Chapter 301: Shihuo Pig

Chapter 301: The Fire Pig of the Chamber

Who was San Niang?

She was a turtle... a Xuanwu!

Not only was her cultivation renowned across the world, but her understanding of the Four Symbols Sect was such that only Zhuque could even discuss it with her. Even she could only decipher that this was a curse inscription of a certain nature; to extract its full content would take years of painstaking study. Yet Zhao Changhe, with a mere touch, had grasped it.

Even a superficial understanding was still understanding—it was the leap from zero to one!

Had his comprehension of the Azure Dragon’s image crushed even her Xuanwu?

Zhao Changhe, seeing her dazed expression, dared not take liberties. He carefully withdrew his hand and waved it before her eyes: “Hey...”

“Ah...” San Niang, still in a fog, somehow blurted out: “That fast?”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

San Niang suddenly snapped back to reality. Her eyes darted, and she grinned mischievously: “No matter, ten-odd breaths is already impressive.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

San Niang nudged him: “Hey, what did it feel like?”

Zhao Changhe said crossly: “What do you want me to say?”

Though it was quite pleasant to touch, could he really answer that?

San Niang, too, realized the ambiguity in her words. She coughed dryly: “I meant, how did you manage it? Did it hurt your head? What was the cost?”

“Comprehending this thing is a headache, like a spike drilling into my soul—hard to bear. As for the cost, it’s not too bad; maybe your wound was too shallow.”

San Niang looked down at her arm. The cut had been shallow, barely bleeding, the kind that would heal on its own in a few days. Now it was smooth and fresh, not a trace left.

Even a shallow wound was a divine art. If she took this trick to the sect, she could make a crowd kneel in awe, easier than Maitreya’s preaching.

San Niang hesitated.

This was a forbidden technique of the Azure Dragon, one of the core pursuits of the Four Symbols Sect. She wondered if he would be willing to share it...

Then Zhao Changhe said: “Let’s go back to the stronghold. I’ll write down some insights for you... but I don’t know if they’ll be useful. It feels very abstract, hard to put into words. I’ll try my best.”

With that, he ducked into the tunnel first, adding: “If you want to move this coffin back, you can have the brothers from the stronghold help. The more hands, the better.”

San Niang stared blankly at his retreating figure.

Another free gift?

It wasn’t just about giving; it was how natural it felt, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

San Niang glanced down at herself. She was still wearing his coat.

This fellow was quite the gentleman, not taking any advantage. The embarrassment of being seen couldn’t even flare into anger, so she had to pretend nothing was amiss.

And then, nothing was amiss.

San Niang pursed her lips and followed him out: “Why are you in such a hurry to crawl out? Wait for me!”

“Splash!” The two emerged from the waterfall cave, sealed the formation at the entrance, and stepped out of the pool.

By the poolside, a group of men were about to strip off their clothes, hands on their belts, staring dumbfounded at the man and woman stepping out of the water.

Zhao Changhe was equally stunned: “What are you all doing here?”

The bandits stammered: “B-bathing. Boss, what are you doing?”

We were about to bathe, hadn’t even taken off our clothes yet. And you? Down to just an undershirt—what were you up to?

The air went still for a moment, and all eyes fell on San Niang’s attire.

Zhao Changhe’s coat wrapped around San Niang’s graceful figure, hiding every curve.

The gazes gradually shifted to an expression of “I understand”—grief, outrage.

The boss was truly inhuman.

San Niang pulled her sleeves tight, her face expressionless.

...

San Niang did not stay the night.

That day, back at the stronghold, Zhao Changhe wrote an abstract formula—whether it could be used to cultivate the technique, he wasn’t sure. San Niang wrote a letter recommending the bandits to the Blood God Sect.

They exchanged the papers, feeling like schoolboys and girls passing notes in class, without a word spoken the entire time.

After the exchange, Zhao Changhe called out to a bandit: “Liuzi! Come here!”

The bandit scurried over, stole a glance at the stern-faced San Niang, and whispered: “Boss, what’s your order?”

