Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 882 The Writer, Cang
After Xiao Ran said this, the female corpse remained silent.

His empty gaze stared directly at Xiao Ran, as if he were pondering how to correct this major flaw in Xiao Ran's current situation.

The snow continued to fall from the sky, while eerie roars could be heard from the mine below, with flashes of red light appearing from time to time.

A man and a corpse stood frozen at the edge of the mine. Xiao Ran suddenly couldn't help but shiver, a chill emanating from his body causing him to tremble involuntarily.

Despite being a terrifying existence with a constitution of 400, he can no longer even tolerate a cold.

His face grew increasingly pale.

"Ugh!!"

Just as Xiao Ran's consciousness began to blur, the female corpse walked to Xiao Ran's side, placed her mutilated hand on Xiao Ran's shoulder, and with just a gentle pat, Xiao Ran's consciousness suddenly went black. The next second, a sigh was heard.

"Extreme intelligence can be harmful. Follow the path I've designed for you; this is your only chance to survive. I have no ill intentions; I'm just trying to help you."

A blurry shadow appeared in Xiao Ran's consciousness. Xiao Ran wanted to see the other person's appearance clearly, but the more she tried to see clearly, the less she could see clearly.

The other party was like the Plum Blossom Taoist, completely shrouded in mist and impossible to see clearly.

"Who are you? Are you a human? A ghost? Or a deity?" Xiao Ran pressed.

“Me!” The figure thought for a moment. “I am a professional, just like you, only I became a professional a little earlier than you. You can call me Cang.”

"You're a professional? What kind of professional?"

“A writer,” Cang replied.

"Writer!" Xiao Ran frowned, thinking carefully, but couldn't find any information about the profession of writer.

Cang added, "Don't doubt it, this is the top-level profession in the storyteller category, you can think of it as SS-rank."

"SS-rank??"

Xiao Ran only knew that A-level profession was the end for professionals, but she did not expect that there were actually higher levels.

This made Xiao Ran wonder just how strong the other party's abilities were.

"So, I'm the main character in your book?"

Since he is a writer, his primary skill must be writing. Having experienced all of this, could it be that the other party wrote about him as a novel, and that the novel he wrote reflects reality?
"No!"

Cang shook his head: "My abilities can only affect a part of it. I don't have the ability to create things out of thin air, so your tragedy wasn't written by me, so you can't blame me."

"What's the meaning??"

Xiao Ran looked at Cang with a puzzled expression. Wasn't her background, her parents, and the series of events that followed all influenced by this guy?
"Your parents' affairs were not my doing. I don't have the ability to directly intervene in the main world, at least not before the Lost City is established."

Cang said frankly, "I started paying attention to you when you obtained the [Dormitory Manager's Pen], because this item is essential for my advancement."

"Your upgraded items?"

Xiao Ran frowned, carefully considering every word Cang said, and questioned, "It's just an A-grade cursed item. With your strength, you can't even get your hands on one?"

The dormitory supervisor's pen—this thing has the power to change the rules.

For Xiao Ran, this thing was nothing short of miraculous.

But Xiao Ran didn't believe that Cang, who could easily control his own destiny and even his own actions, could be troubled by a mere A-grade cursed artifact.

Faced with Xiao Ran's questioning, Cang fell silent.

After organizing his thoughts, Cang said after a while, "The City of Mystery has existed since ancient times. There have always been people who have gone before us. Even before me, there were professionals who were more ancient than me. But the key advancement materials for each profession are created by other professions. So tell me, how did those who went before us advance?"

"That's not the question I wanted to ask."

"Don't worry!"

Cang continued, "Although we are ahead of you, the advancement items we need need to be provided by those behind us. For example, the [Dormitory Manager's Pen] requires you to use your [Writer's] ability to bring it to me. This is the only way for me to advance, so I have no ill intentions towards you."

Cang then explained, "But your parents' situation wasn't arranged by me. You should have other keys to advancement that others possess, but I don't know what they are. There aren't many things I can influence."

Cang's words were sincere, as if he were opening his heart to Xiao Ran and being completely honest with him.

