Chapter 35: Yuzhou Laiqiang (V) Knowledge changes destiny. ...

The woman's expression remained grim. She glanced at Zhang Hong. Shi Hong clearly didn't understand and continued to follow Lin Yuzhou and the others out. As soon as they emerged, Dong Yu sobered up considerably. He said, "Damn, this place is truly evil."

Wei Yuanye asked: "What kind of spirit is that woman?"

Shi Hong was stunned for a moment before he said, "Good eyesight."

"Ordinary people can't tell," Shi Hong said. "She's truly a spirit. Twenty years ago, a woman carrying her child's urn jumped into an ancient well. That woman crawled out of the well. She's the urn spirit."

Zhang Deng: “…”

"How did you figure that out?" Shi Hong was somewhat in awe.

Wei Yuanye said, "It stinks terrible."

Shi Hong was a little confused: "Really? Does it smell?"

Lin Yuzhou said, "My brother said it stinks, so it stinks. What's wrong? Did she offend you?"

Zhang Deng also felt that Wei Yuanye seemed to hate that woman, but Zhang Deng felt shameful for being happy that Wei Yuanye hated other women. Before Zhang Deng could feel fear for what this feeling implied, he was interrupted by the people around him.

Wei Yuanye said, "She brought you the ventriloquist flower, didn't she?"

Shi Hong: "Yeah? What's wrong? Is there a story behind this thing?"

Wei Yuanye might have also been invaded by his own memories. He was a little dazed, as if he had relevant memories in his mind, but also as if he didn't. But in any case, this incident indicated some abnormal phenomena.

Wei Yuanye shook his head and said, "Forget it, I don't know either."

He rarely keeps people in suspense and never tries to attract attention. Only Zhang Deng knows that Wei Yuanye's vague words must mean there is something big wrong.

But Zhang Deng had seen too many big problems before, and his attention was no longer affected by them. Now Zhang Deng felt a little confused. He said, "What is the principle of becoming a spirit?"

"Does becoming a spirit require principles?" Lin Yuzhou asked, "Can you explain clearly how you were born?"

Zhang Deng said, "Yes."

Li Yuzhou: “?”

Zhang Deng said, "Because of my parents' sexual intercourse, the sperm and egg combined, and I developed from the fertilized body into an embryo, and was born naturally after 38 weeks of pregnancy."

Lin Yuzhou: "What a mess."

Dong Yu said, "That makes sense."

"But monsters obviously don't have such strong logic," Dong Yu said, "but strictly speaking, your birth is also illogical, because you can't explain why you have this body and not someone else."

Zhang Deng: "You're a spiritualist... Never mind, that's exactly how it should be."

We are all in a demonic world, so it is stupid to discuss whether the soul exists or not.

Lin Yuzhou said: "Why don't I understand what you are saying?"

Shi Hong said, "I don't understand either."

Dong Yu ignored him and continued, "There's no logic to the birth of spirits. Sometimes things are born and raised by nature. For example, when you plant potatoes, some will grow ten, while others will only grow one. It has something to do with fate."

Zhang Deng thought he was being too empirical. He said, "The different potato yields have a lot to do with nutrition, soil quality, sunlight, and seed selection. These are all controllable changes."

Dong Yu said, "The same seeds and conditions can produce different results. How do you explain this?"

Zhang Deng: "It's impossible for them to be completely consistent."

Zhang Deng also felt that he was very boring, but he did not quite agree with Dong Yu's insistence that everything was illogical and entirely depended on fate.

Dong Yu couldn't understand his point at all and said, "Then tell me, why do you think that is?"

Zhang Deng couldn't explain it clearly.

Wei Yuanye asked Zhang Deng, "What do you want to eat?"

Zhang Deng said, "A woman jumped into a well holding her son's ashes. The woman didn't become a spirit, and neither did the son. But the urn did. It's hard to understand."

Shi Hong said, "What you said makes sense. I've thought about it, but I don't understand it."

Lin Yuzhou said, "I'm hungry. Can I have a pancake?"

Wei Yuanye asked Zhang Deng: "Is it okay?"

Zhang Deng: "How come you don't understand? Isn't your father a Taoist monk who moves mountains? Haven't you learned anything yet?"

Shi Hong said, "I seemed to know, but I forgot."

Wei Yuanye couldn't stand it any longer and asked, "How can ashes become a spirit? Where is its physical body?"

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on. Zhang Deng asked, "But where is the soul in the urn?"

"How can a dead thing become a spirit?" Wei Yuanye asked, "Things without spirit cannot become spirits."

