Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Deep within the flower's heart, a translucent purple Gu was curled up, emitting a faint hissing sound, as if resisting the sudden sunlight.

Li Maozhen's slender fingers traced the surface of the clay sculpture, the dust on his fingertips carrying a hint of rusty, metallic scent.

At that very moment, the purple Gu suddenly trembled violently, then turned into green smoke and dissipated.

Immediately afterwards, the strange flower withered and died at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it had completed some ancient mission.

"Click—"

Suddenly, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the clay sculpture, and small pieces of clay fell down in a flurry, like an ominous sign.

"I see." Li Maozhen's eyes flickered slightly, and he murmured in realization.

He recalled the "Soul Returning Technique" secretly passed down in the Twelve Caves—the most mysterious Gu technique in Raojiang, capable of connecting the lives of people and things.

The person under the spell falls into a deep slumber, and the corresponding object becomes the key to awakening them. This clay sculpture before us is the medium to awaken a key figure.

Even more ingenious is the Gu flower killing formation on the clay sculpture. The purple Gu and the strange flower complement each other, capable of causing those who look directly at it to experience a fatal hallucination, tempting them to commit suicide. This Rao Jiang Sacred Gu has guarded the Dragon Spring Treasure Box for decades.

"This rotten soil..." Li Maozhen rubbed the soil between his fingers, squinting his eyes: "It's eerily gloomy; only the burial soil of Shu has this quality."

He turned to look at Qin Chuan, his voice low:

"The person who knows the whereabouts of the Longquan treasure should be awakening somewhere in Sichuan by now."

Two similar pairs of eyes turned to Meng Zhixiang simultaneously. The real and fake Li Xingyun tacitly understood each other—with the help of this lord of Shu, finding the person was a piece of cake.

"There's no need to trouble the King of Shu."

Qin Chuan's voice was calm yet undeniable. He mounted his horse, his blue robe fluttering in the evening breeze.

"Set off immediately."

The sound of horses' hooves clattered as the three men and three riders disappeared along the winding mountain road outside Chang'an.

The fake Li Xingyun rode closer to Qin Chuan and lowered his voice: "Young Marshal doesn't seem to be in a hurry to find the treasure?"

Qin Chuan gazed ahead, nine beams of mysterious light flowing through his meridians:

"Once the holy child awakens, he will leave his mark."

Upon hearing this, Li Xingyun frowned.

He knew that the fake Li Xingyun was testing him—while Yuan Tiangang's attitude was still unclear, the attitude of this young marshal of the Bad Guys was of great importance.

As night fell completely, Qin Chuan reined in his horse and stopped. In the distance, the mountains were shrouded in mist, and the nearby valleys were as deep and dark as ink.

"We'll rest here tonight."

He dismounted with a fluid and graceful movement.

The fake Li Xingyun landed lightly, dusted off his sleeves, and said, "The young marshal has chosen a rather unique place, far from any village or shop, just right..."

His gaze swept meaningfully over Li Xingyun: "...to settle some personal grudges."

Li Xingyun silently removed the saddle, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

A campfire was lit, and the firelight cast the shadows of the three people onto the rock wall, making them appear distorted like demons.

Qin Chuan sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing, with nine beams of mysterious light surrounding his body, forming a natural barrier.

The fake Li Xingyun squinted and observed for a long time before suddenly speaking: "Young Marshal, in your opinion, who is more suitable to sit in that position, me or him?"

Li Xingyun scoffed, "Let's see if he'd even bother with a fake like you."

"You—!" The fake Li Xingyun suddenly stood up, his eyes burning with anger.

"How was it?" Li Xingyun slowly stood up. "Did you hit a nerve?"

The fake Li Xingyun said no more and threw a punch, the wind of which was fierce and aimed straight at his face.

Li Xingyun dodged to the side and delivered a backhand elbow strike. The two exchanged blows, the force of the air creating a powerful gust of wind that sent sparks flying from the campfire.

"You can't even defeat me, how dare you, a fake, talk about the world?" Li Xingyun sneered, his fist flashing with golden light.

The fake Li Xingyun used the opportunity to step back, shaking his numb arm: "Li Xingyun, do you think refusing to become emperor is noble? The chaos in the world is due to the lack of a leader!"

"What do you know!"

Li Xingyun's attacks intensified, his fists raining down like a storm. The two fought to a frenzied madness, causing rocks to crumble and dust to fly.

Just as the killing move was about to be unleashed, Qin Chuan suddenly opened his eyes.

The two words exploded like thunder. An invisible pressure suddenly descended, and the two men froze simultaneously, blasted back several feet by the overwhelming force.

The fake Li Xingyun staggered to his feet, his face deathly pale—just a moment ago, it felt as if he were facing the might of Yuan Tiangang!

Qin Chuan's blue robe fluttered even without wind, his gaze sharp as lightning: "If you want to fight, wait until you find the treasure."

The night was still, save for the crackling of the campfire. The imposter Li Xingyun, suppressing his churning inner energy, forced a stiff smile: "Young Marshal, impressive skill."

