Ita Era

Chapter 171, Fifth Page

Xiao Ni said, "Don't be nervous, I want to ask a question."

Silly Dagger: "Please speak."

Xiao Ni asked, "So, how did Xi die?"

Sha Bi said, "I don't know."

Tie Zhu said, "Liu Niang's grandfather was a scholar, and he gave Liu Niang a formal name. Do you know what Liu Niang's full name is?"

Xiao Ni shook her head: "I don't know."

Tie Zhu said, "Please."

Xiao Ni took two steps back, nodded in acknowledgment, and turned to leave.

Xiao Ni quickly caught up with everyone and told them that Tie Zhu had given a completely unrelated answer, which aroused everyone's curiosity. Before the guests at Shanzi's house had all left, Ding Shi went to inquire, but surprisingly no one knew Liu Niang's name, not even the gossipy Liu Po.

Granny Liu told Ding Shi that the only way to find out Liu Niang's full name was to look at her marriage certificate, because at that time women were not included in the family genealogy or their names were not inscribed on tombstones. The reason was that after marriage, a woman became part of her husband's family. Originally, the legal wife should have been listed in her husband's family genealogy, but the ancestral hall in Tianmen Village was practically non-existent.

Ding Shi came out of Shan Zi's house and told his friends the news. The monk asked Xiao Ni why she cared about Xi Jiu.
Xiao Ni said, "Don't you think it's strange that Xi Jiu and the Taoist are together? Xi Jiu was related to Liu Niang, but he's dead. The Taoist is also related to Liu Niang, and it seems the Taoist has detached himself from the player's identity. I suspect the soul inside the Taoist's body is no longer the Taoist's soul."

Xiao Ni said, "Like the case of Tie Zhu's family, is it possible that the soul of Hu Tou's father, which originally resided in Hu Tou's body, has now taken over the Taoist's soul? Xi Jiu's death may have been a failed experiment, or there may have been other reasons that led to the failure of the possession."

The Taoist nun said, "Assuming you are right, the deed has already been done."

Xiao Ni said, "This raises a question of team ethics: assuming the Taoist priest can still be saved, are we obligated to save him? If so, we should focus on saving the Taoist priest."

The monk said, "The Taoist priest caused the problem this morning. When I was assigning tasks to everyone, he said he had something to do and couldn't participate. After that, he was a completely different person."

The nun said, "You mean he voluntarily left the group and didn't fulfill his duties as a member, so we have no obligation to help him?"

The monk said, "We've all just met by chance, and we're sticking together for warmth in this dungeon..."

The Taoist nun said impatiently, "Monk, stop rambling. In short, I don't believe everyone who read the letter doesn't know why Yuan Yue and her husband died. They were lured away by something, tricked into giving Wang Zhu away, and were subsequently killed. What was it? They never said."

The Taoist nun said, "Everyone has their own agenda. If you like someone, and you have a bond with them, they're companions. If you don't like someone, and you have no bond with them, they're strangers. We don't have a player alliance, and we haven't signed any covenants."

The nun continued, "Do you dare say you have no secrets? If a Taoist priest gets into trouble while performing team work, we will definitely help him; otherwise, we have no obligation to do so."

The monk sighed, "Yes."

Ding Shi asked, "Xiao Ni, on the bus, this idol named Daoshi didn't attract your attention. Is that your secret?"

Xiao Ni didn't respond to Ding Shi's words: "I understand. I will find the truth through my own efforts. Also, what are everyone's thoughts on Duan Pi's claim that there are ghost cultivators among us?"

Ding Shi said, "Among NPCs, ghost cultivators can be classified as evil because they mostly improve their cultivation by harming people, and their cultivation methods are mostly self-serving. However, among players, ghost cultivators are just a profession of the Force, which does not represent whether ghost cultivators are good or bad. According to the idea that ghost cultivators are bad people, we should kill all ninja profession players."

