Soul-Snatching Emissary

In Magnetic Rotation, a powerhouse who has reached the twentieth heaven no longer needs to eat; the power of Magnetic Rotation can automatically convert external matter into the nutrients the powerhouse requires.

Lu Bian had achieved another metamorphosis of life, moving beyond the days of drinking dew and eating wind. He shifted from a state of needing to intake spiritual energy from heaven and earth through his mouth and nose to one where his body automatically absorbed it.

This change made Lu Bian's cultivation efficiency even higher.

He rarely felt exhausted now, and once he started training, he could go three or four days before needing to rest.

Stillness breeds movement.

Having lived in one place for a long time, Lu Bian wanted to go out and travel again.

He was currently in the Dali Kingdom, a land where wind, flowers, snow, and moon converged, possessing some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Staying cooped up at home felt like a disservice to his now overly healthy body.

During the first half of his life, when he was plagued by illness, Lu Bian often saw travel photos posted by classmates and friends on social media. Although he would say that his own bed was the most comfortable place in the world, he secretly longed to be like them—able to travel far and endure the hardships of the road.

He decided to leave on a whim.

Lu Bian mounted his donkey and headed toward the capital of the Dali Kingdom.

To Dali.

Before transmigrating, he had heard the great name of Dali's Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake; now that he had transmigrated, he could go see them in person.

The Dali Kingdom was a small nation, tucked away in a corner, surviving in the cracks between the Great Song, Great Liao, and Western Xia kingdoms by leveraging its geographical advantages. Though the land was not vast, it was rich in resources and home to many small tribes. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Qin imperial roads were built here, and Yizhou Prefecture was established under the rule of the central dynasty; it was called Ning Prefecture during the Wei and Jin periods; and by the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became the independent Nanzhao Kingdom. After the Great Tang failed twice in its attempts to conquer it, they formed an alliance at Diancang Mountain. Now, it had been established as the Dali Kingdom, inheriting the territory of the Nanzhao Kingdom... This land was deeply influenced by the Central Plains in every aspect.

"Is anyone there? Help... help..."

As Lu Bian walked along a mountain path, he suddenly heard someone calling for help from a deep ravine below.

Lu Bian dismounted his donkey and looked down into the ravine.

It was a man carrying firewood who was shouting.

"What happened to you?" Lu Bian jumped down and stood beside the man to ask.

If it were a monster trying to harm him, Lu Bian would reward it with an "Ultimate Palm Thunder," but if it were just an unlucky mountain dweller, he would save him.

"I was cutting firewood today, and I carried a bit too much. I accidentally fell down, and when I heard someone walking above, I started calling out," the woodcutter explained in a low voice to Lu Bian.

Lu Bian saw that the woodcutter's face was pale and his body was trembling, so he asked, "Where are you injured? Or are you suffering from some illness?"

The woodcutter pointed to his leg: "My leg..."

"It's just broken, it's nothing."

Lu Bian placed his hand on the woodcutter's fractured leg and performed cell reconstruction therapy on him.

"It's done, try moving it yourself," Lu Bian said.

"..., I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you a bit more; I can't get up, I'm carrying too much firewood."

Lu Bian reached out and helped the woodcutter untie the rope holding the firewood so he could stand up.

"Thank you, thank you!!"

With his leg healed and his life saved, the woodcutter knelt to thank Lu Bian for his kindness, but Lu Bian caught him before he could touch the ground.

"How can I ever repay your great kindness!!"

The woodcutter began to cry in front of Lu Bian.

"Don't shed crocodile tears; just let me stay at your house for the night, and that will be repayment enough," Lu Bian told the woodcutter.

"Good! Good!!"

Lu Bian first carried the woodcutter's firewood up, then helped the man up.

Lu Bian had his donkey carry half of the woodcutter's load to prevent him from losing his balance and falling back into the ravine.

The woodcutter walked ahead to lead the way, and Lu Bian saw a village on the mountainside in the distance, with terraced fields lining the edges—a very common sight.

"Coo-coo~ coo!"

As they neared the village, Lu Bian heard the call of a spotted dove.

