NOVEL NEXT Chapter 424: 'Nudging' Them In the Right Direction
Hering the Fatty's words, the seniors shot him looks of mild irritation, but the seed of doubt was planted.
Next came the southern gate.
Han Yu frowned slightly and whispered again, "Too plain. Repositories are usually designed to protect knowledge, not hide it in undecorated walls. If there's no array script visible, what's even keeping treasures safe?"
Fatty Kui, nodding eagerly, blurted, "Yeah, yeah! That southern one looks like an outhouse. How can it be important if even the ancestors didn't bother carving it properly?"
That earned him a few snickers from Wu Shuan and one of Xuan Qing's companions. The seniors didn't outright dismiss the southern gate, but they shifted uneasily.
Then came the western gate.
It was carved with flowing runes that looped in repeating spirals, faint glimmers of light moving like currents of water through them.
Han Yu's eyes flickered briefly. 'This is the one.'
But he didn't rush. Instead, he played the cautious disciple, stroking his chin. "The western one… strange. Look at those inscriptions. They aren't meant for beasts, nor for brute force."
Senior Brother Duan glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
Han Yu raised his hands placatingly, as though not meaning to overstep. "Junior only noticed something odd, that's all. In the Alchemy Peak, we sometimes see similar loop arrays carved on old cauldrons.
They're stabilizers, used to prevent energies from leaking out during refinement by redirecting them back in, hence the loop. If such a pattern is used here… perhaps it means there is something delicate inside, not something meant to clash with force."
The moment he said this, the seniors' gazes sharpened.
Xuan Qing's eyes flicked toward the western gate again, thoughtful. "A repository… perhaps for herbs, or texts."
Senior Duan crossed his arms. "That would explain why the gate has not collapsed despite the years. Stabilizer runes could maintain balance over centuries."
One of the hawk-eyed disciples frowned. "It could just as easily be an illusion. The old array masters were fond of tricks."
Han Yu quickly lowered his head. "Of course. Junior only thought it was worth mentioning. I wouldn't presume to decide." His tone carried the right mix of humility and suggestion, as though he had no real agenda.
It was Fatty Kui who sealed it.
He puffed out his chest and said loudly, "I vote west! If Han Yu says it's like an alchemy cauldron, then it must be something good. He's an Alchemy Peak disciple, after all. Who would know better about herbs and texts than him?"
That made several disciples laugh, but the laughter wasn't mocking—it was convincing. After all, even if Han Yu was still young, Alchemy Peak disciples did study arrays for cauldrons, herbs, and refinement.
Plus other than him, none of the Senior disciples here were from the Alchemy peak, nor were experts in alchemy. Somehow, Han Yu ended up being the only 'valid' expert.
His casual observation now sounded authoritative when repeated by someone else.
The seniors glanced at one another.
Xuan Qing finally nodded. "The western gate then. If it is indeed a repository, the risks may be lower than a beast hall. Even if not, an archive or herb storehouse would still benefit the sect."
Decision made.
Han Yu lowered his head again, hiding the faint smile tugging at his lips.
'All according to the plan...'
His goal had been achieved without ever seeming like he had pushed for it. All it had taken was a few careful whispers, Fatty Kui's loose tongue, and a timely "observation" framed as humility.
As the group began to prepare talismans and spirit tools to open the western gate, Han Yu gently stroked the lump in his robes where Chitterfang slept, muttering silently in his heart.
'Repository or not, this one is mine to crack.'
As Han Yu thought about this, the group soon came to stand before the newly opened repository complex. But as they stood there, they realized something.
"Huh... Wasn't this supposed to be open? Why is the door closed?" Fatty Kui asked seeing the solid rock doors.
Senior Brother Duan approached the door and assessed it with his Spirit sense, quickly discovering the reason.
"They're testing us right away? Looks like this might indeed contain valuable things." Senior Brother Duan stated.
"Testing us?" Wu Shuan asked in confusion while Han Yu stayed silent.
"Looks like it needs us to channel energy into the door, to see if the ones trying to enter are even worth its trials." Xuan Qing stated, clearly having experienced something like this before.
"So what do we need to do?" Fatty Kui asked.
"No need, we seniors will handle this." One of the Inner Court disciples said, and they quickly got to work.
The western gate rumbled as the seniors worked in unison, channeling qi into the large doors. Golden and azure lights wrapped the inscriptions, activating the dormant patterns. After a strained moment, the heavy stone door slowly groaned open, dust and stale air spilling forth like the exhalation of a sleeping beast.
A dim, greenish glow seeped out of the darkness beyond.
The runes embedded in the walls pulsed faintly, the stabilizing spirals Han Yu had pointed out earlier flickering as though testing the intruders.
"There we go." Senior Brother Duan said, seeing that the door finally opened.
"Be careful, everyone." Xuan Qing said as they stepped in.
The group entered cautiously, weapons drawn, spiritual senses spread out like nets.
The corridor beyond was wide, its floor perfectly smooth stone polished by time itself. Strange murals lined the walls; rows of robed figures hunched over cauldrons, with shelves rising like mountains behind them, brimming with scrolls and jars.
"This really does look like a repository," muttered one of Xuan Qing's companions, awe in his voice.
"Don't let your guard down," Senior Brother Duan warned sharply. "The more valuable a place, the more ruthless the arrays protecting it will be."
As if in answer, the first step beyond the mural triggered the danger as everyone's eyes narrowed.