In that moment, Ding Songyan felt he had perfectly reenacted that old joke:

"With what I’ve been through, what haven’t I seen?"

"This. I really haven’t seen this."

Not long ago, he had been caught up in a dangerous storm over the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, relieved that the thing had been sold off and that he had "forgotten" everything, sparing himself endless trouble. And now, turning around, he had found a copy sitting in his own home?

Was this thing as common as rotten cabbage leaves at the market, lying around for anyone to pick up? No, easier than that. You didn’t even have to fight anyone for it...

Wait. Wasn’t the original Ding Songyan supposed to be timid? How had he dared to secretly copy one and hide it at home? Comparing the handwriting and annotations to some of the storytelling scripts, it’s clearly the original Ding Songyan’s work...

At this thought, Ding Songyan’s eyes narrowed. A reasonable but unpleasant guess took shape in his mind.

If I were the original Ding Songyan, I would certainly have come back to retrieve this copied Secret Classic before leaving Dingjiang Prefecture. Otherwise what was the point of copying it?

Moreover, leaving it at home would endanger his family. As his "disappearance" stretched on, his parents, brother, and sister would inevitably sort through his belongings. If they did not understand the importance and danger of the Secret Classic, if they failed to keep it secret, the annihilation of the entire family would be imminent.

The original Ding Songyan had gone to the ruined temple outside the city not to flee, but for another purpose entirely?

He had been planning to finish some piece of business, return home to retrieve the copied Secret Classic, leave a few words for his family, and only then depart Dingjiang Prefecture?

That made far more sense. It was more cautious, and it would have avoided the risk of family members searching for him everywhere afterward...

Wait. There was another question he had never answered: where had the original Ding Songyan gotten the Secret Classic in the first place?

The fact that he had gone to the ruined temple outside the city before coming home, that he had chosen that over returning to his family first. Was that connected to where the Secret Classic came from?

Had the true provider of the Secret Classic killed Ding Songyan and taken the money?

Is there no end to this?

Ding Songyan could not help a bitter laugh at himself.

"You’ve really done me in.

"If you were going to die, fine. But did you have to leave behind this mountain of problems for me?"

After the Hallmaster Chen affair, the strategy of dangling the bait and seeing what surfaced would probably not work a second time. Ding Songyan could only dare to mention to Cousin Nuansheng or Master Yu that "the true origin of the Secret Classic has not been determined, and whoever tried to murder me may be someone else entirely." He absolutely could not reveal that there was a copied version hidden at home.

All he could do now was pray that the Zhen household, having seemingly put the matter to rest, had in fact already considered that a provider lurked behind the scenes and was quietly continuing to monitor and investigate. Or that the provider had taken the silver and long since fled. Or that, having lain low for days and deduced the "truth" from Chen Yuliang’s death, and having gathered intelligence about Ding Songyan’s total memory loss, the provider had decided to let the matter lie and never surface again.

With things having already come this far, I might as well see what this wretched book actually says... Ding Songyan steeled himself, gathered his focus, and began reading the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas in his hands, its cover nothing but plain white paper.

Before the passage on the Feiyi, there were some physical descriptions:

"In appearance it resembles a quail, with a yellow body and a red beak..."

According to what his sister had said, would practicing a Feiyi-related cultivation method eventually sprout wings and grant flight? Ding Songyan kept one ear on the sounds of Qingyan washing clothes as he idly turned the pages.

"Celestial Thearch: the Central Yellow Emperor, first of the Five Thearchs. Unites with the Great Way, commands yin and yang, governs all things, rules heaven and earth, ordains the fate of living beings."

This powerful at the highest level? This doesn’t look like anything martial arts could achieve. This is clearly the immortal path! A pity the connection between heaven and earth was severed so long ago... No entry about "consuming it". The Celestial Thearch’s legacy must be a cultivation method. I wonder which sect inherited it. One of the sacred grounds? Ding Songyan read with a tumult of emotions.

"Northern Emperor Zhuanxu: virtue of water, lord of winter, from whom the stars emerge, wielding the north to spread calamity, establishing prohibitions and setting law.

"...

"Zhulong, the Torch Dragon: the result of consuming it? Chaos parts, the underworld is lit, day and night bend to your command, the four seasons turn at your will, wind and rain answer your call."

Hold on, there’s a "consuming it" entry? Someone actually consumed Zhulong’s divine remains? Where is the sect they founded, the art they created? Ding Songyan was equal parts astonished and envious.

"Xiangliu, the Nine-Headed Serpent: the result of consuming it? The earth corrodes, mountains are swallowed whole, poison endures across a hundred generations, nine heads each moving to their own design.

"...

"Houtu, the Earth Mother: virtue of earth, mother of the land, dwelling at the center bearing all things, nurturing and transforming the multitude of lives, sovereign of the netherworld.

"...

"Queen Mother of the West: administers heaven’s plagues, commands the five destructions, communes with the netherworld, severs untimely death, gestates fortune and begets gold.

"Taotie, the Glutton: the result of consuming it? Evil is warded and disaster averted, heaven is devoured and earth swallowed, all things dissolve, greed knows no satiation, desire knows no end.

"...

"Great Yi: vanquishes evil, shoots down nine suns, succors the hundred hardships, the pinnacle of man.

"...

"Lizhu, the Keen-Eyed: the result of consuming it? The great sun bends to your command, all shadow is purged, the tip of an autumn hair is perceived, sight reaches beyond thousands of miles.

"...

"Fenghuang, the Phoenix: the result of consuming it? The hundred birds answer your call, you bear the five virtues, the world knows peace, rebirth comes through fire, all colors under heaven gather unto you.

"...

"Shengyu, the Triumphant Pheasant: the result of consuming it? The hundred fish are subdued, the phoenix dance is mimicked, water floods an entire kingdom.

