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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Carp Water Beast
On the morning of the twenty-first, Ji Zichen tugged at the horse's reins and said, "Hey, it's time to go."
Lin Chuyu had buried the body last night. She stood sorrowfully in front of the grave, paying her respects. Hearing Ji Zichen call her, she bid farewell and walked over to him. The two set off on their journey.
Ji Zichen looked ahead and said, "You originally owed me one hundred taels, but you used that Vajra. The Vajra is a demon-slaying artifact, capable of killing both people and demons, and it's not cheap. So now you owe me a total of eight hundred taels."
Lin Chuyu shot him a glare and replied, "That was your choice to offer it; I didn't ask you for it."
Ji Zichen smiled lightly. "I willingly offered it, but whether you use it or not is your own business. Since you've used it, that Vajra belongs to you."
Lin Chuyu retorted irritably, "Fine, fine, fine. I'll pay you back as long as you take me to Corner Lodge."
Seeing that he had sold the artifact without any haggling from her, Ji Zichen was quite pleased. He muttered to himself, "Once I receive the money, I can add a carriage and another horse. That would make things more comfortable."
Feeling proud of himself, Ji Zichen handed the horse reins to Lin Chuyu. "Here, hold this. Until I get paid, you'll help me with chores; the cost can be deducted from your debt."
Lin Chuyu was initially reluctant to take the reins, but after witnessing his prowess in subduing the Green Demon Eagle with a single move last night, she thought she might need his help on the road. Thus, she accepted the reins. They walked for half a day; Lin Chuyu held the horse with her right hand while examining the Vajra with her left hand, wondering to herself, "Can this thing really save souls?"
Noticing her staring at the Vajra absentmindedly, Ji Zichen called out, "Hey! Don't zone out while leading the horse; if it runs off, you won't be able to compensate for my two boxes of artifacts!"
Reluctantly putting away the Vajra, Lin Chuyu complained, "You're really strange. Why don't you buy a carriage? At this rate, how long will it take us to get anywhere?"
Ji Zichen replied curtly, "With your debt hanging over you, where do you get off talking so much? Less chatter and focus on leading the horse."
After walking for two hours through a gorge, they spotted a medium-sized medicine cabinet embedded in the mountain wall. It had thirty drawers labeled not with names of medicines but with terms like seeds, farming tools, silk, brass, oil, weapons, artifacts, and so on.
Upon seeing the cabinet wedged into the mountainside, Lin Chuyu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "How did this cabinet get stuck in the mountain wall? And what do these seeds and farming tools mean?"
Ji Zichen explained, "This cabinet was established by The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant and the Merchant Alliance together. Periodically, someone comes to gather information about what nearby villages or towns need and sends someone to deliver those items. This way, they avoid having to visit each village or town individually."
Lin Chuyu chuckled and said, "Whoever came up with this idea is quite clever; it's really interesting."
Ji Zichen ignored her and opened the cabinet belonging to The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant. Inside, he found three magical artifacts. He took them out: the Rofeixing Bowl, which could trap a Demon Beast; the Buddhist Gong, which could rupture a Demon Beast's eardrums with its sound; and the Dog Jade Pendant, which could summon a dog to protect its owner.
Holding the three weapons, Ji Zichen examined them and exclaimed, "Isn't this great? What do they want to do, return them? Why would they want to return perfectly good items? This is ridiculous!"
Lin Chuyu noticed Ji Zichen's unusual expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Zichen huffed, "Follow me."
They arrived at Tuxia Village. The village was not affluent, and purchasing these three artifacts had cost a significant amount of money, raised through community funding. Ji Zichen had previously made an agreement with the village chief that all sales were final and repair costs would be additional. However, these artifacts were not damaged.
Tuxia Village was eerily quiet; there were no roosters crowing or dogs barking. The usual warmth of daily life was absent. The ponds surrounding the village had long since dried up, leaving behind only garbage and wild grass. The dilapidated courtyards had become overgrown with weeds, with beams and rafters askew and roofs caved in. The iron locks on the gates were rusted, and houses missing doors and windows had turned into shelters for stray cats and wild dogs.
Ji Zichen was taken aback by the scene. He had visited three years ago when things were not like this. The few villagers he encountered on the streets looked emaciated.
The villagers stared at them with lifeless eyes. Lin Chuyu felt uneasy under their gaze. "Brother Ji, the villagers' looks are so strange."
Ji Zichen led the way to the village chief's house. The chief emerged with several young men who were as thin as bamboo poles. Upon seeing Ji Zichen, the chief greeted him with a half-smile, "Ah, Brother Ji, a friend from afar."
Ji Zichen retorted angrily, "Chief, let's skip the pleasantries. What is going on here?" He spread out the artifacts in his hands.
The chief looked apologetic. "Brother Ji, I know this isn't right, but could you help me? I want to return these artifacts."
Ji Zichen frowned. "Why? Haven't you been troubled by Demon Beasts in the village? Are you planning to use brooms to drive them away?"
The chief sighed. "I have no choice. Even if I can't get a full refund, half would be acceptable."
