Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

What is the "Key to Success" in Chapter 271?

Having been dragged onto the pirate ship by Zhang Chengdao, He Yu successfully became the main force in this "trial formation".

The ghost cultivator was an old cultivator who had lived for eight hundred years. He was very knowledgeable about all kinds of spells and supernatural powers, and he was extremely skilled in ghost cultivation techniques.

Moreover, with the support of incense offerings, he can even create a bunch of clones to play the role of little ghosts in cosplay!

In other words, all the ghosts in the three villages and the underworld that Zhang Chengdao painstakingly designed in the entire "Trial Array" were actually clones created by He Yu, a ghost!

"It was indeed quite fun, but I've used up all the incense and Taoist cultivation I've accumulated on this, so you have to make it up to me, my good brother!"

As He Yu spoke, he took the wine glass, lowered his head, and took a big gulp—this was how ghosts ate; they ate the taste of the food, and the food itself did not disappear.

"Isn't this all for our bright future?"

Zhang Chengdao raised his glass and gave it a perfunctory clinking in He Yu's direction, which could barely be considered a toast.

However, unlike He Yu, who is a ghost cultivator, he cannot taste the "flavor" of food; instead, he simply swallows it whole.

The tasteless peaches that Shi Yizhi and the others took were actually eaten by He Yu, a ghost, all by himself.

Zhang Chengdao and He Yu watched the spectacle with glee, while Shi Yizhi and his two companions, who could see nothing but two wine glasses swaying above a distant tombstone, all paled.

Jiang Wanli's face was as white as paper, and it took a lot of effort to suppress the urge to scream.

Zhu Ye was the first to calm down, and somewhat awkwardly cupped his hands, saying, "I am truly sorry, everyone. We came in a hurry this time and did not bring any wine. After we finish our business, which will be in a day or two, we will definitely bring wine and offer you all a cup!"

No sooner had they finished speaking than a gust of cold wind swept over them. Then, one of the two glasses of wine in the distance disappeared, while the other slowly floated down to the three of them.

Shi Yizhi tentatively picked up the cup of wine. The liquid inside was clear and looked like the Ten-Day Intoxication from Peach Blossom Inn, but it didn't smell of wine at all.

It seems... that a ghost drank it too?
Just as he was thinking this, he saw two more cups of wine appear in the distance, slowly floating over and stopping in front of Zhu Ye and Jiang Wanli respectively.

"I...I...I won't!" Jiang Wanli was startled and backed away, waving his hands and saying, "I don't need it! I won't drink! It's just the two of them drinking!"

As soon as Jiang Wanli finished speaking, the cup of wine vanished in an instant, disappearing into thin air!
Jiang Wanli swallowed hard, turned to look at Shi Yizhi and Zhu Ye, and saw that the two looked much calmer, as if the scene in front of them was just an ordinary thing. Then he saw them pour the wine in their glasses into their mouths one after the other.

Shi Yizhi finished his drink first, smacked his lips, and commented, "It's like water, it really has no taste!"

Zhu Ye bowed respectfully to the grave mounds once more, saying, "Thank you all for the drinks and peaches. We will definitely return to repay you in the future!"

Shi Yizhi and Zhu Ye had already eaten the tasteless peaches and wine, so their goal had been achieved.

So the three of them didn't linger. After arranging the various offerings and making sure the incense was lit, they hurriedly left.

When we returned to the Peach Blossom Goddess Temple, it was already packed with people.

The small temple was crammed with about twenty people, and even their breathing was murky.

The temple keeper, Huang, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot. He sat on the threshold of the wide-open temple gate, lost in thought.

Upon seeing Shi Yizhi and the other two, the temple keeper's already pale face darkened even further. He pointed to the back of the temple and said irritably, "There's no room left, go to the backyard!"

The three of them, Shi Yizhi, Shi Yizhi, and Shi Yizhi, exchanged glances. Having no other choice, they had no choice but to obediently walk towards the backyard.

