Chapter 26 Unlocked (Two-in-One) "Who gave you permission to touch him...?"
"How do you know this?" Shen Cangyu asked in shock.
The Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth is a forbidden technique. Users can summon five ghosts to transfer other people's wealth to themselves, making them rich quickly. However, this technique is selfish and harmful; if the user doesn't repay the debt in time, they will suffer a backlash, hence its forbidden status. She learned this technique from Jiang Qian in her past life; that guy mostly possessed random books and unorthodox methods. Shen Cangyu hadn't expected Pei Wenjing to know this as well.
“There are many miscellaneous books in the Kunlun Scripture Pavilion,” Pei Wenjing said. “But how do you know about this one?” The book containing this forbidden technique was locked on the third basement floor of the Kunlun Scripture Pavilion, and he had stumbled upon it while browsing there. He knew this forbidden technique was extremely dangerous; if someone with ill intentions were to learn it, the consequences would be dire. Therefore, he handed the forbidden book over to the elder, asking her to destroy it immediately.
He knew that Shen Cangyu knew a lot of strange and unusual things, but he didn't expect that she knew even this.
This forbidden technique is not something you can learn.
"You can know why I can't?" Shen Cangyu said, but the shock of "So Senior Brother can do bad things too" hadn't subsided.
Pei Wenjing didn't dwell on the topic, turning his gaze to the incantation beside him: "His wealth must have been taken away by the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth."
The essence of the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth is borrowing luck, but this is the first time Shen Cangyu has encountered someone who can actually transport away real money and goods.
Just then, the steward appeared out of nowhere, crying as he knelt down before Master Zhang with a thud. Tears streaming down his face, he cried out that he had grown up with the master since childhood, that the master had saved his life, and that although the master had beaten and scolded him, the master's kindness to him was immeasurable; without the master, he wouldn't be alive today.
The person was already dead, and Shen Cangyu didn't know what use it was for him to say all this.
Shen Cangyu's ears were ringing from his noise, so she covered her ears and walked out, turning back to her room.
As soon as she closed the door, Shen Cangyu's ears twitched. She narrowed her eyes, grabbed an axe with one hand, raised the blade high, aimed it at the cabinet in the room, and opened the cabinet door with the other hand.
As soon as the door opened, the person inside knelt down with a "thud," without the slightest hesitation; the movement was swift and decisive, and the voice was strong and clear.
Shen Cangyu: "..."
Jiang Qian prostrated himself on the ground, trembling as he cried out, "My benefactor, spare my life!"
Shen Cangyu took a deep breath and put the axe away: "When did you crawl in?"
"While you were still bickering next door."
Shen Cangyu: "..." Okay.
Have you seen anyone behaving strangely on the ship these past two days?
Jiang Qian looked up and said, "I have been following my benefactor's instructions and have been keeping an eye on the boy with the red mole between his eyebrows."
"Hmm, what did you find?"
"He found out about me."
Shen Cangyu took a deep breath and covered her eyes.
Jiang Qian quickly added, "Although he discovered me, he didn't expose me and let me follow him. I followed him every day and found that he was always watching someone."
"Who?" Shen Cangyu perked up.
"Master Zhang."
Shen Cangyu closed his eyes, suppressing the urge to hit him, and told himself not to get angry: "Master Zhang is already dead, what's the use of keeping an eye on him now? Could it be that Shen Qingyan killed him?"
Jiang Qian shrank his neck and remained silent.
The Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth not only killed Master Zhang and took all the money from his room, but also smuggled out the goods from the cargo hold. This indicates that there were also incantations in the cargo hold. The water in the room wiped away the incantations, but since the cargo hold wasn't flooded, the incantations should still be there.
"Have you seen this symbol in the cargo hold?" Shen Cangyu took out paper and pen and drew the incantation of the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth on the paper as he remembered it, but left a few strokes at the end and did not draw the whole thing.
She pushed the paper in front of Jiang Qian. Jiang Qian looked at the paper on the table, frowning and deep in thought, for so long that she thought he would stop making any moves.
