Don’t Mess with that Turtle
Chapter 314 - 314 42_1

314: Chapter 42_1 314: Chapter 42_1 “It’s not recognizing the master, it’s identity verification!” Su He said softly.

He looked towards Su Huanian and transmitted his voice, “This jade pendant was snatched from Lu Ming, and its quality has been enhanced.”

Enhancing the quality, no longer a common inheritance jade pendant, can verifying identity make one the master of this place?

A man and a turtle looked at each other, then simultaneously placed their respective jade pendants into the indentation on the altar.

Ripples washed over the indentation.

The jade pendants flew back to them, and both of them felt an instant close connection with this dungeon.

The entire dungeon’s spiritual energy was leaping around them, even the mountains and rivers seemed to be cheering.

But this closeness and cheerfulness became sluggish when reaching the strange land to the east, as if they had entered a quagmire, making it difficult to move.

It was stifling and uncomfortable!

A dog at their side cheered, “Master, master!

You have returned, you have finally come back!”

It was not through speech but a kind of intention, the true essence of which only the master of the dungeon could understand.

“Do you recognize us two?” Su He asked.

“Don’t recognize, no!” the old dog said as if it were a matter of course, “When the master left, I had not yet been born, how could I possibly recognize the master?”

That meant it had recognized the wrong person.

“I acquired the jade pendant by accident, and I am not the original master of the dungeon!” Su He explained.

The old dog didn’t mind, shaking his head vigorously, his ears slapping against his dog face: “You brought back the jade pendant, you are the master, whether you’re the original or not doesn’t concern me!

I recognize you.”

Good dog!

Su He laughed heartily, and Su Hua smiled.

Man and turtle, still smiling, turned their heads to look towards the strange land to the east.

The dungeon had not completely accepted them as masters; the strange land was still struggling.

The original Long Moon Mansion wanted to accept a master, but the strange land had invaded most of it, remaining motionless.

As a result, Su He did not receive all the information about the dungeon; there was no record of the thing he wanted to know, the Evil-suppressing Taoist Palace.

“Senior sister is here, don’t go back.

Taking advantage of the turmoil in the strange land, I will bring Green Snake over.”

“Be extra careful!” Su Hua did not object.

She was not one to dither.

She was still severely injured and would not have been able to exert much combat power even if she met Prince Duo.

Rather than making things worse, it was better for her to stay here and assist in refining the dungeon.

Long Moon Mansion had only just marked them as masters; to truly take control, further refining was needed.

It required efforts from both, the yin and the yang jade, not just one person’s work.

“Senior sister refines the dungeon, be careful not to disturb the master of the strange land to the east, and see if Prince Duo can be lured over,” Su He instructed before he split the water and headed back towards the strange land.

Not long after, he returned with Green Snake.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened.

Long Moon Mansion was divided into two parts, east and west, within a boundary of three hundred miles.

To the west, the rain had stopped, and the sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight, leaving the stars thickly studded in the sky.

To the east, the clouds were dense, flashlights and thunder resounding.

But from the east side, one couldn’t see the clear skies in the west.

Such is the nature of rainy weather; from where the sky is clear, one can see the rain falling, but from within the rain, the entire world one can see is drenched.

A notice was posted on the gate of Long Moon Mansion, a gate in the wilderness with someone actually reading the notice at midnight.

It was a young man in tattered clothes, his gaze shifting between the notice and the already-ruined body of the butler lying below the gate.

The butler was not a ghost creature, but a special existence born from the strange land, yet he had been cut off from the connection to the strange land by the ancient town’s rules and thrown out of Long Moon Mansion.

By this time, he was completely disfigured, resembling a rotten piece of wood, full of holes and approaching decay.

The young man approached, pointed his lance, and the rotten wood quickly shrank, becoming thumb-sized in an instant, returning to the little stone sculpture it had been before entering Long Moon Mansion.

He pocketed the tiny figure and knocked loudly on the gate, “Is there anyone in the mansion?

I’ve come to answer the recruitment call for a butler!”

After sending Green Snake away, Su He lay sprawled in the original courtyard.