The backyard was probably used for storage; it was quite spacious, with many piles of thatch and two handcarts filled with unfamiliar stones and ores.

Someone had lit a bonfire in the courtyard, and more than twenty people sat around it. Most of them were already huddled together and asleep fully clothed. Only a few people, who were probably discussing keeping watch, were still awake. When they saw Shi Yizhi and his two companions coming over, they nodded slightly in the firelight as a greeting.

The three of them, Shi Yizhi, Shi Yizhi, and Shi Yizhi, found a corner, first spread out some thatch on the side, and then brought the piece of wood they had picked up along the way to them.

Shi Yizhi took out his sword and shaved the short piece of wood in half, the flat cut surface of which was perfect for writing.

Zhu Ye carried a brush with him, but without dipping it in ink, he directly used his profound inner energy to carve words on the wooden block.

Soon, the two simple "memorial tablets" were made. Jiang Wanli then took advantage of Zhu Ye and Shi Yizhi's busy time to set up the incense burner he had borrowed from Huang Miaozhu, lit the incense, and urged the two to lie down on the thatched mats.

The night watchmen, who were originally drowsy, were wide awake when they saw the three of them working so hard. They all stared intently at Shi Yizhi and the other two, wanting to ask questions but too embarrassed to speak up—they were clearly too busy to talk to anyone else!
Soon, as the incense in the incense burner was lit, Shi Yizhi and Zhu Ye lay on the straw mat and "slept" as if they were dead. Jiang Wanli even reached out to check their breathing.

Yes, there are some, but they are almost nonexistent, like they are about to die.

His face was pale and he was a little scared, but when he thought of Shi Yizhi, who was hated by the mountain lord because of him, and Zhu Ye, who helped him by doing so for the "key to pass the pass", he mustered up his courage and sat upright in front of the two people, staring intently at the incense burner in front of the two "memorial tablets".

Seeing that the three had quieted down, someone finally couldn't hold back any longer. A woman carrying two swords cautiously approached and asked in a low voice, "Brothers, what's going on here...?"

"The two of them are 'walking the underworld,' which is to temporarily become 'ghosts' by leaving their bodies. In this way, they can communicate with ghosts. In addition to getting information, they can also go to the underworld to do things. The information we found out about the suspected 'key to passage' is also related to this."

Jiang Wanli didn't hide anything; this was the result of the three of them having discussed it privately long ago. Because once someone heard about the "key to passage," they would inevitably become interested in it, and Zhu Ye and Shi Yizhi, as the first people to attempt "walking through the underworld," would inevitably become the targets of everyone's inquiries.

In this way, everyone else was also hoping that the two could return safely—at least they would have a semblance of safety, and they could also find out more about "walking the underworld" and "the underworld," making it easier to ensure the safety of Zhu Ye and Shi Yizhi.

Anyone who wants to harm them would deliberately cause everyone to miss out on the "secret key" information!
Moreover, Jiang Wanli, who remained in the mortal realm, could take this opportunity to exchange information with others and perhaps even find out more useful news!
As expected, upon hearing that their actions were related to the "key to passage," the female warrior's eyes immediately lit up. She humbly cupped her hands and inquired, "May I ask, brother, what is 'walking through the underworld'? And what is this 'underworld' all about?"

Jiang Wanli then summarized the various pieces of information he had obtained from Hua San Niang and Huang Miao Zhu, and recounted them.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone present to hear. Sometime later, more people sat up by the campfire, and the number of those still asleep became increasingly small.

After listening to Jiang Wanli's explanation, someone immediately analyzed, "So, if this City God Bao is the highest-ranking official in charge of this place, he is probably the most likely to know about the 'passage key'!"

Someone asked, "Aren't there emperors, governors, or anything like that in this 'mortal world'?"

Someone else immediately replied, "No, there really isn't. I've inquired around. This place is isolated from the world and forms its own world. Each village is self-governing and governed by its own village head. Above the village head, there are no other officials."

