Chapter 24: The Zombie Who Cultivates the Way of the Heavenly Master

Ba Lie said, "Niu Tunan told me that this Practice Method originated from an ancient practitioner who, by chance, stumbled into a mysterious dream realm. There, he observed a mysterious swarm of spiders that fed on the dreams of all living beings and could turn illusions into reality. Inspired by this, he created this method by studying the young spiders within the swarm."

"But I think that ancient cultivator was just bragging. After all, his own Practice Method can't even achieve this. If one could truly turn illusions into reality... it would at least require a connection to those great Immortals and Gods."

"I've digressed. Back to the main point: practitioners must experience ten thousand reincarnations within the dream realm, living various different lives in their dreams. They can cultivate spells there, battle powerful enemies to hone their combat experience, and most of the afflicted domains they descend into are also related to dreams."

"It sounds quite good, but the dream world is far more twisted than reality, completely illogical. Dream creatures possess bizarre abilities, and any harm suffered within it will feedback onto the physical body."

"If one experiences too many lives in the dream, it becomes easy to lose track of which side is real, eventually leading to a mental breakdown or split personality. Therefore, one must be made to wake up frequently to work, creating anchors in the present world."

Jiang Yan agreed with this, after all, a person's understanding of self is largely derived from memory.

Many transmigrators in novels anchor themselves with memories of their past lives, and Immortals reincarnating also awaken the mystery within the womb.

Otherwise, if the soul remains unchanged but this memory is lost, are you still you?

That is a philosophical question.

Experiencing too many lives will eventually blur one's memories, making it impossible to recognize the true self in the end.

"Actually, with his strength nearing the promotion to Seed of the Law, staying at the Jiangnan Province Headquarters would have been sufficient. However, because he frequently enters dreams regardless of the occasion, the higher-ups, to accommodate him, specifically assigned him to the quieter Pan'an Branch. Although the file lists him as Grade Yi Upper, if I believed that, I'd truly be an idiot."

After complaining a bit, Ba Lie spoke to Jiang Yan with grave seriousness:

"This is also what I want to remind you of. Time Walkers can trace back to ancient times, but they must leave enough anchors for themselves in the present world."

"For example, do what you love, do what you want to do, buy what you like, and don't mind being treated like a madman. Time Walkers fear having no desires or demands the most, as this makes them prone to getting lost in the Old Days."

Jiang Yan nodded, thinking of his parents, grandparents, and so on; family was his anchor in the present world.

He did not consider family a burden; on the contrary, they were the valves that maintained his humanity and sanity, preventing him from twisting within the Old Days.

Otherwise,

as the master of the Demon God embryo, the River of History would be the most suitable place for him.

"If there's a chance, I should look for some treasures that extend life," Jiang Yan thought silently.

However, he suddenly realized a problem.

He had only met three people in the branch in total, including Ba Lie, and it seemed none of them were normal.

Ba Lie grows invisible arms on his back and weaves clothes with strange abilities.

Niu Tunan, with his innate ox-and-horse temperament, sleeps anytime and anywhere, experiencing ten thousand reincarnations in his dreams.

Zhao Zhao Yinman, who acts like a human-machine and lacks human feelings.

Moreover, everyone possesses good strength and potential, yet all have problems, big or small. If the remaining few are the same,

is this a Genius Club?

Or a Problem Children's Nursery?

Although there are still three people he hasn't met, Jiang Yan already had a bad feeling in his heart.

'Could it be that I am the only normal one?'

Jiang Yan felt his future was dark, and then asked, "Is Zhao Zhao Yinman's primary cultivation of Talismans a heritage of the Heavenly Master Dao? Why does she feel... a bit strange?"

Could Talismans in this world turn people into human-machines?

"This, I can only tell you, is that she doesn't cultivate Talismans; it's just... auxiliary. As for the specific details, you should ask her yourself."

"However, asking among colleagues is harmless, but absolutely do not ask outsiders. The cultivation path of a Time Walker is a very private matter."

Ba Lie's expression was strange; while speaking, his peripheral vision glanced around, as if searching for something.

