Forge a path to success

"The Glowing Corpse is a special kind of 'glow,' born from the residual aura of certain high-level beings. This strange walking corpse is the residue of dead lives, a monster formed from the entanglement of broken desires and emotions. In the world outside Dragon City, it is known as the 'Calamity Species.'"

The air in the secret chamber was thick with the smoke of incense, and the liquid in the gemstone goblet was murky like mud. The great wizard Adari sipped the medicinal wine absentmindedly, his attention completely absorbed by the other person's words.

The speaker hid half his body in the shadows, wearing a snow-white top hat and gleaming leather shoes that reflected the candlelight. His magnetic voice was full of confidence, and anyone who heard it would think he was a great storyteller, capable of capturing the attention of others with just a few words.

"You might think this name is an exaggeration, but it's true. The feeding of the Fireflies is equivalent to reproduction. They absorb the strength and emotions of the living, leaving only glowing fragments in the corpse. Those gnawed remains will become new Fireflies, driven by desire to devour their former kin. They once destroyed an ancient kingdom in this way, and then devoured each other in the desolate ruins."

Adari imagined the glowing corpses wandering through the ruined castle, and the terrifying carcasses that had transformed into gigantic beings from absorbing too much power. Even he, usually calm, felt a chill; the wasteland was utterly hopeless, and compared to it, even Dragon City seemed like paradise.

"Is this how high-ranking beings exterminate civilizations?" Adari asked.

“How could that be?” the storyteller chuckled. “Those high-ranking beings are merely passing by, like a human accidentally breathing in an anthill.”

Adari took a deep breath and stared at the man across the table like a viper staring at another beast: "You sold me something amazing."

"I always provide my clients with the finest products," the man said, raising his glass.

“And I only paid for a mere thirty demon-possessed individuals,” Adari continued. “That’s too cheap; I can’t afford something so precious.”

The man shook his head: "You're wrong, Adari. Demons are far more wondrous beings; you just don't know how to unleash their power... This deal is fair, and I can even grant you one additional request."

“Then I demand that you write down my name,” Adali said, enunciating each word clearly. “When you leave Dragon City, I want a place for me on your ship.”

The man was surprised, then smiled. The smile turned into a loud laugh; he pulled his hat down hard, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't expect your misunderstanding to be so deep! I don't plan to leave. I love this city. Huilong City is my hometown and my home. Will you leave your hometown forever?"

Adari was truly shocked this time; he felt like he was talking to a madman.

"You released fireflies in your hometown."

"This will add a long-lost vitality to it." The man said dismissively, "To be honest, I didn't expect you would be willing to buy it. With your abilities, you can live well in the swamp. Even if the Calamity Knight really comes, you will only be offered amnesty. It's not worth fighting to the end."

"Recruitment?" Adari scoffed. "Interesting. I thought you learned a lot from those big clients, but it doesn't seem to have told you the most important thing... Where do you think you are?"

The man in the top hat listened with great interest: "I'm in Huilong City."

"Yes, you're in the city. This city has no sky, only a curtain of swirling water that hangs down from the sky to the farthest part of the central courtyard, intersecting to form a 'bottom' deeper than a swamp. What do you think this city would look like from the outside?"

The man in the top hat took out a glass bead and placed it on the table, gazing at the swirling water within it: "A gem among glass beads."

“You’re not stupid; this is a water droplet. Now answer my last question,” Adari said somberly, “Where does the water in the swirling dragon water wall come from?”

The man in the top hat paused, taken aback. He was a native of the area, born and raised in the workshop, watching the water curtain. To him, the trend of weapons sweeping across the world was a natural part of the world; the sky should be water, and water should contain all sorts of random things, there was no "why," just as light and air naturally existed in the world.

But Adari felt it shouldn't be like this. If there was no water in the sky, where would it come from? So many currents come and go in a hurry, carrying weapons from all over the world...

The candlelight flickered, and the man in the top hat had a deep, unfathomable gaze. Adari curled his lips in a mocking smile, picked up the spilled liquid, and tossed it into his glass, causing ripples to spread across the emerald-green medicinal wine.

"This is the truth."

The turbid liquid was briefly cleared by the falling droplets, revealing a dark, wriggling mass at the bottom of the glass. The wine was infused with live insects! Awakened by the disturbance, they emerged from their coiled egg-like positions, baring their sharp teeth at the droplets. The glistening droplet was submerged by the hideous insect bodies, finally bursting open in the glass with a soft thud.

