The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 14 - 13: Jade Pillow

Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Jade Pillow

Shen Luo’s spirits were instantly uplifted.

There was a mystery hidden in this object!

Shen Luo placed the stone ball on the ground. He took out the talisman from his palm, removed his robe, and gently caressed the “Stone Ball” a few times before applying a slight pressure.

The surface of the stone ball felt somewhat rough due to the small holes, but it also had some elasticity and didn’t seem to be extremely hard.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Luo picked up a fist-sized stone from the nearby ground and gently scratched the surface of the “Stone Ball”.

There was a “swish” sound.

A large amount of gray powder fell down, revealing a deep indentation on the body of the “Stone Ball”.

The “Stone Ball” was as soft as flour.

He was first taken aback, then overjoyed. Immediately picking up the “Stone Ball”, he sat on the nearby grass and began to “grind” it bit by bit with the stone in his hand.

After about the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the stone ball had disintegrated into a pile of powder and vanished.

In its place, a new object appeared in Shen Luo’s hand, giving him a rather strange look.

This object was over a foot long at first glance, and no more than half a foot wide. It was rectangular in shape and presented a pure and profound yellow color. It seemed to have been carved out from a single piece of material. Both ends were slightly curved upward, forming a small arc. The edges at the eight corners looked pretty rounded.

When Shen Luo caressed it with his hand, it felt cool but not icy, chilly but not freezing, smooth and delicate. It seemed to be made of jade or a similar material. The surface also had some delicate striated engravings, which seemed to be wave-like patterns, giving it the look of an exquisitely carved jade.

But this object seemed to be quite old. Its surface luster was somewhat dim, and there were one or two cracks at the edges, giving it an antique and quaint feel.

“This thing…why does it look like a pillow? A jade pillow?” Shen Luo gave it a thorough look and murmured to himself.

The Shen family ran a traditional Chinese medicine enterprise, which had enabled him to meet people from various backgrounds and see a good deal of the world. At one point, he saw a jade pillow in a local pawn shop. The object in front of him now was quite similar to that.

The art of healing advocates for a “cool head and warm feet.” The jade pillow was derived from this concept. If one sleeps on it over a certain period, it can benefit the brain and makes one’s intelligence clear and lucid. Hence, some ministers, and even the emperor himself, would use jade pillows to promote physical wellness and longevity.

However, a jade pillow has a high requirement for the jade used, thus not just any jade can be used for making one. As a result, it is quite valuable and not something an ordinary wealthy family can afford.

How did a jade pillow end up in this remote mountain, hidden within this strange cave and stone ball?

Shen Luo studied the jade pillow from all angles but didn’t find anything unusual.

However, since it could attract the white light radiated by the talisman, it was clearly not an ordinary object.

The thought of having potentially stumbled upon the “adventures” often written about in books, and genuinely finding a “treasure,” filled Shen Luo’s heart with both excitement and nervousness.

After considering it, he wrapped the jade pillow in his robe, tied a knot, and carried it on his back. He then blocked the split opening of the cave with stones and covered it with vines from nearby, ensuring no one would notice anything unusual.

He then cleaned up the surroundings and made sure there were no other people around or any signs left behind before turning to leave the valley.

At this time, the disciples in the pavilion were all practicing in their rooms, and no one was walking outside.

…

Not meeting anyone along the way, Shen Luo quickly returned to his residence at the Spring and Autumn Pavilion. Not until he entered the house and closed the door did he truly let out a sigh of relief.

He poured a basket of clean water and found a clean cloth. After thoroughly wiping off the slight dirt on the jade pillow, he held it in his hand and studied it again.

For a long time… a long time… he couldn’t figure anything out.

Helpless, Shen Luo remembered the bizarre methods of identifying treasures recorded in the miscellaneous books and travel notes. Although he felt uneasy about such methods, he could only try a few of those now.

With this thought in mind, he first soaked the jade pillow in the previously drawn clean water for a while. Then he took a match and fanned it under the jade pillow for some time, but there was still no change.

This situation only made Shen Luo even more certain that the material used for the jade pillow was extraordinary.

After all, under the roasting of a fire, the surface of ordinary jade should at least change color slightly.

Next, Shen Luo found a small knife, and forcefully cut his own finger, squeezing out a few drops of fresh blood to fall on the jade pillow.

After a little while, seeing that the jade pillow had no abnormal changes, he boldly used the small knife to try to scratch the surface of the jade.

By the time he had finished his meal, Shen Luo, sweating profusely, looked at the small knife in his hand, its blade now rolled and curled from use, his mouth practically agape with astonishment.

The jade pillow remained unscathed!

Having tested it for such a long time,, Shen Luo was somewhat exhausted, and had to temporarily give up on any further attempts.

He casually put the jade pillow by the bed, planning to go to the pavilion the next day, and look through those books recording information about jade materials to see if he could find out what material the jade pillow was made of.

If that still didn’t work, he was prepared to make a few more “Small Thunder Talismans” to see how this jade pillow was attracting white light.

In short, although he hadn’t found the anomaly of this thing yet, the previous tests had already confirmed that it was indeed “extraordinary”.

Just as Shen Luo put down the “jade pillow” and was about to start thinking, he picked it up again and placed it on a table next to him.

Then, he sat cross-legged on the bed, with his hands forming a circle, his body motionless, breathing in slowly as he began to practice the Small Transformation Yang Skill.

Without finding any other suitable methods, practicing this technique matters to his lifespan, so he naturally dare not slack off in the slightest.

And so, he continued practicing into the deep night.

After inhaling the red thread held in his arms into his mouth and nose, Shen Luo slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat gloomy.

As for the Small Transformation Yang Skill, he was still only at the first layer, but his progress was obviously slower than before. At this rate, reaching the second layer seemed a long ways off, and achieving great success was even more so.

“Never mind, I’ve made some headway in my talisman research. In the future, I’ll focus on both deciphering talisman law and diligently practicing the Small Transformation Yang Skill. I refuse to believe that I won’t find a way out.” Shen Luo comforted himself, and his mood lightened a bit.

At this moment, it was deep into the night, and he yawned, rolled over and lay down on the bed to rest. After a day of running around, his body was exhausted, and he soon fell asleep.

The summer night was still, with the sound of insects rising and falling. The moon was in mid-air, shedding bits of bright light outside the window, while the room remained pitch black and extraordinarily dim…

…

Shen Luo was sleeping soundly, but suddenly felt a chill, and he shivered unintentionally. He curled up and reached out to pull the blanket beside him, thinking that he had kicked it off while sleeping.

However, his hand came up empty, instead he touched something cold and damp.

Still groggy, he didn’t react, but mumbled something and reached out with his other hand blindly, this time grabbing a soft, slimy thing. His fingertips felt an intense chill, and his nose caught a strong scent of grass and wood. The sound of insects near his ears was also especially loud, as if it was right next to him.

“Something’s not right.”

Shen Luo was startled awake, and he quickly sat up, bringing the objects in his hands in front of him, and took a quick glance. His eyes suddenly widened in astonishment.

…………

“Wandering Toad”, a new book by my friend called “Exiled from Immortality”

Seeking immortality for eternal life, living free with hot blood, stepping on lotus leaves and scribing on sword bones, shaping the soul with the wind!

The original introduction was “Exiled from Immortality, a genius for freeloading.”

Now it’s changed to “I’m Kuaishou Xiaoma, relying on my iron fists, I defeated a second-gen immortal surnamed Wang, which allows me to be born into this world uprightly.”