Chapter 24: The Zombie Who Cultivates the Celestial Master Path!
Ba Lie said, "Niu Tunan told me that this cultivation method originated from an ancient cultivator who, by a twist of fate, accidentally entered a mysterious dream realm and observed a mysterious cluster of spiders that fed on the dreams of all beings and could refine falsehood into truth, inspiring him to create this method by watching the young spiders."
But I think that ancient cultivator was just bragging—after all, even his cultivation method couldn’t achieve that.
If it truly could refine falsehood into truth… then at the very least it would need to be connected to those mighty immortals and deities.
I digress—back to the main point.
Cultivators must experience countless reincarnations within dreams, living out various lives in their dreams.
They can practice spells inside, hone their combat skills by battling powerful enemies, and even most of the invading Sick Domains are related to dreams.
It sounds great, but dream worlds are far more twisted and illogical than reality.
The abilities of dream creatures are bizarre, and the injuries suffered within will also reflect on the physical body.
If one experiences too many lifetimes in dreams, it becomes difficult to distinguish which side is real, eventually leading to mental collapse or dissociation.
That’s why he must frequently wake up to work, creating anchor points in the real world.
Jiang Yan agreed with this, after all, much of one's self-awareness comes from memory.
Many transmigrators in novels rely on memories of their past lives to ground themselves.
Even reincarnated immortals awaken the mystery within the womb.
Otherwise, if your soul hasn’t changed but you've lost those memories—are you still you?
That’s a philosophical question.
Living through too many lives will ultimately blur one's memories, rendering one unable to recognize the true self.
"Honestly, with his strength on the verge of advancing to the Law Seed Stage, just staying at the Jiangnan Provincial Headquarters would suffice, but because he often falls into dreams without regard for timing or place, the higher-ups specially reassigned him to the more laid-back Pan’an branch."
"Although the file says he’s Grade B+, I’d be a real fool if I believed that."
Ba Lie muttered a few complaints, then said to Jiang Yan with a heavy tone:
"This is also what I want to remind you of—History Walkers can trace back to the ancient past, but they must leave enough anchor points in the present world."
"For example, loved ones, or things you want to do—just go and do them."
"Buy the things you like. It’s okay even if people see you as a lunatic."
"A History Walker's greatest fear is having no desires or pursuits, for that makes it easier to get lost in the days of old."
Jiang Yan nodded, thinking of his parents, grandparents, and so on.
His family was his anchor in the real world.
He never thought of family as a burden—on the contrary, they were the valve that helped him maintain his humanity and sanity, preventing him from becoming twisted in the ancient past.
Otherwise,
As the master of the Dark God Embryo, the long river of history would be the place that suited him most.
"I should look for some longevity treasures if I get the chance," Jiang Yan thought to himself.
But then, he suddenly realized a problem.
In this entire branch office, he had only met three people so far, including Ba Lie, and none of them seemed normal.
Ba Lie’s back could grow invisible arms that wove strange, ability-infused clothing.
Niu Tunan, with his innate “ox-horse” aura, constantly napping anytime and anywhere, experiencing countless reincarnations in his dreams.
And Zhao Yinman, like a humanoid machine, devoid of human emotion.
Each of them possessed strong abilities and potential, but all had some kind of issue, big or small.
If the remaining members were like this too—
Was this a genius club?
Or a daycare for problem children?
Though he hadn’t met the other three yet, Jiang Yan already had a bad feeling in his heart.
‘Could it be that I’m the only normal one?’
Jiang Yan felt his future was clouded in darkness, then asked, "Zhao Yinman’s main practice is talismans—does that mean she inherits the Celestial Master Path? Why does she… feel kind of off?"
Do talismans in this world actually turn people into human machines?
"That—I can only tell you that she doesn’t cultivate talismans per se. It’s just… an auxiliary method. As for the details, you’ll have to ask her yourself."
"Asking among colleagues is no big deal, but whatever you do, don’t ask outsiders."
