Remnant shell?!
Hearing Monk Shenshu’s words, Xu Qi’an was stunned for a moment before recalling numerous details.
From the murals, the tomb’s owner was clearly that Daoist, yet the bronze coffin contained a yellow-robed mummy who claimed to be a subordinate.
Wearing a yellow robe… How could a subordinate dare to wear yellow? This point alone was highly suspicious.
Moreover, the mummy’s body bore many scorch marks, consistent with being struck by lightning.
All these details suddenly made sense after Monk Shenshu revealed the mummy’s identity.
Was this corpse the old physical shell left behind when that Daoist failed his Tribulation? Then what about the Daoist himself – did he successfully transcend into the Foundation Establishment realm, or did he possess another body? Xu Qi’an’s thoughts inevitably shifted to the Daoist himself.
Then he realized something didn’t add up. Daoist Jinlian had said that for those at the Tribulation stage of the second rank, success meant becoming Immortal, while failure meant turning to ash. So how did this Daoist manage to leave behind a physical shell? Did he use some method to avoid complete disintegration? Or was Daoist Jinlian’s knowledge limited due to his low rank, exaggerating the effects of the Heavenly Tribulation?
“You’re trying to extract information about my master?” The mummy’s hideous face twisted into a disdainful expression.
The mummy’s speech was very similar to the current official language of Great Feng, with only subtle differences in pronunciation.
Humans have occupied the Central Plains since ancient times. Though there are gaps in history, humans have always existed, so the language hasn’t changed too drastically.
This fellow is quite loyal to his former self… Well, after all, they’re the former and current occupants of the same physical body, Xu Qi’an thought to himself.
Monk Shenshu said gently, “As a Daoist practitioner and sword cultivator who needs to borrow fortune for cultivation, even if you don’t tell me, this poor monk can guess the background of that Daoist.”
Human Faction!
So that Daoist was from the Human Faction… No wonder the mural contents seemed so familiar. This explains why the Daoists wanted to kill the emperor and usurp the throne… Ah, it’s a pity Luo Yuheng isn’t male, otherwise… Emperor Jing of Wei is in danger!
Xu Qi’an thought with some regret.
The mummy was silent for a moment, not refuting: “With your status, it’s indeed not difficult to see through this.”
Monk Shenshu nodded: “Don’t you want to know your master’s whereabouts? We can exchange some information.”
This time the mummy didn’t hesitate, “Alright!”
The key to negotiation is to grasp what the other party wants. As long as there’s a need, there’s room for negotiation… Xu Qi’an enriched his inner monologue while listening to the conversation between the two powerhouses.
“Which dynasty was he from?” Monk Shenshu asked.
“The Great Liang Dynasty.”
“The Great Liang Dynasty… Do you know about it?”
Monk Shenshu furrowed his brow, with the last question directed at Xu Qi’an.
Then, he answered his question, his voice mimicking Xu Qi’an’s: “Master, I’m just a crude warrior, not a Confucian disciple. I haven’t even read the history books of Great Feng…”
I’m just a warrior, you can’t expect me to bear the pressure of a system I shouldn’t have… Xu Qi’an made a humorous quip internally.
“Judging by your reactions, it seems I’ve been asleep for far too long,” the mummy’s throat produced a hoarse, deep voice that made one feel as if his vocal cords had rotted:
“The Great Liang Dynasty era was tens of thousands of years after the disappearance of gods and demons. At that time, various states were vying for control of the Central Plains. The bloodlines left behind by gods and demons still ravaged the land of the Nine Provinces. However, they were already in decline and couldn’t achieve much.
“Besides humans, the forces of the monster race were also not to be underestimated. However, just as human powers were divided, the monster race was also centered around tribes and clans. Although they had some alliances, they were generally disunited. Only when engaged in large-scale wars with humans would the monster race unite.”
After gods and demons, it was humans and monsters vying for supremacy… How long did this period of history last? Why do I feel like this world’s history is a mess, with too many unverifiable pasts?
Even top scholars like Chu Yuanzhen don’t recognize the clothing styles in the murals.
This world needs a Sima Qian… Xu Qi’an muttered inwardly.
“How did the gods and demons fall?” Xu Qi’an forcefully took control of the “account,” temporarily seizing ownership.
The mummy shook its head.
Well, with so many gaps in history and no complete cultural system formed, these matters will probably never surface, unless we go to the Extreme Abyss in the Southern Borderlands to ask the Gu God… Xu Qi’an continued to ask:
“What rank were the gods and demons?”
“Rank?” The mummy questioned back.
Oh right, the current nine ranks to one rank system was proposed and personally divided by the Confucian Sage. The owner of this tomb existed in an earlier era… Xu Qi’an realized and rephrased:
“What level of strength?”
