dognovel Chapter 149 The Real and Fake Merchants and Officials
Chapter 149 The Real and Fake Merchants and Officials
Upon hearing the words "immortality," the head on the table turned its eyes, as if it had been stimulated by the word.
"So, aren't you tempted?"
The human head on the table looked particularly stiff, and the way it moved its eyeballs resembled a zombie coming back to life. But only Yi Yang, who had come into contact with the ghost inside, knew that the creature inside reacted very quickly, and its thinking ability and self-awareness were no different from normal.
It's only because the other party is uncooperative, refuses to speak properly even though they have a mouth, and deliberately acts like a zombie that this head appears stiff in all its actions, reacting like a rusty gear.
Although he put on a very convincing act, unfortunately, Yi Yang wasn't buying it.
“You should be able to see that we are different from you people. What you pursue as immortality is just the most basic thing in our eyes. If Yan really is your disciple... the Three Treasures Sect rebellion happened more than a hundred years ago.”
Yi Yang continued talking to himself, seemingly unconcerned about the other person's response. He sat alone in the quiet, enclosed room, talking to the human head on the table—a scene straight out of a horror movie.
“Your two colleagues have long been in the hands of the City God, and they are probably already in hell to be tortured. As long as you are willing to tell me all the news from the past, I have a way to make you like a god, transcending the Three Realms and the Five Elements.”
Achieving this effect is actually quite simple. Just get the other party to sign a contract with the system and become one of the hosts. Not only can they be "resurrected," but they can also leave together when they depart. As long as they keep completing tasks, they can maintain a state of "immortality and freedom from illness and pain."
Yi Yang wasn't lying; it's just that the specific form of achieving the goal might be different from what the person involved expected, but the final result was roughly what the other party understood.
Anyway, this guy is capable of rebelling and starting an uprising during a chaotic world. Moreover, he can kill, set fires, and establish a cult, which fits the system's preferences for selecting people. Since he has spent so much time in this world, it's not bad to leave with a "native guesthouse owner". Consider him a local specialty.
"This is interesting, but I wonder if the system would be willing to find an ancient person as its host..."
As he pondered, Yi Yang chuckled at his own wild imagination. But then he realized that all his fellow transmigrators outwardly claimed to be "modern people," even if they hadn't been before, they could only be after experiencing several worlds.
Generally speaking, the system takes the transmigrator to other worlds to do missions. If they fail, they are taken back. I don't think I've ever heard of directly capturing people in the mission world. Why don't we try it now?
"How about it, have you thought about it?"
Yi Yang looked at the head on the table again. He was certain that the other party had been tempted just now.
"Immortality, ascension to immortality, wealth and glory, and unparalleled power—I can give you all these benefits as long as you agree to cooperate."
He reached out and placed his hand on the top of the man's head.
"Let me see which two colleagues joined you a hundred years ago."
……
"A beast howling? You must be having a nightmare."
After Yi Yang left, only a group of apprentices learning magic remained. Xiao Er tentatively asked the people around her, but no one else had heard strange noises at night like she had.
"But aren't there monsters in the sect? It's possible that the sound was made by them."
Everyone knows that the White Lotus Sect is capturing demons. Some disciples have even seen imprisoned little demons being transported to unknown places. Xiao Er initially thought it was a demon escaping and causing trouble, but after hearing about it a few times, she ruled out the possibility of demons causing trouble.
Because the sounds were so painful, like the wails of tortured people, she didn't know where the captured monsters had gone. Seeing the bloodstains on some people's robes, she couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
"But the monster isn't here."
The person being questioned was also a woman, who looked to be about the same age as Xiao Er. It's worth noting that most of the apprentices Yi Yang eventually took on were women, a result that even he found surprising.
"If monsters really do come out, the sorcerers will deal with them. Those harmful things should have been eliminated long ago."
"……Yeah?"
Upon hearing this, the waiter stopped what he was doing.
"Of course, don't be fooled by those little monsters that are about the same size as cats and dogs. They can be incredibly ruthless when they cause trouble. Where I used to live, there was a fox spirit that preyed on women. The villagers gathered five or six dogs to hunt the fox and even hired an experienced hunter, but in the end, they caught nothing and two of the dogs died!"
Amidst the accusations of demons causing trouble by those around her, and the various commotions caused by the other disciples' failed spells, Xiao Er remained silent. Her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere, such as the Asura King she had just seen. Was the other party a demon, or a real "Asura"?
Zhao Wang and his wife were both Buddhists, and Xiao Er had been exposed to Buddhist scriptures since childhood; she knew the term "Asura."
Xiao Er felt that this Asura King was quite different from the legendary "Asura".