The monk said, “I don’t quite agree with Ding Shi’s opinion. I think the ghost cultivator’s mission might conflict with ours. For example, Duan Pi, do you really believe that Duan Pi is not the murderer of Yuan Yue and her husband? Yuan Yue and her husband took Wang Zhu away because of the letter, and Wang Zhu appeared at Tie Zhu’s house. We know perfectly well whether there is a connection between them. It’s just that we don’t like Yuan Yue and her husband acting on their own. As the nun said, they got into trouble while they were doing their own thing.”

Ding Shi said, "It's right that I don't agree. Diversity of thought is what makes things meaningful. Products manufactured according to factory standards are just machines. It's already past nine o'clock at night. See you at the usual place tomorrow."

After saying this, Ding Shi returned to Shanzi's house. He looked around and found the Taoist priest still gambling for fun in the side room. Hu Tou and a few little devils were taking apart a string of firecrackers and playing with them like firecrackers. Liu Niang was in the bride's room, chatting with the bride and several other women. When Ding Shi saw her, she was just going to the side room to persuade the Taoist priest to go home. The Taoist priest said he would go back at 10 o'clock.

Sure enough, the Taoist priest was no longer a Taoist priest.

Ding Shi went out and saw that the players at the entrance of Shanzi had already dispersed. So he used his primal force and ran wildly, crossing Liu Niang's courtyard and heading straight for the main house. The main house had a door latch, but it wasn't locked. (It was made of iron, one end nailed to the door and the other end nailed to the door frame. Once it was hung up, the wind couldn't blow it open, and there were holes for locking.)
Ding entered the room, scanned the surroundings with his palm-sized flashlight, found the cupboard, and opened it to rummage through it. He didn't hesitate to search the cupboard like a thief, turning everything upside down, and after a while, he found the marriage certificate.

The sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open came from outside. Ding Shi made a hand seal, lit the marriage certificate for the fifth time, and finally found the names. The man's name was Zhang Dahe, and the woman's name was Liu Wuyan. Ding Shi was stunned for a moment. Weren't these names quite normal? Although the name Wuyan was uncommon, it was, after all, a name given by a scholar, probably a line from a poem in some classic text.

"Why did the door latch come off?"

Ding Shi tossed the marriage certificate aside, slipped out the back window—he'd been there yesterday, knew the place well—and landed steadily on the coffin. He heard the main room door open and someone rush in. Ding Shi didn't linger; he pulled up his undergarment to cover half his face, and after a few leaps, he left Liu Niang's house.

Who should we look for? Why should we look for anyone? Because we didn't study much and suffered from a lack of education.

Ji Shan and Ji Yue are a married couple, and she always feels like an outsider. Xiao Ni is very concerned about Xi Jiu's affairs. The Confucian woman, Dong Cheng, lacks assertiveness and has a follower personality. The remaining two are a monk and a Taoist nun.

Taoist nuns tend to have fiery tempers, and such people are usually good people, but Old Master Ding never judges a person's character based on their temper.

The Taoist nun seems like a good person, while the monk demonstrates genuine goodness through his actions. Logically, we should trust them. But the problem lies in the fact that they are likely good people. Only those without many secrets or hidden agendas can be considered good people. Simply put, a good person will share the information they obtained from Ding Shi with others.

Ding Shi chose a valuable person: Xiao Ni.

In the matter of Xijiu, Xiao Ni possesses information unknown to others, and that is Xiao Ni's value.

Xiao Ni's landlady was Granny Liu, and she lived alone. Hearing the shouts, Xiao Ni opened the courtyard gate and invited Ding Shi to the kitchen. The kitchen had a dining table, which was also a suitable place to talk with the door closed.

Xiao Ni didn't immediately ask Ding Shi why he had come to see her. Instead, she first brewed him a cup of tea—a few tea leaves and a large cup of boiling water, enough to keep him from sleeping. If she wanted to show her respect for the guest, she would add a few pieces of rock sugar.

