Chapter 83: Jinsheng (6)

The door to the Immortal Alliance station was knocked on again. This time, Daoist Zhuji didn’t even open the door. He listened as Meng Zhezhi cried outside, complaining that He Tingtong was committing murder and arson, that Qingyun Academy’s teaching was lax, and demanding an explanation.

Through the door, Daoist Zhuji said, “What do the students of Qingyun Academy have to do with my Immortal Alliance?”

Meng Zhezhi: “…”

Daoist Zhuji: “Joining the Immortal Alliance requires passing three tribulations and three trials. He hasn’t passed a single one, so how can he be considered an official of my Immortal Alliance? He’s just someone who came over to run errands. You blindly believed what you heard and fell for it, and now you blame me?”

“Furthermore, this poor Daoist is currently in closed-door cultivation. Cultivating in seclusion makes it inconvenient to receive guests. Fairy Meng, please return.”

Meng Zhezhi gritted her teeth. “Since that’s the case, don’t blame this junior for being ruthless and cutting out the tumor.”

Daoist Zhuji’s voice drifted out from behind the door panel: “Fairy Meng is truly righteous! Do as you please.”

Meng Zhezhi left in resentment.

Jialing City was brightly lit. People from the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly came and went carrying weapons, holding up portraits of He Tingtong and plastering them everywhere, conducting house-to-house searches, causing quite a commotion.

He Tingtong followed behind Xu Jingzhen. Both were masked, dressed in all black, and carrying a pocketful of ghost masks cast from pig iron. They hid near the main residence of the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly.

White mourning cloths fluttered in the front hall, but the residence was very quiet. Aside from a few people keeping vigil and burning paper money, the rest seemed to have all been dispatched outwards.

A strong wind blew, sending dust flying and the paper money on the ground spinning. The lanterns in front of the hall cast a ghastly white light, making the entire house look eerie and exuding a ghostly aura.

“I thought you would ask me to escort you back to Qingyun Academy.” Xu Jingzhen played with that crudely made token of the Wuqi Road. Pressed for time, he had forcefully squeezed it out using spiritual power based on memory. At a glance, it looked the part, but a closer look revealed crooked eyes and a slanted mouth.

Tossing the iron piece to He Tingtong, Xu Jingzhen supported his waist and twisted it, causing the joints all over his body to crackle. He leaned one hand against the wall and rested the other on his brow bone, staring at the courtyard for a couple of seconds, his tone melodious: “Why did you bring me here? Are you so angry you want to get some revenge? What do you plan to do? Burn down their mansion, flip the dead man’s coffin lid? Or are you planning to publicly expose his cause of death? Let me say this upfront: I’ll only act as a lookout for you, I won’t help you do bad things.”

“At the very most, I’ll carry you away and help you escape when you’re surrounded.”

“That’s absolutely wonderful. Lord Jingming, with your help, I will definitely be able to retreat unscathed!” He Tingtong turned his head and gave a thumbs up. The moment his voice fell, he had already darted out fiercely along the shadows. His usually steady voice carried a rare hint of excitement: “I’m going to write the character for ‘tragic’ on their President’s coffin lid, then frame the Wuqi Road, and let them bite each other like dogs.”

Xu Jingzhen: “…”

He hadn’t expected He Tingtong to actually dare to go. The words calling him to stop took a turn in his throat and were swallowed back down. He raised his eyebrows slightly, concealed his aura, and slowly followed.

After all, he was the one who had offered to bring He Tingtong out to play. Of course, the main reason was that there was only one bed in that dilapidated house, and Zhou Jinsheng was lying on it. He couldn’t very well have He Tingtong lie next to him, and sitting alone by the table all night would make him suspected of bullying a child, so he had no choice but to bring him out for some fresh air.

There had always been a tradition in the Qingyang Hall of the old guiding the new. He still had enough time right now, so helping He Tingtong sweep away some troubles over these two days to make his future easier could also be considered fulfilling the promise of “looking after” him he made to Qin Tan.

Inside the mourning hall, the candlelight burned brightly. The cultivation levels of the vigil-keepers were not high, and He Tingtong easily dealt with them using a few sleep-inducing talismans.

Pulling open the outer coffin, He Tingtong drew his long sword and carved the character for “wronged” (冤 – yuan) on the coffin wood.

Standing to the side, Xu Jingzhen pointed out: “Weren’t you going to write ‘tragic’?”

He Tingtong didn’t even look up: “This brother died tragically enough, and now he can’t even rest in peace after death. I think ‘wronged’ is more fitting.”

