Before Ascension Ch.15

Chapter 15: The Map

After some recollection, Ying Tong indeed found a few clues.

However, the fragment of the page was too blurry, too tattered. Even though she found some hints, she wasn’t entirely confident.

Upon returning to the Prime Minister’s residence, Wang Rou’s issue had already been resolved, and the entire place had returned to its usual state, functioning normally.

See? You’re not as important as you think you are. This world can function just fine without you.

Wang Rou’s original position had already been filled by someone new.

This person seemed much more tactful than Wang Rou.

Perhaps having witnessed Wang Rou’s fate, Ying Meiwu accepted all of the Prime Minister’s arrangements without question.

In fact, the Prime Minister had never been set on sending Wang Rou to the palace. She wasn’t the only option.

Rather than choosing someone who would resent the decision, the Prime Minister naturally preferred to pick someone who was willing.

Back in her room, Ying Tong called into the empty space, “Ming Xiao.”

The next second, a young man dressed in blue, holding a jade flute, appeared in the previously empty room. Every step he took seemed to light up the surroundings, as if he were walking on the glow of the evening sun.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, his tone light, as though in a good mood.

Ying Tong didn’t waste time and got straight to the point, “A few years ago, I accidentally stumbled into a small secret realm. You were with me then. Do you still remember what happened inside?”

Ming Xiao nodded, “Yes, I remember. Why?”

“I recall there being a cliff inside, one that had been cut off and seemed quite unique. It looked like something was carved on it. Do you remember what was on it?”

This time, Ming Xiao hesitated for a moment. “I think I remember. The carvings were too faint, incomplete, and the lighting was poor. I could only make out the rough details.”

“It’s fine as long as you remember the general idea.”

Ying Tong pulled Ming Xiao over to the desk, setting out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in front of him. “Now, draw what was on the broken cliff.”

Ming Xiao held the brush, standing behind the desk with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

He did remember the scene back then, but that didn’t mean he could draw it.

He looked at Ying Tong and asked, “You were there too, and I remember you contemplating it for a while. Why don’t you draw it?”

“That would be a waste of time,” Ying Tong replied bluntly.

Hearing this, Ming Xiao felt like hitting someone. So, wasting my time is fine, but not yours, huh?

Though unwilling in his heart, Ming Xiao obediently picked up the brush, trying hard to recall the scene from his memory.

But sometimes, the more you try to remember something, the blurrier it becomes. It’s like when you’re studying: you work so hard to remember the knowledge from books, only to end up memorizing a bunch of irrelevant stuff.

An hour later, a small bird with blue feathers adorned with golden patterns lay sprawled on the desk, completely ungraceful. Next to it was a brush, its ink not yet dry, and the bird’s eyes were dull, as if it had just endured inhuman torment.

Ying Tong walked back into the room, seeing this scene the moment she entered.

She picked up the now dreamless Ming Xiao, holding him in her arms as she gazed at the finished drawing on the desk. Slowly, the memory in her mind became clearer.

In truth, the drawing didn’t have much resemblance to the ancient fragment that Zhou Yunxing had brought out, except for one thing: the upper left corner.

The upper left corner of this drawing perfectly matched a part of the ancient fragment.

A coincidence?

Ying Tong never believed in coincidences.

There had to be some connection between this drawing and the ancient fragment.

The only problem was that the small secret realm was located in the northernmost part of Beizhou Continent in the Cangqiong Realm. If she rushed there now, the round trip would take at least several months.

By the time she returned, the situation would likely have already passed.

After comparing the two, she found that although the content on the ancient fragment was minimal, it turned out to be the most crucial part.

Otherwise, Ying Tong would have noticed the drawing on the cliff years ago. She had even spent some time contemplating it, but in the end, discovered nothing.

On the other hand, Zhou Yunxing, with just a blurry, tattered piece of paper, had managed to deduce the exact time and place where the ancient fragment had appeared.

Ying Tong was thinking about this while stroking Ming Xiao in her arms.

Suddenly, she noticed something off about the sensation in her hand. Looking down, she saw two blue feathers in her grasp, though she wasn’t sure when they had gotten there.

Turning her head, she was met with Ming Xiao’s eyes, filled with a hint of accusation.

Seeing this, Ying Tong cleared her throat awkwardly and said, “Are you in your molting season again?”

“Phoenixes don’t have molting seasons.”

Ying Tong gave an embarrassed laugh. “Really? Well, I’ll have Lu Yi reattach the feathers for you.”

Before she could act, Ming Xiao snatched the two feathers from her hand and flew off without looking back.

“No need, I’ll take care of it myself.”

After Ming Xiao left, Ying Tong continued to examine the drawing in her hands.

Back then, the only reason she had chosen to contemplate the cliff was because of the terrifying sword intent lingering there.

But now, it seemed that the drawing on the cliff was actually a map.

“What is this?”

Ying Tong looked at the central position, which should have represented the core of the ruins.

But… was that a pot and a pair of chopsticks?

Besides that, there were spoons and other similar objects scattered around—all kitchen utensils.

Ying Tong furrowed her brows. Either she had misinterpreted the drawing, or Ming Xiao had drawn it wrong.

In a grand ancient ruin, how could kitchen utensils possibly appear?

Ying Tong shook her head, dismissing this ridiculous thought from her mind.

Initially, she only wanted Ying Xuechen and Ying Xuan to return safely, but now…

With the map in hand, it seemed a bit unreasonable not to go in and search around.

Heaven had practically thrown a pie in her face; if she didn’t catch it now, wouldn’t that be a bit ungrateful?

Ying Tong tidied up her things and then called for the Prime Minister and his son.

“We are unsure why the Venerable Yunhuang has summoned us,” Ying Xuan said.

She briefly recounted what had happened in the palace.

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister was shocked. “I can’t believe such a thing happened.”

He hadn’t expected that the old emperor had kept such a significant secret from him. If the new emperor hadn’t mentioned it, they might have only realized it when the secret realm opened.

At that time, as the Jinghong Secret Realm was being opened, many scattered cultivators, disciples from various sects, and even some from prominent families would choose to enter for experience.

When that happened, if the ancient ruins suddenly opened, the Jinghong Secret Realm, serving as a distraction, would be instantly destroyed, including everyone who had entered it.

“Does His Majesty mean to let Venerable Yunhuang enter the ruins?”

Ying Tong shook her head.

“It’s not me; it’s the Ying family.”

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