Banshee Family Training Record

Page 156

Immediately, she understood what it meant. Her delicate face turned serious, and she nodded emphatically, indicating that she would definitely stand with her and would never let Yun Chu'an succeed so easily!

The waiter took the spirit stones from Yun Chu'an and nervously went to register them, then booked their rooms. The three of them gracefully went upstairs, and behind them, many diners couldn't help but whisper among themselves: "That man just now, his relationship with those two female cultivators is quite unusual!"

"Two female cultivators together, tsk tsk, I wonder what will happen tonight."

"In my opinion, there's nothing to envy. Didn't you notice? Those two women are actually quite average-looking; I lost interest as soon as I saw them."

"That's true, so it's not exactly a good thing..."

Whispers rippled through the crowd as the sun gradually set. Darkness enveloped the land; this was Yun Chu'an's first night in Zhongmu City.

But while he was preparing to rest, others were still taking action on the other side.

Below the cliff, You Wensi, with Qi Qiao in tow and Ye Jinglan following behind, was making their way forward. The valley was so dark that neither moonlight nor starlight could penetrate it; only those with powerful cultivation could barely see anything.

Finally, the three stopped in front of a rock wall. You Wensi looked up at the scratches on the rock. They looked like they were formed naturally, but in her eyes, they were all heartbreaking codes.

The tomb of Marquis Qin Hai was not actually completed; the Yinming Corpse Pill had not yet been refined, and it was likely that only a few of the zombies to be refined inside were finished.

It is now open simply because after the Corpse Driving Sect was destroyed, the cultivators who were responsible for regularly checking the situation and maintaining the normal operation of the magic array no longer came. As a result, it naturally wore down and was damaged during operation, and eventually became like this.

What a tragedy! What a pity! I wonder how many more treasure troves like this exist in the Central Plains, and how many more will be destroyed in the future for such ridiculous reasons?

She didn't understand, and the more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. Suppressing the pain in her heart, she continued in a deep voice, "Jinglan, the yin energy in this tomb is too heavy; it's not suitable for you to go in."

"You stay outside and keep watch for us, waiting to provide backup. If there's any disturbance, report it to us immediately."

Ye Jinglan lowered her head, concealing her gaze: "Understood, Patriarch."

Although she said that, she was extremely indignant inside. "The yin energy is too heavy; I'm not suitable to go in?" What a joke!

They clearly don't want me to go in; they want to keep what's going on inside from an outsider like me.

Suppressing her dissatisfaction, she responded with a sound of agreement, saying nothing more. You Wensi then faced the rock face, looking at the scratches. Just as she was about to speak, her expression suddenly changed, and she turned to look at Qi Qiao beside her: "Qiao'er, can you understand what's written on these?"

Qi Qiao opened her eyes, frowned slightly, stared at the scratches on the rock, hesitated for a moment, then parted her lips and said, "This is... the incantation of the Yinming Illusion Array?"

You Wensi's eyes lit up: "Yes, that's it. You recognized it. Now, can you remember how to undo it? Do you remember the corresponding incantation?"

Qi Qiao, her face contorted in distress, tilted her head and racked her brains for a while before slowly reciting, "Sanbao is dead, his seven souls are gone, and evil spirits gather, bewitching my heart..."

She chanted a long incantation, causing yin-based spiritual energy to gather around her. This energy covered the rock face in front of her, and the originally brown rocks began to twist and transform, forming a huge, purple circular passageway, waiting for them to enter.

You Wensi smiled, as if she were seeing her own child grow up and become successful. Qi Qiao finished reciting the incantation, stiffly turned her head, and looked at her adoptive mother, wondering what her next step would be.

Then, the locust tree spirit gently stroked her head and said, "Let's go in together. There will be treasures inside that will greatly benefit you. Perhaps you can restore your strength to its peak."

Qi Qiao nodded gently and followed her adoptive mother into the purple circular gate.

After the two went inside, the door immediately closed, leaving Ye Jinglan standing alone in the moonlight, all by herself.

She looked up at the moon in the sky, remaining silent for a long time before suddenly smiling.

Ha, I already knew her true nature, so what are you still hoping for now?

I should have expected this outcome before she specifically asked me to come out with her.

This wasn't the first time she'd been so neglected; her heart had grown cold as ice. She looked up at the moon high in the sky, and couldn't help but think of her family far away, those who would care for her and feel sorry for her.

