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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
This is a pair of adulterers!
I stood outside Kong Xuan's room, listening to the creaking of the bed inside, feeling a surge of anger. Come on, this is broad daylight! I know you are having an affair with Aijia Yu, but do you really have to flaunt it like this?
I knocked hard on the door again, and finally, Kong Xuan's angry voice came from inside: "Knock! Knock! What the hell! Come back in an hour!"
"Ten minutes! I’ll give you ten minutes! After ten minutes, I’ll come in and kick the door down!" I threatened loudly.
Qifeng Temple's operating hours are from 9 AM to 9 PM, and the doors are locked at all other times. However, that doesn't stop me from climbing over the wall.
After wandering around the temple for a bit, when I returned, Kong Xuan was standing at the door looking displeased, next to her was a blushing Aijia Yu.
"You called me over this morning because you had news about Guo'er," I said irritably as I pushed past Kong Xuan and stepped into the room.
Since returning from Mint County, I've been obsessing over the Revival Fruit. In my eyes, nothing is more important than the Revival Fruit. And Kong Xuan has always been missing something crucial until last night when she finally called to say she had found it.
Kong Xuan snapped, "It's only 8 o'clock; do you consider 8 o'clock morning?"
I scoffed, "No more nonsense. You have news about what you were missing; what is it? You've been going on and on about it; can we finally get to the point?"
Kong Xuan glared at me for a moment before sighing and motioning for me to sit down, looking at me helplessly: "Zheng Nan, bringing someone back to life isn't as simple as throwing a party. Do you think just putting Guo'er's consciousness back into her body will work?"
"Isn't that how it works?" I retorted in surprise. "Lin Tao managed it with Nine Nether Grass, didn't he?"
"That's true, but how much do you really know about Nine Nether Grass?" Kong Xuan huffed. "Do you think just tossing Nine Nether Grass into a pot and adding some pork and lotus root to make soup will do? It's not that simple."
I took out a cigarette for myself, lit it, took a puff, and looked at Kong Xuan with raised eyebrows: "Then you have to tell me what exactly is going on!"
"It’s like this, Nine Nether Grass only grows in extremely cold places. Do you know what an extremely cold place is? Let me put it this way: the temperature in an extremely cold place is at least one hundred degrees, and mine is minus one hundred degrees. Do you know what minus one hundred degrees means? If you take a leak and shiver a bit, you'll break your... well, you get the idea!" At this point, Kong Xuan lightly coughed and turned to Aijia Yu to explain, "It's purely scientific research, without any lewd elements."
Aijia Yu just smiled without saying anything.
"So what? Can't I just wear more clothes?" I asked in surprise.
"What about the ancient tomb? Do you think it's like going shopping? The tomb owner filled his tomb with all kinds of traps to prevent future generations from robbing it. If you wear too many layers and can't move properly, it's basically like going to your death," Kong Xuan looked at me with disappointment and shook his head, sighing, "Zheng Nan, how can someone like you, who has seen the world, not see this problem?"
"So what should we do? Stop keeping me in suspense."
"If you want to move freely in an extremely cold place, there's only one way: find the legendary Fire Spirit Pearl. Do you think legendary things are all illusory? You're mistaken," Kong Xuan exaggeratedly coughed again and pulled out a glass bottle from his pocket. Inside lay a dark red pill quietly: "Look! Fire Spirit Pearl! This thing is amazing; taking it will allow you to withstand any cold temperature for seven days."
I took the glass bottle, and a gentle warmth immediately spread through my palm. Wow, this thing really is something special.
"So you've been looking for this for me all this time?" I felt a warm surge in my heart; brotherhood indeed means having someone who helps you without complaint.
"Let me tell you, you're in deep debt to me!" Kong Xuan laughed heartily.
"Alright then, I'll go prepare!" I stood up to take my leave.
"What are you preparing for?"
"Preparing to go to the ancient tomb, Peach Blossom Ancient Tomb! Where else could I go?"
"What are you so anxious about?" Kong Xuan stood up and pulled me back into my seat.
"What’s wrong?"