Xu Jingzhen glanced indifferently at the corpse. Just one glance, and his expression suddenly changed. He firmly pressed down on He Tingtong’s forearm, “Wait.”

He Tingtong looked up, his gaze carrying a hint of confusion, not understanding: “Lord Jingming, what’s wrong?”

Xu Jingzhen furrowed his brows and lowered his voice: “Why is… his life force not dissipated?”

If the life force hadn’t dissipated, it meant he wasn’t completely dead.

Rubbing his chin, He Tingtong craned his neck to look at the corpse in the coffin. Bold despite his lack of skill, he directly hauled the corpse out to inspect it. During the movement, the corpse’s head twisted around so the face and the back of the head swapped places. Xu Jingzhen’s eyelid twitched, and he reached out to steadily support it.

While chanting “sin, sin,” He Tingtong turned the head back around and searched the body twice more, then said in confusion, “He’s definitely dead. I checked during the day too. How could there still be life force left?”

Having been a teacher at Qingyun Academy for a few years after all, clearing up confusion for students had almost become a subconscious action for Xu Jingzhen. He immediately explained patiently: “A cultivator stores consciousness in the Spirit Platform and spiritual qi in the Elixir Platform. The person is already dead; logically, both his spiritual consciousness and spiritual power should have vanished. But looking at his Sea of Qi, his spiritual consciousness hasn’t completely dissipated, as if one spiritual soul and one corporeal soul are still retained in his body. This truly goes against common sense.”

He Tingtong looked up, his eyes sparkling, a face full of thirst for knowledge: “Why is that?”

“Step back a bit. I’m not asking you to step back to the door, seven paces will do.”

“Oh.”

Xu Jingzhen focused his mind, curled his fingers, and placed them on the corpse’s glabella, murmuring words in his mouth. A moment later, he pressed firmly against the glabella. Suddenly, spiritual light burst forth, and abruptly, the cold, stiff corpse in the coffin trembled all over! Its eyes glared wide, and a hoarse, shrill roar and howl tore from its broken neck. It suddenly jumped up!

Amidst He Tingtong’s startled cry of “Corpse revival!”, Xu Jingzhen didn’t say a second word. He pressed one palm down on the corpse’s skull and slammed it fiercely downwards. Amidst the sound of bone crashing against wood, the coffin shattered with a boom. A chilling ghostly aura and a damp, treacherous scent instantly permeated the entire mourning hall.

The man’s broken corpse fell to the ground. His head was completely severed, connected only by a tiny bit of skin and flesh. The head dangled from the neck as its mouth gaped wide, and its five fingers formed claws, swiping fiercely at the two of them.

Xu Jingzhen stood in front of He Tingtong, leading him to dodge the attacks, and explained patiently: “Don’t be afraid, it’s not a corpse revival. The evil path has a secret soul-extracting technique that can suppress the un-dissipated remnant soul of a person after death within their corpse, allowing it to be driven and used. This corpse should have been turned into a Yin Puppet.”

“I used spiritual power to probe his sea of consciousness; it’s merely a temporary stimulated reaction. After an hour, when that bit of spiritual power dissipates, he won’t move anymore.”

He Tingtong: “…”

“It’s strange to say, I’ve stayed here for so long, when did ghost cultivators infiltrate Jialing City?” Xu Jingzhen was totally baffled.

“Yeah, ghost cultivators are so scary,” He Tingtong chimed in, emphasizing the word “ghost” particularly heavily.

“You’re afraid of ghosts?” Xu Jingzhen suddenly looked towards He Tingtong, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

He Tingtong: “Slightly afraid.” Mainly afraid of a certain evil ghost surnamed Zhou.

The corpse possessed immense strength. Even though it was dead, the spiritual power on its body remained. However, likely due to limited vision, it stumbled and fell while clutching its own coffin, smashing the mourning hall into a mess.

Xu Jingzhen nimbly dodged an attack and smiled: “This twelfth-realm shell still has some capability after all. However, Yifeng, the President of the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly, is an artifact cultivator and isn’t good at fighting. Do you want to try it out?”

He Tingtong didn’t understand: “Try what out?”

But Xu Jingzhen had already leaped up to sit on the roof beam. Half-squatting up there, he pointed at the terrifying corpse, then pointed outside, smiling: “The commotion here is loud. In a cup of tea’s time at most, people will discover we’re causing trouble here. If you don’t want to be found out, use your greatest ability to subdue him.”

“Mhm, your cultivation is at the fifth realm. Although it’s not too high, this Yin Puppet’s head has almost fallen off, making it hard to distinguish directions, so you’re not at too much of a disadvantage.”

