A Different Dungeon

[Ding! Spirit Realm map loading. Entering the Spirit Realm in 30 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering this time is "Chaos of the Five Elements," Number: 028.] [Difficulty Level: A] [Type: Multiplayer (Lethal)] [Main Quest: ???] [Side Quest: Escort the mysterious coffin to Divine Sword Manor.] [Remarks: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought in.] [Introduction to Spirit Realm 028: During the Northern Song dynasty, the world-renowned Divine Sword Manor commissioned the Yellow Banner Escort Agency, Deep Sea Escort Agency, Scarlet Flame Escort Agency, Spirit Ape Escort Agency, and Three Swords Escort Agency each to escort a mysterious coffin back to the manor. Little did they expect that along the journey, strange occurrences would happen one after another...] *Chaos of the Five Elements? Number 028... Hiss, that number is awfully high up the list.* Without hurrying, Zhang Yuanqing summoned Blood Rose and Commandery Princess Yinyao, resting his hands on their shoulders while turning over the dungeon's information in his mind. Among all the dungeons he had encountered, Number 028 was the very first where the main quest was not revealed from the start. Lacking a main quest and providing a side quest first reflected, to a certain degree, both the dungeon's difficulty and its duration. This dungeon probably could not be cleared in just two or three days. Furthermore, an A difficulty rating was somewhat unexpected—he had assumed it would be S-rank. But on second thought, Spirit Realm 028 was very likely a Level 5 or even Level 6 A-rank dungeon. For a Level 4 walker like him, this might well be even more terrifying than the S-rank Cliff Mountain Sea. Lastly, the official database had no records on Spirit Realm 028, Chaos of the Five Elements. The lower a dungeon's number, the smaller the probability of it appearing, so it was completely normal that the official archives had nothing on it. Walkers who were not exceptional enough would never match into such a dungeon in their entire lives. Those who were too exceptional advanced so rapidly that they had no time to pioneer uncharted ground. Take the Demon Lord and the Grand Marshal, for instance: neither of them had gone through more than ten Saint dungeons, and neither had experienced more than three Level 6 dungeons. Thirty seconds flew by. The scenery before Zhang Yuanqing rippled like water, and then his vision went pitch-black; all sensation slipped away. In the boundless dark, his ears twitched. The first thing he heard was a knocking on wood, followed by a young man's urgent shouts: "Seventh Brother! Wake up, hurry and wake up! Foster Father has summoned us!" *Who is that? So damn noisy...* Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and saw dim, muted bed curtains, along with crisscrossing wooden ceiling beams. The exposed timber indicated he was inside an ancient building. Then he felt something soft and silky pressing against his chest and waist. Glancing down, a "holy crap" nearly escaped his lips. Asleep in his arms was a beautiful young woman with fair, tender skin, an enchanting face, and long, thick eyelashes. It truly was: *Lustrous raven tresses in the cool morning glow, romance best savored upon the pillow. Bones tender as water, jade peaks proudly steep, melting into spring breeze beneath the mandarin duck quilt.* *Right off the bat, I wake up in bed with a gorgeous girl?* Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, *The Spirit Realm is treating me quite generously.* At the same time, memories that did not belong to him surfaced in his mind: His current identity was "Lin Ci," an orphan taken in by Chen Xuedao, the Chief Escort of the Yellow Banner Escort Agency. Because of his exceptional natural talent and potential to cultivate Night Wanderer arts, Chen Xuedao had adopted him as a foster son. The Yellow Banner Escort Agency was the most renowned escort agency in the Central Plains, founded single-handedly by Chief Escort Chen Xuedao. "Chen Bloody Saber" was his moniker in the martial world; his real name had long been forgotten. He was a Mountain God. In earlier years, a severe drought struck the Central Plains, and bandits ran rampant. A gang of outlaws hijacked a cargo shipment belonging to the Yellow Banner Escort Agency. Every escort guard tasked with transporting it was wiped out, leaving not a single survivor. Enraged, Chen Xuedao stormed the bandit fortress alone. With a single blade, he slaughtered