At this moment, Jiang Qian suddenly picked up the pen that Shen Cangyu had placed on the table and continued drawing the part that she had not finished.
Jiang Qian had never attended school and couldn't read; all written characters were just gibberish to him. But he had a good memory, and he could draw any pattern he saw.
As he made the final stroke, Shen Cangyu pressed his hand down, tucked the pen in, and asked in a deep voice, "Where have you seen this incantation before?"
Jiang Qian quickly withdrew his hand and said, looking down, "This was drawn on the floor of the cargo hold, but too many people walked by and rubbed it all off..." As he spoke, he suddenly remembered, "Oh right, there's also this!"
He walked to Shen Cangyu's bedside and lifted the mat. Underneath the mat was a spell for the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth.
She heard Jiang Qian say, "Everyone has this painting under their bed."
Each person's room contains the incantation for the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth, indicating that someone wants to borrow the fortune of everyone on the entire ship!
*
"Do you still have the guiding incense?" Pei Wenjing asked Xu Qiubai.
"Yes, but there's only one left. Do you want to use it now?" Xu Qiubai blinked.
Pei Wenjing hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes. Someone is using the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth method on the ship to harm people. He has already succeeded once. If we don't catch him in time, I'm afraid there will be a next time." The ship has been sealed at sea for so many days. By the time they get ashore, who knows how many people will have died on board.
We need to catch that person as soon as possible.
“If we use it now, we won’t be able to find our way later. What if we can’t find our way back to Kunlun?” Xu Qiubai disagreed. “We are far from Kunlun now. None of us know the way. Once we get off the ship, we can only rely on the incense to find our way.”
Whether it was due to the rain or being at sea, their name tags couldn't contact anyone, as if they were malfunctioning. They didn't know if these name tags would still be usable after disembarking. If the name tags truly failed, and they couldn't contact the people of Kunlun, and couldn't find their way back, they would be left adrift.
Seeing Pei Wenjing's hesitant expression, Xu Qiubai continued, "Of course, if we get lost and really can't find a way back to Kunlun... then I'll use the incense to have the goddess send us back, it'll just cost me a few years of my lifespan..."
Pei Wenjing raised his hand to interrupt him: "Forget it, I'll find a way myself. You continue to rest."
Looking into Pei Wenjing's eyes, Xu Qiubai knew that Pei Wenjing would definitely not force him. The Divine Incense was indeed omnipotent; if he could, he could take everyone back to Kunlun right now. However, his cultivation level was not high, and using the Divine Incense once would shorten his lifespan by several years, which was why Pei Wenjing usually didn't allow him to use it.
He didn't have much incense left, and he didn't know what he could do if he ran out of incense.
Xu Qiubai accepted the Daoist teachings early on, but didn't learn much about the art of manipulation.
The elder always said that he was exceptionally talented and could go very far on the path of seeking the secrets of heaven through Taoist magic. Relying on his unique physique and spiritual energy, he stood out from all the disciples seeking the secrets of heaven, and he was indeed called a "genius". But he also knew that this genius could only survive by relying on incense.
Without incense, he was no different from an ordinary person. Even if he was unwilling to admit it, it was the truth.
He watched Pei Wenjing's departing figure.
He was different from Pei Wenjing. He had always envied Pei Wenjing; he clearly didn't possess any Daoist techniques, yet he still lived such a good life. Daoist techniques held a far higher status in the cultivation world than mental arts; inheriting Daoist techniques elevated a cultivator's status considerably. But it seemed many had forgotten that Pei Wenjing had never possessed any Daoist techniques all these years.
He was able to win the disciple competition solely through his mental skills, surpassing all the disciples who possessed Taoist magic. It was precisely because of this that he was able to secure his position as the senior disciple.
Many people envied him, and Xu Qiubai was no exception.
Even though the eldest brother didn't have any magical powers, he was still able to stand on equal footing with Pei Wenjing in the ranks of "geniuses".
But now that the eldest brother has the Daoist arts, does that mean he will... surpass them from now on?
