Chapter 317: They Are Truly Good People
Chapter 317: They Are Truly Good People
As the sunlight shone on their faces, they realized that the abandoned Shen Family Residence became entirely different.
All the ghastly wind and demonic aura had dissipated, leaving only the broken walls and ruins to record the decades of hardship. The once-prosperous scenes were like a fleeting dream.
At the moment the porcelain bottle shattered and the wish-fulfilling spirit disappeared, all the ghostly entities that came into existence through the spirit also vanished. The white-clad woman captured by Chu Liang and the yellow-clad woman captured by Xu Ziyang wailed loudly as they both dissipated.
When the white-clad woman vanished, the remaining half of a jade pendant fell from the air. This was an item she had left behind.
Chu Liang caught the jade pendant and found that the character "Shen" was engraved on it. It had been split into two, but it clearly exuded faint spiritual energy. Still, its purpose was unknown.
Since it wasn't anything valuable, Chu Liang didn't bother to share it with everyone and simply stored it away.
He had acquired incomplete gadgets like this more than once, keeping them in case they proved useful later.
For example, the half iron plate for the Blue Dragon’s hidden realm saved his life last time.
However, the floating globule of blood in front of him wasn't something he could take on his own.
In fact, it wasn’t just him. No one present could move this drop of blood.
Jiang Yuebai stepped forward and attempted to collect the drop of blood into a container. However, as soon as her foundational qi touched it, the blood boiled, instantly dissolving the qi.
"Can't collect it?" Xu Ziyang thought for a moment and took out an enchanted tool jade box used for storing spirit herbs. He removed the herbs inside and tried to slowly scoop up the drop of blood with the jade box.
Sizzle—
The jade box instantly corroded, leaving a large hole.
One could easily imagine that if their flesh came into contact with it, extra holes would form in their bodies.
Moreover, this drop of blood radiated evil, fear, anger, cruelty, greed, and various negative emotions. As they got closer, they immediately felt its influence.
Fortunately, they were cultivators and sensitive to changes in their mental state, so they quickly distanced themselves from the shaman god's blood essence.
"No wonder this wish-fulfilling spirit was so evil. It drew its power from this thing. It would be strange if it weren't evil," Chu Liang remarked.
"This drop of blood is able to devour the greed of humans, so every time someone makes a wish to the wish-fulfilling spirit and drips a drop of blood filled with greed into the bottle, the wish-fulfilling spirit would be given more power," Xu Ziyang continued. "He must have just awakened in the Shen Family back then and was quickly fed by the Shen Family’s greed, gaining great strength."
Through his interaction with the yellow-clad woman earlier, he had gained a rough understanding of the Shen Family's situation.
The yellow-clad maid was the first to interact with the wish-fulfilling spirit and her first wish was to exchange bodies with the white-clad madam of the family.
This was the start of the nightmare for the Shen Family.
After becoming the madam of the family, she told her former lover about wish-fulfilling spirit, which gave outsiders the chance to interact with the wish-fulfilling spirit, which eventually resulted in the wish-fulfilling spirit being reported to the imperial officials.
A huge disaster then struck the Shen Family.
What they didn't know was that once the wish-fulfilling spirit granted their wish, the deal was completed. They would become slaves to the wish-fulfilling spirit, bound to the contract by the drop of blood they had given. When the officers from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau came to take the porcelain bottle, the wish-fulfilling spirit sacrificed everyone in the Shen Family Residence, turning them into vengeful spirits and using them as the source of power to kill the two officials from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.
Later, an Eminent One passed by. Although she couldn't destroy the porcelain bottle, she took a drop of the shaman god's blood essence and then set up a restriction around the residence. She estimated that the power of greed that the wish-fulfilling spirit had absorbed would dissipate after twenty years. By then, she would return and store away this porcelain bottle.
According to the explanation added by Chen Luo, this Eminent One was likely the Master of the South Melody Conservatory.