“I wonder, little friend He, how are your sword skills? Let me quickly see how Qin Tan usually teaches you.”

Xu Jingzhen’s tone carried a faint undertone of excitement.

He Tingtong: “…”

The corpse waved its hands, wildly digging at the ground. Its fingernails weren’t long, but its strength was truly too great; a single press left five finger indents in the bluestone floor. Helpless, He Tingtong drew his long sword. First, grabbing one with each hand, he threw the vigil-keepers he had knocked out earlier out the door. He dodged sideways, sliced the coffin lid in half with one stroke, and chopped down the memorial tablet with another. Amidst flying wood splinters, his sword fiercely clashed against the corpse’s palm.

The blade vibrated. Pig iron against a flesh-and-blood palm surprisingly produced a teeth-setting sound of shattering iron. In a mere instant, He Tingtong was sent flying backwards several meters. He forcefully twisted his body in mid-air, grabbed a spirit banner, took a deep breath, and as the corpse abruptly lunged over, he gripped the cloth and used the momentum to swing himself!

Like a carrot dangled in front of a donkey’s nose, He Tingtong swung back and forth, bringing down the fabric draped over the beams. In the ensuing chase, it became a tangled mess, tightly wrapping layer upon layer around the corpse with its dangling head in the middle.

“People are coming,” Xu Jingzhen reminded.

He Tingtong yanked hard, and the scattered fabric instantly snapped taut, tightly wrapping the corpse completely and suspending it in mid-air. However, fabric was ultimately fabric; with just a couple of struggles from the other party, the cloth emitted tearing and ripping sounds.

“Not bad, not bad. Your brain moves very quickly. Knowing your strength isn’t enough to fight head-on, you switched to trapping. If you were on my team, I would definitely award you a little red flower.” Xu Jingzhen leaped down from the roof beam, not forgetting to shatter the corpse’s Elixir Platform with a palm strike. With its spiritual meridians depleted, the Yin Puppet lost its power source and slowly let its four limbs hang limp.

The main doors were rammed against, accompanied by a roaring clamor of shouts outside, yelling about an attack, calling for backup, occasionally interspersed with a few curses. Inside the mourning hall, knocked-over candles licked at the white banners. Xu Jingzhen pulled the exhausted and panting He Tingtong up: “Let’s go!”

“Go out the back door, there are fewer people there!” He Tingtong threw the crudely made pig iron ghost mask token from his pocket into the brazier used for burning paper money. Then he pulled up his black cloth mask, leading Xu Jingzhen to charge out the back door.

At this moment, the mourning hall hadn’t been completely surrounded. As the two rushed out, they bumped right into a line of armed assembly members. In just one encounter, an array of swords, spears, halberds, wind, thunder, fire, and water were all hurled at them.

Xu Jingzhen didn’t even draw his sword. With a flick of his sleeve, his wrist guard suddenly came undone. A mass of pale cyan silk, like smoke and mist, abruptly unfurled, sweeping up everyone and tossing them aside, instantly clearing a path.

“Which way?” Xu Jingzhen asked. “You’re familiar with this place, you lead the way.”

He Tingtong: “Through the corridor, turn right, turn left, cross the courtyard, pass the prison, climb the wall, and break the formation.”

Xu Jingzhen: “Alright.”

The two moved incredibly fast, almost turning into a streak of ink in the night wind, bursting out of the heavy encirclement in the blink of an eye. Leading a mob of pursuers, they rushed into the backyard, only to bump into two other little thieves.

Yuan Xiaobai limped along; he had likely just escaped from the prison, shackles still hanging from his feet, being supported by his older sister as they moved with difficulty. Bumping into the hurriedly arriving He Tingtong and the menacing pursuers close behind him, the siblings’ pupils shook.

“Could Lord Jingming give them a ride?” He Tingtong asked.

“You’re quite kind-hearted. That little thief ambushed you first, then spoke insolently, yet you still remember to pull him out of the fire.” Reaching out to pat He Tingtong’s shoulder, Xu Jingzhen sighed in the midst of his busy schedule, “Truly worthy of being a good student produced by our academy.”

“If we don’t take them, they’ll die. Heaven cares for all living things.” He Tingtong turned to face the several cultivators chasing them. He raised his hand and threw out three immortal seal talismans. Fierce fire exploded with a boom, blocking the crowd. “I sent him in, so I’ll bring him out.”

“Alright then. For the sake of my familiarity with Qin Tan, I’ll let you order me around tonight.” Xu Jingzhen bent down and flicked his sleeve. That silk ribbon wrapped around the completely astounded pair like a snake. Amidst the youth’s startled screams, with a toss, a fling, and a kick, all three little ones were thrown out of the courtyard by him.

