Chapter 28: Manifesting the Divine Before Others
In a small mountain within Jinhuashi.
The forest was lush and green, with frost and dew clinging to the leaves at night, glistening under the moonlight.
Squirrels, reptiles, and rabbits wandered through, licking the dew off the leaves.
Gulu gulu!
A sudden noise startled many animals into flight as a ghostly carriage passed by, trailing a faint glow, vanishing in an instant.
Jiang Yan opened his eyes and looked at the packed crowd. He had thought it was a private transport service, but unexpectedly…
It was an overloaded ride-share!
Thankfully, the interior space was spacious enough not to feel cramped.
Rustling voices of discussion rose.
Some of the people weren’t passengers but vendors preparing to set up stalls. As soon as they boarded, they began introducing their products.
People of Jiangnan, born to hustle, doing business wherever they go!
Among the items were a carp-faced with human features that could treat ulcers, a spirit snake that danced with writhing movements, and red embroidered shoes—also known as refined footwear—that, once worn, allowed one to travel a thousand miles at night even while asleep.
Good grief, all they talked about was how far they could travel—didn’t say a single word about meniscus injuries for the user!
There were all sorts of strange and unusual items, including clothes worn by the Shade of Refugees.
Was this really something a human could do?
Are we sure this wasn’t the work of locusts scraping the land three feet deep?
Among these, one particular item caught Jiang Yan’s attention.
The vendor was a chubby man dressed in tight clothes and wearing a mask, looking like a plump jade-faced mantis. He didn’t seem very old and was promoting a pile of black “stones.”
They were called mountain pills.
Most people might not have heard of them, as they were a type of fasting pill.
A miraculous item recorded in the Qing dynasty’s Ears' Food Record.
It was said that a Daoist once used bamboo-linked rings to open a secret mountain cave and had mountain pills hidden in his sleeves.
These were made using a special method. Once eaten, they would get stuck in the throat but allowed a person to go without food for months.
The military ration pill prototype in comics from that island nation likely had some influence from it.
‘Speaking of which, the island nation’s history originated from the Tianxia cultural sphere. After undergoing local adaptations, it became even more twisted and bizarre. Who knows what it’s like now?’
Jiang Yan felt a bit schadenfreude.
As for the mountain pills, he was somewhat tempted.
After all, he was about to enter a new Diseased Domain. If there was no human food inside and he got trapped for a long time, such an item would come in handy.
He waited patiently for a while and heard the chubby vendor name the price.
Ten thousand per pill.
Heh, it wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it—Jiang Yan simply didn’t like this kind of throat-blocking junk food.
Might as well sneak some military rations from the unit and stash them in the Spirit of the Burial Coffin’s body.
What?
It’s a coffin?
Not suitable for food storage?
What a joke—Jiang Yan treated it like his beloved companion, his most excellent...
Lunchbox!
After all, the shape wasn’t that different.
A person’s corpse could be put in a coffin, so why not a food’s corpse?
“This guy just lacks social experience...”
Jiang Yan looked at the chubby man still enthusiastically promoting the mountain pills and shook his head, completely unaware that quite a few eyes nearby had begun to show malicious intent.
The mountain pills weren’t exactly obscure, and their function wasn’t anything extraordinary. The key point was that in the story, the mountain pills were merely supporting items. The truly valuable ones were the bamboo-linked rings—storage-type items, and the mysterious secret mountain cave!
So...
Jiang Yan suddenly spoke, “Reserve five mountain pills for me. Give them to me after we get off.”
As soon as he spoke, several discontented eyes turned toward him.
It seemed they were displeased with Jiang Yan for snatching their prey.
‘Trying to test my strength?’
Jiang Yan sneered inwardly.
Although their disguises were decent, unfortunately, their Life Lamps had already betrayed their power.
Not even at the Foundation Establishment Stage!
“Hmph!”
Jiang Yan let out a cold snort.
He directly released the killing aura accumulated through hundreds of battles by Commander Lu, contained within the Sanskrit Sword Buddha Arm.
Boom!
The killing intent swept out, making the air in the carriage thick and oppressive.
As if one were standing on a battlefield strewn with corpses.
In an instant,
Silence fell.
One could hear a pin drop.
“Al… alright!” The chubby man was so frightened he shrank like a quail, his voice trembling.
Many of the malicious gazes withdrew sullenly, carrying regret and mockery.
The regret was for not making a move earlier.
The mockery was…
That this chubby man had been targeted by a ruthless one.
Without hundreds of souls on his hands, one could never emit such killing aura.
