17: Chapter 17 Biyang's Nursery

"Fellow Daoist Jiang..."

He found it difficult to connect the decaying male corpse before him with the gentle Young Master from yesterday.

Shen Moyan was momentarily dazed, but he still tried his best to act as if it had nothing to do with him.

"What happened?"

Shen Moyan grabbed a random passerby and asked out of curiosity.

"You mean that Demonic Path thief hanging on the city gate?"

"Sigh, that man was truly wicked. He committed a crime in the City Lord's Manor, and everyone in that area who saw him was killed. Fortunately, we have our wise City Lord."

"That Demonic Path scoundrel was exceptionally fierce; the City Lord alone was no match for him. Luckily, two Immortal Masters from the Upper Sect arrived recently and managed to capture that Demonic Path thief."

Shen Moyan understood the gist of this so-called official news.

The criminal Jiang Zhiqiu, in league with the Yao Race, attempted to murder the City Lord and seize Dongshan City.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Our City Lord is truly great~"

Shen Moyan put on the appearance of an ordinary citizen enjoying the gossip.

He looked at Jiang Zhiqiu's corpse hanging on the city gate, shook his head slightly, and after disguising himself and concealing his aura, he blended into the city as a Mortal.

At this moment, atop the city gate.

"Lord Chu, it seems that Holy Court dog has no accomplices."

Ni Gaoyuan leaned in the shadows of the city wall and spoke to a man with a gloomy expression.

"It's easier to invite a god than to see one off."

"With this Inspector dead, even if the great array is still functioning, the entire Dongshan City will soon be exposed."

City Lord Chu Sheng, at the Mortal Transformation Peak, said calmly.

Those who serve as officials in the Holy Court, even if they are only in the Mortal Transformation Realm, have soul lamps kept within the Prefecture. This ensures that if they die in the line of duty, the cause of death will be known.

"Fortunately, my Lord had the foresight to bring in people from the Biyang Sword Sect, letting them take on the Karma and block this calamity for us," Ni Gaoyuan complimented with cupped hands.

"That is nothing more than negotiating with a tiger for its hide," City Lord Chu Sheng sighed deeply.

"Without entering the Purple Mansion, you and I are no different from the Mortals in this nursery; we are all just food for others."

"By the way, have you investigated how that Inspector came to Dongshan City?"

That Jiang Zhiqiu had tried to undermine the brainwashing City Lord Chu Sheng had performed on the people for decades right in front of the entire city's population; it was truly nonsensical.

But it was strange; City Lord Chu Sheng clearly had a backer within the official circles of Langya Province, and his connections were not shallow.

His Dongshan City was registered in the Holy Court's official records as a gray zone ravaged by the Yao Race; any official seeking stability would avoid this muddy water.

But where did this Jiang Zhiqiu come from?

"Oh, City Lord Chu, someone has come to the door, saying they have a great gift to present to you," Ni Gaoyuan reported with cupped hands and a bowed head.

"Who?"

City Lord Chu Sheng frowned, his Divine Sense extending ten miles to the outside of the City Lord's Manor, where he saw a grumbling father and son... "How unlucky, bitten by a Holy Court dog as soon as we stepped out."

"Senior Brother He, how is your injury?"

Ji Yu and He Liang were treading on clouds, flying above Dongshan City, the resentment between their brows not yet dissipated.

"My Divine Soul was injured. Today, we two brothers were truly screwed over by that man named Chu."

"Damn it, that City Lord Chu Sheng is so arrogant just because he has a True Monarch backing him. One day, I should really refine him into ginseng and soak him in a jade basin," Ji Yu said indignantly.

"No matter, the eight-thousandth birthday of that True Monarch Zheng behind him is approaching. If he doesn't get more Wondrous Rhyme from Beyond the Heavens, he probably won't last much longer," He Liang added.

"Barring any accidents, within sixty years, this nursery of Dongshan City is destined to be discovered."

"By then, the profits from this 'All Living Beings Spirit Refining Array' might be greatly reduced."

"Hiss~ my head is hurting more and more. I need to go down and get some living souls for nourishment." He Liang clutched his head, his face contorted... Dongshan City, Wanbao Street.

"How much for this insect?"

Shen Moyan looked at the cage in front of the stall and asked curiously.

