Chapter 37: Black Ruler
Jiang Hong was afraid of waking Jin, but Jin was sleeping soundly, completely undisturbed.
"What do you want to do?" Zhang Xiting was also curious about the lamp. "It’s fine, I'll put up a sound barrier around Jin."
Zhang Xiting cast a spell, shielding Jin within a soundproof barrier. Jiang Hong said, "I want to find out what this lamp can do, so I can report on it in class tomorrow."
Jiang Hong then removed the seal, and the lamp said, "Quick, Jiang Hong! Give me a new shell."
Jiang Hong: "…"
The lamp continued, "Hurry! Don’t you understand? This lamp is about to fall apart! My soul is on the verge of scattering! I've held on for more than a thousand years, reaching the point of 'oil exhausted, lamp dried out.' If I don’t find a new body soon…"
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "It's actually over a thousand years old!" Thinking this was a plus point, he wrote it down in the outline for his report.
Zhang Xiting observed, "Hmm, look, there's a lot of rust at the bottom, and there are chakra marks on the lamp."
Jiang Hong noticed many patterns carved on the lamp body, but due to its age, it was covered with rust spots, and the bronze was corroded, flaking off easily. He had been carrying the lamp wrapped in a coat all these days, trekking through snow-capped mountains and grasslands, bumping and jostling it, causing the bronze lamp to nearly fall apart.
"What exactly are you?" Jiang Hong asked. "You need to tell me the truth so I can help you."
"First, transfer my soul out," the bronze lamp said. "Find a substitute for me, preferably a young, strong, and recently deceased man, ideally without injuries..."
"In your dreams!" Zhang Xiting and Jiang Hong exclaimed in unison.
The bronze lamp suggested, "Then, gender doesn't matter."
Jiang Hong said, "Let's just forget it, let the Magical Artifact class fail. I'll just throw this lamp away..."
"Don't!" the bronze lamp immediately shouted. "I won't be picky about the substitute anymore!"
Jiang Hong demanded, "What exactly are you?! Explain clearly! Otherwise, I'm really going to throw you away. I can always retake the course next semester."
Normally patient, Jiang Hong was getting irritated by the lamp. Zhang Xiting picked up the lamp to examine it, and the lamp cautioned, "Be gentle! If my chakra is destroyed, at best, my soul will shatter; at worst..."
"You'll ascend to heaven," Zhang Xiting interjected. "Stop the nonsense."
Zhang Xiting, holding the talisman, pretended to stick it, and the lamp finally quieted down a bit.
Jiang Hong felt uneasy, saying, "Why do I feel like there's a person trapped inside this lamp? Maybe we should wake Jin up to perform a soul liberation ritual and let it reincarnate."
"I am not a person!" the lamp yelled again.
After observing, Zhang Xiting told Jiang Hong, "I don’t think so. Although it was found in an ancient tomb... Hmm, it's unlikely that the tomb owner's soul entered the object after death, but it’s not impossible."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you remember anything from when you were alive?"
The lamp replied, "I am not a ghost."
Jiang Hong said, "Then what are you? Speak up!"
The lamp replied, "I... I don't know what I am either. I'm definitely not a lamp, but it doesn't matter. If you let me absorb more of the natural essence, I should be able to gradually remember."
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "I don't believe you at all!"
Jiang Hong felt it wasn't a ghost since a ghost would typically have obsessions, and this lamp lacked the cold aura of a ghostly spirit. Could it be a spirit formed from the lamp itself? But it insisted that it wasn't.
Jiang Hong still patiently tried to help it recall, as he needed to present it in his report the next day.
"So, you were transferred from somewhere else into this lamp?" asked Jiang Hong.
The lamp answered, "Yes."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you remember what your last body looked like?"
The lamp replied, "I’ve forgotten."
Jiang Hong inquired, "Do you have any wishes? Or, say, obsessions from when you were alive?"
The lamp hesitated before responding, "I... I want to remember what happened."
Zhang Xiting asked, "Were you sealed in the lamp by accident?"
The lamp hesitantly answered, "I don't know, I've forgotten."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you have a name?"
The lamp replied, "I’ve forgotten."
"Ahhh!" Jiang Hong scratched his head, clearly frustrated.
Zhang Xiting asked, "Aside from talking, what else can you do?"
The lamp boasted, "I can do anything, from the heavens above to the earth below!"
Jiang Hong challenged, "Show me something? Help me boil water for instant noodles. Just crawl down from the table, then up the other table, and press the switch on the kettle. Easy, right?"
The lamp replied, "My powers haven't fully recovered yet. Give it some time, and you'll be bowing before me. Jiang Hong, find me a new body, and I assure you, you won't be disappointed..."
Jiang Hong, expressionless, got up to boil water and prepare instant noodles for himself and Zhang Xiting.
The lamp reminisced, "Back in the day, I reigned supreme, with no one as my match..."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you want one or two sausages?"
Zhang Xiting said, "Two chicken sausages, and add two marinated eggs."
The lamp lamented, "Never thought I'd be confined in such a small object..."
Zhang Xiting inquired, "So you remember? What happened back then?"
