Secret Buyer-Chapter 310 - 237: Names That Do Not Belong to This Era (First Update)

Chapter 310: Chapter 237: Names That Do Not Belong to This Era (First Update)

Yuan Family Mansion.

Wei Bushi watched Yuan Tiandao light incense and candles, observing his nine ritual bows, before finally presenting the treasure.

It was a scroll, but only a broken corner remained, shrouded in an indescribable immortal spiritual qi.

The old blind man, without eyes, stepped like a shaman in a mysterious dance,

muttering ancient and cryptic language,

as if the sound of thundering heavens.

A wisp of plague energy infused the corner of the celestial book.

After a while, he hoarsely spoke:

"The celestial book has revealed three words: Central Pole, Plague, Zhang."

Wei Bushi raised an eyebrow:

"Plague?"

Yuan Tiandao spoke indifferently:

"It bears little relation to Him; the authority over the plague energy comes from Him but is no longer under His control. The master of the plague ghost is this ’Central Pole,’ whose true form is this ’Zhang.’

As he spoke,

the old blind man leaned on an iron cane, striking the ground twice, conjuring two beautiful lotuses.

"When night falls, shall you go to sever this ’Zhang,’ or cut down this ’Central Pole’?"

"At that time, I will meet them in a dream, whether to slay or not, remains to be seen. I am not one to kill indiscriminately."

"Indeed."

The two old men saluted each other, Yuan Tiandao sighed deeply:

"On the ninth of February, the Emperor’s Tomb will open. At that time, the divine spirits will gaze down... Can we, the three guarding families, truly make it across the shore?"

Wei Bushi was silent for a moment:

"Man proposes, God disposes."

As they spoke, a servant stood outside the ancestral hall and reported:

"Patriarch, someone outside wishes to see you. It is the butcher from town, Zheng Guanxi."

"Zheng Guanxi?"

Yuan Tiandao had a good memory, recalling everyone in the town with clarity, he said casually:

"Let him in."

He and Wei Bushi walked out of the Yuan Family ancestral hall, the latter saw a servant leading the expressionless and dazed butcher in. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Hmm?"

Yuan Tiandao made a nasal sound, lifting his head, his hollow eyes without pupils hidden beneath strands of hair like dry grass.

He clearly noticed something odd about the butcher.

He casually calculated, but then his expression suddenly froze:

"I cannot see the outcome; I see only an absolute void, like the initial moment of all time and matter’s absence, or like the emptiness scene among the Five States, the Taiyi’s empty landscape..."

As he spoke,

the butcher suddenly took out an ancient and solemn token from his bosom, stepped forward, and handed it over.

Yuan Tiandao accepted it, and the butcher turned and left, not uttering a word, no hesitation whatsoever.

A servant wanted to stop him but was halted by Yuan Tiandao’s raised hand:

"His soul has been seized; there’s no need to intervene. He will recover shortly."

Saying this, Yuan Tiandao’s aged fingers stroked the token,

although he couldn’t see anything, he could still feel the characters and patterns on the token, sensing the immortal essence of the Dao.

"High Heaven Order..."

Beside him, Wei Bushi spoke in a low tone:

"Is it the High Heaven Association rumored outside?"

"No, perhaps even higher."

Yuan Tiandao’s voice was deep and heavy:

"Indeed, the Emperor’s Tomb will soon open, the mist of understanding in Chang’an Town has dispersed, and powerful beings have begun to take notice."

Wei Bushi snorted coldly:

"Using the corner of the celestial book, we can glimpse into the true nature of this so-called High Heaven, see who exactly is causing trouble from behind the scenes!"

"If appropriate..."

He rubbed his fists eagerly:

"I might just summon an ancestor in a dream, to cut Him down with one sword!"

Yuan Tiandao pondered for a moment, nodding slightly,

holding the High Heaven Order, he walked to the corner of the celestial book, stepping into unique footsteps, each step echoing with thunder,

the corner of the celestial book began to glow, just as it was about to divine along the High Heaven Order,

Yuan Tiandao’s hairs abruptly stood on end, without hesitation, he stepped back, out of the range of the celestial book’s light, his forehead drenched in sweat!

"Why not look?" Wei Bushi asked in surprise.

Yuan Tiandao panted slightly, his hand gripping the High Heaven Order tightly:

"I cannot bear to look."

"Why can’t you bear to look?" Wei Bushi continued to ask.

Yuan Tiandao was silent for a moment, then spoke softly:

"Do you remember how these eyes of mine went blind?"

Before Wei Bushi could recall or speak,

Yuan Tiandao answered his own question:

"Forty years ago, I wished to peer into the Emperor’s Tomb, to glimpse where the Emperor is now..."

