Chapter 279 Murder and looting are just a matter of course
In that moment of distraction, Wei Rengang recalled the scene of being interrogated by Zhang Xiangyun on the deserted island.
Nangong Sui stood to the side watching him.
If he had compromised and spoken up back then, he would have been doomed.
But he's not dead yet.
How did I get swept into the sea?
A thought suddenly popped into Wei Ren's mind, making him both excited and uncertain.
Pei Daiqing saw Wei Ren remain silent for a while, then hesitate, as if he couldn't make up his mind, but finally mustered up the courage to look up at him. He knew something was wrong; this kid was going back to his death.
“I still want to go back,” Wei Ren said. “There are some things I need to figure out.”
"If you go back like this, do you think you can defeat those who want to kill you?" Pei Daiqing asked.
Wei Ren rarely showed a smile, but he had the same roguish smile he had when he first came to Taiyi: "You are the head of the Farmer's School, and I am a disciple of the Farmer's School. Can you teach me a couple of moves?"
Pei Daiqing smiled as well, and said gently and calmly, "Are you worthy?"
Wei Ren became serious: "As long as you are willing to teach."
“It’s not about whether I’m willing or not,” Pei Daiqing shook his head, still smiling, “it’s about whether you’re worthy or not.”
He's not as gentle and easy to talk to as he seems on the surface.
Wei Ren felt that both of the farmmasters were somewhat insane. Shen Tianxue was one thing, but Pei Daiqing, though seemingly normal, wasn't either. After all, birds of a feather flock together; their casual banter had led to the revelation that they had once peeled themselves open with knives—was that something a normal person would do?
Anyone with even a modicum of moral principles wouldn't do that!
Wei Ren believed that even someone as immoral as himself would not do such a thing.
Wei Ren wasn't angry at Pei Daiqing's words. After all, Pei Daiqing's status, cultivation level, and behavior were all there. If he didn't have anything worthwhile, why would he expect someone to teach him?
Wei Ren steadied himself in the stream, pondered for a moment, and then asked earnestly, "What do you think I should do to be qualified?"
"Well, I'll have to go back and ask Xue." Pei Daiqing said helplessly.
Wei Ren looked at him and silently cursed him as a henpecked husband.
The two walked all the way to the sycamore tree before catching quite a few fish. Pei Daiqing strung the carp together with thin blades of grass and happily carried them back.
Wei Ren asked, "Dean, where do we catch the ducks?"
Pei Daiqing waved his hand without turning his head: "I'm afraid I can't help you with the duck. You'll have to figure something out yourself."
Wei Ren: "..."
Does he intend to search the entire Shengzhou Island for a duck?
Shen Tianxue will starve to death first.
Wei Ren looked down at the shrimp crawling around in the clear stream, took out his coat to make a net, and caught a large handful of shrimp to take back.
Shen Tianxue sat in a rocking chair under the peach tree, resting with her eyes closed. Pei Daiqing fanned her with a paper fan from time to time.
Wei Ren first brought out a plate of sweet and sour carp, a few side dishes, and finally a dish of "salted duck," which was arranged on a plate with dried shrimp in the shape of a duck, so it could be considered a duck.
Pei Daiqing couldn't help but burst out laughing the moment she saw it, then turned her face away.
Shen Tianxue was startled awake by his laughter. She sat up and looked at Pei Daiqing with a puzzled expression. Only after Pei Daiqing pointed to the table did she turn her head away.
She spotted the duck plated with dried shrimp at a glance.
It has a head and a tail, hands and feet, and is incredibly lifelike.
Shen Tianxue looked up at Wei Ren, but Wei Ren lowered his head, not daring to meet her gaze.
Wei Ren thought to himself that if Shen Tianxue smashed the table and broke the plates, he would kneel down and beg for mercy.
But Shen Tianxue was amused by Pei Daiqing's unstoppable laughter and didn't get angry. She naturally picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Wei Ren secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After Pei Daiqing finished laughing, he told Shen Tianxue about Wei Ren's desire to return to the academy.
After listening, Shen Tianxue looked up at Wei Ren and asked with a scrutinizing gaze, "What do you want us to teach you?"
Wei Ren dared not be presumptuous in front of Shen Tianxue and said respectfully, "I will learn whatever you teach me."