Yan Yingluo, the Master of the South Melody Conservatory, was as beautiful as a deity and was famous throughout the nine provinces many years ago. At her peak, it was said that her followers spanned half of the Yu Dynasty.[1]
But she retired at her peak, announcing that she would no longer go on tours, which caused quite a stir. Shortly after, she took over as the Master of the South Melody Conservatory, and people then understood that she had made significant breakthroughs in both her cultivation and status.
"But recently, a second person also took a drop of the shaman god's blood essence. It was because this person lifted the restriction here that the white-clad vengeful spirit was able to escape and kill people during the Flower-Hairpin Festival," Xu Ziyang added.
As for the identity of the person who took the second drop of the shaman god's blood essence, that remained unknown.
Regarding the Shen Family, Chu Liang still had some doubts after hearing the story.
For example, the wish-fulfilling spirit could only make the wish-maker its slave after fulfilling their wish. In the illusion, the young master of the Shen Family wished to become the chancellor.
If the wish wasn't granted, he shouldn't have become a vengeful spirit. If it was fulfilled, he hasn't heard of a chancellor in the Yu Dynasty with the surname Shen in the past decade.
Another example was the investigation of the Shen Family by the court due to their status as relatives of the previous dynasty, during which two officials from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau died. Why didn't the imperial court take further action? If the Master of the South Melody Conservatory could obtain a drop of the shaman god's blood essence, surely the many powerful experts in the government could have handled the situation. Why did they allow this place to remain sealed for twenty years?
But so many years had passed.
Chu Liang and the others, being just outsiders who had heard only parts of the story, couldn't possibly know the entire truth of the situation. However, there was no need for them to dwell on it.
...
In the end, everyone stayed and guarded this place while Chu Liang went back alone to inform the elders of Mount Shu. The Weapons Master brought a special enchanted tool and finally collected the drop of the shaman god's blood essence.
The higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect took this matter very seriously.
A drop of True Dragon's blood essence at the seventh realm could grant Ling Ao, despite being at the third realm of cultivation, enough power to be ranked among Mount Shu's top four. The blood essence of the shaman god at the ninth realm contained power beyond the spiritual—it could be considered divine. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could bring about another disaster.
Logically, the Shaonan Town outpost should report this matter, and officials from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau should visit to claim possession of this drop of blood essence. In the struggle for such precious items, neither the imperial court nor the immortal sects would act generously, and disputes often arose.
However, since Chen Luo and his lover were both saved by the disciples of the Mount Shu Sect in the abandoned Shen Family Residence, Chen Luo was too embarrassed to compete for the precious item with the Mount Shu disciples. He simply wrote in his report that by the time he arrived, the shaman god's blood essence had already been taken by the Mount Shu Sect.
The girl named Mu Xi woke up later.
She explained that she was worried about Chen Luo's injuries, so she left the Moon Osmanthus Woods to check on him. Suddenly, someone attacked her from behind. As she was frightened out of her wits, she fled without even looking back.
In fact, the four from Mount Shu had been on guard at the time, waiting for the evil spirit to appear.
This was why Xu Ziyang suddenly sensed a demonic aura and went after it.
From Mu Xi's perspective, the more she ran, the more that person pursued, and the more they chased, the faster she fled. In her panic, she found herself in the abandoned Shen Family Residence, where the restriction had been lifted and a vengeful spirit then lured her into a porcelain bottle.
The black-robed old man immediately appeared and asked her to make a wish. However, before she could respond, the timid Mu Xi fainted from fear.
Perhaps for this reason, when Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai entered again, the black-robed old man created an illusion. It seemed he wanted to explain the situation to them and prevent them from being too frightened.
But who was the bad person that chased Mu Xi into the abandoned Shen Family Residence?
Upon mentioning this, Chen Luo was filled with such righteous indignation while all the other Mount Shu disciples turned and looked away.