He sighed softly:

"At that time, my hairs stood on end, yet I did not heed the warning, forcefully peering, both eyes became useless, and today, I feel even more fear than forty years ago!"

Wei Bushi was nearly startled to leap up.

He was stunned, saying:

"Could it be that the owner of this High Heaven Order... surpasses the Emperor?"

Yuan Tiandao remained silent, his face tense and heavy.

After a long time.

He stroked the High Heaven Order, sighing lightly:

"Well, if it’s a blessing, it isn’t a curse; if it’s a curse, it can’t be avoided. First, wait for the night, then go and investigate the true nature of this Central Pole and the person surnamed Zhang!"

Wei Bushi silently nodded.

......

Inn, Room A.

"My phone clearly still has power, but it won’t even turn on? It’s just become a brick."

Zhang Fusheng clicked his tongue in wonder, this Chang’an Town is indeed strange.

Technological creations fail immediately upon entering here. He even imagined a handgun, then tried Refining Illusion into Reality—resulting in,

bullets chambered, no matter how he pulled the trigger, the bullets couldn’t fire.

Instead, after extracting the bullet and igniting the primer with a thought, the gunpowder exploded, and the bullet was fired.

This was very strange.

It was as if objects beyond ancient times were all ’prohibited.’

"Why hasn’t anyone noticed such a peculiar town before?"

Zhang Fusheng murmured to himself, his thoughts swirling.

His thoughts moved just slightly, realizing his parents were sleeping soundly, so he didn’t disturb them, instead calling on Old Master and Wei Lingzhu to go downstairs and wander around.

The ancient style of the buildings, the women setting up stalls, the porters with their loads, the vendors carrying sugar-coated haws...

"There’s a significant issue here," Old Master said softly.

Zhang Fusheng silently nodded, a mountain town not isolated from the world, yet all technological creations were prohibited,

and earlier, he confirmed it within his disciple’s Divine Realm.

The layout of Chang’an Town is almost exactly the same as a corner of the ancient city of Chang’an.

The neighborhoods and markets run orderly, nothing more than some mansions changing their plaques.

Unknowingly, they’ve already walked to the front of a school.

"Du’s School."

The Old Master glanced at the plaque standing beside the school, which was quite lively inside. Chen Shishan happened to walk out from it.

He paused for a moment:

"Brother Zhang?"

Zhang Fusheng smiled and nodded:

"My parents are asleep, so the three of us decided to take a stroll around Chang’an Town... Are you done with class?"

"Yes, the morning class is over. In the morning we had Master Du’s literature class, and in the afternoon, there’s Instructor Qin’s martial arts class."

He responded casually, just as a scholarly middle-aged man holding a book walked out of the school.

"Master Du!"

Chen Shishan quickly paid his respects and hurriedly introduced:

"This is Master Du Ruhui, Master Du, this is Brother Zhang Fusheng Zhang, and beside him are Elder Lu Xiuyuan Lu and Miss Wei Lingzhu Wei."

Du Ruhui nodded towards the three:

"You seem unfamiliar, so you must have come from afar. Chang’an Town is like a paradise outside the world, very different from the outside. You three should take a good look around."

After a pause, he smiled warmly:

"Shishan, I’ll give you a half-day off. I’ll inform Qin Qiong, so you don’t have to attend the martial arts class this afternoon."

Chen Shishan quickly paid his respects:

"Thank you, Master."

Du Ruhui nodded, holding his book, and floated away.

The Old Master glanced sideways, somewhat surprised, wondering how an ordinary person, without any cultivation, could have such abundant literary luck?

He was puzzled, while Zhang Fusheng’s expression was wooden.

Du Ruhui, Qin Qiong.

Ha??

He was shocked when he heard angry shouting coming from the end of the street.

"Cheng Yaojin, you bastard, stealing buns again?"

Zhang Fusheng looked swiftly and saw a burly man holding two large meat buns, running while shouting back:

"Zhangsun Wuji! You sell dozens of large meat buns a day, what’s wrong with me eating two of yours? Ah!"

The bun shop owner named Zhangsun Wuji chased after him breathlessly, stomping his feet:

"Cheng Yaojin, you animal!"

"Your grandpa’s leaving!"

The burly man swept past Zhang Fusheng and the others like a gust of wind.

Zhang Fusheng was expressionless.

"That’s Uncle Cheng," Chen Shishan said with a smile, "He and Uncle Zhangsun from the bun shop have always been at odds, constantly stealing a few buns every few days."

After a pause,

Chen Shishan eagerly said:

"There aren’t many places to have fun in Chang’an Town, but at the end of the street, there’s a small shooting range run by Boss Li. If you hit the bullseye with three arrows in a row, you can get a free roast chicken..."

