Chapter 74: Different World Creation
The next day, early morning.
Chu Hengkong, shirtless, stood in a boxing stance outside the church. His punches were strange, each movement like slow motion from a movie slowed down tenfold, like a snail practicing martial arts. But as his punches flew, a surge of "force" surged from his fingertips, spreading through his arms and throughout his body, forming visible "ripples."
The ripples rose from the extremities of his limbs, sweeping across his body as he moved, causing his bones and joints to crackle like popping beans. With each pop, Chu Hengkong's body swayed, as if adjusting his stance. The ripples finally converged at his spine, converging into a single, harmonious point...
But suddenly, the point that was about to be formed broke, and the unrestrained energy dispersed, rushing through his body. Chu Hengkong put away his stance, and sweat formed a wet circle on the ground.
"Is not breathing during practice your hobby?" someone said behind him.
Chu Hengkong then exhaled slowly: "It's another way of training."
"How bizarre. Qigong forging bones and this quirk, you really are worthy of being a martial artist."
Fander came bouncing forward, his eyelids drooping as if he was still half asleep. Chu Hengkong glanced at him and said, "You know Longquan Township?"
"How many major forces in the entire Shendong Realm have the 'Path of Ascension'? It's hard not to know." Fander's tone was sour. "The grassroots Transformers are desperate for a skillful hand, but you guys are recommended to become Architects as soon as you enter. Who can compare?"
Chu Hengkong had never heard of this and didn't bother to correct the other party's misunderstanding. He shook off the sweat and went back to the church to pick up a piece of leftover eel. Fander continued to nag at him, "But you haven't mastered this secret method. Usually, the mind and energy are concentrated in the spine to complete a cycle. Why did it dissipate in the end..."
"The spine was contaminated by a demon a few days ago."
"Oh no wonder..." said Vander, "Huh? Huh??"
Chu Hengkong ignored Fan De, who was constantly nagging and talking, and headed towards Yingshi Town. He had sensed something strange when he had been practicing early in the morning: the town was silent even though the sun had long risen. Even if there were no restaurants in the town, there should be merchants getting up early to sell their goods.
These people from God's kingdom don't need to eat, so do they not even do business?
He left the church and headed into town, finding all the houses empty. It wasn't until he approached Yingshi Town's central square that he finally heard the sounds of people. The square was completely occupied by the townspeople, over a hundred of them gathered in large circles, their hands clasped together as if in prayer. In the center of the square stood a cherry blossom wood statue several feet tall. A jade dragon statue coiled atop the tree, its posture both compassionate and majestic.
Qi Su stood beneath the statue, the only voice in the town. She waved her short staff like a conductor conducting an orchestra, reciting poetry in a singsong voice. It was a long, ancient poem, its wording obscure and profound. Chu Hengkong listened for a while, only vaguely understanding that it recounted a creation myth.
Long, long ago, there lived a great and gigantic "Earthly Giant." Feeling that living alone was very lonely, he created the first light in the world. And at the same time as the light appeared, the Giant had a shadow.
Light thought, shadows spoke, and the eloquent life grew from one to three, and the area surrounding the giant became bustling. This lively atmosphere spread outward, bringing joy to the empty space. Thus, the chaos of nothingness began to evolve, and the prototype of the world appeared.
"...One life becomes three, three becomes ten thousand. Chaos changes, the world is created. The original spirit is pure, the past is like a song~"
Qi Su concluded the poem with a concluding remark, and the townspeople bowed to Qi Su and dispersed. Xiang Fuzi emerged from the crowd and waved to the two men.
"My Netherworld Divine Kingdom respects tradition and values ​​inheritance. Every day, the nation must begin with a prayer and a long poem. After the ceremony, daily life can resume. Please don't be surprised."
Chu Hengkong found it very interesting and asked, "Did you ask Qi Su to come here to train the child's language skills?"
