Chapter 117: The Miraculous Magical Artifact

To seek out Thunder City? This thought had crossed Su Ye’s mind many times before.

He was not merely curious about the secrets hidden within Thunder City; more importantly, the old woman of the Yu family had taken his six thunder veins there. His archenemy was waiting in that very place, and he had to go there to exact his revenge.

Although Su Ye possessed the Thunder-Inducing Bead, he had no idea how to unlock its potential. He said with a frown, "Patriarch, even if we want to find it, I fear it won't be that simple. I have retrieved the bead, but I have yet to find the method to unlock it."

"Heh, isn't there one right here? Since the people from the Illusion Sea Sect have come looking for us, they must know! I heard them call this woman 'Third Miss,' so that makes things much easier." Jiang Ziyang’s gaze shifted toward the unconscious Wen Bibo, his mind seemingly already made up.

"Indeed! With her in our custody, the Illusion Sea Sect will have to show us some restraint." Su Ye knew that tasks like holding hostages and extracting information through interrogation were better left to the Jiang family; they were far more proficient at such things than he was.

Jiang Ziyang did not stand on ceremony and immediately ordered his men to tie up Wen Bibo, ensuring the other captured Illusion Sea Sect martial artists were also kept under tight control.

Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Su Ye headed into the villa to check on the injured members of the Jiang family. Inside, he was surprised to find Jiang Liuying personally bandaging a servant’s wounds. It seemed that this young miss, usually so haughty, was slowly changing after experiencing so much.

"Hey! You, stinky Su Ye! Come over here!" As soon as Jiang Liuying spotted Su Ye, she began to shout.

"What is it? You can't even focus on your bandaging," Su Ye asked as he walked over.

Jiang Liuying quickly pulled a servant over to take her place, then sneakily dragged Su Ye aside and asked, "What was that light in the sky? How did you create it? Don't even think about fobbing me off with some nonsense; so many people saw it with their own eyes, and they’re all just as puzzled."

Su Ye felt a headache coming on. However, having already prepared an excuse, he stuck to the story about the thunder veins and whispered, "I pushed my thunder veins to their absolute limit, entering a state of selflessness, and forced the arcs of lightning out of my body. It’s a very profound and mysterious technique; you wouldn't understand it even if I explained it."

"Tch! Don't give me that useless talk. 'Entering a state of selflessness'—you might as well have just said, 'I am the thunder, and the thunder is me!'"

Jiang Liuying had no intention of sparing Su Ye’s ego. Her sharp eyes immediately caught sight of the conch shell in Su Ye’s hand. Having been subjected to the sonic attacks emitted by the shell herself, she knew exactly what it was.

"Su Ye... hehe, my dear son-in-law, I think this conch would make a perfect betrothal gift..."

"Don't you dare get any ideas! I risked my life to get this. Why are you so greedy?" Su Ye quickly stuffed the conch into his pocket, refusing to let the young woman snatch it away.

But Jiang Liuying was not one to be deterred. Ignoring his attempts to hide it, she grabbed onto his trousers and refused to let go, shouting, "Didn't I contribute? I was the one who rang the bell to counter their sonic waves! Shouldn't you be a gentleman and just hand it over? If you don't let go and your pants rip, don't blame me!"

"Are you insane? Let go! You want everything, don't you?" Su Ye gripped his trousers tightly, desperate to keep them from being pulled down.

Just then, a timid, slightly raspy voice spoke up from nearby: "There are poisonous insects inside that conch. If you keep fighting over it like that, they’ll come flying out immediately."

Su Ye and Jiang Liuying froze, their expressions locking in place as they turned to see Ling Zhu. If anyone else had said this, they might have doubted it, but Ling Zhu was a practitioner of the mysterious Heavenly Mystery Arts.

"Poisonous insects?" Jiang Liuying asked cautiously.

"Yes. This kind of conch is rarely seen even in the depths of the ocean. Don't be fooled by its small size; there are at least seven or eight different types of venomous creatures inside, and a great number of them, too. They respond to vibrations and specific sounds, which command them whether to fly out, attack, or feed. I haven't quite figured out the trigger yet," Ling Zhu added in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Su Ye gave a sheepish smile. He immediately pulled the conch from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Liuying, saying with a straight face, "Liuying, given our relationship, if you want something, all you have to do is ask. Here, take it! Hold onto it tightly!"

Jiang Liuying offered a stiff, awkward smile. She pushed the conch back into Su Ye’s hand, forcibly prying his fingers open to ensure he held it securely. "Oh, look at you. I was just joking! This thing is precious; you should keep it yourself. I’m not someone who covets small gains, am I? Right! I need to go see if my father is injured!"

With that, she took off as if she had wings on her feet.

Left with no choice, Su Ye found a few bags and wrapped the conch in layer after layer, hoping that even if something did escape, it wouldn't immediately cause harm.

A thought suddenly struck him, and he asked, "Ling Zhu, is there any way to release all the poisonous creatures inside and kill them all?"

"I don't know how to release them, unless you destroy the sonic patterns carved on the shell. But if you do that, you won't be able to control the insects anymore," Ling Zhu replied after a moment of thought.

Su Ye knew these monsters were beyond his control for now, and keeping them around was a liability. He said, "These things are dangerous; I don't want to keep them. Tell me, why can this conch hold so many insects? If I kill them, can I use it to store other things?"

Su Ye stared intently at Ling Zhu. He knew the idea was bold, but he was aware that his family possessed similar storage artifacts capable of holding vast quantities of items.

"It should be possible, but you would have to repair the patterns after destroying them." Ling Zhu answered earnestly, then proceeded to list the materials required for the restoration.

Su Ye laughed heartily. That made things simple! It turned out the conch really was a miraculous artifact. Even if using it for storage seemed like a waste of its potential, it was more than enough for his needs. It would make collecting items much less of a hassle.

Determined to act immediately, Su Ye pulled Ling Zhu aside that night to release the insects. Ling Zhu did not refuse, and after trying a few methods, she found the trick. With a strange, discordant noise, a buzzing sound erupted.

A dense, terrifying swarm of poisonous creatures poured out into the sealed room. Many were creatures Su Ye had never seen before—some were spiders the size of a fist, looking utterly horrifying. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed they were hidden inside such a tiny shell.

"So many? This conch is truly extraordinary!" Su Ye felt a secret sense of relief. If Third Miss Wen Bibo had recklessly released all these creatures at the start, he likely would have fallen victim to them.

Among the swarm, some creatures began to viciously attack one another, and they even started tearing at the room's walls, causing chunks of plaster to fall.

"Indeed. Once it is repaired, it will be able to store quite a lot," Ling Zhu agreed, nodding. As a practitioner of the Heavenly Mystery Arts, she showed no fear despite the swarm.

Seeing her expertise, Su Ye did not hold back. "Once I finish disposing of these, I’ll take you into the city tomorrow to look around. It's been a long time since you've been out shopping, hasn't it?"

"Shopping?" Ling Zhu’s eyes widened, and she shook her head in confusion. "I have never been shopping. Before, when we needed supplies, the old grandmother always went herself. If I went, people would see me and call me a monster... but I have seen many beautiful things on television. You... you are really going to take me?"

"Of course! Besides, you’ll have to help me pick out the materials to repair the conch!" Su Ye felt a twinge of surprise. Hadn't Ling Zhu lived for over a hundred years? How had she never experienced something as simple as shopping? How had she spent all those years?

"Get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the darkest artifact market in Yang City."