With a soft click, the library doors, sealed for hundreds of years, were slowly opened.
Ji Yuan stepped through first, a Yang Qi Lamp Talisman held between his fingers. At the slightest disturbance, he would unleash it without hesitation. Although the talisman's core had not yet been activated, it still emanated a faint yang energy, capable of repelling yin energy and specters with insufficient cultivation.
Upon entering the library, Ji Yuan found his preparations somewhat unnecessary. The profound and vast righteous energy contained within the building was several times more potent than it appeared from the outside. In such dense and weighty righteous energy, even beings with magical powers, evolved from specters into ghost cultivators, could not withstand it. A short stay might be manageable, but prolonged exposure would lead to at least a fall in cultivation, reducing them back to mere specters.
"No specters should be able to hide here, but it's still best to be cautious."
Ji Yuan surveyed the surroundings and said softly to Song He beside him, "Although I don't know why a library that breeds righteous energy would be in a place inhabited by specters, this might be the key to our safe escape."
The two men exchanged a look. Song He nodded slightly, immediately understanding the meaning behind Ji Yuan's words. They moved to the center of the library and, using flint and steel they carried, lit several oil lamps and candle holders on the desks. Then, each holding a light source, they began to wander among the bookshelves on the first floor.
The stern man and the young girl stood by the desk, watching their actions with confusion in their eyes. After a moment of contemplation, they, too, picked up a candle holder and began to wander around.
"The collection here is truly extensive!"
As soon as he arrived before a bookshelf, the young Taoist couldn't help but exclaim. As far as his eyes could see, there were countless Taoist classics, none of which were common versions found in the market. These were genuinely created by profound Taoist masters. The collection on just one bookshelf alone could be considered priceless, something even ordinary Taoist temples would not dare to hope for. A single book among them would be worth tens of taels of silver. With so many Taoist scriptures, including many original and rare editions, it was no wonder such a dense righteous energy was generated. Ji Yuan almost couldn't resist the urge to take them all with him.
He sighed softly, suppressing the craving in his heart, and began to search earnestly. However, after searching the entire floor, neither Ji Yuan nor Song He found what they were looking for.
"What exactly are you looking for?" the stern man asked, frowning.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan glanced at him and replied distractedly, "We're looking for the origins of this mansion's owner, such as autobiographies, family trees, or local chronicles." Typically, families capable of building mansions would write an autobiography, and family trees and local chronicles were essential for any prominent household. It was a pity that besides Taoist texts, there were no other books here, leaving Ji Yuan somewhat disappointed.
"Don't worry, there are still two more floors above," Song He said with a smile, pointing to the staircase. The young Taoist sighed, rallied his spirits, and ascended to the second floor. The arrangement here was similar to the first floor, with a desk in the center and sandalwood bookshelves lining the walls. However, compared to the floor below, there were not many books on the shelves here.
"Xiang Jia Gong... Qing Feng Jian Fa... Shui Huo Gun... Chang Chun Jing..."
Ji Yuan's gaze swept casually, and then he couldn't help but exclaim, "This collection consists entirely of cultivation techniques and martial arts!"
At these words, the stern man's expression changed. He immediately strode to a bookshelf and, using the faint candlelight from his holder, carefully scanned the books. A moment later, he looked around the second floor with a look of shock, realizing that this entire level was filled with Jianghu martial arts and cultivation techniques. Although their grades were not high, their value far exceeded the Taoist scriptures on the first floor. Any martial art or cultivation technique could cause a stir and conflict in the outside world, not only due to its inherent value but also because it represented a path to cultivation.
"A stroke of luck! This is a true opportunity!" the stern man exclaimed, his excitement making it difficult to maintain his usual aloofness. His eyes burned with desire. Although the number of books here was not as many as the Taoist scriptures on the first floor, the martial arts and cultivation techniques combined numbered at least thirty to forty. Selling them would earn a fortune that an ordinary cultivator might not accumulate in a lifetime. Even contributing them to his own sect would, with such merit, allow him to become a direct disciple, ensuring ample cultivation resources and a dramatically improved status.
"If I were you, I wouldn't touch any of these things," Ji Yuan said, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm. "This place has existed for hundreds of years, and these techniques themselves are made of ordinary materials. If not for the strong righteous energy bolstering them, they would have long turned to dust over the years. If you touch them now, you'll only get a handful of air."
The stern man didn't believe him and reached out to touch a book titled 'San Zhuan Qing Yang Gong.' The moment his fingertips made contact, the entire technique instantly turned to powder, and a portion of the righteous energy in the library dissipated. Seeing this, Ji Yuan shook his head expressionlessly and turned to walk towards the third floor, no longer paying attention to the grim-faced stern man.
On the third floor of the library, there were no longer Taoist scriptures or cultivation techniques but a dazzling array of various treasures. There were clean white jade plates, coral as red as blood, various jewelry shimmering with pearls and gems, and a large number of cultural relics and calligraphy and paintings. Each treasure here could no longer be measured by ordinary silver. Even the most valuable gold did not qualify to be displayed and collected here.
Ji Yuan's gaze swept over the treasures, but he remained unmoved, his heart undisturbed, showing no signs of greed. It wasn't that he scorned wealth, but he knew where he was. Apart from his life and safety, everything else was external. If he couldn't leave here alive, what meaning would even a mountain of gold and silver have? Chanting "Wuliang Tianzun" a few times, the young Taoist tried his best not to look at the surrounding treasures, lest he lose control and harbor any inappropriate thoughts. He walked through the dazzling display of precious items and finally arrived at a desk. On it, besides exquisite stationery, was a thick family genealogy. However, the space where the surname should have been was blank, and faint traces of ink could be seen slowly dissipating.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan frowned. He immediately thought of the ancestral halls where ancestral names were obscured by sin. The situation with this family genealogy was somewhat similar: under the erosion of sin, the family's fortune was dissipating. If all its fortune were to vanish, even if descendants were still alive, they would inevitably encounter sudden disasters, truly severing the root of their lineage.
"Found it?" Song He came up behind him, his gaze also falling on the family genealogy.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded slightly. After confirming that the material of this family genealogy was extraordinary and had not merely retained its outer form after hundreds of years, he reached out and carefully turned to the first page.