all five hundred bandits, fighting from dusk until dawn with terrifying stamina and physical endurance. The name "Chen Bloody Saber" had been earned right then and there. Chen Xuedao had six foster sons and one biological daughter. Lin Ci was the youngest of them all. And the girl in his arms was Chen Xuedao's daughter, named Chen Wei. Ranked third among the siblings, she was Lin Ci's Third Sister. Chen Wei was engaged to the eldest brother, Zhuo Peiran, but the one she loved was Seventh Brother Lin Ci. Behind the backs of her foster elder brother and her father, the two had engaged in an illicit affair for years. Entangled in passionate trysts, they frequently held secret rendezvous late into the night. Such as last night. *Directly imparting memories like this is interesting. Well, not quite an outright memory implant—more like watching a video playback, since these memories haven't altered my subjective consciousness. I don't feel any belonging to the Yellow Banner Escort Agency, nor any affection for this girl in my arms...* It was the first time Zhang Yuanqing had encountered something like this, and he found it thoroughly novel. The knocking continued outside. Zhang Yuanqing called back: "Fourth Brother, stop yelling! I'm getting up right now..." In his memories, Fourth Brother Zhao Youcai was impatient and short-tempered, prone to making fusses and shouting at the slightest thing. "Then hurry on down! Don't keep Foster Father waiting—something's happened!" Zhao Youcai urged, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance. At that moment, Chen Wei opened her eyes in his arms. Propping herself up on the bed, she let out a sigh of relief and giggled softly: "Good thing Fourth Brother didn't push the door open, or our affair would've been blown wide open! Father would beat us to death." She had large eyes, a pointed chin, and smooth, rounded white shoulders. Her red bellyband swelled prominently, and because of her martial training, her figure was supple and athletic, her brow carrying a heroic flair. She fit the image of a spirited, uninhibited martial-arts heroine to a tee. "Who knows what Foster Father called us for. You haven't taken your contraceptive brew yet, don't forget," Zhang Yuanqing said, naturally slipping into words fitting Lin Ci's character. In Lin Ci's memories, his attitude toward his Third Sister had always been half-reluctant and half-yielding. How could an impassioned young man resist a beautiful older sister throwing herself into his arms? Yet he feared their foster father and eldest brother. While he coveted the woman's body, he lived in dread of their secret romance being discovered. "If I get pregnant, you'll marry me. If you dare betray me, I'll burn that little root of yours to ashes," Chen Wei glared at him with her round eyes, her hand darting downward. *Whatever Lin Ci did, what does that have to do with me, Yuanshi Tianzun?* Zhang Yuanqing arched away, dodging Third Sister's mischievous hand. "Also, remember to cover those two dead bodies with burlap next time. Having them stare at us every time we do it gives me the creeps," Chen Wei said, glancing toward the head of the bed. Zhang Yuanqing turned his head and saw two stunning women standing by the headboard, dressed in tight martial attire—none other than Commandery Princess Yinyao and Blood Rose. *She accepted the presence of two yin corpses without batting an eye. Did the Spirit Realm implant memories into the dungeon characters too? This Chen Wei has flesh and blood, a soul, and self-awareness—she's a living human being, not an NPC.* *Tsk, tsk. The Spirit Realm truly possesses the power to create life. Come to think of it, if I got her pregnant in a dungeon, would the child actually be born, or would the Spirit Realm wipe it? If it was born, would that force the Spirit Realm to alter the dungeon's settings? Would the child count as a Spirit Realm NPC or a normal human...?