even darker. If he had to say something, it was that he had seen through Ye Chen—this guy was a scoundrel with a shameless vibe that came from the soul.

"Honestly, I don't like that expression of yours at all." Ye Chen pouted.

"Your master probably doesn't think much of you, right?"

"Don't kid around; my master adores me." Ye Chen flipped his hair, patted his backside, and stood up. He had eaten his fill and was ready to head home—roughing it in the wilderness wasn't his style.

Yang Ge Lao tossed aside the chicken bones and got up too.

You could see his old face was darker than the night, and as he followed Ye Chen, he kept thinking about kicking him a couple of times, or maybe skewering him on a stick and roasting him.

But annoyed as he was, he couldn't help feeling shocked deep down.

That trip to the old tomb had been an eye-opener. Things like yin and yang, eight trigrams, ghosts, and spirits—one was more terrifying than the next, full of traps everywhere. It was beyond eerie; it was outright frightening.

And the tomb's owner was shockingly significant.

Who would believe that buried in the old tomb was the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, the former ruler of this land? Back in his time, his every word could decide life and death.

What shocked him most was Yin Yue Huang Fei—she was still alive.

He was not only shocked but also puzzled. How could she have lived for centuries, existing as a soul without fading, immune to evil-repelling items, and possessing power that was terrifyingly strong?

If any of this got out, it would throw the world into chaos.

Exactly because of all these mysteries, his curiosity about Ye Chen grew even more.

Though his head was still fuzzy, the scene of Yin Yue Huang Fei kneeling to Ye Chen in the main tomb was etched in his memory. He couldn't fathom just how intimidating Ye Chen's identity must be.