"I suddenly remembered I left my clothes hanging on the hilltop. Brother Chen, I'll be leaving now," Chu Liang said hurriedly, cupping his hands in farewell.
"I have urgent matters to attend to at home," Ling Ao said succinctly.
"Now that this matter is settled, we have many things to report to the sect. We won't be returning to the station," Jiang Yuebai said in a serious tone.
Xu Ziyang said nothing and had already flown away on his sword.
Chen Luo held Mu Xi in his arms, gazing into the distance, and sighed, "Why did they all leave so quickly? I wanted to invite them to a nice meal to thank them! Darling, we really have to thank these Mount Shu disciples. If it weren't for them, we might never have seen each other again."
Mu Xi also said, "They are truly good people."
...
Outside Shaonan Town, a luxurious painted boat drifted serenely on the waters of the Osmanthus River.
On the deck of the boat, there was singing and dancing, with a dozen lightly clad dancers swaying gracefully. Around them, guests sat at tables, clapping and enjoying the performance, raising their glasses in a lively banquet scene.
However, behind a closed door in the cabin, the atmosphere was thick with an aura of death.
A tall man with red hair and a beard, dressed in a black robe that exposed his chest, sat cross-legged at the table. He said with a frown, "The members of the Mount Shu Sect took the drop of shaman god's blood essence? This really ticks me off."
Opposite the red-haired man sat a handsome teenager with a silver scale on his forehead. His skin was as white as jade, and his entire presence appeared like a sculpture. His eyes gleamed with a golden hue.
He gently poured wine into a cup on the table and said with a smile, "You broke the restriction. It's no surprise that outsiders noticed the abandoned Shen Family Residence and took the drop of the shaman god's blood essence."
"Then why did you only let me take one drop?" the red-haired man complained. "If we had killed the wish-fulfilling spirit and taken two drops, wouldn't it have been better? Do you have any idea how beneficial even one drop of the shaman god's blood essence is for me?"
"Can you kill that evil spirit? If you can, wouldn't you have done it?" the handsome young man sneered.
"If you helped me, we could have killed it," the red-haired man retorted.
"Why should I help you? That thing is useless to me," the handsome young man blinked as he spoke. "You need to understand, they sent me to watch over you and to make sure that you won’t cause any more trouble. I'm not here to be your subordinate."
"You..." the red-haired man was speechless with anger.
"That fool Lu Chengchou couldn't be patient and started the attack prematurely. Now, all that's left of him is a fragment of his soul, living a fate worse than death. Young Noble Xunyang took Lu Chengchou in out of kindness, but this only brought suffering upon himself. Now, Young Noble Xunyang is wanted by the nine provinces and has been forced to flee to the Far West, living like a savage," the handsome young man said coldly. "I will not suffer for your foolish actions. If something happens to you, I'll be the first to run far away."
The red-haired man was left speechless. After a long pause, he said, "Can't you drop your attitude? Since we joined the Celestial Charm Sect, we're considered fellow disciples..."
"Sigh—" The handsome young man raised his cup and interrupted him, "Let's get this straight, we're not fellow disciples; we're accomplices."
"That's still fighting side by side..." the red-haired man replied.
"We are colluding for misdeeds," the handsome young man said coldly. "You're not seriously going to talk to me about camaraderie, are you? If you did, that would be hilarious."
"Hmph!"
The red-haired man realized he couldn't win the argument and felt he had suffered a great loss. In his frustration, he angrily slapped the table, causing the food and drinks to splash.
The handsome young man gently raised his finger, and the spilled food and drinks stopped in mid-air. They then returned to their cups and plates as if they had a life of their own.
He continued, "If you had the power to kill me now, would you hesitate to do so?"
Upon hearing this, the red-haired man's heaving chest gradually calmed. After a brief moment of contemplation, he shook his head and replied, "Not at all."
1. So she’s like hatsune miku? ☜