Chapter 129: Golden Scriptures

Chu Youcai noticed that the Hall of Pure Heart was divided into two courtyards. The front section held the spirit tablets of the family's most illustrious ancestors, surrounded by countless burning sticks of Hidden Dragon Incense. In contrast, the rear courtyard was dim and devoid of incense, exuding a sense of desolation; a layer of dust coated the floor, as if it had not been cleaned in a long time.

While Prince Chu paid his respects to the tablets in the front hall, Chu Youcai wandered into the rear courtyard, slowly approaching his mother’s humble spirit tablet. He gently wiped the dust from the simple wooden marker.

His mother had been forgotten by everyone; only he remembered her. If he were to perish, who else would recall that she had ever walked this earth? She had lived with such resilience, yet because she had given birth to a child out of wedlock, she had been ostracized and marginalized. Whose sin was this?

He knelt on the prayer mat before her. It was old and long unwashed. He still remembered that his mother had stitched this mat herself before she passed, specifically instructing the servants that it must remain here and never be replaced or cleaned. At that moment, Chu Youcai caught a faint, aged, yet lingering scent from the mat—a fragrance that stirred memories of his childhood. Was this her intention? Did she want whoever knelt here to remember her essence?

Chu Youcai bowed to his mother, knocking his head against the floor repeatedly. He clenched his fists, vowing that one day he would achieve such great merit that he could have his mother’s spirit moved to the Hall of Ancestors, where she would be surrounded by incense and find peace, even in the afterlife.

As he knelt, he suddenly sensed something unusual. Since mastering the Demon Body Tempering Technique, his bones had become incredibly dense and hard—so much so that sitting on ordinary chairs would cause them to splinter under his weight. Yet, despite his emotional agitation and the force with which he knelt, the prayer mat remained strangely soft and yielding.

Could there be something hidden inside? His mother had explicitly ordered that this mat remain here untouched. Did she have a secret purpose? Driven by a sudden intuition, Chu Youcai rose and, checking to ensure the area was deserted, reached into the mat. To his surprise, he discovered a soft, golden sheet of paper, seemingly a scroll of scripture. It was covered in strange, intricate symbols—perhaps inscriptions—that he could not decipher.

The paper felt as light as a feather, yet possessed a formidable resilience; try as he might, he could not tear it. It was clearly made of a unique material. As he held the golden scripture, waves of scorching heat surged into his body, reminiscent of the sensation he had felt when he first possessed the Blood Fox Fur. Chu Youcai’s heart raced—could this scripture possess a power comparable to that relic? Recalling how the Blood Fox Fur had enabled the River and Mountain Pearl to reverse time, his heart burned with anticipation. Was this a gift his mother had left for him?

He studied the script closely. The characters were ancient, twisted, and illegible, yet simply gazing at them brought a profound sense of serenity to his mind. The oppressive weight he had felt ever since dripping his blood to bind the Phantom Gold Bell vanished instantly. Startled, he took out the bell and entered the misty realm once more. To his amazement, the previous discomfort was gone, and he realized he could now command the bell to unleash its curse twice in succession.

Overjoyed, Chu Youcai withdrew from the mental realm and tucked the bell and the golden scripture into his robes. He glanced around to ensure the guards in the front courtyard had noticed nothing, and only then did his heart settle. He had found a treasure left by his mother, and it was only through pure chance that he had discovered it. He grew curious; the power of the scripture clearly lay in those twisted, dynamic characters. Were they indeed inscriptions? He yearned for the ability to understand them.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw Prince Chu walking toward him with his retinue. Having already hidden the scripture, Chu Youcai stood and greeted him, "Greetings, Father."

The Prince looked significantly aged. He nodded slightly at Chu Youcai, then gazed at the mother’s tablet with a sigh, kneeling on the prayer mat. "Yu'er," he murmured, "I spent my life in the saddle, never truly accompanying you. Even when you gave birth to Cai'er, I was not by your side. With the Southern Wilderness in turmoil, I could not choose my family's happiness over my duty. My departure left you and the child neglected, leading to your sorrow and eventual passing."

There was an unspeakable weight and regret in the Prince’s voice. Seeing his father’s greying hair, the deep wrinkles, and the boundless guilt in his eyes, a flicker of warmth stirred in Chu Youcai’s heart. He had never truly known his father; the man had been away at war for as long as he could remember, and his image had become a blur.

The Prince turned to him. "Cai'er, you have grown so much. It is because of me that you have suffered such grievances. I had no idea you were cast out of the manor."

Touched, Chu Youcai replied, "Father, your heart is set on the world; these domestic matters should not trouble you."

"If one cannot manage a household, how can one govern the world?" The Prince shook his head, then looked at him sternly. "Cai'er, would you be willing to join my army as a common soldier?"

Chu Youcai was stunned.

The Prince continued, "I see the animosity between you and the First Lady; this resentment cannot be resolved overnight. If you remain in the manor, you will only suffer further injustice. But if you join my camp, you can sharpen yourself on the battlefield. Success and glory will follow. Furthermore," the Prince paused, lowering his voice, "the path of cultivation you have chosen is perilous. If others discover it, there may be no place for you in the human world. In the army, the sheer scale of the martial energy will mask your aura."

Chu Youcai’s heart nearly burst. He stared at his father in shock. The Prince’s meaning was clear: he had already discovered that his son possessed demonic powers.