Chapter 949
Give it to the right person
This is the treasure trove of the Yellow Wind King.
Although it couldn't compare to the treasures of a dragon palace or the armory of a heavenly palace, these possessions were still quite substantial for a mountain bandit king.
He first walked to the left end of the stone table, took down Tang Sanzang's brocade cassock, and carefully examined it. The cassock was intact, still radiating Buddhist light, and had not been tainted by demonic energy. He folded the cassock neatly and carefully put it into his storage bag.
Then he began to examine the other objects on the stone table one by one.
The garments pressed under the robe were a gray soft armor and a dark blue cloak.
The soft armor was woven from some kind of unidentified silk thread. It felt soft and light to the touch, even smoother than silk. However, when Chu Yang tried to stab it with his short sword, the tip of the sword slid across the surface of the soft armor without leaving a single white mark.
"Good stuff." Chu Yang's eyes lit up.
He had seen a similar record of this soft armor in the appendix of the Taiyi Nourishing Qi Manual. It was called "Silk Chainmail" and was made by repeatedly weaving and compressing silk containing spiritual energy. It had extremely strong defensive capabilities and could not be broken by ordinary swords.
Without hesitation, he put the soft armor into his storage bag.
The dark blue cloak was of decent quality, but upon closer inspection, Chu Yang realized it was primarily for warmth and didn't possess any special spiritual energy. He put it away—the journey westward would be filled with freezing weather, and a good cloak was worth a lot.
Next up are the weapons.
The black dagger was the first thing that caught his attention.
He reached out and grasped the hilt of the knife; it was cold and heavy to the touch, like holding a piece of frozen iron. The dark red patterns on the blade pulsated slightly under his spiritual touch, as if something was slumbering within the blade.
“This knife has a spirit.” Chu Yang’s heart stirred.
The so-called "spirit" means that the weapon, after being imbued with spiritual energy over many years or through special forging techniques, develops its own "consciousness"—not a real consciousness, but a kind of ability to sense and respond to the user's spiritual energy.
Weapons with spirits become stronger as the user's cultivation level increases; they are rare and highly sought-after items.
He flipped the black dagger in his hand twice, trying to infuse it with a trace of spiritual energy.
The dark red patterns on the blade lit up instantly, like awakened fire snakes, swirling around the black surface of the blade a few times before fading away.
The blade trembled slightly, emitting a barely audible hum.
"It has recognized its master?" Chu Yang was somewhat surprised.
He had assumed that a weapon of this caliber would require repeated infusions of spiritual energy to establish a connection, but to his surprise, it reacted with just a wisp of spiritual energy. Either the weapon was undemanding of its user, or it had been "starving" for too long and was eager to find a new master.
Whatever the reason, it was all his luck.
He tucked the black dagger into his waistband—perfectly replacing the ordinary short sword he'd bought from the blacksmith. Tiger Vanguard's scimitar was also good, but its shape wasn't suitable for his physique and fighting style; this dagger, on the other hand, was just the right length and weight.
He lifted the pair of copper hammers; they were too heavy, each weighing twenty or thirty pounds, unsuitable for his agile fighting style. However, Pigsy was strong, so perhaps they could be useful. He put the hammers into his storage bag, intending to show them to Pigsy later.
He also examined the red-tasseled spear. The wood of the spear shaft felt warm and smooth to the touch, almost like something alive. The spearhead was incredibly sharp, and when examined closely against the light of the fluorite, a very thin layer of frost could be seen on the tip.
"A spearhead made of cold iron." Chu Yang identified the material. "This spear is quite good."
Put it into the storage bag.
Then there were the boxes and pottery jars.
The first sandalwood box was opened, revealing a layer of yellow silk inside, upon which lay three round pills. The pills were about the size of a thumb, deep red in color, with a faint sheen on their surface, and emitted a bitter medicinal fragrance when brought close.
Chu Yang didn't recognize this kind of pill. He carefully closed the box and put it away, planning to find an opportunity to consult an expert later.
The second box contained a jade plaque about the size of a palm. The jade plaque was entirely emerald green, smooth and lustrous like water, with the character "wind" engraved on the front and a set of runes he couldn't understand on the back.
He didn't recognize the item either, but anything kept in the Demon King's treasury was definitely no ordinary item. He accepted it.
The third box contained a bronze token. The token was octagonal, with a fierce tiger with bared teeth and claws cast on the front, and a line of tiny characters on the back: "Huangfengling Patrol Token".
This should be the token Tiger Vanguard uses to mobilize the lesser demons on the mountain. It doesn't have any special spiritual attributes, but it might be useful as a token. Chu Yang thought for a moment and then put it away.
