Chapter 145 - 22 The Power of Faith

Chapter 145: Chapter 22 The Power of FaithThe sky had just begun to brighten, and the entire Luoyang Plain was bathed in the dawn light, the beautiful scenery truly refreshing the spirit. The two were galloping across the wilderness, feeling much like they were traversing the worldly society and traveling the four seas. From afar, they saw the fishing village. "Huh, is that—Li Bao?" Just in front of the thatched cottage, Li Bao was meditating with intense concentration, seemingly practicing his skills as a stream of water circled around his body, swirling as if alive. Li Bao was deeply absorbed, so much so that he didn’t notice the approach of the two, his hands dancing in the air, with the water streams swirling around him as well. "Li Bao? What mystical skill is this?" Li Bao jumped in surprise, his concentration interrupted, and the surrounding water streams fell with a splash. "Shh, Granny hasn’t woken up yet. Don’t wake her," he whispered. Seeing this, Xiao Jie sensed an opportunity to gather some information. "Then let’s talk about that now," he suggested. Li Bao nodded, looking even more excited than Xiao Jie, "I’ve been wanting to talk with you for a while. What’s it really like out there? Are there actually demons devouring people? Granny always tells me this, but I think she’s just trying to scare me..." "Demons certainly do exist, otherwise what would the returnees like us do about vanquishing demons? As long as your martial arts are strong and your mystical skills powerful, demons pose no problem at all," Xiao Jie explained. After a brief chat, Xiao Jie began to inquire further. "Enough about us, let’s talk about you. Your mystical skill seems quite formidable; where did you learn it?" "I don’t know, I just found out I could control water since I was little, and... " "And what?" "I often hear people calling out my name from the lake, especially in my dreams. It sounds like there are many voices whispering in my ear, urging me to follow them. But whenever I wake up, there’s nothing there." Li Bao’s voice carried a hint of confusion, much like that of a college graduate unable to find a job. "I hope to go out and see the world one day. After I turn 15, Granny will let me go. I’ve decided to visit big cities—tour around Luoyang Town, and if possible, find a master in the mountains to learn skills from. Once I have mastered them, I am determined to make a mark. I often feel like I am not meant to be an ordinary person in this life, that some destiny awaits me to fulfill..." "My friends, could you please not tell Granny about these things?" Xiao Jie and I Want to Be Immortal exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves that there must indeed be something amiss. "Don’t worry, both my friend and I know how to keep our mouths shut," Xiao Jie reassured him. After chatting for a while with Li Bao, and while Granny was still asleep and the merfolk had yet to start their rounds, Xiao Jie headed straight to the Chaotic Grave Pit. The bodies from yesterday still lay inside. "Feng, have you learned the Corpse Language Skill?" "Indeed," Xiao Jie said as he opened the skill list. [Corpse Language Skill (Mystical Skill) Usage: Allows a corpse to speak. You may ask it three questions, and the corpse will answer truthfully. After the questions are over, the corpse will return to peace, and the Corpse Language Skill can only be used once on each corpse. Requirement: Maintain concentration. Skill description: A derivative skill of the Corpse Chasing Skill. It is said that Corpse Chasing Mages, who spend prolonged periods with corpses, slowly lose their sanity. The intense solitude grants them the strange ability to communicate with the dead to alleviate their loneliness. If you know how to ask and listen, even a corpse can become a conversational partner.] This skill is indeed mysterious. How would one experiment with this in reality? Surely one can’t go to a morgue to chat with the deceased. Why only three questions, though? You can only use the Corpse Language Skill once on a corpse, so deciding what questions to ask needs careful consideration. With a myriad of thoughts in his mind, Xiao Jie clicked on a corpse with his mouse. "Let’s start with you then." Corpse Language Skill! Suddenly, the screen before him darkened, and the surroundings seemed to be enveloped in a grey fog, even the sounds around him becoming muffled. Only the corpse in front of him became vividly clear, even slowly raising its head. The skull-like face displayed a remarkably human expression of bewilderment, and it also started to emit a "ho-ho" sound. So it begins! First question—"Who are you?" This was indeed the first question Xiao Jie had thought long about. Identifying the other’s identity was crucial to asking more pertinent questions later. "I am... Liu Ge, I... fish," the corpse confessed. It seems he was just an ordinary fisherman. Second question—"Who killed you?" "The evil granny... from the Li family," the corpse answered. Li Granny, huh? Not unexpected. Third question—"What kind of demon is Yu Niang?" "I don’t know... don’t know... whether she is a demon or not..." Curious indeed. Returning his gaze to the corpse, it had reverted to its original state, and the surrounding mist had also disappeared, with sunshine brightening the area. "Feng? What were you staring off into space for just now?" "Staring off?" Xiao Jie pondered, realizing that the Corpse Language Skill did not simply make a corpse speak; rather, it induced a special state allowing the user to communicate with the corpse. "Don’t worry, I was having a chat with the corpse," he explained. Xiao Jie then used the skill on a second corpse. Corpse Language Skill! System prompt: The damage to the corpse’s body is too severe for conversation. Ah... well, this body does look rather gruesome, its head shattered—let’s try another one. Corpse