Chapter 12 of 100

Chapter 12

8 min read2,028 words

"What's going on?" Yuan Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly looked at the spot on his right arm that was heating up.

Over the past half month, he had been in a dim environment, and his eyes had gradually adapted to the darkness. The heated spot was a faint blue mark, which looked somewhat like an incense burner.

The originally very faint mark was now becoming clearer at a visible speed, emitting a faint glow.

"Huh, when did I get such a strange mark on my arm?" Yuan Ming was taken aback. He touched it with his finger, and the blue mark felt neither painful nor itchy, showing no abnormality.

After a moment's thought, he tried to mobilize the thread of magical power in his dantian, concentrating it at his fingertips and touching the blue mark.

Although the light emitted by the mark was weak, it carried a faint fluctuation of magical power, which made him feel an inexplicable urge to do so.

Suddenly, the blue mark emitted a suction force, and with a "whoosh," it swallowed that thread of magical power!

Yuan Ming was shocked. This thread of magical power was the result of his hard work over half a month, and it was now lost in an instant.

In a panic, he activated the Blood Qi Technique, trying to draw the magical power back from the mark, but to no avail. His heart sank.

Accumulating magical power was already difficult, and now all his efforts were in vain.

Just as Yuan Ming was feeling utterly disheartened, a warm current surged from within the blue mark, and a faint glow appeared on his arm.

Yuan Ming's eyes widened as he looked at the glow.

Then, to his surprise, he saw a palm-sized blue incense burner floating in the glow, steadily landing in front of him.

The incense burner seemed to be made of earthenware, with three legs and two handles, but no lid. One side was engraved with a Yin-Yang fish Taiji pattern, while the other side had star patterns, forming an array diagram like a starry sky.

The Yin-Yang Taiji pattern shimmered, looking very mysterious.

On top of the incense burner, there were three black incense sticks, one short and two long.

Yuan Ming was startled by this strange sight and stood there for a few breaths before reaching out and gently touching the incense burner with his fingertips, feeling a fine and real texture.

"It's not an illusion."

Yuan Ming sat up straight and gently touched the three black incense sticks, finding that their material seemed no different from ordinary incense, but they felt smoother and finer.

He then looked at his arm, where the mark had disappeared, leaving only a slight burning sensation.

"Strange, where did this incense burner come from? How did it end up on my arm?"

Just as Yuan Ming was puzzled, a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind. He vaguely remembered falling into a river, being tossed and turned by the waves, and eventually being swept to the bottom by a strong current.

In the chaos, he saw a glow at the bottom of the river and struggled to reach out and touch something.

That thing was the incense burner.

Yuan Ming's pupils instantly contracted, and his gaze became even more astonished as he looked at the incense burner.

Although he still didn't know what the incense burner was, the fact that it could attach to his body meant it was definitely not an ordinary object.

Yuan Ming placed his palm on the incense burner and felt a warm current seep through, quickly entering his mind.

He felt a cool sensation in his mind, and the fatigue from his recent intense cultivation disappeared, leaving him feeling exceptionally refreshed.

"This incense burner is indeed a divine object, capable of such a refreshing effect," Yuan Ming said to himself, delighted.

He looked at the three black incense sticks in the burner, pondered for a moment, and then used the fire-drill method to ignite a flame, lighting a piece of cloth.

He carefully held the flame and approached the incense burner, lighting one of the black incense sticks.

The tip of the incense stick ignited, forming a small spark, which became a tiny light point in the dark cave, emitting a wisp of smoke.

Yuan Ming immediately smelled a unique fragrance he had never experienced before, a blend of sandalwood and pine, which made his consciousness become hazy and his vision blurry.

"Is this a sedative incense?"

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he fell into darkness, losing all consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, his consciousness gradually returned, and a cacophony of sounds filled the air.

"Bad, there's a wild beast attacking!" Yuan Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

But what he saw was not the dim cave, but a large, ornate table covered with golden embroidered silk.

On the table were neatly arranged the Four Treasures of the Study and a stack of yellow satin-covered books. The inkstone was carved with dragons, and the brush was made of jade and wolf hair, each item exquisitely beautiful.

"Was I dreaming?"

Yuan Ming suddenly realized and looked up, only to find himself in a magnificent hall.

At the bottom of the hall were four people in white brocade clothing, two men and two women, each bowing their heads on either side.

"Your Majesty, you have awakened?" At this moment, a sharp voice came from beside him.

Yuan Ming then noticed a middle-aged man in brocade clothing, holding a fly whisk, with a pale, beardless face.

"Your Majesty?" Yuan Ming's eyes narrowed. Was this person calling him?

Seeing the man's fawning smile, Yuan Ming furrowed his brow and his gaze fell on a smooth bronze mirror beside the table, which clearly reflected his image—a young man in a splendid golden robe with a five-clawed golden dragon pattern on his chest.

The young man was about his age, but his face was completely different!

Yuan Ming's body involuntarily leaned back, hitting the backrest of the dragon chair.

"Oh, I deserve to die, I have startled Your Majesty." The middle-aged man was startled and quickly knelt down, shouting.

The four people at the bottom of the hall also shuddered and knelt down, not daring to raise their heads.

Yuan Ming's mind was in turmoil, and he ignored the middle-aged man and the others.

He had just been in a dim cave, and now he was in this place. If it was a dream, everything around him felt too real, whether by touch, hearing, or smell, just like in his daily life.

"Could it be that the incense burner brought me here?" Yuan Ming recalled his actions and suddenly had a thought, which seemed increasingly plausible the more he thought about it.

"I... I'm fine, you can all leave." He took a deep breath, steadied his heart, and said slowly.

"Yes!"