《Welcome to My Xianxia Livestream》 Chapter 1: The Great Empire Lacked the Manpower Three human shadows decorated the interior of the barren room. The illumination from the candle sconces reveals the faces of two young men and a woman leaning on the wooden wall. Each of them has temporarily retreated into their little mind worlds. Thinking about all sorts of things. Well, until the screams from the outside pulled them back to reality. ¡°The 9th group already.¡± A man with brown eyes and black hair said, looking toward the door leading outside. ¡°Why don¡¯t we be the 10th? I need fresh air!¡± The woman said, scratching her head through her silky long black hair. ¡°How much longer do we have to wait? I think I¡¯ve already aged 100 years¡­ Look! My skin is turning orange.¡± ¡°Sigh, about 12 hours have already passed. Wanna bet when they will release us?¡± The young man with obsidian eyes said, holding up four fingers. ¡°I am sure it¡¯ll be within 400 heartbeats. Since the regular currency will be useless for us from now on, I will bet 10 credits.¡± Before the woman could respond, the door began to slide to the left and let in bright light, followed by a gentle, energizing breeze and deep voice that cleared up the remaining dizziness. ¡°Group 104, Mr. Li Jiangsu, Mr. Xia Jiang, and Mrs. Xian Er, please follow me to the 10th departure hall. I am supervisor Tai Wei and I will be taking care of you all until the departure time.¡± The man called Tai Wei said, looking at the trio with his sharp eyes. ¡°I suppose none of you have any problems with each other, right?¡± ¡°Finally! Supervisor, lead the way. If I stay here any longer, I will definitely have problems with those two.¡± Xian Er jumped up to her feet and gestured with her chin to her teammates. Li Jiangsu has already gotten used to her antics and just smiled while walking toward the door. He glanced at Xia Jiang, who was contemplating something. Xian Er might just be joking, but this guy has certainly considered picking a fight with us for real. And it looks like he still hasn''t made up his mind. Noticing Li Jiangsu''s gaze, Xia Jiang smirked back. Will I really survive with this bunch of weirdos as teammates? * The light crystals lined the ceiling of the beige-colored wooden corridor. Like the room, there¡¯s no decoration unless the doors¡¯ outlines are counted as one. Walking along the path, Li Jiangsu felt each step was as heavy as his worries. It was thanks to the warm, earthy scent of the Springfield wood that he could remain so calm. However, the deep voice of the supervisor is like a mosquito that keeps pestering him, reminding him what awaits in the future. ¡°...therefore the Dragon Gate will support each of you with 1,000 credits per month and 1 free Interuniversal Delivery. This is in addition to the custom-made backpack and the emergency supplies in it. Don¡¯t forget to turn on the local language mode, it only contains the most basic vocabulary so try to avoid conversations with natives in the beginning. Moreover¡­¡± Li Jiangsu turned on his Universal Assist artifact to read the mission information. Partly to distract himself from the annoying voice and review the details again so he can be more prepared. A window popped up and hovered in front of Li Jiangsu''s field of vision. ***** Mission Details Mission: Collect intelligence and determine the target¡¯s threat level. Duration: 10 years or until completion of the mission.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Basic intelligence collected by: Universal Observer Unit 27XQ Iter 63 Target Coordinate: 00 00 00 00 01 Z1 ZZ ZZ Recommended Destination [Local Coordinate]: E46-E12-D20 Danger Level: Undetermined; Target civilization development level is minimum 6. Progress: Pending review¡­ (X/100) ***** 10 years¡­ I wonder if I can survive that long. Heh, heh, c¡¯mon Li Jiangsu, just thinks of it as a holiday to a very far place. Li Jiangsu shook his head. Thinking back to how he ended up in this situation, he couldn¡¯t help but curse himself. Well, at the very least those two also ended up in the same situation as me. Clearing these thoughts away, he begins to consider his chances of survival in the New World. I won¡¯t have to worry about Xian Er or Xia Jiang to cause any trouble. They have their own abilities and should be dependable from what I have seen. The most concerning is the Undetermined danger level. From what I have heard, this is usually reserved for civilizations with capabilities to detect the Universal Observer. This could be done either by the unique power system or technology. At any rate, it signifies a decent level of development. I hope my luck isn¡¯t used up by that roulette game and I end up in an advanced New World. Supervisor Tai Wei''s sudden stop broke his train of thoughts. ¡°I know you guys might be feeling tense right now but please listen carefully to what I am about to tell you next.¡± Supervisor Tai Wei turned around and looked at the three of them seriously. ¡°We are doing this not out of our greed but self-preservation. As long as we have the upper hand, we should never let it go. Ever since we opened Pandora''s box three centuries ago, the fate of all civilizations has been changed.¡± He continued with a solemn tone. ¡°The Dragon Gate of Nine Heavens do not expect absolute loyalty from each one of you. However, try to remember your roots before letting our great civilization down.¡± Li Jiangsu and the other froze, they weren¡¯t expecting such serious talk before arriving at the departure hall. Xian Er was the first to reply. ¡°The mighty heaven!¡± Li Jiangsu and Xia Jiang repeated soon after. Supervisor Tai Wei took another look at the trio and nodded satisfactorily. ¡°The mighty heaven.¡± He said before turning around and entering the departure hall. The large hall was lit up by countless crystals as if they were stars in the night sky. It would take over 20 minutes to walk from one side to another. The woody scent was replaced by a humid and inexplicable smell, no longer giving out soothing warmth. Groups of people dotted all over the area and in front of each of them was a clump of ethereal-looking mist. The shape of it changes every blink and it seems to be calling for Li Jiangsu to come closer. Li Jiangsu felt all his hair standing up as if the abyss was in front of him when he looked at the mass of mist. And we are supposed to get inside that thing? He thought. Xian Er and Xia Jiang turned their heads at the same time to Li Jiangsu, confirming their feelings are real. ¡°Xia Jiang and Li Jiangsu, about us being the 10th group. I am still up for it, you know?¡± Xian Er whispered to both of them. ¡°I am feeling so alive right now!¡± Xia Jiang burst out randomly, attracting weird gazes from nearby people including the supervisor. ¡°That¡¯s new. It¡¯s not uncommon for people to start a fight after entering the hall to delay the inevitable. But I have never seen someone as peculiar as you, Xia Jiang.¡± Supervisor Tai Wei remarked and led the group to their own ¡°horror¡± ball of mist. ¡°As you guys might have already guessed, this is one component of our Interuniversal Gate. We call it, ``The Void¡¯s Gate.¡± Li Jiangsu¡¯s body could sense a stronger repulsive force the closer he is to the Void¡¯s Gate. His feet would like to run away on their own if not for his control over them. Xia Jiang and Xian Er''s pale faces tell the same story. ¡°Then, there are more components? Are they as terrifying?¡± Xian Er asked, visibly struggling to keep her body from shaking. ¡°Yes, here¡¯s the Void''s Key.¡± Supervisor Tai Wei took out a chest with complicated golden symbols on the surface and opened it. ¡°Let this be your motivation for completing the mission. Well, I hope it does.¡± Void''s Key is obsidian colored in the shape of a perfect diamond. It¡¯s no larger than a child¡¯s hand. There¡¯s no reflection off of it, it could easily be mistaken for a drawing on paper. The moment supervisor Tai Wei picked up the Void''s Key from the case and placed it on the marked area a few meters from the Void''s Gate, it began to float as if the chains of gravity surrounding it had melted away. After checking it¡¯s properly in place, supervisor Tai Wei took out a communication artifact and reported it to his colleagues. ¡°Group 104 is ready.¡± A few seconds later, a clear crisp voice sounded from the communication artifact. ¡°104 Ready. Confirmed. Standby.¡± Li Jiangsu couldn¡¯t help but look at his fellow unfortunates, trying to decipher their emotions. Xia Jiang gave a thumbs up and a weak smile while Xian Er kept scratching her head. You might go bald if you keep doing that. Li Jiangsu thought to himself and shook his head, feeling a bit better. The group didn¡¯t have to wait long before the dreaded announcement was broadcasted to the whole departure hall. ¡°Groups in Departure Hall number 10, please prepare for teleportation in 5 minutes.¡± Chapter 2: Unexpected A period of silence has finally arrived in the noisy departure hall. Everyone turned their heads up to the speaker artifact on the ceiling out of instinct. However, this momentary peace didn¡¯t last long before the supervisors of each group began to speak. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s finally time for the departure.¡± Supervisor Tai Wei took three black bags out of the underground storage beside him before continuing. ¡°For you guys in group 104, the primary mission is to determine the target civilization¡¯s level and ascertain if they have any Interuniversal Travel capabilities. In addition to this, you will also need to collect intelligence about their cultivation pathways, cultivators we need to take note of, and much more. ¡°The location of the destination has already been set to [E46-E12-D20], the capital planet of a Native civilization called the ¡°Great Celestial Empire¡±. According to the Universal Observer, this civilization will give you guys the best chance to collect intelligence. ¡°Don¡¯t try to rush this process or¡­ well I assume you guys already know what happens to people like that. Remember, it might be smarter to wait 10 years rather than risking your own life if it¡¯s impossible to proceed with the mission.¡± Li Jiangsu nodded and received the bag from the supervisor that was surprisingly heavy for its size. He looked around to other groups and noticed that every group got bags made out of unique materials and designs. The supervisor proceeded to introduce the bag and the supplies inside it. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has already noticed the peculiarity of these survival kits. They are made with utmost care so the Natives will never find them out of place. Including the supplies inside. It¡¯s all thanks to the Universal Observer that this was made possible. ¡°There¡¯s enough food for 4 weeks as well as items for combat and defense. Y¡¯all should have already memorized them via the Universal Assist while in the waiting room. And don¡¯t forget about using Universal Marketplace if you need more supplies.¡± Hearing this, Li Jiangsu brought up the supplies list in the Universal Assist to check everything once more.
