blogombal Page 15
Page 15
"The family's favors are never free; the price is seventy years old!"
"The source seed will mature at seventy! The host will die at seventy! At that time, it will completely take over! It will use the host's remaining body as a cocoon and feed on the spiritual essence and soul accumulated by the host throughout his life, and nurture for forty-nine days!"
"The cocoon will break open in forty-nine days..."
At this moment, his voice became like a dream, filled with inhuman fear, and his body trembled violently because of this fear, with countless tiny things wriggling under his skin.
"At that time, what will emerge from the cocoon will no longer be human... but a humanoid anomaly called 'Warlord'! It has no intelligence! No emotions! No pain! No fear! Only the fighting instinct and absolute obedience imprinted deep within its source seed by the main vein remain!"
"Then, it will act on its own, embark on the path back to the main branch of the Qiu family, obey their orders, and fight for the family."
"Until the day we are utterly destroyed!"
"If the only cost is my own life, why would I live in such a wretched state? I would have ended my own life long ago! I would never be a burden to my descendants."
Dong Yuan Qiu's voice suddenly rose, filled with endless grief and indignation, and two streams of murky tears flowed from his cloudy eyes.
"But this is just the beginning, just the blood debt of one generation! This debt can never be repaid in lifetimes."
"—Because the bloodline offspring born from the recipient already contain the embryo of 'Tai Sui' deep within their heart from the moment of birth!!"
"This embryo is born and grows alongside the host's bloodline. It will awaken when it reaches the age of twenty, transforming the host into a 'Seeker,' embarking on the same path as their father and grandfather..."
"When I turn seventy, I will emerge from the cocoon in the same way, break free of my shell in the same way, and become a Warlord in the same way, embarking on the 'road home.' Time and time again, the cycle repeats itself..."
Dong Yuan Qiu's voice became completely hoarse, like a candle flickering in the wind, finally turning into a desperate cry filled with endless sorrow and resentment, uttered with all his might:
"This is: Never-ending! Eternal repayment! Never-ending liberation!!!"
This final shout exhausted all his strength and seemed to drain the last bit of life force he had left.
He could no longer hold on, and his body, like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsed heavily to the ground, leaving only weak, gasping breaths that rose and fell faintly under the deathly still, dark red light.
This heart-wrenching accusation, like a heavy lead weight, crashed into Zhang Su's heart, and also into this isolated, tomb-like living room.
Volume 1: Chapter 15: Promise, Reward, Sentimentality
Zhang Su now fully understood Dong Yuan Qiu's meaning: he wanted him to remove the Tai Sui Source Seed from the bodies of their family members.
This was exactly what he wanted!
Every source seed that was eliminated was a valuable resource for him to improve his strength and study this strange world! It was like a pillow for someone who was sleepy.
However, he did not immediately show ecstasy.
As a "high-ranking person," one should still maintain a certain level of composure and a willingness to exchange value.
He lowered his eyelids slightly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly twice on the rough tabletop, deep in thought.
After a moment, Zhang Su raised his eyes, his gaze calmly landing on Dong Yuan Qiu, and said calmly, "Mr. Dong Yuan, I understand what you mean. Eliminating the 'Tai Sui Source Seed' is not something I cannot do."
Upon hearing this, Dongyuan Qiu abruptly raised his head, his face displaying a complex expression of mixed joy and humility: "Your Excellency! You...you agreed?"
"Don't rush, I haven't finished yet." Zhang Su raised his hand, making a gesture to calm down. "As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch, especially in the extraordinary world. I can help, but... what price are you, or rather your Dongyuan family, willing to pay for this? You need to understand that this is not a small favor that can be easily done, but a big trouble."
To maintain his public image, Zhang Su decided to ask them for some more compensation to demonstrate his professionalism; otherwise, if he agreed directly, they might suspect him of being a swindler and could become suspicious of him.
But clearly, he underestimated Dongyuan Qiu's determination to resolve the matter.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Dongyuan Qiu answered without hesitation, his voice trembling with excitement: "If you are willing to lend a helping hand and lift the blood curse on my clan, our clan is willing to offer up all the wealth we have accumulated to this day! Money, jewelry, real estate, trade routes... everything we own will be yours! In addition, we are willing to offer up all the extraordinary items that our clan has collected!"
He paused, his eyes hardening with even greater resolve, and declared in a resounding voice, "If this is not enough, anything we can do, whether it's climbing mountains of knives or plunging into seas of fire, I, Dongyuan Qiu, and indeed my entire family, will be at your beck and call without a word!"
