12dz Chapter 576 Maintenance
Chapter 576 Maintenance
“I’ve gone off on a tangent again,” Si Zhenniang said with some regret. “You suggested using magical artifacts to share Zhu Yu’s workload, and in return, they would cooperate with you to defeat the Heavenly Dao.”
"Zhu Yu naturally wouldn't let go of the chance to live and readily agreed. Even if some cultivators objected, they ultimately wouldn't amount to anything."
Wei Xi looked at Si Zhenniang with pity, thinking to himself that this person was quite foolish.
First, it's said that Zhu Yu was powerless against the cultivators, then it's said that the demon beasts formed an alliance with the cultivators to survive. It would have been more reasonable to say from the beginning that the cultivators and demon beasts were evenly matched and that there was a risk of both sides suffering heavy losses.
Unexpectedly, Si Zhenniang shed two clear tears, staring at Wei Xi and saying, "You used to look at me like this too. I really miss you."
Wei Xi had always been uncomfortable with sentimental scenes and genuinely believed that Si Zhenniang in front of him was an illusion created by Dieji Mountain, so he awkwardly said, "If what you say is true, then ghost cultivators have become extinct?"
"I haven't heard of any other powerful ghost cultivators since then," Si Zhenniang wiped away her tears and cleared her throat before saying, "I haven't seen any ghost cultivators in the many years I've been in Dieji Mountain."
"To be honest, I did wonder at first whether Zhu Yu's statement that you weren't dead meant you might have become a ghost cultivator. But then I thought, you can't stand such evil and crooked practices, so how could you possibly become a ghost cultivator?"
"Then what is this all about?"
“We are not ghost cultivators,” Si Zhenniang said earnestly, “we are just excluded from the cycle of reincarnation.”
"The townspeople couldn't get into the gambling dens, brothels, and brokerage firms. We tried hundreds of times, but we couldn't even break through the outermost layer of protection. Later, we captured some cultivators who were skilled in weapon crafting, but they all said they couldn't undo it."
"These three places happen to be the channels for re-entering the mortal world. It is said that there is something mysterious in the gambling dens, and the chips are something that no one can refuse. Those who originally needed Zhu Yu to drive them away and threaten them to burn away their obsessions are now rushing to the gambling dens. This is because human nature has been exploited."
"You came up with that yourself?"
Si Zhenniang released her yin and yang energy, appearing to be in a good mood.
“It was Su Jing who said that. She studied these things when she was alive. She also put a lot of effort into creating those corpse collectors outside the city. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Wei Xi was somewhat wary of that woman from the Western Regions: putting aside everything else, her Demon-Binding Rope was indeed powerful, with an extremely terrifying pressure emanating from it, which even Wei Xi, who had already formed his core, was powerless to resist.
"What's the deal with the corpse collectors?"
“We’re not exactly honest people. We’ve done a lot of things that disrupt the cycle of reincarnation in Calabash Town. Zhu Yu was furious and arrested a group of cultivators who had grudges against us and put them outside the city. I guess you could call it a threat.”
"As a result, Su Jing impersonated Zhu Yu and fabricated a fantasy to make them think the city gates were open, which triggered the defenses of Hulu Town. Those people became part of Hulu Town and kept sending the dead over."
"Zhu Yu was furious, and Su Jing suffered quite a bit." Si Zhenniang's features were furrowed, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories. "But she said that all that suffering wasn't in vain, and we can't let those cowards get away with it."
"Zhu Yu hasn't shown his face in Dieji Mountain in recent years. If it weren't for the corpse collectors and this Hulu Town, the world would be in who knows what chaos it would be in."
This part does barely match what Granny Tang said: becoming part of the Dieji Mountain, these corpse collectors will naturally have their memories reset; because they were cultivators in life, they can use some spells.
"It seems the corpse collectors can enter Calabash Town?"
Si Zhenniang grinned, "It's just a bluff. We need to give them something to look forward to. Throwing it in here is just to seal it up until the Dieji Mountain is reset. A young man from some Duanye Sect once said that this is because the impurities inside the magic artifact had accumulated to a certain extent, and it was being cleaned. I don't know if that's true or not."
Whether it's their temperament or the result of being imprisoned for too long, these townspeople possess an inexplicable cruelty.
"In short, we don't know what's going on inside the gambling den, but our goal is to get you in there. You'll eventually figure out a way to navigate the system and save your life." "Really?"
The wooden partition separating the cells was opened, revealing a face with exotic features.
Si Zhenniang jumped to her feet, rushed to the door like a firecracker, grabbed the railing and said, "What are you doing here? You haven't settled the score for tying me up yet!"
"I'll send you on your way," Su Jing said casually, slapping Si Zhenniang across the face. The latter fell to the ground with a thud. "You traitor! You think you can let her get away!"
Si Zhenniang coughed up purplish-black blood, clearly indicating that she was seriously injured.
Wei Xi frowned, then got up and helped Zhenniang up from the ground.
"Stop acting here," Su Jing sneered. "She can't even die if she wants to."
"Pah! Su Jing, have you forgotten who rescued you from the bandits? You and Cai Xin are both utterly heartless!"
Su Jing wasn't buying it at all. She glanced at Zhenniang with disgust and said to Wei Xi, "Should you come out by yourself or should I invite you?"
Si Zhenniang could barely stand, yet she spread her arms to block Wei Xi.
"Come at me if you have a problem. It's just an illusion. What's the point of bullying a mute who hasn't regained his memories and strength?"
“Bullying?” Su Jing said with a forced smile, as if she had heard a joke. “Sometimes I really find it strange that your heart is still the same… No wonder you can get along with her.”
"If you only think about saving your old friend's life, even if you said that destroying the magical artifact would cause chaos in the mortal world, I would respect you more."
"What are you babbling about!" Si Zhenniang gasped for breath, her voice rising as she spoke. "She's already died once, what happens afterward has nothing to do with her. Besides, you chose this path yourself, so you can't blame anyone else!"
"You still have the nerve to talk to me about the common people! Su Jing, while I was out here vanquishing demons, you were probably hiding in someone's dream, crying your eyes out. If Zhu Sheng were still alive, you wouldn't even dare to breathe loudly in front of me!"
"Su, who doesn't know your little schemes? You planned to sleep forever in your dreams and not wake up until Wei Xi came back, so it wouldn't be too much of a hardship. But you didn't expect to have nightmares in this godforsaken place. All your petty skills are useless, and you can only suffer through the days. If it weren't for the demon-binding rope in your hand, you would probably be in even worse shape."
Su Jing ignored Si Zhenniang and opened the prison door with an almost domineering attitude. Then she walked over and reached out to take Wei Xi away.
Si Zhenniang protected Wei Xi, but at this moment she was no match for Su Jing. Once the Demon-Binding Rope was unleashed, she didn't even have a chance to fight back.
Even knowing that this might be a fabricated ploy, Wei Xi was still unhappy.
"You don't need to lift a finger; I'll go with you naturally."
Meeting Su Jing's eyes, which were brimming with resentment, Wei Xi calmly said, "You don't need to tie her up with ropes, just lock her up."
Su Jing laughed loudly, "You really haven't changed at all!"
While telling Wei Xi not to worry about her, Si Zhenniang cursed Su Jing in various ways.
The latter stretched out his hand, making an exaggerated gesture, "Master Wei, please move aside and revisit your masterpiece!" (End of Chapter)