"A History Walker’s cultivation path is a very private matter."
Ba Lie’s expression turned strange, and as he spoke, his eyes darted around as if searching for something.
"Alright, this is your room. All your daily necessities are inside—our internal factory bought a special production line for this, and it’s way better than those big-name brands outside."
"I’ll add you on WeChat in a bit. If you need anything, just message me. I’ll drop it off at your door. It’s getting late, so get some rest."
Ba Lie brought Jiang Yan to a door, handed him the keycard without giving him a chance to speak, and turned to leave, as if afraid of being targeted by some ghost or monster.
"What’s going on?"
Jiang Yan was a bit confused, but now that he had joined the Bureau of Historical Revision, there would be plenty of chances to learn extraordinary knowledge—there was no rush.
Beep!
After opening the door with the key card, he finally understood what Ba Lie meant by “just enough for one night”—how understated that was.
The room’s size and furnishings far surpassed the top-tier suites outside.
It came with a projector, mini fridge, and all kinds of amenities.
There was even a small built-in room serving as a lounge, featuring a huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Pan’an.
Compared to this, the rooms at the Gold Brick Hotel were like thatched huts.
Dong! Dong!
Just as he was about to rest, knocking sounded at the door again.
“Again?”
Jiang Yan opened the door speechlessly, only to find Zhao Yinman standing outside.
Her red-and-white Ming-style hanfu had been replaced by a white nightdress.
On her chest was an orange cat design.
She wore a pair of little zombie slippers with talismans stuck on them, revealing her fair jade feet.
Jiang Yan glanced at her and finally understood why the ancients always said "big orange cats are the heaviest"—it was indeed… heavy!
She tilted her head, her crimson eyes staring at him.
“Weren’t you curious about my cultivation path?”
Are you a humanoid machine or Skynet?
Where are you hiding? How do you know everything?
Jiang Yan complained inwardly, and caught sight of the door to the adjacent room—his neighbor’s—standing wide open.
In an instant, he understood.
No wonder Ba Lie looked so guilty—Zhao Yinman lived right next door!
He’d been caught badmouthing someone behind their back!
“Let me explain—no, I mean, defend myself…”
Trying to preserve the relationship with his new colleague, Jiang Yan was about to smooth things over, when chains woven from talismans wrapped around his arms and dragged him straight into the adjacent room.
This was… the end for his son!
Jiang Yan frowned and was about to urge her to calm down, but when he looked up, the sight that greeted him truly stunned him.
Not because it was overly luxurious, but rather—
“So… simple.”
Zhao Yinman’s room had no decorations, just a bare concrete aesthetic and a huge floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the bright moon.
Yellow talismans were plastered all over the walls, even the ceiling, with cinnabar lines glowing faintly and providing illumination.
Dim and silent, the place resembled a tomb, but it was immaculately clean—no trace of dust in sight.
The walls were hung with all kinds of magical tools, including a peach wood sword, an imperial bell, a coin sword, and a compass.
In the center of the room sat a special coffin made of black jade, wrapped tightly in talisman chains—at first glance, it looked like an ancient sealed ground.
The only modern appliance was the 65-inch TV in front of the coffin.
“This is the path of my cultivation.”
Zhao Yinman said seriously, “Seeing is believing. I won’t lie to you.”
Sis, you’re way too honest!
Jiang Yan looked at the coffin and suddenly realized:
“I get it now—you practice corpse refinement?”
No wonder Ba Lie was reluctant to explain—Zhao Yinman’s abilities weren’t exactly easy to bring up in public, as they could easily be mistaken for the work of an evil faction.
“Close, but that’s my bed.”
Zhao Yinman shook her head, her expression calm and cold, and said:
“I’m a zombie.”
“Oh, you’re a…”
Jiang Yan was stunned, his mind going into a processing storm—he nearly crashed.
A zombie who walks the Celestial Master Path and cultivates talismans???
…
…