Immortal Dao Fruits, Cards to Help Me

Chapter 71 Half a Key
Although the box had been buried in the ground for who knows how long, it still looked very new after the dirt was brushed off, and it didn't look like ordinary wood.

【Agarwood and Rosewood Treasure Box (Green)】

Tier 2 artifact

The treasure box, crafted from soil-loving agarwood and rosewood, is insect-proof, waterproof, and can be stored underground for decades without decaying.

Evaluation: This box is worth at least 80 taels of silver!
Eighty taels of silver is enough for a family of five to eat for four years.

It's just a wooden box about 20 centimeters in diameter.

The wooden box wasn't locked, or rather, the silver ghost was the lock. Now the lock belongs to Chen Xiuxian.

He twisted the clasp and gently opened the wooden box.

The box was lined with brocade and contained half a bronze object.

……

Just then, in a secret underground room of a three-courtyard mansion in Shencheng, two people were whispering something.

One of them was thin and short, dressed in servant's clothes and wearing an earth-yellow hat. He stood to the side with a slightly bowed back, his attitude very respectful.

The other man was probably in his forties, with a stern face and three long tufts of beard, looking very dignified and solemn.

Wearing a silk cotton coat with intricate and glossy "Fu" (福, meaning good fortune) patterns, and a crown with a piece of jade inlaid on his head, he was clearly a man of great wealth and status.

If any long-time residents of Shenyang were to see this, they would immediately recognize him as the city's famous philanthropist, Mr. Qian.

More than a decade ago, he moved from the interior of China to Shenyang. It is said that he had a lot of connections and wealth, and quickly established himself by relying on his connections with both officials and ordinary people.

He also said that he had more than a dozen shops in the city and seven or eight farms outside the city, with thousands of acres of fertile land and hundreds of tenant farmers.

In times of famine or disaster, they would often set up soup kitchens, provide alms to monks, preach the Dharma, and repair bridges and roads.

They are always very proactive and generous in donating when the government has any fundraising activities.

He was a famous philanthropist.

It can be said that it has a lot of prestige, from the common people to the officials.

To put it simply, at the opening ceremony of the City God Temple at the beginning of the year, people have to stand in the second row behind the officials.

However, it was rather strange that this usually dignified, authoritative, and trustworthy philanthropist, Qian, was discussing something in his own underground secret room.

What's even stranger is what he said to the person next to him who seemed to be a servant.

Qian the Philanthropist: "Qian Chuan, has that gentleman's itinerary been arranged?"

The servant named Qian Chuan said, "Master, rest assured, everything has been arranged. We've been surrounded by our own people the whole way."

The philanthropist stroked his beard and nodded: "Has that thing been found?"

Qian Chuan lowered his head and said, "Master, we only got half, but we already have a location for the other half."

Master Qian's tone was stern: "No matter the cost, we must get it before that important person arrives!"

"Eighteen years! I've been in Liaodong for eighteen years, and this is it!"

He seemed a little agitated, muttering something under his breath with his head down.

Seeing this, Qian Chuan bent down, staggered back a few steps, and then silently left the secret room through a secret passage.

Although this secret room is located underground in the Qian residence, only Qian the Great Philanthropist enters and exits.

To avoid suspicion, even Qian Chuan came to "report" through a secret passage in the neighboring house.

However, it is clear that this report was not very successful.

Qian Chuan seemed very familiar with the secret passage; despite the lack of lighting, he appeared to be able to see it as he quickly made his way through the winding underground. His expression, however, was extremely cold and sinister.

……

[Half of the Mysterious Key (Blue)]

Tier 3 artifact

This is a bronze object with inscriptions and spells on it. It is obviously unusual and is an essential key to unlock some kind of mechanism.

Evaluation: Half a key is useless, but it will attract the other half of the key.

Holding this little gadget that looked like a military command token but also like a bronze Gundam, Chen Xiuxian felt that he might be unlucky.

According to the players' statistics, even if you don't get a magic item from this treasure box, you should at least get a spellbook, or at the very least, some equipment.

Even blue-quality gear can sell for a few spirit stones!
But some unlucky people will find strange things like materials or rare items.

Chen Xiuxian has a high Luck attribute and has always been very lucky, but unexpectedly he also became an unlucky guy this time.

However, this assessment was quite interesting. Chen Xiuxian thought of the "Law of Attraction" that many players on the forum had discussed. It claimed that under the calculations and arrangements of the game's central AI, many related things would eventually come together.

You'll encounter other half-keys like this again in the future.

It feels like a supercomputer is in control of the game's fate.

Of course, this is just speculation by the players themselves, and we don't know how accurate it is.

But Chen Xiuxian knew that he hadn't gained anything yet.

Fortunately, I got a level 19 Silver Demon, so it's not bad.

He still has 1/7 of the "Ghostly Sacrifice Book (Blue)" on hand.
This thing can make your subordinate ghosts grow stronger once.

