Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 863 The Abyss of Curses
Upon hearing this, Qi Jinguang's eyes sharpened like swords as he stared directly at Jin Chanzi, his clear black and white eyes revealing a fierce edge.

Even Wu Man, who had been casually smoking a cigarette, frowned and looked at Qi Jinguang with a strange expression, thinking to herself, "This young man is quite formidable."

People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in reality, most people's eyes are quite empty.

This emptiness doesn't mean the person has no thoughts, but rather that too many thoughts only increase distractions, causing their gaze to become dull and unfocused, like a fog.

But some people have particularly bright eyes; these people either have a goal in mind and a will as firm as a rock.

They have either weathered many storms, hardened their hearts to the point of being as hard as iron, and gained a deep understanding of the coldness and warmth of human relationships, making them impervious to all poisons.

Especially the kind of eyes that have blood on their hands and have actually killed people—that deep-seated murderous intent and decisiveness are the hardest to hide and the hardest to fake.

But the gaze of the young man Qi Jinguang before me possessed a completely different quality—sharpness!
It is a sharp edge that has not been tempered by the complexities of the world, yet it is already sharp and capable of cutting through all illusions, like a peerless sword that has just emerged from the furnace and been tempered and sharpened.

Its cold light is hidden within, yet its sharpness is fully revealed; it is untouched by worldly concerns, but it strikes straight at the heart.

To have such pure and sharp eyes at this age is simply unheard of! Those eyes were astonishingly bright, as if they could directly see the cowardice and flaws in the heart of the opponent.

Jin Chanzi sat cross-legged on the tiger demon's back, meeting the sword-like gaze. Far from being annoyed, his eyes gleamed even brighter.

He slapped the tiger's head, laughed heartily, and said in a booming voice, "Good! Good lad! That eye of yours is sharp! Old Zhang of Longhu Mountain has indeed struck gold!"

Then, changing his tone, he formed a mudra with his fingers and chanted a sacred incantation: "I left the Xuanmen, ascended to the Moral Heaven, received the sacred seal from the Celestial Master's lineage, and received the true Xuanmen of the Dragon and Tiger..."

Upon hearing Jin Chanzi chant the sacred incantation, Qi Jinguang's youthful face revealed surprise. He silently repeated it in his mind, and after a moment, he clasped his hands and knelt down, saying, "Qi Jinguang greets Grandmaster Uncle."

This sect is orthodox, and everyone has their own unique title. Each person's title is different, but they all contain secret codes that connect the past and the future. Outsiders will not understand what they mean, but if a person from a legitimate sect hears the title and matches it with the title of their own master, they can immediately calculate the person's identity.

Jin Chanzi smiled and helped Qi Jinguang up. "Good grand-disciple, truly a good grand-disciple. The incredible fortune of Longhu Mountain, which has lasted for a thousand years, is about to be placed on you."

"Don't dare."

"What is there to be afraid of? Do what you should do. In this chaotic world, it is precisely the time for a divine sword like yours to be drawn and sweep away the chaos."

Jin Chanzi had a very high opinion of Qi Jinguang.

This was not only because Qi Jinguang and he shared the same lineage, but also because Jin Chanzi saw the extraordinary spirituality in Qi Jinguang.

Qi Jinguang exchanged a few brief pleasantries with Jin Chanzi, Xiao Ran, and Wu Man, when his stomach started rumbling involuntarily.

Qi Jinguang blushed and looked at Xiao Ran and the other two embarrassedly, saying, "Grandmaster Uncle, Grandmaster Uncle, you're here to eat too, right? Please sit down and eat with us. There are two of my friends over there, could you...?"

"Of course, but since we've met, let's go. Your master will treat you to a big meal."

Xiao Ran also noticed the couple behind Qi Jinguang, so she stood up and spoke to Qi Jinguang.

"what??"

Qi Jinguang was taken aback. It was freezing cold outside; where could there be any fancy meal?

But Xiao Ran had spoken, and he didn't know how to refuse. Just as he was at a loss, Jin Chanzi patted Qi Jinguang: "When you're in the martial world, you see through things but don't say anything. Let's go, I'll talk to you after we leave."

Qi Jinguang nodded as if he understood, then walked up to his two friends and gave them a brief introduction.

After the young man came downstairs, he returned Xiao Ran's deposit, and the group left the guesthouse.

"call!!"

As soon as we stepped out of the guesthouse, a chilling wind swept through us, and a flurry of snowflakes fell, instantly covering everyone with a thin layer of snow.

After the group came out, Xiao Ran explained to Qi Jinguang and the other two, "That guesthouse looks simple, but two groups of people died inside last night. Although the buns are fresh, they weren't available when we came here last night."

Having made Xiao Ran's point so clear, how could Qi Jinguang and the other two not understand what was going on with the steamed bun?

Qi Jinguang's lips twitched: "I didn't see anything sinister about this shop, but I didn't expect it to be a shady business."

"Indeed, no. The owner isn't even a beginner. But who is this owner? To be able to acquire a guesthouse and run a business that operates in both the legal and illegal worlds is quite remarkable."

Xiao Ran glanced back at the guesthouse, which was styled after the 1980s.

This is only the beginning of their journey into Northeast China.

I wonder what kind of scenery awaits us as we continue onward.

Thinking about it, Xiao Ran actually felt a little hopeful.

