"What are you thinking about?" Feng Dingchu smiled faintly, with a hint of playfulness. "I'm just borrowing your Qiankun Chain to store it until I find a more suitable place."
"Let me store it?"
Chu Qianli took the imperial decree and pouted, "Aren't you afraid I'll secretly open it and take a look?"
After all, it was just a glance, it wouldn't destroy the imperial decree or anything. How could she have such good self-control and not look at a secret?
"You are not that kind of person."
Feng Dingchu's flattering words made Chu Qianli unable to shake them off.
Alas! This imperial decree could not be looked at. If she looked, she would become "that kind of person."
As she stored the imperial decree into the Qiankun Chain, she complained, "Uncle Jiu, you doing this... it's tormenting, you know?"
Wanting to look but not being able to, being able to casually open it and take a peek, but precisely because of her "noble character," she couldn't!
Her heart felt so tired!
Psychological torment was no less painful than physical torment.
She'd rather know nothing than have her curiosity lead her heart astray!
"Perhaps... it's not entirely unrelated to you."
Feng Dingchu sighed softly and looked up at the distant sky.
Chu Qianli saw that same helplessness, despair, and even a sense of having nothing to live for in his eyes again.
She quickly changed the subject, "Uncle Jiu, what is this thing?"
She picked up the only item in the wooden box that seemed out of place with its surroundings.
A lock?
"It's said to be the legendary Tiandi Lock."
"Tiandi Lock!" Chu Qianli was startled, and the lock almost flew from her hand!
The Qiankun Chain, the Tiandi Lock!
These were treasures on the same level as the Qiankun Chain. Why were they in Uncle Jiu's hands?
It was one thing for them to be in Uncle Jiu's hands, but why did it look so ordinary? Moreover, the way Uncle Jiu looked at it showed no trace of surprise.
Was this the proper attitude to have towards one of the most powerful treasures of the Qiankun?
Not even a hint of nervousness or respect?
It was too much!
However...
"Is this thing really the Tiandi Lock?" Chu Qianli looked it over and over, but couldn't see anything different.
It was just an ordinary lock, wasn't it?
"My senior brother gave it to me. He said it was, and I think he's right." Such a master as her senior brother, entrusting it to her on his deathbed, would not lie.
"But I also can't tell the difference between it and an ordinary lock."
Looking at it from all angles, it was just a lock, a simple lock, without any mechanisms, not even a keyhole.
To open it, one could only use brute force.
"Could it be that the treasure map is hidden inside?"
"The inside is solid," Feng Dingchu said. "I've studied it many times."
Chu Qianli lowered her gaze, looking at this dead lock.
Dead meant that the inside was solid.
What's more, it was just a lock, not locking anything. What could it hide?
Such a small lock, not much thicker than her finger... even Chu Qianli couldn't discern the mystery.
"Could it be that your senior brother... was playing a trick on you?"
"Impossible." Her senior brother had no sense of playfulness.
Chu Qianli still couldn't see any difference and finally could only stare at it.
"Let's put it away for now," Feng Dingchu said.
Chu Qianli was a little surprised, "Me too?"
"I have nowhere to store it." Carrying it on him made it easy to lose.
"Moreover, you have the Qiankun Chain. It's only natural for this Tiandi Lock to be with you."
Feng Dingchu waved his hand, "Let's go. After settling the villagers, we should return to the Imperial City."