Logically, the newly acquired Silver Servant should be of a higher level, making an upgrade more cost-effective. However, Chen Xiuxian is sentimental after all.
Besides, although Ma Si'er doesn't have much fighting ability, his clear-headedness is a rare quality.

Generally speaking, it's difficult for ghosts to maintain their sanity. They either enter the underworld in a daze or are stimulated by resentment and malevolence, becoming evil spirits.

Characters like Yin Chang only know how to protect the treasure box; anyone who touches it will be killed.

Even if it fell into Chen Xiuxian's hands, it would only be a puppet that obeyed orders.

But Ma Si'er was different. After all, he had "cultivated evil magic to achieve death," and he voluntarily became a ghost, retaining his sanity. He had a certain degree of autonomy.

I choose you, Makachu!

However, just after Chen Xiuxian used the [Netherworld Sacrifice Book (Blue)] on the gambling addict Ma Si'er, the system suddenly beeped!
"Ding~ You have used the [Netherworld Sacrifice Book (Blue)] 1/7 times on your follower, Gambler Ma Si'er. Gambler Ma Si'er is about to level up. Would you like to consume other items to enhance the effect?"

Huh? It can consume other items to increase the effect?
The Ice Demon Path didn't tell me either!
Chen Xiuxian chose to stop for now—"Let me investigate!"

I tidied up the courtyard a bit, then heated the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and cooked...

Before going to bed that night, Chen Xiuxian couldn't wait to go to the auction house and search for "The Book of Ghostly Sacrifice (Blue)".

This item, when fully upgraded (7/7), sells for 25 spirit stones and is quite popular among ghost cultivators.

However, Chen Xiuxian saw that the instructions were no different from the ones he already had, and there was no mention of consumable items increasing their effectiveness.

So I quickly went to the forum.

Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by a front-page headline in bold:
Tragic news! Top player, first-tier, eighth on the leaderboard, and the first mage cultivator, Squid, who joined the Kunlun Sect, has perished because of a gang that runs brothels!

Good heavens! A level 37 pro player died?
Games definitely need leaderboards. Otherwise, how can you motivate players to compete?
Even if there's no official one, players will still have to queue up themselves.

This diving squid is the player ranked eighth on the leaderboard. Not only is his level in the top tier, but his cultivation techniques, magic weapons, fortuitous encounters, and sect are all first-class. He is known as the number one magic cultivator.

He actually died!
Chen Xiuxian clicked on it excitedly, and you wouldn't believe how wonderful it was with pictures and text.

First, there's an introduction, praising this person as a genius with the support of a mid-tier guild, and then introducing magical treasures, spells, and other fortuitous encounters.

Then he mentioned that he died in Hangzhou because of some kind of Su Huan gang...

Although we don't know how he died, he must have encountered evil cultivators, and his death was gruesome.

Someone has investigated and found that the resurrected diving squid's lifespan of 108 years has been reduced to only 62 years, and it has lost most of its magical treasures.

My level dropped by two and a half levels, so it looks like I can only barely stay in the first tier.

The players below are now having a heated discussion, wondering what happened to him and whether he can make a comeback.

Some players also argued about the rankings, with some saying that Pure Dragon should be number one, others saying that Bear Wolf should be number one, and still others saying that Dong Chen is the number one body cultivator!

Some say we still have to see veteran players like "I Eat Tomatoes" or "Heavenly Crippled Potato," while others say "The Newspaper Seller" has now joined the Hehuan faction and can level up by listening to music in brothels, making him the true number one.
After enjoying a while of eating melon seeds, Chen Xiuxian suddenly remembered that he still had important things to do.

Quickly search for "The Book of Ghostly Sacrifice (Blue)" and you'll see many Ghostly Path players analyzing this item, from how to obtain it to how to use it, and to what level of ghost it's most cost-effective to use on.

But I've never heard of adding "materials" to enhance the effect!

Could it be... that I'm a one-of-a-kind scorpion poop?!

Strengthen! It must be strengthened! I want to see what's different!

Meanwhile, Ma Si'er, a gambling addict who was on night duty, sensed someone peering over his wall!

Even though my lord just moved in today, he's not someone petty thieves can covet. You've already chosen a path to death.
The thief waited until late at night to make his move, which showed he was being very cautious.

After all, it's the dead of winter. If you stay outside for ten minutes, the cold wind seeps into your bones, and the soles of your feet are as cold as if you were standing barefoot on ice.

Besides, they've been waiting for almost half an hour! That takes perseverance!

However, Ma Si'er is not afraid of the cold and does not need to sleep, so it's no use no matter how long you squat!

The thief had just somersaulted over the courtyard wall, which was taller than a person, and crouched down silently to absorb the force; he was clearly an experienced thief.

Then, looking up, he saw a pair of shoes, and following that upwards, Ma Si'er's long face came into view. He was pouting and blowing on his bangs.
(End of this chapter)