Ji Zichen's anger flared up further. "You want to return them for half price? You've already used these items for three years! I told you before that magical artifacts bond with their owners; if you want to reset that bond, it will cost a lot of money! Didn't I make that clear?"
The chief felt guilty and couldn't meet his gaze. "The village needs money; I wouldn't do this if it weren't absolutely necessary."
If Ji Zichen hadn't seen that the chief was already in his old age, he might have punched out a few of his teeth—though in reality, he only had two left. "Are you playing games with me? You think you can return something just because you're short on cash? Why don't you return your worn clothes or used pots and pans while you're at it?"
At that moment, many villagers had gathered around, and one of them stepped forward, speaking harshly, "Village Chief, don't waste your breath on him. We outnumber him; this seller of magical artifacts must have a lot of cash on him."
Lin Chuyu was intimidated by the villagers' momentum and hurriedly hid behind Ji Zichen, saying anxiously, "Brother Ji, is this... is this a bandit village?"
Ji Zichen suddenly sneered, "Are you planning to rob us in broad daylight?"
The villager seemed to have lost his mind over money and lunged forward, attempting to snatch the wooden box from Ji Zichen's horse. Ji Zichen furrowed his brow and shouted, "Don't touch my box!"
With a swift turn of his body and a kick, he sent the villager flying three yards away, causing him to roll on the ground unconscious. Ji Zichen was furious and bellowed, "Attempting to forcibly seize The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant's artifact box! Village Chief, do you know this is a death penalty?"
The Village Chief was so frightened that his legs went weak and he fell to the ground, pleading desperately, "Brother Ji, please don't be angry. We are left with no choice; have a kind heart and return our money."
Seeing the Village Chief's pitiful state, Ji Zichen couldn't help but suppress his anger. "Why do you insist that I return the money? Give me a reason."
Tears streamed down the Village Chief's face as he said, "Brother Ji, shortly after you left last time, Sand Bandits came to our village. The waterway we painstakingly diverted from the mountains was destroyed by them. The Sand Bandits brought a large and fat Carp Water Beast with wings that flew above like a house. It drank up all the water in the river, and without rain from the heavens, our crops failed completely. The village is on the brink of extinction."
"Two years ago, the Sand Bandits returned with their flying Carp Water Beast again. That beast could summon rain with its mouth. The Sand Bandits made demands of us; if we wanted the Carp Water Beast to grant us rain, we had to offer a living sacrifice and pay them as well. Reluctantly, we agreed. I still clearly remember the leader of the Sand Bandits laughing; we decided who would be the living sacrifice by drawing lots."
"Unfortunately, my granddaughter was chosen as the first living sacrifice. After offering her up, our village regained some vitality. But it didn't last long; six months later, they demanded money from us again. We truly had no money left; the village dried up once more. My spouse has been in tears ever since I offered our granddaughter as a sacrifice. I tried to explain that it was for the village's sake, but she eventually succumbed to sorrow and passed away two years ago."
"The ones I loved and wished to protect are no longer here. Yet I cannot blame anyone for this. Only recently did I understand what the leader's laughter meant; he wasn't laughing because he received a living sacrifice or money but because he mocked my submission. What was devoured by the Carp Water Beast was not just my granddaughter but also my soul."
"Brother Ji, I beg you to return our money; without rain, everyone in the village will die."
"You fool!" Ji Zichen spat out those two words through clenched teeth. "You are citizens of Corner City of the Horned Lodge; why don't you seek help from your lord?"
"We've tried!" The Village Chief retorted angrily. "But they drove us back! We are mere wild folk from Yellow Sand Plain!"
Lin Chuyu unexpectedly shouted at Ji Zichen, "Village Chief! You're lying! The lord is not like that!"
The Village Chief replied firmly, "What I say is the truth."
Ji Zichen shot him a glance, signaling her not to interrupt. He stepped forward to help the village chief up and said, "Chief, if I could restore the village to its former days, but it would require your life in exchange, would you be willing?"
The chief was taken aback at first, but then he seemed to come to terms with it. He smiled and replied, "If that’s truly the case, then I am willing."
Lin Chuyu, extremely confused, shouted at Ji Zichen, "Exchanging a life is too much! Is there really no other way?"
Ji Zichen solemnly declared, "No. The Carp Water Beast has drained the nearby water sources dry. If we want the village to regain its vitality, someone must personally subdue the Carp Water Beast. Only then can I find a way to use it as a new water source."
Despite Ji Zichen's clarity, Lin Chuyu still couldn't accept it. "Is there really no other way?"
The chief smiled gently, showing a look of relief. "Young lady, you were frightened earlier, weren't you? I apologize for that. To restore the village's vitality, one life is nothing."
Ji Zichen said, "Chief, I remember there's a large open area to the south of the village, right?"
The chief nodded. "Yes."
Ji Zichen continued, "Tomorrow at noon, you wait for me there."
He looked around at the villagers and asked, "Does anyone know where the Sand Bandit's camp is?"
A trembling villager stepped forward and said, "There's one at Yellow Sand Cliff. I've seen it; they brought the Carp Water Beast over from there."
Ji Zichen nodded and turned to Lin Chuyu. "You stay here and keep an eye on my goods. I will return as soon as possible."
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