Xiao Ni sat down to the side and asked leisurely, "About Xijiu?"

Ding Shi nodded and asked, "Why are you interested in Xijiu?"

Xiao Ni said, "We had just arrived at Tianmen Village when you and Duan Pi were about to stay at Liu Niang's house. Xi then robbed your house with a knife. Are you thinking that he was bewitched by Liu Niang's beauty?"

Ding Shi said, "That is indeed the case. I saw it with my own eyes. Although Liu Niang gave a hint, he was the one who took the initiative."

Xiao Ni choked for a moment, then said, "I can only tell you that his initial intention wasn't because of her beauty. He's a fortune teller who divined that Liu Niang's family possessed a rare item." Ding Shi said, "That's not right. This instance seals items; even if you get the rare item, you can't take it out. It can only be a quest item."

Xiao Ni said, "That's why I'm looking into the cause of his death. Besides Xi Jiu, only I know that Liu Niang's family has a strange object. And I'm not sure if Xi Jiu was lying, but I'm certain that Liu Niang's family has something, and it must be something very important."

After Xiao Ni finished sharing her information, Ding Shi shared the information he had obtained: "Liu Niang's full name is Liu Wuyan."

“Wu Yan? Zhong Wu Yan, one of the four ugliest women.” Little Ni, as expected of a PhD, said, “If you need something, use Zhong Wu Yan; if you don’t, use Xia Ying Chun.”

Zhong Wuyan was a woman from the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. She was ugly, but also a talented woman. Her talent was not in the sense of composing poems, but in the sense of governing the country and bringing peace to the people. As queen, she assisted Duke Xuan of Qi in achieving hegemony.

Xiao Ni said, "Grandpa Liu was a scholar. He named Liu Niang Wu Yan because he thought she was ugly, in order to encourage her. As a scholar, unless he didn't know the name Zhong Wu Yan, he wouldn't have given such a name to a pretty girl."

Ding Shi added, "Liu Niang was originally an ugly woman, which can be seen from Hu Tou's appearance. It was because of a strange object in Liu Niang's family that she became more and more beautiful. Could it be a divine tree?"

Xiao Ni couldn't explain it either.

Seeing that it was already 10:30 p.m., Ding Shi said goodbye, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Xiao Ni stood up: "Are you going back? There's still an empty room here." Although Ding Shi hadn't completely broken ties with Tie Zhu and the others, their daily interactions would definitely be awkward.

Ding Shi said, "It's alright, I'm thick-skinned."

……

As Ding Shi approached Tie Zhu's house, he smelled the aroma of food. He pushed open the gate, which was unlocked, a signal that Tie Zhu hadn't turned him away.

The room was lit. Ding Shi pushed open the door and saw Sha Bi sitting on the bed, curled up in the quilt against the wall, his face as pale as a ghost. He was wrapped in the quilt while wiping away the cold sweat that kept pouring out with a towel.

Ding Shi looked at Sha Bi from the doorway and asked in surprise, "So weak?"

Sha Bi's lips trembled: "Is it my fault? If you hadn't interrupted the spell, it could have been completed in one go."

"Ding Shi." A gentle voice came from the main room.

Ding Shi turned his head and saw Cuihua. When he got closer, he looked into Cuihua's eyes and saw that there was no longer any dullness in them.

Cuihua smiled and replied, "Are you hungry? There's food in the kitchen." She acted like a caring older woman.

"Thank you, Aunt Cuihua." Ding Shi followed Cuihua into the kitchen.

Tie Zhu was smoking a water pipe by the stove. Two dishes were laid out on the table. Wang Zhu was sitting on a bench. When he saw Ding Shi come in, he stood up and greeted him, "Hello, Brother Ding."

Ding Shi looked at Wang Zhu for a while, his feelings somewhat complicated, and asked, "Cui Lan?"

"Mmm." Cuilan felt a little shy under his gaze and quickly said, "Brother Ding, let's eat something together."