  1. Instant Dried Beef 200g (Wet) * 20
  2. Instant Dried Chicken 200g (Wet) * 20
  3. Instant Dried Shrimp 200g (Wet) * 20
  4. Various grains 9kg
  5. Seasonings (oil, herbs, salt, etc) 3kg
  6. Knife 2x
  7. Sedatives 12x [Effective for 3 days, 70kg Body]
  8. Poison 6x [5 minutes until death, 70kg Body]
  9. Medical Supplies
  10. 3 Outfits
Haha, why does it feel like we¡¯re going camping? Li Jiangsu couldn¡¯t help but think in this way. He then checked the Universal Marketplace. *** Credit: 0; [Closed] *** I guess they will deposit the credits and open the shop after we are in the New World. The supervisor¡¯s voice pulled Li Jiangsu back to reality. ¡°We only have one minute left, enter the Void¡¯s Gate one by one and wait for the Void¡¯s Key activation.¡± Supervisor Tai Wei gestured with his head to the Void¡¯s Gate. ¡°If you guys can¡¯t approach it, I will have to use force.¡± This prompted Xia Jiang to be the one taking the first step. Li Jiangsu and Xian Er soon followed. As Li Jiangsu approached the Abyss, the feeling of danger soon changed to disgust. He felt as if thousands of slimy tentacles were dragging him, wanting to devour him whole. The sudden change caused him to lose his balance and nearly crashed into Xian Er. Luckily she has a quick reflex. ¡°Aiya, don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± Xian Er glared at Li Jiangsu with her crimson eyes while taking a few steps sideways. ¡°Want my help?¡± Li Jiangsu shook his head, wiping the sweat on his forehead. ¡°My bad, that sudden change¡­ was quite unexpected.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Xian Er took a look at Li Jiangsu before she said. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand what you meant by that, but let¡¯s enter the Void¡¯s Gate first.¡± Li Jiangsu nodded and walked into the Void¡¯s Gate after Xian Er. He didn¡¯t feel any different when in contact with the ¡°ball of mist¡±. But his nose was hit by an inexplicable smell similar to a mix between chlorine and blood. Li Jiangsu could also hear the faint sound of heartbeats. ¡°This smell better doesn¡¯t stick to my body!¡± Xian Er said, pinching her nose. ¡°Hehe, what a stimulating smell and sound. I am so ready!¡± Xia Jiang declared, with his hands over his mouth and a green face. Supervisor Tai Wei smiled and said ¡°I enjoyed my time with all of you, however, short it may be. If we are destined, we will meet each other again soon. I hope you all bring glory to our great civilization, the mighty heaven!¡± ¡°The mighty heaven!¡± the trio exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave then.¡± Supervisor Tai Wei said. Li Jiangsu watched as supervisor Tai Wei walked a few meters away from the Void¡¯s Gate and Key and stood together with other supervisors, forming a line. All of them have their right fist over their heart and left hand behind their back. The countdown from the dreaded speaker was like a judgment to hell. ¡°Departure Hall number 10, Void¡¯s Key activation in 10¡­¡± ¡°9¡± ¡°8¡± ¡°7¡± * * * ¡°2¡± ¡°1¡± ¡°Release the Void¡¯s Keys¡± Every single one of Void¡¯s Keys in Departure Hall 10 begins to change. The obsidian color started to ¡°peel¡± like old paint, revealing the white brilliance underneath. It was as if the Sun had descended and switched places with the Void¡¯s Key. Li Jiangsu had to shut his eyes with everything he got, lest he gets blinded by the light. The Void¡¯s Gate instantly reacted, the ¡°mist¡± started to boil and Li Jiangsu could feel the smell getting stronger while the heartbeats were more deafening. After what seems like an eternity, the darkness has finally returned along with the calmness. Li Jiangsu didn¡¯t dare to open his eyes yet as he can still smell and hear the Void¡¯s Gate. But this didn¡¯t prevent him from speaking. ¡°Xian Er, Xia Jiang, are you guys alright?¡± After Li Jiangsu waited for a few seconds. The expected reply never came. ¡°Xian Er? Xia Jiang?¡± Still nothing. O-kay¡­ according to the written experiences of the previous Explorers, the situation I¡¯m in now is similar to the 2-3 seconds period inside the Void¡¯s Domain during the traverse to the New World. The smell and sound are here, yes, I am not mistaken about it. So, does this mean I am still stuck inside the Void¡¯s Domain? Huh? I can¡¯t open my eyes! If Li Jiangsu''s previous heart rate was like the calm waves, it¡¯s now more akin to a storm with heavy clouds. He tried to move his arms and legs, but no matter how much force he exerted, they barely moved from the initial position. Suddenly, he could feel the breath of someone in his right ear. ¡°Ano¨Cer c¨Crs-d? P¨Cr li¨Cle ¨Ching¡­¡± One more breath appeared in front of him, directly on his face. ¡°L-ok at -he ¨Cood si-e. W- go- one mor- hel¨Cng ha-d!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a -ity, he cou-d ha-e be-n st¨Cger.¡± Another breath joined, tickling Li Jiangsu''s left ear. ¡°Alr-g-t, qu-te now. We a-e sca-ng hi-. Boy, han- in ¨Chere.¡± A few moments later, Li Jiangsu couldn¡¯t feel these people''s presence anymore. They disappeared as abruptly as their appearance. But before he could rejoice over the return of silence, his ears were bombarded by murmurs from every direction. ¡°D????????????e????????????s????????????????????t?????????r????????????????o?????????????????????????y????????????? ?????????????????????????m????????????????????????e???????????????.??????????????????.??????????????.?????????????????? ????????????????D????????????????????e????????????????????s?????????t???????????????????r??????????????????????????o?????????????????????????y?????????????????????????????? ?????????????????m??????????????????e???????????????.???????????????.????????.????????????????? ??????????????D?????????????????e???????????????????s??????????????????t????????????r??????????o????????????????????????y?????????????????? ????????m?????????????e?????????.????????????????????.???????????????????????.???????????????????¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Li Jiangsu screamed in agony. Blood ¡°worms¡± started to ¡°drill out¡± of Li Jiangsu¡¯s pores as if they were living beings. Every breath felt like sucking air through a needle-sized straw. The ears are ringing non-stop with the vile murmurs in the background. Li Jiangsu¡¯s sclera turned blood red. He could feel the pulsing arteries inside his skull. These sensations soon faded as Li Jiangsu fell unconscious. Chapter 3: The Situation ¡°He must be an idiot. And this civilization¡¯s government placed so much trust in him. Where are the redundancies? I would¡¯ve thought they would be much more careful with their energy production. Luckily, it only affected a few¡­¡± A woman¡¯s voice from a distance slowly pulled Li Jiangsu out of his deep slumber. His eyelids were as heavy as lead, refusing to open. He could only let out a weak groan, desperately seeking out a helping hand. Unexpectedly, the only help he got was a heavy face slap. ¡°The little prince has finally woken up!¡± Xia Jiang¡¯s voice reverberated inside Li Jiangsu¡¯s head, washing away the remaining sluggishness. ¡°Good! Good! I was really worried we would be stuck as his caretakers. But Xia Jiang, be more careful. You might really kill him by doing that!¡± Li Jiangsu could feel Xian Er¡¯s voice and footsteps quickly approaching. After trying once more, his eyelids finally stopped being stubborn and complied with his instruction. Li Jiangsu was greeted by a world of light, just like when the Void¡¯s Key was activated. It took a few seconds before he could make out the details of the room. A high coffered ceiling with three light sources attached to them. The white interior made the room look fresh, but the lack of decorations caused a jarring first impression, giving off an atmosphere similar to an operating room. Li Jiangsu turned his head toward his two companions sitting beside the bed and stared at them for a while. It took him a few seconds to form coherent thoughts. What happened? Xia Jiang¡¯s appearance is a bit different from what I remembered. Xian Er has also changed. And there are also bandages all over my body. Never mind, this is not the time for that. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Li Jiangsu grimaced as he cleared his throat. ¡°Thanks.¡± Xia Jiang was the first to respond, he took out a round white artifact and started to squeeze it lightly. ¡°This expression is just right! You look great!¡± *Flash* *Flash* Two blinding light shots out from the round ¡°ball¡±, Li Jiangsu closed his eyes out of instinct. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Nice work, Xia Jiang! Li Jiangsu, we will take this as the payment. Haha!¡± Xian Er gave a thumbs up to Xia Jiang. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had enough fun. Li Jiangsu, it¡¯s time for you to explain yourself.¡± Li Jiangsu carefully scrutinized his teammates before replying with a frown. ¡°You asked me, but I¡¯m not too sure either.¡± ¡°Really? Try to think harder. I couldn¡¯t believe someone could bleed that much before. Ugh, it¡¯s not good for me to recall that. Nearly gave me a heart attack.¡± Xia Jiang said, fiddling with the white artifact. After contemplating for a bit more, Li Jiangsu eventually did recall the moment before he fell unconscious. The breaths, the voices, the feeling of helplessness, and that terrible pain. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± Li Jiangsu took a deep breath, suppressing his desire to let out a scream. ¡°Tell us what you remembered.¡± the duo pressed on for an answer. Li Jiangsu shook his head and said in a weak voice. ¡°It¡¯s too hazy. I felt like I went to sleep after the Void¡¯s Key was activated.¡± Li Jiangsu had a hunch that if he told the truth to them, the aftermath might be quite ugly. I¡¯ll have to research it myself. And who knows how the higher-ups will react to the abnormalities in the Void Domain. Will I become an experimental subject? It''s too dangerous and unpredictable. Xian Er and Xia Jiang looked and nodded at each other, they seemed to be okay with the unsatisfactory answer. ¡°Li Jiangsu, the thing is, apart from your serious injuries, we have another oddity to deal with,¡± Xian Er said. ¡°We were supposed to arrive in the capital of the Great Celestial Empire but instead found ourselves inside the capital city of another civilization, the Ancient Pavilion. What a great start to our mission, right? Sigh-¡± Li Jiangsu squinted after hearing this shocking piece of news. ¡°What did the Department of Exploration say? Have you guys reported the abnormalities yet?¡± ¡°Of course. We can¡¯t hide it anyway due to the Universal Assist.¡± Xia Jiang said. ¡°They have alerted the Interuniversal Key Department, it¡¯s unlikely the higher-ups will tell us what the issue is anytime soon. Unluckily or luckily for us, our mission will continue as planned. From the tone of the contact person, our situation is uncommon but should have happened before. Heh, isn¡¯t this exciting? Why have we never heard about it?¡± Li Jiangsu tried to get up to a sitting position and said, ¡°Then we will just have to leave it to them. By the way, how many days have passed since we arrived?¡± ¡°3 days.¡± Xian Er showed three fingers. ¡°Count yourself fortunate, if the Natives¡¯ medicine development level was a bit lower, you might have to be bedridden for a few months. We have used up half of your medical supplies. Your injuries are not completely healed up yet but I am sure you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble doing the daily tasks. For a starter, use this to educate yourself, or else you''re gonna cause trouble for us.¡± Xian Er threw a book-like object at Li Jiangsu. It has a dark metallic shine but it¡¯s as light as a feather. Catching the metallic book, Li Jiangsu inspected the cover for a bit before opening it up. The pages are beige colored and the letters in black ink seem to be rearranging themselves on their own, forming the following words: ¡° [Resume] Or [Select one of the listed books] Table of contents.
