Chapter 86 Concern (Bonus Chapter for 2000 Nutrient Solution) "You seem..."
After all, most people in the meditation community are too lazy to deal with worldly affairs. Even if they are offended, they usually turn a blind eye. As for whether that person will be unlucky or not, it is all up to fate.
As for those in the sword cultivation world, although most of them are as fiery as fire, if provoked, they will draw their swords against anyone, regardless of whether the other party is a cultivator or a mortal.
But at least they're straightforward and decisive, and they don't stoop to underhanded tactics. They might even beg for mercy and say a few flattering words, which might appease the sword cultivators and make them release the person.
But the Dharma Cultivator is different. No matter how much he begs for mercy or flatters him, even if he makes people laugh, he will still die. He has no sense of martial ethics whatsoever.
Moreover, they are selective in their approach to people. If they think they can beat someone, they will attack directly. If they think they can't beat someone, they will swallow their anger and wait for the person to lower their guard before taking their life. If they can't get revenge on their own, they will even call for backup.
Most importantly, people in the sword cultivation world only kill one enemy when they want to kill another, without harming their relatives.
The Taoist community is different. They firmly believe that "if you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze." In order to avoid being retaliated against by the descendants of their enemies in the future, they will choose to ensure that the enemy has no descendants. Not to mention infants in swaddling clothes, they will even shake the eggs in the henhouse until the yolks are broken, for fear that they will become spirits and take revenge on their master.
These two sides can be described as one using open attacks and the other using covert ones.
Everyone knows the saying "It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark." Therefore, compared to offending a sword cultivator, one has a better chance of survival. Even if one doesn't survive, at least one's family can live.
Li Chen regained his senses and said seriously, "Since you've already put it this way, I naturally won't sit idly by. However, I don't know where that Pavilion Master Liu has gone. It seems that your cultivation world is more adept at finding traces of people."
Seeing that she had agreed, Shen Zhengyuan didn't say anything more, but simply nodded and said, "I already had someone plant a tracking spell on her. So I know exactly where she is now."
Li Chen smiled and even praised Shen Zhengyuan a few times, but he sighed silently in his heart.
Since she left the meditation community, troubles have come one after another, and she can't avoid them. They've made her start to wonder if she's incompatible with "going down the mountain" or "going on a long trip."
Oh well, let's just say it's...
Let's do one last good deed.
As she pondered this, her gaze fell upon the fermented rice balls.
It was being held in someone's arms at the moment. It was not injured in the chaos, but it was obviously quite frightened. It kept its head buried in that person's chest and refused to lift it up.
She sighed and said, "Since that's the case, I can't refuse. But I'll have to trouble Sect Leader Shen to have someone send Han Shannan home. Jiu Niang Yuanzi can go with him too. After all, Jiu Niang Yuanzi likes him quite a bit, and he takes good care of her. They seem to have a lot of fun every day."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Shen Zhengyuan and continued, "The outside world is not peaceful right now. Although he has some cultivation, he is simple-minded. If he encounters a smart person, he will have little power to protect himself. Therefore, I would like to ask Sect Leader Shen to instruct his family to keep a close watch on him when they send him home, so that he will not have any chance to sneak out again."
"good."
Shen Zhengyuan responded with a sound that revealed no emotion.
However, when his gaze swept over Han Shannan, who was still unconscious, a cryptic smile slowly curved his lips, making Li Chenjin feel somewhat worried.
Shen Zhengyuan wouldn't agree to send Han Shannan home verbally, but secretly have him killed, would he?
It shouldn't be that bad... right?
Just as she was beginning to have doubts, a cry that almost shook the heavens suddenly pulled her back to reality.
She looked down towards the sound and saw the devastated Qilu Pavilion.
The people who had been in the inn were somehow brought to the Weeping Dew Pavilion and were searching through the scattered limbs on the ground.
The voice just now was made by someone who had found the remains of a puppet and noticed a familiar birthmark on the remains.
The person was in so much pain that everyone around her was moved by her grief.
But soon, as if they had realized something, those people also began to frantically search through the mountain of corpses and sea of blood with trembling hands.
Most of those people were praying silently that they would not find the person they wanted to see in this place.
Unfortunately, fate can be cruel sometimes. It doesn't change the truth because of people's suffering. Soon, many people saw the marks they least wanted to see on the puppets' severed limbs.
For a moment, the cries of those people mingled with the cries of those who had escaped the calamity and were now weeping over the bodies of their loved ones.
The entire Hezhang County was plunged into endless grief; everywhere one looked, there were people collapsing, crying, and screaming.
Li Chenjin's gaze swept around and finally settled on an old man who walked through this "purgatory" without shedding tears or crying out.