He glanced at Li Xingyun, whose breathing was also disordered, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

Qin Chuan said no more and closed his eyes to continue practicing his skills.

Nine streams of light swirled around him, casting flickering reflections on the rock face.

Several days later, even though Qin Chuan intended to slow down his journey, the three of them still arrived in Chengdu.

The streets of Chengdu were bustling with noise.

As soon as Qin Chuan and his two companions entered the city, they heard an angry curse:

"Stop right there! You dare to freeload?! You're asking for it!"

The shop assistant rushed out of the shop carrying a rolling pin. Ahead of him, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in exotic Jiangnan clothing, was fleeing.

Clutching half a half-eaten camphor tea duck tightly in his arms, he ran wildly across the puddles on the bluestone slabs, startling a flock of sparrows pecking at the food.

Qin Chuan's black boot tip blocked the boy's path at that moment.

The boy couldn't stop in time and crashed headfirst into the arms of the man in the blue robe.

"Wait a moment, sir." A silver ingot flew through the air, and the shop assistant hurriedly dropped his rolling pin to catch it with both hands.

Qin Chuan lowered his eyes to examine the boy in his arms; he looked exactly like the clay sculpture in the Longquan Treasure Box.

"It's him!" Both the real and fake Li Xingyun recognized the Holy Child.

The child suddenly trembled violently, letting out a whimper like that of a young animal. He stared intently at the two similar faces, fragments of memory flooding his mind like venomous bees.

When Emperor Zhaozong was blessed with his tenth son, the whole country rejoiced.

The traitor Zhu Wen seized the opportunity to rebel, and all the eunuchs were killed by Zhu Wen and replaced with people from Liang.

The Li Tang imperial family was growing weaker and weaker. Emperor Zhaozong knew that Zhu Wen had rebellious intentions, but he could only keep quiet about it.

Just as the Tang Dynasty was about to run out of power, in order to protect the Longquan Treasure buried by Emperor Xizong Li Xuan, Emperor Zhaozong devised a countermeasure and secretly met with the Imperial Preceptor Yuan Tiangang.

Afterwards, Yuan Tiangang personally went to the Twelve Caves and reached an agreement with them.

The Holy Child was chosen at that time and followed Yuan Tiangang and the other envoys from the twelve tribes to the Central Plains.

The messengers of the Twelve Caves cast a spell on the Holy Child and the Dragon Spring Treasure Box, allowing the Holy Child to remember the location of the Dragon Spring Treasure.

From then on, the child fell into a deep sleep, awaiting the day he would awaken.

Only by meeting Li Xingyun can he reveal the secret of Longquan.

"I remember now, Li Xingyun..."

The holy child regained his composure, then suddenly prostrated himself on the ground and respectfully addressed Li Xingyun:

"Your Highness, today is the day our clan fulfills its promise. We will reveal the secrets of Dragon Spring in full."

Although the real and fake Li Xingyun looked the same, he was still able to distinguish the real one by his aura.

"The dragon hangs in the sky, its loyal eyes can be discerned. On the southeast bank of the ancient ferry, there are fields and gardens. Nothing in the world is constant, only the mirror can straighten one's clothes."

The six cryptic words were spoken by the child saint.

It turns out that he didn't know the exact location of the Longquan treasure either.

Chapter 101 Facing Yuan Tiangang!

The dragon hangs on the horizon; could the treasure of Longquan be suspended in the heavens?

The fake Li Xingyun looked up at the gray sky, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the scars on his face.

The damp air unique to the Chengdu area stung his wounds, but it was far less painful than the stinging of the doubts in his heart.

"On the southeast bank of the ancient ferry, there are fields and gardens..."

Li Xingyun softly recited the clues left by the holy child:

"The ancient ferry crossing on the Yellow River, in the southeast, in the Jin region... the place where crops and gardens are located, refers to the salt marshes?"

"Salt lakes? There are so many salt lakes, large and small, in the Jin region!"

The fake Li Xingyun sneered.

Qin Chuan stood three steps behind the two, his hands behind his back.

He had his eyes closed, seemingly uninterested in the discussion, but every word of the conversation was clearly audible to him.

His internal energy was circulating, reaching a state of complete absorption, yet he maintained a subtle connection with his surroundings—a sign that he was about to break through.

"Loyalty can be discerned by sight, and one's own heart is known only to oneself; yet who can guarantee that a person is truly loyal?"

Li Xingyun suddenly changed the subject, his gaze drifting towards the fake Li Xingyun.

"Unless this person is already dead, and everyone says he was loyal!" the fake Li Xingyun retorted defiantly, "such a person can only be Guan Yu, the Marquis of Zhuangmou!"

The two stopped almost simultaneously, a similar glint of inspiration flashing in their eyes.

"The treasure of Longquan lies in the hometown of Guan Yu, Jie Liang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange wind suddenly swept across the sky above Chengdu.

Qin Chuan suddenly opened his eyes, as if lightning flashed in his pupils.

He felt the true energy within his body surging like a river, and he was just one step away from breaking through.

The three fell silent, each pondering the last two unspoken words: "Nothing in this world is constant; only a mirror can straighten one's clothes."

Li Xingyun frowned.