Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 180: Exchange of Intelligence. (First Update!)

Half a month?
Zheng Que frowned deeply; his calamity was less than a month away.

If this journey goes smoothly and he can reach the prefectural city before his doom arrives, that would be fine; but if, as the other party said, something unexpected happens along the way, it means that he will face his own calamity on the way to the prefectural city...

Just then, Yuan Zhi continued, "For the next two days, we will be traveling on the official roads. Although demons and ghosts are rampant now and post stations are in disrepair, when the official roads were built, high-level cultivators divined good and bad fortune and buried protective objects. They used the terrain, feng shui, and the flow of people to bring good and bad luck. Therefore, we are unlikely to encounter any particularly fierce ghosts when traveling on them."

"Of course, we cannot let our guard down because of this; we still need to proceed with caution."

“From now on, we must count the taxes once each morning before departure and once each evening before resting.”

"This section of the official road was still in good condition on the plains, but after entering Yaotai Mountain, the road was severely damaged, and only the trails trodden by predecessors were passable. At that time, not only was the protection of the official road gone, but there was also the disturbance of miasma in the mountains."

"Of course, the miasma is a minor matter for us cultivators. The main problem is that Yaotai Mountain stretches for thousands of miles. Although we have only crossed a small section of the mountain range, we still have to pass through the three places of Falling Star Bay, Embracing Virtue Valley and Danqiu Peak."

"Once you pass these three places, you'll basically be out of Yaotai Mountain and can take the official road to the prefectural city. After that, there won't be any major dangers."

"In other words, the places we need to pay the most attention to this time are Falling Star Bay, Embracing Virtue Valley, and Danqiu Peak. Once we are targeted, it will be very troublesome."

"It will definitely take more time to reach the prefectural city then."

Zheng listened intently and quickly understood that Yuan Zhi's mention of an unsuccessful journey referred to the possibility of unexpected events at the three places of Falling Star Bay, Embracing Virtue Valley, and Danqiu Peak.

If all goes well, it will take half a month to reach the prefectural city.

But if something unexpected happens, then it's hard to say...

At this moment, Shi Shaoshan, who was standing next to him, immediately spoke up and said, "I have taken on the task of escorting taxes twice."

"I have traveled back and forth between Baozhen Valley and Danqiu Peak four times, and all of them went smoothly."

"I did encounter the Forget-Worry Inn once in Falling Star Bay. Fortunately, it was on the way back, so there was no need for protection or taxes. Of the sixteen people in the group, only the last one survived."

"Looking back on those days, I still feel lingering fear."

"I just hope there won't be any troubles on this trip."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhi glanced at Shi Shaoshan and immediately said, "I didn't experience anything unusual at Falling Star Bay. On the contrary, I witnessed an elegant gathering at Baozhen Valley."

"That time, not only did the taxes being transported disappear completely, but Senior Wei Changyang, who was leading the team, was also seriously injured inside..."

Upon hearing this, Shi Shaoshan looked at Yuan Zhi with surprise: "Senior Wei Changyang? Was it the tax collection that Wei Changyang was in charge of five years ago?"

"I've heard about this matter. It caused quite a stir at the time, even alarming the city government, which dispatched a Foundation Establishment stage expert to investigate..."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, you actually survived that tragedy, that's truly remarkable!"

Yuan Zhi shook his head slightly and calmly replied, "It's just good luck."

"At that time, my cultivation level was only the sixth level of Qi Refining. After returning, I broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining."

"As for Senior Wei, he is still in seclusion healing his injuries."

Shi Shaoshan nodded seriously, and immediately asked, "Fellow Daoist Yuan, could you tell us what exactly happened at the gathering in Baozhen Valley?"

Yuan Zhi smiled upon hearing this and asked in return, "Fellow Daoist Shi, why don't you tell us what happened at the Forget-Worry Inn?"

Shi Shaoshan frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then turned to Zheng Que beside him and said directly, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, I have some matters to discuss with Fellow Daoist Yuan. Please excuse me for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que understood that what the two were about to discuss was related to the Forget-Worry Inn and the Baozhen Valley Gathering. However, neither of them was willing to share the information they had risked their lives for for free.

Thinking of this, he calmly said, "I am willing to offer one hundred spirit stones to buy information about you two fellow Daoists."

Shi Shaoshan looked at Zheng Que without saying a word.

Yuan Zhi shook his head and replied with a half-smile, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, those who can take on this mission are not short of spirit stones."

"To be precise, none of our spirit stones were obtained through trade."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que frowned. Did these two want to come and visit his Soul-Summoning Banner?

In a flash, he immediately raised the price: "One more ghost servant of the sixth level of the [Tongue-Pulling Hell] for each person."

Upon hearing about the sixth level of the "Tongue-Pulling Prison" ghost servants, Yuan Zhi and Shi Shaoshan both looked at Niannu beside Zheng Que.

Like Zheng Que, the two of them followed the path of "ghost control" and were naturally very experienced in dealing with the strength of ghost servants. At this moment, feeling the faint sense of danger emanating from Nian Nu, they were both greatly alarmed.

Shi Shaoshan immediately asked, "Is it of the same quality as your ghost servant?"

Zheng Que shook his head and said calmly, "It depends on the information you two have, whether it's worth the price."

Yuan Zhi's eyes flashed, and he smiled, "In that case, I have no problem with that."

Shi Shaoshan glanced at Zheng Que, and after a moment's consideration, nodded slightly and said, "I have no problem with that either."

After the three reached an agreement, Yuan Zhi immediately took out a talisman, activated it, and instantly formed an invisible barrier that enveloped all three of them.

The next moment, all sounds outside the barrier vanished without a trace, and the world seemed to fall silent. Zheng Que could hear the breathing and heartbeats of the three people inside the barrier, as well as the subtle sounds of blood flowing through their bodies. Apart from that, all was silent.

Yuan Zhi used a talisman that could block out sound.

After taking necessary precautions, Yuan Zhi immediately looked at Shi Shaoshan and said, "You go first."

Shi Shaoshan nodded and, without further ado, immediately said, "I won't waste any more words; I'll just get to the conclusion."

"The Forget-Worry Inn could appear anywhere along the Falling Star Bay road. Its appearance is completely unexpected, and whether you can avoid it depends on luck."

"If we encounter it, we must go in."

"Otherwise, you'll be stuck forever on the road between leaving the inn and returning to the inn."

"Be careful of the landlady once you enter the inn."

"You can't be alone in a room."

"You can't eat anything from the inn."

"Also, when we entered the inn, it was daytime; that's the rule for daytime."

"As for what will happen tonight, I have no idea."

"There were sixteen of us in total. When only one of us was left alive, I finally escaped with my life..."

(End of this chapter)