Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King-Chapter 262 - 252: Magic Dao Dream Remnant! Harem Assembled, but Is There a True Beloved?

Chapter 262: Chapter 252: Magic Dao Dream Remnant! Harem Assembled, but Is There a True Beloved?

Li Xian thought, since everything relied on luck, why trouble oneself without reason? He simply closed his eyes and walked randomly, accepting things as they came, with nothing to fear. He boldly advanced, weaving through it.

If he bumped into a rock wall, he would change direction. The dizziness gradually lessened, and instead, his mind felt wide open, and the more he walked, the more spacious and quicker the path seemed.

The Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract... also known as the "Heart Path". The heart’s road twists and turns, hard to fathom. The more one plots and schemes, the more one gets stuck in a dead end.

Every step was narrow and cramped. He had to squeeze through gaps to barely pass. If Wen Caishang were here, she would surely be in a sorry state. Li Xian was also adept at plotting and scheming, calculating profits, and making various decisions.

Yet, by contrast, he had an open and unrestrained nature. He let his demeanor be free, making his path in the heart wide open, naturally making it extremely spacious.

When he opened his eyes, he had already crossed the Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract. Ahead, the road was already wide, with vivid murals on both sides.

Li Xian didn’t think much, proceeding while observing. Using what Wen Caishang taught him, he identified tomb mechanisms, skillfully avoiding dangerous and perilous areas.

After wandering for some time, he pushed open a stone door.

He came to a burial chamber. Here, there were thirteen Jade Coffins, suspended in the air. Li Xian vaguely identified it as a "side tomb".

During the Nanyang Period, burial had its rituals. Those buried in a side tomb were usually close family members. As powerful Martial Artists had long lifespans, knowing when their time was near, they would lead their family members’ coffins into the tomb.

Li Xian burned incense in respect, saying: "Junior is not here to rob graves, apologies for disturbing the seniors, please don’t blame me." He spun the incense with "Nanyang Rituals" and gently dispersed it.

Yet the incense was rather simple. It was an easily ignitable twig, which Li Xian lit with Yang Yuan Sword Qi, expressing his respect.

Li Xian muttered to himself, "Madam said... the world contains ghosts, but not everyone turns into ghosts after death. I must remain respectful."

He recalled the encounter at Tiger Cry Ridge. The daunting, humid environment was certainly unpleasant, but the disturbances of ghosts and demons truly made one’s hair stand on end.

After paying his respects, Li Xian was emboldened. He thought, since he was here, why not take a closer look? He looked towards the figure of the Jade Coffin...

The first Jade Coffin contained a woman. She was plain-looking, with simple clothing. Li Xian gently caressed the coffin, saying, "This is a Jade Glaze Coffin. It prevents the body from decaying, truly rare! One coffin is worth more than a hundred thousand taels!"

"Lv Dongzhi was indeed a man of temperament!"

The inscription in front of the coffin read: "My first wife, born in the twelfth year of Nanyang Yong’an Calendar. Died in the seventy-first year of the Yong’an Calendar. I loved her deeply, regret not being able to accompany her."

Signed: "Lv Dongzhi..."

Li Xian said: "It really is Lv Dongzhi’s tomb! It seems this senior was a man of deep affection! Truly admirable."

He continued down to the second coffin. The deceased had hair as white as snow, slightly wrinkled brows and eyes, also a woman.

The inscription read: "My beloved wife, lacking talent in Martial Arts, unable to extend her life, I searched for Heaven and Earth Treasures, Treasure and Strange Objects... all in vain. I loved her deeply, regret not being able to accompany her."

At the end: "Lv Dongzhi..."

Li Xian pondered: "As Martial Artists, we consume Heavenly Essence and Earthly Splendor, our lifespans are very long. This senior Lv also rose from a humble beginning, experiencing numerous separations of life and death, truly indescribable!"

Solemnly admiring. Continuing down to the third Jade Coffin.

The inscription read: "My third beloved wife... I loved her deeply, regret not being able to accompany her."

...

Li Xian’s lips twitched slightly, sensing something was amiss. He continued to the fourth, fifth, and sixth coffins. Each had a different beautiful appearance and cause of death.