  1. A Comprehensive Book on Traditional Amarin Language by Scholar Club
  2. Cultivation Simplified by Lu Feng
  3. The Art of Politics by Unknown
  4. The Successes and Failures of Civilizations by Chen Hao
  5. Groundbreaking Innovations Explained by Scholar Club
  6. Why Are We Divided? by Zhang Yao
  7. The encyclopedia of the three great civilizations by Scholar Club
  8. News, Date 02/09/255 - Li Wei Era, by Morning News Group
* * * ¡° Li Jiangsu flipped the pages to see if there was any end to the list, but to his surprise, the table of contents began to repeat itself after a certain page. He tried to touch one of the book¡¯s titles, the letters then began to move again and he could feel the increased thickness of the book. It took a few seconds before everything settled down. The weight did not change which amused Li Jiangsu. So this is how the Natives store information?This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°It¡¯s pretty interesting right?¡± Xia Jiang commented, ¡°Enjoy it well. I paid quite a bit for it.¡± A flash of realization struck Li Jiangsu, he had to ask. ¡°How did you buy this book and the white ¡®ball¡¯, I didn¡¯t see any local currency in the supplies list? And where are we? Whose house is this?¡± Xia Jiang and Xian Er froze for a moment before Xian Er quickly explained, ¡°That¡¯s right! I forgot to tell you about this. After we arrived, we found ourselves inside this house. More specifically, the underground storage room. We are pretty lucky to not encounter anybody right away. Because, well, our sudden appearance and your bloody body would have attracted too much attention. ¡°I let Xia Jiang go up to scout while I took care of your injuries, he discovered that a couple, called Mr. Cheng Zhu and Mrs. Cheng Yuan, are residing here but they are not home. So we decided to wait and observe the situation before doing anything. Once the morning arrived and the couple went out again, Xia Jiang and I decided to add sedatives to the beverages the couple was drinking last night. ¡°And you should already know how it turned out. We also got local currencies from them. They had unexpectedly a large amount of them too.¡± ¡°Where are they now? The underground storage room?¡± Li Jiangsu followed up with a question. Xian Er closed one of her eyes and pointed a finger at it. ¡°Correct, no need to worry about them waking up and escaping. I¡¯ve discovered my cultivation pathway and one of its abilities in this New World. It seems to be related to observation and monitoring. I can leave a ¡®mark¡¯ on a person and see them from anywhere. The limit is only one ¡®mark¡¯ for now. Don¡¯t think anything weird, I have no interest in peeping at you guys.¡± ¡°And here I was looking forward to it. If you change your mind, I will gladly volunteer!¡± Xia Jiang''s eyes sparkled and smiled at Xian Er. Dude¡­ And you, Xian Er! If you hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I wouldn¡¯t have thought about it! Li Jiangsu shook his head to get rid of any inappropriate thoughts and questioned Xia Jiang what he did with the white ¡®ball¡¯ ¡°Oh, this?¡± Xia Jiang held up the white ¡®ball¡¯ so Li Jiangsu could see it a little better. ¡°As you know, we are here illegally as invaders and frankly, if not for my lucky halo that causes us to meet this specific couple, it would¡¯ve been harder to blend in.¡± ¡°You mean?¡± Li Jiangsu asked. ¡°That guy, Cheng Zhu, looks very similar to me, just has a few more wrinkles and is a bit taller. I could use his identity documents and his wife¡¯s makeup for the final touches. I did all that before going out to collect information and buy the necessities and you know what? It sure did pay off in the end! Those fools couldn¡¯t tell I am an imposter! Haha, well to be fair they are up against me, the great identity thief! ¡°Ah so where was I? Right, the current situation in the capital is quite tense due to several factors. I have heard the patrols on the street have increased severalfold in the past few months. It looks like this matter is related to two other great civilizations, the Nation of Twilight and the Great Celestial Empire. ¡°Which leads us to this white ¡®ball¡¯, it¡¯s actually called ¡®Photographic Storage¡¯. It was lent to me by a black market dealer who sold forged identities documents. We were just waiting until you woke up to complete the last step.¡± Xia Jiang explained. Li Jiangsu was surprised by how efficient and reliable this weirdo is. However, there was one crucial part that bothered him. ¡°Surely, a black market dealer isn¡¯t someone who you can just meet whenever, especially when the capital is on high alert?¡± ¡°Good that you asked. This is where things get really interesting. The black market dealer, who calls himself Seven Degree, actually approached me while I was drinking inside the Fizzy Red Bar, a popular place among the locals.¡± Xia Jiang adjusted himself on the seat before he continued. ¡°He mistook me as the real Cheng Zhu. Well, I supposed that is to be expected. But this also shows that this couple is not simple. ¡°I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t act rashly and poisoned them. There would be no way to avoid troubles in the future if that was the case. Nevertheless, we will still need to deal with their disappearance in the past 2 days. Tackling this issue will definitely be rewarding, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Xia Jiang grinned at Li Jiangsu. For some reason, Li Jiangsu wanted to punch Xia Jiang''s face but he held back the urge. Xian Er then coughed lightly before speaking to the other two. ¡°This brings us to a dilemma that Xia Jiang and I have been thinking about since we discovered them.¡± Xian Er walked into another room and returned with two pieces of paper. ¡°One is a letter for Cheng Zhu and the other one was in the process of writing by Cheng Yuan.¡± She placed them on the edge of the bed so everyone could see. The upper-left corner of the letter to Cheng Zhu was adorned with complicated patterns in blue. On the other hand, the unfinished letter was plain and only contained a few lines of ink. Li Jiangsu quickly read the content of both: ¡°To Cheng Zhu, Have you been well? I¡¯ve been exercising with my daughter recently, a true demon I¡¯d say. She won¡¯t even let her frail father rest. Concerning your recent change of residence, I hope you can adjust well to the new neighborhood. Mr. Chu Ying''s recommendation rarely misses the mark. However, if you find it dissatisfactory then just write to me and I will make the necessary arrangements. Due to the recent unrest within the capital, I have temporarily suspended a portion of my importing business. But rest assured, the deal we previously agreed on will be unaffected. I¡¯ve made sure to confirm it with the officials through my private channels. I¡¯m certain you are already well aware of all these matters. So let me finally tell you the real reason I¡¯ve written this letter, I have a business proposal to present to you. I can only give you the details in person, I am extremely sorry for the inconvenience this might have caused. Please contact me with the date and place of the meeting if you are interested to know more. I wish you good health. Sincerely, Ning Xiao Zhi Thousand Valleys Group¡± An unexpectedly normal letter, there are only a few suspicious points but that should be expected when discussing important business matters. The most interesting thing isn¡¯t the content itself but the physical letter. Is this the most common method of communication? Or do they have a faster means but it cannot be mass-produced? Li Jiangsu only now realized he knew far too little about this New World. He¡¯s itching to read the book Xia Jiang gave him. He continued to read the letter written by Cheng Yuan. ¡°Dear Mrs. Gao Jie, It has been a few weeks since we contacted each other. Are you still journeying through the western part of the territory? At the end of the last letter you told me about your plan to visit the Royal Mineral Hot Springs, how was it? I¡¯ve heard they are great for nourishing the body with strength and vitality. I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences. As autumn approaches, the winds have also become more violent here in the capital. The situation has likewise deteriorated much faster than expected. We can only hope this will calm down before the date of your marriage. Please remind your fianc¨¦ about¡ª¡± The abrupt end of the letter irked Li Jiangsu for an instant but he soon collected himself. Cheng Yuan must have fallen unconscious in the middle of writing it. From the looks of it, this letter has lower importance compared to Cheng Zhu¡¯s. Li Jiangsu pointed to Cheng Zhu¡¯s letter and said, ¡°Is this the letter you guys have been struggling with deciding what to do?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± Xian Er nodded. ¡°Do we reply and refuse the invitation?¡± Xia Jiang stood up and paced back and forth before he finally said, ¡°Ning Xiao Zhi wrote to Cheng Zhu with a highly respected tone and they seem to be equal in status. I suggest we do not reply. After all, we do not know the writing style of Cheng Zhu and maybe they have agreed to only communicate through papers with unique identification like the one from Ning Xiao Zhi.¡± Xia Jiang tapped the corner of the letter with the blue patterns using his fingers. He continued, ¡°It¡¯s better to offend Ning Xiao Zhi by being impolite rather than alerting him of potential problems on our side.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Li Jiangsu nodded in approval. ¡°What about you, Xian Er?¡± Xian Er shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Sounds reasonable enough for me. Then it¡¯s decided, we do nothing about these letters and leave them be. Other than these letters, we¡¯ll also have to pay attention to anyone who might be visiting us. The couple seems to be well connected and have some presence in the local social scene, it could end up badly for us if those people started to get curious and knock on our doors en masse. We can probably expect a few visitors in the coming days. Li Jiangsu and I will have to depend on you, the great identity thief.¡± Xian Er looked at Xia Jiang with a menacing smile. Li Jiangsu''s body shivered for some reason even though he isn¡¯t the one on the receiving end. Before the trio could continue to discuss their next plan of action, knocking sounds could be heard from the front door. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! ¡°Well, speak of the devil.¡± Xia Jiang helplessly smiled and walked toward the entrance. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Chapter 4: Visitor On the way to the entrance, Xia Jiang turned off all the lights in the living room. The light quickly evacuated from the room to give way for the darkness. If someone looked from outside the house, they wouldn''t be able to tell the light has been turned off manually. He also made sure to close the door leading to the bedroom. After re-checking to make sure nothing seems amiss, he opened the door and welcomed the unwanted guest. ¡°Yes?¡± Xia Jiang peeked through the door opening and he was greeted by a man in his forties. The man has nicely combed dark hair and dull gray eyes, giving off a sense of sophistication to onlookers. The man habitually adjusted his navy-colored robe before he said with a grin. ¡°Good Afternoon, Mr. Cheng Zhu, I hope you and your wife are well.¡± ¡°Sigh, the last few days have really taken a toll on my body, you see.¡± Xia Jiang lamented with a hoarse voice and shook his head. ¡°My wife has fallen sick, apparently from the stress of moving, and now the light crystals in the living room are broken, dampening my mood further.¡± Before the visitor could give his condolences, Xia Jiang interrupted him with an apologetic look, ¡°Ah! My bad, my bad, it was impolite of me to let you stand there. Please come in. I¡¯m sorry for the bad lighting, as you know, haha.¡± ¡°What are you saying, Mr. Cheng Zhu. It¡¯s me who was rude in the first place. But I will gladly accept the invitation. Please, excuse me.¡± The man promptly went inside and sat down on the wooden chair with intricate design. Xia Jiang quickly followed suit. ¡°So, may I know the reason you visited me today, Mr. Uhm¡­¡± Xia Jiang pretended to be deep in thought. ¡°You must have a lot to think about lately. It¡¯s okay. My name is Tan Xuan and I live in the adjacent house. Though it does sadden me a bit to leave so little impression on you at the welcome party a few days ago. Do you think I should wear bright clothes so I can become more recognizable?