Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 11: Gold and Wood

The group took a rest on the first floor and inspected each coffin, only to find piles of ball-shaped human bones stuffed inside. Jin Lan’s face turned pale as gold, and he vomited for a while before recovering.

Jin Lan had an old leg injury, and when stimulated by the Threads of Worries, he walked with a limp. Yan Qing suggested carrying him, but Jin Lan refused.

“This is the servant’s job indeed, but there are hidden dangers in the tomb. You should take care of yourself first.” Jin Lan shook his head. “I can manage on my own.”

Yan Qing responded with a muffled hum and suddenly hitched his breath. “There’s a sound upstairs.”

Yin Ci listened carefully and indeed heard faint scratching sounds, as if someone was scratching the wooden planks with their nails. Shi Jingzhi glanced at the blood essence beads and then discreetly shook them.

“I didn’t take the poison earlier, and I feel fine. I’ll go up and look.” Yin Ci practically wrote “I’m so courageous” all over his face.

Shi Jingzhi: “You didn’t take it?”

Yin Ci looked apologetic. “I was caught off guard by those strange monsters we encountered earlier and didn’t react in time.” If he had taken the poison and then showed no symptoms of poisoning, it would only lead to trouble.

Shi Jingzhi pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment. “I’ll accompany you upstairs. Please take care of things downstairs, Miss Shi.”

Yin Ci looked at him, somewhat surprised.

Upstairs was quite empty, with a beautifully crafted red coffin lying in the center of the room. The stench grew stronger, and there was a strange sweetness mixed in.

Yin Ci recognized this sweet stench—it was the Qinyuan Poison hidden inside the coffin.

This design was particularly ruthless. The scent of Qinyuan Poison was faint and easily masked by the putrid smell of corpses, making it difficult to detect. To deal with the Threads of Worries, experts like Shi Zhongyu would consume poison to protect themselves. Even if they took the antidote, the effects of the poison wouldn’t immediately disappear. If they were then exposed to a potent dose, not even the gods could save them.

Qinyuan Poison was extremely rare, and Yin Ci had only managed to obtain a small vial of it. Even with Shi Jingzhi’s heightened senses, it would be impossible for him to identify an unfamiliar toxin.

If he fell victim to it, his Xiao Shizun would undoubtedly die.

Shi Jingzhi seemed to also realize the danger, coughing lightly. “In such situations, there are usually mechanisms inside the coffin lid, commonly using poison and curses. This coffin looks unusual, so we should…”

Yin Ci turned his back to him, pretending to be impatient. “I’ve already opened many coffins downstairs, so I’m quite skilled at it.”

Before Shi Jingzhi could say anything else, Yin Ci took a few steps forward and lifted the coffin lid.

With a crisp sound, a thin, transparent barrier rose around the coffin. Shi Jingzhi wanted to chase after Yin Ci but ended up colliding heavily with the barrier, emitting a muffled sound.

Yin Ci acted as if he didn’t hear anything. He moved the coffin lid aside and was indeed sprayed in the face with Qinyuan poison powder.

It didn’t disappoint as the world’s most potent poison, with a stimulating flavor that even had a slight intoxicating effect. Yin Ci smacked his lips and pressed down on something inside the coffin.

The figure inside the coffin was dressed in fine silk, with beautiful and radiant eyes, portraying the appearance of a young girl. However, as the former leader of the Chigou Sect, Yin Ci recognized its true nature with just one glance—

A finely crafted corpse puppet.

It wasn’t a monster, but a creation made from fresh corpses with a lifelike texture resembling a living person, often accompanied by an enchantment. Yin Ci swiftly and precisely immobilized its core mechanism with his hands. It couldn’t move even a fraction, only able to assume a tearful expression that tugged at one’s heartstrings.

Demonic Lord Yin’s heart remained as hard as iron with unwavering eyes.

Not to mention letting go; even if he eased up a bit, this thing could spring up and tear him apart. Although Yin Ci himself didn’t mind, there was still Shi Jingzhi observing behind him, and witnessing shredded flesh turning into a living person would be too stimulating.

Seeing Yin Ci’s lack of reaction, the enchantment activated once again. The corpse puppet instantly transformed into a handsome man, wearing a vulnerable expression.

Yin Ci: “…?” This craftsman had considered everything.