The old man was very old and had difficulty walking. Even though he walked with difficulty and almost fell to the ground several times, he held the small corpse tightly and refused to let go even for a moment.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped, bent down shakily, and picked up a candied hawthorn stick covered in dust from the ground.
His eyes were somewhat vacant and unfocused, as if he were living in a nightmare, but he carefully handed the candied hawthorn to the child in his arms, whose mouth was already cold and still had blood on it.
When he realized the child wouldn't open his mouth to eat, he wasn't angry. He just kept muttering to himself, "Little Bao, don't be afraid, Grandpa's here. Grandpa will take you to find Grandma... Where is Grandma... Chun'er, wife, where did you and the baby go?"
"Mother, I've made Chun'er angry again... Mother, look, I have a grandson now! Mother, where are you? Mother, I can't find you..."
"Dad, Mom? I want to go home, I can't find my way home... Dad... Mom... Take me home, Xiao Bao is scared, Mom..."
“He’s gone mad.” Shen Zhengyuan’s voice suddenly rang out, calm and without the slightest ripple. “Do you see? There are many people here now who have gone mad, just like those I saw back then.”
Li Chenjin: "..."
She closed her eyes and silently turned her face away.
But though she couldn't see, she could still hear. She could hear people's shrill screams, painful groans, and desperate cries. She could also hear madmen singing lullabies to children to soothe them to sleep over the wreckage on the ground.
She closed her eyes, unable to see the outside world, but she couldn't hide the tears streaming from her eyes.
She stood there silently for a long time before saying, "As long as I live, I will see this matter through to the end."
If all the suffering the world experienced more than seven hundred years ago were to be repeated more than seven hundred years later, then she should not have had such a miraculous encounter.
Therefore, there must be a way to solve this problem; there must be a solution to this predicament.
However, she currently knows too little to grasp the key points, so the only place where she can truly find the answer is...
Perhaps, only the Zen meditation community can do this.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Old monk...
Why did you hide something like this from me?
It really makes me...
Even when facing death, there are worries in one's heart, making it difficult to leave in peace...
………………
Just as Li Chenjin had guessed, there was indeed a hidden world beneath the Weeping Dew Pavilion.
However, it was not a spacious, enclosed room, but rather a network of countless crisscrossing, deep tunnels leading to unknown destinations.
There was no light in the tunnel. Walking inside, you could hear the howling of the cold wind coming from the depths of the tunnel.
It's as if some unknown beast is lurking at the end of darkness, waiting for its prey to walk into its trap, which makes one feel a little creeped out.
Fortunately, Liu Yan was born with excellent night vision. Even without candlelight, she could command the puppets behind her to push her forward and onto the right path.
She wasn't worried at all that anyone would discover this place, because outsiders would never know what lay at the end of these tunnels.
In this labyrinth as intricate as a spider web, there is only one path leading to survival; the ends of all other paths lead to traps that can kill.
Furthermore, the layout of this underground passage changes frequently, so it's impossible for anyone other than her to find the correct way out.
Anyone who dares to come down will inevitably face certain death.
When light finally appeared before her, she was pushed by the puppet and left the dark tunnel.
The damp, rotten smell that had lingered with her for so long finally dissipated, and the fresh air from outside rushed in, making her take a deep breath.
Before she could even take a few more breaths of fresh air, the smile that had just appeared on her face froze instantly, and her expression suddenly darkened.
Her gaze fell coldly on the open ground not far from her, her eyes filled with disgust, as if she had seen something that disgusted her utterly.
Following her gaze, she could see two figures standing there, looking as if they had been waiting for her for a long time.
One of the two men, seemingly oblivious to the disgust in her eyes, gave her a slight smile and waved at her gently, as if greeting an old acquaintance. "Oh, Pavilion Master Liu. What a coincidence, you've come here too... for snow-treading?"
Liu Yan said coldly, "It's you again. You guys are like ghosts that won't leave you alone."
"You flatter me," Li Chen said. "I should thank Pavilion Master Liu for rushing over here and not keeping us waiting too long."
Liu Yan's face contorted with anger at Li Chenjin's words, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "How exactly did you find this place?"
Li Chen's smile remained unchanged. "How we found this place is none of your concern, Pavilion Master Liu. However, we do have some questions for you. Where are those who went missing, and those who voluntarily left during the Biyun Contest?"
Liu Yan scoffed, "You want me to betray the God Lord? Dream on!"
"Hey, don't be so quick to refuse, Pavilion Master Liu," Li Chen said in a still very relaxed tone. "You attached yourself to that God Lord because only that God Lord could save your life back then. Therefore, it's clear that Pavilion Master Liu certainly wouldn't willingly want to die for that God Lord, would she?"
