YM778.TV Chapter 97 - 95: The Corpse_i
“Fellow Daoist…”
Startled by the knocking on the door, Wang Ba opened the wooden door and discovered a silhouette of a Grey Cloaked Cultivator at the entrance, whose face was completely unrecognizable.
If he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes, he would barely notice the presence of the figure before him.
This strange scene made Wang Ba extremely vigilant.
“May I know what brings the fellow Daoist here?”
“Hehe… Good news, have you completed the compulsory task?”
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator laughed ambiguously.
The voice was low and dull, completely disguising his identity.
Wang Ba hesitated for a moment and then suddenly remembered the person Zhang Qi and others had previously mentioned who were selling the proof of killing the leftover evil of the East Saint Sect, contemplated and said:
“I indeed haven’t completed it yet. I wonder what fellow Daoist is suggesting?”
“Hehe, 10 Merit Points… How about it?”
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator held out his palm and raised three fingers.
“Thirty Spirit Stones?”
Wang Ba asked tentatively.
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator didn’t respond, only slightly nodded.
Hearing this price, Wang Ba breathed a sigh of relief. It was lower than he expected. He was afraid he wouldn’t have enough Spirit Stones, so he had prepared over seventy Spirit Stones.
Although after a bit of thought he understood; after all, among the Heresy Cultivators outside the sect, except for a small part with skills, most didn’t have a lot of resources.
Thirty Spirit Stones, was already not a low price.
Wang Ba didn’t hesitate much and immediately nodded his head: “Sure.”
Seeing that Wang Ba had actually agreed, the Grey Cloaked Cultivator looked at him in surprise.
Of those who lived in the Shidong House, few could afford so many Spirit Stones and be so generous.
Any Cultivator in better conditions, had already moved to the Mulou House.
After all, for a Cultivator, as important as Spirit Stones may be, they are fundamentally meant for Cultivation.
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator said in a muffled voice: “First, pay the Spirit Stones.”
Wang Ba glanced at him, quietly channeled some Mana into a Spirit Beast Bag beforehand, ready to summon Jia 7 for protection the moment he noticed any abnormalities from the other side.
However, his face didn’t reveal any signs of abnormality. He fished out 30 lower-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag. After hesitating a bit, he still tossed them to the other party.
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator sensed it for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out a Storage Bag from his sleeve and tossed it over.
“Take your stuff and give me back my Storage Bag…”
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator murmured.
Wang Ba took the bag, looked inside, and was immediately stunned.
He saw a somewhat familiar, young, and immature face.
The body was squeezed into a very narrow space, twisted.
It was eerily quiet.
Wang Ba’s heart raged like a storm, yet there wasn’t the slightest abnormality that could be seen on his face. He calmly put the body into the house, then returned the Storage Bag.
He then curiously asked as if it was an afterthought:
“This person… seems familiar. I remember now, he used to live here in the Shidong House too, with several Cultivators of the same age. Are they all dead too?”
“Fellow Daoist, you’d better not ask too many questions…”
The unfamiliar face, with its pair of dark eyes, deeply looked at Wang Ba, then turned and walked away.
“Wait!”
Wang Ba suddenly spoke up: “Do you still have any Merit Points? I have a friend… he wants to buy some too.”
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator turned back, his gaze landing on Wang Ba. After a brief pause, he finally slowly said:
“Sure, there is.”
He took another Storage Bag from his sleeve, which was more luxurious comparing to the previous one.
The Grey Cloaked Cultivator gently opened the bag.
Wang Ba glanced inside and saw layers and layers of bodies.
What made him sigh in relief was that he didn’t recognize any of the faces.
Seeing Wang Ba not making any selections for a long time, the eyes of the Grey Cloaked Cultivator had gradually become more threatening:
“Fellow Daoist… haven’t you chosen yet?”
Feeling the chill from the other party, Wang Ba’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly pointed to a random body: “This one will do!”
After saying that, he reluctantly took out thirty more Spirit Stones and handed them over.
Received the body of a Cultivator.
Receiving the Spirit Stones, the Grey Cloaked Cultivator stared at Wang Ba for three breaths before turning around and slowly disappearing down the corridor.
Wang Ba, feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off his chest, hurriedly shut the door.
Back in the room, he carefully examined the first young corpse.
He couldn’t help but sigh:
“Zhang Qi…”
Three days later.
Bu Chan and the others finally returned from outside the sect.
Upon approaching the Shidong House, they saw a familiar figure.
“Senior Brother Wang?”
Bu Chan and others were somewhat surprised.
This figure was Wang Ba.
Seeing that from the original group of seven or eight, only four returned, all injured, Wang Ba silently shook his head.
He had warned them long ago, but they did not listen.
It’s a pity that he originally planned to cooperate with them.
Especially Zhang Qi.
The function of Talismans for low-class Cultivators was too great, he originally planned to exchange some Talismans for self-defense with Zhang Qi using the Spirit Chicken in some time.
Unfortunately, they did not heed his advice and insisted on going hunting.
Finally, they returned to the sect as corpses.
“It’s all my fault… If it wasn’t for my insistence on ambushing there, Zhang Qi, Shi Jin, Jiang Ke… they wouldn’t, wouldn’t have…”
A girl bowed her head, her eyes red and swollen, blood remaining on her arm.
The other three also looked grave and mournful.
However, Wang Ba didn’t have the mind to listen to them hold self-criticism meetings here, and even then, they were misdirected.
He glanced around, then whispered:
“You might as well follow me.”
Though confused, Bu Chan and the three others followed Wang Ba to his Shidong House.
As soon as they entered, the four were stunned by the sight of a corpse.
“Zh…Zhang Qi?!”
