Yefutidaolu

Chapter 238 Contrast
The world in my dreams.

Or rather... the Desire Realm.

Gao Jian once obtained a cultivation technique in this world. This technique was very peculiar and could directly open the Divine Gate without requiring any prior acupoints.

This was obtained in a dream, when Gao Jian first touched upon the 'spirit of the rusty knife,' and the entire dream world trembled. It was delivered by an intruder in the manner of 'offering tribute.' (See Chapters 154 and 156 for details.)
Even now, Gao Jian doesn't know the name of this technique, its origin, its background, or how it works. He only knows that it was given to him by a strange person in his dream.

Gao Jian had always been interested in that dream world, but without the help of nightmares or dream interpretation, he was just a martial artist and could not enter the Desire Realm alone.

Therefore, he was actually keeping a close eye on all sorts of news from the Desire Realm.

For example...now.

After Dansha was swindled, Gao Jian's initial plan was simply to catch the swindler, teach her a lesson, get her to return the money, and then hand her over to the authorities. That would be about it.

There's no need to kill someone; handle it as it should be handled.

Of course, entering the government offices... doesn't necessarily lead to a good end. The government offices of the Divine Dynasty are clearly not places that uphold justice. Once inside, being skinned alive is the bare minimum, and whether you can come out alive depends on luck.

But if you've become a scammer, you should be prepared to get caught.

Gao Jian originally thought that under these circumstances, he would not allow Dan Sha to clear the waterway, or even use his status as a member of the Imperial Academy to suppress these swindlers.

But... after that, Takami realized something was wrong.

The opponent was using illusion magic.

It is an illusion.

There's nothing special about this. Different kinds of cultivation techniques have different effects, so it's not surprising that people in the capital city have one or two such techniques.

However... Gao Jian, watching their chase from behind, discovered that Dan Sha couldn't see through those illusions.

Yes, even though Dan Sha is clearly at the sixth level, he can't see the errors in those illusions!

Cinnabar's cultivation level is actually higher than Gao Jian's. Cinnabar's six realms mainly involve opening the three acupoints of Qi and the three acupoints of Shen, which happen to be able to distinguish the two types of illusions.

Logically speaking, cinnabar should be able to restrain this swindler.

But she was still deceived.

Not only was she deceived, but she was also manipulated by illusions. Moreover, Ye Qingmu was extremely confident in her illusions and even mocked Dansha halfway through the journey, which made Dansha furious and cause a scene in the street. If it weren't for Gao Jian, Dansha would have been arrested by the patrol officers long ago.

This allowed Gao Jian to discover the other party's problem.

Ordinary divine illusions or qi illusions could not escape Dan Sha's eyes, so there must be something else that is blinding Dan Sha!
Therefore, he acquiesced to Dansha using his name to clear the waterway.

So he took the initiative to chase after them, and in doing so, Gao Jian discovered that... these illusions were actually full of flaws.

Gao Jian could clearly see the problems with these illusions, so when he was surrounded by those talisman-covered Taoist boys, he easily found the flaws. He not only broke through the talisman's disguise, but also used the puppet silk to cut off Ye Qingmu's finger.

So...why?

The same illusion, when applied to Gao Jian, was easily seen through, but Dan Sha was deceived.

Was it because of his superior insight and intelligence? He didn't think so.

So Gao Jian began to search for the reason in the pursuit.

Fortunately, he found it quickly.

He realized it was because the structure of these illusions... seemed somewhat familiar.

If you look closely, you'll find that although it's an illusion, it contains some inexplicable influences on the mind.

The source of this influence... seems to be somewhat similar to the method he used to open the gates of divinity.

So, Gao Jian immediately perked up!
In a split second, he made his decision!

Gao Jian's mind then began to work at lightning speed.

This is a fraudster, and such fraudsters are rarely found alone.

Moreover, even if she were alone, it's unlikely she would be 'obscure and unknown'. In some underground circles, a fourth-level expert who uses such illusionary tricks would definitely have some reputation.

If you can catch the other person, then catch them; if you can't, then go to these places to look for them.

Clearly, Gao Jian failed to catch his opponent. The opponent was fast and knew the way well, which was really annoying. Even if Gao Jian calculated faster than his opponent and knew the operation of the capital in advance, he really couldn't outrun his opponent when navigating those narrow alleys and various terrains.

But... it doesn't matter anyway.

If you continue down, at this point in time, the area below will definitely be Xuanwu District.