Whenever he heard the melodious call of a spotted dove in the past, it meant he was arriving at his grandmother's house.

A sense of nostalgia stirred in Lu Bian's heart.

"The second house up this slope is mine," the woodcutter said, pointing out his home to Lu Bian.

"The first house below the slope is my older brother's; my parents live with my brother's family."

"My family name is Chai. My parents only had the two of us. My wife died giving birth a few years ago, and when I go out to work, my mother and sister-in-law look after my child."

"Oh, I see." Lu Bian nodded.

Listening to the woodcutter pour out his family situation all at once, Lu Bian silently marveled at the innocence of the mountain folk.

Leading Lu Bian into his courtyard, the brother surnamed Chai put down the firewood and invited Lu Bian to sit and rest.

"A-Quan, do you have a guest?" someone asked from outside the courtyard.

"Grandpa, I accidentally fell into a ravine today, and this gentleman saved me."

"Oh my!! This is your savior!!"

"Mmm!"

A-Quan boiled water and added some wild tea leaves into the kettle.

"Benefactor, I'm going to find my older brother to discuss something. Please rest at my place for now."

Lu Bian nodded.

A while later, A-Quan returned.

"Benefactor, would you be willing to stay for two more days? My brother said he must properly thank you."

"I... I shouldn't impose any longer."

"I will continue my journey tomorrow," Lu Bian told A-Quan.

"Is that so? Then I'll go tell my brother."

A-Quan hurried back down the slope.

Before long, Lu Bian heard the heart-wrenching screams of a pig.

He stood up and looked down from the slope.

A-Quan had actually called over many people. He, his brother, his father, and some relatives had dragged a large black-haired pig out of the pen, hoisted it onto a chopping block, and slaughtered it.

A-Quan's brother used a knife to carefully butcher the black pig, and then more than half the village arrived. Every household brought their own tables and chairs out onto the village path, preparing for a pig-slaughtering feast.

A-Quan walked up the slope. "Benefactor, this is my brother. You can just call him A You. When he heard you were leaving tomorrow, he decided to slaughter the pig today to host you."

"Ah, this..."

"It's no problem. We were going to slaughter this pig for the New Year anyway; consider this an early celebration," A-Quan said to Lu Bian.

"Oh, I see. Mmm."

Lu Bian couldn't think of anything else to say. The people in these mountains were so genuine that he was truly moved.

Lu Bian felt that the brothers' repayment was a bit too heavy, but refusing would only hurt their feelings more.

The sun set, and the entire village became incredibly lively. All twenty or thirty people in the village came to eat at the brothers' pig-slaughtering feast.

The entire pig was consumed that very day; not a scrap of meat was left behind.

"This is our village's homemade wine. It won't get you drunk!"

Lu Bian sat at the main table eating meat, being toasted in turns by all the men, women, and children of the village. Lu Bian discovered that the women in this village could drink even better than the men, and the children were trained to drink by the adults from a young age.

Drinking and eating, night fell. A large bonfire was built in the village, and some villagers began to dance around it.

They danced after eating, and they danced after getting drunk. They didn't stop until late into the night.

They said the homemade wine wouldn't get anyone drunk, but more than half the village was intoxicated.

The weather was still warm, and the night wasn't cold. People were slumped over tables, and those who were heavily drunk lay on the ground.

Lu Bian was the most sober one. He found a good spot to lean back and rest.

He had eaten too much tonight. The people at his table had frantically piled food into his bowl; if he wasn't careful, his half-eaten bowl would be filled up again. The villagers' enthusiasm made even Lu Bian feel socially anxious.

He closed his eyes to rest...

In the middle of the night, Lu Bian suddenly opened his eyes.

His magnetic field perception told him that two peculiar magnetic fields had appeared.

Searching for those two special fields, Lu Bian saw two people.

One in black and one in white.

One wore a hat that read "Catching You," and the other wore a hat that read "You've Finally Come."

"It's Black and White Impermanence!" Lu Bian exclaimed in surprise.

Black and White Impermanence, who were in the middle of hooking a soul, instantly turned to look at Lu Bian.

His childhood nightmare had arrived; this was the most terrifying kind of Chinese horror!