novelraw Chapter 1017 - 556: Arrow (Part 2)
Chapter 1017 - 556: Arrow (Part 2)
The treasure vault of Mirror Sea Prince’s Mansion isn’t that easy to enter, but the lord who assigned him this task had already detailed the steps for entering the vault. Ahua imitated them and didn’t have much difficulty.
At this point, Ahua scratched his face with a troubled expression, saying, "It’s really strange, those guards should have been near the banquet table on duty, why did they suddenly enter the vault?" He had just entered the vault when some guards of the Prince’s Mansion came in too. If he hadn’t escaped quickly, he would have been caught. Even so, they managed to see his back.
Ning Xiaoxian and several Hidden Guards chuckled softly. They obviously knew why: the third gift Hidden Stream gave to the Old Grand Dowager was a golden stone inscription with ancient characters. The Mirror Sea King valued it highly and directly had a guard bring it back to store securely in the vault. They probably walked into the vault just as Ahua came to steal.
So, in a way, it was Hidden Stream that ruined Ahua’s big job.
"Did you get the thing you wanted to steal?" Ning Xiaoxian was now more intrigued by this. There were many secrets in the Mirror Sea Prince’s Mansion, and the more she understood, the more leverage she’d have in dealing with this mortal family. The Huangfu family even had something like the Treasure Bowl, so she was very curious about what other wondrous treasures might be there.
Little did she expect, Ahua shook his head dejectedly, "No." He lifted his eyes to glance at Ning Xiaoxian, hesitating to speak.
She smiled: "What, keeping a secret for your boss?"
Ahua lowered his head, gritting his teeth, "If it were anyone else asking, I definitely wouldn’t say a word. But you, you are like a reborn parent to me. I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life to you, let alone the contents of a trivial sect task."
He paused, then said in a low voice, "The lord in the sect wants me to find a black stone shaped like a heart."
A heart? That answer greatly surprised her. Ning Xiaoxian blurted out, "Why?"
Ahua gave a wry smile, "I don’t know either."
As soon as he spoke, Ning Xiaoxian knew he wasn’t lying. The Cat Demon was just a lowly little monster; how would that person reveal the details to him? The less he knew, the better the secret was kept. Ahua continued, "I searched the vault for a long time but didn’t see any heart-shaped stones, although there were lots of rare treasures. This Mirror Sea Prince’s Mansion is certainly extremely wealthy! I didn’t dare take much else and picked up this broken arrow on a whim, not expecting you to like it."
Ning Xiaoxian glanced at him sideways, "What, blaming me for taking your thing?"
"Not blaming, not at all!" Ahua’s eyes lit up, "You want it, I’m more than happy!"
His gaze was full of sincerity, leaving Ning Xiaoxian momentarily stunned, and her tone softened significantly: "I’m about to leave the Mirror Sea Prince’s Mansion, you can come out with me. Before leaving, stay in one of the smaller buildings with the Hidden Guards, and remember to remain in cat form, just pretend to be a normal small cat, and don’t reveal any demon aura."
Ahua was taken aback, then became overjoyed, repeatedly agreeing, "Yes, yes!"
She felt she couldn’t get any more information and waved her hand to dismiss everyone from the central hall.
After everyone had left, she took out three items, placing them on the table: the Soul Devouring Needle obtained from Immortal Rock, the fine stone bar from Mr. Wu’s secret cabinet at Wu Family Mansion, and today’s broken arrow tail from Ahua’s hand.
She reached out and fitted the three items together, starting with the arrowhead, then the arrow shaft, and finally the arrow tail... The broken parts aligned perfectly. As she pressed them together, a purple-black light suddenly burst from the joins. She instinctively shut her eyes.
When she reopened them, the three strange objects had merged into one: a small, slender arrow lying quietly on the table, even shorter than her palm. The stone arrow shaft and arrowhead were faintly visible, along with the Soul Kite tail feathers. The break points on the arrow had seamlessly fused together. When she picked it up, a strange yet powerful force surged through her body instantly. This force was at least ten times more potent than the Soul Devouring Needle was back then!
She couldn’t identify what attribute this force belonged to, but holding it, she could sense the pulsating tremble that synchronized with her heartbeat. She had no fear or anxiety about this thing, because the Black Arrow conveyed a sense of intimacy and joy. The Artifact Spirit’s emotions were genuine, so she knew it was truly overjoyed to reunite with her.
And to her, it felt the same as when she held the Soul Devouring Needle, a deep connection of bloodlines. Of course, the name of this Black Arrow also appeared in her mind; this thing was called the "Soul-devouring Arrow"!
Ning Xiaoxian clenched her fist, and the Soul-devouring Arrow gradually sank into her right hand, merging with her flesh and blood. This Soul-devouring Arrow was naturally hers, not requiring a blood ritual to recognize its owner. It would now begin accepting the nurture from her body like a Tusk, and await the day it could lend her a helping hand.
She sighed softly. Was it the will of Heaven that this thing had to fall into her hands? By now, she vaguely understood who she should use it against. Was this God’s plan all along? Who broke the Soul-devouring Arrow into three pieces? She didn’t get that secret from the arrow itself, and maybe it would remain a mystery forever.
But the mysteries didn’t end there. What exactly was the Black Stone Heart that the demon sect wanted Ahua to steal from the Mirror Sea Prince’s Mansion? Sending a little Cat Demon in the Transformation Stage to steal this item—they truly had a knack for imagination. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) by recommending votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)