Zhang Yuanqing instinctively moved to cast Spirit Devouring to observe the Yin Qi, but suddenly remembered that Lin Ci was quite fearful of Chen Xuedao, always speaking with deep respect and never daring to show the slightest remissness. Imitating Lin Ci, he bowed and replied:
"Yes, Foster Father!"
From his rich experience in dungeons, since the Spirit Realm had given him the identity of "Lin Ci," there had to be a reason. The Spirit Realm never did anything pointless.
The higher the difficulty of a dungeon, the more cautious and meticulous a Spirit Realm walker needed to be.
Having just entered the dungeon, the core mechanics, dangers, and enemies were all still unknown. The best course of action was to maintain Lin Ci's persona, take things step by step, and observe patiently.
After answering Chen Xuedao, darkness welled up in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes as he immediately looked toward the coffin. In the unique vision exclusive to Night Walkers, the spirit talismans covering the coffin body held an understated spiritual luster. The yellow paper talismans gave off a faint golden light, while the purple talismans emitted wisps of baleful aura.
The purple was clearly dominant over the yellow.
*Strange. Yellow paper suppresses corpses and seals spirits, while purple talismans nurture baleful qi and nourish yin. Why are both on the coffin at the same time?*
*What's more, the spiritual potency of the yellow talismans is clearly weaker than the purple ones. In less than six days, they'll lose effect entirely, and the sealing formation on the lid will fall out of balance...* Zhang Yuanqing shifted his gaze, staring intently at the coffin.
His sight gradually penetrated the seal of the spirit talismans, and he saw a dense cluster of Yin Qi so thick it made the heart palpitate, lying quietly dormant inside the coffin.
—A Night Walker's vision could only perceive the essence of auras and could not see through solid matter, so he could not see what was actually inside the coffin.
Yet merely staring at that mass of Yin Qi sent Zhang Yuanqing's heart racing, adrenaline surging, as if facing a mortal crisis.
There was a terrible entity inside the coffin!
A terrifying entity!
He snapped his eyes shut and stumbled back a few paces.
A hand pressed down on his shoulder. Immediately, a thick, warm, grounding aura surged into his body, bringing an intense sense of safety that calmed the tremor sending his heart into wild palpitations.
Chen Xuedao said in a heavy voice, "What did you see that scared you like this?"
Zhuo Peiran stared at him as well.
Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, his expression grave.
"A sinister thing is sealed inside the coffin. Something utterly terrifying."
He immediately recounted what he had observed, along with the anomaly between the yellow and purple talismans.
Recalling the aura inside the coffin sent a shiver through him. An evil entity capable of giving him that sensation had to possess an unimaginably high standing.
Chen Xuedao and Zhuo Peiran's expressions darkened at the same time.
"A sinister thing..." Chen Xuedao mused. "I recall on the first day we took the escort assignment, you said you couldn't see through the contents of the coffin."
*Ah? Was the original host that inept? He couldn't even sense such a terrifying aura inside the coffin?* Zhang Yuanqing was caught off guard. He had received very few memories, which had flashed by like a revolving lantern, lacking detail.
This was more like fragmented information provided by the Spirit Realm, merely packaged as memories.
Chen Xuedao fixed his gaze on him and asked, "Why do you think such a massive change occurred between then and now?"
Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily caught flat-footed by the question. If he couldn't explain the discrepancy, this veteran foster father of the jianghu might very well spot something amiss.
Fortunately, his mind worked fast. With a quick turn of thought, he put on a solemn look and said, "It is very likely related to the deaths of Zhang Hu and Zhao Ma. They fueled the sinister entity's power."
It was a completely reasonable explanation.
Chen Xuedao gave a slight nod. After a moment of thought, he looked toward the innkeeper and waiter. "The two of you, step outside and close the doors."
As if granted amnesty, the innkeeper nodded repeatedly and hurried out of the room with the waiter, pulling shut the latticed double doors.
Once the outsiders were gone, Chen Xuedao narrowed his eyes. "Whoever sealed this coffin wanted to nourish the sinister thing inside, yet wasn't willing to let it out."
Zhuo Peiran knitted his brows. "Since they are nurturing the sinister thing, they will definitely release it eventually. The right moment simply hasn't arrived."