Inside the hut, the rotten meat and scraps scattered all over the floor had been dealt with by Green Snake.

The sound of the watchman’s gong came from outside, strike by strike, tugging at one’s heartstrings.

“Dong dong, clang~”

“The fourth watch of the night, cold and freezing, a downpour coming down, watch out for the livestock.”

Su He slowly opened his eyes, the chaos caused by the dead maidservant had been smoothed over by the strange land, and the watchman had returned to normal.

So the story about the watchman was about to begin.

To be honest, he was quite looking forward to it.

The watchman’s beats got closer and closer to Su He’s courtyard with each second, approaching the moment for action.

But then the knocking sound from the gate also arrived.

“I’ve come to answer the recruitment call for a butler…”

“…for a butler…”

Su He’s spirits immediately rose.

Here it comes!

Was it the self-repair of the strange land, or had Prince Duo arrived?

With the strange land blocking, it was slightly difficult to look outside.

Su He shook himself and got up.

He saw two paper umbrellas float to the door, and two maidservants knocked and said to the inside of the courtyard, “Master, someone has come for the butler position.”

Is the strange land abandoning its own rules now?

At midnight during the fourth watch, calling the master to interview a potential hire, is this the sort of misery a master should suffer?

Su He looked up and roared, “Scram!

Coming for an interview in the dead of night, if you’re not a lonely soul you’re a wild ghost, have him thrown out!”

The two maidservants outside were taken aback, quietly turned, and left.

Su He had already cast his gaze toward the gate, from where the gate was struggling to send him happy vibes, displaying the scene outside.

The eastern area was only tainted by the strange land, not completely lost!

Outside the gate, a young man stood in tatters, yet his rags shimmered with a treasured light, not seeming like ordinary items.

He was not a creature of the strange land, but neither was he an independent life.

He was an avatar, and judging by his aura, he was none other than Prince Duo!

Prince Duo, hearing the shouting from within the gate, paused abruptly, astonishment sweeping over his face.

Since his birth, he had been a cultivator, with a lifestyle drastically different from ordinary people.

He no longer had the need for sleep, and for cultivators, visiting friends was not confined by time, day or night made no difference in their eyes, any time was suitable for visits.

Only when the occasion was particularly solemn would they deliberately choose daylight.

Empiricism could kill a person.

Inside the gate, two lads waved their sleeves to shoo away the nuisance that had disturbed people’s peaceful dreams in the middle of the night.

Prince Duko took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged outside the gate.

Su He slightly furrowed his brow.

Did this fellow have no fear, not worrying about being exterminated by him?

Or did life and death simply not matter to him?

Su He made no rash moves, fearing that as soon as he revealed himself here, Elder Qiao would meet with an accident on the other side.

He even refrained from using his Divine Sense.

If the Avatar had arrived, where could his real body have gone?

Su He closed his eyes and took a light breath; the aura of Prince Duko drifted in through the gate.

Bamboo, Nanmu, Iron-back, Dark Grass…

Based on the aura, this Avatar possessed the Boundary Status of Stepping Sky’s Second Step.

His speed must be considerable; to carry scents implied he traversed a wide region of identical plants.

By this rationale, he must have taken an arc from the direction of Xuan Tian Gate.

The starting point was only where Xuan Tian Immortal Domain and East Cloud Mountain intersect, where the vast expanse of Dark Grass grew.

It also must be a cattle-raising village; the scent of cow dung had seeped into his very bones.

“Senior Sister, the Avatar is here.

Help me pinpoint the location!” Su He’s voice condensed into a droplet of water that, crossing a hundred miles, struck Su Huanian, bursting beside her ear.

By scent alone he could only roughly judge, but he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of Prince Duko’s true body from the Avatar.

His practice time had been too short, his methods too few.

An Immortal Sword pierced through the rain curtain to land beside Su He.

Su Huanian’s voice followed: “For now, let him into the mansion, using the mansion’s power to block his real body’s probing.”

…

Outside the gate, the young man slowly opened his eyes to see the moon in the west and the rising sun, his expression unwell.

The Dragon Turtle hadn’t used Divine Sense to investigate him!