"Alright, this is the room you'll stay in. Daily necessities are all included. They were specially produced by the army's factory using a dedicated production line, much more useful than big brands outside."

"I'll add you on WeChat in a moment. If you need anything, just send a message, and I'll bring it over and leave it at the door. It's getting late, so you should rest early."

Ba Lie led Jiang Yan to a door, gave him no chance to speak, handed him a room key, and turned to leave, as if afraid of being targeted by some demon or ghost.

"What's going on?"

Jiang Yan was somewhat confused, but since he had joined the Historical Correction Bureau, there would be plenty of opportunities to learn about supernatural knowledge; there was no rush.

Beep!

After opening the door with the key card, he realized how understated Ba Lie's description of "just getting through the night" was.

The room's size and configuration far exceeded top-tier suites outside. Facilities like a projector and mini-fridge were all present, along with an internal small room serving as a lounge, featuring a huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Pan'an.

Compared to this, the rooms at the Golden Brick Hotel were like thatched huts.

Boom! Boom!

Just as he was preparing to rest, the sound of knocking on the door rang out again.

"Again?"

Jiang Yan opened the door speechlessly, only to find Zhao Zhao Yinman standing outside. However, her original red-and-white Ming-style Hanfu had been replaced by a white nightgown with an orange cat on the chest. She wore small zombie slippers adorned with talismans, revealing Bai Xi's jade-like feet.

Jiang Yan glanced over and finally understood why the ancients always said "big orange is heavy"; it was indeed very... heavy!

She tilted her head, her crimson eyes staring at him:

"Didn't you want to know my cultivation path?"

Are you a human-machine or Skynet?

Where exactly are you hiding? How do you know everything?

Jiang Yan complained silently in his heart, his peripheral vision catching the door to his neighboring room standing open.

Suddenly, he realized the truth.

No wonder Ba Lie looked like a thief with a guilty conscience; it turned out Zhao Zhao Yinman lived next door!

This was being caught red-handed for talking behind someone's back!

"Listen to my excuse, oh no, my explanation..."

To maintain relations with the new colleague, Jiang Yan was just about to brush it off, but chains woven from talismans wrapped around his arm, dragging him directly into the neighboring room.

This means... my son's life is over!

Jiang Yan frowned, just about to urge the other party not to be impulsive, but when he raised his head, the scene before his eyes truly shocked him.

It wasn't overly luxurious, but rather,

"So... simple."

Zhao Zhao Yinman's room had no decoration at all, purely concrete style, with a huge floor-to-ceiling window through which the bright moon could be seen.

All around, including the ceiling, were pasted yellow talisman papers; cinnabar-colored patterns shimmered with a faint glow, providing light.

Dim and silent, like a tomb chamber, yet swept spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust in sight.

Hanging on the walls were various magical tools, such as peach-wood swords, Emperor Bells, copper-coin swords, and compasses.

And in the center of the room stood a specially made coffin crafted from black jade, wrapped in chains of yellow talisman papers; at first glance, it seemed one had stumbled into some ancient sealed place.

The only modern appliance was a sixty-five-inch television in front of the coffin.

"This is my cultivation path."

Zhao Zhao Yinman said earnestly: "Seeing is believing; I would not deceive you."

Sister, you are too honest!

Jiang Yan glanced at the coffin and suddenly understood:

"I get it; you follow the corpse-refining path?"

No wonder Ba Lie was too embarrassed to say it; it turned out Zhao Zhao Yinman's ability was unsuitable for public display and could easily be mistaken for an evil force.

"More or less, but that is my bed."

Zhao Zhao Yinman shook her head, her expression cold, and said:

"I am a Jiangshi."

"Oh, you are..."

Jiang Yan froze, his mind plunged into a storm of thought, nearly crashing.

A Jiangshi who follows the Celestial Master Dao and cultivates talismans???

PS: Extra chapter for monthly tickets!

I owe quite a few extra chapters from the previous book, especially to the Guangdong Scrap Collector Big Shot; here is one to make up for it. Since Black-Haired Bird is working so hard to write, please vote for monthly tickets!





(End of this chapter)