Unfortunately, his appearance wasn’t as good as his cheap master’s. Yin Ci remained unmoved, continuing to exert force. The corpse puppet struggled in vain, changing its face once again.

Yin Ci was very familiar with that face.

The enchantment directly affected the mind, transforming into Yin Ci’s true appearance inside his mind—a person in the coffin with long ink-black hair, pale complexion, intense chest movements, and a pained and desperate expression. It looked up with a pleading gaze, evoking a strange sense of fragmentation.

Yin Ci smiled instead, moving his lips silently as he spoke to the corpse puppet.

“This is truly a wish come true.”

Having said that, Yin Ci increased the pressure once again. He exerted so much force that the bones in his hand emitted a sound of strain, and the core mechanism even developed a crack in his grip.

The illusion suddenly dissipated, revealing the true form of the corpse puppet. A female corpse lay quietly in the coffin with eyes tightly closed. Her nose was almost completely decayed, and her face corroded by a venereal disease, resembling a demonic creature.

Yin Ci coldly released his grip, and his injured bones almost instantly returned to their original state. He didn’t turn around but continued to lean against the coffin, taking out a hairpin from the female corpse.

Carefully, he pushed aside his outer garment and pierced his chest, inserting the hairpin directly into his heart. His wounds healed quickly, but the foreign object wasn’t so easily removed. His heart struggled to beat, and despite wearing the ghostskin robe, Yin Ci’s face remained deathly pale.

After making the preparations, Yin Ci finally spat out a mouthful of blood, thoroughly concealing the bloodstains on his chest.

He didn’t move, lying motionless with his back to Shi Jingzhi. From Shi Jingzhi’s perspective, Yin Ci had merely moved away from the coffin, stood still for a moment, and then collapsed weakly.

At that moment, the sound of the barrier shattering finally resounded.

Accompanied by the flag ignited with golden flames, Shi Jingzhi rushed forward, gasping for breath. The barrier was incredibly strong, evidently requiring a great deal of his strength.

Upon seeing Yin Ci, who was covered in blood, Shi Jingzhi’s eyes flickered with displeasure.

“Don’t touch the coffin. It’s poisonous,” Yin Ci said weakly while supporting himself on Shi Jingzhi’s shoulder.

“No kidding. I just said that earlier!”

Shi Jingzhi grabbed Yin Ci’s wrist and clenched his teeth as he examined his pulse. “Signs of heart failure… Damn it, didn’t I tell you to wait a moment?”

“The Taiheng Sect has its own big plans, but there are only two of us. If there really are treasures here, I’m afraid they…”

“The Taiheng Sect is not a bandit gang.” Shi Jingzhi’s face hardened as he rummaged through the medicine box and produced a glass bottle. “Drink it quickly! If you had taken poison earlier, you might not even be alive now.”

Shi Jingzhi gently placed Yin Ci down and then hurriedly prepared the medicine. Yin Ci obediently swallowed the medicine with a face filled with an expression of “I’m really sorry. I messed up.”

Shi Jingzhi clenched and loosened his fist, ultimately refraining from beating up the patient.

‘How interesting,’ Yin Ci thought, ignoring the intense pain in his chest. He found this quite intriguing. That anger didn’t seem feigned; Shi Jingzhi was genuinely angry. It seemed that this person’s “utilization” of himself wasn’t limited to mere appearances.

Could it be that Shi Jingzhi truly considered him his disciple? That would be too ridiculous.

The noise from the shattering barrier was significant, and the four people downstairs arrived late. Upon seeing the scene before them, Shi Zhongyu was slightly startled and then sighed. “Sect Master Shi.”

“No need to be polite. I picked up this disciple from the mountains, and his mind is still filled with dirt.” Shi Jingzhi’s face grew serious, and his tone sank like water. “There’s poison in the coffin, and the thing inside seems to be a corpse puppet. Please, Miss Shi, examine it.”

Shi Zhongyu made her sword bloom* from a distance, causing the coffin to instantly shatter, and the wooden boards fell in all directions. Jewels and treasures scattered all over the ground, but no one bothered to pick them up.

*Sword flower. It’s a sword technique where you spin the sword so fast that it looks as if it’s a flower.

“It is indeed a corpse puppet. Its core mechanism seems to have malfunctioned. Your disciple is quite lucky.” The core mechanism was incredibly sturdy and almost impossible to destroy with bare hands. Shi Zhongyu momentarily had no doubts about it.