“Your question is too vague, I can’t answer it. Each god and demon had different combat prowess, it can’t be generalized. The strongest gods and demons were immortal and capable of destroying heaven and earth,” the mummy shook its head.
So can I understand that the strongest gods and demons possessed strength beyond ranks? Xu Qi’an fell into deep thought but didn’t speak.
Monk Shenshu seized the opportunity to take over the “account” and asked: “In your era, how many beings possessed the highest divine status of gods and demons?”
“After the disappearance of gods and demons, no one could reach their peak status. The only surviving Gu God was the strongest being at that time,” the mummy answered.
Hearing this, Xu Qi’an was stunned for a moment. It seems the reason for the disappearance of gods and demons is a big mystery. It wasn’t humans and monsters who eliminated them.
Moreover, the Daoists lived in an era when beings beyond ranks had “disappeared.”
Monk Shenshu frowned: “What about the Dao Patriarch?”
Hearing these words, Xu Qi’an immediately realized something was amiss. How could there be no other beings beyond ranks? The mummy didn’t know about Buddhism, indicating that in his era, Buddha hadn’t yet attained enlightenment.
The same applies to the Shaman God.
But since there was a Daoist who usurped the throne, it must have been after the Dao Patriarch, after all, the Dao Patriarch was the founder of Daoism.
Wasn’t the Dao Patriarch a being beyond ranks? How could the Gu God be the only being beyond ranks?
“What Dao Patriarch?” The mummy’s tone was puzzled.
This… Xu Qi’an was momentarily speechless, his mind in a state of bewilderment.
He doesn’t know about the Patriarch? He doesn’t know about the Patriarch?!
How could a Daoist practitioner not know about the Dao Patriarch? This is impossible.
“You don’t even know the founding ancestor of Daoism?” Xu Qi’an asked in a low voice.
“Daoism?” The mummy thought for a moment and said, “I’ve never heard of it. It must be a force that appeared after the Great Liang Dynasty.”
Never heard of Daoism, but the Daoist in the mural existed… In other words, at that time, there might not have been the concept of Daoism yet.
But not even having heard of the Dao Patriarch is very unreasonable.
Xu Qi’an then thought of Wei Yuan’s description of the warrior system. It wasn’t created overnight, from nothing. Instead, generations of strength-cultivating warriors relied on their wisdom and talent, constantly exploring and innovating. Only after countless years did it form the current warrior system.
Is it possible that the Dao Patriarch wasn’t the founder of Daoism? At that time, there might have been a general system that everyone was following. In the end, it was the Dao Patriarch who mastered it all, successfully transcending ranks and becoming a divine being.
Only then did Daoism emerge.
I remember when I was researching the classics of the Three Sects of Daoism in the archives, they recorded that the birth date of the Dao Patriarch was unknown and couldn’t be verified… This fits the phenomenon of historical gaps.
It’s a pity that there was no Confucian school at that time, and no one to record history. The hypothesis about the Dao Patriarch mastering it all is difficult to verify… Xu Qi’an thought regretfully, then heard Monk Shenshu say:
“Tell us about yourself.”
“After my master failed his Tribulation, his primordial spirit shed the old body. He enlightened the residual soul left in the old body and collected wandering souls in the world to complete the residual soul. Thus, I was born.
“Later, he built this grand tomb and entrusted me with the Imperial Jade Seal that condensed the fortune of the Great Liang Empire. He told me to guard it well, saying that one day he would return to retrieve it. But countless years have passed, and he never came back, until you entered the tomb.”
The mummy looked at Xu Qi’an, with some anger at being deceived: “The fortune on you is the same as my master’s at that time, which is why I mistook you for him.”
“Doesn’t every emperor carry fortune?” Xu Qi’an asked.
The mummy sneered: “If I knew, I wouldn’t have mistaken you.”
Xu Qi’an’s mouth emitted Monk Shenshu’s voice: “Emperors carry fortune, but the fortune doesn’t belong to them; it belongs to the dynasty. Therefore, emperors can be replaced.
“You’re different. The fortune you carry has been refined and belongs solely to you. That Daoist must have been the same, which is why he mistook you for the Daoist.”
Refined fortune… Xu Qi’an’s heart sank.
After answering Xu Qi’an’s question, Shenshu continued: “Today, the orthodox lineage of humanity is the Great Feng Dynasty, probably more than ten thousand years from your era.
“As for your master’s whereabouts, this poor monk can tell you that after the Great Liang Dynasty, beings with the peak divine status of gods and demons included the Gu God, Shaman God, Buddha, Dao Patriarch, and the Confucian Sage.
