Chapter 00289: Wen Daolun's Methods
# Wen Daolun's Methods
Chapter 289
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 289: Wen Daolun's Methods
Wen Daolun looked him up and down, stroking his long beard as he said, "Alright, you will return with my carriage later."
With that, the agreement was made.
The two of them then stood aside, waiting for the procedure to conclude.
Wen Daolun needed to finish burning seven incense sticks before he could leave.
By then, the commoners' memorial rites would also be coming to an end.
He Lingchuan quietly asked his companion, "Why does Wen Daolun owe you a favor?"
"He sometimes goes to Shumin Academy," she replied.
"…Is he teaching children?" After all, he was a core confidant of Commander Zhong; could he really be wasting his time watching a group of chirping little birds?
"We don't just teach children."
Shumin Academy was the best official school in Panlong City, Sun Fuling said with a smile, "He comes to play chess with an old friend, my mentor Xu Shichu. He came again two months ago, but my mentor wasn't there, so I played a few games with him."
"Wen said as long as I won, he would owe me a favor, so I…" She shrugged, "I won two out of three matches."
"You used such a precious favor on me?" He Lingchuan was moved.
"Favors are like a growing tree; the more you use them, the more you have," Sun Fuling glanced at him, "Now it's your turn to owe me a favor."
"Deal."
He patted his chest, "As much as you need."
With nothing to do, He Lingchuan strolled to the edge of the God Descending Platform, looking down.
Goodness, the cliff was charred black, and occasionally a streak of lightning flashed.
Originally, there should have been plants growing on these rocks, but after three bolts of heavenly thunder, nothing remained—just a barren wasteland.
He Lingchuan noticed the traces of lightning on some rocks, but they were quite old.
"I just heard the memorial text; the deity summoned thunder and took away the offerings."
He Lingchuan pointed at the ground, "Is this the trace of the thunder from that time?" Even solid rock had melted; living creatures could hardly escape such a fate.
"Yes, besides the power of the deity, no one else has such capability."
Sun Fuling sighed, "Those bolts of thunder brought us not only fear but precious confidence as well."
"Because the deity stands on our side?"
"Of course."
Sun Fuling sighed again, "You weren't in Panlong City at that time; you have no idea how despondent and hopeless everyone felt… Once again, we were abandoned like a worn-out shoe by our homeland. Even Commander Zhong fell gravely ill from anger."
After Panlong City became a dependency, Zhong Shengguang led his people to defend the Panlong Wilderness for twelve long years, and they finally waited for the situation to ease, allowing Panlong City and the Western Luo Kingdom to reconnect.
However, the reprieve was short-lived; within less than a year, war broke out again, and the weakened Western Luo Kingdom once again lost contact with Panlong City.
There was even a time when it considered ceding Panlong City to the Balin Kingdom.
This was a devastating blow for Panlong City; holding the fort for twelve years while surrounded by enemies only to arrive at such a result—how many twelve-year spans can a person endure?
The despair in Panlong City was palpable.
In such a situation, without the deity's support to showcase miraculous signs and restore confidence, Panlong City would have likely crumbled long ago, without even needing the enemy to intervene.
He Lingchuan looked over at the altar.
Three years prior, the offering ceremony was the turning point in the fate of the entire Panlong Wilderness.
Since that day, everything had changed.
After waiting for a moment longer, the last stick of incense was nearly burnt out.
Wen Daolun stepped down from the altar and personally approached, saying, "Alright, let's board the carriage."
His time was precious; he planned to use the return journey to answer any questions He Lingchuan might have.
At that moment, however, He Lingchuan pointed towards the bottom of the cliff and exclaimed, "Look, there’s something alive down there!"
Directly below the God Descending Platform, the wasteland had originally been covered in vegetation.
After three lightning strikes, the ground was now charred black.
Thus, the figure running across the desolate charred earth was particularly striking.
He Lingchuan had diligently practiced his martial skills and had already enhanced his eyesight.
Even though he was dozens of feet away, he could see that the little black dot below was sniffing around, with a tail trailing behind it.
Wen Daolun looked down as well, sneering, "That persistent little thief."
"Is that another Jindu ghost cub?"
"That's right. The Gale Army I've stationed below has already caught up."
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of figures revealed themselves from the bushes below, surrounding the black dot.
"Why are these creatures down there?"
Wen Daolun casually remarked, “They want to experience the aura of the deity.”
That was a perplexing statement—an aura of the deity? How did he know to lay plans here in advance?
It seemed Panlong City was quite knowledgeable about the Jindu ghost cubs.
He Lingchuan did not ask further, as Wen Daolun clapped his hands and said, "Let's go."
The two followed Wen Daolun into the carriage while their own carriage followed closely behind.
Wen Daolun's carriage was more spacious; it had some soft bedding placed inside for added comfort, and there was a charcoal stove and a small table.
Compared to the carriages of wealthy families, it was relatively simple and unadorned.
Once the three took their seats and the carriage began to move, Wen Daolun spoke up, "I must make a point in advance, lest Xu Shichu come back and find fault with me. The premise of knowing one's destiny is that the heavens follow a constant path. However, heaven and earth undergoing calamities shakes the foundations; how much can various divination techniques hope to predict?"
He spoke plainly that after the great calamity three thousand years ago, divination methods had become rather unreliable.
