Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 360: Chapter 7: Chase!

Chapter 360: Chapter 7: Chase!

“Enhancing the [Ghost Chariot] requires spending 1,000 Yan Fu points, and consuming spells such as ‘Six Ren Blood Cry Curse,’ ‘Earth Destruction Heavenly Star,’ and ‘Hundred Ghosts Night Walk’ from the Taiping Document—forty-six Yin Skills in total,”

“The enhanced effects of the Ghost Chariot are as follows: it can actively detonate the purple lotus pedestal, simultaneously releasing the forty-six mighty Yin Skills that annihilate both enemy and self. However, it cannot be activated when resisting fatal attacks.”

“The remaining Yin Skills in the Taiping Document cannot enhance the [Calamity Faction].”

The purple bronze elixir pill from the Taiping Document had noticeably shrunk in size, especially after strengthening the Ghost Chariot, and most of the once-edgy inscription had vanished, lacking the mystical and polished appearance of before.

The fact that the Calamity Faction could not be enhanced was somewhat surprising to Li Yan. He also noticed that not only Cha Xiaodao’s Taotie but even his own Wu Zhiqi seemed to be somewhat incompatible with the Taiping Document. In contrast, the inheritance of creatures such as the Gu Huo Bird, which are said to be linked with ‘night roaming’ and ‘ominous omens,’ seemed to be better enhanced by the Taiping Document.

This month, Li Yan spent points to buy some odd items for nurturing Yin entities to feed into the six coins—things like the white-headed cricket that survived eleven winters or jade stones held under the tongues of corpses buried for over five hundred years, gloomy wood little ghost statues, cock’s comb snakes, and so on.

However, the result was that the Black Rider Ghost had formed a huge white cocoon; it likely wouldn’t emerge before the next Yan Fu event.

The repair work on the Dodge Tomahawk went very smoothly, and Li Yan also purchased a machine that could process shotgun pellets, providing ammunition for [Angry Shocker].

With these preparations complete, Li Yan still had over 16,000 Yan Fu points left. Unless he had special needs, this sum was enough for him to purchase a legendary-grade ancient sword at the auction house.

In the auction house’s listing column, Li Yan found no shortage of divine weapons with formidable names like “Ancient Sword·Bright Muscle Snow,” “Southern Ming Li Fire Sword,” or “Green Cloud God Sword,” but none of them quite suited Li Yan’s preferences. More importantly, these weapons usually bore various incredible powers. However, for the technique and combat swordplay Li Yan required, the weight, blade shape, and length of these so-called divine weapons all fell short of his satisfaction. Combined with their steep prices, none of the deals went through in the end.

The murder weapons that did catch Li Yan’s interest were often of low quality, and given the arsenal he commanded at Lantau Island in the South Seas, there was no need for him to spend points on commonplace weapons.

In the end, having found no satisfying options, Li Yan still instructed Xu Chaoyi, who was in charge of matters in the South Seas, to forge a 1.3-meter-wide blade for him.

The material used was the Seabed Metal Jellyfish that Li Yan had witnessed once during the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea.

The quality of the broadsword was only excellent without any other distinguishing features, but it was exceptionally sturdy, not even Li Yan’s Gold-engraved Tiger Head Spear could easily damage it.

When Xu Chaoyi delivered the sword, he specifically mentioned that the material had come from the Blue Flag Gang—Qianjun Biao said that Tianbao Dragon Head was in need of a durable weapon, so he had sent it over. Li Yan asked Xu Chaoyi to thank them on his behalf and said no more.

After much consideration, Li Yan decided to save these points.

His current situation had mostly rid him of living day-to-day, so there was no need to spend all his points on strengthening himself every time. Additionally, without some saved points at hand, it would be truly embarrassing to encounter something valuable at settlement and not have enough points to acquire it.

Having posted a request for sword-type weapons in the auction house, Li Yan also put this matter aside for the time being.

Two months flew by in an instant.

“It’s starting to take shape. If you’re willing, how about playing a show with the bar’s resident band next weekend?”

In the practice room, Zhong Shili rarely praised Lady Dan with a compliment.

“A performance?”

Lady Dan sounded somewhat surprised.

Her hands were wrapped in dark bandages, she wore the oversized duckbill cap that she donned when going out, and her black sweatshirt concealed her long hair. Its back featured white Chinese characters, and her demeanor was far more avant-garde than when at home.

“I won’t perform,”

she shook her head.