"Who is Boss Li?" Zhang Fusheng asked quietly.

"Boss Li, he’s a nice person. His name is Li Jing, and he makes the best roast chicken!" Chen Shishan swallowed, clearly tempted.

Zhang Fusheng chuckled.

Du Ruhui, Cheng Yaojin, Zhangsun Wuji, Qin Qiong, and also Li Jing... this Li Jing certainly isn’t the ’Tower-holding Celestial King Li.’

"All are famous generals and ministers from the early Tang Dynasty, and they’re all among the twenty-four people in Lingyan Pavilion..."

Zhang Fusheng murmured in his mind. His Spiritual Thoughts swept out, scanning in detail the bun shop owner Zhangsun Wuji,

and the burly man Cheng Yaojin who ran away.

Ordinary people.

Completely ordinary people.

Is this the handiwork of Li Erfeng?

Zhang Fusheng’s thoughts raced, not believing these were ancient famous officials living till now,

but more likely reincarnations, or.....

Could they be marks for these people to descend and return?

Chang’an Town, oh Chang’an Town.

Zhang Fusheng almost concluded at this moment that the event planned by the patriarch for February 9th is undoubtedly connected with Chang’an Town.

As thoughts turned,

The three followed Chen Shishan, touring the entire small Chang’an Town,

coming across many ’famous people’ on the way.

Chai Shao with the monkey, Zhang Gongjin raising horses, Fang Xuanling farming.....

All of these people, without exception, have names identical to those of the Lingyan Pavilion twenty-four, but they are just that—names.

Passing by the Wei Family Mansion, they saw a little boy eating spinach with big bites,

"This is Old Mr. Wei’s little grandson, Wei Zheng, who is set to inherit the Wei family in the future."

Chen Shishan whispered:

"Brother Zhang, there are two families in Chang’an Town you must never provoke. One is the Yuan Family, the other is the Wei Family. There’s a rumor that the Wei family’s ancestors once slew a Star Beast called the Dragon King!"

Zhang Fusheng’s mouth twitched, staring at the boy with a wooden bowl, eating spinach with big bites.

The boy named Wei Zheng looked at Zhang Fusheng curiously, warily clutching his wooden bowl as if afraid the other would snatch his spinach.

Zhang Fusheng suddenly laughed heartily.

It was already noon.

Returning to the inn, they had some sesame cakes with his parents in the town,

The sesame cake seller Gao Shilian gave them a few extra cakes, seeing they were from outside.

They spent the whole afternoon lounging around Chang’an Town,

only returning to the inn after the night fell.

After discussing the Ten Holy Scriptures in detail with Wei Lingzhu,

Zhang Fusheng returned to his room, sitting on the bed.

"Chang’an Town..."

He murmured to himself, as the Spiritual Imprint left on Chen Shishan trembled slightly. With a thought, he watched the young man sneak to the outskirts of the town, entering a rundown courtyard.

The sign above the courtyard bore the "Wu Family" name.

The thought couldn’t follow him into the Wu Family Mansion, intercepted by an unknown force.

But with the thought hovering above, he could already from a higher vantage point see the scenery within the mansion—desolate, decaying, the expansive mansion lacking servants,

only an old, almost dying old woman sat in the courtyard.

The old woman suddenly turned her head, ’meeting’ the eyes of the thought hovering outside the Wu Mansion in mid-air.

The thought shattered into pieces.

"Tss....."

Zhang Fusheng rubbed his aching brow, his expression becoming extremely grave.

"What a terrifying old woman, could she be a Celestial Human?"

The old woman of the Wu Family is a Celestial Human, then the Wei Family, Yuan Family?

They are probably at least Celestial Humans too.

Lightly tapping the wooden table with his fingers, Zhang Fusheng sighed gently, just about to slip into the Eight Sceneries Palace, to open High Heaven again.

Feeling a slight rise in the hairs on his body, an intuitive premonition, the Cause and Effect trembled.

Glancing sideways.

Following the link of Cause and Effect, he could see a blurry mansion—it was the Wei Mansion seen during the day,

he could vaguely make out an old figure within the Wei Mansion, lying down to sleep.

After which, an Immortal Shadow appeared, following Cause and Effect, striding towards his ’Divine Realm.’

"Dream Dragon-Slaying Technique?"

Zhang Fusheng murmured, somewhat surprised, aware that this was probably due to the Plague Ghost, but how did they find him?

He raised an eyebrow, suddenly smiling:

"I’ll play with you."

His thought sank into the Divine Realm, entering the Five Mansions Temple, waiting quietly for the arrival of the Immortal Shadow.