Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

The female general then had a sudden realization and said, "No wonder it sounded so familiar, it turns out to be the man from the legends."

"Issue an order, a nationwide manhunt for a man in a green robe!" the female general commanded.

After that, she lingered on the riverbank for a long time before finally leaving unwillingly with her soldiers.

Once everyone had left, the figure of Lu Yu gradually appeared on the now-empty riverbank, his brows furrowed as he looked toward the river surface.

The woman lurking in the river had swum to the middle, where she remained unnoticed; however, perhaps due to the strong current there, her initially triumphant expression turned to shouts of alarm.

Having never swum in such rapid waters, she didn't know what to do; the forceful current, with its immense power, made it impossible for her to maintain her balance.

Even as she struggled mightily in the water, she still couldn't control her own body and was swept downstream. Her heart filled with fear in that moment—for this was the Mother-Child River, and if she carelessly swallowed a mouthful, she would become pregnant.

At that moment, she saw Lu Yu still on the bank and yelled loudly, hoping to get his help.

Just then, a surge of water rose from the river, carrying the pleading woman to the bank.

Still in shock, the woman looked around to see that she was safely on the bank, and joy spread across her face. However, her wet clothes clung to her, displaying her beautiful curves for all to see.

Quickly covering her body, she said with embarrassment, "Thank you for saving me, my name is Xuan Yue. What's yours?"

"Lu Yu," he replied softly, his gaze not on Xuan Yue but on the waters of the Mother-Child River. Just now, as he rescued Xuan Yue from the water, he had noticed something unusual about the river—it carried with it a thick Lunar Energy, an Innate energy even more precious than the Five Elements Qi.

Xuan Yue looked at Lu Yu's profile and felt somewhat unhappy. Despite being quite attractive herself, she seemed less appealing than the Mother-Child River's water in the eyes of this mysterious man.

After a while, Lu Yu finally turned and asked the dejected Xuan Yue, "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Could I hire you as my bodyguard?" Xuan Yue asked.

"Bodyguard? What made you think of that? Do I look like one?" Lu Yu laughed wryly, sizing himself up. No matter how he looked at it, he was nothing like a bodyguard.

"You may seem gentle and weak, with an air of scholarship, but you were able to remain undetected under General Xu's watch, and you used the water flow to bring me ashore. You must be a cultivator from the legends; therefore, I'd like to hire you as my bodyguard."

"And what do you plan to offer in exchange? You know, hiring a cultivator as a bodyguard doesn't come cheap!" Lu Yu asked with a smile, very curious about what cards this woman named Xuan Yue had up her sleeve to daringly ask him to be her bodyguard.

Xuan Yue replied, "I once read in a book that, many years ago, a very powerful cultivator who could move mountains and seas, capable of destroying the heavens and earth, entered the Kingdom of Women. In the end, the King had to use a bow and arrow to shoot him through the heart. But the cultivator was so powerful that he managed to drag his dying body out of the palace. By chance, I discovered where he fell, and if you are willing, everything he had on him will be yours."

Lu Yu quietly listened to Xuan Yue finish speaking, then asked doubtfully, "Since all his belongings are mine, what's the point of you looking for his shed skin?"

"I only want one thing from him."

"What's that?"

"An arrow, the one depicted in the ancient texts as part of a mysterious bow and arrow set. It's said that with it, one could find the National Treasure of the Kingdom of Women—the very mysterious bow and arrow that killed the cultivator." Xuan Yue's eyes glinted with an unusual light; clearly, the mysterious set held a special place in her heart.

This sparked Lu Yu's curiosity. He desperately wanted to know what this National Treasure of the Kingdom of Women really was, as his instincts told him it was anything but ordinary.

So he said to Xuan Yue, "All right, I agree to help you."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yue immediately responded with elation, "You can't go back on your word."

"I am a cultivator, and oaths hold special significance to us. Since I've promised you, naturally I won't regret it."

Five days later, on a rugged mountain, two figures were making their way. It was early spring, a time of growth and blossoms blooming everywhere, making the rugged, uninhabited mountain range exceptionally beautiful. The warm spring breeze blowing through the air, caressing faces, was exceedingly pleasant.
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"Are you sure you haven't remembered it wrong?" Lu Yu asked.

Xuan Yue was clad in rough hemp clothes, looking like a village girl. But even such plain clothes could not conceal her beauty. She furrowed her attractive brows, scrutinizing the shape of the mountain attentively, and only after a long while did she say, "It shouldn't be. According to the ancient texts, it should be right here."

Lu Yu was left somewhat speechless. Over the past few days, he had come to realize that Xuan Yue was very beautiful and intelligent, but in some respects, she seemed somewhat clueless, obviously the type who didn't get out much. She had not been hardened by society's harsh realities and was therefore somewhat naive.

With no other option, he had to use his Divine Skills. Thunder radiated from his eyes, and as his gaze swept across the forest, he indeed found something unusual—a man-made cavern hidden on the mountain flank, faint traces of a Formation surrounding it. Although many of these Formations had failed over the passage of time, some still remained.

"Found it!" Lu Yu said with a slight smile.

Xuan Yue, who was beside him, had been stunned the moment Lu Yu made his move. She had never imagined someone could shoot thunder from their eyes; that brief moment filled her with a touch of fear.

"Could it be that all men are this magical?" Xuan Yue wondered inwardly, her eyes fixated on Lu Yu, as if she could discern something from his face.

However, Lu Yu paid no attention to her musings. After spotting the cavern, he continued to walk at a leisurely pace toward its location.

In a short while, they arrived at a clearing where a spring of clear water emerged, providing a soothing moment for the travel-weary Xuan Yue. But looking around, she saw no sign of the cavern Lu Yu had mentioned.

"Are you sure you found the right place? There's no sign of a cavern here, just a smooth cliff and this spring of water." Xuan Yue asked, puzzled.