¡± Tan Xuan chuckled. ¡°I am really grateful for your understanding, Mr. Tan Xuan. I¡¯ll make sure to never forget your name again.¡± Xia Jiang bowed. ¡°I have also realized it¡¯s disrespectful of me to not be serving you tea. Sigh, your impression of me must have plummeted.¡± Tan Xuan laughed out loud before he said, ¡°Ridiculous, my reputation would be gone if I was so petty. I¡¯m just here to discuss the recent news I¡¯ve heard people talking about on the streets, no need for any formalities.¡± ¡°Oh? It must have been released this morning and for you to come here, I guess it¡¯s not a small matter?¡± Xia Jiang inched his body forward, wishing to learn more. ¡°I thought I must have misheard it but after I confirmed it with some of my close friends, it¡¯s really true. The High Court has announced a public execution will take place tomorrow morning, the first time in a hundred years!¡± Tan Xuan answered. ¡°Holy Ancestors, is this the reason for the increase of patrol? I just hope this isn¡¯t a sign for something worse to come.¡± Xia Jiang recalled what he read about the Ancient Pavilion and they indeed still carry out public executions from time to time. He then asked, ¡°Are you planning to invite us to watch it?¡± ¡°Yes, it would be a shame to miss such a rare event. However, now that I know your wife doesn¡¯t feel well, it might be improper for me to insist on it.¡± Tan Xuan nodded. After hearing that Tan Xuan had no intention of forcing them to go out in public, Xia Jiang was a bit relieved. However, he also fell into contemplation because this would be a great opportunity for him and his companions to try the ¡®Livestream¡¯ function of the Universal Assist. By presenting such an exciting ¡®scene¡¯ to the viewers as their debut, they would be able to earn more Credits as assurance for any future emergencies. Of course, there was a considerable risk that their identities would be checked by the patrol. But the risks just made Xia Jiang feel more excited. Not to mention, it will also help them build a closer relationship with Tan Xuan, who is presumably an influential person to be able to live in this neighborhood. Though, it¡¯s still not an ideal situation considering they are pretending to be someone else and might have to abandon this identity soon.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Xia Jiang finally made a decision and said with a slight smile, ¡°When Cheng Yuan and I married, we promised to not burden each other when it comes to living our own lives. She would be sad if I missed out on these ¡®festivities¡¯ because of her. So, I will gladly accept your invitation, Mr. Tan Xuan.¡± ¡°I envy your relationship with her Mr. Cheng Zhu. I can only hope fate is kind and let me experience the same level of connection.¡± Tan Xuan said as he stood up and patted his clothes before he continued. ¡°It¡¯s decided then, I will come here to pick you up tomorrow morning. I presume you didn¡¯t have the time to acquire a carriage yet.¡± Xia Jiang went to the door and opened it for Tan Xuan, ¡°I have to trouble you, Mr. Tan Xuan. May I also invite my two friends? They¡¯ve come here to the capital to help me with a business deal. It would be nice if we could go together.¡± ¡°Certainly, the more the merrier as the saying goes. Alright, please let Mrs. Cheng Yuan know that I wish her a quick recovery and if there¡¯s anything, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me for help. As neighbors, we should take care of each other.¡± Tan Xuan said. ¡°Many thanks, Mr. Tan Xuan. Please take care.¡± Xia Jiang bowed once more as the guest departed. When he couldn¡¯t see Tan Xuan¡¯s shadow anymore, he closed the door and went to the room where Li Jiangsu and Xian Er were. He didn¡¯t bother to turn the light back on. The moment he opened the door, Xian Er¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Really? Cheng Yuan would be sad if you didn¡¯t go out and watch someone get killed instead of taking care of her? If I were her, I would have shut the door of this house to you forever!¡± Xia Jiang was startled for a moment before he shook his head and ignored Xian Er''s remarks. ¡°So, what do you guys think? It will be a little risky for us to go out right now but as long as we are traveling inside a carriage of someone important like Mr. Tan Xuan, it should be alright. I am actually really looking forward to it!¡± ¡°Are you sure Mr. Tan Xuan didn¡¯t suspect you of being an imposter? He seems to be observant and knows his way around people. If it¡¯s not the appearance, maybe your voice and word choices made him suspicious. He has talked with the real Cheng Zhu at the welcome party after all.¡± Li Jiangsu asked with raised eyebrows and didn¡¯t directly answer Xia Jiang¡¯s question. ¡°He could, I won¡¯t deny this. I did try to mimic as much as possible but in the end, it¡¯s difficult to act perfectly. If he sees through my cover, then we should prepare some tea for the law enforcement officers later today. Hehe, that sounds fun too.¡± Xia Jiang nonchalantly replied. ¡°Anyhow, this was unavoidable. We can only hope for the best. To answer your question Xia Jiang, I am not opposed to it. After all, this public execution might count as an important contribution in the eyes of the Dragon Gate. In addition, even though we live in an upper-class area, this doesn¡¯t prevent the patrol from making an inspection. ¡°Together with the fact that this is a rare event, if an inspection was made at the same time, we would have no way to explain ourselves without exposing our suspicious identities. They won¡¯t be as easy to convince as Mr. Tan Xuan.¡± Xian Er analyzed the advantage of going out to watch the public execution with Tan Xuan. Li Jiangsu also added his thoughts, ¡°I agree, this bet is worth taking. And before we go out, we also have to make sure to administer more sedatives to the couple so they don¡¯t wake up while we are gone. But if they do, it wouldn¡¯t cause as much harm as long as the black market dealer delivers our forged identities documents.¡± ¡°Now that you mentioned it, I am going to head out to deliver this ¡®Photographic Storage¡¯ to him now.¡± Xia Jiang put on his coat and checked his appearance in the mirror before going out without doing any more chit chat. Xian Er turned around to look at Li Jiangsu and the dark metallic book and said, ¡°Use your remaining time well, I recommend you to finish ¡®A Comprehensive Book on Traditional Amarin Language¡¯ before anything else. I am going downstairs to administer more sedatives to the Chengs." ¡°Um-hum, if you need any help, come and find me.¡± Li Jiangsu replied and started to read the book while leaning on the headboard. The time passes by in a blink, the day turns into night. Li Jiangsu spent his time mostly learning more about Traditional Amarin and the three great civilizations. He also thought more about his short and long-term goals. I should focus on healing myself and adapting to living in this New World as well as find a way to earn money for now. Once I have established a stable foundation, I can try to find out if this New World has discovered Interuniversal Travel yet. Moreover, the abnormality inside the Void¡¯s Domain is a hidden danger I must resolve. But it¡¯s unknown how long this will take and there¡¯s currently no lead to start from. I will have to categorize it as a long-term goal together with returning home. While doing all of this, I will also need to strengthen myself to increase the likelihood of survival. It seems I can¡¯t avoid becoming a cultivator after all, sigh. This is the worst bet of my life for sure. Chapter 5: Monster ¡°There are three things I fear the most: the unknown, waiting for the inevitable, and a calm monster.¡± Li Jiangsu quoted a sentence from ¡°The Art of Politics¡± by an unknown author. He felt this sentence resonated with his current situation. He continued with a sincere tone, ¡°It¡¯s such a shame the author is anonymous. I would¡¯ve liked to seek some advice from him or her over a drink.¡± ¡°You mean we¡¯re not good enough to consult with? Maybe I should let you know the fourth fear: a cheek kiss from my palm.¡± Xia Jiang softly slapped the air in front of him. ¡°How¡¯re your injuries? It¡¯s best if you can at least run.¡± Li Jiangsu closed the book and stood up from the chair. ¡°I won¡¯t slow you guys down if the situation turns for the worse. And we¡¯ve agreed to abandon each other if we get caught right? In the end, we can only rely on ourselves in this place.¡± ¡°True,¡± Xia Jiang sipped the tea before he continued. ¡°Heh, since I¡¯ve arrived here I¡¯ve never had a moment to calmly drink tea like this. It kinda reminds me of being back home. Stable life, live every day in bliss, and you know no matter how bad the situation is, you have someone to depend on.¡± For a moment, Li Jiangsu didn¡¯t know how to reply to Xia Jiang''s emotional speech. ¡°I thought you love taking risks, why so sentimental all of sudden?¡± Li Jiangsu said as he began to stretch his muscles that have gotten weaker in the past few days. He continued shortly after, ¡°I¡¯ve never experienced those feelings before, that¡¯s why I envy you, Xia Jiang.¡± Xia Jiang finished the last of his tea and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve heard a saying before: A true regret is when you let it weigh you down.¡± Li Jiangsu looked at Xia Liang waiting for him to continue, ¡°Since then I¡¯ve decided to get rid of the dead weight. This must be the absurdity of a man, once you have got every need met, you begin to crave the most elusive desire of all, Death. ¡°But of course, I am not that unhinged yet. I still value my own life to a certain extent.¡± Xia Jiang''s mouth curved up a tiny bit after he said that. A few seconds later, the door to the living room opened up and Xian Er walked in. ¡°Are you boys done with the bonding session yet? I¡¯ve just used up my sedatives, those two bodies are so stubborn. They must have been cultivators or else I wouldn¡¯t need to use four vials of sedatives on them per day.¡± She placed the empty vials inside her survival kits and looked at the clock on the wall. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for Mr. Tan Xuan to pick us up. Have you guys finished cleaning the traces, we can¡¯t leave anything behind in case the law enforcement officers decide to inspect this place.¡± ¡°I am super ready madam.¡± Xia Jiang cleaned the teacup and stored it where he found it. Before Li Jiangsu could give a response, the awaited visitor arrived. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! It didn¡¯t take long until Xia Jiang opened the door and greeted the person behind it. ¡°I love the smell of the air in the morning, don¡¯t you agree, Mr. Tan Xuan?¡± ¡°Indeed, it invigorates me unlike anything else. Let¡¯s see¡­ are they your companions?¡± Mr. Tan Xuan looked at Li Jiangsu and Xian Er with his dull gray eyes with a hint of curiosity. He didn¡¯t pay much attention to the bags the trio had with them. Even though it¡¯s strange for a person with Mr. Cheng Zhu¡¯s status to own a bag of such inferior quality, that¡¯s not something he should poke his nose in. The duo then introduced themselves one by one using their real names. ¡°Mr. Cheng Zhu, Mr. Li Jiangsu, and Mrs. Xian Er let¡¯s not linger around here any longer or we might be stuck in traffic. Please, this way.¡± Mr. Tan Xuan gestured with his hand to let the trio board the carriage before him. The carriage has four clean wheels and is clad in matte black color. In the front, there are two white horses and a coachman. While the sides are decorated with various ornaments and two large emblems of three gold coins. There are also four small windows, two on each side. Li Jiangsu let the others go inside first. Once Li Jiangsu got inside he was met with a soft nightsky-colored carpet floor and two seats that extended from one side to another with a dark table made from wood in the middle. He sat on the seat nearest to the entrance. They set off to the destination as soon as the door was closed. To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Mr. Tan Xuan said with a hush. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor going on that the High Court is aiming to use this opportunity to warn its adversaries, both within and without. They seem to be determined to root out any problems before they could grow.