“How…why is he here? Wasn’t he killed a few days ago…”
“Could it be that among those who attacked us that day, Senior Brother Wang was one of them?!’1
“Impossible!”
Bu Chan immediately dismissed the speculation of one companion.
Let alone that Senior Brother Wang, who hardly ever left the house and was dedicated to cultivation, didn’t seem like that kind of person.
Moreover, Senior Brother Wang seemed to be only at Stage II of Qi Refining. None of those who attacked them the other day were practitioners who were below Stage III of Qi Refining.
The facts simply didn’t add up.
But the most bizarre thing was, why was Zhang Qi’s body here in Senior Wang’s house?
“Don’t you understand yet? I bought it from the cultivator who was selling kill-certificates.”
Wang Ba, who had been watching silently, finally couldn’t help but give a hint.
“What?!”
The faces of the parties involved showed astonishment.
Only Bu Chan, realizing the truth, said,
“Does this mean that the perpetrators who attacked us were other Heresy Cultivators?”
Wang Ba, however, shook his head slightly:
“Given that all of you are at Stage I of Qi Refining, does it make any difference whether it’s a Heresy Cultivator or the lingering evil from the East Saint Sect?” The four fell silent immediately.
Some were clenching their teeth, some were bowing their heads, some were feeling desperate, some were lost in thought.
“Senior Brother Wang, can we have Zhang Qi’s body?”
“His talisman is valuable and can be sold for Spirit Stones. Actually, we didn’t have to go with you directly…”
A young cultivator named ‘Shen Fu’ couldn’t help but speak up.
His words were immediately backed by two other people. Bu Chan however, frowned slightly.
Regarding this request, Wang Ba was not angry, instead he countered:
“What are you going to exchange it with?”
“I purchased it with my Spirit Stones. If I give it to you, how am I supposed to fulfill my task?”
“W…Well…”
The few of them looked at each other.
Su LingLing hesitated and asked, “How many Spirit Stones does Senior Brother Wang want?”
“Thirty Spirit Stones.”
Wang Ba looked at them, not asking for more or less.
Despite this, they froze when they heard the price!
Too much!
Thirty Spirit Stones!
If it were before, when they were in the East Saint Sect, thirty Spirit Stones would be a lot, but they could somehow manage to collect it.
But now that they’re within the influence of the Tianmen Cult, barely surviving under the exploitation of the cultivators from Tianmen Cult, it’s even harder to save up thirty Spirit Stones.
If not, they wouldn’t have risked their lives to leave the Tianmen Cult and try their luck elsewhere.
“That’s too much… Senior Brother Wang, can you make it a little cheaper?”
Su LingLing plucked up the courage to speak.
Wang Ba just smiled without saying a word.
Seeing Wang Ba’s attitude, Shen Fu’s face fell, “Senior Brother Wang… We’re all fellow disciples, we are indeed a bit tight on cash at the moment, could you…”
Wang Ba interrupted him shaking his head:
“You still don’t understand the situation.”
“Even if I could give you a discount of a few Spirit Stones, then what? Do you have Spirit Stones to repay me?”
“Besides, why should I give you a discount? When I warned you not to leave the Tianmen Cult, I did everything I could, what help can you offer me?”
Shen Fu’s face turned red, unable to refute.
Because Wang Ba indeed had warned them before, but they were over-confident, thinking that with their unity and strength, they could definitely succeed.
But when they faced the harsh reality, all they saw was failure.
If not for Zhang Qi and the others fighting to death, none of them would have been able to return.
Only Bu Chan seemed to understand Wang Ba’s intentions, looking serious as he paid homage:
“Senior Brother Wang, I only know how to cultivate Spirit Plants. If it is of any help to you, please give us a chance… Zhang Qi was dragged down by us. If even his corpse can’t rest in peace after his death, we will not be at ease!”
Su LingLing and another female cultivator, Yun Caixiang, saw how Bu Chan was acting, immediately following her example:
“Senior Brother Wang, I can manage and bring together spiritual lineages of mountains, rivers, and lakes. If you need it, please give us a chance…”
“I…I can identify Spirit Grass…”
Seeing this, Shen Fu hesitated for a moment. Then he steeled himself and dared to speak, “I…I can set up formations, but only a few simple ones.”
Seeing they’re finally on track, Wang Ba let out a long sigh of relief.
These youngsters, they really are slow to respond!
However luckily they finally got his point, showing a troubled expression, “Well then… Alright! Since you’re all so sincere, I agree.”
“You will assist me for a year, and after a year, I will write off these thirty Spirit Stones.”
“After that, if we work together again, we will trade fairly.”
“One year?”
The four exchanged glances, they didn’t feel it was too much, they even felt that Senior Brother Wang was a generous man.
With the level of exploitation from the Tianmen Cult, it would take the four of them at least three years to save up.
But Senior Brother Wang only needed them for one year. He was indeed at a loss.
Thinking this, the way the few of them looked at Wang Ba softened slightly, becoming warmer and more approving.
Even Shen Fu’s attitude towards Wang Ba was a bit more respectful.
Wang Ba, of course, wasn’t aware of the changes in their mental state. In his mind, it was a great deal to pay thirty Spirit Stones and have these four work for him for a year, especially since it included a Spirit Plant Master who he needed the most.
Just thinking that the Spirit Plants would grow well and he could start to address the feeding problem of the Yellow Throat Spirit Turtle, he couldn’t wait to take them to the chicken farm right away.
But it wasn’t the right time. Wang Ba had no choice but to hold off for the moment.
Three days later.
Having turned in the corpse of another cultivator and successfully completed the task inside the Cult, Wang Ba, leading the four, arrived at the empty yard next to the chicken farm..