The group braved the wind and snow and moved on, finding a house that was still relatively intact and moving in.

The room was already dilapidated. With a simple wave of his hand, Xiao Ran unleashed a tornado of immense spiritual power that swept up all the dust in the room, which then coalesced into a dark, muddy ball that Xiao Ran then tossed out.

Wu Man then started a fire, lighting the earthen stove and the hearth.

As white smoke billowed from the chimney, the temperature inside the house began to rise, and everyone immediately felt warmer.

Then Wu Man went to the kitchen to start cooking.

Xiao Ran and Jin Chanzi sat down, and Qi Jinguang introduced his two friends. The man was named Gu Beishuang, a beginner in the D-level martial arts, and [Henglian], [Yaren].

The girl, Wang Yu, is a beginner in psychic mediumship.

Qi Jinguang met them halfway through their journey, and after two more adventures together, they became truly familiar with each other and formed a team.

As for Qi Jinguang himself, he is a C-level professional: [Lead and Mercury Taoist].

This profession is very suitable for Qi Jinguang, since he was originally a Taoist priest, and this profession is also within the Taoist hierarchy.

Therefore, progress is very rapid.

When Qi Jinguang was talking about his profession, Xiao Ran casually asked what his other two professions were.

“Reporting to my master, my other profession is D-level [astrologer]. Divination and fortune-telling are also part of my old profession, but I haven’t decided on a third profession yet, so it has been vacant.”

Xiao Ran nodded upon hearing this, and took out a scroll from her spatial storage, handing it to Qi Jinguang: "Here is a professional scroll that should suit you. Take a look and use it if you find it useful."

The scroll Xiao Ran gave him was one of the lottery items he received after being admitted to the Fifth Hospital: an E-level profession, [Taoist].

I figured it would be a good match for Qi Jinguang's profession, so I decided to let him see if he could use it.

Of course, whether or not to use it depends on Qi Jinguang himself.

"Thank you, uncle."

While they were talking, Wu Man had already prepared breakfast. Xiao Ran and the others had already eaten, so breakfast was prepared for Qi Jinguang and the other two.

Steaming hot xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are served. Lifting the steamer lid reveals plump, round xiaolongbao with golden oil bubbles rising from their snow-white skin, making them incredibly tempting at first glance.

As a B-level "Inspiration Chef," the breakfast seemed simple, but it contained a secret. The soup dumplings were so delicious that they were so easy to eat, with soup filling them. The three of them were amazed by how delicious they were.

Wang Yu's eyes were practically sparkling, and she couldn't stop eating: "Delicious, delicious, so delicious! I've never eaten such delicious buns before."

"Haha, eat slowly, there's more to come."

Then Wu Man brought out several more dishes, including steamed chicken feet, lotus root sandwiches, and pearl and jade soup, which the three of them couldn't stop eating.

Xiao Ran and the others sat to the side, watching with smiles.

Just as the three finished eating and were savoring the meal, Qi Jinguang's eyes suddenly lit up with surprise, and he exclaimed, "All my attributes have increased by 14 points!"

Wang Yu's eyes widened, a look of shock appearing on her chubby baby face: "Me too! I even received a special blessing, making me immune to the cold!"

"My attributes have increased by 10 points." Gu Bei's mouth dropped open. He didn't expect that eating a meal could boost his strength. He initially thought that taking them out for a big meal was just a joke, but it turned out to be a real feast.

A meal like this, if served at an outside restaurant, would probably cost over a hundred coins.

Now, Gu Bei and Wang Yu looked at Xiao Ran and the other two with awe.

As expected of Qi Jinguang's senior, his move was so amazing.

Seeing that the three of them had finished their meal, Xiao Ran was about to ask Qi Jinguang and the other two what they had come here for when...

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, sweeping towards the direction outside the window.

"Someone is coming."

As soon as Xiao Ran finished speaking, they heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the door.

Qi Jinguang and the other two's expressions changed drastically. They exchanged glances, and Qi Jinguang said coldly, "These bastards actually followed us."

After saying that, Qi Jinguang realized something and turned to Xiao Ran and the other two, saying, "I'm sorry, Grandmaster Uncle, this group of people came for us. We didn't expect them to actually dare to chase after us."

"fine."

Xiao Ran waved her hand. Given the relationship between Qi Jinguang and Jin Chanzi, Xiao Ran wouldn't let it go unchecked, especially since Qi Jinguang called her "Uncle-Master".

Is this title of "Uncle-Master" given for nothing?
Besides, those two robbers at the guesthouse last night were most likely lying in wait for them.

So Xiao Ran was very curious: "Why are these people chasing you?"

Qi Jingguang made no attempt to hide anything and took out a box from his spatial storage. Upon opening the box, he discovered a crystal that shimmered with five-colored light.

"All the trouble was caused by this thing. We don't know exactly what it is, we only know that it comes from the Abyss of Curses."

As he spoke, Qi Jinguang handed the box to Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran was about to reach out and pick it up to see what it was when, unexpectedly, the Five Dragon Bracelet on her wrist suddenly rang out, and the five dragon heads on the bracelet seemed to come alive, opening their mouths and sucking at the crystal.

"Whoosh!!"

The crystal's luster, like twinkling starlight, was quickly absorbed into the Five Dragons Bracelet.

(End of this chapter)