¡± Expecting this, Xia Jiang repeated what he heard yesterday when he went out to hand over the photos for the forged identities documents. ¡°Yesterday after you told me about the public execution, I decided to visit an old acquaintance of mine to get more information. He said that the man might be innocent.¡± Xia Jiang paused for a moment and looked at the people on the street through the window before continuing. ¡°The unrest in the capital has increased ever since the Great Celestial Empire¡¯s embassy accident. And the High Court might use this public execution as a way to let the masses vent their build-up frustration and anger. However, contrary to my acquaintance¡¯s speculation, I do not believe the criminal is completely innocent. He might have committed a grave crime that wouldn¡¯t normally warrant an execution. But what is preventing the High Court from charging him with false claims?¡± The carriage fell into silence momentarily as each person contemplated the High Court¡¯s true motive and how it might affect them. Li Jiangsu kept his mouth shut as he truly did not know much about this matter and instead listened attentively in hope of educating himself. On the way to the execution ground, when there was not much conversation. Li Jiangsu would open his Universal Assist and check its various functions so he could get used to the feeling and be prepared to use it in an emergency. Currently, he¡¯s checking the marketplace so he could turn on the [livestream]: [Credits: 1000] ***Please select a category*** [All] [Food] [Items] [Maps] [Medicine] [Clothes] [Services] ***[You¡¯ve selected ¡®Services¡¯]*** [Interuniversal Delivery] Available: 1 Price: 3000 Credits [Sending a private message through Universal Observer, Destination: Nine Heavens Empire] Available: 0 Price: 2 Credits [Livestream] Available: Always Price: Free [Request for a helper/rescuer] Available: N/A. You are currently not in a territory affiliated with the Nine Heavens Empire. Price: According to the negotiation. [More services will be added soon] [V2.1] Li Jiangsu chose the [Livestream] option. ***[Creating a new account ¡®Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]¡¯¡­]*** ***[Account created¡­]*** ***[Testing the connection strength to the Universal Observer¡­ OK, 99/100]*** ***[Testing the connection strength from the Universal Observer to the Main Control Center¡­ OK 77/100] ***[Preparing the Livestream¡­]*** ***[¡®Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]¡¯ is now online!]*** When Li Jiangsu saw the notification confirming he¡¯s successfully turned on the Livestream, he could see a blinking red dot in the upper right corner of his field of vision. Because he still hasn¡¯t gotten used to live streaming yet, it took him a while before he managed to find the channel details. [Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]] [Title: **None**] [Viewers: 0] [Chat] **Empty** Hmmm¡­ I should choose an attention-grabbing title. How about¡­ this! ***[Title changed to ¡®Watch me sipping tea while enjoying a public execution¡¯]*** Now I just have to wait¡­ Satisfied, Li Jiangsu turned his attention back to reality and looked through the small windows beside him. The carriage blocked most of the noises from the outside and Li Jiangsu immersed himself in the feeling of gliding through the streets of a strange but yet familiar world. Sigh¡­ no matter which New Worlds with life, it¡¯s humans who reign supreme. Is this what one might call ¡®the blessed species¡¯? He shook his head and rested with his eyes closed, enjoying the comfortable seat. * Around 40 minutes after they departed, the group finally arrived at the execution ground. With tens of minutes to spare until the execution begins, they went out of the carriage and found the reserved VIP seats at an upscale restaurant. Mr. Tan Xuan has chosen this location because it has the perfect view from the top so they wouldn''t miss any action. The room has a floor-to-ceiling glass pane in all four directions with two round tables on each side. The luxurious tables were made out of a whole block of white marble, they are carved meticulously, leaving no defects behind. On other hand, the ergonomic chairs are covered in whole grain dark red leather, making them comfortable to sit on. Li Jiangsu and company occupied the table at the northern side and the rest of the remaining tables were slowly filled with people. Because the southern and western sides will not be able to see the execution, the guests sitting there will have to stand up during the entire event. From the northern and eastern windows, Li Jiangsu could see people pouring in from all directions towards the execution ground. Many of them had climbed up their carriage in hope of getting a little better view. The tall buildings nearby are also filled with spectators. There were so many people that each of them looked like a droplet in an ocean.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The execution ground itself is barren and in front of this large crowd, its white clean floor stood out like an eyesore. Its northern side is connected to a large bronze door that leads into a building behind it. While they waited for the public execution to start, the servers began to serve each guest with a refreshment. No food was served to prevent any ¡®incident¡¯ from happening. With nothing else to do, Li Jiangsu began to pass the time by scrutinizing the guests in the room. Tsk, did they really bring children here to watch an execution? This couple has pretty interesting haircuts. Oh, he¡¯s here all alone? Pretty young, maybe he¡¯s waiting for someone. Before Li Jiangsu could look at the next guest, the young man made eye contact with him and gave a slight smile. To avoid being rude, Li Jiangsu nodded back and forced a thin smile. He then continued on to the next targets. After he had satisfied his own curiosity, Li Jiangsu opened the Universal Assist and selected the [Local Private Message] and invited Xian Er and Xia Jiang for a group chat. This was a function they had tested inside the ¡®Waiting Room¡¯ back home. [Li Jiangsu: I¡¯ve already turned on my Livestream, what about you guys?] [Xia Jiang: Done! Done! Already has 500 viewers, most of them are women. I must be very handsome!] [Xian Er: So foolish, a hairless monkey is better looking than you in my eyes.] Not knowing how to continue the conversation, Li Jiangsu once again closed the Universal Assist and asked Mr. Tan Xuan a question. ¡°Will the restaurant connect their speaker to the announcements made outside?¡± Mr. Tan Xuan pointed to the speakers on the corners, ¡°That¡¯s right, I was actually the one who recommended this particular setup when they renovated the place. The owner did hesitate a little because of the price, but I managed to convince him after pestering him for a few weeks. Please, Mr. Li Jiangsu, don¡¯t misjudge my character, it¡¯s just that they are artifacts made by the Cursed Society artisans. As you know, their products cannot be bought even if you have money.¡± Li Jiangsu had read about them extensively in the book ¡®Groundbreaking Innovations Explained¡¯ last night, so he has some clue as to who they are. ¡°Now I am very much looking forward to experiencing their fine craftsmanship today.¡± Why did it sound so much like what Xia Jiang will say? Has he infected me? Li Jiangsu subtly shook his head to get rid of these dangerous thoughts. They didn¡¯t have to wait much longer before the speakers were turned on, letting out a deep voice. Li Jiangsu and other guests'' instinctively looked up at the speaker, thinking a person was living inside. Impressive¡­ this is comparable to the quality back home. After the initial shock, people in the room inched closer to the eastern and northern sides to get a better look at the execution ground. ¡°Good morning ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the High Court, I, Sang Qi of Ancient Tigers, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come here and witness the judgment of an evildoer.¡± Because of the height, they couldn¡¯t see the speaker¡¯s face clearly, but they could make out that he has long gray hair and a slender build. The man continued speaking. ¡°As many of you already know, there are many people that wish to harm us because they are jealous of our history, our prosperity, and our strength! Can we allow such people to remain alive? No! We cannot! ¡°Traitors shall be burned alive. Spies shall be fed to crows. And most importantly! Our great empire name shall make them cower in fear! ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the sinner and his crimes.¡± With Sang Qi''s order, two lines of soldiers in red uniforms walked out of the large bronze door with a captive in the middle. Each of them carried a small cage with several crows inside. Once they reached the center of the execution ground, the soldiers spread out and surrounded the captive from all four sides akin to a square shape. Sang Qi began to recite his speech once again, ¡°This monster is called Wen Xu, he hails from the distant land of the Nation of Twilight. However! Do not condemn him because of his origins. The true sin is his vile character! ¡°Wen Xu moved to our great empire to seek a better life. And the empire gave him what he desired. He lived in paradise. When he fell sick, our people healed him. When he was hungry, our people fed him. When he felt lonely, our people loved him. But! He repaid us with malice. Our warm welcome couldn¡¯t melt his cold heart.¡± Sang Qi paused for a second before resuming his speech. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby charge Wen Xu on behalf of the High Court with three counts of crime and sentence him to death by damnatio ad bestias. ¡°Firstly, illegal sales of low-rank potions. ¡°Secondly, plotted against the High Court. ¡°Thirdly, incite violence against the innocents.¡± Sang Qi turned around and ordered the soldiers to release the crows, he then said. ¡°May you feel the fury of our Ancestors!¡± One of the soldiers stepped out of the line and slashed Wen Xu''s arms and legs. The released crows were only feathers and bone, it didn¡¯t take long before they started to notice an irresistible aroma permeated in the air. Because all of them are so weak, they could only jump out of the cage and frantically run toward their meal. A few of them stumbled and got trampled by their own kind. Some of the crows didn¡¯t have the patience and began to snack on the crushed brothers. The luckier ones reached their destination without any trouble and managed to enjoy the delicious feast presented to them. From time to time the ¡®meal¡¯ would move and this annoyed a few of the crows. So these crows climbed up on the chest; started to unwrap the ¡®apple¡¯ hiding inside the neck. Crunchy, they thought. Li Jiangsu watched as some of the onlookers had to spew up their refreshments in a paper bag. He also felt a little sick but it went away soon. Li Jiangsu opened up his [Livestream] window and looked at the chat. [Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]] [Title: Watch me sipping tea while enjoying a public execution] [Viewers: 980] [Chat] [Tasty Rotten Mango: Yes! Eat well my children!!!] [Magnanimous Ant: Brother Li, why don¡¯t you join the feast? Don¡¯t be so asocial!] [Tight and Wet: You little sh*t Feet Adorer, why are you here?! Stop following me!] [I Drink Gold: Little Li, moan my name right now and I will give you 1,000 Credits.] [Retired from life: I am so jealous. I want to be Wen Xu. Why can¡¯t I be reborn as him? Life is so unfair.] Li Jiangsu¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he read these messages. So this is how those big Explorers feel when reading the chat. When Li Jiangsu was about to close the chat, he heard a ping sound coming from the Universal Assist. [God Emperor is my slave has donated 10 Credits!] [God Emperor is my slave: Keep up the good work. I¡¯m looking forward to watching your future adventures.] Li Jiangsu was stunned for a moment by this atypical message. At the very least, there¡¯s a normal viewer. He quickly sent a reply. [Li Jiangsu: I am grateful for the support, God Emperor is my slave] Still though, why that username. Do you wish to die early? After he checked that there was nothing else, he closed the chat. The execution has also come to a close and the remains were not cleaned up right away, instead, they will leave it out for three more days to make a statement. From the start to the end, Wen Xu never uttered a sound. ¡°Holy Ancestors.¡± Tan Xuan muttered, he looked at the trio and said. ¡°May our Ancestors guide us to peace.