This Strange Land became even more mysterious.

Did it block Divine Sense, or did the Dragon Turtle simply not care?

He didn’t want to come, but he had to.

The Evil-suppressing Taoist Palace absolutely must remain undiscovered, at the very least, not fall into the Dragon Turtle’s hands.

That was the bottom line!

Not wanting to come in person, only the Avatar could come instead.

Actually, he should have come to explore two months ago, but Green Thunder and Phoenix Si were preaching in the north.

Showing up here would be no different from suicide.

Upon hearing the news of Green Thunder causing havoc in the Seal Emperor’s Palace, he hurried here but was still too late; that Dragon Turtle had already entered Long Moon Mansion.

One Strange Land couldn’t stop the Dragon Turtle.

As long as it stayed inside, it would sooner or later discover the Evil-suppressing Taoist Palace.

He had no choice but to come!

Exploiting the Strange Land to expel the Dragon Turtle, or even, if possible, crippling the Dragon Turtle to take its blood, could net him a substantial amount of resources within his clan.

A trace of the proud sun leaped over the ridge, and it was full daylight.

Prince Duko stood up and knocked again on the gate: “Here I am to answer the Butler’s summons, and I hope the gentlemen would relay my arrival.”

A lad appeared mechanically at the gate and motioned: “Come!”

Prince Duko nodded and followed, entering Long Moon Mansion.

“It’s him!” Su Huanian’s voice rang in Su He’s ear.

The Immortal Sword trembled slightly.

“Back then, half of Easy to Live was in the Stepping Sky Battlezone, and this man was toasting with Easy to Live!” Although the Avatar had changed appearance, Su Huanian recognized him at a glance.

Su Huanian was exceptional; Su He, whether in Spirit Snake Body or transformed into a Wild Goose, had always been spotted by her at a glance.

Prince Duko was no exception!

A changed appearance couldn’t fool her.

Su Huanian never relied on appearances to identify people.

Following the lad into the gate and coming to the courtyard outside Su He’s quarters, Prince Duko bowed respectfully: “Good day, Master!

I have come to answer the Butler’s summons!

I have been a scholar’s page, I can write…”

“I don’t need you!” Before he had finished speaking, Su He’s voice had already emerged.

Prince Duko: “…”

He didn’t care whether Su He agreed or not, his words were directed at the Lady of the House, or perhaps to the Strange Land itself!

As long as the Strange Land deemed it acceptable for him to join in any capacity, he could instantly take control of the Strange Land.

Prince Duko looked at Su He: “Master, I am truly very suitable…”

“What does that have to do with me?” Su He interrupted him again.

An elderly voice came from outside the courtyard: “My son!

I find this young man quite agreeable, why won’t you consent.”

An aged crone, carried in by two lads, bore a sharp gaze, glanced at Prince Duko, and then turned to Su He.

“Because I dislike this man!” Su He said matter-of-factly: “No matter how excellent he is, if his presence repulses me, I won’t invite someone I loathe to be my Butler.”

Prince Duko was momentarily at a loss for words, wanting to curse but realizing the Dragon Turtle made sense: hiring a Butler didn’t require reasoning; the most important part was serving the Inner House.

If the Master found him disagreeable, excellence mattered not.

Grinding his teeth, he then heard the Lady of the House speak softly, “My son makes a fair point, but our estate is desolate, built in such a wilderness, it’s rare to find a suitable talent, so let him stay as a laddie to start, and when you see him in a favorable light, promote him.

If not, leave him in the back courtyard to serve the crones.”

Su He knitted his brows, and Prince Duko’s eyes lit up instantly; his demeanor changed abruptly.

All he wanted was a status within the mansion, whether as a laddie or a Butler mattered not.

He leapt up, reaching into the air; the Strange Land turned into a cage, enveloping Su He.

“Dragon Turtle, this is not where you belong!

Since I’ve entered the mansion, I hold supreme authority here, so surrender without a fight!” Prince Duko’s eyes shone sharply.

Unless the owner of this place returned, nothing could restrict the Strange Land; he was invincible here!

It’s a pity this place never had a master!