Chapter 233 - 176: The Dark Web

Chapter 233: Chapter 176: The Dark WebZhou Xuan asked: "Is the kidnapper’s influence in Mingjiang Prefecture that big?" "Very big! The kidnapper became powerful due to their Hall Master. Their Hall Master is extremely clever and knows well the art of ’management.’" "I didn’t expect that the kidnapper was so cowardly in Ping Shui Prefecture. When my master made a move, they were scared away back to Mingjiang. Who would have guessed they’re so ruthless in Mingjiang Prefecture..." Li Chengfeng: "..." Your master is Seven Incenses! When someone as renowned as Seven Incenses makes a move, who wouldn’t be afraid? "Besides your master being Seven Incenses, there’s another reason. The kidnapper’s foundation in Ping Shui Prefecture isn’t deep, coupled with Ping Shui Prefecture’s laws tightly controlled by the God Traveling Department, the God Traveling Department exerts significant oversight on the kidnapper’s experts. Speaking of which, High Priest, you are the Zhou Family’s Nuo God, which means your sister must be Zhou Lingyi." "Yes, but my sister holds a relatively small position and is just a Night Patrol God within the God Traveling Department." "That’s because your sister is only willing to serve as Night Patrol God! She is recognized as the Old Hall’s number one Witch... If she wanted, she could easily be appointed Ping Shui Prefecture’s Night Traveling God. If that happened, Ping Shui Prefecture’s Night Control wouldn’t be Lord Jiu but your sister, Lord Hua!" Zhou Lingyi’s ’Red Spider Lily Curse’ had once left a heavy psychological shadow on many Tangkou in Mingjiang Prefecture. In Mingjiang Prefecture, those who knew about Zhou Lingyi all called her ’Hua Girl.’ "But your sister has a calm demeanor, always keeps a low profile. Almost none of the Tangkou big or small in Ping Shui Prefecture know that she is the Old Hall’s Witch or the Night Patrol God. However, her reputation in Mingjiang Prefecture is huge. Mingjiang Prefecture is the Old Hall’s Main Hall." "When your sister and your master joined forces, how could the kidnappers, with their weak foundation in Ping Shui Prefecture, not retreat?" Li Chengfeng used to have two sources of confidence: one was his Incense Fire Level, and the other was his knowledge of Mysticism. Therefore, when he connected with Zhou Xuan’s link, he immediately assumed the role of the first Daoist Guardian for Blood Well and the Nuo God. But now, Weak, helpless, Li Chengfeng sighed to himself, thinking—Even if I’m not the first Daoist Guardian of the High Priest, at the very least I am his first Great Scholar under him. While he was lost in thought, Zhou Xuan was already studying the four Blood Well Human Brains. "Old Li, these four Blood Well Spiritual Communicator brains seem to have sharp perception; each one is almost as strong as mine." Zhou Xuan observed the Blood Well Human Brain, and the brains simultaneously observed him. All four brains extended their perceptive power into his soul, emitting sounds akin to "lamentation." The intensity of their perception was something Zhou Xuan could clearly feel. "There are only five Blood Well Human Brains in all of Jing Country. Two are already in complete decline, and only three are still in use." Li Chengfeng said: "A total of twenty brains. They were found fifty to sixty years ago when Jing Country exerted its entire national power to seek out Blood Well Spiritual Communicators with the highest Perception. They were specially trained in the spiritual lineage, and their Incense Fire Level is also high. Despite the support of Spirit Communication Technique and Incense Fire, their perception still pales in comparison to yours. That’s why the Blood Well chose you as the future High Priest." "Don’t speak for a moment; I feel a resonance between the Blood Well and these four brains." Zhou Xuan’s soul descended into Li Chengfeng’s physical frame, yet the link to the Blood Well and Divine Revelation remained intact. He saw Fei Yue within the Divine Revelation Secret Realm vibrating gently, accompanied by faint sobbing sounds. Black Water transformed into large fish swimming tenderly within Fei Yue, as if offering comfort. After partitioning Monk Zhu Jiu’s remains, Black Water representing Divine Revelation and Fei Yue representing Blood Well no longer seemed as hostile as before, but rather showed a sense of mutual sympathy. The Blood Well mourned for the "Blood Well Human Brain." And the Blood Well Human Brain seemed to sense this sorrow, pressing closely against the water tank, inching closer to Zhou Xuan, closer still, like fish returning to their birthplace, a visceral sense of intimate connection arose. Zhou