"We're asking Pavilion Master Liu to save time and trouble. After all, the commotion when those puppets were transported to the Weeping Dew Pavilion was quite significant, and many people witnessed it. If we questioned them one by one, we might get some clues. But if we did that, Pavilion Master Liu would lose the chance to redeem himself, and I'm afraid..."
Before she could finish speaking, Liu Yan interrupted her, saying, "If you're really capable, go ask them. The reason you're coming to me is because your men can't get anything out of me, right?"
Li Chen remained expressionless and continued with a slight smile: "Sect Leader Liu is truly intelligent. So, Sect Leader Liu is unwilling to continue?"
Shen Zhengyuan said indifferently, "Why waste words with her? I've already said, just use the Truth Word spell to interrogate her."
This incantation technique is a special interrogation method used by cultivators. However, although it is effective, it is not very friendly to the person being interrogated. It can damage their primordial spirit, and if they are unlucky, they may become mentally impaired after the interrogation.
Even cultivators with some cultivation level experience this, so the side effects are naturally even greater for ordinary people like Liu Yan.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Li Chen stopped talking, pursed his lips, and gestured for Shen Zhengyuan to handle it himself.
However, just as Shen Zhengyuan was about to make a move, Liu Yan suddenly said, "I can tell you, but I advise you that it's best not to go."
Li Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hmm? Why has Pavilion Master Liu suddenly changed her mind? Is she trying to make amends? Or... did your Divine Lord just tell you through some means that you should tell us?"
Liu Yan did not answer her question directly, but said, "I'll say it again, I did nothing wrong, and I don't need to make amends."
"You are indeed better than those fools who have a little bit of cleverness and dare to rashly sneak into the underground, only to die in the end, but that's all."
"Compared to the God, you are all the most lowly and foolish ants in the world. Only the God is the true god in this world. In the future... the entire Three Realms and Six Paths will grovel at the feet of the God. Even the gods and Buddhas you worship will be no exception. At that time, they will be nothing more than dust under the feet of the God."
Li Chen pondered for a moment, "Your god-lord certainly has a big mouth, but it seems he's all talk and no action. Otherwise, why would he have to gnaw at the soil for hundreds of years like an earthworm before finally finding a chance to crawl out and breathe?"
"you!"
Liu Yan's eyes were bloodshot as she glared fiercely at Li Chenjin, her anger almost bursting forth.
If looks could kill, Li Chen would probably have been pierced by a thousand arrows by now.
Liu Yan gritted her teeth, looked at the two people not far away, and sneered, "I won't argue with you over words. Before long, you will know that what I just told you was true. At that time, you will kneel on the ground and beg for the forgiveness of the gods."
Li Chen said, "With your God Lord's character, I'm afraid he can't accept my kneeling."
Liu Yan snorted coldly and stopped responding to her. Instead, she continued, "Whether you believe it or not, the people you're looking for are right now in the weapon cultivation world."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Shen Zhengyuan, a smile of extreme malice slowly appearing on her face. "What's your name again? It seems to be Shen... something Yuan? Heh, whatever, it doesn't matter what your name is. I just want to tell you, don't think that only your cultivation world can win people's hearts."
"You probably don't know, do you? The weapon-cultivating world has long since submitted to the God Lord. The God Lord is fully aware of your schemes in the magic-cultivating world."
"You think your cultivation community is a monolithic entity? Now you probably can't even tell what's true and what's false when your subordinates tell you, right? Hahahaha!"
“You can’t kill me! I have already dedicated my life and my soul to the God. What you see now is nothing but a filthy shell that I have long since discarded!”
"I will gain eternal life! I will possess supreme power, just like the God! I will never again be bullied or slaughtered by others! Soon, I will be the new god of this world! As for you, the God will settle accounts with you!"
"You think you can threaten me? Hahahaha! You can't threaten me. You're just a shell I can throw away at any time. Now... I'm going to serve my god... The god will grant me a perfect body, hehe... If we meet again someday, I will definitely seek revenge on you, hahahaha!"
Liu Yan threw her head back and laughed loudly, as if in her eyes they were truly some ridiculous fools.
However, she only laughed for a few moments before suddenly falling silent. Then her head lolled to the side, and she was lifeless. The puppet that had been standing behind her wheelchair also instantly scattered to the ground.
It seems that her soul has been taken away by the god she worshipped.
Whether she would become the right-hand man of the god she spoke of, or become nourishment for that god like some others in Hezhang County, remains to be seen.
Li Chen stared at Liu Yan's rapidly cooling body and sighed, "She's really gone mad..."