Questions arose: "There's not even a government office? How are they supposed to handle public order in that area?"

The man continued, "I don't know about Dayang Village and Xiaoyang Village, but as for Taoyuan Village, it is said that because of the Peach Blossom Goddess, the people are simple and honest, and there are usually no evil people or bad things."

Now, everyone was completely engaged in conversation, chattering away—

"This is utterly absurd!"

"That's right!"

"But judging from what this gentleman is saying, this City God Bao must be in charge of matters in the underworld, right? He also manages matters in the mortal world?"

"Yes, I heard a caravan from Dayang Village delivering goods to Master Hu's house mention some folk tale about Bao Chenghuang punishing evildoers!"

"Isn't this 'walking the spirits' troublesome?"

"So you want to 'walk the spirits' too?"

"It's related to the 'pass key,' don't you want to give it a try?"

"I'd like to, but the risk is too great. We've only just met, how can I entrust this to anyone? What if someone sabotages us and breaks the incense stick? We'd really be dead!"

"makes sense!"

"Actually...didn't that brother say that the landlady of Peach Blossom Inn mentioned that besides 'walking through the underworld,' you can also see ghosts by smearing feces on your eyelids?"

"Tsk, bro, you're going too far! Besides, this method only seems to allow you to see ghosts, but not to get to the underworld, right?"

"Sigh! This 'Trial Array' is far too difficult!"

The topic shifted back to the "Trial Array," and sighs and groans filled the air around the campfire, making the atmosphere somber.

Of the twenty-odd people in the backyard, apart from Zhu Ye, not a single one of them had managed to find out anything about the "pass key"!

There isn't even a suspected case!
"Actually, I don't think the 'key to clearing the gate' is necessarily in Peach Blossom Village."

The female warrior wielding twin swords who was the first to speak to Jiang Wanli offered her analysis: "If the 'key to passage' can really be found in Peach Blossom Village, then why did the immortals give us two more places, Dayang Village and Xiaoyang Village?"
"If you say that it was because these three villages form their own territory that they were drawn together and allowed to enter, I don't believe it."

“We know how powerful these immortals are. If we could find the ‘key to the pass’ in Peach Blossom Village, why not just set up some kind of magic array to prevent us from leaving the village? Why open up two more villages? Isn’t this just deliberately letting us wander outwards?”

The female swordsman had barely finished speaking when many people echoed and praised her.

"It makes sense!"

"As expected of Lady Lu, she is exceptionally intelligent!"

After speaking, the female knight ignored the crowd's praise and turned to Jiang Wanli, bowing and saying, "My surname is Lu, and my name is Lu Mao'er. I am very grateful for the news you shared. I also have some news, and in exchange, I will share it with you all. However, I don't know if it is accurate or not; that depends on your own deductions!"

As Lu Mao'er spoke, she took off the bundle she was carrying on her back and slowly opened it. Inside, a muddy, tattered embroidered shoe was revealed. It looked faded and appeared to be quite old.

"I caught this shoe while fishing this afternoon. The old fisherman saw it and was so scared that he dropped his fishing rod and ran away. I found it strange, so I took it to the Peach Blossom Goddess Temple to ask the temple keeper for advice. But even the temple keeper told me to throw the shoe back into the river... He said that after I threw it back into the river, he would ward it off and keep me safe..."

Jiang Wanli, his face deathly pale, asked, "Ah! Then why didn't you throw it away!?"

Lu Mao'er showed no fear whatsoever, and said calmly, "I just felt something was off! Last night I specifically asked a few merchants, and they said that a girl from out of town did indeed drown in that river before. She went in and drowned herself. It caused a huge uproar and killed many people. In the end, it was the Peach Blossom Goddess who intervened and subdued her, and only then did Peach Blossom Village return to peace..."

"I was thinking, could this be the 'trial' of this 'trial array', and the so-called 'key to passing' isn't actually the real key, but rather the ability to complete the 'trial'!"

(End of this chapter)