Xuan even felt that if he allowed the Blood Well Human Brain to truly re-enter the Blood Well, the Blood Well would undoubtedly be elated and joyful. This bond would deepen significantly between him and the Blood Well. What the closeness with the Blood Well represents, Zhou Xuan understood clearly. "Four human brains, like you, long to return to the embrace of the Blood Well." Zhou Xuan found it hard to describe the mutual joy between the Blood Well and human brains, so he recounted their plea to Li Chengfeng and then added, "I want to take the Blood Well Human Brains with me!" "High Priest, this... this might be a bit difficult..." "Think of something." "There’s no way; the Blood Well Human Brain is the most valuable instrument of Mingjiang Prefecture’s Bone Elder Association. To take them away, you’d need the collective approval of the Bone Elder ’Scholar Association.’" "What price would they accept to agree?" Zhou Xuan asked again. "There’s no price; they’re not for sale," Li Chengfeng replied. All items have a price marked invisibly in the grand scheme! The so-called non-sale items simply mean the price hasn’t been offered high enough. But what price could be sufficient to procure the Blood Well Human Brain? Zhou Xuan racked his brains in deep contemplation. While his thoughts shifted ceaselessly, Zhou Xuan suddenly recalled the perpetually eating mouth on the ground in Mingjiang Prefecture, and promptly asked, "Old Li, have you felt anything unusual recently in Mingjiang Prefecture?" "No, not at all!" "Have you noticed a mouth on the ground that seems to be endlessly consuming?" "No." "That’s the price to trade for the Blood Well Human Brain." Zhou Xuan had learned from Monk Zhu Jiu that "Hunger" might be the progeny of a God-level entity. In dealing with such divine progeny, Zhou Xuan held a uniquely advantageous position. Identifying the root of "Hunger" would be Zhou Xuan’s bargaining chip with the Bone Elder Association to procure the Blood Well Human Brain. "Old Li, please send a car to pick me up. I’ll personally seek out Hunger." Zhou Xuan’s Wash Away Injustice Talisman couldn’t be transported with his soul form—it was still stuck to his chest. "Sever the link." Zhou Xuan severed the descent link with Li Chengfeng. Opening his eyes, he found himself on the second floor of Zhou Family’s Jingyi Shop. "Interesting." Now, Zhou Xuan could use the Blood Well to link with its adherents, enabling his soul to descend. "If I develop more adherents later, I can descend to more places in Mingjiang Prefecture. Old Li says the higher my Incense Fire Level, the more mystical my descent becomes. I must focus on raising my Incense Fire. Also, using descent, I can communicate with Old Li mentally to pass my predicament of being linked by the Ancient Tattoo Clan to him, so he can relay it to my sister and master. But how can Sister and Master’s messages evade the Ancient Tattoo Clan’s oversight and be delivered back to me?" A sudden sense of a "secret network" weaving plan dawned on Zhou Xuan, though it still needed further refinement. "Young Master, mealtime!" Little Fuzi knocked on the door. "Weren’t you all dining out with Little Yu?" Zhou Xuan asked. "Oh, Sister Yu worried you wouldn’t get to eat, so she ordered a table of dishes from East River Restaurant and had it delivered to the shop." Food delivery? How convenient! Zhou Xuan went downstairs, and three delivery men from the East River Restaurant were laying out exquisite dishes on the table. Si Yuer served wine to Yun Ziliang and Lv Mingkun. "This yellow wine was fetched by a driver from Yixing Fang. Look at the foam—dense and persistent—it’ll surely taste great." Lv Mingkun had his cup filled, took a sip, and relished the taste, popping a peanut into his mouth. "Don’t drink alone; let’s pair drinking with some hand games." With the wine served, Si Yuer began sparring with Lv Mingkun in finger-guessing games, the clinking of her gold and jade bracelets resounding. After a cup, Si Yuer noticed Zhou Xuan and waved boldly at him, calling, "Brother Zhou, come drink, come drink." "Little Yu, for a young girl, you sure drink a lot." "A traveler of the Jianghu must eat heartily and drink freely." Si Yuer switched from a wine cup to a large bowl, laughing: "Switch to bowls, don’t drink like delicate ladies..." Everyone: "..." "I’ll let you know, during drinking, no one’s allowed to call me by my real name—call me by my alias, Star-picking Saint." As she drank, Si Yuer indulged in her quirky alias again. Only then did Zhou Xuan recall that Si Yuer was the ’Divine Stealer’—a Four Incenses ’Divine Stealer.’ "My secret network’s construction can take another step forward." Zhou Xuan thought to himself. ... After eating and drinking, Si Yuer was only slightly drunk, while Senior Brother Lv had already completely passed out. Yun Ziliang began mumbling nonsense, boasting uncontrollably. "On tonight’s card table, I’m going to win you all down to your underpants!" "I’ll first get seven pairs, then a Big Four Winds, then a Big Three Dragons—win them all!" "Ah, Old Yun, stop bragging. Unless you gather three Lao Yang on your card table, I won’t believe you can win." Looking at Old Yun and Senior Brother Five in their drunken state, Si Yuer’s gaze was full of disdain, "You guys should build up your tolerance and come find me again for drinks tomorrow." Her cheeks flushed red, she slung her coat over her shoulder and patted Zhou Xuan’s shoulder, saying, "Brother Zhou, you’re the only one who can drink several bowls. Refreshing, refreshing. I’m heading back now." Zhou Xuan chuckled wryly, saying, "You’re definitely drunk. I didn’t drink a single drop." Still needing to handle business in the afternoon, Zhou Xuan had refrained from drinking wine, only drinking sour plum soup at the table. "Don’t rush off yet. Wait a moment." Zhou Xuan pulled out his pocket-sized notebook and pen, writing down excerpts from the "Five Elements" talismanic script, tearing off a piece and slipping it into Si Yuer’s pocket, saying, "This note is for your father; remember to give it to him when you get home." Zhou Xuan initially thought of dictating it, but seeing Si Yuer muddled by drink, he worried she might forget after hearing it. What he feared most wasn’t her forgetting entirely, but partially remembering and mixing it up, memorizing the script backward—and inadvertently practicing a version of the Nine Yin True Scripture instead? "Don’t worry, I’ll remember, I’ll remember." Si Yuer left the shop, while two drunken men remained sprawled inside. Little Fuzi carried Lv Mingkun upstairs to his room to rest, while Zhou Xuan picked up Yun Ziliang and said, "Off you go," tossing him into a painting. After settling everything, honking sounds came from outside the shop. "Young Master, I’ve come to pick you up." Li Chengfeng and Zhou Xuan shared an unspoken agreement: when there were outsiders, he would address Zhou Xuan as "Young Master"; when alone, he would address him as "High Priest." "Little Fuzi, I’m heading out for a bit." After notifying Little Fuzi, Zhou Xuan got into Li Chengfeng’s car. To ensure privacy, Li Chengfeng had dismissed the driver and took on the role himself. While driving, Li Chengfeng said to Zhou Xuan, "High Priest, sorry for the delay. I had to sign a document regarding moving a corpse." "What corpse requires a signed document?" Zhou Xuan asked Li Chengfeng. Despite being a scholar in the Bone Elder Association, why did menial tasks seem to constantly find their way to Li Chengfeng? "Sigh, originally it wasn’t my responsibility; it was supposed to be done by my student, Wang Yiweng. A few days ago, didn’t something happen at Mingjiang Shande Hospital? The kidnapper’s Chun Meng was killed, and before he died, he even revealed the kidnapper had always been lurking within Shande Hospital, which utterly humiliated our Bone Elder Association. The Scholar Association collectively decided that the kidnapper had to offer an explanation." As the initiator of Shande Hospital’s incident, Zhou Xuan asked, "Did the kidnapper provide an explanation?" "They did—brought in Three Incenses and Four Incenses, killing a pile of people. But to the kidnappers, it barely hurt their roots. Chun Meng’s white bone corpse had even been confiscated by our Bone Elder Association and mounted at the entrance of the medical academy as a warning! However, over the past two days, several Bone Elders pleaded with Wang Yiweng, saying the kidnappers had already given their explanation and had become significantly restrained. They asked for Chun Meng’s corpse to be returned to them for removal." "Wang Yiweng died yesterday, so I had to sign the paperwork." "Did someone from the kidnapper’s side collect the corpse?" Zhou Xuan asked. "I suppose so. I didn’t bother digging into it." "Old Li, have you heard of Wuzuo?" "Yes, a small Tangkou." "Do you know where the Wuzuo Hall Master resides?" Zhou Xuan was still holding onto a grudge on behalf of Lv Mingkun. Lv Mingkun and Wuzuo were sworn enemies. "That’s something I honestly don’t know. Once we get to the research institute, I’ll make a few calls to find out. Shouldn’t be hard to trace." In Li Chengfeng’s eyes, Wuzuo Hall Masters were small-time figures. He wouldn’t normally pay them any attention. ps: Brothers, two updates totaling seven thousand characters, cheers.