*
The butler lay on the ground, weeping bitterly. The water on the ground, carrying the stench of blood, soaked his clothes. The smell of blood reminded him of the days when he was beaten with sticks.
He hates it.
He lived in constant fear at the Zhang residence, afraid of doing something wrong and angering the adults. Even though he had reached this point and had long surpassed others to become a superior person, things were different now. He no longer had to be bullied by other high-ranking servants, but he still felt resentment.
If he hadn't been born into a lowly family, he could have had a much better life. Fate was unfair to him; he wasn't born into a good family or had a good master. Despite doing so much for the Zhang family, his salary was still so meager.
It was he who stayed up all night doing the accounting, saving the master a large sum of money; it was he who negotiated with various businesses, securing the most profitable deals; and it was even he who secretly schemed to bankrupt the master's rival, allowing the Zhang family to monopolize the profits of the silk shop.
He could have gotten so much more; without him, the Zhang family wouldn't be where they are today. They should be grateful to him…
All of this should have been his...
If he had been born into a better family from the start, he could have become incredibly wealthy through his own efforts, instead of handing over his earnings to the Zhang family.
He was filled with hatred, jealousy, and anger, and he drew the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth.
"I only want to take back what belongs to me. I never intended to harm you." He raised his head slightly and looked at the black shadow floating in the air. The shadow vaguely revealed a human face, which was the face of Master Zhang.
Damn it.
Master Zhang deserves to die, everyone on this ship deserves to die. All this money should be his; why do they live so well? Why must he have to fawn over them like a dog…
The black mist gradually spread, enveloping him and seeping into his mouth and nose. He felt refreshed and full of power.
If everyone on the ship dies, he can inherit their wealth. Then he can move to a different place and start a new life. These people here only have so much money and status because of their good backgrounds; in terms of ability, who can compare to him?
I'm so jealous! How can one's birth determine their future?
An arrow flew through the air and struck him on the back of the head. Before the ferocious expression on his face could fade, his head drooped and he fell to the ground, his pupils dilated.
"Dead?"
Shen Qingyan frowned as he watched the butler fall. He went over to check the butler's breathing and found that he was really dead.
He died like that?
Shen Qingyan found it absurd. Wasn't Wuliangsheng supposed to be difficult to deal with? How could he die after being hit by an arrow without any ability to defend himself? If it weren't for the glowing black rope spirit pearl in his hand, he wouldn't have believed that the cowardly steward in front of him was actually Wuliangsheng.
Wuliangsheng corresponds to anger among the five evils. It has the ability to spread anger infinitely, most often incites people's hearts, and can also absorb the souls of the dead into its body and use them for its own purposes, growing by stepping on the corpses of others.
Logically speaking, Wuliangsheng should be difficult to deal with, so why did he die with just a light touch?
Shen Qingyan looked at the black rope on her wrist; the spirit pearl was still shining, its light undiminished.
He's not dead?
If he's not dead, where would he be?
Suddenly, the butler's corpse opened its mouth, and black mist poured out, transforming into limbs and a human face—the butler's own face—which screamed, "Why did you kill me? What did I do to you? I didn't offend you at all! Why did you kill me?!"
Shen Qingyan retreated, her body radiating golden light to block Wuliangsheng's attack. Shen Qingyan's sword slashed at him, but found that it passed right through him without causing him any harm.
Shen Qingyan finally understood why Wuliangsheng was so difficult to deal with. It turned out that the moment Wuliangsheng's physical body perished was the moment Wuliangsheng truly grew up. With the demise of Wuliangsheng's physical body, neither swords nor ordinary mental techniques would have any effect on him.
what to do?
As Shen Qingyan ran outside, she pondered how to deal with Wuliangsheng.
Wuliangsheng followed him onto the deck.
The rain poured down and thunder roared.
Shen Qingyan dodged Wuliangsheng's attacks, and after confirming that the swords and blades could not harm him in the slightest, he stepped back and pointed his sword at the sky.
