Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 731 - 710: Heroes Emerge in Chaotic Times
"If it's about gathering information, it's not that complicated." Jiang Yuan thought to himself, isn't this just perfect?
I was just thinking about finding an opportunity to pick up the side task, making a phone call, as Qu Luming from the Fengdu Underworld's Leopard Tail, wouldn't he know more than a mere Yin Messenger?
Taking out the Communication Stone, Jiang Yuan clicked on Qu Luming's "phone" in the interface, and it was quickly answered on the other side.
"Mr. Jiang! Oh, I've been thinking about when I could invite you for tea, but I've been tied up with some matters here. What brings you to seek me today?" Qu Luming was initially troubled, but upon realizing it was the mysterious Mr. Jiang, the scent of top-grade incense made him swallow a mouthful of saliva, and a smile unconsciously filled his overly pale face as he spoke.
Jiang Yuan briefly relayed the information Jin Lang had gathered.
Qu Luming immediately became alert, "May I ask where Mr. Jiang heard about this matter?"
"A few days ago at the Golden Chicken River Market, is it really possible?"
"Of course not!" Qu Luming slapped the table to deny it, then patiently explained, "Sir, we are not outsiders, so I won't hide anything. As a Yin Messenger, indeed one can see the timing of life and death for mortals, but for cultivators, it's not necessarily the same.
Simply put, the higher the level of the Yin Messenger, the higher the realm of cultivation with the Ghost Immortal Scripture, the more they can see. Generally, a Yin Messenger can't discern the timing of a cultivator's death and disappearance; after all, they are not under the jurisdiction of the Underworld; this is one; 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Secondly, with the assistance of the Soul-Binding Rope and Mourning Stick, a mortal body might be able to borrow a corpse to return the soul. If a cultivator's life force is completely gone, not even a Yin Marshal can replace the soul to bring the body back to life.
If it were truly that simple, why would cultivators seek the path to immortality and hope for ascension?
They would just maintain good relations with the Yin Messenger, and when their lifespan was running out, they would consciously let their soul emerge and find a new body, and so on. Let alone having such a big loophole, if there were even the slightest possibility, the Three Realms would be in total chaos!
I heard a while ago that an evil cultivator was deceitfully impersonating a Yin Messenger and swaggering around, but this matter wasn't handed over to me, so I didn't pay much attention. Today I found out from you that there is such a rumor in the Golden Chicken River Market; I will dispatch subordinates to investigate. If they can catch the perpetrator, I will surely reward you generously for your help!"
Oh dear, it's deceitful.
After Jin Lang heard the eerie response firsthand, he was suddenly frightened and glad he wasn't lured to go back to the shop to fetch Spirit Stones. How much could a small store earn in Spirit Stones? If he were truly deceived, all those years of painstaking savings would be gone!
Upon hearing this, Huang Hanying secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When faced with too many uncertain choices, one might hesitate and even regret in the future. But with only one option left, there's no more internal conflict, life and death are in fate's hands!
Leng Yutang silently marveled at Mr. Jiang's extensive connections, knowing even the Yin Messengers of the Netherworld, which made himself seem insignificant. It made him feel desolate, pondering whether he would ever have the chance to get a meal at the small courtyard again.
"I have a few friends here at Golden Chicken River, feel free to speak if you need any help." Upon hearing the word "evil cultivator," Jiang Yuan was immediately interested, as that stuff was extremely nourishing!
While the two Artifact Refiners were studying the Chaotic Heaven Bell; Granny Huang went to the shop to tidy up, he took the opportunity to stroll around the market, hoping to trace any signs of the evil cultivator and find a chance to absorb it to extend his lifespan.
The other party quickly expressed gratitude, leaving Jiang Yuan perplexed as to why the side task had not been triggered. Since the call was already connected, he thought it wouldn't hurt to chat a bit more, so he asked: "Sorry to bother you today, Brother Qu, there's one more thing I'd like to ask.
I've heard that over in the Netherworld, many ghost cultivators have been gathered to investigate something. I had a friend who planned to travel with me, but we've never been able to find time. Do you know anything about this, Brother Qu?"
Initially, he thought about asking the other party for a favor to let Tang Qin out, so he could quickly wander around the void and collect some more land.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Qu Luming's voice lowered significantly, returning mysteriously: "I'm precisely entangled by this matter and can't get away at all. Please bear with it for a few more days; it's not something suitable for discussion, let's talk in detail when we meet."
After hanging up the contact, Jiang Yuan's curiosity was piqued: what on earth had escaped from hell? Yin Messengers and ghost cultivators were both alerted, and yet it was still unresolved after such a long time.
"It seems there's no other way." Huang Hanying thanked with a smile, saying: "Thank you for thinking of me in everything, I won't be coming back in the future, so I'll give the shop downstairs to you. The old lady doesn't have much money left, I can only express my gratitude with the small shop for your care and life-saving grace on ordinary days."
"Ah?! This, this cannot be, Granny you..." Jin Lang wanted to refuse, but the words stuck in his throat.
He couldn't possibly say that you could recover your health and continue being neighbors when that time comes.
This isn't a mere injury, but the loss of a body; to live in a soul state until now is already a miracle, but with more time, I fear...
At this point, saying anything more seemed pointless, and he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.
Granny Huang was a good person, but unfortunately, her kindness received no good reward. She picked up a child and nurtured him so diligently, yet his greed got her killed; who could you reason with?