"I am the High Priest of the Order of All Spirits, and I can hear the voices within the currents. You cannot imagine how many eyes are outside the glass bead, speaking of greed and hunger, which the ignorant call gods!"

Adali laughed hysterically, then picked up his jeweled cup and drank it down in one gulp, tearing the long worms apart and swallowing them. The man in the top hat said, "Oh, no harm meant, I just can't quite accept your health tonic."

Adali leaned back in his chair, the smile on his face gradually fading: "The City Lord's Mansion has been concealing the truth all along. They'd rather seal off the water wall and leave everyone to die in this desperate situation! You're talking to me about accepting amnesty? I'm going to fight those charlatans to the bitter end!!"

No wonder this man always had a face that everyone hated; he hated everything from the bottom of his heart, and by extension, he loathed the people in the city. He thought the ignorant people of the swamp were idiots and the city lord's mansion in the central courtyard were villains. Since everyone was going to die sooner or later anyway, he could exploit human lives without any psychological qualms.

The man in the top hat returned the other's gaze and somehow felt a deep sympathy for him. He rose, opened the door, and turned back before leaving.

“This is the most religious person you’ve ever acted. So sincere, so persuasive, no wonder you’re the great shaman Adari,” he said. “But I still can’t help but add, can you please stop acting like you’re so righteous after just buying the firefly corpse?”

The man laughed dismissively: "You can fool idiots, but don't fool yourself."

“Remember the extra compensation you owe me,” Adari said.

Adari let him leave the secret room. The partnership was over, and from then on, neither could interfere with the other's plans.

He sat quietly for a while, feeling the dying worms struggling inside his stomach, drawing strange vitality from them. He felt much better and pushed open the door. As he opened the door, a cacophony of voices erupted like a sea, and in the bright light, frenzied shadows danced like a swarm of snakes.

The secret chamber led directly to the upper part of the chapel, where bright yellow petals danced like snowflakes outside the stained-glass windows. This was a church built amidst a sea of ​​flowers, its interior almost entirely filled with worshippers; beads and relics piled high on the altar. Adari ascended the high pulpit, thousands of eyes following his steps. He lightly tapped his cane, the bells ringing, and the crowd immediately fell silent, awaiting his instructions.

The white-robed monks walked into the crowd carrying granular pills. Adari casually made a few gestures in the air and said with annoyance, "Take the elixirs. In the name of the gods, I grant you peace."

In an instant, the cheers of the crowd erupted like a tsunami. The ecstatic believers leaped, sang, and knelt in prayer. Adari looked down at the diverse group of believers and felt that he hadn't done anything particularly significant. The swamp was, after all, a gathering place for the living dead; mindless believers were as easily manipulated as mud.

Compared to them, the glowing corpses were merely a little more radiant.

"By the favor of the gods, I will deliver a new divine message..."

Adali had already planned it out. Killing those two men would be difficult, but getting rid of them would be easy. He only needed a small lie…

Regarding the shield of the Calamity Knight, and the light within the glowing corpse.

Chapter 32 Panacea

"Chu Hengkong, you'd better stop now..."

Across the table, the wind howled, and Ji Huaisu covered her face and sighed; her skin was undergoing the greatest challenge she had ever faced since birth.

This is a typical noodle shop, old-fashioned and down-to-earth, its only reason for staying open is its low prices and the chef's skill. The shop used to be filled with the cheerful atmosphere of chatting and joking, but today, from the chef to the customers, everyone is silent, not daring to touch their chopsticks, and all eyes are fixed on the table opposite Ji Huaisu.

Chu Hengkong, chopsticks in his right hand, buried his head in his noodles, while his left arm's tentacles swung back and forth like a tennis racket, each movement causing the extended tentacles to sway in a full circle around the shop, resembling a silver electric fan from above. Everyone looked terrified; few wouldn't feel apprehensive facing a fan blade that could brush against your scalp at any moment.

The few remaining hairs on the shopkeeper's head swayed pitifully in the wind stirred up by the tentacles. He asked tremblingly, "What is the divine messenger's decree?"

“No imperial decree… He’s gone mad…” Ji Huaisu said weakly.

Just then, the swirling tentacles made a crisp "snap" sound, and Chu Hengkong suddenly looked up, a shred of pickled vegetable still hanging from the corner of his mouth: "I got it!"