"No, no," Xiang Fuzi explained solemnly, "The prayer is a way to connect with the gods and pay respect to heaven and earth. To lead the singing requires one to have entered the Path of Floating Light, and at least have the 'Bitter Staff' to take on this role. Qi Su is the only lead singer in the town, and his responsibility is serious, not just a child's pleasure."
So, Qisu is a "bitter staff"... This name is an advanced version of "foundation stone." The weapon she used last night must be her own relic. It's so small, just a particle 2. No wonder she's so arrogant.
Qi Su raised his head smugly, a smile that looked like it was asking for a beating on his face. "There's no need to tell Squid so much. Hey, Big Squid, no matter how ignorant you are, you've probably heard of the 'Eternal Song' I'm reciting today, right?"
"Never heard of it." Chu Hengkong shook his head.
Qi Su and Xiang Fuzi were shocked as if they had seen aliens, and Fan De felt like he was struck by lightning.
"Which Dust Island are you from, uncle?" Fander rolled his eyes. "You don't even... you don't even have this kind of common sense... How did you learn to speak?"
"Brother, can you write?" Xiang Fuzi asked with concern, "Do you need to be taught how to hold a pen?"
Chu Hengkong was at a loss for words, thinking, "I'm a serious graduate student. My family even spent a fortune to buy me two doctoral degrees. How could I end up in another world and become illiterate?" He didn't bother to explain himself, saying, "I've never heard of a long poem, and I'm living a good life."
"How can we communicate with you if you don't even have a worldview..." Qi Su lamented, "Little Squid! Talk to him!"
"Shut up and listen to me, illiterates." Vander used his tentacles to pick up the dirt. "First of all, you're a skilled hand, so you must have seen the seal-type, right?"
Chu Hengkong nodded.
Finder drew the core of the seal on the ground, a triangle formed by three overlapping circles. Each of the three circles had a simple symbol, and the viewer could naturally understand its meaning: dust, light, and shadow.
"These three lost secret symbols are the story you just heard." Finder pointed at them one by one with his tentacle. "They represent the 'dust' of the giant spirit, the 'light' born from the dust, and the 'shadow' that opposes the light. These three great, distant, and unimaginable beings are the 'origin' of all things and all life in the world, so we call them the original spirits."
Finder patted his tentacles. "The Primordial Spirit is the world. Most technologies that rely on external forces are based on the symbols of the Three Primordial Spirits. This includes the magic circle you touched during your transformation, and the summoning circle I used to summon the tentacles..."
Fander glanced at Qi Su and said, "Little girl, you deliberately used common sense to open the topic, and it was about the 'bitter staff' again. I guess you have something to say, right?"
Qi Su crossed his arms, remaining silent, his expression as if waiting for you to beg him for help. Chu Hengkong, who never cared about children, asked Xiang Fuzi directly, "May I ask, given the vast power of the Divine Kingdom, is there any way to leave this town?"
"Of course." Xiang Fuzi spoke fluently, and it was obvious that they had rehearsed it several times. "If your hometown is far away, I can only say sorry. This fashionable city has been in contact with my kingdom of God for many years, so it is not difficult to send you back. However..."
Chu Hengkong was just waiting for this: "If you have any difficulties, just tell me."
"Brother, while fishing yesterday, you must have seen the 'Great Hole' that separates the ocean. You know the sea route is cut off, and ordinary means of sailing are hopeless," Xiangfuzi pondered. "My kingdom is vast and rich in resources, so we don't lack emergency measures. However... this method is quite expensive, and after all, you and I have never met before..."
Chu Hengkong just smiled and repeated: "If you have any difficulties, just tell me."
"Brother, you're truly a straightforward person! To be honest, there are many strange beasts surrounding our town. While they pose no threat to us, they're causing trouble when they take over the mountains. If you're willing to rid our town of these harms, we'll be happy to help." Xiang Fuzi clapped his hands and smiled. "And around our town, there are three most rampant strange beasts: the giant on the plains, the centipede in the mountains, and the jade fox on the top. If you can kill all three, Qi Su can use their remains as 'symbols' for rituals. Then, you can leave this dangerous place, and we can have some free time. Isn't that wonderful?"