“He was poisoned in a peculiar manner. It’s the first time I’ve seen this kind of heart failure symptom. However, the situation has stabilized.” Shi Jingzhi fed Yin Ci some more medicine and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“There’s something off about the sound.” Yan Qing suddenly spoke up, pointing to the corpse puppet. “There’s a sound of friction and movement inside.”

Shi Jingzhi and Shi Zhongyu exchanged glances, and the latter covered her hands with silk as she carefully dismantled the corpse puppet.

Shi Zhongyu opened the eyelids of the corpse puppet and found two hollow wax eyes. She then pulled Yan Qing over and had him listen closely, before extracting a black short sword from the spine of the corpse.

While pretending to be uninterested, Yin Ci cast a sideways glance.

Shi Zhongyu opened the wax pellets, and two round beads rolled out. The left eye shimmered with a dazzling golden light, while the right eye was dull gray with a texture like wood.

“Let me see… one golden bead, one wooden Buddhist bead, the Hanging Shadow Sword, several precious gemstones.”

Shen Zhu chewed on the tip of her pen. “How do you two masters plan to divide them?”

Shi Zhongyu let out a sigh of relief. “The Kushan Sect has saved my life. Sect Master Shi, please choose first.”

Yin Ci’s gaze circled around the wooden Buddhist bead and then turned to Shi Jingzhi. After a moment of contemplation, Shi Jingzhi answered decisively, “I want the wooden Buddhist bead and the Hanging Shadow Sword.”

Shen Zhu raised an eyebrow. “Really? Knowing Yan Budu’s nature, he might have purposely given us a worthless Buddhist bead. And although the Hanging Shadow Sword was crafted by a renowned master, it is more of a collectible than a divine weapon. The combined value of the two is still inferior to a single fragment of the unchanging gold.”

“It can be considered a gesture of gratitude for saving my life, since I have already learned some martial arts from Miss Shi. There’s no need to mention it again.”

Shi Jingzhi stuffed another pill into Yin Ci’s mouth, signaling him to remain quiet.

“The unchanging gold can forge divine weapons, making it invaluable. But for our small sect, even possessing a decent weapon is difficult, let alone affording to forge with the unchanging gold.”

Yin Ci looked approvingly.

Although the unchanging gold could fetch a high price, its value was limited to them. It would be better to take advantage of the situation and transfer it to the Taiheng Sect, earning some good favors.

Taking the worthless Hanging Shadow Sword and an uncertain Buddhist bead seemed just right. Shi Zhongyu would find it difficult to oppose this decision.

…Moreover, it appeared that only this Buddhist bead was related to the Shirou. Shi Jingzhi was usually chaotic, but he was surprisingly calm in critical moments.

Indeed, Shi Zhongyu nodded with a trace of admiration on her face. “Thank you, Sect Master Shi. It would be best if you also take some lightweight jewelry for easier travel after leaving the tomb.”

Shi Jingzhi nodded. Yin Ci was still lying on the ground, and he had no intention of moving far away. He simply kept an eye on him at his feet.

In the light, a short hairpin sparkled with a golden glow. Its design was almost identical to the one in Yin Ci’s heart. Shi Jingzhi’s gaze focused, and he picked it up. He played with the hairpin distractedly, lost in thought.

“That’s it,” Shi Jingzhi said absentmindedly after a while.

He then sat down beside Yin Ci, tucking the hairpin into his pocket. “A’Ci, if something like today happens again, I will expel you from the sect. Considering it’s your first offense, I will only cut your monthly allowance in half for six months.”

Yin Ci: “……” My friend, it seems like you can live for one year at most.

After Shi Jingzhi finished speaking, he placed the short sword next to Yin Ci. “As for this… You have become my disciple, and I haven’t given you a proper gift yet. Since you like swords, take it.”

Yin Ci weakly smiled. “Shizun, you’re giving me both the carrot and the stick together?”

“It’s all because you have great fortune. Since you have survived a great disaster, we can share the good fortune together.”

Shi Jingzhi forced a smile. “… After all, considering your heart failure, you should have died a long time ago.”

---

The author has something to say:

Corpse Puppet: You see, you’re going to die, you’re going to die, and this is your face when you die!

Yin Ci: ? Such a good thing exist?

Shi Jingzhi: …Salary cut. 50% salary cut!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>