The lamp replied, "I’ve forgotten."
Jiang Hong questioned, "Then how do you remember 'back in the day'?"
The lamp responded, "I remember a bit."
Jiang Hong pressed, "Details?"
The lamp answered, "I’ve forgotten."
Jiang Hong: "......"
Jiang Hong took out instant noodles and stared expressionlessly at the lamp, pondering what to do the next day.
Zhang Xiting: "How about asking Teacher Luo about it tomorrow? Lamp, are you a demon?"
The lamp didn't respond this time, lost in thought.
Jiang Hong randomly grabbed something to cover the instant noodles. It was a ruler-like object, dark and neither gold nor iron, resembling a small paperweight, stained with quite a bit of blood.
Zhang Xiting: "What's this now?"
Jiang Hong: "Ah? Oh... this is... something I picked up in the Qilian Mountains, I think."
Holding the long object, about thirty centimeters long, two centimeters wide, and half a centimeter thick, flat and neatly cut, a bit heavy, Jiang Hong weighed it in his hand. He remembered it was from when Lu Xiu fought a resplendent man in a red light, energy rampant and explosive, and somehow, he ended up grabbing this thing. After the battle, he never paid much attention to it and just stuffed it into his bag and brought it back.
"What do you think this is?" Jiang Hong asked. "A shoehorn?"
Zhang Xiting: "......"
Jiang Hong used the black ruler to cover their instant noodle bowls. The lamp suddenly spoke, saying, "I might be a demon, or maybe not, I can't remember."
Jiang Hong: "From now on, don't talk. After we finish eating, I'll think of something for you. If you disturb our supper, I'll stop caring about you."
Perhaps finally having its seal removed, the bronze lamp regained its freedom of speech and remained silent. After all, being able to talk was the same whether sooner or later.
Zhang Xiting: "Looks like an antique."
Jiang Hong: "I feel like it's a part of something, maybe a stabilizing rod from an excavator..."
Zhang Xiting: "We could measure it to know for sure."
Zhang Xiting took a tape measure, and when he got to the millimeter precision, the length was a fraction. He said, "It seems to be made according to a foot's length, but I'm not sure if it's a Han or Tang foot."
Jiang Hong: "The material looks a bit like ebony."
Since joining the academy, Jiang Hong hadn't learned much magic, but his knowledge of peculiar historical facts, antiques, and appraisal had grown leaps and bounds.
Zhang Xiting: "Right, it does look like it."
Jiang Hong began to suspect that this object was part of a bamboo slip, but it lacked the holes for stringing. He grabbed a wet wipe to clean the blood on it, and Zhang Xiting asked, "Whose blood is that?"
"Mine..." Jiang Hong said.
The black ruler had a strange sheen, and Jiang Hong felt as if his blood was seeping into it. After wiping for a while without getting it completely clean, he gave up and tossed it on the table, planning to ask the Magical Artifacts teacher about it tomorrow.
As they ate instant noodles, Jiang Hong quietly recounted what had happened in the Qilian Mountains, leaving Zhang Xiting extremely shocked.
Zhang Xiting said, "Didn't the principal ask you to keep it a secret? This is a major case, with Yinghuo secretly resurrecting ancient demons. How did they do it?"
Jiang Hong replied, "I think the principal meant for me not to broadcast it widely, but it should be okay to tell close people, right? He trusts my judgment."
As both Zhang Xiting and Jiang Hong looked at the object, Zhang Xiting said, "You better ask the principal when you get a chance. If it's an important artifact, it should be reported."
Jiang Hong didn't seem too concerned, saying, "Should I hand it over?"
Zhang Xiting said, "According to the Exorcist Committee's rules, if it's not an evil artifact, like something made with human souls or blood, you don't need to hand it over. It will be returned to you after identification, but of course, you can also donate it."
Jiang Hong uttered a "Hmm," and Zhang Xiting picked up the black ruler again, saying, "There's no evil aura; I don't think it's something filthy."
Jiang Hong: "It's pretty handy for scratching an itch, just the right length." Saying this, he picked up the black ruler to scratch his back.
"My turn now?" the lamp said. "Have you finished eating? Stop drinking the soup. Why drink soup with instant noodles? There's so much salt in it, it's unhealthy."
Jiang Hong: "How does a lamp that's been in a tomb for thousands of years know about the salt content in instant noodles?"
But then he thought that the lamp had also spent a long time in a magical artifact general store, probably learning this from the owner scolding his grandson.
The lamp said, "Jiang Hong, go find me a body, anything will do. I feel like I'm not going to last much longer..."
Jiang Hong: "To be honest, I don't know any magic, nor do I have any ready-made magical embryos. You'd better fend for yourself. As long as you survive tomorrow's Magical Artifacts class, you're of no use to me..."
Lamp: "Let me live! Please! I promise to repay you!"
Zhang Xiting said, "I can help you. The transfer method is actually quite simple, but I remember... didn't you mention some secret treasure last time?"
The mood instantly fell silent at these words. After a while, the lamp awkwardly said, "Sorry, I lied to you..."
Jiang Hong: "......"
Lamp: "But I can definitely be of use! Trust me!"