How could he dare to choose?
"Do you really know nothing about the light core inside your body?" Shen Tianxue asked again.
Wei Ren said, "I really didn't know. If I had known, how could I have dared to hide it from you?"
"Since you say you don't know, how do you know you can find the reason by going back to the academy?" Shen Tianxue said leisurely.
Wei Ren: "I was injured near the academy, so maybe I can find the answer if I go back there."
Shen Tianxue saw that his eyes were full of the word "excuse," but she didn't care much. She stared at Wei Ren with interest and said, "Sure, I'll teach you the Illusionary Beast Phantom. Do you want to learn?"
Wei Ren was stunned.
The forbidden techniques of the Farmer's School, the phantom beasts, are something that ordinary people would never mention, and Farmer's School disciples would consider them taboo. However, Shen Tianxue makes no attempt to hide them.
But he's already mastered this Farmer's Secret Technique.
While Wei Ren was struggling with his dilemma, Pei Daiqing, who was still laughing non-stop at "Xia Mi pretending to be a duck," took a moment to say, "Your phantom beast only has three phantom images, which is a bit few."
……What?
Wei Ren looked over in disbelief.
You found out?!
Shen Tianxue said, "If it weren't for the fact that you've learned about magical beasts, I wouldn't have bothered to save you."
Wei Ren looked at Shen Tianxue with trembling eyes, only to see her smiling and asking him, "I will teach you the true Farmer's Illusionary Beasts, but the price is that you can only use this one kind of Heavenly Secret Technique for the rest of your life, and you cannot use any other Farmer's Nine Schools Techniques besides Illusionary Beasts. How about it?"
This condition was extremely demanding for Wei Ren, and he lacked confidence that he could meet it.
After a moment of silence, Wei Ren said, "People say that the Farmer's Heavenly Secrets Technique and Illusionary Beasts are evil arts, not accepted by the Nine Streams Realm. Those who cultivate Illusionary Beasts are even branded as traitors to the Farmer's School, and everyone has the right to kill them."
"If I can only use magical beasts from now on, won't I be hunted down every day?"
It sounds like there's a bit of karma and retribution involved; he used to hunt down others every day, and now it's his turn.
"You don't even have the guts to be chased, what's the point of going back?" Shen Tianxue mocked. "Besides, you've already been cultivating phantom beasts, you should have known that this day would come sooner or later."
Wei Ren said, "I had no choice but to do it."
Shen Tianxue slightly raised her chin: "You are now too."
Pei Daiqing smiled and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Forget it, why are you forcing him? Sigh, just let him go."
Shen Tianxue leaned back in her chair, staring at Wei Ren with a half-smile, her composure suggesting she was certain Wei Ren wouldn't refuse.
Pei Daiqing finally stopped laughing and said to Wei Ren, "After this meal, you can leave if you want. You'll have to figure out how to get back to the academy yourself. And don't mention that you met us when you get back."
He didn't want to get involved in the children's squabbles.
Wei Ren lowered his head and thought for a while. When he looked up again at Shen Tianxue, his gaze was very calm: "What kind of magical beast does the true Farmer's Heavenly Secret Technique look like?"
Shen Tianxue lightly tapped the edge of the bowl with her chopsticks, making a crisp sound: "The Nine Schools of Farming Arts possess the ability to control beasts, and humans are also a kind of beast."
Wei Ren was stunned.
This seemed to be something he had never considered.
Shen Tianxue pointed at him with her chopsticks: "The reason why mythical beasts are forbidden to cultivate is because there is a risk of being devoured. If they are devoured, the relationship between the two will be reversed, and the person who controls the insect beast will be controlled by the insect beast."
"Similarly, a real farm-type mythical beast can also do this, allowing its phantom to devour others and take control of their bodies."
It's far more terrifying for someone to be transformed into an insect than for the caster to suffer the backlash themselves.
This is also one of the reasons why the magical beasts of the Farmer's Heavenly Secrets Technique are restricted.
"How do you do that?" Wei Ren frowned. "The power of the phantom beast is stronger than that of other beast taming abilities, and it can even inherit its master's cultivation level, but how can it devour others?"
As far as he knew, the Beast Devouring ability only targeted the caster.