Yunqing, Chuan, what are you doing right now?

She imagined her dear sister and brother-in-law enjoying a peaceful life at home, but she never expected that they would actually be here now.

She stood there alone, while inside the rock wall, You Wensi led Qi Qiao slowly inside.

The interior of this mountain cave was a hidden world; it appeared small from the outside, but was actually several times larger inside. The narrow, dark gray corridor was cramped, and a heavy, gloomy atmosphere hung overhead, making it hard to breathe and causing unease.

However, it was only when walking along this path that You Wensi felt at ease. She walked slowly forward with her hands behind her back, while Qi Qiao walked forward with her arms outstretched, taking small, bouncy steps.

Although she still maintained her old habit of jumping, she now stared at the surrounding rock walls with wide, curious eyes.

She noticed many strange runes etched on the surrounding rock walls, some of which seemed familiar. She frowned, trying to recall, and knowledge she had never had the chance to learn before gradually surfaced from the depths of her memory.

Ahead, You Wensi stopped in her tracks. Seeing Qi Qiao's expression as she tried hard to remember, her tone was full of eagerness: "Qiao'er, how is it? Have you remembered?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Qiao skipped forward, asking hesitantly and uncertainly, "Is the Qin Haihou Tomb the most classic triple-burial structure?"

You Wensi nodded slightly: "Which three levels? Tell me?"

Qi Qiao recalled the information in her mind and whispered, "The first layer is a seemingly normal tomb chamber, which is large in area and complex in structure. It is equipped with various mechanisms and traps to prevent tomb robbers. At the same time, some books, documents, jade and treasures are placed there, pretending to be burial objects."

"In this way, once the tomb raiders have overcome the difficulties and obtained the treasure, they will be satisfied and leave quickly—thus, they will never be able to uncover the true secrets of the tomb."

You Wensi nodded in satisfaction: "Good, continue."

Encouraged, Qi Qiao's tone became bolder: "And the second level is where the Corpse-Driving Sect truly refines zombies."

“Cultivators will set up the Nine Yin Soul-Locking Array here to gather the resentment of yin spirits and nurture them. In this way, the zombies in the coffins will be nourished by the hatred and resentment, turning them into ferocious zombies. Then, they can be used by the corpse-driving Taoist.”

As she spoke, her expression shifted, and she couldn't help but recall the stories Yun Chu'an would tell her after their intimate moments.

In the past, the Taoist priests of the Corpse-Driving Sect, with sincere hearts, used their spiritual power to drive away zombies, aiming to send those who died far from home and whose bodies were left to rot in the wilderness back to their hometowns so that they could be laid to rest.

Chapter 343 Corpse-Driving Sect Senior Sister

However, later, everything changed. Zombies became weapons in the hands of the corpse-driving Taoists, and thus the methods of refining corpses became increasingly vicious. The more hatred and resentment were poured into the zombies, the more brutal and ferocious they became.

Naturally, the more powerful these zombies are in combat, the stronger they become.

Thinking back to the once-powerful corpse-driving sect, now reduced to this state, Qi Qiao felt a sudden surge of sadness.

Beside her, You Wensi was waiting for her to continue, but suddenly realized that she had stopped talking. Looking at her strange expression, she thought that she had just recalled this information and was frightened.

So she said softly, "Qiao'er, don't worry. Even if a ferocious zombie is created using such methods, it generally doesn't have the ability to turn against its master and won't harm the corpse-driving Taoist."

“At worst, we can stick a talisman on their heads, and that will be a sure thing,” she said. But seeing that Qi Qiao’s expression hadn’t changed, she added, “You probably don’t remember, but you were once the youngest and most skilled corpse-driving Taoist in our sect, the one who could control these ferocious zombies. No matter how resentful or out of control a zombie was, it was no match for you.”

She tried to dispel Qi Qiao's panic, but to little avail. Seeing this, she stopped pressuring and turned to continue walking forward, saying as she went, "Let's not talk about this for now, Qiao'er. Let's continue talking about the knowledge you've recalled."

Qi Qiao regained her senses slightly and then said, "Generally, the second floor will contain a large number of magical treasures and precious natural materials, which will serve as the foundation of the 'Nine Yin Soul Locking Array' to maintain the operation of the array and to nurture the zombies here."

