This villain is too popular.

Chapter 426 The Rules of Immortality Island—'Equivalent Exchange' [Two-in-One]

[Morning, Changsheng County Bank]

"Heavenly Dao, I feel something's off here."

Standing in front of the Changsheng County Bank, Jing Liuli frowned as she looked at the bank, a strange unease rising in her heart.

Following Jing Liuli's gaze, the viewers on Station 13 quickly got a clear look at the entire bank.

It was a county bank with old-fashioned decor and an unremarkable exterior.

The old red brick walls are covered with moss, and the six gilded characters "Changsheng County Bank" hang high on the top of the bank, eroded by wind and rain to the point that only the outline remains.

But what's even more eerie than these are the two stone lions at the bank's entrance.

The stone lion on the left is missing half an ear, and the broken stone fragments resemble congealed blood scabs. The stone ball under the right lion's paw is cracked with spiderweb-like patterns, and half a piece of faded blue cloth is stuck in the crack.

Several villagers carrying vegetable baskets passed by. When they saw them stop, they paused for a moment, their eyes filled with curiosity, but they quickly walked away expressionlessly, as if the area near the bank was some forbidden place that they couldn't look at for too long.

"Come on, you'll understand in a bit."

Without much explanation, Tiandao walked straight in.

Caroline, standing to the side, didn't say much and followed suit on the spot.

Seeing this, Jing Liuli felt something was amiss, but out of absolute trust in the Heavenly Dao, she quickly followed the two.

The moment Jing Liuli stepped into the bank's lobby, a musty smell of ink and dust hit her, causing her to instinctively shiver.

She looked around. Although there were quite a few people in the quiet hall, all she could hear was the hum of an old-fashioned ceiling fan, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere outside.

Passing through the sales hall, what comes into view is an ordinary 'counter'.

The bulletproof glass of the counter was polished to a shine. Behind the glass, the staff wore faded blue overalls with stiffly starched bow ties at the collar of their shirts, and their hair was combed meticulously without a single stray hair.

What's strange is that this person's eyes seem to be covered by a thin mist, the pupils are unfocused, and he has a standard smile on his face. The curve of his mouth is so precise that it's stiff, as if his so-called 'smile' was drawn on with a ruler.

Meanwhile, two villagers sat on a bench in front of the counter. One of them was hunched over, counting the small bills with saliva on his fingertips, turning them one by one very slowly, until the edges of the bills were worn rough.

Another stared blankly at the calendar on the wall, seemingly looking at something.

"Hello, please process my currency exchange."

Tiandao walked to the counter and gently tapped the glass with his finger.

Whether it was Jing Liuli's imagination or not, Ming Dao's voice wasn't loud, but it caused a brief silence in the hall, and even the ceiling fans above everyone's heads paused for a beat.

A moment later, the staff's gaze 'drifted' toward the Heavenly Dao.

His figure was reflected in my misty pupils.

"OK, just a second."

The staff member's voice was very calm. He reached under the counter and pulled out a yellowed 'application form' with brittle edges, then handed it to Tiandao.

"Please fill in the details of the service you wish to conduct, as well as some personal information."

Tiandao nodded, then picked up a pen from the counter and began filling it out skillfully.

Jing Liuli moved closer to Tiandao's back, her round eyes warily watching the staff member, afraid that the other party might suddenly make trouble.

But Tiandao seemed unusually calm. He picked up a fountain pen, unscrewed the cap, and let the ink drip onto the paper, spreading into a small black stain. He then turned his wrist and quickly filled it in.

Jing Liuli glanced at it curiously, then froze instantly.

She initially thought that Heaven would play some tricks, such as filling in some false information.

To her surprise, Tiandao acted as if he were genuinely conducting business, filling in accurate information such as his name, ID number, age, and place of residence without any falsification, as if he wasn't worried about any problems this might cause him.

Although Heaven had reminded me to speak and ask less, and to observe and listen more after entering the realm.

But looking at the lifeless staff behind the counter, Jing Liuli couldn't help but whisper, "Tiandao, you..."

She was stopped by Caroline's eyes before she could finish her sentence.

Caroline gently shook her head, indicating that she believed in the will of Heaven.