"The human body remains unchanged, but the internal energy has dissipated. The spirit that the Ghost Daoists talk about is, in layman's terms, a ball of 'energy' that possesses reason and consciousness. The Daoist concept of 'internal energy' is similar. Although the light core is close to the heart, this ball of energy controls your brain."
Shen Tianxue flicked her hand, and a chopstick flew out and hovered in front of Wei Ren's forehead: "This place is called the Sea of Marrow in the farming community. As long as you replace the five elements that govern the Sea of Marrow, your thoughts and actions will be determined by the Qi of the Sea of Marrow, whether you are a human or an insect."
Wei Ren broke out in a cold sweat from her words, and lightly scratched his palm with his fingers. It sounded like the Heavenly Secret Technique of Illusionary Beasts had become even more sinister.
The chopstick circled around Wei Ren, and Shen Tianxue asked with a smile, "Would you like to experience what it's like to become an insect?"
Wei Ren shook his head quickly.
"Alright, so do you want to study or leave?" Shen Tianxue said indifferently.
Wei Ren considered for a moment and said, "But there is still a risk that the magical beasts will be devoured..."
Seeing that he was hesitating again, Shen Tianxue said impatiently, "If you want to learn, then learn; if you don't want to learn, then get lost."
Wei Ren gritted his teeth and said, "I'll learn!"
“Okay,” Shen Tianxue replied. Wei Ren immediately asked, “Is there still a risk of being attacked from behind?”
Shen Tianxue said in a good mood, "There are bound to be risks, unless you have the Breath of Earth."
Wei Ren smirked and said, "I will never obtain the Breath of Earth in this lifetime."
"Isn't the Breath of Earth in so-and-so's hands? Killing and robbing it would be a piece of cake for him." Shen Tianxue asked Pei Daiqing, "Whose hands is it again?"
Pei Daiqing thought for a moment and replied, "It's in Yan Manfeng's hands, isn't it?"
Shen Tianxue: "Oh, never mind then."
Wei Ren: "..."
He decided to remain silent, lest the two of them go mad and return to the academy to kill Nangong Sui.
Wei Ren originally wanted to ask what would happen if the Breath of Earth were split in two, but now he dared not bring up the topic at all, for fear that if Shen Tianxue got interested, she would kill Nangong Sui first, then kill Madam Su, and ask if he wanted to put the Breath of Earth back together.
Wei Ren simply dared not take the risk.
Shen Tianxue, always on a whim, rekindled her interest in Wei Ren and decided to find something to do: teach him how to use phantom beasts. After lunch, she planned to take Wei Ren into the snow mountain to cultivate.
Before heading into the snow-capped mountains, Wei Ren stayed obediently in the kitchen washing dishes. He looked out the window at the distant snow-capped mountains, recalling the past, but he still couldn't convince himself to forget everything and start anew.
At least he's the kind of person who seeks revenge; he has to go back and kill Zhang Xiangyun no matter what.
Regardless of whether Nangong Sui wants him to return to the academy or not, he will find a way to persuade Nangong Sui.
Because he was also curious whether the Xirang could actually restore the land.
Shen Tianxue excitedly prepared the things she would need for her trip to the snow mountain. Pei Daiqing helped her by putting the necessary herbs into her basket and asked, "Ah Xue, why are you willing to teach Wei Ren again?"
“Because he made you laugh,” Shen Tianxue said.
Pei Daiqing was speechless and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Compared to Shen Tianxue's thoughts, Pei Daiqing had more to think about.
Shen Tianxue forbade Wei Ren from using the Nine Stream Techniques because she believed that if he used the power of the Light Core, he might expose his location and cause her trouble. Therefore, she simply forbade Wei Ren from using the Nine Stream Techniques.
But she's always been a free spirit, so while she disliked Wei Ren a while ago, she doesn't anymore.
Pei Daiqing never believed that the ability to regenerate the Five Elements Light Core was Wei Ren's. He first suspected the saints of Taiyi, and then the two's enemies.
Always keeping a backup plan in mind, just in case, is Pei Daiqing's way of doing things.
So he left something inside Wei Ren's body.
Compared to Pei Daiqing, Shen Tianxue's style was much simpler: just kill.
