PDLP Chapter 491 Building Trust Through Social Interactions, Piercing the Dark Night
Chapter 491 Building Trust Through Social Interactions, Piercing the Dark Night
Nine Stars
Danzhu served tea, and Tang Zhangshi handed over a jade slip listing the goods, which Sique hurriedly began to examine.
After a moment, she made a decision, put down the jade slip, and said, "I have my eye on some things, but unfortunately, I'm not exactly flush with cash lately, so I'd like to offer something in return."
After she finished speaking, she waved her hand, and several jade boxes appeared on the table.
Tang, the head of the department, did not show any surprise when he saw this, because he knew very well that Si Que was short of money, and that he had also contributed to the situation.
He picked up the jade boxes and examined each one, then quickly quoted a price, slightly lower than half the market price.
"These items are good, but most of them are from the Demon Realm, and it won't be easy for me to sell them, so the price is a bit low. Please forgive me. If it's alright, let's make the deal now."
He didn't waste any words, which Si Que liked—he was straightforward and direct, though the price he offered was a bit too low.
She frowned slightly and sighed inwardly.
She naturally understood what Master Tang meant. Items from the demon realm were difficult to circulate among cultivators. Whoever bought them would expose their secret practice of demonic arts. Therefore, they needed to find hidden channels to sell them, and the price would naturally be greatly reduced.
However, she had no other choice at the moment and could only bite the bullet and agree.
But even with this calculation, her vacancy still can't be filled.
Should they give up on solving the void ring problem? However, thinking about the "sunk costs" he had already invested, Si Que felt bitter but was unwilling to give up easily.
Since Chu Lengyu was discovered by the God of Plague once, it is possible that she will be discovered a second time.
If the other party is indeed protected by the Ziwei Star Palace... Si Que has given up on finding Chu Lengyu on his own. He can only think about doing more things like Jie Kong Huan to prove his loyalty and gain the understanding of the Mother Nest.
Moreover, the Parasitic Clan has many connections. She had recently learned that some of their members seemed to be able to find out information about the Ziwei Star Palace, but just thinking about it, she knew that the price of that information must be very high.
After all, the Central Heaven Purple Star questions the universe and controls the warp and weft, making it impossible for the demon race to get close.
But Si Que didn't care about anything else anymore; as long as it was useful, she was willing to pay any price.
Money was nothing to her; once she recovered, she could have as much as she wanted.
Tang, the head of the tea shop, sipped his tea, its aroma wafting gently. He seemed to be savoring the flavor of the tea, or perhaps waiting for something.
When the time was almost up, he said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Si seems a little troubled. Is there perhaps a shortage of funds? But I see that Fellow Daoist Si is in charge of guarding this lower realm. Does he not have any extra income at all?"
"Ha, profits?" Si Que rolled his eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. "Commander Tang really overestimates this lower realm. The spiritual energy here is thin, there are almost no spiritual veins, it's practically a wasteland, what profits could there be to speak of!"
Her disgust and contempt were palpable.
Upon hearing this, Master Tang's face showed a hint of surprise. He put down his teacup, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Si, when I came here last time, I seemed to hear that you were capturing a Nascent Soul cultivator. If a Nascent Soul cultivator can emerge from here, then how can this small world be so wretched?"
Upon hearing this, Si Que also felt that what Manager Tang said made sense. She nodded slightly and fell into deep thought.
Could it be that those people below are deliberately concealing the truth?
But that seems unlikely, since many parasites have come to inspect this realm. Even the ley lines below have been destroyed, so they haven't found anything of value. There's no reason for their subordinates to join forces to deceive her.
Seeing that Si Que seemed to be deep in thought, Tang pressed his advantage and continued, "As the saying goes, even a broken ship has three thousand nails. If Fellow Daoist Si is at ease, I can send someone down to investigate, which will make up for this small shortcoming in price. What do you think?"
Si Que pondered for a moment and felt there was nothing wrong with it.
In her view, the Myriad Star Alliance is a large and powerful organization, and Tang Zhangshi is now the head of a branch, making a fortune every day. How could he possibly be interested in such a small amount of money from the lower realm?
Moreover, if there is any real gain, that would be a wonderful thing.
Si Que nodded slightly, agreeing to Manager Tang's suggestion.
She was confident she could handle this, so she immediately agreed and generously said, "Don't worry, Manager Tang, if anything is discovered, we can split it in half."
However, she had other plans in mind, and once she discovered something valuable, she would not hesitate to go back on her word.
After all, do you keep your word with a demon?
Tang, the captain, clapped his hands lightly, and Danzhu understood immediately. He went back to the cabin and brought out the two women.
Both women were gentle and beautiful painting spirits, and they were clearly at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.