Since he came to understand the Way of Heaven, he has never done anything meaningless.

Believe first, then question.

In less than half a minute, Tiandao finished filling out the application form and handed it over.

The staff member took the application form and ran his finger across the paper, as if verifying something.

After a moment, his gaze finally settled on the 'Business Requirements' section.

[Business Request: Exchange of Small Invoices]

"Sir, this is the exchange rate for small change in our county. You can decide the number of small change to exchange based on your own needs."

He took a laminated exchange slip from under the counter and pushed it in front of the glass.

Tiandao reached out and picked up the exchange slip, then casually handed it to Caroline and Jing Liuli.

The two took the exchange slip and immediately began to look at it with curiosity.

After seeing the exchange details, Jing Liuli couldn't help but gasp and cover her mouth to keep from making a sound.

Just as the viewers were wondering what Jing Liuli had seen that caused such a strong reaction.

The production team gave the redemption slip a close-up shot.

Changsheng County Bank Exchange Rules

1. This bank only accepts "life-equivalent items". Non-life items such as star energy crystals, metal weapons, and energy blocks will not be accepted.

2. The equivalent of life includes: living beings (must have vital signs), lifespan (calculated in calendar years), and memory (must be complete and have "value").

[Real World - 13 Stations of Bullet Comment Sections]

"Holy crap? Trading your life for money? What kind of hellish rule is this?!"

'Living things can be traded? Then wouldn't the rotting vines and corpses outside count as living things?'

'Is Lao Tian going to trade his lifespan for this? No, Lao Tian!'

While the audience was still discussing, Tiandao took out three fist-sized objects from his pocket.

They were two 'hearts' tightly entwined by pale purple vines. The vines' suckers were firmly attached to the dark red muscle tissue and were still wriggling slightly, as if they were alive.

At a glance, Caroline recognized that it must be the heart of some kind of plant creature, containing a very rich life energy.

Upon seeing the two hearts, the staff's previously misty eyes suddenly lit up like dusty light bulbs.

He leaned forward, pointing his finger through the glass at the three hearts, his voice showing emotion for the first time.

"This is a high-level life core! Extremely pure!" He quickly pressed the calculator under the counter, calculating carefully while excitedly telling Tiandao, "Sir, these three cores can be exchanged for 3 Great Unity notes. If you open a 'current account' with this bank, you will also receive an additional guesthouse check-in voucher. The voucher can be used at all accommodations in the town, and you must present it to check in after dark."

"Process."

Without the slightest hesitation, Heaven provided the answer directly.

The staff member deftly produced a red-covered passbook, and wrote rapidly on it with a fountain pen; the ink was a dark red with a rusty smell.

He then took out a piece of cardboard from the drawer, on which was printed a black and white photo of the guesthouse, with a simple portrait of Tiandao pasted next to the photo, rough but accurate.

"Hello, please keep this safe."

After completing all the procedures for Tiandao, the strange staff member pushed the passbook and receipts over.

Perhaps out of good intentions, or perhaps because they felt that Tiandao was a rare and valuable customer of Changsheng Bank.

The staff member suddenly lowered his voice, as if conveying a secret, and kindly reminded him, "Sir, please keep these two items safe. There is a curfew in this county, and it is very dangerous to walk around the county at night."

"Ah."

Tiandao nodded nonchalantly, as if he had known these rules all along.

He took the passbook and the guesthouse receipt. The passbook's cover was stiff, and the receipt was stamped with the bank's red seal, with a strong smell of ink.

After doing all this, he turned to look at Caroline and Jing Liuli.

"Let's go, we can talk about it outside."

As he turned around, he caught a glimpse of the staff quickly stuffing the two rotten vine corpse hearts into an iron box under the counter, the lock snapping shut with a 'click,' as if sealing away some rare treasure.

As soon as she stepped out of the bank's bluestone threshold, Jing Liuli, like a little beast that had been holding back, quickly caught up with Tiandao and gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Heavenly Dao, when did you get those two hearts?"

"Also, why were you so fearless just now, filling in your real information directly? Weren't you afraid of causing any problems?"

Her round eyes were full of worry, and she glanced unconsciously at the bank behind her as she spoke, clearly wary of this strange bank.