* Thoughts tumbled through Zhang Yuanqing's mind. Pressed for time, Chen Wei did not linger with her lover. She hastily slipped on her skirt, picked up her cross-collar tunic, concentrated her senses for a brief instant, and her body burst into a ball of blazing flame. Using the oil lamp in the adjoining room as a conduit, she utilized Fire Traveling to depart. —Her own room was right next door. After she left, Zhang Yuanqing unhurriedly dressed in his escort uniform. Reaching into thin air, he retrieved the Ghost Mirror and checked his reflection. The good news: his inventory still opened, and his level had not changed. The bad news: his face had turned into a handsome, unfamiliar countenance, appearing around seventeen years old without looking childish. Evidently, this was Lin Ci's face. Entering a dungeon by straight-up body snatching? That was an experience Zhang Yuanqing had never had before. He pondered a moment and asked, "Princess, did you feel anything unusual when entering the Spirit Realm?" Commandery Princess Yinyao gave a slight shake of her head. "My vision went dark, and I briefly lost consciousness. When I woke, I was here, and my clothes had changed..." She reached inside her lapel and felt around. "The little horn is still here." *The princess's physical body didn't change; only her clothes did...* Zhang Yuanqing reached into his pants, explored thoroughly, and formed a hypothesis. —His body had not changed either. He was still Yuanshi Tianzun, but the Spirit Realm had disguised his true appearance with high-level illusion arts, letting him operate in the dungeon under the identity of "Lin Ci." The evidence supporting this hypothesis: the Young Master Zhang downstairs was squeaky clean. As everyone knew, when a drill probed into a deep well, it was bound to come back up slick and glistening; there was no way it could be this clean and tidy. Therefore, the physical body Zhang Yuanqing inhabited right now was his own original body, definitely not Lin Ci's. "My teammates in the orthodox faction are probably like me, embedded in an escort contingent from one of the other agencies. But where are the enemies from the evil faction?" "I wonder whether the Spirit Realm assigned me this identity at random or if there's some deeper design, like a hidden quest..." Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath as he walked over to the window and pushed open the lattice shutters. A clamor of voices immediately flooded the room. Outside, bright sunlight washed over a bustling street thronged with pedestrians. Cloth shop banners and wooden archways hung along the street, which was lined with storefronts. Every now and then, a wealthy family's horse-drawn carriage rolled by with a rhythmic rumbling of wheels. Zhang Yuanqing's pupils dilated slightly, struck with awe. This was his very first time in a dungeon experiencing what felt like a true dream of ancient times—no longer a creepy amusement park, a dreary town, a gloomy primeval forest, or a hair-raising northern mountain village... *This* was the charm the Spirit Realm was meant to have! Everyone here possessed flesh and blood, a heartbeat and a soul, recreating life in an ancient city with absolute fidelity. "I've suddenly fallen in love with this place. Princess, let's go experience the ancient world," Zhang Yuanqing said excitedly. "The ancient world needs no experiencing," Commandery Princess Yinyao replied flatly. "Oh right, almost forgot you're an ancient old crone too," Zhang Yuanqing remarked. "Master said you used to call her an 'old crone' behind her back. How did you manage to avoid getting beaten?" Commandery Princess Yinyao asked with humble curiosity. "Because I didn't steal Her Ladyship's coffin." "..." While chatting, the young man and two corpses descended the wooden staircase into the inn's lobby. By now it was broad daylight, well past breakfast yet too early for lunch; the square tables in the hall stood empty. This establishment was called "Youkelai Inn," where the escorts of the Yellow Banner Escort Agency had lodged. Three days ago, a mysterious individual claiming to be from Divine Sword Manor had arrived with a coffin to visit the Yellow Banner Escort Agency, hiring them to escort the coffin to Divine Sword Manor and paying a deposit of two thousand taels of silver. Once the coffin reached the manor, a remaining balance of three thousand taels of silver would be settled. Five thousand taels in total. There was one condition, however: Chen Xuedao had to personally oversee the escort. It was a massive order, lucrative enough to feed the Yellow Banner Escort Agency for three years. Chen Xuedao had agreed without hesitation. Escorting the mysterious coffin, the agency had hurried along night and day. After entering the city yesterday, they chose this spot to halt and recuperate, renting out the entire inn and clearing out all the existing guests. Circling past the lobby, they entered the spacious backyard. Zhang Yuanqing cast his gaze across the area and saw more than twenty able-bodied escorts in uniform martial attire, standing