"You think you can handle the Peach Blossom Ancient Tomb all by yourself?" Kong Xuan rolled her eyes.
"You mean we need to form a team?" I asked in surprise.
"Let me ask you, do you know where the Peach Garden Ancient Tomb is? How to get in?" Kong Xuan lightly tapped her fingers on the table. "Do you even know whose tomb the Peach Blossom Ancient Tomb is, or what kind of traps might be inside?"
"Is that really necessary? As long as I can wield a shovel well, there's no tomb I can't dig up!" In my impression, ancient tombs were just larger graves: "Those tombs of kings and nobles featured on TV news, when you count the main and secondary wives and concubines, aren't they only a few dozen square meters? It's a tiny place; if I put in some effort and dig for three to five days, wouldn't I turn it upside down?"
"A few dozen square meters? You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Let me tell you, some tombs are as big as a basketball court, and larger ones can be as big as a football field. If it's truly an imperial tomb, it's not uncommon for it to span several dozen or even hundreds of miles. Digging for three to five days? Do you think you're digging sweet potatoes? To be honest, the Peach Blossom Ancient Tomb is the burial site of Liu An, the Huainan Wang." Kong Xuan's words were shocking.
"Liu An? You mean the Huainan Wang Liu An who is famous for 'one person attains enlightenment, and even their chickens and dogs ascend'?" I was taken aback, and a hint of doubt arose in my mind. "Wait a minute, isn't he considered a Demon? Since he has already ascended, how could there still be a burial site?"
"Strictly speaking, he doesn't count as a Demon," Kong Xuan said with an expression that suggested I knew nothing. "The Yang Realm is for humans, the Underworld is for Demons, and there are also existences that transcend the Yin-Yang Realm, such as Spirits and Moon Attendants that you've seen before; none of them can be classified as Demons. As for Liu An, his cultivation... his cultivation..."
I looked at Kong Xuan in confusion. She smiled sheepishly and quickly pulled out a book from her possession. The pages were made of a material resembling golden silk; wasn't this the Yin Yang Essays? Kong Xuan flipped through it quickly before saying, "Liu An cultivated the Siddhamantra heart method, which is a type of practice that transcends the Yin-Yang Realm and emphasizes sudden enlightenment. Some people take three to five years or even eight to ten years to comprehend it; many spend their entire lives without understanding it at all. Liu An prepared his tomb long before achieving enlightenment; you should know that ancient emperors built their tombs while they were still alive."
"Even if it's Liu An's tomb, so what?"
"First of all, he is the Huainan Wang—wealthy and powerful. Secondly, the Siddhamantra he practiced is an ancient classic; it's perfectly normal to set up some formations or have some Demons guard the tomb." Kong Xuan flipped through the book again and said with admiration, "He set up numerous traps inside the tomb; this book mentions that some traps require two people to activate."
Images of those Suspension Bridges in the Land of Eternal Sleep flashed through my mind; those required three people to stand on them simultaneously to activate. I had no doubt that some traps needed two people to open.
I raised the glass bottle in my hand: "So you're saying we need two people? Then this Fire Spirit Pearl is still one short."
"Yes, my friend only found this one. However, he knows where to find another Fire Spirit Pearl." Kong Xuan smiled. "There's a gang leader in Sun City named Xiao Yuan, nicknamed Baozi; he actually has another Fire Spirit Pearl. Baozi is very difficult to deal with; you'll have to go get it yourself! Whether you choose to steal or rob it is up to you; I'm not getting involved. Take care!"
"Alright then, I'll come back to find you after I get the Fire Spirit Pearl!" I stood up to leave but suddenly turned around and pointed at Kong Xuan's Yin Yang Essays. "By the way, does that book have detailed information about the Peach Blossom Ancient Tomb?"
"No, I've told you everything that's in this book!"
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, that's all. It doesn't even say how to get into the ancient tomb, but there is a saying that sounds like a verse." Kong Xuan directly threw the book at me.
"What saying?" I took the book, didn't bother to flip through it, and tossed it back: "Just tell me directly."
"Water is not water, mountains are not mountains, rain hits the banana leaves revealing their true appearance."