“If you don’t perform, why learn the drums?”

Zhong Shili was very surprised. When Lady Dan first arrived, he was indeed stunned by her beauty, but soon realized she must be some idol star preparing to debut, wanting to learn the drums for an edge. Hence, his initial attitude towards her was not friendly. Later, realizing that the girl was quite willing to put in hard work, never took offense to his sarcasm, he let go of his preconceptions.

Though she had been studying for less than five months, Zhong Shili acknowledged that Lady Dan’s drumming skills had some flavor. Combined with her looks and charisma, the media could easily hype her up as China’s number one beauty drummer; with a few professionals to back her up, regardless of quality, she would certainly gain fame.

Now that Lady Dan claimed she wouldn’t perform, his astonishment was understandable.

However, Lady Dan seemed very adamant about this, even showing displeasure for the first time. Zhong Shili thus did not press further.

“By the way, your boyfriend mentioned when he came today that he’s going away on a business trip tomorrow. Told you to take good care of yourself.”

Lady Dan kept her head down, lightly tapping the drum skin, her eyes flickering.

In truth, she wasn’t angry about the Fushan Curse failing for that long.

Born of natural spirits and demons, she had a rather faint concept of worldly loyalty and fidelity, but the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues of Confucianism, ironically, influenced her greatly. For example, when Zhong Shili encouraged Lady Dan to perform, although she knew that bar gigs in this world were entirely different from courtesan’s singing, she instinctively refused.

Yet on the other hand, she identified more with this open and prosperous world, naturally rejecting and feeling displeased with the Fushan Curse.

After finishing the usual contact, Lady Dan packed up and left the bar, took the subway home.

Along the way, the faces of passers-by were hurried. She saw a little girl in a SpongeBob shirt pass by her, her consciousness becoming somewhat blurred.

“When he comes back this time, shall I forgive him?”

Lady Dan exited the subway.

“Is it too soon…”

Lady Dan’s footsteps suddenly halted, her inner tangle of embarrassment and shyness calming down all at once.

Her gaze rested calmly on the advertising billboard on the wall, which originally displayed a public service announcement about ivory. People bustled around her, apparently noticing nothing out of the ordinary.

In Lady Dan’s eyes, however, the figure standing on that screen was a beautiful woman in a black cheongsam, with radiant teeth and an astonishing allure.

The woman bore a striking resemblance to Lady Dan, with a fully mature charm, but her eyebrows held an endless pride and glamour that made her seem like a completely different person from Lady Dan.

“…”

Under the brim of her duckbill cap, Lady Dan’s expression was unseen.

The Fiery Cauldron Madam? No, her and her husband had truly perished, body and soul.

Suddenly, Lady Dan raised an eyebrow.

It was her…

Wordlessly, Lady Dan stepped forward, approaching the screen.

Within the screen, the glamorous woman softly began to speak, “Bi…”

Clap~

Her finger touched the glass, producing a clear ‘clang’ sound.

Lady Dan lightly flicked the woman in the screen on the forehead.

The glamorous woman broke apart inch by inch, ultimately vanishing without a trace.

“I really did underestimate you…”

Lady Dan withdrew her hand and silently left.

The next day, Li Yan received a call from Manager Zhong, who said that Lady Dan hadn’t shown up for class that day.

Li Yan’s scalp tingled, and he hurried toward the apartment he was staying in. A few days ago, having been affected by Lady Dan’s magic, Li Yan would be mysteriously teleported two thousand meters away whenever he approached the building. But today, he managed to enter smoothly.

The room was tidied up, laundry hung neatly on the rack, but the room was empty, with only a note left on the table.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

“I have some matters to attend to back home, do not worry.”

That was it.

This was the first thought that came to Li Yan’s mind.

What he feared most was Lady Dan leaving. Lady Dan, with the Taishuai legacy, like other Yan Fu wanderers, possessed the ability to traverse through various realms. Even due to her Mountain Spirit origin, her freedom exceeded that of most Yan Fu wanderers.

If she truly decided to leave, there was nothing Li Yan could do to stop her.

All afternoon, Li Yan sat on the sofa, uttering not a single word.

By eleven o’clock at night, when Cha Xiaodao could hardly hold back prompting, he received a call from Li Yan.

“Xiaodao, come with me.”

“Where to?”

“Scale-Ding You Twenty-Four, that should be during the Ming Wanli Era.”

“What happened?”

“Lady Dan has left, I’m going to bring her back.”