Chapter 651: Life Lamp

"Nonsense! You locked me up in here, and you still have the nerve to ask me?" I waved my hand, extremely impatient. "I'm leaving today. I have a dog at my shop that hasn't eaten in days, and I'm worried about it."

"Worried about it? You should worry about yourself first." Wei Jianming gave a cold snort. He stood behind his senior brother, his left arm tucked unnaturally inside his Daoist robe.

He had dueled with me and ended up injured. Right now, I could see a hint of wariness in his eyes. "If it isn't Daoist Master Wei Jianming. I'm really sorry about last night. I only used thirty percent of my power. Who knew you couldn't take a beating? Blame me, I just didn't control my strength well enough."

"You!" Wei Jianming's face was as dark as iron. He clenched his fists, wanting to rush over, but Wei Wenming stopped him.

"Jianming, don't mess around." He looked into the room, his brows furrowed tightly, and waved a hand at me. "Go back to sleep. We'll leave after a quick look around."

"Disturbing my sleep early in the morning without even a reason? Are all you cultivators this rude?" I held the blanket up with both hands, leaning against the doorframe. "When are you going to let me go? Give me a straight answer."

Wei Wenming, who had originally wanted to follow me into the room to investigate, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this. A trace of suspicion appeared on his face. "You're in a hurry to leave, but where do you want to go? We've seen your file. You live alone in Jiangcheng, without family or companions. Could it be that you're rushing back to tip off some 'things'?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just eager to get back because my dog hasn't eaten for a day and a night. I'm afraid it'll starve." My tone was casual, not revealing a single flaw.

"Just to feed a dog? Is a dog's life really that important?"

"Not necessarily. It depends on who it's being compared to." The corners of my mouth curled up as I stared straight at the two men outside the door. "Gentlemen, if you have no objections, I'll be leaving this morning. If you try to stop me again, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Senior Brother, let's teach him a lesson! This guy..." Wei Jianming was young and hot-blooded, after all. His injured hand clenched tightly under his Daoist robe.

Wei Wenming also wore a grim expression. He stewed for a long moment but ultimately said nothing. Flicking his sleeve, he turned away.

"Hey! When are you going to let me go?"

"Stay put. When the time comes, I will naturally inform you." Wei Wenming's voice carried a trace of suppressed anger.

"You can't even speak properly," I said, standing at the door and watching their retreating backs. "Now I understand why the more people I meet, the more I like dogs."

My voice wasn't loud, but it was just enough to reach their ears. Wei Jianming stumbled, almost stepping on the hem of his robe. "I—"

"Jianming, say no more. The main business is what matters," Wei Wenming interrupted.

I watched them walk away before closing the door. Tossing aside the blanket I had used to cover my lower body, I touched the wound on the back of my neck. "It's starting to seep. If they had stayed any longer, the blood probably would have trickled down."

I treated the wound simply and sat on the edge of the bed. 'Wei Wenming just reminded Wei Jianming that the main business is what matters. What is this main business? Searching for the Ghost Mother's traces? Or have they already discovered that Chen Jiuge met with foul play?'

The sky wasn't completely bright yet, but those two had hurried over, acting suspiciously and constantly peering into my room. The situation was a bit abnormal.

I put my clothes back on and pulled open the curtains. A ray of sunlight fell onto the windowsill.

"It's dawn." Gathering my spirits, I took out the Live Show Phone and opened the inbox.

"Live broadcast task: Arrive at Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital at midnight and survive until dawn—completed, reward of one point. Live broadcast viewers exceeded ten thousand—reward of ten points. Received three Yuanbao in tips during the live broadcast—reward of three points. Completed the commission from the Underworld—additional reward of one point."

"Optional Task 1: Kill one person at Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital, reward of one point per kill. Data statistics: A total of one person was killed during this live broadcast, accumulating one point."

"Optional Task 2: Kill a live show streamer, reward of ten points and two Live Broadcast Immunities per kill—task failed."

"Optional Task 3: Find the Traitors and kill them for an additional reward of ten points—task failed."

"Optional Task 4: Rescue the innocent, reward of ten points per person rescued. Data statistics: A total of two innocent people were rescued during this live broadcast, reward of twenty points!"

"Optional Task 5: Kill everyone inside Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital except yourself—uncompleted."

"Statistics complete: A total of thirty-six points were obtained in this live broadcast. The current total points balance is one hundred and thirteen points!"

"Thirteenth live broadcast completed. Opening the new product catalog."

"Reincarnation Mirror Fragment (one hundred points). Nine Palaces Realm-Breaking Divine Talisman (Amidst the boundless Fengdu, layer upon layer of Vajra Mountains; limitless light of the numinous treasure, body following the Fragrant Cloud Banner; meditation and wisdom of the green lotus, ascending to eternal divine peace. A damaged Upper Vehicle Talisman capable of breaking numerous formations across the Nine Provinces and Ten Directions, ten points)."

"Earth Divine Talisman (The earth here is most divine, ascending to heaven and reaching the earth, exiting the dark and entering the underworld. Chanting the incantation can summon mountain deities and local earth spirits. A damaged upper-grade talisman, can only be used once, six points)."

"Feigned Death Doll (Nanyang sorcery. Implant hair into the doll's scalp and kill the doll. If divination is performed at this time, it can mislead the diviner and confuse the truth)."