Zhang Su was startled again. This old man... or rather this family, had truly been driven to the brink of despair. They had only wanted some reward, but the other party had unexpectedly gone all in, betting everything, including people, treasures, and extraordinary items, just to survive.
This made him a little embarrassed about asking for such an exorbitant amount—even though he was essentially after those extraordinary items…
“Wealth…” After thinking seriously for two seconds, Zhang Su shook his head slightly, a smile that was almost indifferent on his face. “To me, it’s nothing but fleeting smoke, meaningless.”
He was being half true and half false. Money is certainly useful, but what's more important right now is something that can be converted into real power.
"The extraordinary items you mentioned are exactly what I need. Tell me, what are the extraordinary items your family collects, and what are their functions?"
Dongyuan Qiu, seeing Zhang Su's interest in extraordinary items, perked up and quickly said, "Sir, our family's 'containment room' currently contains five extraordinary items. These items have limited abilities, and their level of danger is within a controllable range, roughly equivalent to the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 10 to Sequence 9. They are:
'The Bloodthirsty Dagger': A rusty, antique-looking short dagger. When the wielder uses it to cut the skin of a target, even a shallow wound, it will, within a short time—about fifteen minutes—inflict a state of weakness similar to severe anemia, causing dizziness, blurred vision, and weakness in the limbs. However, while using it, the user will also experience an uncontrollable thirst, and if their willpower is weak, they may have the urge to suck or lick the wound. Overuse or frequent use may also cause the user to develop mild anemia.
'The Unceasing Candlelight': An old oil lamp with a brass base and a broken glass shade. Its wick burns perpetually with a small, pale, bean-sized flame. This flame cannot be extinguished by ordinary means (such as water or wind) and emits a faint light (illuminating an area of about three feet) and a continuous, soothing warmth, offering some relief against base fears and mental disturbances. However, gazing at this flame for an extended period will cause mental fatigue and sluggish thinking, as the flame drains one's energy. Holding it overnight often results in the user waking up feeling even more tired than before falling asleep… and may even lead to an unawakened, warm sleep.
'Shadow-Stealing Glove': A black left glove of unknown material, cool and smooth to the touch. When worn, it makes the wearer's silhouette extremely blurry in dimly lit environments, such as shadows or at night, allowing them to blend into the shadows and significantly reducing the probability of being noticed by ordinary people and low-level superhumans. It's not invisibility, but rather a reduction in presence. However, if worn for more than fifteen minutes, the wearer will feel their left hand become numb and cold, and begin to lose sensation. After removing it, this numbness will slowly subside, but frequent use may lead to permanent, slight stiffness in the fingers.
'Hungry Ghost Bag': An unremarkable gray burlap sack. One serving per day can be taken from it—roughly one person's worth of relatively fresh but bland food, usually bread, water, and a small amount of pickled vegetables. The food itself is non-toxic and harmless. The trade-off is that after using the bag, the user will experience extreme hunger for several hours, even immediately after eating. This hunger is physiological, unbearable, and prone to causing binge eating.
The 'Fool's Mask': A white, smiling mask with a hollow, comical expression, carved from some thin wood. When worn, any words uttered by the wearer carry an extremely subtle, ineffable cognitive interference effect, making the listener more likely to credulously believe the wearer or overlook minor logical flaws in their speech. The effect is weak, effective only against those with weak minds or those who are fatigued, and is easily detected. However, while wearing the mask, the wearer is also affected, becoming slightly dulled in thought and experiencing a strong urge to utter nonsense or make lame jokes. After removing the mask for a period of time, the wearer may feel embarrassed or confused about what they said while wearing it.
Based on my research, I speculate that these extraordinary items are not 'man-made.' They are most likely the result of the extraordinary properties released upon the death of some fallen low-level extraordinary individuals, such as Sequence 10 or Sequence 9. These properties were not promptly 'recovered' and eventually fused with ordinary objects left nearby, resulting in these artifacts. Their power is very weak, and they all carry varying degrees of negative effects. If… if you have a method to extract and separate the 'extraordinary properties' contained within them, their value would undoubtedly far surpass that of these crude artifacts themselves.”
His final words carried a hint of probing and expectation, clearly harboring a sliver of hope that the mysterious "master" before him could turn the impossible into the possible.
After listening to Dongyuan Qiu's introduction, Zhang Su had already made up his mind.
The effects and side effects of these five items flashed clearly through his mind, like five "seeds" of different shapes but each containing a trace of energy.
Although of low rank, it was perfectly suited as one of the first collections in the initial stage of his "grand plan" and as material for studying the "abnormal" nature of this world.
Furthermore, these are merely supplementary items; the real prize is the black Tai Sui found on the members of this family.
