The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 820 Lost Tactics

Li Qing opened the old-looking wooden box that might have passed for an antique if sold, and took out a sheepskin book bound with thread, the material of which was undoubtedly authentic, pure sheepskin, finely crafted to perfection, feeling exquisite to the touch.

He briefly flipped through it, glanced at the obscure text and diagrams of spiritual power pathways, and then put it aside.

Underneath this sheepskin book was another book, but this one was made of an even more peculiar material—it was actually made of bronze.

And it was extremely heavy, almost as thick as a dictionary.

Li Qing thought that this object might also be the Undying Life Technique, so he picked it up and set it aside, only to find that, apart from these two books, the box was empty, without anything else inside.

His heart yearned, more curious about the Earth-rank Magical Artifact than the cultivation technique. Could it be that his unreliable master had withheld it? Surely not?!

Previously, when they mentioned that they should examine it closely to confirm whether the Wu Family had left any contingencies, Li Qing had worried about this.

That conversation had always given him a feeling akin to a parent pilfering the New Year’s money of their child.

If they had directly stated they wouldn’t give him the item, Li Qing would not have had any complaints, for the Nine Truth Palace had expended a great deal of effort in this matter, and taking a portion of the spoils was completely reasonable.

But they had agreed to give it to him, and if they then schemed to take it back, that would be somewhat vexing.

Seeing Li Qing standing there somewhat lost in thought, Jing Yan couldn’t help but laugh and said, "The object you just picked up is the Earth-rank Defense Artifact. Its true name is Lost Tactics, though I don’t know why they chose such a name. The elders of the Nine Truth Palace and I have studied it and discovered that there really seems to be a strategic manual inside this artifact, but we just can’t figure out how to open it."

"The original purpose of this artifact was probably not as an artifact but as a container to protect the manual. However, amidst the changes of time, many things have been lost, and what remains now is just the mnemonic to activate it—the simplest way to do so. But indeed, it is a bona fide Earth-rank defensive artifact."

"I believe this object is actually more useful and practical for my husband than the incomplete Heavenly Rank secret technique," she opined.

With a look of bewilderment, Li Qing picked up the bronze book again and studied it carefully, "This is actually a defensive artifact? But how does it... defend? And about the name—it’s really haphazard. Lost Tactics? Isn’t that just like saying it’s tactics that have lost their name?"

Jing Yan smiled gently and nodded lightly, "That’s about right. This name was likely given by later generations; it probably wasn’t called that originally! As for how to use it, why don’t you wait a moment? Let me finish washing these clothes, and then I’ll teach you."

Li Qing nodded and asked, "Yan’er, you’re so knowledgeable, have you never heard of it before?"

"My husband, there are so many magical artifacts in this world, who can know how many there are? Besides, I have been in a deep sleep for a thousand years and don’t know what has happened outside. If it’s something from my era like the Soul-breaking Arrow, maybe I would know a thing or two, but I’m not clear about the others," Jing Yan said with a chuckle and a shake of her head.

"That makes sense," said Li Qing. "This artifact does look quite special indeed, I thought it was the true Undying Life Technique just now."

"I could tell," Jing Yan said with a smile, and continued scrubbing the two garments in the washbasin.

Although she once held the esteemed position of Princess Consort, she was very adept at such menial tasks and did not mind them at all.

Combining what she had said earlier, Li Qing speculated that Jing Yan, during her time as the Princess Consort, must have been an unconventional figure with no airs about her. While others vied for power and favor, she spent her days tending to plants and raising a group of small animals.

Jing Yan washed the two pieces of clothing in no time. Qin Wenjun, taking the initiative, picked up the basin and said, "You carry on, I’ll go hang these!"

This time, Jing Yan did not refuse. She simply thanked her, wiped her hands, took the Lost Tactics from Li Qing, and placed her palm on it. "Husband, although this is a Defense Artifact, it has a small drawback."

"You’re not going to say it can’t distinguish friend from foe in a fight and attacks indiscriminately, are you?" a sudden unease rose in Li Qing’s heart. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Jing Yan smiled and said, "That is indeed the case."

Li Qing was immediately taken aback.

His joking prediction had unexpectedly hit the nail on the head.

"However, it’s not as you think, indiscriminately killing anything in its path. If that were the case, it would be worthless, let alone considered an Earth-rank Defense Artifact," Jing Yan explained with a smile. "Once activated, the space around will be segmented, with a range of about thirty feet. The spot where you stand then will be the safe spot, and you must not move from there, or you will be shredded."

"With your current power, any slight movement would result in complete annihilation. No matter how you look at it, it’s still an Earth-rank Magical Artifact, and its lethality is comparable to a Nascent Soul. The good news is, with this artifact, as long as you have enough Spirit Stones, you won’t have to worry about anyone below the Nascent Soul Stage."

Listening to all these stringent conditions, Li Qing’s expression gradually became bewildered. "I gather that it’s quite powerful, but also severely restricted. It’s capable of blocking a Nascent Soul Stage attack, so it must be considered quite formidable among Magic Artifacts, right?"

Jing Yan nodded but immediately shook her head. "It is quite powerful among Magic Artifacts indeed. Earth-rank Magical Artifacts correspond to the Nascent Soul Stage, with offensive ones comparable to a strike from a Nascent Soul, and defenses comparable to the physical defenses of a Nascent Soul. All Earth-rank artifacts are capable of this."

"However, this artifact is somewhat special among the Earth-rank. It combines defense and attack, turning the offensive into the defensive. The only drawback is that once you activate it, you can only stand still and watch, unable to do anything."

"Also, it has another small flaw... which is that it consumes quite a lot of Spirit Stones. It needs ten Low-rank Spirit Stones to activate, and one can last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Li Qing was stunned. "Good gracious, the little money I have would barely last for an hour using it?"

"Although one hundred Spirit Stones would last a bit longer than an hour, it seems that’s about it," Jing Yan estimated.

Li Qing instantly became truly unsettled. This thing was simply a gold-devouring beast.

How precious Spirit Stones were these days!

It demanded ten stones just to be activated, and continuous feeding while in use. Surely only the extravagantly wealthy could manage that?

"But its life-saving effects are quite good, much stronger than an average Earth-rank Magical Artifact," Jing Yan said with a smile. "I will recite the mnemonic of its secret technique for you, my husband."