But each had the sentence "I loved her deeply, regret not being able to accompany her." Li Xian smiled awkwardly, saying: "It seems that Senior Lv truly had a wide heart... and mind."

Arriving at the last Jade Coffin.

The woman’s appearance was young, very beautiful, and she held a high status. She seemed like an Empress of the Nanyang Dynasty, also beloved by Lv Dongzhi. Li Xian thought to himself: "My lady once mentioned Nanyang’s history, it is rumored that there was indeed an Empress of Nanyang who loved Lv Dongzhi."

The inscription read: "My beloved wife, I loved her deeply, regret... alas, truly wish to accompany her!"

Li Xian burst into laughter, realizing how unfettered and interesting this Lv Dongzhi was. In the corner, he saw a wine jar. Lightly shaking it, he found half a jar of wine remaining.

The burial items were of considerable value. Li Xian glanced at them, casually leaving.

He closed the door and left.

The tomb, although large, was not hostile. Li Xian knew how to avoid the hazards, evading them one by one. He explored various burial chambers, searching for maps of the forest.

There was no sun or moon inside the tomb.

That day, he discovered a burial chamber full of books. The Nanyang people valued tombs greatly, believing that a "tomb" was a residence for the afterlife.

Therefore, they brought items they liked and cherished in life into the tomb. And as each tomb owner had a different personality, the tomb varied in degree of fierceness and ferocity.

Wen Caishang once told Li Xian that if it was confirmed the tomb belonged to "Lv Dongzhi", it wouldn’t be wrong to behave properly and not greedily, and he would be sixty percent unharmed.

Lv Dongzhi was free-spirited and hospitable. Throughout his life, he held a grand feast, inviting heroes and warriors from chaotic countries to his residence to admire cranes and forests.

It is said he always kept his word. With hundreds of apprentices, very few truly learned his teachings. Not because he wouldn’t teach, but others couldn’t learn it.

Therefore... Lv Dongzhi’s tomb seemed like a dead ancient residence. Come and drink three cups of wine, friends whether through fate or not.

If it were a Great Wu tomb, it would be entirely different. Great Wu valued bloodline heritage, distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate, known as "Tombs of Ancestors, Fates of Descendants".

Therefore, the tombs contained many gold, sparkling jewels, and Martial Arts Secret Manuals... But the tombs were perilously dangerous, with layers of obstructions.

Though this tomb contains some precious artifacts, their numbers are not many, serving more like the adornments of a residence. Li Xian thought to himself, "As a guest in someone’s home, borrowing their belongings, if I were to covet their treasures, wouldn’t that make me a thief? Such great discourtesy?"

Thus, it was his first time entering a tomb, yet he gained nothing, as if merely admiring someone’s estate.

He arrived at a Book Collection Residence.

Inside, it housed countless books. Li Xian was overjoyed and entered to browse. Although there were no martial arts secret manuals, the knowledge recorded in the books was extremely extensive.

From music, chess, calligraphy, painting to medicine, divination, astrology... everything was included. Li Xian, like a thirsty man encountering sweet dew, decided to pick up a miscellaneous book and read it with great interest.

He was so hungry, he was indiscriminate, previously only loving oddities and anecdotes. Now, topics like governance essentials, ancient poetry... he accepted them all.

My ambitions are lofty.

I will read all the books, surveying mountains and rivers.

He was so engrossed that he momentarily forgot his task, flipping through to find the map. He had packed two bags of Vermilion Fruit, which had miraculous effects, one fruit could sustain him for a long while.

Before entering the Reversing Gastrointestinal Tract, he shared half with Wen Caishang. Not fearing hunger or cold, he slowly savored, unaware of time passing.

But indeed he found the map.

Li Xian observed for a moment and realized the map was correct. This place was no longer Tiger Cry Ridge but a Mysterious Mountain Range. Lv Dongzhi, despite being skilled, had only depicted a corner of the mountain range in the map.

However, leaving Tiger Cry Ridge and the Mysterious Mountain Range... was more than enough.

Li Xian thought, "Having found the map, as long as we exit the tomb, I can return with the lady following the map, and once out of the forest, we need not worry about being hunted. Thus, life is finally secure!"