“Among them, the Confucian Sage perished, and after the Dao Patriarch split into Three Pure Ones, his whereabouts became unknown. As for the others, well, they all encountered some issues.”
This involves a point I’ve always been puzzled about: how could the Confucian Sage only live for 82 years? And what does it mean that the others all encountered some issues?
This statement is terrifying when you think about it… Xu Qi’an felt his brain was a bit overwhelmed, absorbing too much complex and high-level information.
Forcing himself to analyze gave him a headache.
“Among these, is your master present? If not, he has either perished or is still gathering strength. If he is, why hasn’t he come back for you? Well, this poor monk doesn’t know either,” Shenshu said.
The mummy stared at him and asked, “Among these, aren’t you included?”
Monk Shenshu shook his head, then said: “This poor monk gives you two choices. One, I extinguish you now. Two, you remain in the tomb and continue waiting, but this time, you won’t be able to fall asleep again, enduring loneliness and solitude without end.”
“I… I choose to continue waiting. This is my mission,” the mummy said in a low voice.
“It’s also the meaning of my existence.”
What a loyal Hachiko… Xu Qi’an was somewhat moved, and then heard Monk Shenshu say: “Within ten years, he will return to reclaim your fortune.”
“Good,” the mummy nodded.
…What are you doing? Xu Qi’an’s expression suddenly froze.
At this moment, his ears twitched, hearing strange footsteps. The footsteps had uneven weight, suggesting the approaching person was limping.
“Someone’s coming,” Monk Shenshu frowned and said in a deep voice: “I need to go back to sleep, otherwise I can’t control my desire to devour.
“Don’t worry about me. The more fortune you absorb, the better it is for me.”
His voice gradually faded away and disappeared.
The light and heavy footsteps drew near. At the main tomb entrance, which had already turned to ruins, a disheveled head slowly peeked out, cautiously looking inside.
“What are you looking at!” Xu Qi’an shouted.
She was startled, quickly withdrawing her head. After a few seconds, her head peeked out again, very carefully and cautiously.
This time, Xu Qi’an was right in front of her.
Zhong Li fell on her bottom in fright.
Knowing she wouldn’t dare use her fortune-viewing technique to observe him, Xu Qi’an deliberately scared her, saying in a sinister tone: “I’m just getting hungry. A little girl with tender skin, hehe…”
Zhong Li shuddered, crawling backward with one leg, like a frightened little rabbit.
“What happened to your leg?” Xu Qi’an frowned, asking in a normal tone.
Zhong Li looked up, her eyes hidden behind her hair staring at him for a moment, “You, you didn’t die… weren’t possessed…”
There was some excitement in her tone.
“I have great fortune protecting me, I can’t die,” Xu Qi’an stared at her leg: “Why did you come back?”
“To find you,” Zhong Li said, then lowered her head in distress: “My leg was broken by a rock on the way.”
…What else can I say? This is standard for a prophet!
After a moment of silence, Xu Qi’an said: “Alright, let’s go back together then.”
Zhong Li breathed a sigh of relief, not having been scolded.
So she limped behind Xu Qi’an as they returned. Her leg was somewhat twisted, with crimson blood seeping through her trouser leg.
To keep up with Xu Qi’an, she could only hop along, which further aggravated her injury.
Xu Qi’an, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and asked: “Does it hurt?”
“Mm…” she responded softly.
“This is the price of not using your brain,” Xu Qi’an scolded, then turned back and squatted down: “I’ll carry you out on my back.”
Zhong Li hobbled over, opening her arms about to pounce on him when Xu Qi’an suddenly stood up. His head “bang” hit Zhong Li’s lower jaw, causing her to cry out in pain and fall backward.
Incredible… Xu Qi’an thought to himself.
He picked up the pitiful Fifth Junior Sister in his arms and started walking out, explaining guiltily: “I, I just thought that if I carried you on my back, stones might fall and crush your head again.”
Zhong Li’s tongue was injured, making her speech unclear: “I wouldn’t have…”
Xu Qi’an nodded: “So I suddenly stood up, intending to carry you in my arms.”
Zhong Li: “I’m just unlucky…”
Xu Qi’an chuckled: “You are unlucky.”
Zhong Li buried her face in his arm crook in embarrassment.
“I dealt with the mummy in the tomb. I dared to stay behind because I had a backup plan. I know my limits, but you don’t. Don’t you know how unlucky you are?” Xu Qi’an brought the topic back, admonishing: “Next time something like this happens, just escape on your own. Don’t end up dying before I do.”
“I, I was worried about you,” she said.
“Get lost, you’re not my wife. Mind your own business,” Xu Qi’an spat.
I’m going to be a Prince Consort after all.