Dragging three people along, Xu Jingzhen broke into a mad sprint, displaying the superb escape skills of the second-ranked person on the Qingyun Heaven Rankings, and quickly disappeared into the night.

---

Meng Zhezhi rushed over upon receiving the news. With a dark face, she listened to her subordinates’ reports, passing through the main gates all the way to the mourning hall.

Looking up, she saw the main doors of the mourning hall wide open. The fire in the courtyard had been extinguished, but the smell of scorching still lingered in the air. The doors and windows were ruined, and a large hole had collapsed in the roof. From the crossbeam of the mourning hall, the corpse that should have been lying in the coffin was now hanging in mid-air, its nearly severed head drooping and swaying in tandem with its toes.

The coffin had blown apart. Amidst the debris scattered all over the floor, half a coffin lid could be seen, bearing a huge character for “wronged.”

People came and went in the courtyard, staring at this tragic scene, many whispering among themselves.

“I heard the President’s corpse revived, someone saw him move.”

“He can still move with his head cut off?”

…

“Could there truly be a wrongful death?”

…

Meng Zhezhi took a deep breath, turned her head to glare coldly at the trembling subordinates beside her, and said in a deep voice: “Are you all good-for-nothings? You can’t even guard a house? Who did this?”

“M-Madam,” a subordinate presented a pig iron ghost mask token. “This was found in the brazier, it should have been left by the murderer.”

Meng Zhezhi took it, her expression drastically changing upon seeing it: “The Wuqi Road?”

Clenching that piece of pig iron in her palm, she looked up at her husband’s miserable corpse, suddenly beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

The voices of her subordinates reporting beside her ears seemed to be separated by a layer of thick water mist, possessing an unreal, illusory feeling.

“Madam, there were about two of those thieves. One used talismans, the other used a silk ribbon… we couldn’t make out their styles.”

“No need to investigate further, withdraw,” Meng Zhezhi said with a pale face, her voice trembling. “Withdraw everyone. Go clean up the mourning hall. As for my husband… bury him after dawn.”

The group of subordinates looked at each other in dismay. Although they didn’t understand, they all obeyed orders and dispersed.

The moon was high in the sky.

He Tingtong leaned against a hidden corner of a wall, panting wildly. Beside him, the Yuan siblings shrank back like quails, warily staring at Xu Jingzhen, who was re-wrapping the silk ribbon around his wrist.

“Many thanks to the two Immortal Lords for saving us.” Yuan Xiaozhu suddenly knelt and kowtowed heavily. “If not for the two of you today, my younger brother and I would definitely have died without a burial place.”

Xu Jingzhen waved his hand, saying dismissively, “He told me to save you, go thank him.”

Yuan Xiaoqing lifted his eyes slightly, watching the man in black beside them pull down his black cloth, revealing that handsome and elegant face. He Tingtong raised his eyebrows, likely due to the excitement of escaping; his eyes were bright, looking exceptionally high-spirited.

“It was just on the way. Considering you two are still young, I saved your lives. Don’t do things like murder and arson in the future. The wind is strong lately, go find a place to hide.”

Yuan Xiaoqing widened his eyes: “…Why is it you!”

He Tingtong spread his hands: “Why couldn’t it be me?”

Seeing her brother about to argue with their savior, Yuan Xiaozhu smacked a palm down, pressing him into the ground. The young girl lowered her head, her tone solemn: “There is no way to repay the grace of saving our lives. I am willing to be driven by the Immortal Lord.”

Yuan Xiaoqing’s head moved, but he ultimately couldn’t overcome his sister’s arm strength. He lowered his head and repeated after her, “I am willing to be driven by the Immortal Lord.”

Seeing Yuan Xiaozhu’s resolute attitude, He Tingtong turned to Xu Jingzhen and whispered, “They have grown up in Jialing City since childhood. Perhaps we can ask them how to get to the Divine Dynasty Secret Realm, or if they have any recommended guides.”

As soon as the words “Divine Dynasty Secret Realm” were uttered, the siblings’ expressions both changed.

“The two Immortal Lords want to enter the Secret Realm?” Yuan Xiaozhu looked up and asked.

“He’s not going, I am.” Xu Jingzhen, still masked, had a pair of gentle, amiable eyes without any sharp edges. He half-squatted down to meet the girl’s gaze. “My friend is not long for this world. This trip is to find a life-prolonging spiritual medicine for him. Since you are familiar with Jialing City, why don’t you tell me where I can find a guide, or a map of the Secret Realm route? If you provide it, I will be endlessly grateful.”

