Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 145: The Isher Secret Treasure

At the same time, Sophia and the others quickly left the scene and rested behind a small hill not far away.
“Father, are you okay? Don’t scare me!” Sophia said almost in tears, continuously emitting streams of golden light from her hands. The sweat on her forehead showed that she was relying solely on her mental strength after repeatedly using her divine power, and her energy-enhancing gem ring had shattered.
Orsini, on the other hand, was pale and trembling violently. The mental strength he had barely mustered to deal with Ouyang Ziyi’s group had vanished again. Fortunately, Sophia’s sacred power gave him a glimmer of life, allowing him to stay somewhat conscious.
“Bogule, when will our people arrive?” Orsini asked intermittently.
“Replying to the Duke, they should arrive within half an hour at most! By the way, Duke, as for those who died—if the local police learn about what happened there…” Bogule asked cautiously.
A hint of sorrow flashed in Orsini’s eyes. Those were his elite troops, and he never expected them to suffer such a surprise attack and die in a foreign land! Yet he spoke firmly, “Ignore them for now. In such situations, the local government will surely have specialized departments to handle it. I’m sure they’ll handle the whole incident discreetly and keep it secret! The most important thing now is to quickly reunite with those who are coming to rescue us and reach Castle Xiangbo as soon as possible!”
After saying this, he slowly closed his eyes as if using up all his strength, resting while relying on his daughter’s sacred power.
Bogule, following Duke Orsini’s instructions, contacted those sent to rescue them, constantly directing them to the correct location.
After a while, with Sophia and the two nuns’ combined efforts to heal him, Orsini finally opened his eyes again. His complexion had improved significantly, and he waved his hand to signal that they could stop.
Only then did Sophia and the two nuns withdraw their sacred power and collapse to the ground, exhausted.
Having regained some strength, Orsini seemed to remember something and asked Sophia softly, “Do you know those people who came later?”

“Well, yesterday when I sneaked out, I happened to run into them in a store. The man with the sniper rifle and the Eastern woman beside him were a couple. They seemed quite special—at least the man was extremely wealthy. They almost bought all the clothes in the store! Their demeanor indicated they must have received a fine aristocratic education. From his appearance, he didn’t seem like a pure Frenchman but rather a mixed-race person. That contrasted sharply with his aristocratic demeanor…” As she spoke of this, Sophia seemed to forget her fatigue, her eyes shining as she described it in detail.

Orsini understood what his daughter meant. Not only in France but throughout Europe, these nobles or ancient families placed great emphasis on the sanctity of bloodline. Any violation would likely result in being expelled from the family, completely disowned.

However, Orsini agreed with his daughter’s guess. “Your guess is likely correct. He must be a noble. Do you know who those bodyguards around him are?”

“I don’t!”

“They’re part of the special guard unit tasked with protecting royalty and ancient nobles. The Blood Thorns!”

“Really?” Sophia exclaimed in surprise. Her father’s confirmation filled her with excitement, as if her beloved had been praised. Thinking of this, Sophia’s mind once again recalled Ouyang Ziyi’s appearance, her persistence and romance in love, her decisiveness and passion when shooting, along with her lazy, indifferent smile, her gentlemanly demeanor, and her mysterious Eastern charm. All these traits combined to create an indescribable aura that she simply couldn’t forget. A blush appeared on her face, and her expression was filled with youthful longing…

Duke Orsini paid little attention to his daughter’s expression and instead fell into deep thought, considering several famous ancient families in Europe, hoping to find some clues about this man.

Meanwhile, Bogule kept a close eye on every move Sophia made, especially when she talked about that so-called unique mixed-race man and his supposed aristocratic demeanor. In his eyes, he resembled a playboy—more precisely, a effeminate playboy. At this thought, Bogule spat angrily, imagining the pleasure of slamming his fist into that guy’s face. Like Sophia, he too lost himself in fantasies, his face showing a lustful expression.

Meanwhile, the people around Ouyang Ziyi, looking at the ancient castle before them, could find no other words to describe it beyond their initial exclamations. The entire castle was located at the end of the main courtyard, with a neatly trimmed lawn in front resembling a green carpet. In the center stood a row of grand, wide stone steps, and the front of the building featured twenty floor-to-ceiling windows. There were also three side wings, with all the decorative layers made of diamond-like stones.

“Welcome, welcome our lovely little Ziyi…” Butler Doan, along with a group of servants, had been waiting outside. Upon seeing Ouyang Ziyi, he opened his arms, slightly choked up with emotion, and said excitedly.

Seeing this, Ouyang Ziyi’s eyes immediately turned red. Ignoring the gazes of others, she rushed into his arms and said softly, “Grandpa Doan…”

Butler Doan appeared to be around seventy years old, of medium build, dressed in a dark suit. His short white hair shone like silver, giving him a particularly energetic and vibrant appearance. His loud voice made it impossible to detect any signs of old age.

After a brief moment of joyous reunion, Ouyang Ziyi, with a red face, introduced Chu Tianyu and Li Rou. Grandpa Doan then examined Chu Tianyu carefully, his eyes shining, and nodded in approval.

Seeing that Grandpa Doan remained silent and kept staring at Chu Tianyu, Ouyang Ziyi hurriedly said to ease the situation, “Grandpa, Major Laiyin escorted us all the way here. He’s also worked hard. Why don’t you invite him in for a drink of the grape wine we make here?”

“Haha, look at my memory! Getting old really makes one useless! Major Laiyin, thank you for your dedication. Please come in…” Grandpa Doan invited him with a smile.

“No, we have other tasks. Now that everyone is safely delivered, could you please sign this receipt? That will complete my mission!” With that, Laiyin took out a document and handed it to Doan.