Zhang Deng: "Then...what happened to the urn...ah, I see, it's that woman!"

Zhang Deng finally understood. It wasn't the urn that had become a spirit. It was the dead woman, lacking a vessel to carry her resentment, who had attached herself to the urn. Huh? That didn't make sense either. Zhang Deng said, "Why didn't she choose her own body?"

Wei Yuanye said: "There must be a reason why she had to do this."

This is a process of elimination. Wei Yuanye is indeed smart, so this makes sense. However, Zhang Deng discovered that in Wei Yuanye's eyes, everyone seemed to be a fool.

Dong Yu said, "That makes sense. Have you seen it?"

"I can think about it." Wei Yuanye said.

Everyone: “…”

Dong Yu said, "Actually, what you said isn't entirely correct. After all, there are spirit objects in this world."

"What's the name of the weapon spirit?" Wei Yuanye asked.

Dong Yu didn't answer right away, so Wei Yuanye said, "It's called a 'spirit'. How can it be a 'spirit' without a spirit?"

Wei Yuanye asked again: "What is the monster called? It's called monster."

"Is it a thing?" Wei Yuanye asked.

Dong Yu smiled and said, "Okay, I can't argue with you."

Wei Yuanye may have some theoretical foundation, and he has a methodology to interpret this world, so as the only scholar here who has really received an education, he has overwhelming persuasive power.

However, Zhang Deng also learned through this discussion that this world does not have systematic theoretical knowledge. They all rely on empiricism and pass on knowledge by word of mouth.

Zhang Deng said, "You knew it a long time ago, why didn't you tell me?"

Wei Yuanye said: "You didn't ask me."

Zhang Deng was speechless. His first reaction was indeed to ask someone else. But he couldn't be blamed. It was Wei Yuanye who always claimed he didn't know anything.

Zhang Deng said, "Pancakes are fine."

Wei Yuanye was finally satisfied and said, "Then let's make pancakes."

Shi Hong finally got to the area he was good at. He said, "Great, I know a shop that sells pancakes. They're really delicious."

The place Shi Hong found was not cheap. He handed the menu to Zhang Deng and the others. Among the dazzling list of dishes, Zhang Deng saw that the top row had words like "Qiang Bing", "Chuan Qiang", "Qiang Du", etc. written on it.

Zhang Deng was stunned. Shi Hong saw his surprise and came over, saying with a smile, "Ah, a new batch of Qiang people arrived from Yuzhou. This boss is really fast."

"Do you want to eat it?" Shi Hong said, "You can try it."

Shi Hong said with experience, "Female Qiang meat is more expensive, but it's delicious. The taste is incomparable to male Qiang meat. However, there's one thing: Qiang people can't eat brains. Eating brains can easily make them sick, and the taste is also average... I wonder what you can order from this store?"

Zhang Deng asked, "Has it been... sold?"

Shi Hong didn't understand, but Lin Yuzhou did. He said, "No, Qiang Gui, if you place an order, they'll slaughter it right away. If you buy a whole one, they'll even bring it to you for you to see."

Zhang Deng glanced at Wei Yuanye, and Wei Yuanye said, "We are not used to it."

"That's a shame," Shi Hong said, "but it's true. Qiang people's food is delicious, but it can't compare to the seasonal vegetable essence. The cabbage essence cakes here are absolutely amazing."

Zhang Deng was completely devastated: "What is that?"

Dong Yu said, "There's a Taoist in Yingzhou who grows melons. He owns a vegetable patch and specializes in capturing the spirits of all living things. He keeps them captive and floats them above the patch. The spirits have nowhere to escape, so they inhabit the vegetables. This way, the vegetables become spirits. Before they become spirits, when they're almost ready to grow flesh and blood, they're uprooted and called vegetable meat. It's very delicious, but expensive."

Zhang Deng wanted to run away.

The diet really shows what a wild and barbaric world this is.

Zhang Deng said, "Ugh...thank you, ugh...I'm not very hungry."

Lin Yuzhou smiled and said, "My brothers have just arrived here and are not used to it yet. Don't scare them."

Shi Hong said, "Ah, then just order whatever you want. One serving of conch flower sauce, one mixed vegetable platter, and three pounds of mastiff deer biscuits..."

After the shock just now, Zhang Deng felt that these strange and bizarre names of dishes seemed a bit tame.

Lin Yuzhou said to Shi Hong: "My brother is kind-hearted and even made friends with the Qiang people on the way here."

"Ah?" Shi Hong was not surprised. While pouring wine for them, he said, "Then you didn't buy it?"