Jiang Hong rested his forehead on one hand, looking around for something to contain the lamp's spirit. He's room, cluttered with all sorts of things bought by He Jian, was now quiet at 3 AM. He wanted to settle this quickly and catch a few more hours of sleep.
Zhang Xiting said, "Let me help you draw a spirit-transfer circle. It won't take much effort." He went to get cinnabar and a brush. Jiang Hong suddenly noticed something at the foot of his bed, perfect!
"This isn't suitable!" The lamp immediately resisted its new body.
Jiang Hong: "Then forget it, you choose."
The lamp seemed torn, like a Libra, while Jiang Hong yawned from exhaustion. Five minutes later, disregarding the lamp's preference, Zhang Xiting activated the spirit-transfer circle. With a "hum," a faint golden light shone from the lamp, transferring into the new container. Mission accomplished.
"From now on, if you disturb our sleep, I'll throw you away," Jiang Hong, exhausted, climbed into bed and fell asleep in a second.
The next morning, the two-and-a-half-day-long specialized course exams officially began.
Jin was the last to arrive in the classroom, exclaiming, "Damn! Who put up a soundproof barrier around me? I didn't hear my alarm!"
Zhang Xiting: "......"
In the Magical Artifacts Theory class, everyone took turns introducing their project. The instructor, Luo Peng, scored them directly on a form. The best performance so far was Cheng Jiu's floral bonsai from Jiang Hong's class. A rose in an ecosystem that changed with the time of day and the seasons.
Amazing! Jiang Hong thought, why didn't I think of that? When placed outdoors, the glass case was filled with drifting snow, and the petals were frosted. When brought into a warm room, the petals unfolded, emitting a soft glow.
"To summarize," Luo Peng interjected, "this artifact is very creative. When we talk about magical artifacts or spiritual tools, everyone thinks of them as weapons for fighting monsters. But in reality, how many monsters are there to fight? Yes, they exist, but that's not our ultimate goal."
Luo Peng, hand resting on the flower case, continued, "An artifact like this is beautiful. It constantly reminds us of the passing of time. Even if it's not very useful against 'enemies,' I want students to remember while studying Magical Artifact Theory that all inventions and discoveries are meant to make life itself better."
Sparse applause followed. Luo Peng added, "Okay, next, let's have, um, Jiang Hong, come up and present his treasure."
Luo Peng glanced at the list, and Jiang Hong nervously walked up to the podium, feeling a tingling scalp.
"Um, hello everyone." Jiang Hong took out a Tmall Genie and placed it on the podium.
Luo Peng was wiping his eyes when he suddenly heard an outburst of laughter in the classroom.
It was early in the morning, and the students had been sleepy, but now they were all wide awake.
Luo Peng: "???"
Jiang Hong explained, "Actually, I found an antique with a spirit, but its original vessel was almost damaged. Last night, I transferred the spirit to this speaker. I drew a new chakra on the bottom."
"Oh," Luo Peng said, "very good, very good."
Jiang Hong showed everyone the Tmall Genie with a talisman paper stuck to its bottom, revealing the chakra, prompting another round of laughter.
Luo Peng asked, "So, what does this treasure do?"
Jiang Hong replied, "It's said to be over a thousand years old... I'm talking about the spirit, not the vessel." He glanced at his notes, trying to recall what he had planned to say the night before, but it had been too late, and his mind was a mess. Now he couldn't remember clearly.
"Can you demonstrate?" Luo Peng suggested.
"Oh right, of course." Jiang Hong said, "Its main function is to keep people company and chat to alleviate boredom. Its other features are still under development."
Everyone paused for a few seconds, then burst into laughter again. Jiang Hong, seeing this, thought that even getting a 'B' grade would be a generous act from Luo Peng. He decided to let loose, peeled off the talisman paper, and said, "Hi, Tmall Genie?"
The lamp spirit, now in the Tmall Genie, finally could speak and immediately said, "I told you, you can't use this shell!"
Jiang Hong: "Your opinion doesn't matter."
Lamp: "See, you are being laughed at now?!"
The two of them interacted like comic dialogue performers on a stage, making the audience laugh so hard they cried.
Jiang Hong, seeing the joy he brought to his classmates, felt quite happy himself. "Anyway, we can't score high, so making you laugh is worth it. This is a real treasure, genuine and refundable, not just an app on Tmall Genie with a talisman attached, pretending to be AI."
Lamp: "What nonsense are you talking about?! Wait till I absorb the spiritual energy of the universe, I will astonish you!"
"Hahahaha——" Even Luo Peng burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Jiang Hong introduced seriously: "The origin of this treasure, truth be told, came from a lucky draw at the magic store in the committee..."
Lamp: "This is also a kind of destiny."
"Hahahaha..."
Everyone found Jiang Hong's words increasingly hilarious, each sentence full of twists. The treasure kept interrupting with jokes, causing the entire classroom to erupt into laughter, with everyone wildly slamming their desks.
Jiang Hong: "Introduce yourself to everyone, what's your name?"
Lamp: "Forgot, just call it anything."
Jiang Hong: "What are you exactly?"
Lamp: "I don't know either, whatever you say I am, I am."