Language Skill! System prompt: For some reason, the other side is unwilling to talk to you. Hmm? Xiao Jie was speechless; how had he encountered a shy corpse? He continued to try. Corpse Language Skill! This time, he finally found a normal one, and the surroundings turned dim again, Xiao Jie focused on the corpse in front of him. "Who are you?" "Village chief... Liu Dehai." "Who is Granny Li?" "’Flying Yaksa’... Li Cuilan!" Flying Yaksa? That must be a nickname, just like ’Mixed Yuan Qi’ Duan Yu and ’Golden Blade Guest’ Liu Sanlang. It seems that Granny Li was also part of the Jianghu people in her youth, which explains why her level is so high. "Is Granny Li the mother of Li He?" "Yes..." Right, next— "Who are you?" "Midwife... Wang Liu-shi!" Damn, this one finally seemed right; this midwife must be the first contact person, with two questions left, he had to ask correctly. After a moment of thought, Xiao Jie asked. "What did you see when you were delivering Yu Niang’s baby?" "A demon... it looked like a human, yet like a fish... Yu Niang’s baby." Merfolk? No— it must be half merfolk. This child must be Li Bao, his father is human, so Yu Niang must be a merfolk. But why can’t the villagers recognize Yu Niang’s identity? Thus, Yu Niang must possess some ability to conceal her identity. Moreover, Li Bao now looked human. Li Bao did not have this ability at birth, but later he learned it. Could it be because of that Treasure Bead? Last question— "When you were delivering the baby, was Yu Niang wearing a large, beautiful Treasure Bead?" "Yes... The Treasure Bead... very big... very beautiful." Just as I thought, everything made sense now. Based on the clues of these days, Xiao Jie had basically been able to restore the true story. Now only one question remained: why did they have to wait until Li Bao’s 15th birthday? What was going to happen on that day? This question, unfortunately, couldn’t be answered by the corpses. "How about it, Feng? Did you find anything?" "Mostly, just give me a moment, I’ll go ask some people." After saying that, Xiao Jie immediately exited the game, then opened a QQ group chat, tagged everyone in the group, and asked. Hidden Moon Following Wind: Does anyone know about merfolk? No response... Right, everyone’s probably busy leveling up during the day. If all else fails, I’ll just go back to town this evening and ask an NPC. Xiao Jie felt disappointed and was about to return to the game, Wentian Wuji: I know a bit about them, what do you need this for? Oh, isn’t that the Level 36 top player? Xiao Jie was thrilled; since joining the group, this guy had never popped up, and surprisingly, he was online this early morning. A Level 36 top player, he must know a lot. Hidden Moon Following Wind: Expert, I am currently undertaking a Mystical Skill quest, and I want to find out some related information. Xiao Jie briefly explained the process. Wentian Wuji: I don’t know much about the lifestyles of merfolk, only that I’ve killed quite a few. However, regarding your problem, I have a theory. Do you know about the Power of Faith? Hidden Moon Following Wind: Is it that Faith Value in the advanced attributes? Wentian Wuji: Yes, and no. In the game, a player’s attribute scores are the manifestations of strength, and Faith represents the Power of Faith, a force that creates or changes things through idealism. This might sound a bit vague, so let me tell you a story—you’ll understand then. This story is called—The Executioner and the Condemned. "Once, there was an executioner, and he was friends with a condemned man who was to be beheaded. On the day of the execution, the condemned was very scared, and to comfort his friend, the executioner told him, ’Wait a moment, I will chop at your rope. When I say run, you run and don’t look back.’ The condemned believed him, and when the executioner chopped down and yelled run! The condemned got up and ran, running a thousand miles and reached home. His wife asked how he was unharmed, and he said the executioner had saved him. A few years later, the executioner passed by, met his miraculously escaped friend, and was terrified. The friend thanked the executioner for saving him, but the executioner was scared out of his wits; he had not actually saved his friend, but had beheaded him... The confused executioner said, ’I didn’t save you, I chopped off your head, you were dead.’ Hearing this, his friend suddenly stood frozen, then turned into a puddle of blood and died completely. Latter a Taoist told the executioner, ’Your friend lived through his deep belief that he wasn’t dead. Because he believed he didn’t die, he really couldn’t die. If you hadn’t told him the truth, he would never have died, what a pity.’ Xiao Jie was familiar with Wentian Wuji’s story, having heard a similar version before. Hidden Moon Following Wind: So you mean, if Li Bao believes he is human, he will really become human?" Wentian Wuji: Yes, that’s how the Power of Faith works; it can make the non-existent exist, and even revive the dead. Therefore, theoretically, changing species isn’t a difficult task. It’s truly miraculous; too bad my Faith was too low back then; otherwise, I might have tried becoming a Divine Mage... At this moment, Xiao Jie felt an epiphany, understanding everything completely. Although Wentian Wuji’s theory seemed far-fetched, Xiao Jie found it quite plausible. That’s why Granny Li used salted fish to cover Li Bao’s need for water characteristic of merfolk and used the Treasure Bead to conceal his true form, just to make Li Bao believe he was human. The reason they had to wait until his 15th birthday was very likely because merfolk mature at 15. Very likely, some kind of transformative process occurs when merfolk turn 15. If Li Bao believes he’s human, he might miss this transformational moment and then truly become human. Yes, that’s exactly it! Xiao Jie thought excitedly.