He Lingchuan nodded; he had heard this argument before.
Then Wen Daolun asked He Lingchuan for his birth date and time.
Just as He Lingchuan was about to respond, he suddenly felt uneasy:
Oh no! The month and year of his birth were over a hundred years after the fall of Panlong City!
If he revealed his actual birth date, it would be a significant mistake.
How had he not thought of this earlier?
He could only stammer, "I… I'm not sure; I was adopted."
"Your birth date is unclear?" Wen Daolun thought for a moment, leaning closer to examine his face, then his hands, even checking his pulse, and even pulled back his eyelids to take a look.
His manner was no different from that of an old doctor checking a patient.
Wen Daolun casually added a piece of charcoal to the stove before saying, "Looking at your features, you don't appear to be without parents!"
"Perhaps they’re still alive?" He Lingchuan stubbornly lied, but in his heart, he was lamenting.
This was like seeing a doctor; if he concealed anything, would the diagnosis still be reliable?
"Blessed with fortune, limitless prospects, at worst, you possess the body of a talented individual; are you still calling your fate harsh? Then common folks truly have no place to turn."
It seemed that He Chuanhua often said that his elder son was a blessed individual, so there was not entirely no basis to that claim.
He Lingchuan exchanged glances with Sun Fuling: "What guided my fortune was a great monster with over three hundred years of cultivation. It studied the 'Heavenly River Collection' passed down from the East Li Real Person for many years and even left me two lines of verse."
"East Li Real Person?" Wen Daolun was taken aback, pondering for quite a while, "The East Li Real Person of the Great Yuanzong?"
"Oh."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
The East Li Real Person himself had clearly stated his gift to future generations in his cave residence; how could there be a mistake? "He entered the cave of East Li Real Person after his ascension and acquired treasures from him."
"After the abundant aura era, this figure is also quite famous."
Wen Daolun wanted to hear those lines of verse to ponder over them.
"One's body resembles a cage… a cage…" He contemplated for a long while before frowning and saying, "Could it also mean one's body as a cage?"
He Lingchuan asked, "What does this mean?" He hadn’t missed the word "also."
Wen Daolun sighed, "Simply in terms of fortune, you have surpassed ordinary people by far; to have such luck on the Panlong Wilderness, it’s truly miraculous. Think about it: haven’t you experienced a smooth journey from childhood to adult?"
"Yes."
The original body's life indeed consisted of eating, drinking, and enjoying a comfortable upbringing.
"You cannot provide their date of birth; you cannot deduce your fate; it's really hard to calculate. If your fortune turned for the worse, there must have been a critical juncture, which I can’t discern. But the verse emphasizes 'the jay occupying the magpie's nest' and 'one's body resembling a cage'; why specifically highlight these?"
He Lingchuan observed silently.
He took the predictions of the old turtle monster seriously, primarily because of those four words: "the jay occupying the magpie's nest."
He was an outsider; there shouldn't have been anyone else in this world who knew.
Wen Daolun pondered for a long time before suddenly drawing back the curtain and giving a few instructions to the outside.
Soon, several personal guards carried a large piece of canvas over to cover the entire carriage.
Both the door and windows were completely blocked, with only a small amount of light seeping in.
"There’s another method; let’s try it," he suddenly lit a thin incense stick and instructed Sun Fuling to hold it properly.
The incense was light blue and had a particularly soothing aroma.
Wen Daolun then pulled out a small piece of wood from his robe, lightly blowing into it.
The wood was ordinary, seemingly found anywhere, with signs of moss growing on it and two small holes.
After he blew into it, a white shadow floated out from the wood hole.
When it took shape, it turned out to be a small figure about the size of a palm, resembling a little girl.
The moment it floated out, it eagerly floated towards the smoke in Sun Fuling's hand, and a joyful expression spread across its face.
Souls emanating from wood? He Lingchuan examined the piece of wood again; there were not many soul vessels that could host spirits.
Could this really be the legendary sea bottom wood?
"This is Tongqiao, formed from the unfortunate souls of children who died young but harbored no ill will."
Wen Daolun tapped his temple, "Relax your mind; don’t resist. I will let it explore your consciousness and look into things."
Consciousness? He Lingchuan was reminded of the glowing mark.
He closed his eyes, and the Tongqiao circled around him before drilling into his ear.
For He Lingchuan, this felt like taking a breath of mint; his mind suddenly felt refreshed.
But that was all; he did not feel the pain he had experienced during the last godly intrusion.
Ten breaths passed.
Twenty breaths passed.
He Lingchuan opened his eyes and found the two looking at him with bright gazes, the light in the carriage dim.
Wen Daolun seemed somewhat surprised: "You can open your eyes? How does it feel now?"
"My head feels cool, and that’s it."
Wen Daolun appeared skeptical, and he probed further, "No pain? No hallucinations?"
He Lingchuan shook his head.
After another ten breaths, a wisp of white mist floated out from his ear, transforming mid-air back into the little girl's spirit.
She appeared unharmed, and He Lingchuan let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Was it because her method of visitation wasn't as violent as the last deity's, that the backlash she faced was lesser?
She rushed to Wen Daolun’s ear and began chatting away.
Strangely, He Lingchuan heard not a single sound, as if he were watching a silent film.
(End of Chapter)