"Okay." Ding Shi sat down, picked up an empty bowl, took out a pair of chopsticks, but did not pick up any food. He turned his head to look at Tie Zhu: "Uncle Tie Zhu, what should we do about this marriage?" Wang Zhu is about to get married, but now Cui Lan's soul has taken over Wang Zhu's body. Should she still get married?
Tie Zhu also sat down at the dining table and said, "I'll ask Seventh Sister tomorrow morning. If things go well, I'll invite the young man over for tea tomorrow afternoon. If not, we'll leave Tianmen Village in the next couple of days."

Neither of them mentioned what had happened a few hours earlier, as if they were family. Unlike other players who were landlords, Ding Shi got along extremely well with Tie Zhu and Cui Hua, even though he hadn't spent much time with them.

Back in his room, Ding Shi sat there in a daze for a long time. In the whole incident, the only victim was Wang Zhu himself.

Someone knocked on the door, and Cuihua's voice came through: "Ding Shi, it's me."

Ding Shi said, "Auntie, please come in." He took two steps forward and opened the door.

Cuihua entered the room, closed the door, and took out a book from her bosom: Huang Family Secret Techniques. Although it was also called Huang Family Secret Techniques, it was immediately obvious that it was not the one Tiezhu had given Ding Shi.

Cuihua said, “My Huang family has been Taoist priests for five generations. They once caught the eye of the royal family. This is a handwritten copy left by my great-grandfather. It contains his insights on the Taoist Nine Characters and the Esoteric Nine Characters. One of the contents is called Four Vertical and Five Horizontal, which originates from Qimen Dunjia. He felt the spirit of heaven and earth, and with his left hand he made a hand seal and his right hand he drew a talisman. His writing was as if guided by a god.”

Ding Shi hurriedly said, "Aunt Cuihua, this is a secret of the Huang family, and it must be passed down from generation to generation."

Cuihua said, "No, the next generation will not be Taoist priests."

Ding Shi agreed with this point, saying, "After you move, don't say you were once Taoist priests. If anyone asks, just say your family has been poor for generations." Ding Shi couldn't help but laugh at himself after saying that. This was just a dungeon, not a small world. If the players left, the dungeon would either close or freeze. Of course, the possibility of the dungeon evolving on its own couldn't be ruled out.

Cuihua smiled and said, "Go to sleep early."

Ding Shi nodded repeatedly, saw Cuihua off, and locked the door.

Ita World certainly won't let players truly experience the world; it will provide feedback in another way.

Ding Shi flipped open the Huang Clan's Secret Technique; inside was a truth-revealing playing card. The playing card was both an item and a skill; once placed in the skill slot, it became untradeable.

Ding Shi didn't immediately turn over the cards; he held them in his palm and prayed. He currently had a 7 of hearts and spades, an Ace of spades, and an Ace of hearts, clearly not enough to form a strong hand; at most, he could only play a full house.

Ding silently recited in his mind: 7, A...

He abruptly flipped the card over, and Ding Shi's anger instantly dissipated: the 4 of spades. Additional skill: Four vertical and five horizontal.

The "Four Vertical and Five Horizontal" skill is a semi-passive skill. In short, it consists of eight hand gestures, and to successfully activate it, the interval between each gesture cannot exceed 3 seconds. This isn't particularly difficult, but combining it with the intended function is another matter entirely.

The function of the four vertical and five horizontal lines is to allow for intermittent drawing of talismans. As long as your left hand keeps making hand gestures, you are not bound by the rule of drawing a talisman in one stroke, which is equivalent to copying.

The item is definitely of high quality. Since it doesn't require a single stroke to complete, Ding Shi doesn't need to study the principles of talismans. Even if he can't multitask, he's given three seconds, enough time to draw a single stroke. No matter how difficult the talisman, Ding Shi can draw it using the four vertical and five horizontal strokes. However, its power is... well, let's just say it's not that great.

(End of this chapter)