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help glancing at his nominal eldest brother. Now *this* was a proper Bewitching Demon—bloodthirsty and bellicose, yet sharp-witted and skilled in scheming.
Kou Beiyue really brought shame upon Bewitching Demons.
Chen Xuedao looked at the two foster sons and said, "Back when we accepted this escort job, I sensed that this journey wouldn't be simple. Now it seems my premonition has come true.
"This coffin is sealed under layer upon layer, its lid impossible to open, and the evil entity within is no small matter. This time, I only brought four of my children along. Wei'er and Youcai are both Fire Masters, brash and hot-tempered—not suited for discussing strategy."
Here he paused and said gravely:
"Ci'er, go to the market during the day and buy materials to draw corpse-suppressing talismans to overpower the purple talismans' magic.
"Peiran, take some men into the city to search for Zhang Hu and Zhao Ma. After all, we cannot be certain whether they have truly met their ends. We will wait one more day.
"Sixty li away in Xiu City, I have an old friend who practiced swordsmanship at Divine Sword Manor for several years before wandering the jianghu and settling in Xiu City. I want to inquire with him about Divine Sword Manor's situation. Perhaps we can gain some information about this coffin."
Every escort in the agency had been cultivated with great effort. Chen Xuedao harbored a glimmer of hope and wanted to wait a little longer.
Zhuo Peiran asked in confusion, "Foster Father, why not just peel off the purple talismans?"
"No!" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "The purple talismans gather baleful qi to nurture the corpse. When nourished, the sinister thing in the coffin stays tranquil inside. If we peel off the purple talismans, it may provoke a disturbance."
Chen Xuedao nodded, gratified. "Ci'er speaks with reason."
Having delivered his orders, Chen Xuedao pushed open the door and looked at the escorts in the courtyard, projecting his voice:
"We rest at the inn today and set out tomorrow morning. I permit you to go out in groups, but at least ten men must remain at the inn, and everyone must return before nightfall."
The crowd voiced their assent.
Zhuo Peiran promptly picked out a few escorts and led them away from the inn to search for Zhang Hu and Zhao Ma.
Chen Xuedao looked toward Zhang Yuanqing. "Tonight, you shall guard the coffin with me."
"Yes!"
Zhang Yuanqing bowed.
Leading Blood Rose and Commandery Princess Yinyao out of the back courtyard, Zhang Yuanqing was in a rather good mood, since he had an entire day to stroll through this ancient city.
*I have the materials to draw corpse-suppressing talismans myself, but if I can buy them with money, there's no need to waste my own stash. But...* Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized: where in an ancient city did one buy spiritual materials?
Lin Ci surely knew, but he had no clue.
Just as he was fretting over this, he heard his fourth brother's voice from behind:
"Seventh Brother, wait up!"
Turning around, he saw Fourth Brother Zhao Youcai and Third Sister Chen Wei catching up.
Zhao Youcai stood around 1.9 meters tall, burly as a bear. Among the foster sons, he was the only one whose frame could rival Eldest Brother Zhuo Peiran's.
Moreover, unlike Eldest Brother's fierce, sinister air, Zhao Youcai had thick brows and large eyes. Though reckless and short-tempered, he lacked heavy hostility, making him look far more approachable than Zhuo Peiran.
Among all the brothers, Lin Ci was closest to Zhao Youcai because the original host found him the easiest to get along with, free of worries or pretense.
"What task did Dad give you?" Chen Wei asked casually.
With Fourth Brother present, she did not display any intimacy toward her lover.
An idea sparked in Zhang Yuanqing's mind. "Foster Father told me to buy materials for drawing corpse-suppressing talismans, and I was just wondering where to find them."
True to a Fire Master, Zhao Youcai said without a second thought:
"To an apothecary and the wasi pleasure precincts, of course!"
Zhang Yuanqing curled his lips into a smile. "Let's go!"
After purchasing cinnabar from an apothecary and asking passersby for directions, the three found the city's largest wasi.
A wasi was an ancient popular entertainment center. The one in this city was immense, with timber-framed booths and sheds standing side by side, each requiring an entrance fee to enter.