"Dragon Capturing Technique Upper Volume (one hundred points). Four-Meridian Spirit Channeling Fruit (Clears the meridians, can cure stubborn ailments within the body, and strengthens the physique, four points). Breath-Severing Pill (Taking this pill allows one to enter a state of feigned death for a short time, three points)."

"Ghost-Detaining Token (Can forcibly capture underworld spirits and ghosts for one's own use, can only be used once, ten points)."

"Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Fundamental Vows Sutra (The beings of Jambudvipa, in every movement and every thought, create nothing but karma, commit nothing but sin, thirty points)."

...

Reading it from beginning to end, some aspects of this live broadcast were different from what I had imagined.

For example, the first optional task rewarded one point for every person killed. At Jianghu Cancer Research Hospital, I had first destroyed Chen Jiuge's physical body, and then killed Wang Wu. Yet the Live Show's statistical results showed that I had only killed one person.

'Is it because Chen Jiuge's consciousness hasn't dissipated, so it doesn't count as completely killing him? Or is it that Wang Wu, being half-human and half-corpse, wasn't classified among the living?' Whatever the real answer was, there was no way to find out now.

This live broadcast also gave me quite a few surprises. Optional Task 4 rewarded ten points for rescuing an innocent person, and I had earned a full twenty points from this task alone.

'Twenty points means I saved two innocent people. Besides Gu Tongtong, who was the other one? Chen Mo? Or Zhang Heng?' Even now, I didn't know which of them was the live show streamer in disguise, but I had a premonition that there was definitely a problem with one of their identities.

After reviewing the points statistics, I looked at the newly opened product catalog. A long time ago, I discovered that the newly unlocked items might be linked to the next live broadcast, so I paid special attention to them every time.

Among the newly added goods this time were two Upper Vehicle Talismans, as well as some items used for feigning death. I sensed a hint of something unusual from these items.

'A new live broadcast will start in three days. During this period, I must find a suitable way to get away.' My thoughts were very clear, listing things in my mind according to their importance. 'There's no need to worry about Gu Tongtong since she's been given to Tie Ningxiang to take care of. The Uncorrupted Bone shouldn't be able to break free in the short term; after all, it's already dawn and Yang Qi is at its peak. However, the injuries Sakurako suffered in the Dream Realm require emergency treatment. Unfortunately, I left in a hurry last night and didn't have time to search Chen Jiuge. His corpse probably has something related to the Dream Dao on it. Should I make another trip to the hospital?'

Sakurako's injuries required a Dream Dao cultivator to treat, and the whereabouts of Ye Bing's main consciousness was something only Chen Jiuge knew.

'According to Wang Wu's confession, Mr. Paper will hurry to the hospital very soon. Hopefully, the Uncorrupted Bone will be suppressed again. That way, I'll have a chance to exploit their weak moment.'

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A flurry of urgent knocking interrupted my train of thought. I straightened my clothes and walked to the door unhurriedly. "Coming!"

I pulled the door open. Standing outside was a Daoist priest in green robes, his face as handsome as jade and his bearing elegant. It was none other than the Maoshan Yin Master, Leng Qingxuan.

"What are you here for?" Having just sent one wave away, here came another. I couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. "Did something happen? You guys are running around inspecting things early in the morning, treating me like a criminal?"

Leng Qingxuan shook his head. His face was stern, and he was in no mood to joke with me. He said, "Something happened. Chen Jiuge, the top disciple of the current generation at the Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple, died last night."

"What?!" The surprise on my face wasn't entirely feigned. Of course, I wasn't surprised by Chen Jiuge's death, but rather by how the sect members knew about it. The only living witness was me, the very murderer myself. How could they possibly know?

Where did it go wrong? Had I been exposed?

"Let's talk inside." Leng Qingxuan barged directly into my room. He scanned the surroundings and only breathed a sigh of relief after finding nothing out of the ordinary, then sat down on a chair.

"Wasn't Chen Jiuge perfectly fine last night? How could he just be gone?" I asked cautiously.

Leng Qingxuan shook his head. "He left Century New Garden alone last night. No one knows where he went, and no one knows what he went through."

"Then how can you be sure that he's already dead?"

"His Life Lamp went out." After saying this, Leng Qingxuan took a wooden plaque off his neck, which had his own name carved into it. "The Ghost Mother is bringing disaster to Jiangcheng, but it's not enough to make the Five Great Upper Sects mobilize their entire forces. This time, Daoist Master Xu Yan of Qingcheng is leading the team, bringing the younger generation disciples to eliminate the ghost, mainly to train them. And to prevent any accidents from happening to the junior disciples, every sect creates something akin to a Life Lamp. They take a wisp of Pre-Heaven vital energy and wind it around the wick, allowing it to burn for seven days and seven nights. This is a Life Lamp. 'When a person dies, the lamp goes out'—that idiom refers to exactly this."

My tense heart slowly settled. They were still kept in the dark, only knowing that something had happened to Chen Jiuge, completely unaware that his murderer was living right here with them.

"Xiao Zhuang Taoist Temple is an extremely special sect. Although it isn't one of the Five Great Upper Sects, it is deeply mysterious and transcendent. Their disciple died in Jiangcheng, so this matter won't end peacefully." Leng Qingxuan's gaze was heavy. "In a while, the Jiangcheng police will come over to assist us, and they might seek you out for questioning. Just stay quietly in your room during this time. Don't do anything that might cause a misunderstanding."

"The Jiangcheng police are coming to assist?" I gently narrowed my eyes, keeping the next sentence to myself.

'Then doesn't that mean Tie Ningxiang will be coming over too?'