Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 904 When the Past and Present Meet, Surprisingly, Those Who Come After
Looking at the many treasures in front of him, Xiao Ran did not, as the old man had predicted, impatiently leave his handprint on the iron block.

He simply sat down, calmly nodded, and looked as if he understood.

Seeing this, the old man cast a strange look at Xiao Ran and walked up to her with the wine in his hand.

"What, do you lack self-confidence?"

Xiao Ran smiled, picked up the wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine."

After praising the wine, Xiao Ran held up the empty wine cup in his hand, looked the old man up and down, and said with narrowed eyes, "Your skills are superb, but your stories are not very good."

The old man was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Xiao Ran with some surprise.

Xiao Ran remained silent, then with a flick of his wrist, a piece of joss paper flew out of his hand. The joss paper instantly burned in mid-air, turning into a rolling gust of cold wind that enveloped the iron stone.

The seemingly ordinary iron stone absorbed all of the Yin Wind Technique in an instant.

The malevolent energy contained within this joss paper can corrode even gold, let alone iron, creating several holes in it.

But not a single mark was left on the iron stone.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran laughed and said, "If I were to slap it, I'm afraid it would be completely sucked clean."

The old man, whose thoughts had been exposed, was not angry but pleased. He turned around and sat down in front of Xiao Ran: "Good, for so many years, I thought that the arts of magic outside had been extinct and there was no one to carry on the tradition. Today, finally, someone who knows the way has come."

As he spoke, the old man picked up the wine bottle and poured the wine himself.

As the liquor was poured into the glass, the originally delicious drink began to emit green smoke, and a series of boiling bubbles came from the cup.

"Young brother, let me offer you a toast."

With a flick of his finger, the old man sent the wine cup flying toward Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran raised her hand, palm down, and slammed the wine glass onto the table. She glanced around and immediately understood.

This tavern may look simple, but the tables, chairs, and benches are all arranged according to the art of suppressing evil. If someone who doesn't know its true nature enters, it's like stepping onto the threshold of the King of Hell's palace, and they probably won't even know how they died.

"What's wrong, young man? Do you feel the wine isn't hot enough?"

Seeing that Xiao Ran was covering the wine cup with her hand, the old man urged her with a smile.

"Hot wine warms the stomach. In this freezing weather, a cup of hot wine is the best way to warm up. But without food, it's just too bland."

"There's food!"

Upon hearing this, the old man flicked his long sleeves, and seven dishes and a bowl of meat soup flew out of his sleeves, about to land on the table in the shape of the Big Dipper.

But just then, Xiao Ran's other hand moved even faster, grabbing the chopsticks from the chopstick holder on the table with lightning speed.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Before the dishes could even settle, Xiao Ran had already planted the chopsticks on the table, lifting the dishes high. At the same time, she held three chopsticks in her fingers like spies, twisting and turning them to create a stump on the table, holding the last soup dish high in the air.

"Haha, with you keeping me company, sir, I'm just offering this as a token of my appreciation."

Xiao Ran grinned.

"you!!"

The old man's eyes widened. He had intended to use Xiao Ran to suppress the evil spirits again, but Xiao Ran turned the tables and used chopsticks to create a jar. The seven or eight dishes that the old man had thrown out were instead used by Xiao Ran to suppress the evil spirits.

Now, instead of finding a safe haven, he has harmed himself and become a victim of the situation.

This move truly caught the old man off guard.

He looked at Xiao Ran in surprise: "Young man, who is your master, and who is your teacher?"

"The plum blossoms in the snow are beautiful, but the white bones beneath the trees are stark. Seeking the path, there is no end in sight, only the people in the white village house."

"Sigh~~"

The old man took a deep breath, frowned, and pondered silently.

Plum Blossom Village?
What is this place?
Never heard of it?
He knew a great deal about the arts and techniques of the world, such as the Bai family of the Central Plains, the Gao family of the Northern Plains, the Sanmao Daoists, the Lushan School, the Shenxiao School, and so on.
But I've never heard of a place called Plum Blossom Village.

It's not that the old man is seldom savvy; rather, it's that he doesn't know that magic is inherently a rootless, drifting thing. Most of the sects and monasteries he knows are fleeting, flourishing only to decline and eventually disappear from the world.

After that, the arts of magic and Taoism fell into obscurity and remained dormant for a long time.