"Hahahaha——"
Amidst the chaos, in the magic treasure class, students from both classes laughed until they were out of breath.
Jiang Hong said: "This is my treasure. Alright, I think it needs a rest, and so do I, my head is about to explode."
Jiang Hong reattached the talisman paper, and the Tmall Genie became quiet.
"Let me see." Luo Peng, still wiping his eyes from laughter, took the Tmall Genie, examined it for a moment, handed it back to Jiang Hong without comment, and then asked the students to continue demonstrating their magic treasures.
Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief, regardless of the score, he had passed, and by the looks of it, he wouldn't fail.
After all the magic treasure demonstrations were over, the students left the class. Jiang Hong stayed behind for a while, taking his treasure to consult Luo Peng, who had more experience.
"Did you bring the original vessel?" Luo Peng asked.
Jiang Hong showed Luo Peng the original bronze lamp, and after Luo Peng had looked at it for a while, Jiang Hong was about to tear off the talisman to let Luo Peng interrogate the lamp spirit, but Luo Peng gestured that it wasn't necessary.
Jiang Hong saw on the roll call sheet that his name was followed by a grade of “B”. Although it was expected, he still felt a bit disappointed.
"This is an early Tang dynasty piece," Luo Peng said, "but the chakra was engraved during the mid-Tang period."
"Oh, seems like it." Jiang Hong actually had no clue and could only agree with Luo Peng.
Luo Peng asked, "What did the shop owner say when you bought it?"
Jiang Hong replied, "It was reportedly found in an ancient tomb initially."
Luo Peng: "Hmm… What color was the light when the spirit was being transferred?"
Jiang Hong: "Golden."
Luo Peng: "Ah, was the light very bright?"
Jiang Hong: "Not dazzling, just faint, a bit yellowish…"
Luo Peng: "Then I speculate it might be a remnant soul from a powerful demon beast."
Jiang Hong: "How powerful? What kind of remnant soul?"
Luo Peng: "Some demon beasts, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, need to discard their worldly desires and obsessions, similar to our concept of 'slaying the three corpses' to attain immortality. They separate unwanted emotions and seal them in an object, which then becomes the spirit of the artifact."
Jiang Hong: "Oh—!! I see!"
Thinking that teachers indeed know more, Jiang Hong listened as Luo Peng nodded and said, "It's just a possibility. It might retain some of the original soul's memories, or perhaps not, which explains its ignorance on many matters."
Jiang Hong: "Got it! Can it continue to cultivate?"
Luo Peng: "If the opportunity is right, yes. Some healthy remnant souls can transform through cultivation, like a cut branch that can be grafted and regrow, or a severed earthworm growing a new body."
Jiang Hong: "Will it turn into some untamable trouble?"
Luo Peng: "That depends on the nature of the remnant soul. Some great demons' separated parts are their murderous instincts, which are unsuitable. But your artifact spirit might be trainable, although the process still requires caution."
Jiang Hong: "Great, thank you, teacher. Could you please help me look at what this is as well?"
Jiang Hong took out a black ruler, which Luo Peng received, weighing it with a puzzled expression before starting to examine it with instruments.
"Hey," Luo Peng approached the black ruler with a jade bracelet, and the circular jade bracelet began to glow, reminiscent of the luminous jade used in the magic class by Xie Liao. Jiang Hong guessed that both items worked on the same principle; one was for detecting magical treasures, and the other for detecting people.
"This thing is quite powerful," Luo Peng said, "but I can't tell what it is. Where did you get it?"
Jiang Hong replied, "I picked it up in a ruin. Can you tell how old it is?"
Luo Peng, filled with hesitation, shook his head and said, "It might be even older than most of the magical treasures currently in the school."
Jiang Hong was startled and exclaimed, "Is it that incredible?"
Luo Peng asked, "Have you infused it with your magic?"
Jiang Hong said, "I don't have any magical powers."
Luo Peng then remembered that Jiang Hong was the only student in this batch who couldn't use magic, a mere mortal.
Jiang Hong asked, "Teacher, can you infuse it with magic to see what happens?"
Luo Peng, smiling amiably, said, "There's an unwritten rule among demon hunters that one should not rashly use another's magical treasure unless necessary."
Jiang Hong replied, "Oh... okay."
Luo Peng suggested, "I guess it might be a part of something else. When you can harness magical energy in other ways, try infusing it with magic. If characters appear on its surface, it means my guess was right."
Jiang Hong asked, "Is this thing safe?"
Luo Peng assured, "There's no evil aura, don't worry. The safety of most magical treasures depends on their owner."
Jiang Hong nodded and said, "Thank you, teacher."
Luo Peng also nodded, and just as Jiang Hong was about to leave, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Luo Peng had altered his grade in the column, changing a "B" to an "A."
Overjoyed, Jiang Hong shouted, "Thank you, teacher—!"
Perhaps in the few minutes that Jiang Hong had left, Luo Peng gained a deeper understanding of his magical treasure. It wasn't as bad as the demonstration suggested. Maybe the black ruler added some power, but regardless, getting an A made Jiang Hong incredibly happy!