Everyone in the shop was startled. The timid customers immediately jumped up, clutching their bowls, ready to flee. Ji Huaisu wished she could disappear into the ground. Chu Hengkong, seeing this, snapped out of his daze and tossed a large bead to the shopkeeper: "Sorry to bother everyone. I'll pay for everything today, keep the change."

The fear on everyone's faces immediately vanished, and they all praised the divine messenger for his compassion and beautiful touch, then shouted for another bowl. The shop manager happily went into the kitchen. A large bowl of noodles in the shop costs 7 Flowing Pearls, and this big one is worth 1000 Flowing Pearls. Being so generous, he would be willing to be whipped a few times himself, let alone get an electric fan.

Ji Huaisu looked up in despair: "You used to be the kind of person who would say 'I'm paying for everything' in a bar and then go on a drunken rampage, right?!"

"No, I used to be responsible for cleaning up the mess after people got drunk," Chu Hengkong corrected seriously. "I drink very little; being drunk impairs my judgment."

"You look quite drunk now."

“I am very clear-headed. Mr. Ji was very wise back then.”

These two seemingly random sentences were Chu Hengkong's true thoughts. After seeing Ji Huaisu wield his sword, he began to ponder the details of that move, spending the better part of half a day before finally grasping the knack. This speed was incredibly fast compared to before, but if it were when he had just broken through to the Skillful Hands stage, he wouldn't even need half a minute.

Only after returning to normalcy could he truly appreciate how precious the burst of inspiration he experienced upon his initial transformation was. Learning three thousand sets of techniques within those three days was the best decision he made since arriving in Huilong City.

Chu Hengkong reminisced about his lost inspiration while eating the remaining noodles. The noodles were a little cold, but they still tasted good. The dark noodles were made from coarse flour and plant roots, topped with slices of chicken, various pickled vegetables, and a spoonful of chili oil; a bowl of them made him feel refreshed from head to toe.

"I didn't expect that chili peppers would grow in swamps."

"This is the granary of Huilong City. You can find all sorts of exotic species just outside the gates—everything except large livestock," Ji Huaisu said, sucking on his chopsticks with a look of optimism. "Once the city returns to order, we'll be able to raise pigs, cattle, and sheep..."

Chu Heng burst the bubble of fantasy: "The premise is that there are still living piglets in the city."

"I hope so," Ji Huaisu said viciously. "If you don't have it, you'll come with me out of the city to steal pigs!"

"Keep your voice down, the scouts at the shop entrance are laughing."

Ji Huaisu turned to the door and made a face, startling a young man who was peeking in. She turned back and scoffed, "There are eyes and ears everywhere! As if controlling the volume would help."

Ji Huaisu was absolutely right; the enemy's surveillance was brazen to the point of being blatant. The customers in the restaurant across the street, the squid vendor on the street, the old man drinking tea in the teahouse… Chu Hengkong spotted three spies with just a glance, and it wasn't hard to imagine that many more were lying in wait. If it weren't for the astonishing noise of the electric fan he had just touched, the spies would probably have sneaked into the shop to spy on him.

He finished his noodle soup and casually said, "Let's write an arrest warrant and arrest Adali."

There was no doubt about it; only the High Priest of the Society of Spirits had the resources to use overwhelming numbers in the swamp. Granny Sangjia had been assassinated that morning, so it could only have been Adali who did it. Ji Huaisu was also somewhat tempted; she picked up her chopsticks several times, but ultimately put them down.

"Not really."

"reason?"

“Religious rule is also a distorted order,” Ji Huaisu said. “The reason I didn’t destroy the All Souls Society when I came to the swamp last time was because Granny Sangjia was a decent person, and more importantly, because the swamp would fall into chaos if the All Souls Society collapsed. Life is hard for the lower classes, and people need to find spiritual sustenance even if they have blind faith. That old man has a high reputation in the swamp, and I was worried that killing him directly would cause a riot.”

"Old man?" Chu Hengkong noticed this statement.

“He’s almost sixty this year!” Ji Huaisu said with disgust. “Either he’s borrowed the power of a demon, or he’s used some terrible drugs. In any case, he’s not a good person.”

At sixty years old... he is a wise and experienced man with high prestige, and a clever "cornerstone." The foundation of the swamp should be very solid, and we cannot expect him to make mistakes on his own initiative.