Doan looked at Ouyang Ziyi hesitantly, as it was she who had made the invitation. Ouyang Ziyi knew that due to what had just happened, Major Laiyin must rush back to report in person. So she didn’t try to hold him back and said elegantly, “That’s too bad. I hope Major Laiyin can visit us again in a personal capacity next time!”

“Of course, I’d be delighted, Miss Ouyang!” Major Laiyin replied politely.

After completing the handover with Major Laien, Duan took Ouyang Ziyi and the others onto a specially equipped convertible car in the castle and drove inward. Along the way, there was a narrow lake surrounding the lawns. As they drove around it, they noticed a small, brightly lit auditorium attached to the castle, with an arched roof and intricate carvings. It was richly decorated, with an observation platform and an ancient clock on top. The gardens, sculptures, and lush paths along the way were truly delightful and breathtaking. Upon entering the castle, its golden walls and luxurious atmosphere were self-evident!

However, throughout the journey, Chu Tianyu noticed something: from the moment they entered the castle, a small creature with a rabbit’s head and long fur, wearing a crown emblem, appeared from time to time on the carved walls. This was one of the royal symbols Ouyang Ziyi had described to him the previous day. According to her, it had been a symbol of the royal family since Louis XII, and those who bore this emblem represented the castle’s past glory and the nobility and honor of its owners!

But Chu Tianyu didn’t ask further, believing that as they delved deeper into the place and dealt with the inheritance matter, everything would naturally be explained clearly.

Grandpa Duan had prepared a sumptuous dinner for them, allowing Chu Tianyu and Li Rou to truly experience the manner and distance associated with noble dining. During the meal, they even had to use walkie-talkies to communicate, highlighting the length of the dining table! Although the seating distance was unusual, it didn’t affect their enjoyment of each dish. Though they were all authentic French dishes, Chu Tianyu and the others didn’t feel any discomfort eating them. After all, when cooking reaches a certain level, it becomes delicious to anyone! Clearly, the dishes here had reached that level!

After dinner, at Grandpa Duan’s arrangement, they didn’t visit the entire castle but went straight to a study. Behind the bookshelves, they entered a secret room, which was essentially just an additional room within the study.

Originally, Duan planned to talk to Ouyang Ziyi alone, but at her insistence, Chu Tianyu and Li Rou also sat there, with Grandpa Duan translating every word she said word for word.

Duoan first mentioned, of course, the disappearance of Sister Xin and Uncle Ret. Obviously, this was pretty much the same as what had been said over the phone, so it seemed they would have to rely on Chu Tianyu to go to the scene and investigate in person.

Next, Grandpa Duoan explained in detail the circumstances of this inheritance and outlined the contents of the estate. When Ouyang Ziyi translated it, it came as a great shock to Chu Tianyu and Li Rou. It turned out that Ouyang Ziyi’s one-eighth bloodline traced back to King Louis XIV! The famous King of France who declared, “I am the state,” and took absolute monarchy to its peak…

All of this was beyond imagination. It was then that Chu Tianyu suddenly understood why the castle was covered with carvings or inlays of that emblem everywhere… But the more he understood, the more questions arose: Why had the castle remained intact in the hands of Louis XIV’s descendants and not disappeared after the French Revolution? Why could Duoan, merely as a butler, mobilize special guards to protect VIPs? Why, after Ouyang Ziyi’s grandmother passed away, had she designated her as the heir to this estate? What kind of grudges or relationships existed between Ouyang Ziyi’s mother and her entire family, leading to her never setting foot in Europe again after marrying Ouyang Boshu?

However, obviously, all these questions were answered one by one as the conversation progressed. It turned out that Castle Yishé had served as a secret annex to the Palace of Versailles, designed to store several sacred objects seized by Louis XIV. A direct royal family member came there incognito to guard them, and several archbishops with extraordinary spiritual powers were summoned to seal these sacred items. By sacrificing their physical forms and transforming their energy, they became guardian spirits that would forever accompany these relics. The sudden disappearance of those archbishops became an unsolved mystery at the time!

Moreover, thanks to some divine protection, Castle Yishé survived the outbreak of wars and continued to exist. Its owners used the vast wealth left by the King of France to guard it silently. Each generation of guardians miraculously managed to persuade any ruler to grant the castle permanent protection…

Hearing this legendary and miraculous story, Chu Tianyu and the others were drawn into the distant 17th century, the glory of the King of France, and the various legendary experiences of this castle.

Even Grandpa Doan, who was telling this legend, seemed lost in endless memories. It took him a long time to realize what to do; he then took out a thick ancient book from a hidden compartment in the secret room and solemnly handed it to Ouyang Ziyi, saying, “Miss Ziyi, everything is recorded in this ‘Yi She Declaration.’ But only those with the bloodline of the Sun King can read it!”
Ouyang Ziyi couldn’t help but take the heavy declaration. Chu Tianyu, who was beside her, suddenly sensed a faint energy fluctuation coming from the book, which seemed quite strange—likely the very reason it was forbidden.
“Grandpa Doan, can I read it now?” Ouyang Ziyi asked carefully, holding the book.
“Oh, my lady, not yet. Even those with the Sun King’s bloodline need the light of a full moon to unlock its prohibitions by shedding blood! What I just told you was all passed down by the old lady herself…” Grandpa Doan explained.
“I see. Then, Grandpa Doan, do you know what sacred objects are locked away in this castle?” Ouyang Ziyi asked next.
“These sacred objects are locked away at different levels. I only know of two—the two holy artifacts under the first seal. The old lady said they are the Spirit Bow and the Holy Ring…”