Chapter 27

“No need to be polite,” Ah Qiu’s voice was full of…

“Then I must thank Ah Qiu for keeping it a secret for me,” Cheng Hui said with a hint of gratitude.

“No need to be polite,” Ah Qiu’s voice was full of joy.

Cheng Hui turned back to the system, “So, back to the previous question, what happens if I can’t complete the task?”

“Ah!” Xiao Tong gestured excitedly, and Cheng Hui guessed, “Then I can’t go back.”

Xiao Tong nodded vigorously, then shook his head.

Seeing Cheng Hui looking at him blankly, Xiao Tong pouted, looking pained, and pulled out a handful of shiny sand from his pocket.

He pointed at Cheng Hui, made a flying gesture, and then separated about a third of the sand.

Cheng Hui understood that going back once would consume about a third of this star sand, and completing tasks would earn different amounts of star sand depending on the difficulty.

Xiao Tong gestured, occasionally using light to find some explanations, and after about half an hour, Cheng Hui finally understood the specific process.

His crossing… no, it’s not really crossing because the world he’s in now isn’t from another plane, but coexists in the same universe as the Cultivation World. However, the universe has numerous planes and planets. As the Buddhist saying goes, there are three thousand worlds, and in this entire universe, there are far more than just three thousand worlds.

Most of the local inhabitants have no idea that other worlds exist. Only worlds like the Cultivation World, rich in spiritual energy and capable of pushing personal cultivation to the limit, have the chance to break the barriers between worlds and connect with others.

In these infinite worlds, many lack high-level combat power, making them extremely isolated. The tree he saw in the space earlier is called the Lingxi Tree, meaning ‘a shared understanding’. Those who possess the Lingxi Tree can communicate with all worlds through the Lingxi Fruit, and the system exists by using its abilities to make agreements with the world’s Heavenly Dao, solving problems and earning merit.

The star sand in his hand is the tangible form of merit, which has miraculous effects and is needed in many places. The system also requires merit to sustain itself.

However, the system has its unique rules and cannot provide Cheng Hui with help beyond its limits, so Cheng Hui still needs to complete the tasks himself.

If Cheng Hui fails the task, there are no severe consequences, at most being blacklisted and expelled by the Heavenly Dao of this world.

This is understandable; if you can’t complete a commissioned task, you can’t expect the client to be happy with you… →_→

These tasks mostly involve key events intercepted by the world’s Heavenly Dao, like a person at a crossroads where turning left or right seems easy, but the results can be vastly different.

Therefore, the difficulty of events varies greatly between worlds, and the merit earned differs accordingly.

Generally, the stronger the world, the thicker the world barrier, requiring more star sand to break through and enter, making the events more challenging and the rewards better.

Conversely, smaller, simpler worlds have easier events, and the rewards are naturally less.

This world, for instance, is basically a beginner’s world, meant for Cheng Hui to get familiar with the process. It’s only this time that Xiao Tong can tell him so much, even revealing many secrets. Next time he crosses over, he won’t have such good fortune.

“So… I can only fail a limited number of times, otherwise, if I run out of star sand, even if you have the ability, you’ll be stuck in this world?” Cheng Hui asked Xiao Tong.

“No, it’s not being stuck in this world, but being expelled,” Ah Qiu quietly reminded.

Cheng Hui suddenly understood, then was startled, damn, if the star sand isn’t enough to break the world barrier, and he’s forcibly expelled, wouldn’t he be exiled into the endless void?

Xiao Tong nodded vigorously, pulling out a headband with the words “Keep Going” written on it and tied it around his forehead.

That’s right, so you have to work hard.

Cheng Hui’s mouth twitched uncontrollably, feeling like he had boarded a pirate ship.

“Uh… can’t I just not cross over?” Cheng Hui tried to negotiate with Xiao Tong.

Xiao Tong looked as if struck by lightning, fell to the ground with a thud, and a cloud appeared over his head, pouring rain.

He held a small handkerchief, biting one corner, tears streaming down, “Master, are you going to abandon Xiao Tong? Xiao Tong will starve to death… QAQ”

Cheng Hui: …

Just explain it clearly, no need for the drama, thanks.

He was just saying it, actually, he really wanted the merit star sand. Not to mention, the effect of speeding up cultivation was enough to make him drool.

What’s the most important thing in the Cultivation World? Of course, it’s strength.

Otherwise, you might get caught in the crossfire of two passing cultivators fighting and lose your life.

In his previous cycles, he died several times because of such incidents, tsk tsk, died so miserably, without even someone to collect his body… oh wait, there was a beautiful woman who collected his body, but unfortunately, he can’t remember what she looked like…

“Alright.” Cheng Hui thought for a moment, feeling that since things were like this, wasting time here was pointless, better to go gather some clues.

Later, he’s going to enter that eerie manor and rescue his ‘friend’. Without enough information, it won’t work.

He walked out of the room, went downstairs, and saw several tables of guests eating in the hall. The waiter was busy running around, and when he saw Cheng Hui, he quickly asked, “Are you going out, sir?”

Cheng Hui nodded, “Yes, where’s the nearest teahouse?”

“Hey, our little town is only so big, where would there be a teahouse?” The waiter chuckled, “If you want to gather some news, our boss here does that on the side.”

“Oh?” Cheng Hui was slightly surprised, is selling information so open these days?

He walked over to the counter, where a middle-aged, skinny man was standing, calculating with an abacus, looking shrewd, and said with a smile, “What news does the gentleman want to know? I’m not bragging, but within a hundred miles, there’s no news my ears don’t catch. Whether you’re looking for monsters to practice on or have something strange at home and need to hire a demon hunter, I can help. As long as you can afford the price.”

Cheng Hui raised an eyebrow, wow, what a big mouth.

“First ask some random news, then ask about the manor when he’s not on guard,” Ah Qiu suddenly said.

Cheng Hui understood, this was to make the boss reveal some information without being on guard, to prevent him from deliberately lying.

He asked about some random things as agreed, listening to the boss chat for a while, then casually asked, “I heard the manor to the east is a bit strange?”

The boss’s face changed immediately, and he asked warily, “What manor? I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you say there’s nothing within a hundred miles you don’t know?” Cheng Hui raised an eyebrow.

“You heard wrong,” the boss forced a smile, “Waiter, come take over for me, I need to use the restroom.”

Cheng Hui: … Oh, using the bathroom as an excuse, looks like the manor is deep water…

He wanted to press further, so he followed the boss to the backyard, only to find the cross-dressing woman pinning the boss against the wall.

The boss looked terrified, clutching his corner like a damsel in distress encountering a thug.

Cheng Hui: … Tsk, can’t bear to watch.

Then, he hid around the corner and didn’t go over.

Kidding, that woman is clearly trying to force information, he can hear from here, why go over.

It’s important to be cautious, but there’s no harm in taking advantage of small opportunities.

Soon, he heard the woman forcing the boss to talk about the manor.

The boss was pinned against the wall, a sharp blade scraping past his eye and into the wall.

The boss almost wet himself, hurriedly spilling everything he knew.

Apparently, there were bad rumors when the manor was being built, and after it was completed, it was quickly sold to a couple.

Later, the couple disappeared, and the manor fell silent, with no one daring to live there, almost completely abandoned. Recently, a young man, possibly deceived, bought the manor and moved in, but disappeared after a few days. The county magistrate ordered it sealed, waiting for the court’s demon hunters to handle it.

“You better not be lying to me!” the cross-dressing woman threatened.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!” the boss shook his head repeatedly, and the woman finally left.

After the woman left, the boss slid weakly to the ground, looking like he was still in shock.

“Go over, scare him a bit more, say you know he’s hiding something,” Ah Qiu said.

Cheng Hui paused, “What is he hiding?”

Ah Qiu: “… Just bluff him, it doesn’t cost anything.”

Cheng Hui: … I was too hasty… (:з」∠)

He swaggered over, putting on a stern face with some presence, grabbed the boss by the collar, and lifted him up, “You’ve got some nerve! I ask you, and you run to the bathroom, but you tell everything to someone else. What, you think I’m easy to bully?”

The boss was shocked, shaking his head frantically, “No, really no, I wouldn’t dare… I’m just timid, afraid of trouble. Sir, whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Don’t try to fool me with what you told that woman, give me something useful.”

The boss seemed stunned, not daring to speak.

Ah Qiu suddenly said, “Give him a silver note.”

Cheng Hui hesitated for a moment, then quickly pulled out a silver note and stuffed it into the boss’s hand, “I don’t lack money!”

“Ah, sir, you’re too kind!” the boss’s face changed instantly, the fear and panic vanished, replaced by a flattering smile.

He swiftly pocketed the silver note, so fast that Cheng Hui didn’t even see his movement.

Cheng Hui: … Damn!

The boss rubbed his hands, very enthusiastically saying, “What does sir want to know? Rest assured, Old Fang here is honest with everyone. What I said before is just the surface, definitely not wrong, but if you want more detailed information…”

“What about it?” Cheng Hui was curious.

The boss decisively said, “It’ll cost more!”