This place is too populated. If it descends into chaos due to a riot, the overall order of Huilong City will inevitably decline, and Huilong's divine power will also decrease... In the worst case, the Healing Temple might become unusable. However, if a large force is sent down to the swamp to suppress the unrest, then Midgard will be caught off guard, and it's hard to guarantee that it won't be attacked from both sides...

Chu Hengkong's head throbbed with worry: "I understand why you don't want to come to the swamp anymore."

"I told you to play against the club first!" Ji Huaisu sighed. "Let's go, let's get to work."

As Chu Hengkong was leaving, he heard whispers and murmurs, as if they were deliberately talking to him.

"That detective murdered the great wizard Alex..." "Its tentacles were stolen." "Not the divine child." "That man disrupted the divine descent ritual." "So he and the Calamity Knight are birds of a feather..."

He laughed it off and headed to the wet tea shop as planned.

·

The so-called "wet tea" is a specialty of the Bize District. The swamp is damp and has many poisonous insects, which naturally leads to many diseases. When Huilong City was first built, there was no healing temple yet, and the epidemics in the swamp caused the city lord's mansion a lot of headaches.

Fortunately, the swamp presented both risks and opportunities. The immigrants brought with them their customs and beliefs, as well as their medicinal herbs. Seeds from all over the world took root and sprouted in the swamp, and the abundance of medicinal herbs there brought smiles to the faces of every doctor. The Venerable Jingzang was the first to discover this. He personally went to the swamp to investigate and taught the people how to brew herbs and tea together to make a detoxifying and dampness-removing tea. This tea saved the swamp from an epidemic, and the people were deeply grateful to the Venerable Jingzang. Thus, the medicinal tea spread far and wide.

Nowadays, there are famous wet tea shops in various settlements in the swamp, and it is said that each of them has a secret recipe that is not passed on to outsiders. The first shop the two visited was "He Chun Tang". This shop is located in the downtown area. Even though it had only opened in the morning, there were already customers waiting in front of the shop. The burly, gray-skinned waiter took the tea from the customer and served him a bowl of chilled tea in return.

Chu Hengkong queued up to buy a bowl of tea, and while getting his tea, he asked, "I'd like a prescription. Is the doctor here?"

The grey-skinned shopkeeper didn't even look up: "You're in luck today. Hurry up and go in. The doctor will be going out to gather herbs soon."

Chu Hengkong thanked him, lifted the curtain, and stepped into the shop. A fragrant aroma of herbs wafted towards him. The wet tea shop looked like a traditional Chinese medicine shop from the last century. Various medicinal herbs were stored in large wooden cabinets according to their labels, and a doctor with a rhinoceros beetle-like head was packing his small backpack.

The doctor's eyes were tiny, like soybeans, and his worm-like face had a kind expression: "Sit down and tell me. What illness do you have?"

Chu Hengkong smiled in response: "I'm not sick. A friend wants to open a tea shop in the central courtyard and asked me to check which recipes sell best."

The insect doctor chuckled upon hearing this: "Your friend is truly an amateur! The climate of the Central Swamp is different, and the residents' physical constitutions and races are different. Even if the prescription is excellent, how can you simply apply it blindly?"

Ji Huaisu put on his raincoat again and spoke in a sinister tone: "Merchants, they're all obsessed with money. We'll just ask around and pass on a message for him, that's our duty."

"See that in your hand?" Doctor Insect gestured towards Chu Hengkong. Chu Hengkong took a sip of the damp tea. The tea was cool and refreshing, with a hint of sweetness hidden in the herbal flavor. It was a refreshing and thirst-quenching drink.

"It tastes pretty good."

"As long as it tastes good, that's what sells best," said the insect doctor. "No matter what kind of shop it is, the panacea always sells best."

"This is called a panacea?" Chu Hengkong was taken aback upon hearing this. "Is this a prescription personally passed down by the Great Master Jingzang?"

"Don't laugh! You young folks don't understand. This is a genuine panacea. Even snake venom that would kill you after just a few steps can be brought back to life with one bowl. It's saved countless lives back in the day." The Insect Doctor's expression was serious. Its tone lowered: "But after a while, it stopped working, so we had to use it as a refreshing tea... Sigh, I can't really explain why..."

Dr. Chong sighed and left with his small pouch on his back. Chu Hengkong watched him head east and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

To the east of the deep-rooted settlement lies the path they rode up on their bicycles, overgrown with weeds and dead trees. Looking west from the settlement's higher ground, one can see dense forests and hills bursting with wildflowers. That small hill is almost the only bright spot in the surrounding area; it's obvious that rare and exotic plants should be found in fertile forests, not in barren land.