Rolling up the map, he stored it in the inner pocket of his chest. He clasped his hands and said, "Elder Lv, I am borrowing this item. With your magnanimous heart, surely you won’t blame me!"

The tomb was vast, difficult to fully browse. Li Xian was satisfied and decided not to go deeper, planning to retrace his steps back. He felt a bit regretful for glancing only briefly at many books, unable to read them in detail.

"Oh well... as long as there’s still green hills, no need to worry about a lack of books to read."

Li Xian had already made his choice. Just as he was about to rise, he suddenly felt dizzy, his head heavy and feet light, muddled. Li Xian played the Protective Sound to guard his mind. Ever since entering the tomb, he had been feeling woozy intermittently.

This time, the feeling was particularly intense, and his eyelids grew heavier. Suddenly, a pause occurred, and white mist arose, swirling around. All around became a blur, like illusory reflections, extremely unreal.

Li Xian thought, "What’s happening to me..." Having never encountered such a situation, he walked towards the mist, suddenly hearing the trickle of flowing stream water.

The clear sound was pleasing to the ear.

A stream flowed past a stone pavilion. In the pavilion, a man in white was already sitting, standing with hands behind his back, exuding an elegant demeanor. He slowly turned his head, but his facial features were hard to discern.

Li Xian thought, "This scene is dreamlike. Could it be that I got so engrossed in reading that I dreamed of Elder Lv Dongzhi? Or in this muddled state, did I trespass into some space? Forget it, overthinking is pointless, might as well just ask." He called out, "Elder Lv?"

The man was stunned and said, "Good lad! Have a seat."

Li Xian was bewildered and said, "Elder Lv, you’re not dead?" Lv Dongzhi said, "I’ve been long dead."

"Then how come you..." Li Xian asked.

Lv Dongzhi said, "Naturally simple, you’re dead too!" He then carefully examined Li Xian.

Seeing that Li Xian showed no fear, he felt uninterested and said, "I’m in a dream!"

Li Xian was puzzled, "Since you’re dead, how can you enter a dream?"

Lv Dongzhi said, "Precisely because I’m dead that I can enter dreams. This involves a magic dao called Dream Remnant."

"After one’s death, only the dream remains. It drifts for a thousand years, with no place to land. You, upon observing and understanding the stone tablet, found a kindred spirit with me at certain points. Thus, this remnant dream naturally fell upon you."

"You, young lad, resisted sleeping until you couldn’t. After holding on for several days, you finally fell asleep. The dream responded accordingly."

Li Xian said, "What a formidable magic dao!"

"Do you want it?" Lv Dongzhi said.

Li Xian shook his head, "No, I don’t."

Lv Dongzhi scoffed, "I knew no one would want it! Tell me—what’s the use of this Dream Remnant technique? If you were a beautiful woman admiring my elegance, and I placed this remnant dream upon you, it might make you smitten with me, and the technique might have some tenuous use. But you, young lad, are even more handsome than me, sigh!"

"It’s fate. With your... appearance, receiving my inheritance is not a disgrace!"

"It’s a pity I have many disciples, but none could receive the true transmission. I see in you a clever lad, but whether you can grasp a small part is uncertain. Forget it... you’ve come into my dream, aside from giving you some inheritance, what more can I do?"

He meticulously scrutinized Li Xian.

Lv Dongzhi, by nature, was free-spirited. Though the tomb was extensive, it contained no martial arts inheritance. The tomb’s security was lenient, with no grand secrets.

Yet, the magic dao Dream Remnant drifted, selecting its recipient.

Lv Dongzhi teased, "Do you have a partner?"

Li Xian said, "Not yet. Well... maybe I do, but it’s hard to say clearly!" Thinking of Wen Caishang, the two were affectionately entangled here, immensely enjoyable. But with Wen Caishang’s strength restored, how they would interact remained unpredictable.

Lv Dongzhi said, "In my lifetime, there are three great regrets, which are also my three inheritances. Accepting my inheritance, I ask that you try to fulfill my regrets."

"The first regret: Magic Dao!"