Wang Cang Hai sighed. “If it fell into the hands of someone with ill intentions, it would indeed be horrifying. Anything placed inside starts replicating immediately.”
As he spoke, he lifted the ivory chopsticks.
Wan San saw that the tips had already begun to bloat and warp, an unnatural growth spreading from where they had touched the basin—half-replicated, a sickening in-between state.
A powerful wave of nausea surged through Wan San. He nearly vomited on the spot. But then, remembering Wang Cang Hai’s near-pathological cleanliness, he forced it down. If he threw up now, he might never get another chance to eat and drink with this man again.
So he clenched his teeth and endured, swallowing back the nausea. For a long time, he didn’t dare to speak.
Wang Cang Hai continued, “The first time I touched the Treasure Basin, I accidentally brushed against the rim. I immediately felt something was off and let go, but look at my fingernail.”
Wan San looked at Wang Cang Hai’s right thumb and saw a double-layered fingernail growing from the tip.
“Fortunately, it only duplicated my nail,” Wang Cang Hai said lightly. “If I had grown six fingers, that would have been truly unsightly.”
“Can it replicate living things?” Wan San asked hesitantly.
“It can,” Wang Cang Hai replied. “But I didn’t want to experiment on animals, so I only tested it on plants. It perfectly replicated them—flowering cycles and lifespans remained unchanged, except that one plant became two.”
Wan San hesitated, then asked, “If the Treasure Basin were large enough… could it replicate a human?”
“If someone stood inside with just one foot touching the basin, maintaining a ‘golden rooster stance’ [a martial arts pose standing on one leg], then it’s very likely that an entire person could be replicated,” Wang Cang Hai said. “However, I’ve calculated that the larger the object, the longer the duplication process takes.”
So this was the parting gift Ji Mu left for Xi Wang Mu when he departed Kunlun Divine Palace. Wan San pondered this revelation. Xi Wang Mu had buried it beneath the desert where they first met—was she not afraid that mortals might one day unearth it?
Wan San’s expression grew solemn as he fixed his gaze on Wang Cang Hai. “Cang Hai, this artifact is too dangerous. It cannot remain buried in this tomb. What do you plan to do with it?”
Wang Cang Hai looked him straight in the eyes. “San-ge, the reason I brought you here to see the Treasure Basin… is because I want you to keep it.”
“Why me?” Wan San narrowed his eyes, then suddenly had a thought. “Wait… you’re not planning to have me mass-produce gold ingots to build your private treasury, are you?”
Wang Cang Hai’s gaze turned mischievous. “And what if I am? What would you do then?”
Wan San was silent for a long moment, his gaze shifting between the Treasure Basin and Wang Cang Hai. Then he said, “You just told me that Prince Xu, Zhu Gao, is planning a rebellion—and that you foresaw it through astrology. You intend to keep this from the Emperor and secretly disrupt the rebellion by cutting off their military funding and supplies. That means… right now, you need to control as much wealth and grain as possible, mobilize as many militia troops as you can, and secure water and land transport to ensure you have full strategic control.”
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