Chapter 27: Bingzi Pepper Forest
After speaking, Yan Qing walked out of Anguo Temple without looking back, took off the Yellow Dog mask, and walked openly on Vermillion Bird Avenue.
Medicine Master Wen followed closely behind.
Ying Ru Shi glanced at An Wu thoughtfully, then walked out.
It was Shang Xinlei who waved at An Wu, carrying a large bag and hopping after them.
Once they left, the nobles naturally swarmed to open the gates and rushed out.
They fled from this most famous temple in Chang’an like refugees, running into the sunlight, looking at the bustling streets and the boundless sky.
No one knew who started crying first, but soon the sobbing spread.
These once arrogant and domineering aristocratic youths knelt on the ground and wailed in grief.
The monks who escaped with them looked terrified, each like cockroaches and bugs exposed to the sun, disappearing into alleys and lanes.
After stepping outside, Xue Yan saw that An Wu was still counting down and asked, “An Wu, are you going to leave after you finish counting?”
An Wu ignored him and continued counting, “Nine, eight, seven...”
“You saved us. I want to invite you to my home. Don’t worry, even if your injuries can’t be healed, I’ll support you for life!” Xue Yan said. “Besides, maybe it can be healed. I’ve heard some Messengers can revive the dead and grow back flesh and bones...”
“Five, four, three, two, one.”
When An Wu finished the final number, Xue Yan suddenly felt a wave of panic for no reason.
He grabbed An Wu’s shoulder, “You finished counting. You can leave now. Let’s go!”
But no matter how hard Xue Yan pulled, An Wu’s body didn’t budge an inch.
An Wu also didn’t respond to him, only looked down at the candle at his feet.
The candle he had carefully protected and kept from going out.
“You’re still not leaving? Are you a greenhorn who wants to die?”
At that moment, Xue Yan was suddenly dragged away.
He turned his head and found it was Miss Yang Third, and panicked, “Let go of me! I want to carry him away—he—An Wu and An Liu saved us—”
“So don’t follow them into martyrdom!” Miss Yang Third scolded, “Can’t you tell, greenhorn? They never intended to leave alive from the start!”
“But still… how can it be so reckless...” Xue Yan was at a loss, and as he spoke, snot and tears burst out together. “Don’t they care about their own lives!?”
“I don’t know either...” Miss Yang Third’s eyes were also red. “But don’t you find it strange? They don’t sleep, don’t eat, and aren’t afraid of pain… He also said he just wants the world to run according to his will...”
“If this world really has gods, then perhaps... that’s what a god would look like?”
Those who had escaped but hadn’t gone far all turned to look back at the figure inside the gate of Anguo Temple.
They saw An Wu sitting cross-legged, facing all the heavenly gods and Buddhas, with his back to the mortal world.
The red candle toppled over, igniting the fire oil on him, turning him into a torch brighter than the sun.
At the same time, An Liu, An Qi, An Ba, and An Jiu also sat down, using the candle to ignite the fire oil on themselves.
Then the fire oil on the ground was ignited by the flames from their bodies.
In just a moment, the entire Anguo Temple was engulfed in roaring flames, thick black smoke rising, as if the inferno was burning away all sins.
Inside a noodle shop less than a hundred meters from Anguo Temple, Yan Qing contentedly finished the broth from his wonton noodles.
He raised his hand to call the attendant, then pulled out a Spirit Jade. “Is this enough to pay?”
“Enough, more than enough!” The attendant swallowed nervously, not daring to reach out. “This, sir, your Spirit Jade could buy a hundred bowls. We don’t have enough change.”
“No need for change,” Yan Qing said. “If someone asks later whether you’ve seen us, just say—”
“Understood. There were too many people today, I can’t remember clearly!”
“No, just tell them,” Yan Qing stood up with Bingzi Pepper Forest and the sack, “we came from the Thieves’ House.”
Thieves’ House?
The attendant froze, then nodded in agreement.
He paid so much, just go along with him.
Yan Qing wasn’t showing off—he simply didn’t want to involve others in what he did.
He didn’t like others causing him trouble, and liked even less to trouble others.