After all, Jing Liuli knew very well that although a name and information were just a code, in this world where the effects of Star Source were all kinds of strange, sometimes even just knowing a person's name was enough to cause them a lot of trouble.

In response to the questions raised by the mirror glass, the Heavenly Dao provided explanations one by one.

"Liuli, this place is indeed very complicated, but it is also very simple."

"You're new here, so you don't know the situation here. One of the rules here is that you can't 'lie'."

"You can't lie?"

Jing Liuli looked at Tiandao with confusion. They had clearly arrived on the island on the same day, and Tiandao had even stayed behind to cover their retreat.

But not only did he arrive in Changsheng County before them, his words were also full of knowledge about Changsheng Island.

It was as if he had been here before.

However, Jing Liuli understood the reason in an instant, and her gaze lingered on Tiandao's azure eyes, which were covered by a black eyeband.

With the 'Star Eclipse Eye' capable of seeing into the future, it seems that seeing through the rules of this island in advance is not a difficult task.

Thinking of this, Jing Liuli couldn't help but say, "No, although I always thought your eyes were quite special, I never imagined that you would be able to know the rules of the occupied zone in advance. From now on, no occupied zone will be able to stump you."

Upon hearing this, Tiandao smiled and then waved his credentials.

"Even without these eyes, figuring out the rules here wouldn't be difficult for me."

"Let's go to the guesthouse first. The county town is different from the suburbs. Even I feel that Changsheng County at night is a bit troublesome. We need to find a safe place to stay first."

Although Tiandao's tone was very relaxed, it made Caroline, who was standing to the side, show a solemn expression.

Even the Heavenly Dao would feel troubled by the night in Changsheng County?
Thinking of this, Caroline subconsciously turned her head to look around the bank.

Although both the surrounding shops and the pedestrians on the street made Caroline feel that this place was just like an ordinary small county town.

The fact that Heaven could make such a comment indicates that this place is definitely not as ordinary as it appears on the surface.

At the same time, she did not forget the exchange list that the bank teller had just handed her.

The items available for exchange include not only life cores, but also the elusive lifespan and memories.

This made Caroline vaguely understand something.

Under Tiandao's guidance, the three of them soon arrived at the 'Changsheng County Guesthouse,' which was located across the entire county from the Changsheng County Bank.

Although it's called a guesthouse, it seems to Jing Liuli and Caroline more like a small, old-fashioned inn.

Upon seeing three guests arrive, the guesthouse owner, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, immediately stood up.

His smile, like that of the tellers at Changsheng County Bank, was mechanical, stiff, and cold.
Under the dim lights of the guesthouse, the owner was smiling broadly, but there was an inexplicable sense of unease about him.

It was as if what appeared before Tiandao and the others was not a living person, but a 'puppet' that looked exactly like a living person.

"Are you three looking for a place to stay?"

"Ah."

Tiandao nodded, then placed the three reunion tickets and his own guesthouse voucher on the counter.

"Book a large suite."

Upon seeing the three family reunion photos, the guesthouse owner's eyes lit up instantly.

However, he didn't rush to collect the money. Instead, he looked up at Tiandao and said in a low voice, "Where are the receipts for those two guests?"

As if he had anticipated this response, Heaven calmly replied, "I am enough. After all, you know the rules here, don't you?"

The guesthouse owner was taken aback at first, then shook his head and smiled helplessly.

"It seems the guest is very familiar with this county. Then I'll take care of things here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guesthouse owner quickly processed Tiandao's check-in.

Before long, he handed a key to Tiandao.

"The last room on the top floor, a 'Big Reunion' card can cover a day's stay, and the bill is settled at noon every day."

Tiandao took the key, said nothing more, and led Caroline and Tiandao directly to the top floor of the guesthouse.

Just after their figures disappeared at the end of the corridor, the anime switched the camera to Chen Kong and Mi Yao in the square.

Unlike the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere on the side of Heaven.

Chen Kong and Mi Yao, however, encountered quite a few troubles.

The core reason is not complicated: after the two finished eating at a stall in the square, they unexpectedly discovered that they had no money!
(End of this chapter)