As she spoke, she turned to Shen Zhengyuan and asked, "Did you know anything about the world of weapon cultivators before?"
Shen Zhengyuan's expression remained unchanged, and he nodded slightly, "Most of the magical artifacts used in the cultivation world today are made by Wen Riwan."
"Can she make so many magical artifacts by herself?" Li Chen asked.
Shen Zhengyuan said, "There is a secret realm within the cultivation world that is helpful for cultivation. Once inside, one day outside is equivalent to one year inside. She and her maid stayed in that secret realm for a long time, so naturally they were able to refine many magical artifacts."
Li Chenjin: "..."
Li Chenjin: "Wait a minute. So, after that cultivator Wen reached your Pure Realm, her cultivation level didn't improve at all. Could it be because you forced her to make magical artifacts day and night, leaving her no time to cultivate?"
Shen Zhengyuan said, "She did it voluntarily."
The implication was that he hadn't pressured her.
But...voluntary?
Hearing Shen Zhengyuan's words, Li Chen almost wanted to sigh.
Why did they do it voluntarily? Doesn't Shen Zhengyuan know the answer to that?
It's only because people like him that they're willing to be driven by him like this. Otherwise, who would like a job that doesn't even give them holidays and doesn't pay them?
No wonder that cultivator seemed to have a rather volatile temper; working day and night to create all sorts of magical artifacts, it's indeed difficult for him to have a gentle temperament...
Li Chen seemed to remember something again and quickly said, "Then she is currently in the weapon cultivation world, wouldn't she be very vulnerable to danger? Since you knew about this, did you send someone to protect her? Or did you bring her back to the Pure Realm?"
“She will always have to go back, and even if someone asks, they won’t get any information,” Shen Zhengyuan said calmly. “I have already had her memories processed, so she won’t remember anything important about the Pure Realm. There’s no need to worry.”
Li Chenjin: "..."
Li Chenjin: "Is that what I'm worried about? Never mind. If I have the chance when I go to the Weapon Cultivation Realm, I'll take a look at her and send her to a safe place. As for the people in the Weapon Cultivation Realm, not all of them have submitted to that so-called God Lord. Those who haven't submitted yet need to be protected as soon as possible."
"It just so happens that there are quite a few deserted mountain peaks in the Zen meditation community. You can send those people to the Zen meditation community. With the Venerable Master Mingcun in charge there, there will definitely be no trouble."
“You seem to care about her a lot,” Shen Zhengyuan suddenly said.
Li Chenjin: "..."
Li Chenjin: "...?"
She glanced at Shen Zhengyuan strangely, as if she didn't understand why he would suddenly say such a thing. Weren't they just talking about important matters?
She shook her head helplessly and said, "Alright, stop interrupting. My memory isn't very good these days, and if you keep interrupting, I'll easily forget what's important."
"Hiss... What am I supposed to do next? Oh, right... I'm supposed to go to the Weapon Cultivation Realm, but it's so big, where exactly is the place where people are imprisoned?"
Li Chen tried to guess where those people might be hiding, but before she could figure it out, Shen Zhengyuan casually tossed out a teleportation talisman, and they instantly arrived in the realm of the Dharma Cultivation Realm.
At this moment, they are on a high mountain within the territory of the Weapon Cultivation Realm.
The surrounding mountain winds were biting, and the area was sparsely populated. However, a little further away, there was a large sect built against the mountain, covering a vast area. It was clear that only disciples of the weapon-cultivating world could set foot there.
Calling it a sect isn't quite accurate, as this place is considered the core of the entire weapon-cultivation world, storing all sorts of rare materials and magical artifacts, making it difficult for ordinary disciples to set foot here.
Shen Zhengyuan wouldn't have brought her to this place for no reason. Considering his previous actions, it's enough to prove that he already knew there was something wrong with this place.
Therefore, his purpose in going to Liu Yan was not to actually obtain any information from her, but simply to use her as a mouthpiece to gain her trust.
But that's not right either. If it were just to gain trust, he wouldn't have needed to go through such a roundabout way, especially considering what happened in the Pure Land before...
Shen Zhengyuan's purpose is probably not just to get rid of that demon.
Li Chen pondered for a moment, "Sect Leader Shen, I guess you already knew what Pavilion Master Liu said a long time ago, right? Also, you should know very well my current physical condition. By deliberately luring me here, I even suspect that you want me to die faster."
Shen Zhengyuan gazed at her quietly and said slowly, "I won't let you die."
Author's Note: Xiao Shen: Indiscriminately jealous, hostile to all life forms that Xiao Li cares about (except for sweet fermented rice balls, which wins against everyone [doge]).
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