"Summon lightning!"
A bolt of lightning struck down, and he drew himself to cross it. Just then, Wuliang Sheng struck at him, and a flash of lightning appeared where they collided.
Wuliang Sheng screamed as lightning burned him, leaving purple streaks on the surface of his soul.
At this moment, the ship began to shake violently, all the incantations on board were activated, and all the passengers in the cabin suddenly felt a pulling sensation. They screamed as their souls were forcibly ripped out, and countless riches, carrying their souls, surged into Wuliangsheng's body.
As black mist filled the air, his power increased significantly.
Shen Qingyan was greatly alarmed and quickly summoned lightning. Another bolt struck, but this time, Wuliangsheng had absorbed more souls, making its power vastly different from before. After being struck by lightning, the newly arrived souls rapidly repaired the wounds on his soul body, and in no time, he was fully recovered.
At this rate, we can't fight at all!
Wuliang Sheng reached out to grab Shen Qingyan, who instinctively raised his sword to block, but the sword failed to stop the attack. The grab struck Shen Qingyan's body, tearing his soul outward. The tearing pain made him almost lose his grip on the sword.
Suddenly, black mist filled the surroundings, and Wuliangsheng's sinister smile froze. He watched as the black mist enveloped him and realized that this black mist did not belong to him.
"Yin fish".
The black mist transformed into ropes, grabbing his wrists and violently pulling him backward.
"Yin Fire." Flames ignited on the black mist, spreading along Wuliangsheng's body and scorching him, causing him to howl in agony.
Wuliang Sheng fell to the ground, rolling around trying to extinguish the flames burning on his body. He rolled for a while, but the flames didn't stop. He realized this wasn't ordinary fire, and he tried to activate Wuliang Sheng's skill to accelerate the absorption of ghosts.
But at this moment, the black mist surrounding Wuliangsheng dispersed, transforming into a large net that caught all the souls flying towards him, stopping them in place and cutting off Wuliangsheng's path to absorb souls. However, the yin fire surrounding him also dissipated.
"What is this! What is this?!" Wuliangsheng screamed, but his trapped soul was unable to break free from the black mist. He looked around and saw Pei Wenjing on the other side of the deck.
"It was you, wasn't it? It was you who did this!" Wuliangsheng rushed towards him.
Rainwater splashed on the ground, creating a white mist. He slipped and fell to the ground.
"This damn ground is so slippery..." Wuliangsheng cursed. Suddenly, he remembered that he was in the state of a ghost. He did not have a physical body and could not possibly slip on the rain.
He looked down and, without realizing it, several wisps of white mist had wrapped around his feet. He struggled to get up, but the mist coiled around him like snakes, binding his limbs and trying to restrain him. The surrounding mist grew thicker and thicker, gradually obscuring the view on the deck.
Suddenly a shadow appeared beside him. Pei Wenjing turned his head to look and saw Xu Qiubai holding an incense burner. The three incense sticks in the rain glowed with a scarlet light: "You used spirit-summoning incense?"
"If you don't use it, you'll die," Xu Qiubai said, as the smoke locked onto Wuliangsheng, imprisoning his limbs and sealing his seven orifices, preventing him from absorbing souls anymore.
Seeing the situation was dire, Wuliang Sheng was about to jump into the water to escape. At that moment, a figure appeared in the mist, and Shen Cangyu punched him squarely in the face. He flew backward and crashed straight into the boat door, his soul almost being shattered.
"You're the one who tried to steal my money, aren't you?" Shen Cangyu gritted his teeth, his knuckles cracking.
How dare he steal money right in front of her greedy eyes? That's outrageous!
Xu Qiubai looked at Wuliangsheng, who was lying on the ground and tightly bound, and asked, "Should we keep him alive or...?"
Pei Wenjing subconsciously reached for his waist, only to remember that his jade pot was with Shen Cangyu. He looked at Shen Cangyu's figure in the white mist, then turned to Xu Qiubai and said, "Put it in your pot first, and we'll hand it over to the elders when we get back to Kunlun."