As for the rule that guests were forbidden from fighting during the Five Madness Dharma Assembly?
Rules were rules, but… there were plenty of ways around them.
Screech!
Accompanied by the sharp braking sound of wheels grinding against the ground, the vehicle jolted and came to a stop.
Outside, the coachman’s voice rang out:
“Dear guests, we’ve arrived at the Five Madness Dharma Assembly.”
The guests in the carriage disembarked in an orderly manner, but Jiang Yan remained seated with his eyes closed, resting.
Meanwhile, the chubby man sat as if on needles, feeling the many sympathetic gazes cast his way.
Once everyone had left, Jiang Yan opened his eyes and said coldly:
“Forget it, I don’t want the mountain pills anymore.”
With that, he stood up, lifted the curtain, and got off the carriage.
What greeted his eyes was a bustling street.
“So this is the Five Madness Dharma Assembly?”
It was like a festive scene from a TV drama.
The houses stood shoulder to shoulder, peddlers hawked their wares everywhere, and the atmosphere was lively beyond measure.
It reminded Jiang Yan of his childhood, going to the fair with his grandfather. He always asked to buy this and that, returning home with arms full…
Only to get scolded by his mother.
At such times, his grandfather would always protect him. Though he was thin and small, in young Jiang Yan’s eyes, he had seemed mightier than the mountains.
“Watch your flames!”
“Fighting is prohibited!”
“If there’s a dispute in the transaction, please head to the center of the Five Madness Dharma Assembly for arbitration!”
But this nostalgic memory was quickly broken by a human-faced owl flying overhead with a lantern, loudly shouting announcements.
Jiang Yan snapped back to reality. Through the perspective of the Ash Lamp, he saw many Mutated Beings hiding among the crowd.
One was even a spirit-turned gecko, selling its own severed tail, blushing as it loudly claimed it to be completely genuine.
But it wasn’t because the Ash Lamp had seen through the illusion—it was simply that the gecko hadn’t hidden the shortened tail well enough.
Clearly, the customer had noticed this and was intentionally bargaining down the price.
“It really is… a mixed bag!”
Jiang Yan stroked his chin.
Although he had expected this, seeing it firsthand still felt a bit discordant.
Then again, it made sense. After all, folk legends were numerous and chaotic, and not all Mutated Beings were bloodthirsty and destructive.
Some herbivorous spirits simply preferred a peaceful environment and order.
For such creatures, the authorities often turned a blind eye.
It had nothing to do with Jiang Yan. He was just here to shop.
“Wait!”
Just as he was about to set off, a voice suddenly came from behind.
Turning his head, it was the chubby man from the carriage earlier.
He came jogging over, panting heavily as he said:
“...Thanks for helping me out, mighty brother. These ten mountain pills are a gift for you.”
He had simply been dazed earlier, lacking social experience, but he wasn’t stupid. Now he had finally realized what had happened.
Back in the carriage, he must have been targeted, and it was this mighty one who had helped him escape a disaster.
“Mm.”
Jiang Yan nodded and accepted the gift without hesitation, taking the other’s gratitude as a matter of course.
Good deeds should be rewarded—this was only natural.
If the other party hadn’t offered a gift?
That would have meant the current criminals were even starting to disguise themselves as victims.
Seeing the gift accepted, the chubby man was overjoyed. Lowering his head, he stammered:
“Um... can I ask mighty brother to accompany me around the market? I’d like to ask for your protection, to show me the world. Of course, I’ll pay you...”
His father had told him that growing up meant learning to be independent.
When dealing with outstanding people, one had to show sincerity.
And what was sincerity?
Naturally, it was money!
So he had secretly taken the invitation and come alone to the Five Madness Dharma Assembly to do business. Now, he was even actively spending money to befriend a hero.
He was an adult now!
A long time passed with no response.
The chubby man thought maybe he hadn’t clearly stated how much he’d pay and that the other was dissatisfied. Just as he raised his head to speak—
He realized...
Jiang Yan had already disappeared.
On the other side,
Jiang Yan didn’t care about this small episode and strolled casually down the street, curiously looking around.
The reason he had gotten involved in someone else’s karma was simply that the guy seemed decent—probably not a bad person—so he helped, just like that.
But that didn’t mean... he enjoyed getting entangled with others.
Every choice people made was another thread in the web of karma.
Since the chubby man had come to the Five Madness Dharma Assembly alone, he would have to bear the consequences.
Jiang Yan had no interest in being someone’s babysitter.