But Xiao Ran couldn't believe him.

During this brief stalemate, Xiao Ran suddenly started coughing uncontrollably.

"Cough cough cough cough..." A sweet, metallic taste rose in Xiao Ran's throat, and she spat out a wad of bloody phlegm, her complexion growing increasingly pale.

This made Cang anxious.

"Don't delay any longer. You can't withstand the Five Signs of Decay. If you delay any longer, no one can save you. Jump down into the mine and use the Five Dragon Bracelet to devour that five-colored stone. Once all your attributes break through 400, you will be able to offset the effects of the Five Signs of Decay."

Faced with Cang's urging, Xiao Ran instead asked with a cold smile, "Can't you influence me? Why don't you try controlling me to jump down directly?"

"I can not do it."

Cang readily admitted, "The things I can influence are only from a macro perspective. But if you choose to resist, or even like this right now, and directly overturn the table, there's nothing I can do. In fact, right now, our conversation is itself a violation, and I will be punished soon."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran couldn't help but sneer, "Since that's the case, can you tell me what will happen next, what's the deal with this Five Dragon Bracelet, what I'll encounter, and..."

Before Xiao Ran could finish speaking, Cang directly refused, saying, "Writers cannot spoil plot points; this is a rule that writers must abide by."

"Then I'm not playing anymore. Actually, I think if I die now, I can choose to disintegrate and become a ghost in the underworld, which wouldn't be bad."

Xiao Ran started acting like a rogue.

As time slipped away, Cang was starting to get anxious.

"What do you want? I can't spoil the plot for you, but I can give you some information."

"what's the message?"

Although Xiao Ran couldn't see Cang's face clearly, she could sense his struggle. As if he had made up his mind, he said, "Three inches from the back of the heart, break it and you will die!"

Cang had just finished speaking.

A sudden clap of thunder flashed across the sky.

The next second, the woman's body turned to ashes in the lightning.

Cang's voice stopped abruptly at that moment, and the blurry shadow immediately vanished in front of Xiao Ran.

"Cang!"

When Xiao Ran opened her eyes, all she saw beside her was a clump of ash. The female corpse and Cang had both vanished.

A burnt smell still lingered in the air.

Xiao Ran pondered how much of what Cang had said was true and how much was false.

No matter how convincing the other party's words were, Xiao Ran dared not completely believe them.

But there's one thing they might be right about.

It seems that his influence on himself is ultimately limited.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief. The reason she had to do this and risk her life was because she sensed that something was influencing her.

Now that everything has been verified, Xiao Ran felt much more at ease.

He looked up at the hazy sky, stood up and shouted, "That's enough this time. Don't try to influence me anymore, or I have plenty of ways to make you fail."

After saying that, Xiao Ran took a deep breath and jumped into the mine pit.

Beneath the deep mine pit, without the suppression and elimination of the Heavenly Punishment Thunder, the scarlet curse that originated from the depths of the mass grave and had accumulated for countless years went berserk like a prehistoric beast that had broken free of its last shackles!
Without the dissipation of heavenly lightning, the viscous, tangible, blood-red malevolent energy surged and spread wildly upwards along the steep, cold mine walls, like boiling magma.

Xiao Ran spread her arms and threw out joss paper along the way.

The pieces of joss paper burned in mid-air, transforming into pure Yin energy that collided with and neutralized the blood energy.

Following Xiao Ran's example, he formed a hand seal, took out a Taishan stone from his spatial storage, and smashed it against the stone wall in front of him.

In an instant, the Taishan stone was thrown into the stone wall.

It was as if the stone walls of the mine had merged into one, rapidly extending and transforming into the shape of a small Mount Tai, which forcefully suppressed these blood demons.

This Mount Tai stone has the power to suppress all evil spirits. Although these blood evil spirits are filled with tremendous resentment, they are gradually calmed down under the suppression of the Mount Tai stone.

Xiao Ran somersaulted and landed steadily on her feet at the bottom of the mine pit.

At this moment, the five-dragon bracelet on his wrist began to stir.