"Ah," Zhang Deng had thought about it, but buying a few people who had spoken to him and leaving the others to fend for themselves wasn't a good solution, Zhang Deng said. "I can't afford too many."

"How much do you want to buy?"

"How many are there in a car?" Zhang Deng asked, "A few hundred."

Shi Hong: "..."

Shi Hong glanced at him and said, "You want to open a restaurant?"

What a death joke! Zhang Deng said, "Impossible!"

Shi Hong understood and said, "When I was a kid, I accidentally made friends with a meat Qiang. My father bought him for me. He was only eight years old, which was when he was most expensive. I spent three hundred and fifty yuan on him. Now he works as a cashier in my shop."

Zhang Deng thought of the man at the front desk and said, "So it was him."

Shi Hong said, "Making friends with Qiang people is a very normal thing, but it can also be dangerous. If people knew you were adopting a Qiang person, they would come looking for you endlessly, and you would be in trouble. So buying one or two is fine, but forget about buying too many."

"Everyone is a Qiang now," Shi Hong said. "Maybe one day, they'll say they want to offer a big sacrifice and eat us too."

Zhang Deng calculated, 350 yuan per person, so to buy 100 would cost 35,000 yuan. Wei Yuanye probably doesn't have that much money, right?

Moreover, as Shi Hong said, there will be more and more troubles after buying it, but if you just put it secretly, the sacrifice will still involve killing people, so won’t you have to kill others in the end?

Zhang Deng was feeling a bit depressed, but Wei Yuanye asked, "Do you know anyone who joined this group of Qiang people?"

Shi Hong was stunned and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Wei Yuanye said: "I have a little money, so I want to start a business."

Shi Hong said, "...I know them, but do you want to buy them? Business is not going well at this time of year. The Qiang people have already ordered them for the Martial Spirit Avatar sacrifice. They can only be sold in retail, not wholesale."

Wei Yuanye said, "Is it not okay even if I'm very rich?"

Shi Hong was somewhat disdainful: "How much money do you have?"

Wei Yuanye thought for a moment and said, "Ten million."

Shi Hong: "..."

"Excuse me, what does your family do?" Shi Hong asked.

Wei Yuanye pulled out something that looked like a bankbook from his pocket. He opened it, showed everyone the numbers on it, and said, "I've been an orphan since I was a child. Zhang Deng is my good friend. Whatever he wants is what I want."

This was a completely unrelated sentence, yet completely relevant. It made everyone fully understand the relationship between the two of them, and also let everyone present know that Zhang Deng's position was Wei Yuanye's position.

No one asked any more questions, and the table fell silent temporarily because of the arrogant words. It was not until the waiters brought the dishes that everyone resumed conversation.

Wei Yuanye had said a long time ago that he had money, but Zhang Deng later discovered that his money was all earned with his own points, and the funding for their mission was not very large. At this time, Wei Yuanye was planning to spend his own points again.

Zhang Deng felt more sad than touched. He had no real reason for this sadness, and he didn't know why. It might be because his relationship with Wei Yuanye was too ambiguous, or he was lamenting that this was the first time he'd been treated this way at his age, or perhaps he felt inferior because of his inappropriate indecision.

Shi Hong said: "I can arrange a meeting for you and give you a discount, but seriously, you have so much money, it's too low-key. It's enough for you to buy a martial soul body."

Wei Yuanye just smiled, and Shi Hong immediately understood: "You are not interested in the martial soul's true body."

"That's right," Shi Hong said, "People like you, what do you want? Your martial soul body is nothing more than a low-level immortal who has achieved sainthood in the flesh. You were even killed by lightning halfway through your journey to immortality."

Zhang Deng asked, "How did he die?"

"He's not dead." Dong Yu suddenly said.

Zhang Deng: “?”

Dong Yu: "He practiced for a thousand years, it's impossible for him to die so easily. Rumor has it that he fell in love with his brother's woman. His brother is an 'outer man' who specifically killed him. He knew his fate and took advantage of him to attack while he was going through a tribulation and took his life. But I don't think he's dead."

Zhang Deng said, "Did you see that in the future?"

Dong Yu did not answer this question, but insisted: "Now we can only get his body. His spirit has escaped. When the spirit body opens, he should reappear."

"Why are you still showing up?"

Dong Yu: "Whoever takes the martial soul's true body, he will follow that person. He is a villain who stole his brother's wife. Do you think he will let go of the person who took his body?"

Zhang Deng only understood half of what he heard and said, "So, are you guessing or did you already know it?"

Dong Yu learned quickly: "I can think."