at attention in the courtyard. The Fire Master Chen Wei, who had indulged in wanton pleasures just last night, had by now changed into dashing martial robes. She winked and made eyes at him, gesturing for him to hurry over and fall in. Lowering his head, Zhang Yuanqing quickly joined the ranks with the two yin corpses, glancing toward the east wing. The lattice door of the east wing stood open, and a harsh reprimand echoed from inside: "Two of our escorts disappeared right inside your inn. Innkeeper, you won't wash your hands of this so easily! I'll ask you one more time: did you hear anything strange last night?" The moment Zhang Yuanqing heard the voice, he knew it belonged to Eldest Brother Zhuo Peiran. Next, a panicked middle-aged man stammered in explanation: "Sir Escort, you possess such formidable martial prowess—if even you noticed nothing amiss, how could a lowly man like me know anything...?" Listening for a while, Zhang Yuanqing pieced together the situation. The two escorts assigned to guard the coffin last night had vanished without a trace by morning. After scouring the inn to no avail, the Yellow Banner Escort Agency was now interrogating the innkeeper and waiter inside. *The Spirit Realm introduction mentioned that during the transport of the black coffin, strange occurrences arose in succession. Here it begins...* Zhang Yuanqing grew inwardly vigilant. Just then, a steady, resonant voice carried from the east wing: "Has Lin Ci arrived?" The escorts turned their heads toward Zhang Yuanqing. Zhang Yuanqing called out loudly, "Foster Father!" "Come inside!" Chen Xuedao commanded. Zhang Yuanqing stepped out of formation immediately and strode toward the east wing. The lighting inside was dim. Crossing the threshold led into a small parlor for receiving guests, with a bedchamber situated further back. The tables and chairs in the parlor had all been cleared away, replaced by an enormous black coffin. On the black-lacquered lid and sides, Spirit Talismans were painted in scarlet cinnabar. A yellow talisman was affixed to the head of the coffin, and a purple talisman to the foot. The entire coffin exuded an eerie, sinister aura, striking a chill into the heart at a single glance. Chen Xuedao, his temples touched with gray, stood before the black coffin with his hands clasped behind his back, staring down at the lid. Beside Chen Xuedao stood a burly, bald man. His bare scalp was tattooed all over with twisted incantations, and his gaze was feral and murderous like a bloodthirsty death god, projecting an intense aura of menace. This was the eldest foster son, Zhuo Peiran, a Mist Lord. During the Song dynasty, immortal sects stood lofty and remote, while the martial world was a chaotic mix of dragons and snakes. There were no defined battle lines between orthodox and evil factions. With the imperial court's control too weak to rein in pugilists, the land was rife with the swift vendettas of killing a man in ten paces and leaving no trace for a thousand miles. Killing was commonplace in this era, which watered down the bloodthirsty reputation of the Bewitching Demon profession. Of course, any Bewitching Demon who butchered the innocent and brought ruin upon the common folk would still be denounced as an evil demon, hunted down and slain by the martial community—including walkers of other evil professions. There might not have been faction boundaries enforced by the Spirit Realm, but the martial world had its own rules. "Foster Father!" Zhang Yuanqing bowed, wasting no time fishing for information. "Zhang Hu and Zhao Ma, who were on watch last night, have gone missing?" Chen Xuedao nodded solemnly. "We rented out the entire inn. Last night, I didn't sense anyone sneaking in, nor did I hear any shouting from the backyard. Zhang Hu and Zhao Ma have followed me for years; both are experienced and capable hands. Their disappearance is utterly bizarre." Saying this, he opened his palm to show Lin Ci a bronze padlock sheared cleanly in two. "I matched the cuts. It was sliced open by either Zhang Hu or Zhao Ma. Last night, they broke the bronze lock, entered the room, and subsequently disappeared." As Chen Xuedao spoke, his eyes turned back to the black coffin. "Foster Father, do you mean to say their disappearance was caused by this coffin?" Zhang Yuanqing's gaze followed his toward the coffin. Chen Xuedao gave a slight nod and said in a heavy voice, "You are a Night Wanderer. Take a look at this coffin and see if any yin qi is leaking out."