Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 260 - 200 Feng Jiuxuan

Chapter 260: Chapter 200 Feng Jiuxuan

"Qionghua Secret Realm?" Xu Yinhè sat at the head of the table.

Accompanied by the pitter-patter of the rain outside, Xu Yuan nodded, "It seems you are already aware, Father."

"Lou Ji has informed me of the matter."

Xu Yinhè spoke calmly and evenly, as matters involving the secret realm were always presented to him with the utmost urgency.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan inquired, "Then have you sent someone to explore it already, Father?"

"No." Xu Yinhè gave a straightforward negative response to the question.

Xu Yuan was slightly surprised by the answer, "Why not?"

"The risks do not outweigh the gains."

Xu Yinhè answered decisively, "Lou Ji reported that there are Second Grade spiritual puppets inside, and the formation is still active."

Xu Yuan couldn’t quite grasp his father’s reasoning.

At that moment, Xu Changge glanced at him, cool and detached,

"This secret realm has existed for far too long, and the only thing of value inside, the Enchantress Divine Sakura Tree, has already been chopped down by you all."

"......"

Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned, cursing the old woman silently in his heart before he continued, "Twenty thousand years is indeed a bit long, but when I entered previously, the basic formations were maintained, and there were even some residual spiritual puppets; the sect gateways were mostly intact."

"Intact or not, what does it matter?"

Xu Changge took a sip of tea and said, "You haven’t dealt with secret realms like this before, there’s much you don’t understand."

"......"

If you don’t teach me, how am I supposed to know?

Suppressing the urge to punch his elder brother in the face, Xu Yuan rolled his eyes.

But since Xu Changge had spoken thus, it seemed that the Prime Minister’s Mansion probably already had a complete set of assessment and development methods for these kinds of secret realms.

It was at this time Xu Yinhè gently set down his teacup and asked a pivotal question,

"Changtian, from what you’re saying, it seems the Qionghua Secret Realm hasn’t experienced any wars?"

Suppressing the dissatisfaction in his heart, Xu Yuan pondered for a moment:

"Correct, the fall of the Qionghua Sect was a very coincidental event."

Xu Yinhè tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and said,

"That’s a bit of a pity. A complete secret realm is a treasure difficult to come by, but the time that has passed is really too long."

His father offered the same evaluation as Xu Changge, but beyond that, Xu Yinhè also added,

"The Levitation Stones that were used to create these millennial secret realms have long since lost stability, and each time we enter, it causes the space to tremble.

"In other words, we have no idea when it will completely collapse. And even if the sect gateways are intact, time will corrode all the materials and the medicinal gardens. Even if we go in and clear out the spiritual puppets and formation, at best we can only collect some outdated Cultivation Techniques and secret manuals."

"....."

Hearing his father’s explanation, Xu Yuan then understood.

Time is a butcher’s knife that treats all beings and objects without distinction.

Millennia-old Elixir Medicine and millennia-old pills exist only in storybooks in this world.

Indeed, there are many medicinal materials that have very long growth cycles in this world, but at most, they can be used as medicine after twenty or so years; a century-old Elixir Medicine is already the limit, beyond that, they can only decompose back into the soil.

The same goes for the various Elixir Medicines and tools in the ancient Sects’ storehouses.

Although some secret realms have specialized spiritual puppets and formations that care for these stockpiles, thereby greatly extending their deterioration timeline, twenty thousand years is truly too long.

The leftovers from the Qionghua Sect’s secret realm might be an enormous windfall for an individual, but for a behemoth like the Prime Minister’s Mansion, it can only be considered of marginal interest at best.

The rain continued to pitter-patter outside as the main hall fell into silence for a time.

Regarding the secret realms that would meet his family’s needs, Xu Yuan did indeed have several in mind, probably about a dozen or so.

Coughing, traveling northward back to the capital, after Big Ice Lump, the treasure-hunting princess, had departed, even with a rough idea of the location, his luck was so dismally low that he couldn’t hope to find anything.

If he had never been there, how could he bring it up?

He certainly couldn’t just say: Father, I feel like there might be a secret realm over there, could you send some people to search for it?

Seeing Xu Yuan fall silent, Xu Yinhè gently offered some consolation:

"Since you’ve brought it up, Changtian, then go ahead and tell your father about this Qionghua Sect. I’ve never heard of this sect before."

"You don’t know about the Qionghua Sect?"

With a sharp glint and a hint of a smile in his eyes, Xu Yinhè looked at Xu Yuan:

"Your father indeed knows many things, but there are also many things in this world that your father does not know."

"......"

Hearing this, Xu Yuan offered an awkward smile.

His habitual way of thinking made him assume that a sect as prominent as Qionghua would have some mention in the records of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, but he had neglected the fact that this was an event from twenty thousand years ago.

Millennia pass, seas change into mulberry fields; much can be ground to dust.

The people and events of the Qionghua Sect’s era had already disappeared into the river of time.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan softly recounted the approximate circumstances of the Qionghua Sect.

A dual cultivation sect that, relying on the Enchantress Divine Taoist Charm of the Enchantress Divine Sakura Tree, had trained a group of powerful figures to their heyday, and an outline of what sort of things might be inside.

After listening carefully, Xu Yinhè pondered for a moment and asked,

"Given all that, what’s this about the Sumeru Ring you mentioned earlier?"

Xu Yuan replied unreservedly:

"A lot of strong individuals perished in the Qionghua Secret Realm. Back then, a great majority of the world’s powerful figures died there, which is why there should be many Sumeru Rings remaining."

"Oh?"

At this reply, Xu Yinhè’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not inquire about the reasons behind it.

How things played out twenty thousand years ago isn’t crucial for the Prime Minister’s Mansion; what’s important is whether these remnants can bring benefits to them.