The cage appeared empty, but if one looked closely, a few imperceptible dark shadows would flicker inside.

The cage was filled with fireflies, their aura so weak that even Shen Moyan's Divine Sense could not perceive them.

"Customer, you truly have a good eye. These are Six Senses Fireflies, recently found in the Night Moon Pool to the east of the province."

"If a Cultivator makes them recognize a master, they can share their field of vision." The stall owner was an old man, baring his yellow teeth as he looked at Shen Moyan with a faint smile.

"Would you like to try?"

Shen Moyan immediately bit his fingertip to make one Six Senses Firefly recognize him as its master.

Instantly, Shen Moyan's Divine Sense split in two, allowing him to see his every move through the firefly.

"What is the lifespan of these fireflies?" Shen Moyan asked.

"A little over two months. They need to organize their own reproduction," the old man replied.

"The effect is quite good. I'll take a cage."

"Fifty Spirit Stones."

"Deal."

After buying the Six Senses Fireflies, Shen Moyan spent the rest of his Spirit Stones on a concealed array diagram.

Shen Moyan walked through the brightly lit streets and ducked into dark, damp alleys.

After making most of the Six Senses Fireflies recognize him as master, he scattered them in all directions.

"This way, from my seclusion spot outside the city, I can also use my Divided Soul to monitor this city."

This was merely a casual move.

But Shen Moyan sensed a hint of unrest.

Jiang Zhiqiu was dead; the Holy Court couldn't possibly remain idle.

In this life, he would first gather all the information, so that in the next life, he could grasp all possible opportunities in his hands.

What Shen Moyan needed to do was hide between the Sects and the Holy Court, striking at the right time to seek profit.

"Wait, something's not right."

Shen Moyan looked at the sickly fireflies, his expression grim.

"Why are these insects in such a weak state?"

The newly bought Six Senses Fireflies fell to the ground one by one, fluttering a few times before becoming still.

"Dead? Did that old geezer trick me?"

Shen Moyan's first thought was that he had encountered a dishonest merchant.

"Wait, no, the ones remaining in the cage are still alive and well."

Shen Moyan carefully examined the fireflies left in the cage, his expression strange.

Then he picked up the dying fireflies from the ground and compared the two groups closely.

"As soon as these insects go outside, they become inactive."

"What's going on?"

The fireflies outside seemed as if their energy had been drained; they didn't even want to move.

Shen Moyan quickly gathered spiritual power in his ears and activated the Earth Hearing Ear.

Having roughly refined the Earth Hearing Ear last night, although it wasn't as exaggerated as hearing sounds from a hundred miles away, the tiny movements inside the fireflies' bodies were crystal clear to him.

"The organs of the fireflies inside the cage are active and full of Origin Qi. In contrast, those outside have organs like stagnant water, with damaged blood qi and no movement."

"Is this organ failure? Aging?!"

After repeatedly comparing the fireflies inside and outside the cage, Shen Moyan reached this unbelievable conclusion.

A bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart, and he quickly called out 'As I Have Written'.

[True Name: Shen Moyan]

[Race: Human Race]

[Realm: Qi Gathering Ninth Layer (Twisted Immortal Path)]

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 249]

"I just broke through to the Qi Gathering Ninth Layer and have been in this world for less than three days after my Ascension, yet I've already lost a year of my life?!"

Shen Moyan said in horror, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

That's it! No wonder he felt the Mortals in Dongshan City were so strange.

That Old Teacher from the private school was clearly only fifty-one years old, yet he looked like he was at death's door.

Mortals' lifespans are generally less than thirty or forty years; it turns out their lives are being stolen!

"Damn it, why is everyone in this world so wicked!"

Shen Moyan cursed inwardly.

Fortunately, he discovered it in time.

"I must leave this city immediately."

Shen Moyan was about to step out of the alley when he spotted two figures in gray robes on the street and immediately pulled his foot back.

"Senior Brother, the array eye that absorbs the vitality of living souls seems to be nearby."

Ji Yu and He Liang walked against the crowd toward the alley where Shen Moyan was.

Crap! They're from the Biyang Sword Sect!

Shen Moyan gritted his teeth; he had seen these two before and could not forget them.

Upper Sect, nursery, captivity, absorbing vitality... everything matched! This was exactly the kind of thing those jade bastards could do!