Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 579 Borrowing Resources
Knowing they would ask this, Lao Changtai said, "We were also curious about this after we went in. We found out that before the Underworld was sealed off, it was just like the outside world, suffering from the same problem of counterfeit money made by the demonic path. At that time, the Underworld had communicated with the Heavenly Court, hoping to use ancient coin molds, saying that ancient coins could not be counterfeited."

However, the Heavenly Court and its four subordinate royal courts firmly opposed it. The reason was simple: ancient coins could not be counterfeited because they contained the so-called 'quantity'.

This kind of 'quantity' is generated only when something goes through a cycle of reincarnation. For example, when a person dies, their soul returns to the underworld, which generates a quantity.

Therefore, this kind of 'quantity' cannot be faked. It is precisely for this reason that the earliest ancient coins were made by the underworld, and the molds for ancient coins were also in the hands of the underworld. However, the Heavenly Court is no longer as powerful as it once was and cannot control the underworld. So how could the Heavenly Court and its four ruling courts be willing to hand over the right to manufacture coins to the underworld?

According to the current rumors circulating in the underworld, this is one of the reasons why the underworld has closed itself off from the outside world. After the underworld was closed off due to the problem of counterfeit money, it naturally started using ancient coins immediately.

Oh, and there's an even smaller denomination than 'Quantity,' which we call 'Jie' (劫). This is because not everything produces a complete 'Quantity' upon death; some smaller animals only produce a limited number of 'Jie' upon death. One thousand Jie can be exchanged for one Quantity.

As he spoke, Lao Changtai pulled out some loose change from the underworld, including small denominations and small denominations, in various colors, to broaden the two people's horizons.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang examined the contents of the container with astonishment, only to discover that the old man Jin Zhan truly didn't have a single penny on him.

Lao Changtai pointed to the money in their hands and said, "In the underworld, this kind of money is not only currency but also a consumable. For example, if Lao Xi's family wants to be reborn into a good family, they need a large amount of 'calamity' in this kind of money to bless them."

Speaking of Lao Xi, Shi Chun asked, "What kind of person is Lao Xi? Is he reliable?"

Lao Changtai said, "Boss, how should I put it? We've only been here for a few days and haven't known each other for long, so how can we judge his character? But one thing is certain: stealing souls in the underworld is a capital offense. He took so much money from us and released us privately. If he's discovered, he'll have a hard time getting away with it. Besides, he doesn't know our strength, so he probably won't dare to mess with us for now."

Hearing this, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang felt a little relieved.

Shi Chun then asked, "Where is Chu Jingtang?"

Lao Changtai: "Didn't you tell us to find a suitable thug? We actually found someone who seems quite suitable. But hearing is believing. Chu Jingtang is going to go and investigate and verify it himself. I'll stay here to keep in touch with you."

Since they were still in the inquiring stage, Shi Chun didn't ask any more questions and got back to the main topic, asking, "Have you found out anything about the soul-binding thing?"

"Yes, I've already bought it." Lao Changtai said, taking out a small black cloth bag about the size of a square handkerchief. "This thing is expensive, costing over 100,000 coins. You can carry your soul around in this bag. According to what we say here, the outside world should have had this thing before. The only problem is that it's useless for ordinary cultivators. For example, we can't see souls at all. Only the underworld cultivators can see them."

Shi Chun was also unsure of what was going on. He couldn't see the soul of an animal immediately after it died because of his right eye ability, but after being pulled out of the underworld by the golden threads produced by the incense of the dead, he could see it again with his right eye ability.

When he first met Lao Xi, he discovered that Lao Xi's underworld messengers were unable to stop the soul from being bound by the golden threads, and he didn't know the reason why.

He took the black cloth bag and looked through it. Although he couldn't figure out what the material was made of, he figured the contents should be fine.

He immediately stood up, tucked the black cloth bag into his waistband, pulled a coyote out of a large bag beside him, and strangled it to death on the spot.

He then said to Wu Jinliang, "Burn incense."

Wu Jinliang naturally knew what it meant, and immediately took out the "Death-Slaying Incense," hooked out a little finger, and released flames to burn it.

Although it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, Lao Changtai was still amazed. He'd never seen anyone cultivate two different attributes of the Five Elements Technique before.

He could understand Wu Jinliang's movements, but he truly couldn't understand Shi Chun's movements of casting spells in the air with both hands.

However, Shi Chun did not allow the black hole to reappear this time. He did not go to the underworld to guard it this time. If the black hole passage remained in the underworld, it would be easy to expose the passage if those underworld officials chased after it like Lao Xi did last time.

He only directed the smoke from the incense to the coyote's corpse. After seeing the golden threads sprout, he told Wu Jinliang to stop burning incense, still trying to save as much as possible.

After waiting for a while, the scattered golden threads began to twitch. Shi Chun knew that the soul-collecting creature had returned. He immediately pulled off the black cloth bag at his waist with one hand and grabbed a knife out of thin air with the other.

Upon seeing a thread pull back the white light speck, he immediately used his magic-free blade to sever it, while simultaneously waving his black cloth bag to catch the white light speck.

As a result, once the golden thread broke, the specks of white light disappeared from his right eye's ability.

There was more than one white dot; several others were the same.

In the end, it was all for nothing.

Seeing him standing silently, Lao Changtai turned to look at Wu Jinliang beside him, who shook his head, indicating that he didn't know what was going on either.

They could continue burning incense and trying again, but after thinking it over, Shi Chun felt it was unnecessary for the time being. If they tried this repeatedly in a short period of time, it would be difficult not to alert the higher-ups of the underworld officials. Even Lao Xi would have a hard time covering it up. At that time, the underworld mountains that were entering and leaving that area would definitely attract the attention of a large number of troops.

So he pulled a hyena out of the big bag and threw it, along with the black cloth bag for capturing souls, to Lao Changtai. "Go back and figure out a way to capture the hyena's soul into this bag and give it to me. You keep the hyena's body in the underworld. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lao Changtai nodded, "I roughly understand. I burned the corpses of the dead coyotes over there to see if I could open a passage between the two worlds in the underworld."

Shi Chun nodded. "That's the idea."

Lao Changtai thought for a moment and then said, "It might be a bit troublesome. It's not easy to start a fire in the underworld. Also, I've heard that the fragrance of this 'Death-Quelling Incense' spreads over a wide area..."

Shi Chun pointed to Wu Jinliang, "He can handle this, let Jinliang go in too."

Wu Jinliang patted his chest, "I'll take care of it."

He had tried to get in and out many times, and he knew that as long as Shi Chun was still outside, he could come out as soon as he got in without any problems.

Shi Chun then reminded him, "There's one thing to be careful about: these hyenas are creatures from the outside world. When you're having someone collect your soul, make sure no one sees you." "Understood," Lao Changtai nodded in agreement, understanding the implications.

Shi Chun: "I made an appointment with Lao Xi in three hours. It's a good time for you to come out and get some fresh air. The environment in the underworld is so bad that a normal person would definitely feel uncomfortable if they stayed there for too long. Go out and get some fresh air. There's a city nearby. Go and take a look around the city and see if there's anything you need to take to the underworld."

Lao Changtai hurriedly said, "Food, we must bring some food in. It's not easy to start a fire in the underworld, and the food is all cold. We didn't have any experience before, so this time I must bring more."

So the three of them emerged from the ground. Wu Jinliang wanted to go with them, but Shi Chun stopped him again, for the same reason as before: he would be easily discovered if he entered the city.

In the end, Wu Jinliang could only watch helplessly as the two departed, all his resentment turning into a long sigh as he looked up to the sky...

The setting sun cast long shadows on the windows of the octagonal building, and the hazy light and shadows that filtered through were not far from the table that Dong Liangyu had placed on the second floor.

Sitting at his desk, Dong Liangyu had one hand hanging down and the other pressing on a book, gazing intently at its contents as if in deep meditation. His lips moved slightly, murmuring softly, the sound almost inaudible.

It was as if he was reading the contents of a book, or as if he was moved by the contents of the book and suddenly felt something.

She looked like a young lady with a bright red beauty mark between her eyebrows. She was in the shadows, and the dim light and shadow around her gave people an indescribable sense of déjà vu.

The book she was reading wasn't from the library; it was a book by her third sister, Dong Liangying. To be precise, it wasn't even Dong Liangying's book; it was a book that Li Hongjiu had given to Dong Liangying.

The book's title, "Borrowing Realm," refers to the martial arts technique that Li Hongjiu passed on to Dong Liangying.

The master didn't explain much to his disciple. After asking if he had any cultivation experience, he handed the technique to Dong Liangying, gave a brief explanation, and said that if he could understand it, he would, and if he couldn't, he wouldn't understand no matter how much he explained. After that, it was a classic case of the master leading the way, but the cultivation was up to the individual. He basically didn't care or ask any further questions.

Dong Liangying also lived up to expectations, spending all his free time studying and comprehending books.

When Dong Liangyu, the second eldest sister, saw her reading, she couldn't help but ask what book she was reading so intently. Curious, she wanted to take a look, but upon learning that it was the book taught by Li Hongjiu's master, Dong Liangyu decided to leave.

However, Dong Liangying was very generous. He said that he had initially treasured it as a precious item, but Li Hongjiu said it was not that serious. He said that whoever wanted to see it could see it, and it wouldn't matter if it was lost. He said that he had more, and if it was lost, he could just get a new one. He said that it was not a secret in the Yanbao Sect.

In fact, if one wants to enrich the library's collection, it's not impossible to place one of the books in the library.

Is that so? Out of curiosity, Dong Liangyu casually flipped through it, and after reading it, he suddenly felt as if he had figured something out.

Dong Liangying had to work in the lobby during the day, and it wasn't convenient for her to carry it around, so she let her sister hold it for now.

In the late afternoon, fewer and fewer guests came, so Dong Liangyu took it out again to savor its meaning, and as he looked at it, it just fell apart.

Although she was unable to cultivate, she had read many books on the subject. The more unable she was to cultivate, the more she enjoyed studying it, simply hoping to find a glimmer of hope. Her family also had a family-inherited cultivation method, which she had practiced, but she had only managed to cultivate a breath. Her meridians and physical constitution were weak, and the breath within her body was blocked everywhere, making it difficult to circulate smoothly, thus preventing her from cultivating further.

However, as she looked at this cultivation method, she began to appreciate a different kind of meaning.

After gaining insight into it, I subconsciously tried to activate the energy within my body.

"Those who sense the eight extraordinary meridians are confined to the seven orifices; those who sense the heavens and earth have millions of orifices in their bodies..."

He kept muttering this sentence over and over again, seemingly entangled in it. His hand, which was under the table, unconsciously twirled into a finger-picking gesture, and his fingertips lightly touched the air.

She didn't see the ripples appearing in the void beneath the table.

I felt my fingertips touch something, and in my perception, it was as if something was blocking my whole body, as if there was a restraint that I could not get rid of.

So, my fingertips unconsciously created another ripple.

When the first ripple was triggered, Li Hongjiu, who was reading on the third floor, suddenly looked up in surprise. He was extremely sensitive to changes in the world.

When the second ripple appeared, the woman in red who was lying on her side behind the counter downstairs suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. Next, the sword saint Fuque, who was also on the third floor, looked up.

Li Hongjiu had already slipped to the second floor and followed the direction of the ripples.

Fu Que then went downstairs as well.

The woman in red downstairs gave Dong Liangying a hand gesture, assigned her the task, and then went upstairs.

Li Hongjiu walked to the desk and saw Dong Liangyu muttering to himself, his face flushed red, as if he were struggling in a nightmare. When his gaze fell on the book Dong Liangyu was reading, he immediately showed an undisguised surprise.

After seeing this, Fu Que's expression changed drastically. He glanced at the red-clad woman who was approaching gracefully and said, "This is bad, she's about to suffer a qi deviation."

After saying that, he was about to step forward and make a move.

Unexpectedly, Li Hongjiu suddenly reached out to stop her, saying, "That's not how it is, don't disturb her."

Then, approaching the table, he repeatedly uttered a sentence in a clear and cheerful voice to Dong Liangyu, who was trapped in a nightmare: "Intention is the body, unintention is the corpse, constancy is the form, without form there is no constancy, intention and unintention, borrowing the way of heaven and earth..."

(End of this chapter)