Until the Plum Blossom Taoist appeared out of nowhere, one lineage was passed down to four branches, laying the foundation for the four major Yin practices.

Logically speaking, Plum Blossom Taoist was absolutely qualified and capable; in fact, according to the original plan, he should have arrived long ago, after the Ming-Qing transition.

But Plum Blossom Taoist had no intention of going down this path. He simply buried himself and sealed off Plum Blossom Manor, making him impossible for ghosts and gods to find from then on.

For the next three hundred years, although the Four Yin Paths were passed down, its power gradually declined. In the new era, just as Plum Blossom Taoist said, when the method was exhausted, it returned to its origin. It was only through a series of coincidences that it came to Xiao Ran.

Although one day here is equivalent to a year outside.

But after all this time, no outstanding new talents have emerged in the field of magic, and the old man naturally had no idea why.

But none of that matters.

Right now, he's also eager to know just how far this kid's methods can go.

"Now that all the snacks are ready, young man, please."

The old man stared at Xiao Ran with a smile.

Now that the food and drinks are all ready, it's time for you to drink this glass of wine.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Now that you have taken your seat, it is only right that I offer you a toast."

The old man sneered, "Hmph, but there aren't any extra cups on this table."

But before he could finish speaking, Xiao Ran held out his hand, revealing half of the wine cup. He flicked it with his finger, and the wine cup split in two, flying towards the old man.

The glass broke in two, yet not a drop of the liquor inside leaked out.

"please!"

Xiao Ran picked up the remaining half-cup of wine, raised her hand, and drank the wine in one gulp.

This green wine, once tasted, is like a deadly poison.

But then Xiao Ran turned his head to the side, opened his mouth and casually spat out a gust of black wind, which was the spirit-damaging wind. The black wind went straight out of the window and dyed the white snow outside into a dark green.

"Ok?"

The old man looked at him strangely, and he immediately recognized the method Xiao Ran used as Hu Jiaxian'er's magic.

Seeing this, he sneered inwardly, thinking that Xiao Ran was nothing more than a wild cultivator with a wide range of skills.

He immediately raised his glass, ready to give this kid a hard time.

But as soon as he raised his glass, the wine inside turned black at a visible speed, and a putrid stench emanated from it.

The old man's expression changed, and he quickly made a hand seal, exhaling a wisp of breeze, intending to blow the black water gushing from the cup towards Xiao Ran.

Unexpectedly, this black water was no ordinary black water, but rather the transformed corpse pool of Xiao Ran, with endless mysteries. Before the cold wind could blow out, iron chains extended from the corpse water, the iron chains resembling sticks, striking down on the head.

With a loud "bang!", the old man grimaced in pain.

Before the wind could even escape his mouth, he was drenched in black water.

"Grandpa, why did you spill all that wine on your face?"

Xiao Ran teased with a smile.

The old man covered his head with one hand and wiped the black corpse fluid off his face with the other, looking at Xiao Ran with a gloomy expression.

"Grandpa, don't just drink alcohol, eat some food, eat some food."

Xiao Ran pointed to the dishes in front of her and said.

As the old man watched Xiao Ran smiling and pointing at the dishes, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

These seven dishes and one soup, seemingly delicacies, actually conceal a deadly trap. Each dish corresponds to a vital organ in the human body. Guided by the power of the Big Dipper, whoever eats a particular dish will experience excruciating pain in that corresponding organ, as if pierced by an invisible nail.

When a battle of wits escalates to this point, it becomes purely a battle of ruthlessness.

Faced with Xiao Ran's hospitality, the old man, though his face darkened, had no choice but to glare at Xiao Ran and say, "Fine! This old man will eat with you to the very end today!"

He was the first to pick up his chopsticks, spotted a piece of braised pork, and shoved it into his mouth, all the while staring intently at Xiao Ran.

Almost the instant the old man chewed and swallowed, Xiao Ran's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if an invisible iron claw had gripped her heart tightly, and a sharp pain instantly spread.

However, Xiao Ran's smile did not diminish at all. Instead, she calmly stretched out her chopsticks, precisely picked up the stir-fried vegetables on the left, and put them into her mouth without hesitation.

"Ugh!" The old man's body trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale instantly, as if his liver had been ripped open by a sharp blade. The pain was so intense that he almost vomited up the meat he had just eaten, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Xiao Ran, however, seemed completely unaffected, continuing to chew slowly and deliberately.