Zhang Deng was speechless. Lin Yuzhou said, "I have a suggestion, brothers."

Lin Yuzhou raised his glass and said, "Although I'm not very smart, my brother Shi Hong has extensive connections, Dong Yu is very resourceful, and you and Wei Yuanye are both talented people. Why don't we form an alliance and fight for the martial spirit body together? Once I get it, I only need his brain."

"I've lost my magic and my memory," Lin Yuzhou said. "I need his brain, and my brother Shi Hong needs a piece of his intestines. The rest is yours."

Dong Yu hesitated and didn't speak immediately.

Zhang Deng had no say and looked at Wei Yuanye.

Wei Yuanye said: "I don't care."

Zhang Deng guessed that Wei Yuanye was simply trying to go with the flow. The two of them hadn't found any main quests in this world to begin with, so they could only go with the flow and see where the situation would take them. Now that something like this had happened, if it were Zhang Deng, he would also choose to go ahead and see what happened.

"Sure," Dong Yu said after hearing Wei Yuanye soften his tone, "That's fine with me too. I want one of his hands."

Lin Yuzhou said with satisfaction: "In that case, let us also swear an oath of blood and chant the Heart Protection Mantra. Anyone who has other intentions will die a miserable death!"

"Where's the blood?" Zhang Deng asked, somewhat cautiously, "Can I use my finger?"

Lin Yuzhou laughed and grabbed his hand. A small knife appeared between his fingers and cut Zhang Deng's fingertip. A drop of blood came out. Lin Yuzhou poured the wine into the bowl, and then collected his blood. The blood fell to the bottom of the bowl and bloomed into a small red flower.

Zhang Deng sat down, pinching his fingers. Only then did he feel a slight pain, but because the incision was small and neat, it didn't hurt particularly.

Shi Hong also took out his own knife. His knife looked very expensive. It was golden all over and dotted with various gems. When it was pulled out, it flashed with silver light. He grasped the blade in his palm, and when he opened it again, blood was already gushing out. He reached out and caught half a bowl of blood.

Zhang Deng felt that he couldn't drink anymore.

There was a knife hidden in Dong Yu's hair. It was a hairpin knife, very thin and sharp. A slight scratch caused a trickle of blood to flow down and drip into the bowl. Lin Yuzhou bit his finger with his teeth and squeezed a few drops into the bowl.

Finally, only Wei Yuanye was left. Wei Yuanye sat there without moving. Zhang Deng thought he had a handy tool and was about to borrow it from someone. Wei Yuanye lowered his hand and raised it again, revealing a fish knife half an arm long. He flipped his wrist and cut his palm with it. He shook his hand and blood splattered out, landing right in the bowl.

Zhang Deng had never seen Wei Yuanye with a weapon in his hand, let alone other people. Moreover, every move he made seemed to be deliberately intimidating.

Zhang Deng wanted to ask, "Why are you so mad?" but he held it back.

"Your knife-hiding skills are quite impressive," Dong Yu said.

Wei Yuanye glanced at him indifferently, and Zhang Deng judged from this glance that Wei Yuanye was in a bad mood.

Zhang Deng put his finger in his mouth, tasting the bloody taste, and suddenly realized: Could it be because of me?

Lin Yuzhou was so smart that he immediately said, "It's my fault. Zhang Deng's hand was broken."

Zhang Deng glanced at Wei Yuanye, but felt that Wei Yuanye's expression was even worse.

I was angry just now, and now I feel a little annoyed.

Zhang Deng immediately realized he couldn't say any more. He said nonchalantly, "Let's drink. Who should start?"

Several people were cheerful and shared the drink without saying anything. Finally, only Wei Yuanye and Zhang Deng were left. Zhang Deng was not mentally prepared and pushed Wei Yuanye. Wei Yuanye took a sip and handed it to him. Zhang Deng was about to close his eyes and swallow it when he found that Wei Yuanye drank the whole bowl without leaving any for him.

He calmly raised the bottom of the bowl, pretending to be dry, and gently scratched the back of Wei Yuanye's hand with his other hand.

Wei Yuanye was really angry because Lin Yuzhou cut his hand without explanation, Zhang Deng thought to himself.

Why?

Did he think that Lin Yuzhou's behavior was too offensive, or was it because Wei Yuanye had a better idea but didn't use it?

No matter how you look at it, it's hard not to be suspicious.

What on earth was Wei Yuanye thinking? Who did he think he was?

Why does he always do vague things instead of speaking clearly?

Zhang Deng finished his tasteless meal in confusion.