“It’s too cold here in winter, not fit to live in. I’ll be leaving soon too, and there’s no one to teach you all martial arts—a waste of your prime years. I’ll give you some travel money. Head south to Wushan and find Sect Leader Xue. Present this letter, and he’ll take you in, maybe even give you good positions.”

Liuzi took the sealed letter skeptically: “Boss, since when did you have such pull with Sect Leader Xue?”

Zhao Changhe put on a stern face: “Am I not impressive enough now?”

Liuzi did believe that Zhao Changhe, now famous across the land, had some influence. Sect Leader Xue would likely welcome these bandits, who already had ties to the Blood God Sect. As for good positions, he figured the boss was just boasting.

Liuzi tucked the letter away with a sheepish grin and asked: “Boss, where are you headed in this cold?”

“Every corner of the world can be home.”

“Boss, you can fool the brothers, but don’t fool yourself. We’ve got experience now—we’ve long guessed you’re about to be dumped by another new wife...”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

San Niang: “...”

Zhao Changhe scowled: “Before you leave, pick four dark-skinned men to help with a job.”

“What job?”

“Carry a coffin.”

No one knew why the coffin-carriers had to be dark-skinned, not even San Niang. As Liuzi scratched his head and went to pick the men, San Niang finally sighed: “Now I see why Zhuque is always thinking about killing you.”

Zhao Changhe rubbed his forehead: “Let’s talk nicely, don’t always imitate that fierce woman.”

San Niang said lazily: “I’m easygoing, not that violent. The way you talk to me—better not use it on Zhuque. Back then, she didn’t kill you because of your star sign, but now it’s hard to say. If she’s in a bad mood, she might take your head. Don’t joke around with her. Save your banter for Yihuo Snake; don’t be flippant with Zhuque.”

Zhao Changhe felt San Niang was rather mild-tempered... Several times he’d expected her to lose her temper, but nothing happened. In truth, she was genuinely displeased, her usual grin gone. He sensed she wasn’t unangry—it was just that by the time she wanted to flare up, the moment had passed.

A turtle, after all.

Though when he first saw her at Huangsha Market, she had risen up and killed someone—that was likely a necessary show of force, to build her image. Otherwise, with her lazy nature, dawdling for years over killing a Hu commander, she probably wouldn’t bother to cut a throat even if someone stuck their neck out for her.

Compared to Zhuque, one was fierce, the other slow—they complemented each other. In internal affairs, Zhuque handled personnel and war, while San Niang managed finances, rituals, and the like, often slacking off. She’d used the excuse of searching for the Xuanwu secret realm in the north to hole up in Huangsha Market, driving Zhuque crazy trying to consult her.

Zhao Changhe even wondered if Zhuque’s ferocity was born from frustration with this good sister—maybe she wasn’t so vicious by nature...

San Niang said again: “Do you know what benefit the final unlocking of this Azure Dragon secret realm brings to me and Zhuque?”

Zhao Changhe said: “Just filling in what the Four Symbols Sect lost.”

“Not just that.” San Niang spoke slowly: “The five elements counter and generate each other. The four symbols are not mutually exclusive; they intermingle. For example, Xuanwu’s Dou constellation is the Southern Dipper, which governs life—the same principle as the rejuvenation technique you just unlocked, cross-validating each other. Or Zhuque, though she governs death, she is reborn from fire—also a meaning of vitality. Your breakthrough here benefits both of us greatly. If I can step into the third secret vault this time, you’ll have played a crucial role.”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head, unsure why San Niang was telling him this.

Then San Niang pulled out a fiery red pig-face mask: “This is the Fire Pig of the Chamber. Don’t think fire belongs only to Zhuque’s subordinates—this is directly under my command.”

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Sanniang shoved the mask into his hand. "If you won't join the sect, so be it. I'm giving you this identity—no need to answer to anyone, and it comes with its own advantages. When you stir up trouble you can't handle, and disguise won't cut it, just use this identity, and our Four Symbols Sect will shield you."

As she spoke, she winked. "If you're chasing after Yi Huo Serpent, this identity makes it easier to get close, doesn't it?"

Finally, she slipped back into her grinning demeanor, hands clasped behind her back as she strolled away. "I hear you were running around Sword Lake City wearing pig masks—that's fate, hehe."