"Paper kites, how elegant they are."
Seeing Ding Ziming bring back a delicate little kite, everyone realized that the White Lotus Sect connection he mentioned earlier wasn't about contacting Zhao Wang, but rather Zhao Wang's daughter, Xiao Er.
The two had not seen each other for a long time. The communication method was initially initiated by Xiao Er, who had learned magic and took the initiative to contact Ding Zimo. At that time, he was still studying diligently and had no idea that his sweetheart had not only moved her entire family but also joined the White Lotus Sect.
“My initial thought was to become a disciple of Xiao Er’s master and join the Asura King’s ranks, but the letter said that the Asura King is elusive and her master no longer accepts disciples and rarely leaves the sect, so I’m afraid I can’t join.”
The White Lotus Sect has too many factions. If you don't have a stable and reliable way to join, you might end up joining the wrong side. There is also competition between different factions. If Ding Zimo uses the identity of another branch to go to Xiao Er, a misstep could lead to conflict and death.
Actually, there is another way, which is to find a way to contact Zhao Wang. In terms of the relationship between the Ding and Zhao families, Ding Ziming should call Zhao Wang "uncle".
But recalling the marriage proposal that had been rejected in the past, Ding Ziming knew that Zhao Wang looked down on him. Zhao Wang wanted his daughter to marry into a wealthy family, and he knew this. Given Zhao Wang's requirements for a son-in-law, a young scholar was not up to the task, and he was unsure whether the other party was willing to help.
To put it bluntly, he ran away from home without permission. If he contacts Zhao Wang at this point, the most likely next thing the other party will do is contact his father and have the Ding family come and arrest him.
"Don't worry about it."
Shu Longqin thought to herself.
"Could that young lady provide the exact location? If there's space, we can take you there."
Taking people with you doesn't necessarily mean you have to join them. You can just go there and take them away when they're not looking.
"The waiter said that there is a magic array around the camp, and a token is required to enter and exit. The disciples are also required not to go out, let alone communicate with outsiders."
Ding Ziming and Xiao Er have already broken the rules by acting like this.
"You have many disciples?"
"Has she ever met a girl surnamed Shang?"
They heard that there were many people like Xiao Er in the White Lotus Sect, and the Shang brothers were anxious. There was still no news of their sister. Shang Sanguan was not much older than Xiao Er and was also a smart girl. There was a high probability that she would be accepted as a disciple.
"...The waiter didn't say, but there are indeed more young girls among those disciples. I'll ask him later."
Unlike Ding Ziming, who ran away from home without permission, Shang Chen and Shang Li informed their mothers before leaving. They needed to send letters home regularly to let them know they were safe.
Taking advantage of the brothers' departure, Ding Ziming looked around and, seeing that there were no outsiders and that the two brothers wouldn't suddenly return, spoke again.
"There are some things I feel I should make clear about the merchants."
There were some things Ding Ziming had wanted to say for a long time, especially after he heard the two brothers tell Yue Wuque and the others that "their sister is missing and her whereabouts are still unknown."
"What do you want to say?"
Seeing Ding Ziming's conflicted expression, Yue Wuque knew that what he was about to say was probably very important, so he straightened his posture.
"I've heard about the merchant's youngest daughter."
After all, they were classmates, so they knew something about each other's family relationships.
"The merchants did indeed offend a local wealthy man, and their father was indeed beaten to death. What they said before Shang Sanguan disappeared was all true, but what happened afterward..."
"You lied?"
"Yes, they lied to you all."
Ding Ziming took a deep breath and revealed the true situation of the merchants.
"Their sister, Sanguan, had actually been dead for half a year. She died to avenge her father."
The story told by the Shang brothers, Shang Chen and Shang Li, to Yue Wuque and the others was half true and half false. The first half was true: their father was murdered, and they had been fighting a lawsuit for a year without winning. The second half was false: Shang Sanguan did indeed disappear after burying his father, but he returned six months later in a very unusual way, causing quite a stir in the local area.
Six months after Shang Sanguan disappeared, the wealthy man who killed Shang's father celebrated his birthday. Two of his apprentices came to sing songs to congratulate him. One was named Wang Cheng, who was of average appearance but sang very well. The other was named Li Yu, who had just joined the master's school and could hardly sing any songs, but she was beautiful, elegant and gentle, with feminine features.
The wealthy man took a liking to the handsome young man and specially asked Li Yu to stay after the banquet. Just when everyone thought that there would be another male concubine in the mansion, there was a sudden "bang" in the wealthy man's room. The wealthy man died, his head and body separated from his body. Li Yu also died, having hanged himself.