There were over thirty of them: the Lotus Booth, Peony Booth, Yaksha Booth, Elephant Booth, and more.
Every booth showcased different entertainment—puppet shows, shadow plays, acrobatics, storytelling... everything imaginable.
There were also vendors selling medicine, fortunes, lotteries, food, antiques, and second-hand goods.
It was a bustling scene of vibrant prosperity.
And naturally, there was the familiar pleasure of visiting a goulan to listen to music.
Having purchased the materials, Zhang Yuanqing and Chen Wei followed Fourth Brother Zhao Youcai into a goulan theater. Ordering fine wine and delicacies, they watched the dancers swaying gracefully upon the stage.
Silks fluttered and skirts twirled—alluring without being demonic, glamorous without being vulgar.
Strings and pipes harmonized, sweeping the packed hall of spectators into enchantment, losing all sense of time and care.
At the same time, the goulan offered pleasures of the flesh. Patrons stirred to flushed excitement could embrace a beauty and retire to a room for rest, though the soundproofing left much to be desired.
Escort journeys were long and tedious. Stopping in cities along the way and indulging in brothels or goulan theaters was second nature to escorts.
Chen Wei was long accustomed to it.
Yet now, listening to the passionate moans of Fourth Brother and a goulan woman in the adjacent quarters, her pretty eyes grew misty. Looking tenderly at her lover, she murmured softly, "Seventh Brother, let's head into a room to rest too."
Zhang Yuanqing complained inwardly: *Didn't you get your fill last night? The dampness on the bedsheets this morning was shocking enough.*
What he feared most had come to pass.
Although Chen Wei and Lin Ci shared deep-rooted affection, Yuanshi Tianzun and Chen Wei certainly had not reached that stage.
Now that he had taken Lin Ci's place, this woman was his biggest headache.
*Sigh, if only I were a scumbag like Demon Lord, taking every woman to bed first and dealing with questions later. Truly, a man with no bottom line is invincible. But I can't betray Sister Guan Ya...* Zhang Yuanqing said with a straight face:
"Third Sister, we came out on serious business. That coffin is so strange and bizarre that it has me deeply worried. I have no heart for pleasure."
Better to refuse for now. Once they returned to the inn, he had to keep night watch with Chen Xuedao, which would stall for another evening. Stall as long as possible.
If stalling proved impossible in the end... he would just have to apologize to Sister Guan Ya.
"Hmph!"
Chen Wei shot him an irritated glare and paid him no more heed.
Watching the dancing singer on the stage, Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts drifted as he pondered the dungeon quests.
From the look of things, the danger in the side quest along the route was likely whatever trouble the coffin would unleash.
In other words, the evil entity inside it.
The main quest would only trigger once they reached the manor.
His previous Spirit Realm dungeon was a multiplayer team-clear type. According to the Spirit Realm's usual patterns, this dungeon ought to feature faction confrontation.
Were the evil professions waiting at the manor, or would they attempt a highway robbery en route?
If the latter, then that added another layer of mortal peril to the side quest.
He wondered whether the enemies matched against him were Level 5 or Level 6.
...
Before sunset, the three returned to Youkelai Inn, where the other escorts were gradually trickling back.
Zhang Yuanqing quietly returned to his room, set out the materials and tools, produced ten corpse-suppressing talismans and ten spirit-sealing talismans, and headed to the back courtyard carrying the charms.
"Get your spirits up! Did none of you eat lunch?!" Having been rebuffed, Chen Wei had taken to venting her frustration in the back courtyard by drilling the escorts the moment she returned.
Catching sight of Zhang Yuanqing approaching, she snorted, cracked her whip toward him, and barked, "Seventh Brother, come spar with me too!"
*Having a Fire Master girlfriend really doesn't seem like a blessing. She's got way too much energy, and domestic violence is practically guaranteed...* Zhang Yuanqing griped internally.
"Wei'er, cease your mischief. Let Ci'er inside," Chen Xuedao's deep voice came from the east wing.
Chen Wei still held great awe and respect for her father. Glaring at her lover, she stepped aside to clear the way.
Zhang Yuanqing crossed the threshold into the east wing, retrieved a corpse-suppressing talisman and a spirit-sealing talisman, and slapped them firmly onto the head of the coffin.