"If this floor is also invaded by outsiders and these magical treasures are taken away, then the zombies will be awakened and the mechanism will be activated to kill all the intruders. And the souls of those killed will not be able to escape due to the Soul Locking Array. Even the golden cores of golden core cultivators cannot escape and will eventually become nourishment for the array."

You Wensi nodded: "Indeed, but?"

Qi Qiao said, "However, these treasures on the second floor are not the most precious. All of these combined cannot compare to the true treasures on the third floor."

At this point, the two of them uttered the name in unison: "Yinming Corpse Pill!"

Unable to contain his excitement, You Wensi said, "This is the true treasure of my Corpse Driving Sect. On the second level, a hundred-year-old corpse is placed in each of the four directions of east, south, west, and north as burial goods. Then, it is continuously nourished with yin energy. Thus, in the true core of the tomb, in the center of everything, in the third level of the secret realm, a Yinming Corpse Pill will be born."

"This thing can be considered the golden core of a zombie, with endless uses. It can be combined with other medicinal herbs to refine even more powerful elixirs, helping our corpse-driving sect's cultivators break through to higher realms, such as the Nascent Soul stage; even if left untreated, if a zombie swallows it directly, a century-old corpse that has already cultivated can unleash supernatural powers and spells, far more powerful than cultivators of the same realm."

"Even in critical moments, it can be used to detonate. Under the onslaught of endless, chilling, and malevolent energy, even Nascent Soul cultivators can only avoid its sharp edge!"

As she spoke, her eyes glowed with a faint green light: "Not to mention that Qin Haihou was a Nascent Soul cultivator in life. With him as the core of the formation, the Yinming Corpse Pill refined from him will definitely be more powerful than an ordinary Corpse Pill."

"Qiao'er, if you take it, you will definitely be able to advance all the way to the Golden Core stage, or even directly restore your cultivation to its peak!"

Her tone was fervent, even though she knew that the Yinming Corpse Pill was equally dangerous and forbidden for cultivators below the Golden Core stage to consume it; she herself had never even considered eating it.

However, Qi Qiao was originally a zombie, and should be the only successful, perfectly immortal resurrected zombie in the history of the Corpse Driving School, so there should be no problem for her to consume it.

A grand plan was flashing in You Wensi's mind.

Qi Qiao blinked, this statement frightening her for a moment. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and suddenly became puzzled: "But, the Yinming Corpse Pill refined from the corpse of a Nascent Soul cultivator, although powerful, still requires at least a hundred years. This tomb... shouldn't be that old, right?"

She spoke uncertainly, causing You Wensi to freeze in place. Then, the woman took a deep breath: "Don't worry, even if it's not fully formed yet, it can still take you all the way to the late Foundation Establishment stage without any problem."

"Just listen to me. Now that this tomb has been discovered, it can't be saved. Even if you don't eat the Yinming Corpse Pill, it will only end up benefiting someone else."

She spoke so earnestly, leading Qi Qiao a little further ahead. Qi Qiao understood, and looking at You Wensi's profile, she nodded gently: "I will follow your arrangements."

You Wensi was relieved and led her forward. The two crossed the long secret passage and arrived at the deepest part of the tomb, in a spacious, arched hall.

However, the hall, which should have been pitch black, was now slightly lit. A few eerie green will-o'-the-wisps hung on the surrounding walls, emitting an ominous green glow, which also illuminated the densely packed black runes written on the arched walls.

Seeing this unusual scene, You Wensi's expression changed: "This is bad, there are others who got here before us!"

Before he could finish speaking, another female voice rang out: "Who goes there?!"

The moment that sound rang out, the chilling spiritual energy transformed into chains, suddenly sealing off You Wensi and Qi Qiao's escape route.

Upon seeing this scene, You Wensi was not surprised but delighted: "Senior Sister?!"

The woman's voice was also taken aback, her tone filled with disbelief: "Wen Si?!"

……

Buy horses in the east market, saddles and bridles in the west market, bridles in the south market, and long whips in the north market.

Once, the Chinese teacher told Yun Chuan that the rhetorical device of "intertextuality" was used here, meaning that Mulan had to travel to many markets before she finally bought all the necessary items and was ready to go to war.

As for why he had to travel to so many places to buy all these things, he always thought it was because the commodity economy was underdeveloped in ancient times, and you simply couldn't buy them without traveling around.