That was his rule of the game.
“It’s on fire!”
“Anguo Temple is burning!”
Screams rang out around the noodle shop, and the attendant looked up to see Anguo Temple indeed ablaze.
He suddenly recalled that the group of guests just now seemed to have come from Anguo Temple after retrieving something.
Moreover, each of them carried a large sack—rather than saying they retrieved something, it was more like...
However, the attendant scanned Vermillion Bird Avenue and could not spot any trace of those guests.
Strange.
Those four guests were quite eye-catching—how did they vanish the moment he turned around?
...
...
Thieves’ House.
While the Messengers of Chang’an were rushing to Anguo Temple to extinguish the fire and investigate, Yan Qing and the others had already returned to their seats at the Thieves’ House.
Just like when they first arrived, they couldn’t leave their seats and could only wait for the Thieves’ House to finish its process.
The sand table on the stone table had disappeared, replaced by a weapon floating in midair—it was—
Bingzi Pepper Forest!
Orange-red streams of light flowed and danced around it like little fish, and radiant beams of light surged into its body as if the Creator was reforging this long-dormant weapon.
Medicine Master Wen and the others all widened their eyes at the transformation of Bingzi Pepper Forest—this was their first time witnessing how a token was created!
When the flowing light faded and the brilliance fully retracted, Bingzi Pepper Forest slowly stood upright in the air.
Zheng!
Bingzi Pepper Forest suddenly unsheathed itself.
The dazzling blade flash made everyone shut their eyes, as if a supreme being had blessed it, completing the final transformation of a legend!
When the brilliance faded and everyone opened their eyes, they saw Buddhist scripture inscriptions on the blade glowing with orange, flame-like light.
On the left was engraved: “All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.”
On the right was engraved: “Like dew and lightning, they should be regarded as such.”
At the same time, the Thieves’ House displayed the information of Bingzi Pepper Forest in the floating screen above, allowing the four to read the weapon’s detailed attributes:
“Bingzi Pepper Forest”
“Grade: First-Stage Legend”
“Durability: 100/100”
“Base Attack: 15~25 points”
“Equip Requirement: 10 Vital Energy and Blood, 10 Spirit”
“Equip Requirement: Basic Blade Technique MAX”
“Weight: 2 jin 3 liang (approx. 1.15 kg)”
“Length: 3 chi 2 cun (approx. 104 cm)”
“Effect · Enfeoff: You can share Bingzi Pepper Forest’s powers with your allies.
The enfeoffed weapon gains +50 damage for 10 attacks (normal or token attacks).
If the enfeoffed weapon is a blade and not a token, it will visually transform into Bingzi Pepper Forest and the enfeoff effect is doubled.
Enfeoffing weapons continuously consumes 100 Spirit.”
“Effect · Pillar of State: The strength of your allies is your strength.
For every ally within 50 meters equipped with an enfeoffed weapon, Bingzi Pepper Forest gains enhancement.
Base attack increases by 30 points per ally, stacking up to 8 times.
You may spend 20 Spirit to activate Pillar of State, refreshing the enfeoff effect for weapons within 50 meters previously enfeoffed.
Cooldown: 60 minutes.”
“Effect · Overturn the Heavens: Even alone, you can shake the earth and sky!
You must spend all current Spirit to activate Overturn the Heavens.
Upon activation, all enfeoffed weapons within 50 meters are instantly destroyed.
Your injuries are instantly healed, and you unleash a shockwave that knocks back nearby enemies and flying projectiles.
Your attacks unleash a Heaven-Overturning Blade Flash ranging from 3 to 30 meters.
Damage scales from 10% to 70% of base damage depending on the distance.
You can adjust the blade flash’s length.
Overturn the Heavens lasts 10 seconds.
For each enfeoffed weapon destroyed, your base attack increases by 50 points, and the duration extends by 3 seconds.
Until Overturn the Heavens ends, you are in an ‘Unshakable’ state—movement, stun, and interrupt effects are ineffective against you.”
“Evaluation: Thunder and rain alike are blessings from the sovereign!”