Chapter 123
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Chapter 123: The Final Mystery
“Good morning, Brother Yong.”
“Hello, Brother Yong!”
“Brother Yong, are you free at noon? Let’s have lunch together.”
“Brother Yong…”
With a heart full of unease, Cui Dayong stepped through the doors of the punishment hall.
Colleagues greeted him one after another.
The familiar faces and warm smiles quickly calmed Cui Dayong down; he relaxed and chatted with his colleagues cheerfully.
To outsiders, the punishment hall was a place of awe and even fear.
But after working there for over a decade, Cui Dayong had become quite seasoned, enjoying his time there.
Even if there was turmoil above, it didn’t affect someone like him, a minor figure.
After all, a big hall always needed people to do the hard, laborious, and dirty work!
Thinking of this, Cui Dayong regained his courage.
After completing his morning duties, he was about to look for Vice Master Cao.
Just as he stepped out the door, a thin cultivator approached him, flanked by two battle cultivators: “Cui Dayong, your matter has come to light!”
Hearing this, Cui Dayong felt a chill run through him, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
The coldness spread from his forehead to the soles of his feet!
“Little Wu!”
He instantly understood and roared angrily, “You betrayed me!”
Knowing himself, Cui Dayong was very aware that his background wouldn’t withstand scrutiny.
Once it was uncovered, his fate would surely be the execution platform.
He had considered the day of losing his name and reputation.
But he never expected it would be this cheap brother-in-law bringing people to capture him!
In Cui Dayong’s eyes, the other party was cowardly and incompetent, relying on his support to stay afloat in the punishment hall.
Yet now, that very person was stabbing him in the back.
At that moment, the two battle cultivators had tightly restrained Cui Dayong, one on each side.
Cui Dayong did not resist.
He lacked the strength and courage to fight back; the consequences of resistance would be even more disastrous, and it could even endanger his family!
“Betray?”
The thin cultivator sneered and raised his hand, striking Cui Dayong hard across the face: “This is what I call upholding justice against family!”
The force of the slap was immense, knocking out three of Cui Dayong’s teeth and causing blood to flow from his mouth and nose.
The thin cultivator snatched Cui Dayong’s storage bag once more and retrieved a spirit-sealing lock from within.
With a sharp click, he fastened it around Cui Dayong’s waist.
Then, he delivered a powerful punch directly to Cui Dayong’s face.
Blood splattered everywhere!
Before slipping into unconsciousness, Cui Dayong heard the thin cultivator whisper softly in his ear, "This is a gift from my sister. No need to thank me."
"And remember, in your next life, don’t eat chicken!"
The scene of Cui Dayong being captured and severely beaten was witnessed by many passing punishment hall disciples.
Yet, they all turned a blind eye, pretending not to notice.
Even those who usually got along well with Cui Dayong acted as if they saw nothing.
It was clear to everyone that Cui Dayong was done for.
Who would risk standing up for a man who was as good as dead?
Besides, while Cui Dayong had many drinking companions in the punishment hall, he had no true friends!
His fate was inevitable.
As Cui Dayong was dragged away like a lifeless dog, Wang Chen received a letter of crane paper at home.
After reading it, he flicked his finger.
The letter flew out and instantly burst into flames, quickly turning to ashes.
Wang Chen had just learned that a certain chicken thief was about to meet his end!
No scheming or risk was necessary, and the incriminating witness had come to him willingly.
All it took was a dinner to eliminate a troublesome problem.
And it was a two-for-one deal!
Wang Chen left his house.
A little over half an hour later, he appeared on a road outside the mountain gate.
This road connected to the highway leading to Yunshan City.
Loose cultivators often traveled this route.
Wang Chen waited in a concealed spot for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick when he saw a young cultivator approaching, cursing and looking utterly disheveled.
Seeing no one else around, Wang Chen stepped forward and blocked the young cultivator’s path.
Upon seeing Wang Chen, the young cultivator’s face turned pale, and he stammered, "W-What do you want?"
Having just been expelled from the mountain gate, he was filled with despair and helplessness.
He was both furious and anxious.
He hadn’t expected to run into Wang Chen here.
It seemed Wang Chen had been waiting for him!
The young cultivator instinctively knew that trouble was brewing.
