Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Great Scholar’s Blessing, All Taboos Broken
Chen Xu discovered that on the pages of the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, a faint golden glow suddenly appeared!
One by one, messages popped up in sequence:
[You offered a poem to the heroic spirit, brushing aside the Netherworld barrier after death, and obtained a gourd on the Bright Heart Vine.]
[Unlocked a new type of spiritual material, gained Fireworks Value +300.]
[Heaven and earth are the cauldron, the human heart is the fuel, you crafted a masterpiece, the poem moved the Netherworld, earned Great Scholar likes +1000.]
[You assisted the heroic spirit in attaining enlightenment, gaining insight yourself, obtained a cultivation spiritual material, one liang of Primordial Qi Jade Dew.]
[Acquired new spiritual material, Fireworks Value +100.]
[The masterpiece is catchy, like drinking strong wine, both ghosts and humans are intoxicated, likes +2+2+2...]
Such a long string of prompts, each one a surprise.
Especially the new spiritual material and Great Scholar likes +1000.
This [likes +1000], the amount is quite exaggerated.
Chen Xu sensed that under normal circumstances, even if a Great Scholar praised it non-stop, it could never directly reach 1000 likes.
The reason he could achieve this was because Chen Xu truly touched the deep soul of Ji Weizi.
Only by brushing aside the illusion could he earn 1000 likes.
[One gourd on the Bright Heart Vine: Use this gourd to hold wine, brew in three qian of moonlight every night, in three days you can obtain fine wine, in half a month spirit wine, in one month jade liquid, in a year jade dew... in ten years immortal brew.
The drinker attains enlightenment, or if unable to, suffers backlash and disaster.]
The Bright Heart Gourd automatically entered the Fire and Smoke Kitchen, and with just a slight probe of his consciousness, Chen Xu immediately returned to reality.
In reality, the immense surprise inevitably stirred his emotions.
At this moment, although Chen Xu clearly hadn’t truly drunk, he actually felt a sense of intoxication.
With three parts of drunkenness, what does it matter if he becomes brothers with the deceased Great Scholar?
Chen Xu laughed aloud, holding up the ink-stained poem he had just written, presenting it to Ji Weizi, and said: "A treasured sword is gifted to a hero, a poem to a brother."
Ji Weizi laughed heartily, carefully accepting the poem titled "A military success at the cost of countless lives."
Interestingly, as soon as the poem page reached his hands, it immediately transformed into a blue light, hovering around him for a turn.
Finally, the blue light fell like a comet, bumping lightly against Ji Weizi’s chest, forming a blue star at his collar.
A faint blue aura moved across Ji Weizi’s face, making his already solid-looking body even more so.
Looking at him now, he appeared almost indistinguishable from a living person.
He laughed loudly once more, reached out to gently tap Chen Xu’s brow, and said: "Good brother, thereafter, whenever you enter the Netherworld, all strange beings will retreat three zhang at the sight of you.
Turn back now and see, to the Netherworld, it’s only avoiding you, never you avoiding it.’
Feeling something, Chen Xu immediately turned back.
Indeed, the previous feeling of heart palpitations was gone, the strange presence that once surrounded him, tempting him to look back at any moment—
And then devour him in one gulp, was never seen again.
Even as he turned back multiple times, the Netherworld Road appeared to have lost its initial terror in his eyes.
The mystery remained, but Chen Xu felt he could now traverse the Netherworld without fear of "dying" the moment he looked back.
Ji Weizi smiled and said: "Brother Chen, henceforth, regardless of the Netherworld or Mortal World, if you seek me,
You only need to recite three times ’A military success at the cost of countless lives,’ and call my name, and I will surely appear before you.
But at your current cultivation level, Meridian Passage Realm, you can only call me three times. If you reach Condensing Pill, then six times won’t be an issue.
Or if you become an Advanced Scholar, you could even invite me to the Mortal World for drinks monthly."
Hearing this, Chen Xu promptly laughed in return: "Then I must not be lax, and must study diligently day and night, to attain academic rank soon, hoping to drink with my brother in the Mortal World."
Ji Weizi laughed heartily again, offering further explanation: "We heroic spirits are ultimately not house immortals, nor ghost cultivators.