"Doctor, have we gone to the wrong place?" Chu Hengkong asked.

“You dare not go the wrong way!” Doctor Insect sneered. “You really are from the Midgard, you don’t even know the rules of the swamp.”

Chu Hengkong was baffled. Just as he was about to ask, Ji Huaisu tugged at the corner of his clothes.

“That’s Adali’s private land,” Ji Huaisu said coldly. “After he sidelined Granny Sangjia, he seized all the fertile fields in the swamp for himself. He used all reasonable and legal means and paid the corresponding amount of money… but by the time people realized what was happening, there was nowhere left to gather herbs. Now, ninety percent of the medicinal herbs in the swamp are Adali’s private property, and when people pay high prices for them, they still have to praise the great wizard’s compassionate heart.”

Chu Hengkong could vaguely make out a long, serpentine procession on the hill, which must be the people laboriously climbing the mountain to seek medicine. The procession was grayish-black, covered in tattered rags and dirty clothes, while a few small dots on the summit were pure white—the white robes of the monks embroidered with gold trim. At the summit, where flowers bloomed, the bronze spire of a church peeked out. Perhaps at that moment, the great wizard sat inside the church, calculating how much he could squeeze from the emaciated bones of the poor.

"I should have killed him the moment we met," Chu Hengkong said.

“If you dare to make a move, people will willingly become his human shield,” Ji Huaisu said calmly. “I’ve tried it.”

They walked back to "He Chun Tang," hoping to buy a few more prescriptions from the young apprentices. On their return, they found the line for the panacea even longer, the people's eyes filled with hope. The grey-skinned waiter, tired from serving soup, impatiently yelled, "If your house is suffering from sunburn, don't waste your time! This is just a heat-relieving tea; it won't save lives!"

The hope in people's eyes faded upon hearing this; some left, but nearly half remained in line. A few sorceresses mingled in the queue, gossiping among those buying medicine, advising them to pray instead. A middle-aged woman hesitated, saying, "When you're sick, you always need medicine! My grandfather said this medicine saved his life..." The sorceress shouted, "Your grandfather is senile! Can you believe an old man's words? He even said the dragon spirit is effective! When have you ever seen it work? The dragon spirits are all frauds! Come pray with me; at least you'll have peace of mind!"

So the middle-aged woman was persuaded, and the number of people in the line decreased. The gray-skinned waiter was overjoyed to see that the line had thinned out, because he could finally slack off.

Ji Huaisu saw the smug look in the sorceress's eyes and silently clenched her fists. Chu Hengkong patted her hand and said, "Don't bother arguing with a fool."

They proceeded to the next wet tea shop as planned. The deep-rooted settlement wasn't as crowded as they had imagined. The simple faces of the residents concealed unease and anxiety. Their robes were dusty and gray; perhaps they had originally been colorful, but after living in the swamp for so long, they had all turned the same gray. Many more people hid behind doors and windows, lying on beds. Chu Hengkong could hear their labored breathing and see an ominous light shining through the cracks in the doors.

The corpses of the Deeprooted Settlement outnumbered those of the Abundant Settlement, yet the people here distrust neither doctors nor the government. They are losers who could not survive in Midgard, wanderers who drifted here from the distant Dust Isle. Their trust had long been eroded by repeated misfortunes and wars. But to live in this world, one must believe in something. Unable to trust others or even themselves, they hesitantly join the others in believing in a fictitious god.

For the rest of the day, they scoured the various wet tea shops in the deep-rooted settlement, buying all sorts of folk remedies from doctors and apprentices. It wasn't until late at night that the two returned to their base to rest. The beds there were sticky and the air conditioner was as noisy as a helicopter, making it difficult to sleep soundly.

"Let's take turns on night duty," Chu Hengkong suggested. "I'll go first, I'll wake you up at 2:30."

"3 points!"

Chu Hengkong readily conceded, granting the blonde girl an extra half hour of rest, which improved her mood somewhat. She collapsed onto the bed, burying her head in the pillow, and mumbled, "Every time I come to the swamp, I feel..."

"Distinguish between primary and secondary goals. We're here to find gold. Overthinking it won't help."

"I know," Ji Huaisu said sullenly after a while.