The dragon opened its mouth and began to greedily devour the scattered five-colored light in the air.

Looking at the Five Dragon Bracelet on his wrist, Xiao Ran was still thinking about Cang's words from earlier. However, his physical condition was rapidly deteriorating, and the chill of the mine was already causing his body to show signs of instability.

Before he could think any further, Xiao Ran raised his hand and aimed the Five Dragon Bracelet at the huge five-colored stone in front of him.

When Xiao Ran forcefully pressed the restless Five Dragons Bracelet against the huge five-colored crystal mine at the bottom of the pit, the intense five-colored light was forcibly drawn away like boiling magma, transforming into several surging torrents of energy that continuously poured into the dark bracelet.

The enormous, multicolored stone before our eyes dimmed, dried up, and cracked at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Without the suppression of the five-colored stone, the blood demon below surged up even more violently, but was firmly held back by the joss paper and Mount Tai stone that Xiao Ran had previously used to suppress it.

An unimaginable amount of vital energy was poured into Xiao Ran's body through the Five Dragon Bracelet.
His body groaned under the strain, his bones cracked, and his meridians were forcibly widened. Those meridians that had taken root in Xiao Ran's body from the Five Dragon Bracelet were quickly activated at this moment.

Gradually, the strong smell of old age emanating from Xiao Ran began to dissipate, and her withered and sallow skin regained its youthful luster and elasticity.

Xiao Ran carefully felt the changes in her body.

Each time a meridian is activated, one of one's attributes is forcibly boosted to an astonishing 400 points.

The comprehensive enhancement of strength, agility, and spirit brings an almost absurdly strong sensory experience.

Even now, without needing to use any spells, Xiao Ran could forcefully suppress these blood demons with just his mental power.

The aura of the Five Signs of Decay that had been entwining Xiao Ran gradually faded away at this moment, forcibly dispelled by this sudden amplification.

Xiao Ran suddenly realized that to break the five signs of decay, one must go against the flow.

The principle is simple, but achieving it is extremely difficult. Those who can experience the five signs of decay are already among the most powerful in the world.

As the saying goes, prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and the desire to rise even higher is itself a paradox.

The reason he was able to resolve the five signs of decay was partly due to his own lack of strength, and partly due to the Five Dragon Bracelet on his hand.

Xiao Ran felt the changes in her body; the boost brought about by the breakthrough in all attributes was simply outrageous.

Even a terrestrial deity wouldn't be much different.

Your strength has surpassed 400 points!

Your Agility has surpassed 400 points!

[Your mental strength has exceeded 400 points!]

[Congratulations! You have reached 400 in all attributes. As the 48th person to successfully break through the 400 mark in all attributes, you have received an extra lottery reward.]

[Congratulations! You have reached 400 in all attributes. As the forty-eighth person to successfully break the 400 mark in all attributes, you have obtained a special cursed item: the Crimson Gold Lamp.]

[Congratulations! You have reached 400 in all attributes. As the 48th person to successfully break through the 400 mark in all attributes, your spatial range has increased by 3 times.]

A series of notification sounds came through.

At the same time, Xiao Ran felt a weight in her hand, and a golden lantern appeared in her hand.

This lantern has a very unique shape, with six sides and eight corners. The lampshade is made of an unknown material that looks like glass, but it is intricately carved with strange patterns.

A special cursed item has been discovered; [Crimson Gold Lamp] This cursed item can only be activated in a special area.

Xiao Ran looked at the cursed object in her hand, not knowing what it was for, and temporarily put it into her spatial storage.

Then his gaze fell on the huge five-colored stone in front of him. Even though the essence of the five dragon bracelet in Xiao Ran's hand had been absorbed by it, it was still just a drop in the ocean compared to the size of the five-colored stone.

Although all attributes are improved, it is ultimately an external force.

It's hard to guarantee that other unforeseen events won't occur in the future.

Thinking of how Changchun and the others kept collecting the five-colored stones, Xiao Ran had an idea and suddenly drew his [Dragon Abyss] sword and slashed at it.

"Om!!"