But today, he suddenly had a different understanding.

Back when Mulan was around, was she also addicted to shopping?

On the wide streets of Zhongmu City, Hua Caiyan and Zhu Yunqing walked hand in hand, strolling through the market full of cultivators.

On both sides of the street, vendors' shouts and calls filled the air, and shelves were filled with a dazzling array of magical treasures, talismans and other goods. The aroma of roasted spirit beast meat was irresistible, along with the scents of tea and wine, making one want to immerse oneself in the atmosphere.

Hua Caiyan blinked her beautiful big eyes, her gaze sweeping over the interesting things inside and outside the shops on both sides of the street, her face full of curiosity; while Zhu Yunqing remained calm, his eyes quickly scanning the descriptions and prices on each magical item, observing their quality, and at the same time carefully calculating their cost-effectiveness in his mind.

Only Yun Chu'an, who was sandwiched between the two of them, felt the full torment.

"No, you two." He couldn't take it anymore and sighed, "How long are we going to keep shopping like this?"

Zhu Yunqing glanced at him and said, "You said there was no rush, that we should wait two more days and see how things go before going deeper into the tomb."

"Since you have time, and you're just idling around anyway, wouldn't it be nice to go shopping and pick out some suitable magical artifacts?"

Hua Caiyan nodded with a smile in agreement: "Yes, Fourth Sister is right. Besides, this is our first time in Zhongmu City, so we must have a good time!"

Yun Chu'an gave a bitter smile, unable to speak.

Indeed, it was his suggestion to "delay our descent into the tomb's secret realm by two days".

Chapter 344 Reunion with High-Ranking Qin Officials

After returning, Yun Chuan pondered the sudden movement of the bronze-armored corpse several times and finally concluded that there must be someone else behind it!

Who is it?

The remnants of the corpse exorcism sect?

You Wensi?

Or were they someone else who entered this secret realm even faster?

He didn't know, but this discovery made him realize that the situation inside this secret tomb was probably more complicated than he had thought.

Therefore, he decided not to rush down to the tomb, but to secretly spread the news, observe the situation, and wait until the situation was clear before making his move.

As for the possibility that this might cause him to miss the most easily obtainable treasures on the outermost edge of the tomb's secret realm, it didn't matter much—he wasn't here for money in the first place; what he really wanted to find out was what You Wensi would get here.

Furthermore, if he could seize this opportunity to eradicate the remnants of the Corpse-Driving Faction, the dark cloud that had been hanging over his heart would completely dissipate.

That was his idea, but he never expected that before he even entered the tomb and endured the torment of the zombies, he would first have to face the torment of his lover!

Wow, why is it that once women start shopping, they can't stop?

He looked at Hua Caiyan, almost in tears, and then murmured, "It's not that I'm stingy, Caiyan, it's just that our family isn't very wealthy right now. Although we have savings, we don't have a stable source of mid-grade spirit stones. All we've bought along the way are things that Foundation Establishment cultivators need, so I'm worried that you two will be misled by merchants and fall into the trap of consumerism..."

He rambled on and on, but then quietly turned his head away, looking slightly guilty. The two women had mainly been shopping, looking around, and having fun; they hadn't actually spent much money on anything.

So he could only bombard the two women with a barrage of words, hoping to confuse and fool them, and then get them back to their cultivation as soon as possible.

Do whatever you want, just stop shopping!

This was his true thought, and it had indeed fooled Hua Caiyan. The little fox tilted her head slightly, then hesitated, "Is that so? That makes sense, Fourth Sister, how about we..."

She looked up at Zhu Yunqing, but the woman's expression remained unchanged, and she wasn't fooled at all: "That's precisely why we should compare prices from different vendors, carefully calculate the cost-effectiveness, and strive to spend every penny wisely, so as not to waste it, right?"

As she spoke, she earnestly advised, "Chu'an, you should also take a look. I'll teach you how to distinguish the quality of these magical treasures and whether they are useful or not."

Yun Chu'an wanted to cry but had no tears, and just wanted to shout.

I don't care about that little bit of money, please spare me!

He was in extreme pain, and just then, a tall man walked towards him from the front: "Oh, Brother Changsheng, it's been a long time."

The call sounded like heavenly music to Yun Chu'an, as if he had encountered a savior. But when he actually saw who it was, his expression changed drastically, and he realized something was wrong.