Heroic spirits often disperse in heaven and earth, mostly in ignorance and confusion, only able to gather their spirit when summoned through ritual.
With your help now, I have broken through the barrier, my spirit strengthened.
If you become an Advanced Scholar, summoning me once a month, so I can witness the mortal world’s prosperity, it would also alleviate my loneliness..."
So this is how Confucian heroic spirits are, Chen Xu thought, feeling that heroic spirits seem inferior to ghost cultivators.
He wanted to ask more, yet feared it might lead to Ji Weizi’s sorrow.
Instead, Ji Weizi seemed to perceive his question, asking in return: "Hearing of the various restrictions on heroic spirits, do you wonder why we don’t choose to become ghosts after death?"
Indeed, Chen Xu truly had this doubt.
Ji Weizi said: "You don’t know, dear brother, most worldly ghosts, without special opportunities, can at most fully recall their past life events within forty-nine days after becoming ghosts.
After forty-nine days, they must cross the Gate of Dead Souls, once past, all past memories become like bubbles.
Their ghost bodies dissipate into the Netherworld River, ultimately carried by the river to Wangchuan. In their next life, even if they are reborn as humans, that person is no longer the same.
It’s possible that one person’s three souls mixed with another’s seven souls, merged into one, with no traceable past.
If so, what meaning does the next life hold?
Even with opportunities to become a ghost cultivator, ghost cultivators too have a limited lifespan, not the path of immortality we seek."
Chen Xu responded: "But heroic spirits..."
"Heroic spirits don’t attain immortality either and often face crises of ignorance, unable to act freely, is that what you wished to say, dear brother?"
Ji Weizi laughed: "You’re still young, it’s not strange to think like this.
When you write your own books one day, and understand life and death, you’ll naturally comprehend why we walk the path of heroic spirits.
Dear brother, I do not regret."
He does not regret it!
Those three simple words, filled with power.
Chen Xu felt his heart soul tremble.
Ji Weizi surely had many stories, if only there were a pot of wine, he could slowly share them with Chen Xu.
But at present, Chen Xu hadn’t forgotten his purpose in coming to the Netherworld Road with Feng Yuanbai.
If he didn’t rescue Feng Xi soon, Feng Xi might just perish in the Ghost Market.
Chen Xu mentioned this, and Ji Weizi said: "It’s simple, rescuing from the Ghost Market, just have County Magistrate Feng prepare the ransom."
Quiet until now, Feng Yuanbai suddenly let out a long sigh of relief upon hearing this.
He quickly offered the Ancient Bronze Lamp in his hand, asking Ji Weizi to absorb it.
The ransom is for the ransom, of course, the reward for asking Ji Weizi to help must be given first.
Chen Xu’s bond with Ji Weizi was Chen Xu’s fate, Feng Yuanbai’s actions couldn’t afford stinginess.
Ji Weizi opened his mouth and inhaled deeply towards the Ancient Bronze Lamp, absorbing its foot-high ghostly blue flame into his stomach like a whale swallowing water.
With the flame devoured, his appearance didn’t change a bit.
He only let out a pleasant sigh: "Let’s go."
And added: "Dear brother, you lead."
He actually asked Chen Xu to go first.
Where to?
Of course, it was to cross the endless iron cable bridge entwined in fierce flames ahead!
But looking at the surging river and trembling chains ahead, was this truly a bridge an ordinary human body could cross?
Chen Xu indeed had doubts, but seeing Ji Weizi’s smiling gaze and feeling the roundly circulating Innate Qi within him, a sense of boldness rose in his heart.
What is there to fear?
The Fire Control Skill was ready to deploy, the Netherworld realm could also be invoked at will.
Just go!
Chen Xu reached the riverbank, feeling the blazing flames ahead, seemingly wanting to scorch the sky.
The wild wind on the riverbank blew his clothes into a graceful dance, but he laughed aloud and stepped onto the iron cable bridge.
The expected shakiness and the scorching heat of the flames never came.
The once wild iron cable bridge, from the moment Chen Xu stepped onto it, became gentle and peaceful, as if it were a serene harbour.