The girl’s arm supporting herself on the ground trembled slightly. After a long while, she lowered her eyelids and said softly, “Those who enter the Secret Realm face nine chances of death and one chance of survival. You must pass through the Fen Feng Plains, the Hong Abyss, and the God-Burying Mountain, taking twenty-one days in total. The Fen Feng Plains have spatial rifts, the Hong Abyss has evil ghosts from the old dynasty, and the God-Burying Mountain has the tyrant’s chaotic spiritual mass. Encountering any of these means certain death.”

Xu Jingzhen’s eyes flickered slightly.

Yuan Xiaozhu looked up at him and asked softly, “What kind of friend is worth you disregarding life and death?”

“A life-and-death friend is naturally someone worth risking life and limb to save.” Xu Jingzhen chuckled, then turned serious: “You’re very familiar with the ruins’ route?”

“My mother was once the most capable guide in Jialing City.” Yuan Xiaozhu’s expression became dazed for a moment before turning resolute. “I have a map of the ruins and can guide the Immortal Lord.”

Yuan Xiaoqing violently leaped up, crying out in alarm: “Sister!”

“But I have one condition.” Yuan Xiaozhu’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. With her dark eyes wide open and full of stubbornness, she stated her price: “Five thousand spirit pearls. That’s the base price. If the Immortal Lord can give me five thousand spirit pearls, I will immediately prepare the items and guide you into the ruins.”

Five thousand spirit pearls were enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for eighteen lifetimes.

Five thousand spirit pearls were enough for her grandmother and younger brother to pay off their debts, leave Jialing City forever, and head to the Central State.

This price was truly not expensive. After all, anything brought out from the Divine Dynasty Ruins and resold even slightly would be an invaluable treasure. Guides were rare nowadays, all kept by the Mirage and the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly. The price for a single trip ranged from ten thousand to over a hundred thousand spirit pearls, and that was just for guiding, with no guarantee of coming out alive.

The merchant guilds were making exorbitant profits.

Yet there were still people constantly marching forward one after another for the sake of illusory divine artifacts, spiritual objects, and cultivation methods, eager to obtain the legendary inheritance originating from the ancient Emperors.

However, something unknown had happened in the ruins recently. None of the several teams that went in came out alive. In recent months, only one group had forged a new path, and the Mirage and the Silver Moon Ancient Assembly had even fought over the map, resulting in heavy casualties.

Everyone said the spatial rifts in the Fen Feng Plains had become even more distorted. Coupled with the summer heat, no one had dared to cross north of the Lake of Tears for the past two months. Her going to lead the way was, no matter what, gambling with her life.

Xu Jingzhen quietly studied the girl for a long time, then nodded in agreement.

“I will give you eight thousand spirit pearls. Go prepare the necessities for the journey.” Xu Jingzhen felt around in his clothes, took out a gemstone button, and tossed it to her. “How much time do you need to prepare?”

Yuan Xiaozhu cupped the clothing button adorned with intertwining floral branches, gripping it tightly. “Ten days. In ten days, I can have everything ready.”

“Alright.” Xu Jingzhen stood up. “In ten days, at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), wait for me at the entrance to the ruins.”

Receiving the order, Yuan Xiaozhu pulled along the shocked and red-eyed Yuan Xiaoqing and quickly walked away.

Watching Xu Jingzhen lightly toss out eight thousand spirit pearls, He Tingtong couldn’t help but pat his own flat pocket.

Truly worthy of the number one clan in the Nine Provinces, such tyrannical wealth.

The streets were noisy at night. Xu Jingzhen glanced at the sky; it was indeed still early.

“Alright, I still have ten days. If there’s anything else you want to do in these ten days, just ask.” With his arms crossed over his chest, Xu Jingzhen slightly raised his chin: “After ten days, I won’t be able to cover you anymore. While there’s still time, tell me quickly if you have any wishes.”

He Tingtong really wanted to say, How about you go kill Zhou Jinsheng right now? But if those words left his mouth, he would definitely receive a beating. So he could only continue wearing that foolishly sweet smile, pointing towards the center of Jialing City: “I want to go to the Mirage, and then to the Rakshasa Ghost Market.”

Xu Jingzhen: “To do what?”

He Tingtong: “Murder, arson, fighting, picking quarrels?”

Xu Jingzhen couldn’t help but give a thumbs up: “Ambitious, specifically looking for trouble for me.”

He Tingtong’s smile was slightly bashful: “With Brother Zhenzhen covering me, your little brother’s courage naturally grows a bit bigger.”

There were at least three merchant guilds; he had to scout out their true situations first to make the best use of everything.