Chapter 37: Black Ruler
Jiang Hong was afraid of waking Jin, but Jin was sleeping soundly, completely undisturbed.
"What do you want to do?" Zhang Xiting was also curious about the lamp. "It’s fine, I'll put up a sound barrier around Jin."
Zhang Xiting cast a spell, shielding Jin within a soundproof barrier. Jiang Hong said, "I want to find out what this lamp can do, so I can report on it in class tomorrow."
Jiang Hong then removed the seal, and the lamp said, "Quick, Jiang Hong! Give me a new shell."
Jiang Hong: "…"
The lamp continued, "Hurry! Don’t you understand? This lamp is about to fall apart! My soul is on the verge of scattering! I've held on for more than a thousand years, reaching the point of 'oil exhausted, lamp dried out.' If I don’t find a new body soon…"
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "It's actually over a thousand years old!" Thinking this was a plus point, he wrote it down in the outline for his report.
Zhang Xiting observed, "Hmm, look, there's a lot of rust at the bottom, and there are chakra marks on the lamp."
Jiang Hong noticed many patterns carved on the lamp body, but due to its age, it was covered with rust spots, and the bronze was corroded, flaking off easily. He had been carrying the lamp wrapped in a coat all these days, trekking through snow-capped mountains and grasslands, bumping and jostling it, causing the bronze lamp to nearly fall apart.
"What exactly are you?" Jiang Hong asked. "You need to tell me the truth so I can help you."
"First, transfer my soul out," the bronze lamp said. "Find a substitute for me, preferably a young, strong, and recently deceased man, ideally without injuries..."
"In your dreams!" Zhang Xiting and Jiang Hong exclaimed in unison.
The bronze lamp suggested, "Then, gender doesn't matter."
Jiang Hong said, "Let's just forget it, let the Magical Artifact class fail. I'll just throw this lamp away..."
"Don't!" the bronze lamp immediately shouted. "I won't be picky about the substitute anymore!"
Jiang Hong demanded, "What exactly are you?! Explain clearly! Otherwise, I'm really going to throw you away. I can always retake the course next semester."
Normally patient, Jiang Hong was getting irritated by the lamp. Zhang Xiting picked up the lamp to examine it, and the lamp cautioned, "Be gentle! If my chakra is destroyed, at best, my soul will shatter; at worst..."
"You'll ascend to heaven," Zhang Xiting interjected. "Stop the nonsense."
Zhang Xiting, holding the talisman, pretended to stick it, and the lamp finally quieted down a bit.
Jiang Hong felt uneasy, saying, "Why do I feel like there's a person trapped inside this lamp? Maybe we should wake Jin up to perform a soul liberation ritual and let it reincarnate."
"I am not a person!" the lamp yelled again.
After observing, Zhang Xiting told Jiang Hong, "I don’t think so. Although it was found in an ancient tomb... Hmm, it's unlikely that the tomb owner's soul entered the object after death, but it’s not impossible."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you remember anything from when you were alive?"
The lamp replied, "I am not a ghost."
Jiang Hong said, "Then what are you? Speak up!"
The lamp replied, "I... I don't know what I am either. I'm definitely not a lamp, but it doesn't matter. If you let me absorb more of the natural essence, I should be able to gradually remember."
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "I don't believe you at all!"
Jiang Hong felt it wasn't a ghost since a ghost would typically have obsessions, and this lamp lacked the cold aura of a ghostly spirit. Could it be a spirit formed from the lamp itself? But it insisted that it wasn't.
Jiang Hong still patiently tried to help it recall, as he needed to present it in his report the next day.
"So, you were transferred from somewhere else into this lamp?" asked Jiang Hong.
The lamp answered, "Yes."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you remember what your last body looked like?"
The lamp replied, "I’ve forgotten."
Jiang Hong inquired, "Do you have any wishes? Or, say, obsessions from when you were alive?"
The lamp hesitated before responding, "I... I want to remember what happened."
Zhang Xiting asked, "Were you sealed in the lamp by accident?"
The lamp hesitantly answered, "I don't know, I've forgotten."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you have a name?"
The lamp replied, "I’ve forgotten."
"Ahhh!" Jiang Hong scratched his head, clearly frustrated.
Zhang Xiting asked, "Aside from talking, what else can you do?"
The lamp boasted, "I can do anything, from the heavens above to the earth below!"
Jiang Hong challenged, "Show me something? Help me boil water for instant noodles. Just crawl down from the table, then up the other table, and press the switch on the kettle. Easy, right?"
The lamp replied, "My powers haven't fully recovered yet. Give it some time, and you'll be bowing before me. Jiang Hong, find me a new body, and I assure you, you won't be disappointed..."
Jiang Hong, expressionless, got up to boil water and prepare instant noodles for himself and Zhang Xiting.
The lamp reminisced, "Back in the day, I reigned supreme, with no one as my match..."
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you want one or two sausages?"
Zhang Xiting said, "Two chicken sausages, and add two marinated eggs."
The lamp lamented, "Never thought I'd be confined in such a small object..."
Zhang Xiting inquired, "So you remember? What happened back then?"