What a mess. Stepping outside, I called Fatty: "Fatty, come with me on a business trip to Sun City for about a week."
"Going to Sun City? About a week? Sure!" Fatty exclaimed loudly upon hearing my invitation to Sun City; I could feel his excitement through the phone.
This seemed a bit off. Ever since returning from Mint County, An Ran had been openly living with Fatty, which surprised us all. I didn't have high hopes when calling Fatty; he was probably in the heat of things with An Ran and wouldn't be interested in going to Sun City so far away. Unexpectedly, Fatty accepted without hesitation—something was definitely off.
Before nightfall, Fatty showed up with a backpack. I asked in surprise, "Why so eager?"
"The matter with Ghost Brother is my duty!" Fatty thumped his chest.
"Speak plainly!" I shot him a cold glance.
"You don't know about Ghost Brother!" Fatty immediately put on a mournful face: "An Ran used to refuse to be with me because her dad often got drunk and hit her mom. She had trauma about living together and was afraid I'd hit her! Now it's different; she suddenly gained this amazing ability that shook the ground, and that trauma vanished instantly. After moving in together, she keeps wanting me to change positions and do it again. If I get one little thing wrong, I get slapped across the face! I'm really suffering here!"
After hearing this, I couldn't help but laugh: "An Ran is probably afraid you'll cheat on her; once she's drained you dry, she won't have to worry about you going out messing around."
Fatty gritted his teeth: "No way! This time going to Sun City, I'm determined to make up for all the Health Treatment I've missed..."
——————————Separation Line————————————
Sun City, located in the northern part of Central China Province, was originally a very underdeveloped town, to put it bluntly, a place where no birds would defecate and no chickens would lay eggs. Later, someone discovered a gold mine in Yang Mountain of Sun City, and soon, people flocked to dig for gold. In just twenty years, driven by the gold mine, the town transformed into a county-level city, and it became exceptionally prosperous.
As soon as the gold mine was discovered, the government established the Yangshan Gold Mine, directly under Central control. After all, this is gold; such resources must belong to the state. However, as the locals say, "When you live in the mountains, you eat from the mountains." So what's wrong with that? You dig your own, and I'll dig mine. If you affect my livelihood, then I'm sorry.
After several large-scale disputes with local villagers, the gold mine turned a blind eye to their unauthorized mining. However, there was one condition: any gold they mined could only be sold to us. With this unwritten agreement in place, a superficial balance was achieved between the villagers and the gold mine. Some might wonder if the government couldn't suppress a few villagers? In reality, the villagers were merely a facade; behind them lurked various forces. Occasionally, thugs with accents from both southern and northern regions would boast about being "local born and bred in Sun City."
Because of this situation, Sun City became a hub for gangs. The influence of various gangs intertwined deeply; almost every street had a gang managing it. Each of these gangs had powerful backers, and those without strong support had long been crushed by the relentless wheels of history.
Fatty and I sat in a private room of a tea house, dumbfounded as we listened to a burly man with thick eyebrows and a square face talk about matters in Sun City. This man was named Mao Shun, the captain of the Public Security Team of Yangcheng County Public Security Bureau. Lou Wei had made arrangements for us to meet him. He wasn't dressed ostentatiously; the only thing that stood out was a large emerald ring on his finger.
Upon hearing that we were looking for one of the influential figures, Mao Shun opened his mouth wide and launched into an impromptu lecture about the current situation in Sun City. Come on, we were just looking for someone; did he really need to explain the situation to us?
Noticing my growing impatience, Mao Shun couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh: "Brothers, it's not that I want to ramble on; I'm just trying to remind you that the gangs here have strong backing and are ruthless. Try not to provoke them. As for Baozi, I'm currently helping you get in touch."
Baozi is the name of the gang leader we were looking for, Xiao Yuan. There are two reasons for this nickname: first, it sounds like 'round' in Chinese—after all, aren't baozi round? Second, his face does resemble a baozi.
Before Mao Shun finished speaking, his phone rang. He smiled apologetically at me and answered it. After a moment, his expression changed; he hung up and said to me: "Baozi has been killed!"
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