He made a killing on this deal no matter what.
He maintained his composure and nodded slightly: "I see. Although the items are crude, they each have their own unique characteristics, and their origins are quite interesting."
He paused, his gaze becoming deep again as he looked at Dongyuan Qiu. "Mr. Dongyuan, I see your 'sincerity.' I promise you, I can try to help you remove the Tai Sui from your bodies."
Upon hearing this, Dongyuan Qiu's withered face instantly shone with an astonishing radiance, like parched land receiving sweet rain: "Your Excellency! You've agreed?! The Qiu family branch will never forget this kindness!"
"Don't thank me yet," Zhang Su raised his hand to stop his excitement, "There are a few things that need to be made clear beforehand."
"First, my understanding of this 'Tai Sui source seed' comes from your description. Although I have the ability to probe the Tai Sui in your body and potentially remove it, this is my first time actually doing it. I can only say it's an 'attempt,' and I cannot guarantee 100% success. If there are any signs of life-threatening complications during the process, I will stop immediately. You must be aware of and accept the risks."
"I understand, I understand!" Dongyuan Qiu clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. "We are willing to take any risk! This is our only hope!"
“Secondly,” Zhang Su’s expression shifted to pity, “especially you, Mr. Dongyuan. You have been parasitized for too long. The Tai Sui has long been deeply entangled with your body, becoming a kind of deformed pillar that sustains your life. Even if I successfully remove it, it will inevitably take away your last bit of life.”
"...In other words, the moment it is removed will be the moment your life ends. Can you accept that?"
A brief silence fell over the living room.
The shimmering red light of the magic array cast swaying shadows on Dong Yuan Qiu's face, making his deep wrinkles appear like ravines.
However, to Zhang Su's surprise, the old man's face did not show fear or despair, but rather a kind of calm that was almost a sense of relief.
He slowly loosened his grip on the armrest, even revealing a very faint, bitter smile.
"Your Excellency, what you're saying... no one knows better than myself. Over the years, I can clearly feel it devouring everything I have, yet it's also like a life-sustaining poisonous vine, keeping my decaying body afloat."
Dongyuan Qiu's voice was unusually calm, carrying a sense of composure as if he had a clear understanding of his own destiny.
He looked up at the ceiling, his cloudy gaze seemingly penetrating the walls and landing on his family whom he cared about.
"My old bones should have returned to dust long ago. It's worth it to bring freedom to my family."
"I ask for little, only that my descendants will no longer have to live like livestock, nor be driven after death, ending up with their souls scattered and their bodies left no trace. As long as they can obtain true freedom, I... will die without regret!"
Looking into the old man's eyes, at the pure and unwavering light that transcended life and death, Zhang Su felt a slight stirring in his heart.
He nodded: "Alright, since you've made up your mind, let's not delay and gather your family members as soon as possible. I need a relatively centralized and quiet environment so we can start attempting the 'separation surgery' at any time."
"Thank you for your kindness!" Dongyuan Qiu's eyes shone even brighter. He struggled to stand up and bow, but his weak body allowed him to only bow slightly.
He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the entrance to the living room—where a barrier of energy, barely perceptible to the naked eye, blocked out all senses, both inside and out.
"Please wait a moment, sir. Once I have deactivated the isolation array, I will summon them here."
Dongyuan Qiu stretched out his withered right index finger.
The fingertip did not directly touch anything; it simply hovered in the air about half a foot in front of it.
In an instant, a faint yet condensed red light shone at his fingertips, like a drop of concentrated blood.
"Disperse!"
With a low shout, Dongyuan Qiu's fingertip flashed red light for a moment before splitting into dozens or even hundreds of red lines thinner than a hair.
These fine red lines do not shoot out in perfect straight lines to every corner of the living room.
Silently, in the places touched by the red line, there seemed to be extremely faint, almost imperceptible twisted patterns in the air that flashed by, like ripples on the surface of water after a stone has been thrown in, which then completely disappeared and smoothed out.
The isolation array covering the entire living room was precisely dismantled under the silent guidance of the red light.
The magic circle has been dispelled.
Almost at the same instant the magic circle dissipated!
"Grandpa!" Two voices overlapped.
Two eager figures rushed in through the door like arrows released from a bow! It was Mingyuan Qiu and his sister, who had been anxiously waiting outside.
The brother and sister, their faces filled with fear, rushed to Dongyuan Qiu's side and carefully supported the old man's swaying body.
"Grandpa! How are you? Why did you suddenly activate the soundproofing array?" Mingyuan Qiu spoke rapidly, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Su as if facing a formidable enemy, filled with undisguised vigilance and hostility. "Did he coerce you into doing something?"