The lamp replied, "I’ve forgotten."
Jiang Hong questioned, "Then how do you remember 'back in the day'?"
The lamp responded, "I remember a bit."
Jiang Hong pressed, "Details?"
The lamp answered, "I’ve forgotten."
Jiang Hong: "......"
Jiang Hong took out instant noodles and stared expressionlessly at the lamp, pondering what to do the next day.
Zhang Xiting: "How about asking Teacher Luo about it tomorrow? Lamp, are you a demon?"
The lamp didn't respond this time, lost in thought.
Jiang Hong randomly grabbed something to cover the instant noodles. It was a ruler-like object, dark and neither gold nor iron, resembling a small paperweight, stained with quite a bit of blood.
Zhang Xiting: "What's this now?"
Jiang Hong: "Ah? Oh... this is... something I picked up in the Qilian Mountains, I think."
Holding the long object, about thirty centimeters long, two centimeters wide, and half a centimeter thick, flat and neatly cut, a bit heavy, Jiang Hong weighed it in his hand. He remembered it was from when Lu Xiu fought a resplendent man in a red light, energy rampant and explosive, and somehow, he ended up grabbing this thing. After the battle, he never paid much attention to it and just stuffed it into his bag and brought it back.
"What do you think this is?" Jiang Hong asked. "A shoehorn?"
Zhang Xiting: "......"
Jiang Hong used the black ruler to cover their instant noodle bowls. The lamp suddenly spoke, saying, "I might be a demon, or maybe not, I can't remember."
Jiang Hong: "From now on, don't talk. After we finish eating, I'll think of something for you. If you disturb our supper, I'll stop caring about you."
Perhaps finally having its seal removed, the bronze lamp regained its freedom of speech and remained silent. After all, being able to talk was the same whether sooner or later.
Zhang Xiting: "Looks like an antique."
Jiang Hong: "I feel like it's a part of something, maybe a stabilizing rod from an excavator..."
Zhang Xiting: "We could measure it to know for sure."
Zhang Xiting took a tape measure, and when he got to the millimeter precision, the length was a fraction. He said, "It seems to be made according to a foot's length, but I'm not sure if it's a Han or Tang foot."
Jiang Hong: "The material looks a bit like ebony."
Since joining the academy, Jiang Hong hadn't learned much magic, but his knowledge of peculiar historical facts, antiques, and appraisal had grown leaps and bounds.
Zhang Xiting: "Right, it does look like it."
Jiang Hong began to suspect that this object was part of a bamboo slip, but it lacked the holes for stringing. He grabbed a wet wipe to clean the blood on it, and Zhang Xiting asked, "Whose blood is that?"
"Mine..." Jiang Hong said.
The black ruler had a strange sheen, and Jiang Hong felt as if his blood was seeping into it. After wiping for a while without getting it completely clean, he gave up and tossed it on the table, planning to ask the Magical Artifacts teacher about it tomorrow.
As they ate instant noodles, Jiang Hong quietly recounted what had happened in the Qilian Mountains, leaving Zhang Xiting extremely shocked.
Zhang Xiting said, "Didn't the principal ask you to keep it a secret? This is a major case, with Yinghuo secretly resurrecting ancient demons. How did they do it?"
Jiang Hong replied, "I think the principal meant for me not to broadcast it widely, but it should be okay to tell close people, right? He trusts my judgment."
As both Zhang Xiting and Jiang Hong looked at the object, Zhang Xiting said, "You better ask the principal when you get a chance. If it's an important artifact, it should be reported."
Jiang Hong didn't seem too concerned, saying, "Should I hand it over?"
Zhang Xiting said, "According to the Exorcist Committee's rules, if it's not an evil artifact, like something made with human souls or blood, you don't need to hand it over. It will be returned to you after identification, but of course, you can also donate it."
Jiang Hong uttered a "Hmm," and Zhang Xiting picked up the black ruler again, saying, "There's no evil aura; I don't think it's something filthy."
Jiang Hong: "It's pretty handy for scratching an itch, just the right length." Saying this, he picked up the black ruler to scratch his back.
"My turn now?" the lamp said. "Have you finished eating? Stop drinking the soup. Why drink soup with instant noodles? There's so much salt in it, it's unhealthy."
Jiang Hong: "How does a lamp that's been in a tomb for thousands of years know about the salt content in instant noodles?"
But then he thought that the lamp had also spent a long time in a magical artifact general store, probably learning this from the owner scolding his grandson.
The lamp said, "Jiang Hong, go find me a body, anything will do. I feel like I'm not going to last much longer..."
Jiang Hong: "To be honest, I don't know any magic, nor do I have any ready-made magical embryos. You'd better fend for yourself. As long as you survive tomorrow's Magical Artifacts class, you're of no use to me..."
Lamp: "Let me live! Please! I promise to repay you!"
Zhang Xiting said, "I can help you. The transfer method is actually quite simple, but I remember... didn't you mention some secret treasure last time?"
The mood instantly fell silent at these words. After a while, the lamp awkwardly said, "Sorry, I lied to you..."
Jiang Hong: "......"
Lamp: "But I can definitely be of use! Trust me!"
