Bamboo Chest Chapter Fifty-Four: Heavenly Drum City

Not long after the turmoil at West Pavilion Lake, An Luo, the renowned figure of Changxing Circuit, personally paid a visit.

The West Pavilion at the center of the lake had now been reduced to ruins by an abruptly abnormal surge of lake water.

An Luo took a step forward, arriving at the fractured West Pavilion, and squatted down.

The lake water lapped repeatedly against the broken, toppled stone pillars. An Luo extended his hand, and a chilly sensation followed.

"Brother, what's so special about this West Pavilion Lake?"

Shui Ze appeared by An Luo's side at some point, the brother and sister crouching together beside a stone pillar half-submerged in the water.

"There is someone underneath, who for some reason sealed themselves away in this place."

An Luo withdrew his hand, and in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tattered strip of cloth.

"That bunch should be mostly dead by now. Good, that saves me the trouble of visiting them one by one to put on a fake smile."

Shui Ze sniffed and reminded him, "We still need to make preparations. When I was reviewing the archives of the Changxing Nation, I discovered that two of those orphans are extraordinary—one is called Yun Deng, and the other Puzhe."

Ever since Lord Luoze brought her to Changxing Circuit, Shui Ze had been cooped up in the former Gold-Vault Stone Chamber of the Changxing Nation, and even An Luo rarely saw his younger sister.

An Luo knew that Shui Ze had no desire to be a useless vase.

"Yun Deng, Puzhe..."

An Luo memorized these two names and said, "Alright, let's head back. The people from Sky Drum City should have arrived already. Grandfather specifically instructed us to take good care of them and strive to cooperate with them."

"Difficult."

Shui Ze propped up her chin with a helpless expression. "At a time like this, no matter who they are, they certainly aren't coming with good intentions."

An Luo rubbed Shui Ze's head and smiled. "Don't be so pessimistic. Heaven always leaves a way out. A few days ago, I specially asked someone to divine a hexagram for us. That gentleman said that our Luoze family is destined for great prosperity and a flourishing domain, one that will thrive for at least a thousand years."

Shui Ze puffed out her cheeks with a disgusted look. "Brother, since when do you believe in this kind of stuff?"

An Luo burst out laughing. "The older you get, the more you believe in these mystical things. You'll understand when you're older. That old man also said I was bound to meet a noble person today! Your brother even specially changed into a more presentable outfit. How is it? Do I look a lot more handsome?"

Shui Ze pursed her lips, ignoring her brother.

...

After the brother and sister An Luo and Shui Ze departed, the previously calm surface of West Pavilion Lake suddenly surged again.

Beside the West Pavilion, a massive whirlpool emerged, destroying the few remaining stone pillars.

Pity the rare and elegant pavilion of the Changxing Nation in the desolate world, which had thus suffered devastation twice and was now completely ruined.

After a long while, the whirlpool slowly expanded horizontally, and the lake water vertically transformed into staircases of water.

A bald, burly man stepped onto the water stairs and slowly walked out from the depths of West Pavilion Lake.

Behind the burly man, Yun Deng followed closely, seemingly afraid that the wall of water beside him would suddenly crash down upon him.

"You are too cowardly. How can you hope to exact revenge like this?"

Shan Cong, the bald, burly man, said in a muffled voice, "I spared your life, not to turn you into a rat."

Yun Deng's face instantly flushed red. Whenever he recalled seeing Puzhe's retreating figure beneath the water, a wave of humiliation washed over him.

That man was someone he had single-handedly supported. He had originally thought the man would be of one heart with him, never expecting him to abandon him and flee the moment danger arose.

Thinking back on Puzhe's solemn oaths, Yun Deng felt increasingly depressed.

"I will never let him off! Senior, rest assured, from now on, I will do whatever you ask me to do!"

"What can you even do?"

Shan Cong turned his head, casting a cold glance at Yun Deng. "I only require you to swiftly enhance your strength, take your revenge, and then follow me back to the Academy."

Academy?

Yun Deng was stunned.

What academy?

Did the desolate world still have academies?

Yet Yun Deng dared not ask further. He could only nod in consent, obediently following behind Shan Cong.

Shan Cong arrived at the ruins in the center of the lake, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and gazed into the distance.

His senior brother had said that as long as he and Hongyu were alive, the Academy would still exist. He, Shan Cong, was a dull man, but also insatiably greedy—he not only wanted the Academy to exist, but wanted it to flourish once more!

Shan Cong clenched his fists, his aura becoming increasingly solid and concentrated.

Puzhe's earlier guess that Shan Cong was a martial artist in the Wandering Realm had actually been wrong...

Terribly wrong!

Could a favorable place mentioned by the bookworm Guan Yuan be that simple?

A single West Pavilion Lake not only embraced the ultimate Yin and Yang, but also coincidentally condensed a wisp of the hundred-year landscape fortune of the Changxing Nation.

Though exceedingly meager, it was absolute enough for Shan Cong alone to use.

To leap from the seventh realm to the ninth realm within a single year, with a rock-solid foundation—only Shan Cong could achieve such a feat.

...

Inside the An Luo Palace, three men and one woman sat within a resplendently gilded hall, enjoying An Luo's hospitality.

Watching the faintly elegant songs and dances, one of the men let out a yawn.

"What kind of nonsense is this? It's so utterly boring it could drive a man mad!"

Inside the hall, absolute silence descended for a split second.

Yet shortly after, it resumed its usual bustling liveliness.

"Lei Zhong, quiet down."

The man seated in the primary position frowned and rebuked, "This is Changxing Circuit."

"So what if it's Changxing Circuit? An Luo stood us up, and we're still expected to give him a pleasant face?! Even the Emperor of the White Plains Nation wouldn't dare pull this stunt if he came in person!"

"Insolent!"

The man looked genuinely angered, pointing at Lei Zhong's nose and cursing, "Such arrogance! After cultivating the Dao for so many years, what on earth have you cultivated? Have you forgotten the ancestral precepts of Sky Drum City?!"

Lei Zhong remained sullen and spoke no more.

...

At the apex of the An Luo Palace, the old man Luoze was drinking alone to drown his sorrows.

"Why aren't you going back? What are you staying here for?" the old man suddenly asked.

"The people down below have stirred up such a massive commotion, and you're still not going to make a move?"

A woman of delicate and striking appearance arrived by Luoze's side. "This doesn't look like you."

"The figures behind them are tremendously powerful. I may be reckless, but I'm not a fool. At the very least, until their patriarchs make a move, I wouldn't dare strike against them."

Luoze casually tossed the wine flask far away, stood up, and stretched lazily.

"Ah, I'm old, and I don't have much strength left. Aside from being a stepping stone for others and getting bullied, what else can I do?"

The woman, Deyue, let out a chuckle. "What, dissatisfied now? When you and Yuan Mo were filled with towering heroic spirit, you didn't talk like this. I was the one who vehemently opposed you coming to Changxing Circuit."

Luoze rubbed his wrinkled face in depression. "Tch, now that it's come to a head, I find I'm still somewhat unwilling to resign myself to this."

"You can still turn back now," Deyue said earnestly.

Luoze knew Deyue was not joking. If he chose to turn back now, he could well return to Qianjing City to continue living in carefree ease, with the worst consequence being nothing more than enduring a few cold stares.

Compared to one's life, what did a few cold stares amount to?

This decisive old man once again showed no hesitation. He suddenly burst into laughter, and the wine stench clinging to his body instantly dissipated.

"To die sooner or later is still death. Better to die with some dignity. In the future, when that stinky brat Luoze pays respects to me, he can at least kowtow a few times with genuine sincerity."