"...

"Shetuo, the Arbiter: the result of consuming it? Rectitude bends to your command, merit and fault are judged, the three realms are distinguished, and possess radiance.

"...

"Xiegou, the Rat-tailed Duck: the result of consuming it? Climbing and clinging come with ease, the five plagues travel with you, wherever you dwell there is pestilence.

"...

"Progenitor Yu, the Primal King of the Yu: the result of consuming it? The hearts of men turn treacherous, shadow and darkness bend to your command, sand is harbored to shoot at men, the shadow is harmed and the body follows.

"Yu, the Three-Legged Turtle: the result of consuming it? Stealth becomes second nature, and deathly sand flies from your lips.

After scanning through a dozen or more key entries, Ding Songyan noticed a pattern in the descriptions.

Some have five clauses, some four, some three, some only two...

Almost everything called an "Emperor" has five clauses. The next tier of divine beasts has four. The ones I have barely heard of have only three or two... A hierarchy from strong to weak? Yes, that has to be it.

Brightnight, Candleflame: Starlight, candleflame, illuminates the long night, penetrates the deepest dark. Four clauses. Not bad. Worthy of being my target sect. Though their cultivation method is apparently incomplete...

I used to read the Classic of Mountains and Seas without much care, but I remember there being a nine-tailed fox... Let me find it... Here. The Qingqiu Fox, also known as the Celestial Fox, the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Tushan Clan. The result of consuming it? Becomes immune to gu-poison, assumes ten thousand forms, toys with all living things, beguiles the world... I wonder which sect that belongs to...

I wonder if consuming two different divine beasts would cause a conflict...

Ding Songyan flipped excitedly back and forth, daydreaming about what it would be like if he could obtain the corresponding legacy or consume the relevant divine creature...

In the middle of these wandering thoughts, he stopped short.

For someone in my current position, none of this matters at all...

Divine beasts vanished long ago. Without extraordinary fortune, encountering one would be nearly impossible. And even if he did, there was the very serious question of whether he could actually defeat it. Who would eat whom was far from certain.

As for the top sects with corresponding legacies, those were not places he could simply come under their tutelage.

Even if he memorized the entire Secret Classic backwards and forwards, it would change nothing about his present circumstances or future prospects.

Not only was it meaningless, it would actually bring enormous risk!

"The Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas is most useful to experts who have real strength but don’t belong to a major sect. First, it lets them identify divine creatures, especially fruits and trees. Some grant perfect memory when eaten. Some make the body impervious to blades. Some aid fertility, some cause barrenness, some are simply elixirs of immortality.

"Second, through the descriptions of properties, one can learn a target’s strengths and weaknesses in advance and prepare accordingly. For instance, anyone who practices gu-insect arts should absolutely avoid a head-on confrontation with practitioners of the Feiyi or Nine-Tailed Fox lineages. Stay as far away as possible... Similarly, those who wield plague and disaster arts should never provoke a Feiyi inheritor. And Feiyi inheritors should not be parading themselves before a Fenghuang lineage. ’Hundred birds answer your call’ is no idle phrase... Of course, the prerequisite is knowing which sect descends from which Celestial Thearch, god, or divine beast, or being able to judge from the characteristics of their martial art...

"From such an expert’s perspective, the Secret Classic is priceless. Even at enormous risk, they would try to obtain it.

"No wonder Chen Yuliang was willing to pay so much..."

As Ding Songyan analyzed the value of the Secret Classic, the more he thought, the more he felt like a beggar sitting on a mountain of gold begging for coins, walking out empty-handed despite coming from a treasure vault.

He drew a deep breath, let it out slowly, and a new set of ideas surfaced in his mind.

"I should just burn it. Eliminate the danger at the root. Prevent anyone from ever finding it.

"It’s a pity I’m not a disciple of a major sect. If I were, I could possess the Secret Classic openly. Then again, disciples of major sects already have access to their own copies. Each keeps a private collection internally, though many are incomplete.

"Incomplete..."

Ding Songyan’s eyes lit up.

Trade the Secret Classic for a chance to join a sect?

And once I became a member, I could read the Secret Classic openly and legitimately!

The sect would need to have an incomplete copy of the Secret Classic. But they cannot have none at all. Having none would mean they lack depth and strength, and might simply kill me to bury the secret.

Furthermore, I should look for one whose attribute descriptions tended toward the luminous and upright. Since cultivation at the highest levels partially transforms the body, the mind and spirit are likely affected as well. Descriptions involving radiance and justice would suggest a sect that is at least somewhat righteous, which would be safer and more advantageous for me...

The Shetuo lineage would be ideal: "possesses radiance and rectitude bends to your command." But I have no idea which sect it corresponds to, or even which nation it’s in... The Brightnight Sect is also acceptable. Starlight and candleflame, illuminating the long night, penetrating the deepest dark. Surely a sect like that couldn’t be too wicked? And it was local. No dangerous journey required...

First, find a way to determine whether the Brightnight Sect has a copy of the Secret Classic, and whether it’s complete. Then decide.

If he could join the Brightnight Sect, he would no longer need to fear the Secret Classic’s true provider!

Having found a direction and thought it through, Ding Songyan felt as though his entire being had cleared.

The sky seemed higher, the world broader, the sunlight brighter.

Hearing Qingyan’s footsteps suddenly approaching, entering the main room, he quickly set down the Secret Classic, buried it among the stack of books, and picked up one of the original’s storytelling scripts.

"Second Brother, what are you reading?" Qingyan flicked water from her hands and asked casually.

"Preparing to return to my old trade." Ding Songyan deflected his sister’s question while pretending to flip to a particular page.

The page was sparsely written. Its opening line read:

"Qi did not succeed to the throne of Thearch. He became merely the Human Sovereign."