"Don't worry or feel sad for me, everyone has their own destiny. As long as one's heart is at peace, this life is not in vain. I have no attachments to speak of, so I'll go downstairs and tidy things up. Later, I'll give you the deed to the house, and you can find the Market official to handle the paperwork." Huang Hanying slightly bowed and then gracefully descended the stairs.
Her soul temporarily resided in the Ink Jade Space, which had plenty of storage room. All materials needed by a Puppet Master could temporarily be placed inside.
Though prepared for the possibility of death and the end of her path, a person of cultivation has a righteous heart and firm will. If she decided to take action, she aimed to succeed in reincarnation in one swift go. She needed to prepare thoroughly for her rebirth, such as recording all Puppet Master experiences, to have a reference when retraining.
Other matters, such as introduction to Puppet Mastery, cultivation heart methods, techniques, specialized tools, etc., needed to be properly prepared to prevent Mr. Jiang and others from being clueless about where to start in their teaching.
Granny Huang closed up the shop and went off to tidy up alone. Jiang Yuan took the Chaotic Heaven Bell out from his Storage Bag, smiling, "I promised you last time that you'd have a good look at the runes on the bell. There's nothing happening today, so you can take your time to look."
The small Chaotic Heaven Bell released from his palm and turned taller than a person, standing in the center of Jin Lang's small shop. His eyes lit up immediately, as he hurriedly approached, eager to imprint all the runes into his memory at once.
"This is..." Leng Yutang had never seen the Chaotic Heaven Bell before, only hearing it briefly mentioned by Mr. Jiang. At that moment, seeing it for the first time, he was stunned!
It was covered with runes he had never seen before, and he couldn't bear to look away.
Only Artifact Refiners understand how enthralling these runes engraved on a Magical Treasure could be! His expression mirrored Jin Lang's, as he rushed over in two steps, eyes wide, examining it closely.
[The runes engraved on the Chaotic Heaven Bell]
Jiang Yuan leaned in, eyes wide, straining to see but finding no clues. The system's identification details were equally perfunctory.
"You two go ahead and study it, I'm going out for a walk." Seeing their eyes glowing green, staring at the runes, he wasn't sure if they could hear him. Jiang Yuan smiled helplessly before turning to leave, thoughtfully closing the shop door behind him.
A fine drizzle still fell, layers of buildings lit up with hazy candlelight through the misty rain.
He flew his sword to the upper level's Dingxiang Tea House. Jin Lang had heard some news here, so he ordered a pot of tea to sit under the eaves, tasting tea and enjoying the rain, while using the courtyard's communication device to operate his workshop, multitasking efficiently.
Meanwhile, after putting away the Communication Stone, Qu Luming furrowed his brows, "Dingxiang Tea House of Golden Chicken River Market? Golden Chicken River again? It's always that place with the most happenings, need to inform the main body, investigate thoroughly!"
Thinking of the main body, he felt even more stressed.
Getting skinned by City Lord Yuan Man was still fresh, he hadn't even gone to settle accounts with the main body yet. Damn it, all the bad things fall on the clone, while he relaxes entirely!
"Knock, knock, knock!"
A leisurely knock came, Qu Luming's expression changed in a second, lounging lazily in his chair, "Who's there?"
The room door opened, and the Judge slipped in, seeing him comfortably sprawled out, laughing, "You're really adept at dodging work. You're tasked with assisting in the pursuit of an escapee, yet you're lazing here?"
"Aren't you also free? Big Brother, don't point fingers. We both know, those prisoners have been running for so long, the higher-ups kept the news tightly under wraps, only calling us in when they couldn't hold it anymore, surely not a good sign."
Qu Luming stretched lazily, shifting into a more comfortable slouch, lowering his voice, "If they had been upfront from the start, united in search and capture, it wouldn't have blown up like this.
When they couldn't find any trace after a while, furtively gathering those barely usable Ghost Cultivators to search, yet still not asking us, this waters run deep."
The Judge flipped his long robe and sat, chuckling, "What? Afraid of being silenced afterward?"
"Before figuring things out, better be cautious. Not afraid of being silenced, but I reckon when they asked Ghost Cultivators for help earlier, they had planned on silencing them after success, otherwise, why seek their help over us? Now? Can't keep it under wraps, if they can't find any soon, trouble's gonna start."
"So what if chaos ensues?" The Judge toyed with his pen, coldly snorting, "In this age, when is it not chaotic? Where is it not chaotic? The End of Dharma Era, it will only get more chaotic, mark my words, stranger things will happen in the future."
He paused, a sinister smile appearing on his ghostly face, "But then again, they say the End of Dharma Era is the time to clear accounts, yet I've heard it's also when the Upper Realm is most anxious. If you can endure the turmoil of this chaotic age, it's easiest to achieve fruition.
There's a rumor that the last ascended Immortal achieved it in less than ten years from starting cultivation! In peaceful times, without a thousand years of accumulated practice, achieving ascension? Dream on!"
Qu Luming, contemplating this, "Makes sense, as the saying goes, heroes emerge in troubled times, the more chaotic, the more opportunities. However, you'd need the ability to climb upon the bones of the fallen, or in widespread chaos, countless cultivators may end up with nothing but bones."
"Which is why I'm reluctant to get involved, just get by." The Judge jovially steered the topic where he wanted, "Nowadays, striving to become stronger is the way. Otherwise, if you do encounter a jailbreak escapee with a heavy treasure, you might lose what took years to cultivate, your efforts in vain.
Boosting strength, aside from studying the Ghost Immortal Scripture, we can only rely on incense offerings. I heard Brother Qu acquired quite a treasure, hiding away to enjoy alone, unwilling to share even a bit, Brother Qu, this isn't fair!"