The words had barely left their mouths when a bolt of lightning struck the bow of the ship, causing it to rock violently. The lightning traveled with the rain, numbing their bodies; they twitched and collapsed to their knees.
The incense stick in Xu Qiubai's hand fell to the ground, the incense burner rolled around, and the smoke surrounding Wuliangsheng dissipated. Wuliangsheng took the opportunity to escape.
Pei Wenjing was also struck by the electric shocks that covered the ground and was unable to move. His trapped soul broke free and flew into Wuliangsheng's body.
"This is truly heaven's help!" Wuliang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and laughed loudly, "You all, die!"
At this moment, an even more violent bolt of lightning struck down, hitting Wuliangsheng. Lightning flashed, and purple light splashed from his soul.
Wuliang Sheng screamed, but another bolt of lightning followed immediately afterward.
Lightning struck the ship, leaving scorched marks. The hull cracked open, and flames erupted from it. Even a torrential downpour couldn't extinguish the fire.
If they weren't cultivators, those bolts of lightning could have truly killed them.
"What's going on?" Xu Qiubai gasped as he looked at the lightning-covered ground. He was paralyzed, unable even to turn his head. He strained to see in the distance, where he saw Shen Qingyan lying there, his body crackling with electricity. He was shocked: "He's undergoing a tribulation of lightning!"
No wonder! He was wondering why the lightning was targeting them; it turns out that kid was undergoing a tribulation of lightning!
Struck by lightning, Wuliang Sheng gritted his teeth and mustered all the power within him: "Since we can't survive either, let's die together!"
Flames filled the ship, and everyone lay on the ground, paralyzed by lightning. Wuliang Sheng lunged at Pei Wenjing, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up: "Sure enough, I can touch your soul. Your soul is very special..."
He clicked his tongue and raised his hand to pull Pei Wenjing's soul, trying to pull it out of his body. A piece of his soul broke off from where his palms touched, emitting a dazzling white light.
Wuliang Sheng's eyes were filled with longing, and a voice in his heart said to him, "Yes, absorb this soul, and you will live forever and ascend to immortality!"
"Is this the soul of an immortal?" Wuliangsheng's mouth stretched to his ears, but before he could pull Pei Wenjing's soul out, a burning sensation came from his fingertips and spread rapidly upwards. He screamed and let go, only to find that the fire on his hand, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, could not be shaken off no matter how hard he tried.
This is no ordinary fire!
He realized this and wanted to kill Pei Wenjing immediately. A voice in his heart told him that as long as Pei Wenjing was killed, the fire would go out.
Just as his claws were about to grab Pei Wenjing, his body suddenly sank halfway down.
Lightning cracked the ship's planks, and with the added heat of the flames, the ship was already on the verge of sinking into the sea.
Wuliang Sheng hesitated for a moment, but still reached out his hand to Pei Wenjing.
Kill him, then devour his soul. Even if the ship sinks, he'll have the power to escape, as long as...
A golden light flashed, slicing through his outstretched hand. Half of his arm fell to the ground, turning into black mist and dissipating. The pain only came belatedly.
"Who gave you permission to touch him..."
In the distance, a figure swayed as she stood up, copper coins fluttering around her like butterflies. She looked up at Wuliangsheng and raised her hand: "You, and that coward hiding behind you, get out of here!"
The copper coin shot out of the air, pierced through his body, and cut a perfectly round black bead inside him in two.
"What..." How could this be... Wasn't he Wuliang Sheng? Wasn't he without a physical body? Why would he be killed by a tiny copper coin?
The black bead, cut in half, fell to the ground, shattered, and dissolved into the rainwater. Without the black bead, Wuliangsheng's soul collapsed like mud filled with water, melting into the ground. The soul trapped within his body broke free like a bird and scattered in all directions.
The sounds kept popping up in her ears, but Shen Cangyu could no longer hear them.
She fell to the ground, her consciousness sinking with her body, sinking into the boundless deep sea along with the ship's wreckage.
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