¡± They and some of the nearby guests repeated Tan Xuan¡¯s words, ¡°May our Ancestors guide us to peace.¡± One of the guests who joined was the young man who previously made eye contact with Li Jiangsu. He has long dark hair and abyss-like eyes, combined with his white robe, his character effuses elegance and warmth. ¡°Today¡¯s mistakes are Tomorrow¡¯s lessons.¡± The young man said, looking at the bloody execution ground. ¡°I hope we won¡¯t see such horrible things again any time soon.¡± Li Jiangsu took a quick glance at the young man and looked at the people below, surrounding the pile of bones. ¡°Sigh, a thousand lessons are like paper in front of the flames of ambition. Mistakes and lessons are infinite in nature.¡± ¡°It may be so.¡± The young man neither agrees nor disagrees. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave, it was nice conversing with you.¡± Li Jiangsu watched as the young man left, Mr. Tan Xuan commented, ¡°I feel like I understand your character a little more now, Mr. Li Jiangsu.¡± ¡°Please, my mood must have been affected by the book I read earlier this morning. I do not have such wisdom yet.¡± Li Jiangsu denied with a smile. Mr. Tan Xuan smiled back and didn¡¯t continue the topic. He then asked the group, ¡°I suppose we should head home. I don¡¯t think any of us are in the mood to have breakfast yet.¡± The trio concurred. * On the carriage, the atmosphere was solemn and no one had any intention to say anything. Of course, that was just on the surface. In the local chat room. [Xia Jiang: I peaked at 3,400 viewers! The show was so exciting! But most of the viewers didn¡¯t come during the execution. It is that white-robed guy who stole my spotlight!] [Xian Er: Did the crows eat your brain?] [Li Jiangsu: Hmm¡­ mine peaked at 2,300 when he appeared. Some of them even donated Credits.] [Xian Er: Enough, enough, both of you stop, and let¡¯s discuss what we have learned.] [Xia Jiang: Blah, party pooper. Anyhow, the High Court hasn¡¯t released any evidence to support the allegations which means they either don¡¯t exist or cannot be presented to the public.] [Li Jiangsu: Also take note of how they wanted to blame it on the action of an ¡®individual¡¯ rather than their enemy, the Nation of Twilight. I¡¯m not sure why they didn¡¯t take advantage of this situation to rile up the masses. It must have been a calculated move rather than oversight.] [Xian Er: But the effect will be the same. People from the Nation of Twilight will face further discrimination and the High Court has temporarily bolstered its own image. However, I am not yet sure if they were successful at scaring their enemies away. After all, this might have been an elaborate show to fool their enemies into believing their methods are exposed.] [Xia Jiang: With only this much information, it¡¯s hard to draw any conclusions and see the bigger picture. But I am also looking forward to seeing how this will turn out in the end!] [Xian Er: That¡¯s it if you are alive by then, idiot.] [Xia Jiang: Tsk.] [Li Jiang: Looks like trouble has arrived.] Li Jiang closed the chat room and paid close attention to the voices outside. ¡°Good day officers, how may I be of service?¡± The coachman said. ¡°I am the head butler of Tan estate on the Nightflower street.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve received a report that Mr. Tan Xuan and his friends might have come into contact with a dangerous person, so we would like to check their body¡¯s conditions to make sure they are fine.¡± A woman''s voice could be heard. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is a painless process. Mr. Tan Xuan, may we go inside the carriage?¡± The trio looked at each other and nodded, readying themselves in case the situation turned sour. Li Jiangsu checked his shoes, making sure they are in good condition to avoid any tripping when running. He also subtly reached inside his bag for the knife, prepared to use it at a moment''s notice. Mr. Tan Xuan gave his permission, not noticing the tense atmosphere. The carriage¡¯s door was opened and two people came inside. A man and a woman. The man has a deep scar on his cheek and white hair. His dark eyes inspected the people onboard. The woman can be said to be a flawless beauty, her purple eyes could mesmerize anyone and her long ink-black hair complimented her fair skin tone well. ¡°I am officer Lan Yi and this is my colleague Zhang Bin¡± the woman introduced herself and the man. ¡°I apologize for delaying Mr. Tan Xuan and his friend''s journey. ¡°The reason I am here is that our intelligence unit has determined that all of you might have come into contact with a dangerous individual. And he might have done something to your bodies.¡± Officer Lan Yi looked each person in the eyes before she continued. ¡°I hope everyone can cooperate with me and let me take a drop of blood from each of you. Please insert your index finger inside the artifact my colleague is holding on to.¡± ¡°Of course officer, can you share more details about this person? Did we meet them when we walked to the restaurant or was it at the restaurant? I hope they didn¡¯t do anything bad to me.¡± Mr. Tan Xuan promptly gave his hand to officer Zhang Bin, who was holding on to a pocket-sized rectangular artifact with a circular hole in the center. Mr. Tan Xuan¡¯s index finger could fit comfortably inside the hole and the artifact lit up with blue light for a few seconds before the light disappeared. A small red dot appeared on Mr. Tan Xuan¡¯s index finger but it soon vanished by itself. He didn¡¯t feel anything in the entire process. ¡°I am sorry, Mr. Tan Xuan, but I do not know much about this matter either. I am just following the orders of higher-ups.¡± Officer Yan Li gave a slight bow. ¡°And it looks like there was nothing wrong with your body. Next person, please.¡± The trio and the head butler took turns using the artifact and in the end, none of them had any problems. But Li Jiangsu, Xia Jiang, and Xian Er didn¡¯t dare to relax, observing patiently for any signs of danger. ¡°Mr. Tan Xuan and his friends, You have my gratitude for the smooth cooperation. If you feel sick or begin to act out of character, please go to the nearest police station on Nightflower street. Please enjoy the rest of your day. ¡± Officer Yan Li and her colleague stepped out of the carriage and disappeared from view. The trio released a soft sigh at the same time. This is just too close! ¡°Mr. Cheng Zhu, Mr. Li Jiangsu, and Mrs. Xian Er, I have really failed as the facilitator of this trip. I should have hired a bodyguard if I knew the situation in the capital is already so dangerous.¡± Mr. Tan Xuan gave a deep bow and an apologetic look. ¡°I will need to compensate you all to redeem myself and take responsibility.¡± ¡°Ridiculous, Mr. Tan Xuan. We are all here as friends and when incidents happen, we help each other and share responsibility.¡± Xia Jiang said, having already recovered from the scare. ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. Tan Xuan, How could we blame you for something that¡¯s out of your control?¡± Li Jiangsu quickly supported Xia Jiang. Xian Er also comforted him. Mr. Tan Xuan countered, ¡°But my heart can¡¯t bear this guilt, how about letting me treat you all to a sumptuous dinner at my house tonight? Of course, this invitation is also extended to Mrs. Cheng Yuan if she wishes to attend. This is the very least I could do. ¡± The trio accepted the invitation after considering Mr. Tan Xuan''s position and feelings. Their forged identities will not be ready until tomorrow so they have more than enough time to kill. They didn¡¯t encounter any more mishaps on the way to their residence. The carriage stopped outside the house and they bade farewell to Mr. Tan Xuan. Li Jiangsu was the first person to go inside but he suddenly froze still, causing Xian Er and Xia Jiang to walk into him. ¡°Did you forget how to walk?¡± Xian Er complained, ¡°Or maybe his injuries are acting up?¡± Xia Jiang offered a reason. It was only when they heard an unknown yet familiar voice that they realized the real reason. They looked over Li Jiangsu¡¯s shoulder and saw a young man in white robes, sitting on a chair while reading a book with his abyss-like eyes. He quoted: ¡°There are three things I fear the most: the unknown, waiting for the inevitable, and a calm monster.¡± Chapter 6: Choices Li Jiangsu¡¯s mind was in a mess. Seconds felt like hours when he saw the book and the young man in the white robe. Why is he here? And that¡¯s my¡­ Li Jiangsu broke free from his motionless state and started to check his bag to confirm his suspicion. He couldn¡¯t find the book. ¡°Traditional Amarin¡­ Groundbreaking Innovations¡­ The encyclopedia¡­ On their own, they are not so problematic. People will always try to deepen their knowledge after all. But I wonder why it feels like you people don''t even know the most common knowledge?¡± The white-robed man closed the book and slightly raised his eyebrows. ¡°I find this fascinating¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you people are ancient humans who have been asleep for ten thousand years?¡± None of the trios could come up with anything to say and they have no such intentions either. All of them stood on the same spot, observing the young man''s every move. Their clothes are soaked with sweat as if the sun is right behind their back. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not why I am here.¡± The white-robed man stood up and headed straight for the underground storage room. Li Jiangsu and the others were prepared to run and flee if the young man had any intention of fighting them. But seeing that the intruder had no such intention, they looked at each other and began to follow the young man. They could have used this opportunity to run away but it was Li Jiangsu who stopped them through the [private local chat group]. He had an inkling that it would worsen the situation. The door leading into the underground storage room wasn¡¯t far from the living room so it didn¡¯t take long before they arrived. The young man unlocked the door with a key he had found somewhere. The trio stayed close to the living room door while watching the white-robed man slowly walk down the stairs into the underground storage. It didn¡¯t help that the musty and urine smell made the atmosphere feel heavier. From their position, they could see a couple in their late 20¡¯s laying down on the ground with a rope around their bodies. The area around them was noticeably wetter than its surroundings. Except for the couple, the underground storage was empty. Xian Er could also see herself from the third point of view through her ability. ¡°Poor Guan Zai and Cui Yi. To have ended up in this state¡­ Sigh, I suppose it¡¯s better than being dead.¡± The white-robed man took out a knife and set the couple free. He then continued with a hint of happiness ¡°Count yourselves lucky for not being rash and killing them.¡± Xian Er and Xia Jiang didn¡¯t feel relieved once they heard that. It¡¯s like comforting a chicken in front of a butcher. The white-robed man then reached into his robe and pulled out an artifact with an appearance of a scissor. He snipped the air a few times and said. ¡°Also, it¡¯s not good spying on others.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Xian Er uttered a yelp and closed her eyes while her body was visibly shaking. Xia Jiang and Li Jiangsu quickly pulled Xian Er back through the living room door. They checked Xian Er¡¯s body for any visible injuries. Thankfully, there was none. [Private local chat group] [Xian Er: I¡¯m alright, at least for now. He forcibly broke my connection with the Mark of Observation, well that¡¯s how I call my ability. This caused my nerves to be stimulated.] [Xia Jiang: Good, Li Jiangsu, is it really alright to remain here? I suggest we run now. Playing hide and seek with that guy sounds fun. Sorry, I couldn''t help it.] [Li Jiangsu: Ultimately, I can¡¯t force you guys to stay. If my gut feeling leads to my own death, then I have lost my all-in bet. But I won¡¯t pull anyone else into this gamble.] [Xian Er: I am staying.] [Xia Jiang: Arrgh, and I wanted to know what will happen if I run away now.] The trio conversation via the Universal Assist didn¡¯t last more than a few seconds in real-time. The white-robed man put away the scissor and looked at Xian Er, who had fallen down to the floor due to the pain. ¡°I applaud you for not being careless and marking him when he was conscious. Or else the one locked down here wouldn¡¯t have been them.