After being rejected by Shen Tianxue and Pei Daiqing, Zou Qian was busy at the Communications Institute for a while. During his break, he sat in a chair in a daze and suddenly remembered what Shen Tianxue had said: to move Ou Rushuang back to the town's agricultural institute.
The more he thought about it, the more speechless he became, but Shen Tianxue was right; Ou Rushuang was indeed not completely dead.
Almost half a month has passed, and as long as Ou Rushuang is not completely dead, I can't have peace of mind.
Zou Qian got up and went to the Mirage again.
The center of the Hongdao Mirage is still a ruin.
The underground orchid poison material has been transported out in batches over the past few days, and it has not been completely moved yet. Jiang Shulan practically lives in the mirage of Red Island, but she doesn't have time to keep an eye on Ou Rushuang, who is protected by the power of the earth's core.
Yin Ziwu and Liang Zhen were in charge of keeping an eye on Ou Rushuang. Wu Huaiwei and Kuang Chu would take over from time to time. Whoever had something to do would leave first, and then someone else would be called to keep an eye on them.
Wei Xizhen was summoned back to the Legalist family by Wu Huaiwei to find a solution to the problem of the Breath Soil, but Yu Sui was under surveillance, so Wei Xizhen would only take action after she was completely cleared of suspicion.
After hearing this, Wu Huaiwei had a big argument with him and sent him back to the boat.
The green vines that had taken root in the ruins became very strong and thick. They intertwined and wrapped around Ou Rushuang, changing every day. Over time, they had transformed into a large banyan tree that had become a forest by itself.
After landing, Zou Qian looked up at the tree canopy, which was almost reaching the sky, and the dense aerial roots hanging down. He had only been away for a few days, and the green vines had grown even larger.
"Are these changes in the green vines a way for the Earth's core to provide Ou Rushuang with life?" Zou Qian looked at Yin Ziwu and Liang Zhen beside her.
"Probably," Liang Zhen said. "Maybe when they grow to a certain size, Ou Rushuang will come back to life."
“He wasn’t really dead to begin with.” Zou Qian stepped on the roots on the ground and walked toward the tree stump, barely managing to see Ou Rushuang’s ashen face through the countless aerial roots.
Looking at that ashen, deathly face, Zou Qian fell into deep thought: "But Ou Rushuang doesn't seem to have any intention of coming back to life."
Liang Zhen said, "Perhaps the time is not right yet."
Zou Qian reached out and grabbed the air roots in front of her, tugging at them. Kuang Chu had tried it before; these air roots couldn't be cut or burned to death.
"You've come at just the right time. I was just about to go back to the academy," Yin Ziwu said to Zou Qian with a smile. "It's your turn to stay and keep an eye on Ou Rushuang."
Zou Qian didn't want to keep an eye on Ou Rushuang here. He said, "I have to go back too. I still need to temporarily manage the farm for those two foolish couple."
"You?" Liang Zhen raised an eyebrow slightly.
Zou Qian said without changing her expression, "Dean Shen said that I should take over the management of the Agricultural Institute. I'll go and call Kuang Chu. You can keep an eye on it by yourself for now."
After saying that, he left with Yin Ziwu, not wanting to stay even a moment longer.
Liang Zhen tucked his hands into his sleeves and watched the two walk away. When he looked away, he glanced unintentionally into the depths of Qi Gen. He paused when he saw Ou Rushuang's ashen face, and then stepped forward.
He stared at Ou Rushuang's face for a long time, his fingers making a divination gesture in his sleeve, and then suddenly smiled.
The cicada that protects farmers.
It seems that what remains here is merely a molted corpse.
A smile flickered in Liang Zhen's eyes as he turned away, pretending he hadn't noticed anything.
Deep in the fog.
The thick fog even obscured the sunlight, plunging the sea area into a whiteout.
In the silence, the sound of splashing water suddenly broke the silence, and Ou Rushuang emerged from the water, gasping for breath.
The moment he regained his life and consciousness while enveloped in green vines, he thought of using the Guardian Cicada to leave Red Island and avoid the surveillance of Zou Qian and the others.
After Ou Rushuang's breathing stabilized, she took a deep breath, sank into the water, and selected a new sea fish to resonate with, searching for a new mirage.
He wanted to execute those who had betrayed him before Zou Qian and the others discovered the Guardian Cicada.
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