Cui Wenzi inwardly cursed and said, "The treasure box is a divine object from beyond the heavens, not something mere mortals can wield. Even if you obtain it, you won't be able to use it."
"That's my concern," Cao Yi replied indifferently.
After a moment's hesitation, Cui Wenzi sighed, "Very well, I will give you the treasure box." He then shifted his tone. "But you must keep your word; if the elixir of immortality is successfully refined, you must give me a portion."
"Of course," Cao Yi nodded in agreement.
Soon, the purple-gold-red gourd reached the shore, and the three of them disembarked. The gourd transformed into a small, exquisite form and swiftly flew back into Cao Yi's hand.
"Is this treasure also from beyond the heavens?" Cui Wenzi asked curiously, leaning closer.
Cao Yi glanced at him but remained silent.
Seeing this, Cui Wenzi stopped asking questions and pointed ahead, saying, "The treasure box is cumbersome to carry; I buried it in the bamboo grove ahead before we set out."
Cao Yi looked up, seeing a dark expanse ahead, where countless bamboo stalks stood. It was clear that the bandits had cut down some bamboo when they invaded the marsh.
"I'll retrieve the treasure box now," Cui Wenzi said, his expression somewhat unwilling as he stepped forward.
Cao Yi and Ye Lvzhi Gu followed at a distance, wary of Cui Wenzi's true intentions. Although he was portrayed as a virtuous high figure in the original narrative, no one could truly know his character. After all, Cao Yi was demanding the treasure box, which might provoke Cui Wenzi's wrath, potentially leading to traps in the bamboo grove.
Anyone possessing a treasure as powerful as a time-space box might have even more formidable abilities.
The shore wasn't far from the bamboo grove, and in a short while, they arrived. Cui Wenzi, who had gone ahead, crouched next to a bamboo as thick as an arm and began to dig, exclaiming, "Where is the treasure box?"
Cao Yi, waiting outside the bamboo grove, grew vigilant, suspecting this could be a trick by Cui Wenzi.
But soon, that suspicion seemed unwarranted.
Cui Wenzi frantically dug beneath one bamboo after another, occasionally shouting in panic, a stark contrast to his previous composed demeanor.
Unbeknownst to them, a light rain began to fall, and mist rose, draping the night in a thin veil.
Cao Yi took out an umbrella from the purple-gold-red gourd and quietly observed Cui Wenzi's frenzied movements among the bamboo.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached rapidly from two directions, with numbers surely exceeding five hundred.
An ambush!
"Into the grove!"
Cao Yi quickly led Ye Lvzhi Gu into the dark bamboo.
"The treasure box is gone!"
Cui Wenzi, now muddy and flustered, exclaimed upon seeing Cao Yi enter.
"Several hundred people are rushing here; if I'm not mistaken, the treasure box is in their hands," Cao Yi stated, looking in the direction of the sound.
"Several hundred?" Cui Wenzi was startled, peering outside.
However, with only slightly enhanced hearing, he couldn't discern the distant footsteps.
After a third of an incense stick's time, five hundred soldiers armed with spears arrived at the edge of the bamboo grove, radiating menace.
"Brother, are you looking for the treasure box?"
Amidst the mist and rain, a medium-built figure clutching a box stepped forward from among the soldiers.
"It's my junior brother, Xu Fu," Cui Wenzi's expression turned grim.
Xu Fu was Cui Wenzi's junior!
Cao Yi was slightly surprised.
"Junior brother, what do you mean by this?" Cui Wenzi asked in a low voice.
Xu Fu, outside the bamboo grove, fell silent for a moment before saying, "Brother, I didn't want it to come to this, but you should never have tampered with the things from the celestial star."
When did I ever touch the things from the celestial star?
Cui Wenzi shot an accusatory look at Cao Yi, saying, "Junior brother, you're mistaken. When I arrived on the island, the celestial star had already been opened."
Laughter filled with mockery came from outside the grove, clearly dismissing Cui Wenzi's words as nonsense.
"Brother, as the saying goes, those who recognize the situation are wise. Only the Emperor can bear the elixir of immortality; your stubbornness leaves me no choice." Xu Fu's tone turned cold.
Cui Wenzi glanced at Cao Yi, raising his voice, "If I hand over what I took from the celestial star, will you return the treasure box to me?"
Outside the bamboo grove, Xu Fu's voice came back cheerfully, "Of course! We are still brothers; how could I bear to kill you?"
Cui Wenzi laughed heartily, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
Then Xu Fu's voice turned cold again, "I'll be straightforward; I have to bring back your head. Fire! Shoot him!"
The sound of arrows being drawn echoed.
"Come!"
Cao Yi pulled Cui Wenzi behind Ye Lvzhi Gu.
With a flurry of "whoosh" sounds, arrows shot into the grove, some striking bamboo, some missing entirely, and others hitting Ye Lvzhi Gu, falling to the ground.
"Ah!"
Cui Wenzi screamed theatrically.
"Stop! Go in and retrieve Cui Wenzi's corpse and treasures!"
Xu Fu commanded.
A dozen soldiers in black armor drew their bronze swords, cautiously entering the dark bamboo grove, occasionally bumping into stalks, producing faint sounds.
Seeing them draw closer, Cao Yi took out a bell and gently shook it, the sweet and clear sound resonating through the grove.
Ye Lvzhi Gu, wielding his massive axe, stepped forward.
"Footsteps!"
"He's not dead!"
...
The soldiers' voices barely finished when they were sent flying.
Indeed, they were sent flying! The bamboo in the grove was dense, and as Ye Lvzhi Gu's axe struck, it first hit the bamboo, then the soldiers. More importantly, Cao Yi's bell was not loud.
The soldiers who were only slightly injured got up and quickly retreated.
Soon, another volley of arrows rained down.
"What's the deal between you and your junior brother?"
Cao Yi frowned.
"Ah, this goes back thirty years. My junior brother and I became disciples under a great sage of the Yin-Yang school. Once, while hunting in the mountains, two stones fell from the sky. Not long after landing, they shattered; one was the time-space treasure box you speak of, and the other was a scroll. From that..."
Cui Wenzi explained in a low voice.
"A scroll?"
Cao Yi interrupted.
"My junior brother has never shown it to anyone or spoken of it; I don't know what's inside."
Cui Wenzi shook his head.
Just then, the rain of arrows stopped, and Xu Fu's voice rang out, "Brother, are you dead?"
"Ah, it hurts so much… Junior brother, how cruel you are," Cui Wenzi pretended to cry out.
"Brother, I didn't expect you to have some abilities after all these years. I'll come in and see you myself," Xu Fu replied, stepping into the grove.