The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 181 - 121: Search into the Dream

Chapter 181: Chapter 121: Search into the Dream

In the government office, Wen Liangyu had already given her one Qingfu coin, and presumably held the other one in his own hand. Thus, when this Qingfu coin came flying to seek her out, it could only mean that something had gone wrong on Wen Liangyu’s end, and he had no choice but to seek her help.

"You’re going?" Changtian also saw the coin, "That young man has nothing to do with us."

She pondered deeply and decided to check out the situation: "If he wished to harm me, he had plenty of opportunities. Most importantly, I need to figure out the internal layout of the City Lord Mansion, so I know when to escape if necessary."

She was just too kind-hearted. "This trip will do more harm than good. But if you insist, I will follow your lead."

Considering that the City Lord Mansion was already exuding an unfriendly aura at this time, she had no intention of walking in openly and aboveboard. "Hmm, better go borrow a face."

She booked a window seat at the tea house opposite the City Lord Mansion, where there were few travelers in Rock City at this time, and the trouble of finding a seat was no longer an issue, especially now that her appearance drew no interest from others, so she remained safe and sound.

In two hours, only two people left the mansion: one was a cook, the other a servant out purchasing goods. It was strange that so few people came and went in such a large estate. Fortunately, Ning Xiaoxian spotted the last person to leave, and her eyes brightened immediately.

During the days she helped Tan Qinghe deliver meals, she had gotten to know a few of the mansion’s inhabitants. The little maid named Treasure Bead who had just left was fair-faced and quick-witted, serving as the Chief Maid to the City Lord. Her words held considerable weight among the servants in the mansion, as Ning Xiaoxian had observed her scolding the kitchen staff with authority. She was Ning Xiaoxian’s ideal candidate since if she were to disguise herself as just any little maid, she would end up being ordered around, how would she be able to gather intelligence?

How much effort could it take to deal with a defenseless woman? As Treasure Bead walked through the alley, Ning Xiaoxian hurried out and called to her, warmly holding her hand, but a Tusk had already secretly pressed against her ribs. Shocked and frightened, the little maid looked at her as she was pulled into the alley. Ning Xiaoxian muttered an apology and chopped her on the back of the neck, causing the young girl to instantly lose consciousness.

She initially planned to find an inn to take care of Treasure Bead. Changtian shook his head, "Foolish girl, what if she wakes up on the way? You bring her in."

How silly, carrying the God Demon Prison on her back, yet she was worried about finding a place to keep one large living person; she patted her own head. The existence of the massive prison was her highest secret, and Treasure Bead was just a mortal; she subconsciously ignored the fact that she could put her into the God Demon Prison.

She dragged the maid into the prison and was about to pluck three strands of her hair when Changtian gestured with his hand, "Not so fast. Since you’re going to impersonate her, first dig into her background, so as not to arouse suspicion in the mansion. Hmm, lie down by the spring."

"Ah? Okay." Since he said so, he must have some trick up his sleeve. She watched curiously.

With a flick of his finger, Treasure Bead, still unconscious, fell into place beside her, and they lay down side by side. "I can extract the memories in her brain for you. There are two methods. One, I can directly draw out her Divine Soul for meticulous examination, just like I did with Liu Manzi’s Divine Soul."

Is it the Soul-searching Method that Qiongqi spoke of? "Does that cause any harm?"

"Yes. A mortal’s Divine Soul is very fragile. If Liu Manzi’s Divine Soul is as tough as jade, then her’s is at most tofu. No matter how careful I am, extracting the Divine Soul will cause some damage to her: at best, seventy days of injured soul, at worst, she becomes an idiot." If it were up to his personality, he would have naturally drawn out the Divine Soul directly, no need for such trouble. But he didn’t want Ning Xiaoxian to have regrets about it later.

"What about the second method?"

"Directly link your Divine Senses together, allowing you to enter her Divine Soul to search for what she has seen and heard. However, without my curation, you would have to accept all her memories. And I can only assist with my words from the sidelines."

Without hesitation, she choose: "The second method." Her Divine Soul had been injured by Liu Manzi, and she knew the pain of that. Treasure Bead bore no grudge against her; if she were to harm another for personal gain, how would she be different from those Cultivators who viewed mortals as ants?

He knew she would choose this, and without further words, he instructed her to lie down properly, then summoned the Soul Calming Incense that had just been finished refining a few days ago. Made from ingredients such as Dragon Saliva Grass and musk, it could save a dying person for the length of one incense stick, allowing them to settle their affairs, thus also called Soul-saving Incense. One could guess the rarity of such an incense even with their knees; if a large family could acquire this, the descendants wouldn’t have disputes over wealth due to vague last words of the elderly. However, at this moment, Changtian had another ingenious use for it.

He walked beside Ning Xiaoxian and Treasure Bead, chanting under his breath, then drew two characters in the air, ancient and square in shape. If she could understand, she would know these characters were the ancient divine script "Fix" and "Substitute." As soon as he was done, the two characters immediately emitted silver light, dazzlingly bright. Without delay, Changtian pressed the "Fix" character onto Treasure Bead’s forehead, while the "Substitute" character was slapped onto Ning Xiaoxian’s forehead.