A birthday celebration turned into a death anniversary—this was a serious matter. Li Yu murdered a wealthy man and then hanged herself. When others questioned his master, the singer said that Li Yu had come to him seeking apprenticeship, and he didn't know anything about her background. It wasn't until they collected the body that they discovered Li Yu was actually a woman, wearing a mourning garment underneath her clothes.
There is no such person as Li Yu. She is Shang Sanguan, the third daughter of the Shang family who disappeared half a year ago. She disguised herself as a man to seek revenge on her father's killer.
Shang Sanguan's act of avenging her father was a great act of filial piety. Moreover, after killing her enemy, she hanged herself. Her two brothers were unaware of her plan. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. The local government admired her filial piety and did not allow the wealthy man's family to retaliate against Shang. This time, Shang won the case.
At this point, the matter should have ended. The merchants would have taken the three officials' bodies back for burial, and everything would have been settled. However, when it was time for the actual burial, someone noticed that the coffin was not the right weight. Upon opening it, they found that the bodies had vanished.
When the body disappeared, everyone's first thought was that it was revenge from the wealthy family. After promptly reporting it to the authorities, they learned that the other party had nothing to do with the matter. Another six months passed after Shang Sanguan's body disappeared, and the story was passed around by word of mouth in the local area, but neither of his two bodies were left behind.
"The locals basically know about this. The merchant's daughter died six months ago, so there's no way it could be wrong."
But now, someone has seen Shang Sanguan, who should have died, in the White Lotus Sect. Shang's brothers followed the news and came looking for their sister who had come back from the dead. Ding Ziming couldn't figure out why.
Everyone says that you should either find the person alive or the body dead, but Shang Sanguan's two disappearances are a different story. The first time he was alive, he couldn't be found, and the second time he was dead, his body couldn't be found. There's no way to find peace with him.
"Since he's already dead, what about the merchant who met the White Lotus Sect...?"
The White Lotus Sect probably doesn't have a way to be resurrected, right?
"...Painted Skin".
Yue Wuque sat upright, his expression more serious than Ding Zimo had ever seen, and his voice was much lower.
"Yu Ren has a worst-case scenario in mind: the body of that Miss Shang has probably been skinned and used as a disguise by someone else."
While it's possible that someone might be drawn to Shang Sanguan's courage and help her revive, perhaps even taking her as a disciple again, the fact that she appeared in the White Lotus Sect raises the question: would there be such a kind-hearted person in the White Lotus Sect?
The simplest and most commonly used method of bringing the dead back to life in the world of Liaozhai is to resurrect the dead by borrowing a corpse. The person who comes back to life in this way has a soul belonging to someone else in their body. The person is completely alive. Either they take an elixir or they add a few strokes to the Book of Life and Death. In any case, neither of these methods has anything to do with the White Lotus Sect.
Moreover, Shang Sanguan is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. She was able to plan for half a year to avenge her father. If she could really come back to life, she would definitely go home.
Most importantly, if the Shang Sanguan that the merchant saw in the White Lotus Sect was really taller than he remembered, then this was definitely not the real person. The real person had been dead for half a year, so how could he have grown taller?
If it was someone else impersonating her, why would she appear taller? It's simple: Shang Sanguan was a woman who needed to bind her feet from a young age. One of the reasons Li Yu's false identity was discovered was that the person collecting the corpse noticed something was wrong with her shoes.
If the person who was being bound couldn't get used to the small feet, they would naturally have to cut off the feet and replace them with their own, or get a pair of someone else's feet attached.
Unless the person using Shang Sanguan's appearance has the exact same height and body proportions as Shang Sanguan, this operation will definitely result in the new disguised Shang Sanguan being either a little shorter or a little taller than the real one.
"what do you mean?"
"Does Young Master Ding know about the Painted Skin Demon? It's a kind of demon that wears human skin to disguise itself as a beautiful woman and eats people's hearts and livers."
Back then, Liu Qingyuan encountered two people as soon as she arrived: one was a local Painted Skin Ghost, and the other was an illegal transmigrator who had forcibly transformed himself into a Painted Skin Ghost.
Yes, there was a "Painted Skin Ghost" among the group of illegal transmigrators. More than half a year ago, Liu Qingyuan hadn't caught him yet, so the timing matches up. Now, the remaining illegal transmigrators are mixed up with the White Lotus Cult, and someone who looks exactly like Shang Sanguan has appeared within the White Lotus Cult, which also matches up.
"When those two people come back, have them go to Danqing to paint a portrait."
Yue Wuque had a guess in his heart, and he needed the specific appearance of the brothers Shang Chen and Shang Li, as well as the heroine who avenged her father, Shang Sanguan.
The local style of this world's portraiture... tsk, it's too abstract, I can't recognize it.