¡± The white-robed man took out a handkerchief and cleaned his ¡®dirty¡¯ hands with them. ¡°Why don¡¯t we continue our conversation in the living room? It¡¯s a bit smelly here.¡± Xian Er, who was writhing in pain on the floor suddenly stood up and began to walk into the living room. Li Jiangsu and Xia Jiang also did the same. They chose a chair randomly and sat down. It wasn¡¯t until a few seconds later that they realized what had happened. Don¡¯t tell me I was hypnotized? But somehow it still feels like it was my own decision to walk here and sit down. The only reason I know I was forced to do this is because I followed his ¡®suggestion¡¯ too quickly without spending any time thinking about it. Scary, what would happen if I was unable to realize this point and consider everything to be logical?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The young man walked in carrying the couple and smiled. ¡°Very good. Why don¡¯t you guys introduce yourself?¡± ¡°I am Li Jiangsu, 22, I like to go to the casino and¡­¡± ¡°My name is Xia Jiang, 29, I am more handsome than you and I like to impersonate others so I can steal their money, it¡¯s so thrilling! I also...¡± ¡°You can call me Xian Er, 19 years old, I sell drugs for a living and¡­¡± The white-robed man put the couple down. He nodded from time to time and listened attentively to their personal history. He then asked. ¡°Why did Li Jiangsu read these books? Xian Er, Xia Jiang, do you guys also read them? And why did you guys capture my subordinates and stay in this house?¡± Before Li Jiangsu could open his mouth, he saw a notification from the Universal Assist. [Involuntary disclosure of classified information detected.] [Do you want to continue?] At this moment Li Jiangsu couldn¡¯t have been happier. It looks like the rumor is true, the Universal Assist can block certain actions if it involves the Nine Heavens Empire. Sigh, it would have been great if it also worked for everything. Li Jiangsu didn¡¯t hesitate. [No] But he didn¡¯t stay silent as that would have alerted the white-robed man. He had to quickly come up with a reasonable explanation. Then he thought about how this New World also utilizes the Void¡¯s Domain, or what they call it here, Yin-Yang Realm, and people are living in it. He got this information from the ¡°The encyclopedia of the three great civilizations¡± and ¡°Groundbreaking Innovations Explained¡± books. He was also sure that the Ying-Yang Gate must have been opened recently otherwise their Interuniversal Travel wouldn¡¯t have been possible. ¡°I was born and raised inside the Ying-Yang Realm. As such, I did not learn much about the outside world. It might be more accurate to say, I couldn¡¯t care less about some distant empires and people. I wouldn¡¯t have come here if I had a choice. ¡°I had to hide here because I¡¯m an illegal immigrant and the security has been higher than normal recently. It¡¯s due to Xia Jiang and Xian Er that I chose this place, they are fugitives I befriended.¡± The white-robed man squinted and looked deeply into Li Jiangsu¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t say anything for a while. Li Jiangsu had to use everything he got to not reveal anything suspicious. After a few seconds of intense eye contact, the white-robed man said: ¡°Alright. Xia Jiang, Xian Er, did he tell the truth?¡± Because this didn¡¯t involve Nine Heavens Empire itself, the duo couldn¡¯t resist. The Universal Assist will not block an indirect question. ¡°No, he¡¯s lying.¡± Xia Jiang said. ¡°It¡¯s made up.¡± Xian Er confirmed Xia Jiang¡¯s answer. ¡°Truly interesting.¡± The white-robed man grinned and looked at Li Jiangsu before he turned to Xia Jiang. ¡°Xia Jiang, answer my previous question about the reason you are here and the books.¡± As expected, the Universal Assist blocked the white-robed man¡¯s ability and allowed Xia Jiang to freely choose his own action. He considered many scenarios in a blink of an eye. If he revealed information about the Nine Heavens Empire and their goal here, he might become a valuable pawn for the white-robed man and survive this situation. But there¡¯s also a possibility that the white-robed man will kill him on the spot to minimize the leak of intelligence. And maybe use this merit to gain more influence if the white-robed man has an important position in the Twilight Hall or Chamber of Stars. Xia Jiang finally made a decision. ¡°I am a fugitive on the run. Xian Er and Li Jiangsu are my accomplices. We hide here because Cheng Zhu or Guan Zai looks similar to me and just moved into this neighborhood a few days ago. This made it easier to blend in. We can¡¯t stay hiding in the underground storage room forever after all. ¡°The bags with emergency supplies are self-explanatory. ¡°We would have left this place after we got our forged identities documents. This was the only unexpected but good surprise for us. Or else we would have sooner or later got caught. ¡°Li Jiangsu is a little stupid and forgets things fast, so he read that book to not embarrass himself.¡± Xia Jiang, oh, Xia Jiang. Li Jiangsu''s eyebrows twitched for a second. The white-robed man nodded; looked at Xian Er and Li Jiangsu and asked. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Li Jiangsu denied without any hesitation. ¡°I am a hairless monkey if that¡¯s true.¡± Xian Er said with a straight face. ¡°Hahaha,¡± the white-robed man let out a laugh and clapped loudly. ¡°Wonderful, wonderful. This is the most fun I¡¯ve had in a while.¡± He then took out three rolled-up papers from his robe. He unfurled it and showed its content. ¡°I¡¯ve picked this up on my way here. Well, I also changed a few details so they are more useful to me if I find you guys suitable.¡± the white-robed man grinned a little before continuing. ¡°Now that some of my arrangements are disrupted and my subordinates are hurt, I will need some compensation.¡± The white-robed man then stood up, slowly walked around the trio, and said. ¡°We know that we will never trust each other, no matter what. And I have no need for money. Your corpses might be more useful to me.¡± Hearing this, Li Jiangsu felt like the young man¡¯s abyss-like eyes were going to swallow him whole. The white-robed man then resumed his speech while passing by each of them. ¡°However, we do not have any real bad blood between us, so I have no reason to go that far. But I cannot let you guys off lightly either.¡± He then stopped in front of the house¡¯s entryway and showed two fingers. ¡°I will give two choices. The first one is carrying out a near-suicide mission. I don¡¯t care if you guys succeed or not. But it would be a pleasant surprise if you guys managed to do it. Or the second choice, let me kill you all here so I can go to sleep soundly.¡± Chapter 7: The Pledge The sunlight illuminated the greenery outside. Painting a picturesque view from the living room. But Li Jiangsu could only see the abyss in front of him. He had to force his racing mind to calm down. He slowly breathed in and exhaled. The white-robed man smiled and said. ¡°Sigh, I sound so evil. I suppose no one here wants to die today. Let me at least offer some encouragement. The mission is very simple. ¡°The Lighthouse Foundation has begun to expand their operation and is now looking for new hires. You guys will be joining them. Don¡¯t worry about trivial stuff like the chance of getting the job. If you accept this mission, I will make sure you guys get hired. ¡°Easy enough right? You guys only need to earn the trust and friendship of the chairman.¡± Li Jiangsu asked. ¡°When is the mission considered completed? Friendship and trust are too vague. What if he died before we could befriend him? Would you come and kill us then?¡± ¡°I will consider it to be completed when next year arrives. Even if you guys fail to build a relationship with him.¡± The white-robed man grinned mysteriously. Receiving this answer, Li Jiangsu, Xia Jiang, and Xian Er fell into contemplation. The white-robed man wouldn¡¯t have told them this is a high-risk mission if it was so easy to carry out. This can only mean one thing: We will face danger before the year¡¯s end. Once Li Jiangsu discovered the pitfall behind this ¡®straightforward¡¯ mission, he gave the white-robed man a glare. By telling us that we could die any time in the next few months if we are not careful. Does he want to mentally torture us? The white-robed man didn''t mind the look from Li Jiangsu. He continued to speak. ¡°I will use the Pledge artifact to make sure we are bound to our agreements. I¡¯m sure you guys know what it¡¯s, right?¡± He rolled the three papers in his hand and threw them to Li Jiangsu. Then he took out one more paper as well as a fountain pen out of his robe. The paper was completely black and had a considerable thickness. While the fountain pen¡¯s body is entirely snow-white. The white-robed man sat down and began to write on the black paper using the white pen. After a moment, a third of the paper was filled with white ink lines. The white-robed man carefully read what he had written and then cut his own finger with the knife so he could drip the blood onto the paper. The blood ¡®boiled¡¯, releasing thick steam despite the small amount of it. When the steam had disappeared the white-robed man said. ¡°Come and sign this Pledge one by one.¡± The trio felt helpless in face of this situation. They could only comply with whatever they were told to do. Li Jiangsu read the content of the paper before he signed it with his blood. ¡°The Pledge between the Lord and the three Servants. The Servants shall not cause harm to the Lord. Whether directly or indirectly. Unless it contradicts with the rest of the Pledge. The Servants shall try to build relationships with Yan Xiang of the Lighthouse Foundation. The Lord shall not directly cause harm to the Servants. The Pledge between the Lord and Servants shall last until next year. Oh, Lord of Aberrations! We pray for your acknowledgement.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. May the Lord of Aberrations be a witness to this Pledge.¡± After everyone had signed the Pledge, the black paper glowed with white light before disappearing completely. ¡°I am looking forward to a pleasant cooperation.¡± The white-robed man bowed slightly. ¡°Now it¡¯s time to take care of this place.¡± The trio could only force out a thin smile. They watched as the white-robed man retrieved the money bag inside another room and started pouring clear liquid around the house. Li Jiangsu wondered, How could he fit so many things inside that robe? He was a bit amazed by how much stuff the white-robed man carried around. He had seen a few artifacts back in the Nine Heavens Empire that had this storage capability but it was never in the form of clothes. But what he saw next made his jaw drop. The white-robed man reached deeply into his robe and pulled out a humanoid-shaped black mass. Its size is similar to Cheng Zhu¡¯s body. He then pulled another one out and this time the size-matched Cheng Yuan¡¯s body. ¡°It¡¯s a habit of mine to prepare things like this. Very useful in situations like these.¡± The white-robed man smiled and took out another artifact once again. This time it¡¯s a transparent glove with complex patterns that grow and shrink at regular intervals. ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot. Here¡¯s some money for you guys.¡± He threw a small but fat wallet to Li Jiangsu. Li Jiangsu caught it but he didn¡¯t count it right away. He watched as the white-robed man brought Cheng Zhu and Cheng Yuan to them. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, come and hold on to me. Unless you want to remain here, however that¡¯s fine for me as well.¡± The white-robed man lit up a matchstick and flung it toward the area with the clear liquid. In a blink of an eye, the area was set ablaze and continued to grow. Once the trio saw this, they didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and grabbed the white-robed man. The white-robed man stretched out his hand with the transparent glove; grabbed the air; twisted his hand a few degrees and then ripped the ¡®air¡¯ apart like tearing a paper. This resulted in a large hole that showed a scene of an alley somewhere, suspended in front of them. ¡°Let¡¯s go through it.