She watched in amazement as the glowing character vanished into her body, and she felt no abnormalities. Changtian then placed a hand on the top of both their heads. His hand was still so cool; Ning Xiaoxian wide-eyed, gazed at him and was momentarily puzzled.

Such a curious girl this was. He commanded sternly, "Close your eyes! Keep your mind clear, don’t think about anything." His large hand pinched her chin, reminding her to be serious.

She did as she was told, emptying her mind, and soon felt a wave of sleepiness overtake her, unable to resist falling into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Qiongqi had already lit the Soul Calming Incense. The light green smoke gathered without dispersing, seemingly with a spiritual nature as it split into two strands, floating into the noses of the Treasure Bead and Ning Xiaoxian respectively. At this point, Ning Xiaoxian’s Guiding Technique was near Great Success, hence even in her sleep, her heartbeat was only forty beats per two hours, and her breathing happened just once every ninety seconds. However, after inhaling the Soul Calming Incense, unbeknownst to them, their heartbeats and breathing patterns became synchronized!

Ning Xiaoxian was dreaming.

She was being tightly held by someone, hustled in the surging crowd, staggering toward a door that was slowly closing. Terrifying roars echoed from behind. "Zhu’er, faster!" shouted a man beside her urgently. Strangely, the voice came from above; it seemed she had become much shorter.

Soon after, she heard the body she was in crying out: "Dad, I can’t run anymore!"

"Hurry up! Even if you can’t run, you must. Otherwise, I’ll leave you behind as food for the demons!"

But she really couldn’t run any further. Her father, out of desperation, suddenly tripped an elderly man nearby. The man couldn’t get up for a while, just watching them pass by him with wide eyes.

Shortly after, a scream echoed from behind, but she and her father took advantage of the moment and finally rushed through the gate just before it slammed shut. They were safe. The father and daughter looked at each other with a smile, both gasping for breath heavily.

Ning Xiaoxian was bewildered when she heard Changtian’s voice: "This is the memory of the Treasure Bead." His voice was strange, as if it was coming from beside her, yet also as if it rose from the vast world around them.

"As long as you concentrate, you can decide which part of her memory to view. I can’t see it, but you can."

This spell was truly marvelous; if Huaxia had such Soul Searching Technique, what would be the need for unreliable polygraphs? She pondered quietly for a moment, and when she opened her eyes, the scene had indeed changed.

Outside, the sky was as dark as ink, and here was a straw hut.

In front of her stood a fat man, his small eyes shining with lewdness: "How precious is the position of the Chief Maid beside Lord City Master? Do you think it can be obtained so easily? If you’re unwilling, there are four or five maids lined up behind you waiting!"

She learned from the memory of Zhu’er that this fat man was surnamed Xue, the steward in charge of the servants’ affairs.

Zhu’er apparently wanted to back out, biting her lip and shaking her head: "I don’t want this position anymore." She turned and headed for the straw gate, preparing to leave.

Fatty Xue laughed heartily and suddenly stepped forward, grabbing her arm: "You say you don’t want it, and that settles it? After all the effort I’ve put in for you, it’s all for nothing? Such a thing doesn’t happen!"

He revealed a fierce look and with a sudden force, flung Zhu’er onto the pile of straw, and then pounced on her. The girl was terrified and tried to push him away with her arms. But how could her little strength overcome a big fat man? Instead, she was firmly clamped down by him over her head.

During these few years in the Wen Residence, Zhu’er was at the age of growing. While the Wen Residence’s food wasn’t the best, the nutrition was somewhat richer than that of commoners outside; her body had grown beautifully curved. Housekeeper Xue hadn’t expected such a delightful surprise, and he felt as if he had hit the jackpot.

"Don’t!" Zhu’er screamed loudly, struggling frantically, and thrust out a knee. Housekeeper Xue, lost in lust without his guard up, was solidly hit in a vulnerable spot and nearly cried out in pain. Overcome with anger, he showed no mercy and slapped her twice, causing her to see golden stars and collapse onto the straw, crying loudly.

"Dare to kick me? You wretched woman, now you’ll see how tough I am!" He balled up a bellyband into a lump and roughly stuffed it into Zhu’er’s mouth to silence her.

Ning Xiaoxian promptly closed her eyes. She was browsing through Zhu’er’s memories, empathizing with her happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy. It was better to gloss over this terrible, humiliating memory to avoid leaving an indelible shadow in her own heart.

With a silent chant in her heart, she timely switched to several other scenes: Housekeeper Xue coming repeatedly to seek favor, yet constantly delaying Zhu’er’s important affairs; Zhu’er finally obtained the position of Chief Maid beside the City Lord and ultimately devised a plan to kill him... Inside this small City Lord Mansion, a story of the Human ecological chain was unfolding. She sighed inwardly, "Alas, this is also a pitiful girl." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)