Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Three Corpse Brain God Pill (Unfathomable Version)_1
The Mud Gang’s operations were extensive and swift.
A continuous stream of various countryside rumors and marketplace gossip was collected by the Mud Gang, ultimately ending up in Wang Linchi’s hands.
After reading through them, Wang Linchi could only describe them as absurd.
They were filled with all sorts of nonsense.
Some said this group of monks had met a deserved end by heavenly retribution for their misdeeds, while others maintained they had achieved spiritual Fulfillment and ascended to paradise.
The ideas were so polarized, it was as if the happenings at the Rooster Crow Temple involved a split personality, both good and evil.
Wang Linchi didn’t care about the morality of the Rooster Crow Temple. He was only interested in his Secret Realm mission.
"These people are really idle, and these rumors only started appearing in the past couple of days," Wang Linchi commented sarcastically.
Most of the information related to the Rooster Crow Temple came from Black Rain City. After all, so many people had died there just recently that the news couldn’t be suppressed.
This wasn’t Yingzhou, where the Governor possessed remarkable power and could easily suppress news of an entire city’s population perishing.
Eh? Come to think of it, it seems the incident in Qinghe City was just swept under the rug. After all, the entirety of Yingzhou suffered a calamity; there probably aren’t many survivors left in the whole province.
Wang Linchi suddenly thought about the situation in this gigantic Secret Realm.
Just how large is this Secret Realm? How is it that I, an Awakener, haven’t encountered a single other person yet? Wang Linchi wondered.
The Secret Realm enveloped the entirety of Yingzhou. Although Yingzhou had previously become a meat grinder due to the battles between the heretical cults and the Great Families and Sects, there were still survivors.
Ordinary people had virtually no chance of survival. After all, this Secret Realm teemed with Demons and Ghosts. Unless one was fortunate enough to be directly transported into or near a village or town, surviving in the wilds was out of the question.
"Boss, there’s some new information. A member from a village west of Black Rain City reported seeing traces of a small group of bandits, who were allegedly carrying some round objects, suspected to be the monks’ heads," Yan Chuan, the leader of the Mud Gang, hurried back and reported. He acted as if he didn’t mind Wang Linchi usurping his place.
"And then?" Wang Linchi retorted.
"Huh?!" Yan Chuan was somewhat puzzled. With such a lead, shouldn’t Wang Linchi be rushing off to investigate? Why would he ask ’And then?’
"Am I asking you if you have any leads? You wouldn’t just be telling me this without any basis, would you?" Wang Linchi said slowly.
"This... I only heard about it." Yan Chuan hadn’t expected Wang Linchi to say that. Was he really going to dump all the work on him?
"If it’s just hearsay, then go investigate it thoroughly instead of telling me," Wang Linchi said, knowing this fellow harbored ill intentions toward him.
However, it didn’t matter; he also harbored ill intentions toward Yan Chuan.
During this time, Wang Linchi was refining the effects of the Soul Seed Page - Fanciful and Fickle, attempting to change it from an instant detonation to delayed detonation, triggered detonation, and other such methods. His aim was to create something like a time bomb, or perhaps, to put it more elegantly, a Three Corpse Brain Worm Pill.
Anyway, the function was more or less the same: to leave the other party completely baffled.
Initially, Yan Chuan had indeed been diligent, all for the sake of the ’gemstone’.
But recently, he seemed to have gotten involved with certain influential parties in Black Rain City, making him appear restless and eager to make a move.
The likely thought was that if Wang Linchi could give Xu Sui one ’gemstone’ and Yan Chuan half a ’gemstone’, then Wang Linchi must possess even more of them.
How could this not be tempting? Everyone knew Xu Sui had made his fortune relying on that single gemstone; everyone coveted one.
"Fine, fine, I’ll go right away," Yan Chuan said, inwardly fuming. He hadn’t managed to lure Wang Linchi out. Damn it!
If he could just lure Wang Linchi out of the city, there were men waiting on the road with three powerful crossbows and five strong bows. The moment Wang Linchi dared to show himself, they would turn him into a sieve.
But the other party was as steady as a mountain; forget moving from his spot, his backside didn’t even twitch.
As for doing the job honestly? Yan Chuan wanted to. Working for Wang Linchi wasn’t dangerous, and the rewards were substantial.
However, he was helpless against the fact that a prominent figure in Black Rain City had taken an interest in Wang Linchi’s ’gemstone’. This figure was someone Yan Chuan absolutely couldn’t afford to offend. If he dared to disobey, the Mud Gang would need a new leader.
Otherwise, how could he have obtained those powerful crossbows and strong bows?
"Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. I recently acquired something good; I can give it to you as a gift," Wang Linchi said, implying that since Yan Chuan had come, he shouldn’t rush off.
Yan Chuan’s heart tightened; he instantly sensed something was wrong.
"I... I don’t think that’s necessary," he stammered.
"Don’t worry, it’s a good thing that will leave people baffled," Wang Linchi said with a smile. Before Yan Chuan could speak, he had already secretly installed the time-delayed version of Fanciful and Fickle in him. "There, it’s been gifted to you."
"Perform well in the coming days. Remember to find me in seven days, and I’ll help you extend the duration. Otherwise, if that thing in your head explodes, you can only hope to share the same fate as Bi Gan," Wang Linchi stated.
This made Yan Chuan’s face turn deathly pale. This was too vicious! And who on earth was Bi Gan?
"Bi Gan could live without a heart. I wonder if you can live without a brain..." Wang Linchi added thoughtfully for Yan Chuan’s benefit.
"Boss, there’s something I forgot to tell you! In the city..." Yan Chuan blurted out everything about the ambush as if spilling beans.
Don’t ask why he was so forthcoming. It was because when Wang Linchi had just ’tested’ it, Yan Chuan could clearly feel something stirring within his consciousness.
An icy chill, so cold it felt like his brain was about to freeze solid.
This also served as indirect proof that Wang Linchi had indeed planted something in his head.
If Wang Linchi were to meet with some misfortune, and there was no one to help extend the duration for him after seven days, then his own brain would explode, and he would die.
As for the influential figure in the city who held sway over him, Yan Chuan decided to let Wang Linchi worry about that. He wasn’t going to bear that pressure himself.
"In that case, arrange for me to meet him. I’d like to have a good chat with this person," Wang Linchi said.
People need to communicate. A lack of communication easily leads to misunderstandings. Wang Linchi mused. Anyone who dares to cause me trouble will get a time bomb planted on them first.
That was for a situation where they could reach an understanding. If they couldn’t, then naturally, he would send the other party on their way to the afterlife.
He might not be a match for the Dajing Court, but if he couldn’t even handle an ordinary person from a small city within a Secret Realm, wouldn’t his increase in strength have been for nothing?
"Yes, I will definitely bring him to you!" Yan Chuan patted his chest and vowed. This was also for his own benefit; eliminating such a latent threat would allow him to operate more smoothly in Black Rain City.
"Lure him out properly... no, I mean, talk to him nicely. Don’t use force; people like him are used to being pampered," Wang Linchi said, almost misspeaking but correcting himself just in time.
Yan Chuan, of course, pretended not to have heard the slip-up. This man before him looked ordinary and seemed easy to talk to, but in reality, his heart was black. He would kill as he pleased. Even Yan Chuan himself didn’t dare to act so wantonly; when he killed, he still had to be discreet. How could he be as openly brazen as Wang Linchi?