Only then did he look toward his foster father, who sat quietly sipping tea by the table.
"Foster Father, my two talismans can only hold for twelve shichen. Once their power disperses, they will need to be replaced," Zhang Yuanqing reported.
Sitting rod-straight at the table, Chen Xuedao gave a low grunt of acknowledgment.
After night fell, the Transcendent-stage escorts drilling in the courtyard dispersed one by one, leaving only father and son in the spacious compound.
Chen Xuedao was a Mountain God—taciturn by nature, a man of few words, and exceedingly stern toward his children and escorts. Everyone treated him with a mixture of reverence and fear, the original host Lin Ci included.
Thus, Zhang Yuanqing could hardly strike up conversation on his own. Were it not for upholding the host's persona, he would already have dragged his foster father into singing, dancing, and rapping.
Night grew deep, and chirping insects echoed outside the courtyard.
Seated by the door, Zhang Yuanqing kept a vigilant watch over the courtyard while scrutinizing the coffin.
Given the sacrifice of those two nameless extras, Zhang Hu and Zhao Ma, tonight's watch was very likely the first real crisis he would face since entering the dungeon.
The sinister thing in the coffin was terrifying beyond measure.
*Chen Xuedao's cultivation is very high—at least Level 5, perhaps even Level 6. He ought to be the ceiling of power in this dungeon. With him around, even if the thing inside the coffin breaks out, he should be able to handle it...* Zhang Yuanqing calculated his foster father's level.
Ancient practitioners retained titles like "Earth Monster" and "Mountain God," with occasional variations such as Day Wanderer and Golden Crow.
However, they lacked the concept of numeric levels, so Zhang Yuanqing could only make a rough estimation of Chen Xuedao's grade.
"I have already refined the entire inn into my domain," Chen Xuedao said abruptly from beside the table.
"With Foster Father standing guard, I trust nothing untoward will happen tonight," Zhang Yuanqing said with a smile.
This was his genuine thought. A Mountain God's core skill was their domain.
Fighting within their domain, they could overpower evil professions of the same level, though "refining" took time, serving as the skill's cost.
Chen Xuedao turned his head, his voice heavy.
"I can tell that Wei'er likes you very much, and does not care for Peiran."
*Could it be that the affair between Chen Wei and me—no, between Chen Wei and Lin Ci—has been discovered? Is your next line going to be: 'Tonight I clean house'...?* Panic fluttered in Zhang Yuanqing's chest.
"Among all my foster sons, you and Peiran are the most gifted and the cleverest, bound for the greatest achievements." Chen Xuedao's voice remained deep. "Yet, Ci'er, do you know why I chose Peiran to succeed my position?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.
Chen Xuedao said slowly, "Because your temperament is too soft. Peiran has a heavy murderous intent, which I do not particularly favor, yet the agency needs a chief escort like him. I am growing old; sooner or later, the escort agency must be placed in Peiran's hands."
*Is he warning me to stay away from Chen Wei?* Zhang Yuanqing speculated silently.
Chen Xuedao looked at him, his stern gaze softening. "Over these years, I have saved a tidy sum of silver as Wei'er's dowry. Once this escort job is complete, take Wei'er and the silver, and leave. With me standing over him, Peiran will not make things difficult for you two."
Zhang Yuanqing was stunned.
On one hand, he was shocked that Foster Father knew about his affair with Third Sister; on the other hand, he saw benevolence and loving care in the eyes of this "NPC."
The care of a father for his daughter, and the affection of a foster father for his foster son.
Even though he was merely a figure within the Spirit Realm, he was flesh and blood.
This made Zhang Yuanqing quietly abandon any notion of "apologizing to Sister Guan Ya." Chen Xuedao was flesh and blood, and so was Chen Wei. In the end, he was not Lin Ci; he could not use the convenience granted by the Spirit Realm to sully a young woman's body.
Perhaps Chen Wei would never notice anything amiss, but Zhang Yuanqing could not cross that moral hurdle in his heart.
"Foster Father..."
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak, he suddenly heard a spine-chilling, grating screech from inside the coffin—the sound of fingernails scraping against the coffin lid.
Chapter 469