He opened two of the earthenware jars.
The first earthenware jar contained some dried herbs, each a different color and with a distinct aroma. He recognized several of them—two were deer antler grass, three were lycium bark, and a few others he couldn't name.
These are all materials for alchemy or brewing medicinal soups. Although they are not rare treasures, they are not easy to obtain in the wilderness and are worth collecting.
The contents of the second earthenware jar surprised Chu Yang.
It is a piece of ore the size of a fist.
The ore is silvery-gray throughout, with a metallic luster on its surface, but it is unlike ordinary gold, silver, copper, or iron. It is surprisingly light, almost weightless in the hand, yet it is as hard as a diamond when tapped, leaving no mark even with a fingernail.
Chu Yang held the ore up to the light of the fluorite and examined it carefully for a long time.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply.
"This is... black iron ore?"
Black iron.
It is an extremely rare spiritual ore, said to only occasionally be found at the confluence of ley lines in deep mountains and cliffs. The properties of Xuan Tie are extremely light and hard, and it can perfectly conduct spiritual energy, making it a top-tier material for forging high-level magical artifacts.
Chu Yang had read about Xuan Tie in the appendix of the Taiyi Nourishing Qi Manual, but he never thought he would find it in the treasure vault of a mountain monster.
Even the Yellow Wind King probably didn't know the true value of this stone. It probably just thought the ore looked nice or felt nice to the touch, so it casually picked it up.
"When luck comes, you can't stop it." Chu Yang solemnly put the black iron ore into the innermost layer of his storage bag.
Finally, there were those two large wooden crates.
He walked over and lifted the lid of the box.
The golden light was dazzling.
The two chests were filled with gold and silver ingots and copper coins. The gold ingots were of excellent quality and were stacked neatly one by one; the silver ingots were slightly smaller, but there were more of them; the copper coins were strung together with hemp rope and piled at the bottom of the chests.
This must be the wealth that King Yellow Wind has accumulated over the years by robbing and plundering people on the road.
Chu Yang estimated that there were thirty or forty gold ingots alone, each weighing about five taels. Adding the silver ingots and copper coins, the total amount was about seven or eight hundred taels of silver.
If this money were converted into travel expenses, it would be enough for the four of them and one horse to eat and drink for two or three years.
He took out two empty cloth bags from his storage bag—which he had specially prepared before setting off from Chang'an—and packed the two boxes of gold and silver into them, stuffing them into the storage bag.
The storage bag was noticeably heavier.
After taking inventory, Chu Yang looked around the entire stone chamber to make sure nothing was missing, then turned and walked towards the door.
Just as I reached the door, a violent tremor came from above.
Gravel fell from the cave ceiling, and the cave walls creaked and groaned like an old ship about to fall apart.
It was Sun Wukong and the Yellow Wind King fighting. And they were fighting fiercely.
Chu Yang quickened his pace, leading the five little monkeys back along the passage.
Along the way, one could see the traces of the demonic wind—many new cracks and pits appeared on the stone walls, and in some places, the torches had been blown out, leaving the area dark. Scattered on the ground were weapons and armor discarded by the lesser demons, clearly frightened away by Sun Wukong as he fought his way through.
When he returned to the initial fork in the road, a deafening explosion erupted from the right-hand passage, followed by a gust of wind.
The wind rushed out of the passage, carrying sand and gravel, and lashed my face like a whip.
Chu Yang quickly retreated behind a stone pillar to hide.
The wind only lasted for two or three breaths before it stopped—but the force of those two or three breaths was enough to extinguish all the torches in the passage and even scrape the moss off the stone walls.
If the wind had come straight at you instead of from the side of the passage, it would have been enough to blow an ordinary person to pieces.
Samadhi Divine Wind.
The Yellow Wind King used his most powerful abilities.
However, after the wind stopped, instead of Sun Wukong's screams, a loud laugh rang out.
"Hahahaha! This is your Samadhi Divine Wind? It feels quite comfortable on this old Sun Wukong! Again, again!"
Immediately following was the dull thud of the golden cudgel striking flesh—thud!
Then came a piercing scream.
That scream wasn't the sound of a monkey; it was the sound of a monster.
Chu Yang felt much more at ease.
The Wind-Fixing Pill took effect. With the pill in his mouth, Sun Wukong was completely immune to the Samadhi Divine Wind. The Yellow Wind King's greatest reliance was gone, leaving only pure close combat—and in close combat, there were very few demons in the world who could rival the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and this mere yellow-haired weasel spirit was clearly not among them.
A moment later, a series of rapid, sharp sounds came from deep within the passage—bang bang bang bang bang—like the sound of hammering iron, fast and fierce.