"Sir, the taste is good, but it's a little undercooked." Xiao Ran even commented, then picked up a spoon and took a sip of the soup.

"puff!"

The old man suddenly clutched his chest and coughed violently, feeling as if his lungs were being pierced by countless fine needles. Each breath was accompanied by a tearing pain, and even a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He immediately picked up his chopsticks and stuffed them into his mouth.

At this point, the contest had become entirely a test of willpower and endurance.

Every time the old man ate a dish, Xiao Ran would return the favor with an even faster one.

For a moment, the small tavern was filled only with the old man's heavy breathing, suppressed groans, and the occasional soft clatter of cups and plates.

As the old man ate, cold sweat began to pour down his forehead, and he was starting to feel the strain.

He felt his stomach churning and cramping unbearably. Then, an indescribable, excruciating pain, as if emanating from the depths of his bone marrow, erupted from his kidneys, causing his vision to blur and his whole body to tremble violently.

Looking at Xiao Ran again, this guy seemed completely unaffected from beginning to end, his expression calm, even chewing his food slowly and politely, showing no signs of injury whatsoever. "Stop! Stop!!"

The old man could no longer hold on and suddenly waved his hand to stop.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran put down her chopsticks and glanced sideways at the old man.

He slumped in the chair, his face ashen, his body drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

"Cough cough cough..."

The old man coughed violently, finally managing to catch his breath. His voice was hoarse and choked with sobs: "What...what kind of magic did you use? I've never seen it before!"

Xiao Ran calmly put down her wine glass and slowly stood up.

"Old man, the arts of magic are unpredictable, and victory or defeat hinges on a single thought. Your method of suppressing evil is indeed brilliant, but you've forgotten..."

As Xiao Ran spoke, she reached out and gently lifted a corner of the hem of her outer robe, revealing what lay beneath.

Beneath the robes, instead of flesh and blood organs, were paper replicas of internal organs!
It has heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, stomach, and intestines—all the organs are present.

At this moment, however, it appears to be covered in holes, clearly indicating that all the damage has been replaced by these paper-mache internal organs.

"The arts of magic are unpredictable and ever-changing, but in the end, they are just illusions."

Xiao Ran spoke calmly, as if stating something perfectly ordinary.

The old man's eyes widened, and his expression shifted from shock, confusion, and resentment to eventual relief.

He was still pondering what Xiao Ran had just said.

Although it is full of irony, it also reveals the root of magic and why magic is difficult to be considered refined.

To put it bluntly, it's all a smokescreen.

This profound skill is simply a matter of whether your illusions can deceive people or even Heaven.

This is why many spells can be easily broken once the key to them is known.

"I originally thought that the art of magic had declined, and I was unwilling to accept that. So I set up a trap here, waiting for people to pass by, in order to take the opportunity to cut off their hopes. I never expected that magicians would ultimately be defeated by magicians."

The old man stood up and bowed deeply to Xiao Ran with utmost respect.

He was obsessed with magic and Taoist arts.

He felt that all the changes in the world were due to the use of the right techniques, and that he could easily control them.

Just like this tavern, within its small space, one can kill without leaving a trace, and even seize another's abilities for one's own use.

Unexpectedly, after waiting for ten years, they discovered that no one in later generations had climbed the mountain to practice magic.

He once asked someone about it, and everyone who heard it was disgusted. Some even made outrageous remarks, saying that such a superficial skill was not worthy of climbing mountains.

This incident deeply affected the old man, and in his despair, he opened a tavern here.

Since he had no one to follow him, he simply decided to let others give up on the idea as well.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran's appearance today completely refreshed my understanding and values.

"You're too kind, sir. I dare not accept such praise. May I ask your name?"

Xiao Ran quickly dodged to the side.

"I am Gu Zongsheng."

Gu...

Xiao Ran pondered for a moment.

He thought of his mistress, Madam Dongzhu, who also had the surname Gu.

The Taishan stone in his hand also came from the Gu family.

He was immediately startled, thinking to himself, "It is said that all the world's most powerful and powerful magicians come from the Gu family. Could this old man in front of me be the ancestor of the Gu family?"

The more Xiao Ran thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense; one day here is equivalent to a year outside.

This person waited here for ten years, while outside, three thousand years had passed.

She truly is the matriarch of the Gu family.

"So you are the patriarch of the Gu family. I am a junior of the Plum Blossom Path. My apologies for my disrespect."

