Chapter 6: 6. Trade in Luck
"I never expected scenes from TV dramas to play out in my life! Charge!"
Muttering to myself, I grasped the Peach Wood Sword and dashed toward the adjacent car. As time went by, I gradually understood what establishing a blood pact meant. Besides channeling my own spiritual energy into the Divine Artifact, its perspective was also transmitted back to me, all the while draining my strength.
But after only about ten minutes, a wave of exhaustion began to sweep over me—a surprising development, considering I used to practice swordplay for two or three hours without ever feeling this tired.
If the battle were to continue, I would be out of strength in less than five minutes.
"There's... something tough…"
"Go... heh... go."
In the next second after hearing the faint conversation, I suddenly felt dizzy and could hardly stand...
It was as if I had been hit by a bewildering miasma. By the time I regained my senses...
I was actually still lying in the upper bunk, holding my phone, watching the video of the chubby corgi wagging its butt that I had just scrolled to.
If it weren't for the bleeding in my palm, I might have thought it was all just a nightmare.
Looking down, I saw that the old man had indeed breathed his last, while the chubby child slept soundly, seemingly undisturbed.
The middle-aged man's complexion wasn't good, and he looked at me trepidatiously, apparently recalling what had just transpired.
"Stop staring and take care of that bleeding. That barrier, I heard my great-grandma mention before. She said back when there were wars, many villages were slaughtered, and the restless spirits would suck the vital essence of passersby to reincarnate. There are also those trains that got bombed, and I reckon these people came from such an incident. However, it's the first time I've actually seen one... After practicing for so long, this is also my first time experiencing something so thrilling... It's too exciting. Hanging out with you really pays off!"
After hearing this, I grabbed a pillow towel beside me, wrapped it around my palm, and then flipped off the bed. I walked through each compartment, and sure enough, many people's complexions were off, their foreheads darkened. Some complained of neck pain from sleeping in a bad position, others of an unexplainably sore arm.
But there was no risk of life, at most, it would be a serious illness or a spell of bad luck for a while.
After making a round, I breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, no lives were lost.
As long as one is alive, that's stronger than anything.
"Master, is this thing specific, or…?"
At this moment, Little Black Cake was also exhausted beyond words, lying in a small bottle and responding with a muffled voice:
"It still requires something as a lure. You just made this round and I've been watching, there's no particularly special person around, only that old man who has passed away seems a bit off. This Blood Dream Barrier probably arose because of this elder. You have Wolf Fang and Ancient Jade for protection, so it should not be your problem. 'Huff,' I can't go on, I've exhausted too much energy, need to sleep for a while. Be careful on your own!"
Once Master finished speaking, he fell silent, and by then, I had returned to my own compartment.
The middle-aged man drew a few more talismans on the old man's body, the talismans messy and many of them in vain—it was painful for me to watch...
But in the end, it worked.
Although the old man's soul had dissipated, his body once again drew breath.
The middle-aged man now looked completely fatigued, as though those few talismans had exhausted all his energy.
I wasn't keen on talking much with that middle-aged man; I climbed back to the upper bunk in a few moves and continued playing with my phone. Who'd like to talk to someone who had nearly gotten them killed?
Seeing me come in and not wishing to engage him, the middle-aged man fidgeted and rubbed his hands together:
"I noticed your movements just now, you must be a Chuma Disciple..."
Seeing that I didn't respond, the middle-aged man looked down, nervous and somewhat at a loss over my indifference.
"You're headed to Weining City, right? Let me give you my card. If you need anything when you get there, feel free to reach out to me, thank you for saving me and Xiao Guai today."
Xiao Guai.
That must be the pudgy baby's name.
I took the business card and glanced at it, it was golden, and it read President of Bailu Electronics, Lu Mingwei.
Bailu Electronics...
Bailu Electronics?!
Isn't that the largest electronics company in the country?
The fridge and washing machine at home are both products of Bailu Electronics, it could be said that almost all the decent electronics in the village are from this brand.
Surveying Lu Mingwei inconspicuously, I couldn't recognize the brand, but he was indeed dressed in fine material. Looking at the sleeping chubby baby's wrist, adorned with a pair of small gold bracelets, I figured it couldn't be a mistake.
Thinking about it, I still felt a bit young, not realizing at first that the person was either rich or noble. Next time, I would need to observe more carefully; when travelling, one must always be cautious.
"With all your money, why do this yourself? Money can make the devil turn the grindstone, and with your resources, hiring a Corpse Chaser shouldn't be impossible, right? Although they are hard to find, it still should be doable with enough money."
Lu Mingwei gave a bitter smile, as if he had been holding it in his heart for too long and it was agonizing. Now that he was asked…
He poured it all out.
It turned out his ancestors had always been in this trade. Corpse Chasers initially emerged during times of war, transporting corpses back to their hometowns. Initially, it was a contractual relationship, but as Corpse Chasers learned to manipulate the bodies, their duties grew beyond just body transportation, and many unusual transactions evolved from the exchange of interests.
The dead elder was not an ordinary person but a widely revered Feng Shui Master named Xuan Yuancheng
who had known Lu Mingwei's father from childhood and had had many dealings with him. The deal they made was about life-force.
Xuan Yuancheng used Feng Shui formations to lend life-force to the Lu family, in return, the Lu family was to transport Xuan Yuancheng's dead body to a designated location after his death.
So, twenty years ago, Bailu Electronics, which had been unknown, suddenly rose, and since then, it never faced any major disasters.
Lu Mingwei had also married his dream woman and had three sons.
And life-force is something that continues to grow and accumulate; it's a complex concept, like a withered branch being fed vitality. As more outlets allowed for input, the life-force grew proportionally.
If they were to renege on the agreement this time, the life-force to be repaid would be far beyond what was originally given, akin to repaying a usurious debt.
"I'm afraid not only my life, my wife's life, and my three sons' lives would be forfeited, but even after death, we would not be able to reincarnate. That's why I took the risk this time to carry the elder's celestial body to Weining City. My father's demise was sudden, and many things were not properly explained. He only left an address. Once I received the call from the other party, I set off, taking the train and sealing the soul according to the agreed rules."
Lu Mingwei looked somewhat nervously at the elder's body...
and asked with some uncertainty:
"Now you're saying his soul has already dissipated, so did I succeed… or did I fail… If I failed, I hope my son and wife can be safe. I can use my life to pay off this debt. But…I'm afraid it's not enough…"
I sat there as if listening to a mythological tale, in this world there actually exists a trade in life-force.
"I think you should still follow the previous promise, first transport the body over, it might still count as a success, but if you don't transport it, then you're definitely a failure."
At this point, Little Black Cake whispered quietly:
"Let me tell you, that dead old man probably had plans, behind Weining City's mountain range there have always been legends of Dragon Veins, but they have never been discovered. Nowadays, cremation is in fashion, who would still be transporting a body intact and discreetly? There must be something off..."
Upon hearing this, it made sense to me.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone