Star Trace Gate

Chapter 943 The King of the Wild Dogs, Clues to a Huge Amount of Star Source

From a personal experience perspective, Jiuzhi should be considered the most unlucky and worst-for-nothing undercover agent in the entire migration area in the past hundred years.

He was a secret agent personally dispatched by the Master of the Divine Court's Dragon-Subduing Pavilion. Before the Tianzhao Temple had even chosen Tianzhao City as its base, he had already infiltrated the Divine Monk's Mansion. For so many years, he had endured, kept a low profile, and been cautious, finally waiting for the moment when he could play his role. However, a small incident completely exposed his identity, forcing him to withdraw.

Because his identity had been exposed, Jiuzhi was relentlessly pursued by the Divine Monk's Mansion after his emergency evacuation. He was on the verge of death several times during his escape, and he also implicated many Fulong Pavilion cultivators who came to his aid and took the blows for him.

Finally, under the protection of many loyal ministers and generals, he managed to escape to the territory of Tiandu. Due to his injuries, he had to stay temporarily in Beifeng Town, but he did not expect that the town's garrison commander, Wang Anquan, would betray him.

He arrived late the night before, practically on the verge of death, while Wang Anquan betrayed him the very next morning, without even giving him a chance to utter a single line. He had spent nearly a month escaping from Tianzhao City in the west to Tiandu in the north, thinking he was finally home, only to find himself completely captured.

However, judging from the fact that the Divine Monk's Mansion went across half of the migration area to pursue and kill Jiuzhi, this person must have possessed extremely important and shocking information before the evacuation, even top-level chaotic information that many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats of Tianzhao Temple were unaware of. Therefore, the Divine Monk's Mansion could not tolerate him escaping to Tiandu alive and had to kill him.

After Wang Anquan's betrayal and Jiuzhi's instant capture, Wang Tudou received a job at the Divine Monk's Mansion in the place of migration in 251, and was assigned by the Pobi Divine Dynasty in present-day Huangling City. Only then did he come to Beifeng Town to prepare for work.

Inside the garrison headquarters, after exchanging a few brief pleasantries with Tudou, Wang Anquan led him to the backyard of the government office and through a secret passage in a guest room, into the underground chamber where Jiuzhi was imprisoned.

The underground chamber of this garrison was primarily designed to prevent the tragic massacre of female officials, children, and the elderly in the garrison during times of war, leaving them with nowhere to hide. Therefore, it was more like a hidden safe house.

However, after Wang Anquan's betrayal, this safe house was no longer safe. The Martial Monk Supervisory Office had sent people to inspect the place several times and even made special structural drawings to ensure that every private corner of Beifeng Town could be monitored and controlled.

The underground chamber was about ten meters deep and very dimly lit, filled with a chilling atmosphere. Potato followed Wang Anquan down two flights of stairs and turned two corners in the long corridor before finally arriving at the entrance of a very heavy-looking stone chamber.

After the two stopped, Wang Anquan, carrying a lantern, said with a fawning smile, "Lord Wang, this is the secret chamber where Jiuzhi is being held. Uh... you can take a look at him in a moment, but don't move around or force him to talk."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tudou raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by that?"

“Hehe, his current state is rather special... You’ll know once you take a look.” Wang Anquan didn’t explain much, but simply stepped forward with the lantern in hand, and then cast out a wisp of divine thought, which triggered the stone chamber mechanism that no one else could perceive.

"Boom! Screech...!"

A strange aura rippled out, and the stone chamber shook violently several times before the two heavy stone doors slowly opened.

Wang Tudou stood outside and peered through the open stone door, only to find the room radiating an endless, dazzling blue light, accompanied by an unbearable stench of decay.

Before long, the stone door opened completely, and the entire interior view appeared before the two of them.

The stone room was about twenty square meters in size, and it was almost sparsely furnished, except for a hard, cold stone bed covered with a dirty quilt that was dripping with sticky filth. Sitting on the quilt was a middle-aged monk who looked to be in his forties and was extremely thin.

The middle-aged monk was covered in festering sores, his face was purplish-blue, and he was extremely thin, weighing less than a hundred pounds.

If it weren't for his faint breathing and the spiritual aura he was actively emanating, Wang Tudou would probably have thought that the middle-aged monk was already dead.

"Ong!"

Wang Tudou looked at the middle-aged monk, suddenly released a wisp of divine thought, and made no attempt to conceal his senses as he felt the other's aura.

When Wang Anquan saw him taking the initiative to investigate, he did not stop him, but just stood by and watched in silence.

Before long, Wang Tudou slowly withdrew his divine sense, his brows furrowed as he said, "Is he Jiuzhi? Has he been poisoned by some kind of powerful Gu poison and curse? Is that why he's meditating here, concentrating his divine sense, and relying on his vigorous blood and energy... to forcibly remove the Gu poison and erase the curse?"

"Your Excellency has a good eye. You're right, he is indeed Jiuzhi." Wang Anquan immediately nodded in agreement, "Alas, that old fellow's luck is terrible, he's so unlucky...!"

"What do you mean?" Wang Tudou asked, turning around.

"On his escape route, he was hunted down countless times... and just before entering Beifeng Town, he was ambushed by several powerful monks in Luanshi Sea City. It is said that those monks were also from our Tianzhao Temple. They were proficient in witchcraft and sorcery, and when Jiuzhi fought back desperately, they successively cast several top-level demonic sorcery spells on him, and then cursed him with spiritual sorcery. At that time, if it weren't for the spies from Fulong Pavilion risking their lives to save him... then this old man would probably have been captured alive."

"After Jiuzhi narrowly escaped from the Sea of ​​Rocks, his soul was severely damaged. He had no choice but to stay in my North Wind Town temporarily. But... but didn't I abandon righteousness and turn to evil on the very second day? So... I detained him."

"After I discovered that he was poisoned and cursed, I immediately reported it to Lord Niu. Lord Niu also knew that this person was an important traitor that the Divine Monk's Mansion wanted to take away, so he immediately sent people to find the monks who poisoned and cursed him... But unexpectedly... after those monks ambushed him, they happened to be caught in the siege of Luanshihai City, and they all died in the siege."

"As you know, the Gu poisons in this world are extremely mysterious and strange, and each person cultivates their own path. Those who used Gu and curses have already died in battle, and no one else can break their Gu poison formulas or curse secrets, so... Jiuzhi can only rely on his own strength to fight against these Gu poisons and curses."

"However, don't worry. Although Jiuzhi has been in meditation here for half a month, he has already worn away most of the Gu poison and curse. According to my estimation... in another seven or eight days, he should be able to remove the curse and Gu poison. At that time, you can take him away...!"

“But now, we absolutely dare not interrupt his meditation and affect his soul. Otherwise, if he gets distracted, he won’t be able to suppress his poison and curse, and he might die on the spot. In that case, hehe… you’ll have a hard time explaining yourself, and I’ll definitely be in big trouble too.”

After calmly explaining Jiuzhi's situation, Wang Anquan stopped rambling.

Potato, with his hands behind his back, observed Jiuzhi's condition inside the room. He knew that Wang Anquan was not lying, because he had just released his senses and knew that the other party was indeed using his soul and blood energy to fight against the poison and curse, and was temporarily unable to get up or move.

Just as Wang Tudou was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a cold, heavenly pronouncement.

[Congratulations, my dear Potato... You have finally found the top spy of the Hidden Dragon Pavilion—Monk Jiuzhi—in Northwind Town.]

Unfortunately, he looks to be in very poor condition and doesn't seem capable of being escorted to the Divine Monk's Mansion in Tianzhao City by you. However, you're a mature adult now, and you have your own ideas...!

[Congratulations, you have successfully triggered the "Key Choice" quest. Key Choice 1: You can forcibly take him away regardless of his life and escort him directly back to the Divine Monk's Mansion. However, if he dies en route, this may affect your final settlement, resulting in either a reduced reward or no reward at all, only punishment. After all, the Divine Monk's personality is unpredictable; who knows what he might do to you? Key Choice 2: You can also patiently wait seven or eight days for Jiuzhi's health to improve and heal completely before safely sending him back to the Divine Monk's Mansion. However, as the old saying goes, delay brings changes, and things can change in the long run. At this moment, North Wind Town is turbulent and its forces are complex... Who knows what might happen in these seven or eight days... The specific choice is up to you to decide.]

[A message from the North Wind Town Secret Realm: Potato, you brag to everyone every day that you've never been defeated in the Secret Realm, so when will you become the first person to enter the migration area?]

Wang Tudou was stunned for a moment, cursing inwardly, "When did I ever boast about being undefeated in the secret realm? Damn Heaven, who I, Wang Tudou, am, I don't need to say it myself...!"

He pondered for a moment, then turned to Wang Anquan without looking at Jiuzhi inside, and said with a smile, "Hehe, in his condition, he can't be escorted by me. For the next seven or eight days, I may have to trouble you, Lord Wang, to take good care of him for me."

"Then rest assured, this person is safest in my hands. I've arranged for many people to keep an eye on him outside the secret chamber, and Lord Niu has also specially sent a high-ranking monk to oversee things here. I guarantee not even a fly can get in," Wang Anquan replied immediately.

"Oh." Wang Tudou smiled kindly and followed up, "This Lord Niu also values ​​Monk Jiuzhi very much, right?"

Wang Anquan blinked and replied very slickly, "Of course! After all, Jiuzhi is a traitor specifically wanted by the Divine Monk's Mansion, so it's normal that everyone is paying special attention to him...!"

"Oh."

Wang Tudou spoke softly and casually asked, "Besides me, has anyone else come to see Jiuzhi? Or inquired about him?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Anquan replied without hesitation, "Oh, apart from you, no one else has seen him yet. However…!"

"But what?"

“However, Lord Moro asked me some questions about Jiuzhi at yesterday’s welcoming banquet, and I answered truthfully.” Wang Anquan chuckled awkwardly, “Hehe, you know my situation… Now, I dare not refuse to answer anyone’s questions, much less lie.”

Seeing his long face, Potato offered a word of comfort: "Yeah, you've had it tough too."

"To put it simply, you and I are from the same clan with the same surname... Hearing you say that makes me feel much better." Wang Anquan was like an eel; he could handle anyone with ease, leaving people with a feeling that was both pitiful and pathetic, but absolutely not annoying.

"Sigh, I'm just a ghost passing by, I can't help you much, but I definitely won't cause you any trouble." After making his statement, Wang Tudou suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, has that new little monk Zhenyi inquired about Jiuzhi's situation?"

“Him? He didn’t!” Wang Anquan immediately shook his head, then quickly added, “Lord Zhenyi is very diligent! He started auditing the accounts as soon as he took office, and he even came to my residence today to give me a lecture. He also asked me if there were any suspected stolen goods that had not yet been recorded… If so, could they be recorded even if the amount was unknown…!”

"Sigh, it's really hard to find an official like Lord Zhenyi, who is both diligent and incorruptible."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tudou's lips curled into a mocking smile. He thought to himself, "Heh, this little bald monk really doesn't even bother to act. As soon as he enters the city, he's carrying a razor in one hand and a golden bowl in the other, starting to extort money like a bully! That dog, he usually acts all respectable, always chanting 'Amitabha,' but once he gets to the city... he's surprisingly ruthless."