Upon arriving in Xuanwu District, Gao Jian immediately concluded that this area was a den of thieves!
This is Weisu.

The constellation of Wei (危) contains a tomb, a house, a hollow beam, celestial coins, a person, a pestle, a mortar, a cart, a maker, and a celestial hook.

The four stars of Xuliang are located south of Wei, and are associated with the main garden, mausoleum, and temple.

Heavenly money is the repository of all wealth and silk; theft will occur there. If comets or celestial bodies invade it, the treasury will be robbed.

The four stars of the Tomb, located in the south of the Danger Palace, govern mountains, tombs, tragedy, death, and weeping; they represent matters of weeping for the ruler.

The three stars of the pestle are located to the east of the human star. If they are not complete, then the people will sell cooking pots and pans.

The four stars of the Mortar constellation are below the Pestle constellation, or, according to another account, east of the Danger constellation. If the Pestle and Mortar constellations are not clearly visible, the people will suffer from famine; if the stars are numerous, the year will be prosperous; if they are sparse, famine will occur; if they are swaying, famine will also occur.

Of course, that's not all.

Right next to the Dipper constellation in the Xuanwu district are the Nine Stars of Tianbian. Bian, also written as Bian, is located north of Jianxing. It represents the head of the market officials, in charge of listing the affairs of shops, markets, and market registers, so as to know the treasures of the market. When the Ming Dynasty is prosperous, all things flourish.

With this comparison, even a fool could tell what kind of place Xuanwu District really is...

This place is a marketplace, a place where money, various things, and... a place where some dynamic social groups gather.

Given that the other party took the initiative to go to Xuanwu District, and considering her identity, Gao Jian could roughly deduce Ye Qingmu's situation.

Next, Gao Jian quickly landed in Xuanwu District.

What followed was a matter of course.

Find the petty thief, then ask the swindler. The four realms of Qi Illusion are easy to find.

The thief originally had no intention of speaking and was prepared to "die rather than submit".

That's normal. After all, for them, revealing their hideout might lead to something worse than death. Besides, these petty thieves also have a bit of 'loyalty' about them.

But all of this crumbled after Gao Jian revealed his identity.

Because they know that persisting is pointless.

Their superior status was enough to reduce all their loyalty and reserve to dust; the person before them was... a student of the Imperial Academy.

A single sentence could bring down the gang behind them, and many powerful families would be vying to do it. So, that's how it is.

When Gao Jian saw the other party again, he deliberately used that method to put pressure on him so that the other party would completely lose the will to resist.

At this point, if you ask about the 'desire realm' again...

You can then see Ye Qingmu's current expression.

Ye Qingmu's expression was quite interesting.

Fear, horror, longing, doubt, relief, despair, tension, relaxation... all sorts of emotions, even contradictory ones, were expressed on one face.

It's hard to describe her expression right now; she still maintains her pitiful, groveling demeanor. However, certain inherent qualities within her, such as cowardice, cunning, baseness, and slyness, are beginning to waver.

The words "Desire Realm" clearly shattered all of Ye Qingmu's composure. Even the slightest virtues like "bad guys should have family" or "loyalty to the boss" were completely forgotten at this moment.

Ye Qingmu raised her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and said, "My lord... is it because of this?"

“Yes, I already know your background. You were able to go from an orphan to a fourth-realm cultivator, and you also have an illusion technique that is considered a unique skill even underground. Is that why you are here?” Gao Jian asked.

Gao Jian has a very clear understanding of how to rise from the bottom in this world.

The various hardships and obstacles along the way are countless. The Divine Dynasty has artificially constructed countless "smooth roads" and various obstacles on the path of the rise of rogue cultivators, all in order to prevent them from gaining power.

Standardized cultivation methods allow any independent cultivator with spare money to obtain their own cultivation method. However, these methods are all 'castrated versions', an extremely cheap method that can easily cut off the path of independent cultivators.

Many jobs offer high pay and allow for a luxurious lifestyle, but the workers are just a little short of being able to afford the necessary supplies for their spiritual practice.

They have a social status higher than ordinary people, yet they bow down to true spiritual practitioners with powerful backers.

All of this is for the benefit of independent cultivators, ordinary practitioners with no background.

Give them enough but not too much food and clothing, numb them with jobs that are just right, and erase their future with 'weak but easy' techniques.