With his strength exceeding 400, the blade in his hand became unstoppable. With a single sweep, the enormous multicolored stone was sliced ​​open as if cutting tofu.

Xiao Ran put the five-colored stone, which had been cut in half, into her own space.

It's fortunate that my space has tripled, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to stuff so many colorful stones in one go.

Xiao Ran didn't touch the remaining half of the five-colored stone.

Although there is still room, the blood evil below ultimately needs to be suppressed by the Five-Colored Stone; otherwise, if the blood evil were to surge out, who knows how much of an impact it would have.

Xiao Ran leaped into the air, and as he retrieved the Taishan Stone, he suddenly formed a hand seal. Instantly, a yin wind howled, and rolling yin energy exploded, causing the entire mining area to shake violently.

After Xiao Ran leaped out of the mine, she saw that the huge mine behind her had been leveled, leaving only a pit about twenty meters deep.

Xiao Ran's actions have completely destroyed the mining area.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

But if this ill-gotten wealth continues, who knows how many families will be ruined, wives and children torn apart.

Xiao Ran leaped down, and Jin Chanzi and the other two immediately came to meet her.

Seeing Xiao Ran's condition, the three quickly stepped forward and began to examine her body. Jin Chanzi grabbed Xiao Ran's wrist to take her pulse, while Qi Jinguang placed his hand on Xiao Ran's chest to feel her heartbeat.

Only Wu Man went up behind Xiao Ran and sniffed at her.

"Hiss~~ Ouch!!"

Wu Man swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on Xiao Ran's neck, already thinking of dishes to cook.

"Uncle-Master, just now..."

Qi Jinguang was certain that Xiao Ran was alright and was about to ask what had happened earlier.

But Xiao Ran simply raised her hand and said, "Let's talk about this when we get back. Go and tell the people in the mining area to prepare to go home. This place is already destroyed, and there's no need for them to stay here."

Qi Jinguang nodded and immediately turned to inform the miners.

Over the past two days, Xiao Ran has acquired the scattered multicolored stones they had, and each of them has accumulated some savings, even if not much, but enough for their expenses on the way back.

As for the bandits guarding the outside...

Xiao Ran glanced sideways at Wu Man.

Wu Man immediately understood and said with a smirk, "Alright, I'll go. I'll add an extra dish for you guys tonight."

After Wu Man and Qi Jinguang left, Xiao Ran looked at Jin Chanzi.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't know anything."

Jin Chanzi shook his head guiltily.

Xiao Ran replied, "I haven't even asked you yet, what don't you know?"

"Whether you ask me or not, I don't know. Monks don't lie. May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings."

Jin Chanzi placed his palm in front of his chest, looking as if he knew nothing, afraid that Xiao Ran would ask him questions.

Xiao Ran could only sigh at this. He really wanted to ask whether Cang's words were true or false, and if they were true...

So who exactly did this to their parents?

What exactly do I possess that would make someone plot against me from the moment I was born?

He believed that these golden toads must know some inside information.

But given the stubborn refusal of this Taoist priest to speak, Xiao Ran had no good way to deal with him.

We can't just resort to severe torture.

Besides, Xiao Ran trusted him; if he wasn't going to say it, there must be a reason.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran didn't press the matter further. After returning to the building with Jin Chanzi, she found that Wang Yu and Gu Bei had already left with the children.

They followed Xiao Ran's instructions to leave with the children as soon as there was any movement in the mining area, and the two of them were obedient.

Hearing the continuous thunder and the oppressive force emanating from the mining area, they knew something serious had happened and decisively retreated.

Xiao Ran greatly appreciated the actions of the two.

Although their abilities were average, their advantage lay in their obedience.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the mining area. When they learned that they could leave, most people made a decisive decision to leave. A small number of people were unwilling to give up, but after seeing the destroyed mine, they could only sigh and turn away.

Meanwhile, on a hilltop outside the mining area, Wu Man took out a pair of black rubber gloves from her spatial storage and put them on. She looked at the corpse lying on the ground with disgust: "Fine, those miners are leaving anyway, I'll make them some pork stew with vermicelli tonight!"

(End of this chapter)