Jiang Hong rested his forehead on one hand, looking around for something to contain the lamp's spirit. He's room, cluttered with all sorts of things bought by He Jian, was now quiet at 3 AM. He wanted to settle this quickly and catch a few more hours of sleep.
Zhang Xiting said, "Let me help you draw a spirit-transfer circle. It won't take much effort." He went to get cinnabar and a brush. Jiang Hong suddenly noticed something at the foot of his bed, perfect!
"This isn't suitable!" The lamp immediately resisted its new body.
Jiang Hong: "Then forget it, you choose."
The lamp seemed torn, like a Libra, while Jiang Hong yawned from exhaustion. Five minutes later, disregarding the lamp's preference, Zhang Xiting activated the spirit-transfer circle. With a "hum," a faint golden light shone from the lamp, transferring into the new container. Mission accomplished.
"From now on, if you disturb our sleep, I'll throw you away," Jiang Hong, exhausted, climbed into bed and fell asleep in a second.
The next morning, the two-and-a-half-day-long specialized course exams officially began.
Jin was the last to arrive in the classroom, exclaiming, "Damn! Who put up a soundproof barrier around me? I didn't hear my alarm!"
Zhang Xiting: "......"
In the Magical Artifacts Theory class, everyone took turns introducing their project. The instructor, Luo Peng, scored them directly on a form. The best performance so far was Cheng Jiu's floral bonsai from Jiang Hong's class. A rose in an ecosystem that changed with the time of day and the seasons.
Amazing! Jiang Hong thought, why didn't I think of that? When placed outdoors, the glass case was filled with drifting snow, and the petals were frosted. When brought into a warm room, the petals unfolded, emitting a soft glow.
"To summarize," Luo Peng interjected, "this artifact is very creative. When we talk about magical artifacts or spiritual tools, everyone thinks of them as weapons for fighting monsters. But in reality, how many monsters are there to fight? Yes, they exist, but that's not our ultimate goal."
Luo Peng, hand resting on the flower case, continued, "An artifact like this is beautiful. It constantly reminds us of the passing of time. Even if it's not very useful against 'enemies,' I want students to remember while studying Magical Artifact Theory that all inventions and discoveries are meant to make life itself better."
Sparse applause followed. Luo Peng added, "Okay, next, let's have, um, Jiang Hong, come up and present his treasure."
Luo Peng glanced at the list, and Jiang Hong nervously walked up to the podium, feeling a tingling scalp.
"Um, hello everyone." Jiang Hong took out a Tmall Genie and placed it on the podium.
Luo Peng was wiping his eyes when he suddenly heard an outburst of laughter in the classroom.
It was early in the morning, and the students had been sleepy, but now they were all wide awake.
Luo Peng: "???"
Jiang Hong explained, "Actually, I found an antique with a spirit, but its original vessel was almost damaged. Last night, I transferred the spirit to this speaker. I drew a new chakra on the bottom."
"Oh," Luo Peng said, "very good, very good."
Jiang Hong showed everyone the Tmall Genie with a talisman paper stuck to its bottom, revealing the chakra, prompting another round of laughter.
Luo Peng asked, "So, what does this treasure do?"
Jiang Hong replied, "It's said to be over a thousand years old... I'm talking about the spirit, not the vessel." He glanced at his notes, trying to recall what he had planned to say the night before, but it had been too late, and his mind was a mess. Now he couldn't remember clearly.
"Can you demonstrate?" Luo Peng suggested.
"Oh right, of course." Jiang Hong said, "Its main function is to keep people company and chat to alleviate boredom. Its other features are still under development."
Everyone paused for a few seconds, then burst into laughter again. Jiang Hong, seeing this, thought that even getting a 'B' grade would be a generous act from Luo Peng. He decided to let loose, peeled off the talisman paper, and said, "Hi, Tmall Genie?"
The lamp spirit, now in the Tmall Genie, finally could speak and immediately said, "I told you, you can't use this shell!"
Jiang Hong: "Your opinion doesn't matter."
Lamp: "See, you are being laughed at now?!"
The two of them interacted like comic dialogue performers on a stage, making the audience laugh so hard they cried.
Jiang Hong, seeing the joy he brought to his classmates, felt quite happy himself. "Anyway, we can't score high, so making you laugh is worth it. This is a real treasure, genuine and refundable, not just an app on Tmall Genie with a talisman attached, pretending to be AI."
Lamp: "What nonsense are you talking about?! Wait till I absorb the spiritual energy of the universe, I will astonish you!"
"Hahahaha——" Even Luo Peng burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Jiang Hong introduced seriously: "The origin of this treasure, truth be told, came from a lucky draw at the magic store in the committee..."
Lamp: "This is also a kind of destiny."
"Hahahaha..."
Everyone found Jiang Hong's words increasingly hilarious, each sentence full of twists. The treasure kept interrupting with jokes, causing the entire classroom to erupt into laughter, with everyone wildly slamming their desks.
Jiang Hong: "Introduce yourself to everyone, what's your name?"
Lamp: "Forgot, just call it anything."
Jiang Hong: "What are you exactly?"
Lamp: "I don't know either, whatever you say I am, I am."