Xiao Ran said very politely.

"Oh dear, I am ashamed. This place is a dog-eat-dog world, with high mountains and dangerous roads. Those who are capable are first, regardless of seniority."

Although the two exchanged blows, it was nothing serious, just a minor skirmish.

Now that the outcome is decided, the Gu family patriarch dispelled the spells, brought out some hot wine, and sat down with Xiao Ran to discuss the art of magic.

The Gu family patriarch generously taught Xiao Ran his entire family's curse-suppressing techniques.

Xiao Ran even took out the "Suppressing Scripture" to give the Gu family patriarch some pointers, only to discover that many parts of it had been altered.

"These idiots, how could they arbitrarily alter things? No wonder they're all so unambitious!"

Looking at the contents of the scripture, the Gu family patriarch shook his head and sighed.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran dismissed the idea and told him that the Gu family had actually been passed down for a thousand years into the new era, making them a large family with a thousand-year history.

However, in the last generation, a spendthrift son squandered all the family fortune.

"Here, here, we can't do this. It may seem that the power has increased, but the dangers are far greater."

The Gu family patriarch pointed out the flaws in the curse techniques recorded in the scriptures to Xiao Ran.

Once the secrets of a technique are revealed, it is a path to death.

The guidance from the Gu family patriarch greatly inspired Xiao Ran, giving her a deeper understanding of her curse-casting techniques.

Xiao Ran reciprocated the favor.

He could tell that the Gu family patriarch was very interested in his methods.

Xiao Ran is also open to sharing her knowledge in this regard.

He skillfully points out the subtleties of the four Yin arts and demonstrates them effortlessly.

This astonished the Gu family patriarch.

"I used to know that this art was the way to obtain the heavens, but I never thought that the changes within it would actually benefit the country and its people."

The emergence of the Four Yin Elements may not have been beneficial to the country and its people, but it certainly propelled the development of the times.

Especially at funerals.

The widespread use of paper has replaced many things.

In particular, the practice of burying people alive with the dead.

Before the advent of paper figures, although terracotta figurines were used as burial objects, they were very expensive and ordinary people could not afford them.

Those wealthy and powerful families, while using terracotta figurines, would inevitably bury several maids and servants with them, and even golden boys and jade girls would be included.

Even official bans cannot truly stop this kind of thing.

Especially for princes and monarchs, who would dare to stand up and say anything when a few maids and servants were buried with them?

It wasn't until burning paper money became widespread that funerary sacrifices were truly eradicated.

It's not because those powerful and wealthy families are kind-hearted.

Instead, they felt that the ancestors were more likely to receive the intangible things like burning paper money.

After a brief exchange, the two...

Xiao Ran also inquired about the boat town.

At this point, the old man from the Gu family sighed.

He told Xiao Ran that this boat town was actually a town where people who failed to reach the summit spontaneously stayed and lived.

"At the top of that mountain, a hundred-mile-long divine peak guards the entrance. We have no way to go up the mountain, so we can only spend the rest of our lives here."

At this point, the elderly Gu family member couldn't help but sigh.

If you're talking about going down the mountain, they've tried it before.

One day here is equivalent to a year outside. If they were inside the Changbai Mountains, they would be fine, but if they left the Changbai Mountains, they would be gone and turned to dust in an instant.

It's Baili Shenfeng again!

Xiao Ran heard this name again, even though she had seen the appearance of Baili Shenfeng in Baili Xingdou's messy memories.

However, I have never actually seen Baili Shanfeng make a move. This huge town has a small population, but everyone there is a master among masters, or even a chosen one who leads an era.

They were all defeated by Baili Mountain Peak.

"Young brother, your mastery of magic has already surpassed mine, but don't blame me for pouring cold water on your enthusiasm. With your current strength, you are far from being able to defeat Baili Shenfeng. If you were to reach the summit now, I'm afraid..."

The Gu family patriarch stopped there and didn't say anything more.

"Been taught a lesson."

Xiao Ran clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and stood up: "Although it was just a fleeting encounter, I have already benefited greatly. Take care, senior."

The Gu family patriarch clasped his hands in a respectful gesture: "The predecessors built the bridge for the successors to cross; the Yangtze River's waves push the previous waves forward. Young brother, when we meet again, we are overjoyed to see those who come after us, and our wishes have been fulfilled. Please!!"

(End of this chapter)