However, if a truly resolute, incredibly lucky, and exceptionally talented rogue cultivator were to emerge, then all that would be needed is to absorb them into one's own system.

Once they become one of us, they're no longer independent cultivators.

The Divine Dynasty used a sophisticated method to suppress the advancement paths of cultivators outside of the Great Immortal Sects and aristocratic families.

In this state, Ye Qingmu was still able to cultivate to the fourth realm, and the cultivation method she used was nothing special. She must have had a fortuitous encounter, which was the Desire Realm.

Previously, Gao Jian was not sure, and only came with the idea of ​​taking a chance.

Now, he is absolutely certain that Ye Qingmu's cultivation technique comes from the Desire Realm.

Ye Qingmu's expression gradually calmed down, and she tentatively asked, "My lord, you... are you also?"

“Let’s not talk about that for now.” Gao Jian shook his head, then stood up and said to the large group of energetic social figures surrounding him, “By the way, everyone can leave now. I want to treat her to a meal, so I hope you won’t make things difficult for me.”

"No problem, no problem." The old man behind suddenly brightened up, and the atmosphere around him immediately relaxed.

Everyone thought this young master was there to cause trouble.

I never expected... that this would be the case?
The energetic social groups quickly dispersed, leaving in a tacit agreement, all somewhat relieved.

There's no need to kill Ye Qingmu, nor to fall out with Gao Jian.

But at this moment, Dansha looked unhappy and glanced at Gao Jian.

Gao Jian winked at her.

Dansha tilted her head and said directly, "I don't understand, just tell me."

Gao Jian was taken aback.

Uh... that seems to be true.

How well do you need to understand each other with just a glance?

So he abandoned this method of communication and said instead, "That's true, I really can't understand by giving her a look. Let's just say it directly. Don't rush me. Let me finish asking you about the matter first, and then I'll leave her to you to handle."

Ye Qingmu got goosebumps.

She immediately bowed her head, then took out the money she had on her and respectfully handed it to Dansha: "I was blind and did not recognize your greatness. I have offended you. Here is 2,264 gold coins, which is my life savings. Please accept this as compensation. I beg you to have mercy."

As she spoke, Ye Qingmu placed the money on the ground and kowtowed three times, breaking the floor tiles. Then, she crawled over, hugged Dansha's legs, and burst into tears, sticking her butt out and revealing her waistline.

This time, they were stumped by the cinnabar.

Even Gao Jian covered his face.

There's nothing else to it, it's just that Ye Qingmu's appearance... and the contrast with this scene is just too shocking.

She naturally possessed a cool and noble appearance, a slender and tall figure, and even her skin was very fair, making her look like a fairy.

If Dansha is the kind of girlish cuteness, then she is the typical fairy in the clouds, the kind of person who can summon a bunch of protectors with just a wave of her hand.

Therefore, she deliberately dressed in that direction, which was part of her deception.

How could a cool and aloof fairy deceive people? With just her face and her aura, she can gain their trust.

But in reality, she wasn't some fairy. She was a scoundrel who had grown up in the mud, a scumbag who would cheat, steal, and cheat anything. So when she did such things with this face and this body, even Gao Jian felt a sense of unease...

Dansha quickly looked at Gao Jian, clearly at a loss for words.

Even though Dansha has a bad temper and is a young lady who doesn't care much about what others think, she felt at this moment... that she might have gone a bit too far.

"Ahem, get up first." Gao Jian spoke up at this moment, coughed twice, and helped the person up.

Although he knew this was probably another of Ye Qingmu's tricks, well... his moral standards were too high, so he fell for it.

The other person's face is really not suitable for kneeling; it would give Gao Jian the illusion that he is the villain.

“I have a lot of questions to ask you. Anyway, let’s get out of here first,” Gao Jian said.

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In the Weisu area of ​​Xuanwu District, on the second floor of a restaurant.

Here, flowers bloom amidst brocade screens, painted candles cast shimmering light, and silver lamps scatter colorful patterns. On a table are laid out fresh fish, tender chicken, stuffed goose, and other delicacies. Beside it are three cups, three pairs of bamboo chopsticks, and vegetables, fruits, and other side dishes.

Dansha was eating nearby, completely oblivious to her surroundings, because she was really hungry.

Ye Qingmu and Gao Jian were facing each other, neither of them having eaten.

"Then, Miss Ye, I would like to see your cultivation technique. What do you think?" Gao Jian didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his request.

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(End of this chapter)