"Hahahaha——"
Amidst the chaos, in the magic treasure class, students from both classes laughed until they were out of breath.
Jiang Hong said: "This is my treasure. Alright, I think it needs a rest, and so do I, my head is about to explode."
Jiang Hong reattached the talisman paper, and the Tmall Genie became quiet.
"Let me see." Luo Peng, still wiping his eyes from laughter, took the Tmall Genie, examined it for a moment, handed it back to Jiang Hong without comment, and then asked the students to continue demonstrating their magic treasures.
Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief, regardless of the score, he had passed, and by the looks of it, he wouldn't fail.
After all the magic treasure demonstrations were over, the students left the class. Jiang Hong stayed behind for a while, taking his treasure to consult Luo Peng, who had more experience.
"Did you bring the original vessel?" Luo Peng asked.
Jiang Hong showed Luo Peng the original bronze lamp, and after Luo Peng had looked at it for a while, Jiang Hong was about to tear off the talisman to let Luo Peng interrogate the lamp spirit, but Luo Peng gestured that it wasn't necessary.
Jiang Hong saw on the roll call sheet that his name was followed by a grade of “B”. Although it was expected, he still felt a bit disappointed.
"This is an early Tang dynasty piece," Luo Peng said, "but the chakra was engraved during the mid-Tang period."
"Oh, seems like it." Jiang Hong actually had no clue and could only agree with Luo Peng.
Luo Peng asked, "What did the shop owner say when you bought it?"
Jiang Hong replied, "It was reportedly found in an ancient tomb initially."
Luo Peng: "Hmm… What color was the light when the spirit was being transferred?"
Jiang Hong: "Golden."
Luo Peng: "Ah, was the light very bright?"
Jiang Hong: "Not dazzling, just faint, a bit yellowish…"
Luo Peng: "Then I speculate it might be a remnant soul from a powerful demon beast."
Jiang Hong: "How powerful? What kind of remnant soul?"
Luo Peng: "Some demon beasts, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, need to discard their worldly desires and obsessions, similar to our concept of 'slaying the three corpses' to attain immortality. They separate unwanted emotions and seal them in an object, which then becomes the spirit of the artifact."
Jiang Hong: "Oh—!! I see!"
Thinking that teachers indeed know more, Jiang Hong listened as Luo Peng nodded and said, "It's just a possibility. It might retain some of the original soul's memories, or perhaps not, which explains its ignorance on many matters."
Jiang Hong: "Got it! Can it continue to cultivate?"
Luo Peng: "If the opportunity is right, yes. Some healthy remnant souls can transform through cultivation, like a cut branch that can be grafted and regrow, or a severed earthworm growing a new body."
Jiang Hong: "Will it turn into some untamable trouble?"
Luo Peng: "That depends on the nature of the remnant soul. Some great demons' separated parts are their murderous instincts, which are unsuitable. But your artifact spirit might be trainable, although the process still requires caution."
Jiang Hong: "Great, thank you, teacher. Could you please help me look at what this is as well?"
Jiang Hong took out a black ruler, which Luo Peng received, weighing it with a puzzled expression before starting to examine it with instruments.
"Hey," Luo Peng approached the black ruler with a jade bracelet, and the circular jade bracelet began to glow, reminiscent of the luminous jade used in the magic class by Xie Liao. Jiang Hong guessed that both items worked on the same principle; one was for detecting magical treasures, and the other for detecting people.
"This thing is quite powerful," Luo Peng said, "but I can't tell what it is. Where did you get it?"
Jiang Hong replied, "I picked it up in a ruin. Can you tell how old it is?"
Luo Peng, filled with hesitation, shook his head and said, "It might be even older than most of the magical treasures currently in the school."
Jiang Hong was startled and exclaimed, "Is it that incredible?"
Luo Peng asked, "Have you infused it with your magic?"
Jiang Hong said, "I don't have any magical powers."
Luo Peng then remembered that Jiang Hong was the only student in this batch who couldn't use magic, a mere mortal.
Jiang Hong asked, "Teacher, can you infuse it with magic to see what happens?"
Luo Peng, smiling amiably, said, "There's an unwritten rule among demon hunters that one should not rashly use another's magical treasure unless necessary."
Jiang Hong replied, "Oh... okay."
Luo Peng suggested, "I guess it might be a part of something else. When you can harness magical energy in other ways, try infusing it with magic. If characters appear on its surface, it means my guess was right."
Jiang Hong asked, "Is this thing safe?"
Luo Peng assured, "There's no evil aura, don't worry. The safety of most magical treasures depends on their owner."
Jiang Hong nodded and said, "Thank you, teacher."
Luo Peng also nodded, and just as Jiang Hong was about to leave, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Luo Peng had altered his grade in the column, changing a "B" to an "A."
Overjoyed, Jiang Hong shouted, "Thank you, teacher—!"
Perhaps in the few minutes that Jiang Hong had left, Luo Peng gained a deeper understanding of his magical treasure. It wasn't as bad as the demonstration suggested. Maybe the black ruler added some power, but regardless, getting an A made Jiang Hong incredibly happy!
