Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 241 - 232: Who Has Never Been Young?

Chapter 241: Chapter 232: Who Has Never Been Young?

"Do you understand this place?"

Zhang San had been holding the Red Dragon Hammer in his hand the entire time mainly because, right upon entering, he saw the enormous magma pool. Zhang San guessed that in such a place, the Red Dragon Soul would be more familiar and would remind him of things to be cautious about.

On the other hand, the Red Dragon Soul was originally the protective Divine Beast of the Red Dragon Sect, and with the knowledge of a sect, it should have some understanding of such secret realms.

Indeed, the Red Dragon Soul took one look and knew what was going on here.

"If I’m not mistaken, this abandoned secret realm was probably used by a certain sect for their disciples’ trials. Normally, there should have been more tests around the magma pool we just entered, but many are gone because it’s been abandoned."

"Similarly, within the labyrinth, there are likely to be mechanisms, traps, lurking dangers, as well as some benefits and rewards."

"Moreover, this kind of place actually has formations operating. These objects floating above are placed here by the sect for disciples who reach this spot to stand on the broken bridge and select from. However, it usually depends on chance, which means it all comes down to your luck, so you only get one opportunity. If you take something, you’re likely to leave the secret realm afterward."

Zhang San nodded repeatedly, surprised that this was the case.

"So, I reckon the account book you’re looking for may be among these things. It’s just that you have to identify which one it is and then reach out and grab it when it gets close to the broken bridge."

Zhang San curiously asked, "Can’t I just fly up and grab it?"

The Red Dragon Soul was very speechless and retorted, "Do you think you can fly in a place like this?"

Zhang San tried and indeed found that he couldn’t fly.

Obviously, this place, similar to the stone wall labyrinth earlier, was restricted by formations.

But Zhang San felt there was something not quite right about this place.

"Wait a minute, if Bai Yucheng really hid the account book in this location, Red Dragon, Shadow, don’t you think it would be quite troublesome for Bai Yucheng to come here and fetch the account book each time? They would have to wait until the book gets close then reach out to grab it?"

"And moreover, if one leaves the secret realm after getting it, does he come back to put the account book back after he is done with it?"

Speaking of placing the account book, Zhang San suddenly thought of something.

"Red Dragon Soul, you know that usual practice in such places involves casting items here, which means these objects can’t just be thrown in at random, right? There must be some control mechanism or formation, correct?"

The Red Dragon Soul replied, "Naturally, there’s a place where things can be placed or even controlled, and such places are generally not far from here. However, they are usually concealed by formations, so they are difficult to locate. After all, if they were easy to find, certainly some clever disciple would’ve found it and simply used the control spot to take whatever they wanted."

Although Zhang San didn’t know the Observation Skill, he had other methods to investigate.

Zhang San started to use the Blowing Wind Technique, continuously casting it around, while using the technique to lift the dust from the ground.

Then, based on the dust trails in the air, he worked out if anything in this space was hidden.

Sure enough, Zhang San quickly discovered that there was another segment of the broken bridge opposite to them.

That is to say, if one walked towards the front of the broken bridge, they would fall down.

But if someone were to jump, they would land on another segment of the bridge that wasn’t visible.

Probably, at the other end of the broken bridge, was where one could control the entire formation.

Thinking this, Zhang San took a few steps back.

The Red Dragon Soul thought to himself: This kid won’t just rush over there now that he’s discovered it, will he? What if there’s a problem?

Then, Zhang San raised his arm back and swung it forward.

Whoosh.

The Red Dragon Hammer was thrown towards the front of the broken bridge.

"Ah—I just knew you were this kind of person... ah!"

With a thud, the Red Dragon Hammer landed on the invisible other end of the broken bridge.

Zhang San gave the command, "Spit fire."

The Red Dragon Soul, which had been restrained until now, began to spit fire very reluctantly.

As the Earth Fire erupted and scattered, the outline of the bridge gradually became visible under the impact of the flames.

Having confirmed that there was indeed a bridge on the other side and that it was possible for something to land on it, Zhang San finally jumped over with confidence.

The Red Dragon Soul was truly resigned. You’re exploring unknown paths, using the Blow Wind Technique was already a very extreme maneuver, yet in the end, you still choose to throw me across first.

"Zhang San, aren’t you afraid something might happen to me?"

Zhang San smiled and said, "What could happen to you? Besides, you are my Mysterious Weapon, the Artifact Spirit of a Mysterious Weapon. With a single command from me, you can return to my hand."

The Red Dragon Soul was completely speechless.

Meanwhile, Zhang San continued to use the Red Dragon Soul to spew flames and scout the path ahead.

Soon, Zhang San reached the other side of the transparent stone bridge, where he encountered an invisible wall.

After feeling around on the wall for a while, Zhang San finally found a door. Pushing it with force, he entered through a transparent door.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he discovered an exceedingly plain-looking house inside.

"Could it really be this place?"

Zhang San suddenly heard Shadow’s voice and couldn’t help being curious.

"Shadow, have you seen this place before?"

Zhang San knew that Shadow didn’t talk much, usually very reticent.

The fact that Shadow was so astonished now meant that this place must have some extraordinary significance.

Shadow said softly, "In Bai Yucheng, there is a residence with a room that is furnished just like this one."

Zhang San saw that the center of the house was the living room, with the bedroom on the left and the study on the right. The rooms weren’t very large, which piqued his curiosity even further.

"Why does this house seem so small? Are the houses in Bai Yucheng just this modest in size?"

Shadow explained, "Back then, Bai Yucheng had once gone to the Capital to participate in the imperial examination, hoping to serve the Imperial Court after passing. Although he passed, his background meant he was always waiting in line, never receiving any significant appointment."

"One time when he got drunk, I learned that back when he was in the Capital, he met a girl he fancied. The two were mutually attracted, and if Bai Yucheng passed the exam, he planned to ask for her hand in marriage. However, her family was illustrious, and despite Bai Yucheng passing the exam, his low ranking and humble origins meant he wasn’t even considered by her family, which led to him being insulted and thrown out of the house."

"The small house he lived in while in the Capital was just like this. That’s why later, in Chuan-Yu Road, he arranged his house in the same way as he had in the Capital."

Zhang San didn’t need to inquire further to understand the story.

No wonder Bai Yucheng’s last words before death were so full of sorrow.

A man who had studied hard for so many years, clearly passing the imperial examination and believing he could finally change his fate.

But just because of his background, he could not be with the one he loved, and his career was greatly affected too.

Perhaps, the Bai Yucheng of those days was also a young man filled with ideals for the future.