Chu Hengkong responded immediately: "I didn't ask..."
"no!"
Fander quickly jumped over and interrupted him before he could finish, "You're asking us for help with empty words, but how can you possibly get away with such a good thing? What if you kill all the monsters and don't leave? Wouldn't we have worked for your entire town in vain?"
Xiang Fuzi had anticipated this and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Brother Yan. Hunting exotic beasts is a mutually beneficial endeavor. The craftsmen in this town are highly skilled. If you hunt a powerful exotic beast, we can carve its remains into protective gear and weapons, which will also help you on your journey. How about this?"
Fander pondered for a while and whispered, "It's worth considering. I remember that the Netherworld Kingdom is good at enchanting secret codes."
"I was going to kill him anyway, I don't mind." Chu Hengkong nodded, "What are your current needs?"
Qi Su came over to lead the two, speaking with airs: "We, the people of the Kingdom of God, are not used to communicating much with outsiders. All our needs are written on paper and nailed to boards. After you kill the monster, you don't need to look for anyone else, just tell me. This job focuses on relationships rather than practical matters. In reality, no one cares about that... What are you doing?!!"
In one corner of the square stood a newly constructed wooden board. Three layers of paper with requirements were stacked on top, making it look like a wall. The townspeople crowded around it, scrambling to apply stickers, arguing as they went, "You go first! I'm in a hurry!" "Go! I've been waiting here since early morning!" "We agreed to compete after the prayers, so why did someone sneak off in the middle of the night?"
One unlucky fellow was pushed to the back and yelled angrily, "Stop grabbing! Have some shame! This paper is already pasted on four layers. If you put more paper on it, outsiders won't be able to see it!"
The townspeople nodded in agreement, and then scrambled to pull out the paper that had been pasted on the bottom layer so that they could stick it on the top. The scene became even more lively, and everyone was in harmony with their neighbors, playing together, respectfully calling each other father and son, and smilingly greeting their parents, showing the gentle and elegant customs of ancient times.
Qi Su was so angry that he jumped up on the spot: "Go back! What a shame to be so reserved!"
The townspeople saw the leader was furious, so they didn't dare to say anything and quickly dispersed. The last one to leave was a man wearing a turban. As he left, he didn't forget to secretly take out his share and paste it on the top.
Chu Hengkong and Fander folded their arms, tilted their heads, and stared at Qi Su with great interest. The little girl's face flushed pink, and her eyes swirled in anger. She raised a finger and tried to explain something, but nothing came out. Finally, she let out an angry "ah" and stomped her foot and ran away.
Xiang Fuzi wiped her forehead vigorously: "Well...well...everyone is eager to help..."
"I understand. I understand everything." Chu Hengkong said.
"It's hospitable." Vander said, "We old God country people are like this!"
Chu Hengkong walked over to the wooden board and glanced at it, finding most of them simple tasks like "Search for Mushrooms" and "Urgently Need Cobblestones." Each sheet of paper was filled with small handwriting, detailing the characteristics of the items needed and their possible locations. Each also had hand-drawn illustrations, each depicting them in such detail that it was practically like he was being led through the process.
Among the various hidden object quests, one stood out. It was the last one the turbaned man had posted. On it was a large, bright yellow spider with six legs and a fierce gaze.
Hunting the Yellow-Armored Spider
[Habitat: Grasslands outside the town]
[Characteristics: Suspected to be a rigid-bone beast, active during the day. Its shell is hard, its claws are sharp, and its silk is highly sticky. Please be careful.]
Chu Hengkong was the first to unveil the hunting mission. Xiang Fuzi saw it and nodded slightly, saying, "This monster is ferocious, brother, be careful... Brother?"
Chu Hengkong's hands kept moving, peeling off all the papers. He folded the papers together and threw them into Xiang Fuzi's hands.
"It'll all be done before sunset," he said.
(End of this chapter)
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