The little girl, Yuanyuan, also stared at Zhang Su, her face full of tension and lingering fear. Her hand supporting her grandfather was trembling slightly. "Grandpa, don't be afraid! We're here!" The way she looked at Zhang Su was as if she were looking at a terrifying enemy.
Faced with this sudden hostility and questioning, Zhang Su simply shrugged indifferently, leaned back leisurely in his chair, and acted as if he were detached from the situation.
As a master, he didn't bother to explain, but simply gestured to Dongyuan Qiu with his eyes—the meaning was clear: you caused this trouble, so deal with it yourself.
With the help of his grandchildren, Dongyuan Qiu stood up. Looking at their alarmed expressions, he sighed helplessly, yet with a hint of relief.
But in this situation, he knew that they would not understand if he explained it to them with words alone, and they might even suspect that he was being coerced.
Therefore, he didn't need to explain with words, but stretched out his right hand, which had just been deactivated by the magic array and whose fingertips still retained a faint red glow.
"Release your consciousness, and I will explain to you."
Before he finished speaking, his wrinkled index finger, which shone with a faint red light, gently touched Mingyuan Qiuheyuan's forehead!
Om-!
A tiny red glow flashed between their brows and then disappeared!
In an instant, the brother and sister's bodies trembled simultaneously, their pupils dilating and then contracting!
A stream of visual information was directly fed into their minds.
Those were the silent images that had just occurred in the living room: Zhang Su's calm words, Dong Yuan Qiu's desperate plea, Zhang Su's agreement, the warning about eliminating Tai Sui, and especially Dong Yuan Qiu's resolute words of accepting his own death... All the images, sounds, and even the emotional impact of that moment felt like a personal experience.
This is not a slow narration, but a moment of soul resonance!
In an instant, they understood exactly what was going on!
The wariness and hostility in Mingyuan Qiu's eyes receded as quickly as the tide, replaced by immense shock and disbelief, followed by indescribable ecstasy, and then an overwhelming and uncontrollable sadness!
He gripped his grandfather's hand tightly, his lips trembling violently, and he sobbed uncontrollably: "Grandpa...you...you're telling the truth? We...we're really saved?"
The younger sister next to her reacted even more directly; the moment the video ended, her tears fell like beads from a broken string.
She turned to Zhang Su, her voice trembling with tears as she pleaded, "Your Excellency! Please, please save my grandfather too! Don't let him die! Is there really... is there really no other way? I'm willing to pay any price to save my grandfather! I'd give you my life! Please, please think of something..."
Looking at the girl's tear-streaked, pleading face, Zhang Su opened his mouth slightly, not yet having figured out how to respond to this heavy question—he truly had no way to reverse life and death.
We can't exactly use the Greedy Treasure Chest's activation ability to turn him into a twisted lump of flesh... It's better to let him die of old age and become a Warlord.
“Yuanyuan!” Dongyuan Qiu’s aged yet incredibly firm voice interrupted the girl’s sobs.
The old man reached out and gently stroked his granddaughter's head, a peaceful smile appearing on his withered face:
“Silly child…Grandpa understands your feelings, very well.”
He looked at his granddaughter with boundless love and reluctance in his eyes.
"Grandpa will be seventy years old this year... in twenty-eight days." His voice was soft, as if he were recalling something, or as if he were stating something perfectly natural.
"As the saying goes, seventy is a rare age in ancient times. In this complex world, for an ordinary person to live to my age is already considered long-lived."
“Grandpa’s life should have been returned to heaven and earth long ago. It’s already a miracle that I’ve lived these many more years. Now, if my life can be the last key to unlock the shackles on you, then that would be the best ending and the greatest blessing.”
His gaze swept over his grandson Mingyuan's grief-stricken yet restrained face, then returned to his granddaughter Yuanyuan's tear-streaked face, his voice becoming even softer:
"The only thing Grandpa can't let go of is you all. My greatest wish is that you... and your father, uncles, aunts, and all the Qiu family members, will no longer have to live with the curse, and will no longer have to be enslaved and driven by those 'first-class markings' of the main lineage after death, ending up with your souls scattered and even your bones unable to rest in peace!"
As he finished speaking, the old man's voice suddenly rose, carrying a surge of grief and resolute determination that had been suppressed for decades:
"As long as I can gain freedom from constraints, everything is worth it. Even if it costs me my life, I will not hesitate! From now on, you will live your lives in my place, and Grandpa will watch over your happy times from the 'Temple of the Dragon God'."
"I will always love you all."