¡± The white-robed man said and walked into the hole while carrying the couple. The trio followed behind while holding onto the robe. When they stepped into the hole it didn¡¯t feel any different from going through a door. It¡¯s just that they had to raise their legs a bit higher. Otherwise, it was uneventful. The hole shattered into ¡®pieces¡¯ and vanished after everyone got to the other side. After checking that they are alright, the trio let go of their hands and cautiously distanced away from the white-robed man. ¡°I recommend you guys to run away from this place as soon as possible. Those Tigers might come here any moment now.¡± The white-robed man looked at them with a smile. ¡°Hopefully, we¡¯ll meet again.¡± Li Jiangsu didn¡¯t reply as he watched the white-robed man create another ¡®hole¡¯ and entered it. This time the other side was dark and Li Jiangsu couldn¡¯t make out any details. A few seconds after the white-robed man disappeared, all of them could finally release a loud sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, he probably wasn¡¯t joking around.¡± Li Jiangsu suggested. ¡°Um-hum¡± Xia Jiang and Xian Er replied. *** 20 minutes after the trio had fled the scene, a person appeared. He had white hair and innocent brown eyes. His skin is as soft as a newborn baby. Anyone who saw him would unconsciously speak in a higher pitch than normal and immediately turned more friendly. This is a peculiar reaction, considering he¡¯s a giant compared to most people. The man walked down the alley until he suddenly stopped at a particular point. He said with a child-like voice. ¡°Miss Shi Yan, I was right! Yes, now you owe me ice cream.¡± He didn¡¯t stay there long before he went back the same way he came. *** ¡°Officer Lan Yi! Officer Lan Yi!¡± An old-looking man''s scream shook the whole room. ¡°There¡¯s an emergency case! Emergency!¡± The woman with mesmerizing purple eyes punched the screaming man on the face and said. ¡°If you say another word I¡¯m going to really kill you, old man.¡± She reached down and snatched the paper from the old-looking man. She quickly read through the summary and put on her outer robe. The thin robe was scarlet red with a metallic insignia in the shape of a tiger¡¯s fang attached. ¡°Officer Zhang Bin, please prepare a carriage to the Nightflower street. This seems to be an arson case with casualties.¡± Officer Lan Yi said. Chapter 8: Items At a hotel on Old Spring street, a group of three people was approached by a front desk worker. ¡°Thanks for waiting, here is the key to room number 311 on the 3rd floor.¡± The front desk worker beamed, handing the key to Xian Er. ¡°Please enjoy your stay here. If you have any request, I will try my best to fulfill it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Xian Er smiled back. Li Jiangsu and the group soon arrived at their room. The room has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large living room. There was a minimal amount of decoration, a few art pieces here and there. The refreshing smell of the newly cleaned room made Li Jiangsu forget about his troubles momentarily. ¡°This is not bad for only 270 Yin per night.¡± Xia Jiang threw himself on the couch. ¡°Haa- That was just too thrilling!¡± Li Jiangsu put down the three papers in his hand on the table. He has already reviewed them while waiting for their key. The forged identity documents have all the necessary details and it¡¯s unlikely anyone would find any fault with them. Of course, if the identity documents required identification with blood then it would have been near impossible to produce a fake. But the cost would have been too high, as every identity document would have to be an artifact. They have opted to use their real names for the new identities. ¡°Sigh, have we been cursed by something?¡± Li Jiangsu lamented and pinched his nose bridge. ¡°Our mistake was to not immediately find a new hideout once we arrived. But considering our circumstances and my injuries, it would have been more difficult or outright impossible.¡± Xian Er sat down and laid her head on the table. ¡°We have to get stronger. That¡¯s the only way to guarantee our safety here.¡± Li Jiangsu looked at one of the art pieces on the wall and chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve always avoided anything to do with cultivation but fate seems to have other plans for me.¡± ¡°Is it alright we talk so openly like this? Maybe that demon is spying on us.¡± Xia Jiang asked, staring out of the window with a smirk. ¡°Maybe. But we can¡¯t just always use you-know-what.¡± Xian Er said, scratching her head. ¡°What should we do now? Go to that Lighthouse Foundation? Or should we find a more permanent resident first? We have around 9,000 Yin, so we have plenty of options.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s apply for the job first. We don¡¯t know how the Pledge works yet. It might kill us if we wait too long.¡± Li Jiangsu suggested, looking at the scab formed over the cut on his finger. Xia Jiang lazily stood up from the couch and said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the fire, you guys will definitely get investigated. I advise we all find out on what date the funeral for the fake Cheng Zhu and Cheng Yuan will be held and attend it. This is the only way to lessen the suspicion on us. ¡±It¡¯s unlikely the police will find us anytime soon considering the size of the capital. And they won¡¯t delay the funeral just because of this. Of course, in normal circumstances, we should go to the police to know more about this matter once we heard about the arson in the news. Showing our concern as Cheng Zhu friends. But our current situation won¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t understand the reason for him to burn the house down and leave fake bodies.¡± Li Jiangsu sighed, ¡°Then we have two important matters to attend to, the Lighthouse Foundation and the funeral.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Xian Er lifted her head up and nodded. ¡°We should rest here for one hour before we go out.¡± Everyone in the room agreed. Li Jiangsu stayed in the living room while Xian Er and Xia Jiang went to their own bedroom. He opened up the [Livestream] that he forgot was still broadcasting. [Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]] [Title: Watch me sipping tea while enjoying a public execution] [Viewers: 1900] [Chat] [Retired from life: Brother Li, just commit suicide. The situation is hopeless. Why struggle so much? You are very brave so I¡¯m sure you have the guts to do it. I am so worthless I can¡¯t even take my own life!] Li Jiangsu¡¯s eyebrows twitched. This guy seriously needs help. No, that¡¯s not right. The medicine back home should have easily cured whatever mental disorder this guy has. Don¡¯t tell me he loves being like this? He continued to read the chat. [Feet Adorer: Why are newbie Explorers so pathetic. Host, you are reading this right? My infant nephew would¡¯ve fought to the bitter end! Shame on you!] Calm down¡­ take a deep breath¡­ just ignore this person. [Sleep is overrated: Guys what¡¯s happening? I¡¯ve just joined.] [Senior Shi: This is what has happened so far¡­] [God Emperor is my slave: Junior Brother, It looks like you have finally decided to become a cultivator. I wish you good luck. The path ahead will be full of tribulations.] At the very least there¡¯s one adult in the room.Stolen story; please report. Li Jiangsu shook his head and closed the chat. He then opened up the [Marketplace Menu] to check if there were any new items available. One of the Universal Assist purposes is to analyze the abilities of different cultivation pathways in this New World when using it. And if there¡¯s enough data, the artisans in the Nine Heavens Empire might be able to produce an artifact with similar effects. Li Jiangsu wanted to know if the Universal Assist had managed to analyze the transparent glove¡¯s ability. Its teleport ability could save his life if he finds himself in a life-threatening situation. And there¡¯s also the ability of the white-robed man. If he could acquire it in the form of an artifact then he would have another ace up his sleeve. ***[You¡¯ve selected ¡®Items¡¯]*** ***[Loading items¡­]*** ***[Found other users in the local system¡­]*** ***[Importing items¡­]*** [Credits: 1050] [Void¡¯s Gate and Key] **Data Collected: ?/?** **Not available** [Compressed Library] **Data Collected: 5/5** Available: 0 Price: Request a quotation [Photographic Storage] **Data Collected: 3/5** **Not available** [Mark of Observation] **Data Collected: 1/10** **Not available** [The Pledge] **Data Collected: 3/35** **Not available** [Unknown -No name- #1] **Data Collected: 3/25** **Not available** [Unknown -No name- #2] **Data Collected: 1/10** **Not available** [Unknown -No name- #3] **Data Collected: 12/100** **Not available** !!An inferior version was detected!! **Data Collected: 10/10** Available: 0 Price: Must request a quotation. [Unknown -No name- #4] **Data Collected: 3/150** **Not available** [Unknown -No name- #5] **Data Collected: 5/?** **Not available** Li Jiangsu got a headache just by looking at this list. He was the most interested in the items with the name ¡®Unknown¡¯. Hehe, if that guy¡¯s ability is one of them then I wouldn¡¯t mind meeting him again. I wonder if it¡¯s the one with the inferior version? Li Jiangsu thought about it for a moment before he decided that he might as well request a quotation because it¡¯s free. And if the price is too high, he could just save up credit or pool his credit together with Xia Jiang and Xian Er by donating to each other [Livestream]. ***[Quotation has been requested for ¡°Unknown #3 -Inferior version¡±]** **[Average response time: 5 days]** Now all I have to do is just wait. Li Jiangsu checked the items once again to make sure he didn¡¯t miss anything. He then closed the Universal Assist and went to the couch to take a much-needed nap. ¡ª***¡ª Red carriages with tiger¡¯s fang as emblem lined up Nightflower street. People in red robes can be seen standing around in many small groups in front of a charred house. Officer Lan Yi was in one of such groups. ¡°Yes, I was the one responsible for checking one of the supposed victims¡¯ bodies.¡± Officer Lan Yi said, standing straight in front of her superior. ¡°The Body and Mind Examiner couldn¡¯t detect any abnormalities with any of them. If the problem could fool the artifact, then we might be dealing with a master cultivator.¡± ¡°Um-hum.¡± The Chief Officer drew on the cigarette and exhaled the smoke before saying. ¡°In any case, we will have to investigate Mr. Tan Xuan and the people who were together with Mr. Cheng Zhu today. You should already have interrogated Mr. Tan Xuan for their names right? Then I¡¯m sure you know what to do next.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Officer Lan Yi noted down the instructions and asked. ¡°Sir, may I ask a question?¡± The Chief Officer nodded in affirmation. ¡°Will this accident involve the Ancient Tigers?¡± Officer Lan Yi questioned. The Chief Officer took another puff of the cigarette before answering. ¡°It seems so. This means our responsibility is just finding the suspects and they will take over the rest of the investigation.¡± Having satisfied her curiosity, Officer Lan Yi thanked the Chief Officer and said farewell. She promptly left the crime scene with her colleague. There will be many sleepless nights in the next few days. ¡ª***¡ª In front of the hotel on Old Spring Street, a newspaper boy could be seen selling today''s special like hotcakes. ¡°I will take three!¡± ¡°Give me one, I¡¯ll pay double!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cut in line you b*stard!¡± Li Jiangsu watched in amusement as people were fighting over pieces of paper. When the television is rare, I suppose most people will have to rely on the newspapers to see what happened at the public execution. In the next few weeks, the media will most likely only talk about this event. ¡°It feels like days have passed since the execution. Maybe I¡¯ve aged another 100 years just today alone.¡± Xian Er sighed. ¡°Look on the bright side. At the very least we found a job!¡± Xia Jiang tried to cheer everyone up, including himself. Li Jiangsu only shook his head before he noticed a woman approaching them. The woman held onto a black-colored book with blood marks on them. She has blonde hair with dark roots and looks to be in her early 30s. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, may I take some of your time? My name is Yuan Ran.¡± the woman named Yuan Ran said and looked at them with sparkling brown eyes. ¡°I would like to introduce my Lord and savior. He¡¯s the Beginning and the End of all.¡±