The box wasn't large, square in shape, and the metal corners were quite worn. The etched dragon and phoenix patterns on the lid had become blurred.
There was no mechanism or hidden catch at the lock, just an old gold-plated copper lock hanging askew.
It appeared worthless, the kind even thieves would disdain.
Yet, the more Zhang Ze looked at the box, the more familiar it seemed to him.
Because he had once owned something similar.
Back in White Jade County, when Xiao Qingyun approached him to join forces, the meeting gift was a Taisui.
The Taisui was housed in a box carved with dragons and phoenixes.
The Taisui later went missing, but Zhang Ze kept the box.
He used it to store books or various odds and ends.
Zhang Ze got up, came forward, and fiddled with the old gold-plated copper lock. Its cold touch sparked memories in him; even this lock was quite similar to the old one.
He tapped the box gently with his fingers, and a hollow echo sounded from within.
