Driving the carriage, Xin Yun sped along the dirt roads behind Ta Mountain, all the while his eyes ceaselessly scanning the roadside, attempting to spot the boulder wrapping the Azure Sea.
Regrettably, on his way here, the sides of the road were dotted with dense grass, showing no signs of stones. Looking ahead at the towering Ta Mountain that was about to be reached, Xin Yun could even see the mineshaft from afar; however, the so-called stone remained nowhere in sight.
"Crack... crack..." Finally, as Xin Yun steered the carriage around a bend, clear digging sounds came from ahead. Looking in the direction of the noise, he saw a burly young man squatting beside a long flat rock on the roadside, vigorously swinging a small mining shovel, digging hard.
At that moment, Xin Yun's head buzzed with a loud ring. Had he arrived a step too late? Had this fellow discovered the Azure Sea before him? Could it be... he was fated to miss the Azure Sea by a hair's breadth?
Xin Yun clenched his teeth in frustration, a chill of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. If possible, he wouldn't mind disposing of the other party directly; unfortunately, Xin Yun was now a frail child of seven and a half, without the strength to kill the other. Even a sneak attack would fail and were he to start a fight, the opponent's death was uncertain, but his own was assured. Even a reflex strike from the opponent could easily kill him ten times over.
Since strength was not an option, cunning was the only solution. He yanked on the reins forcefully, bringing the carriage to a quick halt beside the robust youth. At the same time, Xin Yun feigned panic and stammered, "Quick... quick, Shitou, your sister has been hit by a carriage, she's barely breathing, if you don't come back now..."
"What!" Hearing Xin Yun's words, the burly youth stood up, bewildered, a mining shovel in one hand and a blue... egg-sized... radiant... Blue Radish in the other!
Looking puzzled at Xin Yun, the fellow wiped the dust from the Blue Radish with his sleeve, then tossed it into his mouth, crunching down on it, not minding the dirt still clinging to it.
"Gurgle..." After chewing for a good while, the young man gave Xin Yun a dull glance and naively said, "I'm not Shitou, and I don't have a sister; are you mistaken for someone else?"
"I... this..." At the man's words, Xin Yun couldn't help but smile bitterly. Now that he was closer, he saw clearly—the fellow had indeed been digging, but it wasn't the Azure Sea he was after, but rather a Blue Radish growing beneath the stone. And... this fellow clearly wasn't the discoverer of the Azure Sea—Shitou!
Seeing Xin Yun's bitter smile, the burly youth scanned him up and down before turning around and walking in the direction from which Xin Yun had come. In just a short time, he had vanished around the corner of the road.
Watching the youth's figure disappear, Xin Yun grew excited. Gazing at the long stone lying on the roadside, his heart beat rhythmically yet intensely. That almost perfect, 9.9-grade Azure Sea must be hidden within this stone, which judging by its polished edges, had likely been lying undisturbed for many years.
Looking around to make sure there was no one nearby, Xin Yun quickly jumped off the carriage and stealthily took out a miniature mining shovel from his bosom, rapidly searching around the stone.
As time ticked by, minutes passing into more than ten, Xin Yun still hadn't found the so-called Azure Sea. Could it be... the Azure Sea was not within this stone?
Though anxious, Xin Yun didn't rush to continue his search. Sitting on top of the long rock, he furrowed his brows and pondered deeply over the rumors of the Azure Sea from his past life.
Finally, Xin Yun's eyes lit up as he thought of the key point. According to the legend, that guy named Shitou seemed to be carrying a medium-sized mining shovel, coming out of the mine. It was during his rest that the shovel scraped off a piece of stone, thereby revealing a piece of the azure sea – that is to say, this azure sea is currently not exposed anywhere. Unless its shell is knocked off, it's absolutely impossible to discover. Otherwise, with the miners' familiarity with the Dragon Creation Stone, why would they wait until he came to dig? It would've been taken hundreds of years ago.
"Pat pat... pat pat..." As Xin Yun was contemplating, a series of footsteps came from the direction of the mine. Hearing the footsteps, Xin Yun's heart immediately leaped. Four incredibly burly young men, each carrying a mining shovel, walked along the road toward them.
Soon, the four guys arrived in front of the stone. They looked at the carriage parked by the road and then at Xin Yun sitting on the long stone bench. Without paying much attention, they leaned their shovels against the head of the bench and sat down.
As soon as they settled down, one of the guys spoke up, "Shitou, let's buy a few kilograms of meat later and get some wine to gather at your place, heh heh... Your sister's cooking is getting better and better. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
Hearing this voice, one of the young men smiled and nodded, "No problem, we don't need to buy meat or wine; we've got it all at home. Let's just go back."
Listening to their conversation, Xin Yun's heart stirred, and he looked at the young man speaking. Is this Shitou? Hmm... very young and very burly. However, in his previous life, Shitou had met a terrible fate. He had just unearthed the azure sea and was laughing with excitement when his companions who had caught up with him found him... None of these four fellows survived. As the news spread, all four tragically died, and the azure sea was snatched away.
For a long time afterward, this azure sea changed hands several times. However, everyone who obtained it soon died, so, aside from being known as the azure sea, this Dragon Creation Stone had another name that was better known—the Stone of Misfortune!
"Hey, little brother... why are you sitting here alone? Where are your parents?" As Xin Yun was deep in thought, the young man sitting next to him took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
Hearing this, Xin Yun's heart stirred again, and he immediately showed the sweet smile of a child, saying to the four fellows, "I came with my dad. He went ahead to find someone to help move this stone."
"What? Move this stone?" Hearing Xin Yun's words, the four fellows were stunned. Why run so far to move a stone? There's a ready-made stone yard over there. Wouldn't it be better to just buy a nicely chiseled stone? It wouldn't cost much money either.
Seeing the puzzled looks of the fellows, Xin Yun was not the least bit flustered and continued, "Dad said that this stone is for propping something up; it doesn't need to be too good. Just picking one casually from the roadside will do, and this one is just right."
Hearing Xin Yun's words, the fellows nodded in realization. Indeed... a lot of times, you don't actually need a very good stone. As they thought this over, the four warm-hearted fellows stood up and glanced at that two-meter-long, human-thick bench stone. Then, enthusiastically volunteering to help, they lifted the huge bench stone onto the carriage with their combined strength.
After moving the stone, the four guys turned and left, needing no return for their deed. Watching the backs of the young men as they gradually moved away, Xin Yun couldn't help but sigh. These young men were very down-to-earth, without any ulterior motives, living happily every day. Although they did not become discoverers of the azure sea, they avoided a tragic fate because of it.
Watching the four as they departed, Xin Yun took a deep breath. He would remember this favor and definitely repay it in the future. Although Xin Yun didn't owe them anything, in fact, they owed Xin Yun. It was the appearance of Xin Yun that had allowed them to avoid annihilation. But... helping Xin Yun move the stone today, they certainly deserved his thanks.
Pulling the heavy bench stone, Xin Yun hurried to a secluded corner. Once he was sure there was no one around, he jumped into the cart, took out a small mining shovel, and although he didn't know exactly where the azure sea was, if he completely dismantled this bench stone, he was sure to find it!