Eternal Life Starts as a Hunter-Chapter 385 - 144: Blood Money, Spiders, Dolls, Dogs—The Full Paradise Garden Experience
Li Yuan immediately sensed that Cui Family Patriarch was hiding something, but his expression didn’t indicate any "harm to him" or some "unknown sinister plot." It was just a "peculiar" unspeakable feeling.
He quietly took note of this and didn’t press further on the matter. After all... pressing for answers would only raise alarm without getting results.
...
An uneventful night passed peacefully.
Aside from the roars of some wild animals or wandering Demon Beasts from the mountains, nothing else happened.
There were no midnight assaults, eerie events, massacres, or life-and-death escapes.
The second night...
The third night...
In no time, five days had passed.
However, the team tasked with "surveying the terrain" had found nothing.
The senior members held a meeting and decided to let the disciples continue their exploration, while they headed to the nearby mine.
A branch of Divine Wood Hall existed around the Paradise Garden, with two Fifth Grade members stationed there. The reason was that this mine held the largest Blood Crystal Ore and Soul Iron Ore in Mianzhou Path.
Li Yuan accompanied the senior members there, traveling by flight.
Besides Jing Banfeng and Cui Wuji, there was also an Elder from the Gu Family.
Cui Wuji carried Li Yuan throughout the journey, and when they saw the flickering red and black crystalline stones in the distance, they had arrived.
Two Fifth Grade Elders from Divine Wood Hall were stationed there, one from the Gu System, the other from the Jing System, ensuring balance with one from each system wherever they were.
The Elders welcomed the visitors and arranged a decent meal at noon.
However, the remote location had no special features, as even food was transported from nearby towns.
Subsequently, the group started discussing matters.
During the conversation, the two Elders occasionally curiously observed Li Yuan. They knew he was considered a "Mascot" of the reconciled Gu and Jing Systems and was also a genius Weapon Forger and Beast Tamer.
Jing Banfeng looked at the Elder from his system and asked, "We are investigating Paradise Garden. Since you’ve been stationed near this mine, have you ever encountered anything strange?"
The Elder recalled, "The mine is not in the Ghost Realm, so nothing major has occurred. But occasionally, there are cases of disappearance..."
"Disappearance cases?"
"People would suddenly vanish from inside a room without leaving a trace, and they weren’t escaping either."
Cui Wuji suddenly asked, "Was the room empty of others when the disappearance occurred?"
"When someone disappeared from a room, there was no one else present, as we’ve been unable to confirm if the missing are alive or dead.
Thus, an unspoken rule was formed in this mine: never be alone."
"If someone was alone, would something definitely happen?"
"Not necessarily, it’s just that all the disappearances occurred when they were alone."
Cui Wuji said, "I’ve heard of Evil Ghost Tools used in Corpse Walking; they usually exhibit some kind of ghostly power.
We once encountered many doorknobs that sealed and attacked when one person was locked inside...
However, that attack wasn’t strong. Even Sixth Grade disciples could survive it."
Jing Banfeng said, "Elder Cui might not be aware, but these Evil Ghost Tools are categorized, and the ones found in large quantities are the lowest tier...
It seems the doorknob might be connected to Paradise Garden."
Cui Wuji’s eyes lit up, saying, "Isolation leads to incidents. So, henceforth, when operating on this land, never act alone."
Jing Banfeng nodded, praised, "Indeed," then thought for a moment and suddenly said, "These past few days have been fruitless, maybe we should change our approach.
If Corpse Walking Props inherit Evil Ghost traits, then understanding the ghosts means partially understanding these tools’ capabilities.
Instead of wandering aimlessly around the perimeter, it’s better to send condemned prisoners directly into the Ghost Realm to investigate."
Cui Wuji laughed, "Patriarch Jing, insightful."
Though they usually opposed each other, when it came to action, they both had ideas.
At this moment, their harmonious cooperation felt rather intriguing.
Cui Wuji asked the stationed Elder from the Gu Family, "Do you have a map of the Paradise Garden Ghost Realm?"
The Elder replied, "Patriarch, the Hall Master instructed us to make one as detailed as possible. We have a rough sketch, but it’s not accurate. Paradise Garden is large with ever-changing boundaries; it varies each year, hard to estimate."
"Then give us a copy."
"No problem."
The group examined some details and, seeing nightfall, decided to stay overnight.
Considering the principle of "Isolation leads to incidents," they paired up in rooms.
At this point, there were two choices: share a room with a maid provided by the mine, or with a partner.
Li Yuan chose the latter, sharing a room with Cui Wuji, each sleeping on separate beds, thus passing the night.
...
The next day, morning, it was clear.
The group departed and returned to the original cliff, using the "Paradise Garden Ghost Realm boundary map" to advance deeper.
Since nothing happened on the outskirts, they moved to the inner region...
More condemned prisoners were transported from nearby towns.
And, due to the limited capacity of large prisons, the number of condemned prisoners was also limited. Divine Wood Hall disciples began searching for nearby bandits and outlaws, and reviewing town records to capture those with "numerous offenses but have evaded death penalties" due to various reasons.
In this regard, Divine Wood Hall was quite Righteous Sect-like.
...
Several days later...
Nothing of note was found in the outskirts either.
Divine Wood Hall disciples began driving the condemned prisoners and outlaws into the "ambiguous boundary," a zone that "might be the boundary or may have already changed, but couldn’t be confirmed."
```