When Si Que saw the two painters, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
She secretly thought to herself that this Master Tang was really greedy for pleasure, even when he went out on official business he had to bring his beautiful concubines with him to serve him at all times.
However, she did not show any suspicion, but simply nodded.
The two painting spirits received the tokens, bowed, and then transformed into two streaks of light, flying out of the Nine Luminaries.
Their figures were as light as the wind, effortlessly passing through the thin layer of gale-force winds, and they saw the ravaged land.
These two painting spirits were controlled by Danzhu and Chu Lengyu respectively.
With Danzhu's status as their protector, their identities seemed to be concealed by a mysterious "painted skin," and unless the God of Plague himself came, no one could see through this disguise.
Despite bearing various curses and tracking marks, Tang Qingying was still able to move around undetected, thanks to Danzhu.
If she, a much bigger wanted target, was willing to accompany Chu Lengyu to this dangerous place, Chu Lengyu naturally wouldn't be afraid to take a little risk.
The two held compass-shaped magical implements, made hand seals, and pretended to survey the land.
Chu Lengyu's personal visit is to confirm the current state of the Great Xia world.
If all this effort only results in saving a graveyard of stray dogs, then it would be better to let this world become a cemetery for burying parasites!
They dared not reveal their strength beyond the Golden Core stage, lest they arouse suspicion.
Even so, through this journey, they managed to get a fairly good understanding of the current state of the Great Xia Dynasty.
Due to the different flow of time, only a few years have passed since the Great Xia Dynasty, but the land of Kyushu has been completely changed, as if it has experienced countless vicissitudes and tribulations.
The parasitic race runs rampant on this land, and whether they are venting their anger or having fun, they bring catastrophic disasters to ordinary people.
Chu Lengyu dared not use too strong a method, for fear that if the other party got serious, it would bring about an even greater disaster.
As predicted, the parasites supported several local sects, ordering them to gather information and harvest faith.
However, after years of open and covert struggles, only the most powerful sect remained, which was directly referred to as the Demonic Sect by the people of Great Xia.
Along the way, nine out of ten houses were empty.
The earth was cracked, the farmland was abandoned, the wells were dried up, and there was no sign of human habitation.
Danzhu summoned several wandering ghosts and patiently inquired about their past lives. After listening, he sent them to their next life to prevent these remnant souls from falling into the hands of demons and suffering torment, unable to live or die.
Chu Lengyu remained silent.
Danzhu used a special means to transmit a reminder: "Next, let's go to the capital city you mentioned. However, the Parasitic Clan's methods are disgusting, and they may have already replaced all your old acquaintances. Just pretend they are all dead, and be careful not to give yourself away."
Chu Lengyu nodded silently, indicating that she understood.
Seeing her silent the whole way, Danzhu felt even more at ease.
She knew that silence did not mean acceptance or weakness. Some people may appear calm and collected, but they are like fire burning silently, waiting for the moment to explode.
The two once again rode the escape light, like two stars streaking across the night sky, heading straight for the capital.
The night was as dark as ink, deep and silent.
The boy wandered through the wild forest, clutching a thin bundle tightly in his arms.
After some twists and turns, he finally returned safely to the underground stronghold hidden in the abandoned mine.
The mine shaft had long since collapsed and been abandoned, and groundwater had submerged the former mine tunnels, forming a natural barrier.
The boy's name was Dayou, a name given to him by his older sister.
The day he was rescued was the fourteenth day of the first lunar month. His sister felt that his original humble name was not nice, and there were too many people named Er Gou, so she couldn't tell which one it was. Therefore, she gave him a new name.
The fourteenth hexagram of the I Ching is Fire over Heaven (大有), so his new name was Dayou. His sister hoped that he would be as vigorous and upward as fire, punishing evil and promoting good, and being rich and benevolent.
He couldn't possibly learn those rap-like phrases, but he always kept his sister's expectations in mind and worked hard silently.
The two militiamen guarding the stronghold saw Dayou swimming out and quickly called out to him.
At this moment, he was soaking wet and sat down by the campfire to warm himself, then carefully took the bundle out of his arms.
Upon seeing this, the two young children overjoyedly accepted it and eagerly opened the oil paper package inside.
Inside the oiled paper was a lump of dough. Although it was mixed with some dirt, it was a rare treat during these difficult times.
If you mix this dough with the elm seeds you stole in April and steam it together, you'll be able to eat it for a long time.
However, when they thought about how the cultists had cut down all the elm trees after discovering this, they couldn't help but feel regretful, fearing they wouldn't be able to eat elm seeds again next year.
Just then, the curtain was lifted, and a woman in her early twenties walked out.
After hesitating for a moment, Da You finally spoke up: "Sister Yi, I overheard that the Demonic Sect is going to hold another sacrifice tonight, with a total of thirty-six people!"
As soon as he finished speaking, even the children fell silent.