"A question," Wang Chen raised a finger and inquired, "Was it you who had me conscripted into the Night Patrol Team this time last year?"
This matter had always perplexed Wang Chen.
Given his status and cultivation level at the time, he should never have been within the scope of conscription.
Wang Chen had once agonized over who he might have offended!
He couldn’t figure it out.
Lu Defang had initially been the prime suspect, but it was later confirmed that he wasn’t responsible.
This was because Wang Chen hadn’t yet turned eighteen last year.
If Wang Chen had died, the estate in the city wouldn’t have fallen into his hands.
Then, yesterday, Wang Chen encountered Lu Defang’s nephew, Lu Tailai.
This was the man standing before him now.
The intense hostility and malevolence he displayed made Wang Chen suspicious.
"No, it wasn’t me!"
Lu Tailai stepped back hastily, vehemently denying the accusation.
But the flicker in his eyes and the momentary flash of terror betrayed his true feelings.
It was definitely him!
Wang Chen sighed, "The road to the underworld is long; I won’t see you off."
A fierce expression flashed across Lu Tailai’s face as he raised his hand to launch an attack.
However, just as he channeled his power, a streak of golden light instantly pierced through his skull!
"Uh."
Lu Tailai’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Wang Chen before him.
Then, as if his spine had been yanked out, he collapsed helplessly to the ground.
[Heavenly Merit +5]
In the next moment, two Fire Crows wreathed in flames alighted on the corpse.
Wang Chen didn’t bother to touch the storage bag.
Given the punishment hall’s methods,
a recently expelled Outer Sect Disciple wouldn’t have anything of value left on him.
He might as well be buried with it!
Wang Chen had no intention of pressing Lu Tailai for the reason behind his targeting.
It must have been connected to Lu Defang, and perhaps even the estate in the city.
Let Lu Tailai take his secrets with him and reunite with his uncle!
Dust to dust, soil to soil—let past grievances be buried in the dirt.
As Lu Tailai’s body turned to ashes, Wang Chen felt his state of mind elevate to a new level.
He waved his hand, casting a Rebirth Talisman and an Exorcism Talisman.
Then, he turned and walked away.
Though the karmic ties left by the original owner had been resolved, the residual spirit within him still had not fully merged.
Wang Chen’s soul attributes remained at 3+11.
This left him deeply puzzled.
Was the original owner still clinging to the mortal world, or were there lingering desires yet to be fulfilled?
With this question weighing on his mind,
he returned to the estate in Yunshan City,
hoping to uncover some answers.
Wang Chen had a vague sense that entering the inner sect with a dual soul might not bode well.
He wandered through the estate,
and when he reached the back courtyard, he noticed a row of prayer tablets hanging beneath the eaves.
He paused,
as a memory instantly flashed through his mind.
The prayer tablets were not magical artifacts; they were simply ordinary wooden plaques.
The front of each plaque bore inscriptions of blessings, while the back displayed numbers representing ages.
One, two, three, four, five…
In total, there were eighteen plaques.
According to local customs, each year a child in the family grew older, a plaque marked with their age would be hung.
This was to wish the child safety and prosperity year after year!
In truth, the original owner had only lived in this household for twelve years.
Yet, there were eighteen prayer tablets hanging.
It was the last plaque, carved with the number "eighteen," that stirred Wang Chen’s memory.
A memory belonging to the original owner!
Before Wang Shaoyuan departed, he had reminded him not to forget to visit the Xuan Gui at the mountain gate when he turned eighteen to seek a blessing.
At the time, Little Wang Chen had nodded blankly, pretending to remember.
But in reality, he had quickly forgotten.
Now, it suddenly came back to him!
Wang Chen knew that at the entrance to the inner mountain gate of the Yunyang Sect, there lay a thousand-year-old Xuan Gui.
It was said that when the Yunyang Sect was founded, this giant turtle had already been there, blessed by the Yunyang Master.
It was revered as a divine beast, safeguarding the sect’s fortune!
During his childhood, the original owner had once accompanied Wang Shaoyuan to see the Xuan Gui, leaving a profound impression.
Reflecting on it now, Wang Shaoyuan’s reminder to the original owner must have held significance.
There was surely something more to it—perhaps it was the key to everything!
Wang Chen decided to visit the next morning, hoping to unravel this final mystery.