Each sound was followed by a scream, each one weaker than the last.
Finally, there was an exceptionally dull, heavy blow—BOOM!
Then it fell silent.
It was completely quiet.
Chu Yang emerged from behind the stone pillar, holding the fluorite, and walked towards the passage on the right.
At the end of the passage is the main hall of Huangfeng Cave.
The state of the lobby was appalling.
This cave should have been quite grand—a dome three or four zhang high, animal skins and flags hanging on the four stone walls, and a huge stone chair in the center, behind which stood a tiger-skin flag with a crooked "wind" character embroidered on it. In front of the stone chair were a dozen or so stone tables, with cups and plates scattered on them and leftover food and wine spilled all over the floor.
Now, the lobby looks like it has been ravaged from the inside out by a crazed beast.
The stone chair was shattered, broken into seven or eight pieces, scattered throughout the cave. The tiger-skin banner was torn in two. The stone table was mostly overturned, with broken porcelain bowls and leftover food scattered all over the floor. Several human-shaped dents appeared on the stone wall—marks left after Sun Wukong's staff had knocked the chair away and embedded it into the stone.
In the very center of the cave, a humanoid creature with fluffy yellow hair lay motionless on the ground, its limbs twisted, blood flowing from its mouth and nose.
That's the Yellow Wind King.
Its true form was a large yellow weasel, which Sun Wukong had reverted it to. Its yellow fur was covered in blood and dust, its two small eyes were tightly closed, and a trace of blood dangled from the corner of its mouth.
Sun Wukong stood beside it, his golden cudgel held horizontally across his shoulder, without even breaking a sweat.
His expression was somewhat bored.
"That's it?" He poked the Yellow Wind King's head with his golden cudgel. "With the Samadhi Divine Wind disabled, this guy's a pushover. I, Old Sun, thought I could have a good fight, but he was down in about thirty rounds."
Chu Yang walked over and glanced at King Huang Feng.
"Dead?"
"He's not dead. I, Old Sun, held back," Sun Wukong said. "The Bodhisattva said this monster is a weasel from the foot of Mount Ling, who stole the clear oil from the crystal lamp and escaped here. He has some connection to Buddhism, so killing him wouldn't be fair."
Chu Yang nodded.
"I've found Master; Pigsy took him out. Master's robe has also been retrieved."
"Um."
"Also—" Chu Yang patted his bulging storage bag, "I searched through this monster's treasure vault and found some good stuff."
Sun Wukong's ears twitched: "What good stuff?"
Chu Yang took out the black dagger from his storage bag and flashed it in his hand.
"I've kept the spirit-infused dagger."
Then he took out the pair of copper hammers.
"I'd like to give this to Pigsy. His rake is good, but it never hurts to have another handy weapon."
Then he took out the red-tasseled spear.
"This spear is quite nice. The spearhead is made of cold iron, and there's spiritual energy flowing within the wooden shaft; it must be made of a spirit tree. Brother Monkey, what do you think, do you want it?"
Sun Wukong glanced at the red-tasseled spear and shook his head.
"I, Old Sun, have enough with my Golden Cudgel. Keep this gun; you can give it to the right person later."
Chu Yang put the red-tasseled spear back into his storage bag and then took out the emerald green jade pendant.
"I don't recognize this thing. It has the character 'wind' engraved on it, and runes on the back. Brother Monkey, you're so knowledgeable, can you help me figure out what it is?"
Sun Wukong took the jade tablet, examined it twice, and then sniffed it.
“This is a Wind Spirit Jade Token,” he said. “It contains a wisp of wind spirit energy. Crushing it will release a powerful gust of wind, roughly thirty percent as powerful as the Samadhi Divine Wind. However, it can only be used once.”
"A one-time use magic weapon?"
"Yes. It's for saving your life. If you crush it in an emergency, the gust of wind will be enough to stop most monsters from pursuing you, giving you time to escape."
Chu Yang carefully put the jade pendant away and placed it in the most easily accessible spot in his storage bag.
One-time use is fine; anything that can save your life in a critical moment is worth any price.
"There are also three pills and a piece of black iron ore." Chu Yang handed the sandalwood box to Sun Wukong. "I don't recognize the pills; could you help me identify them?"
Sun Wukong opened the box, picked up a pill, and brought it to his nose to smell it.
His expression changed slightly.
"This is a Qi Condensation Pill."
"Qi Condensation Pill?"
"This is for cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage. Taking one pill can increase your cultivation progress by half a year. It should be quite useful for you. However, you can only take one at a time; taking too many will damage your dantian. Three pills are just right; take them in three portions."
Chu Yang's heart raced. (End of Chapter)