Chapter 60: The Skeleton Officer

I knew a fact long ago, that is, if you and your “good brother” have not had contact with it before it died, then it will affect your brain and make you see what it is like.

But this image also has limitations. Where exactly are the limitations? I am not a good brother, so I am not sure, but my master once discussed with me that the key to the problem lies in the existence of memory, that is to say, the entire person has indeed undergone some kind of change in order to appear in a certain image.

I didn’t care before, but looking at these old ghosts today, I know what “eccentric” means!

The images of these old ghosts mostly retain the characteristics of the era in which they lived, whether it be their clothing or hairstyles. At first glance, it seems as if one has walked into a theater or a filming location for a period film.

The problem is not that, the problem is that they don’t know what hobbies they have, and the images they create are mostly the moment before they die. What is the concept? Who has a good image before they die? Moreover, some of them are obviously abnormal deaths, which makes them even more hideous. I even saw an ancient death row prisoner, with his head separated from his body, holding his head up by himself…

What’s more, the image that was preserved was the one when they were buried. The most speechless one was a man wearing a robe. I could only be sure that it was a man, after all, there were no women in official positions in that era, and it was just a skeleton.

This reminds me of a TV series I watched when I was a child. It seems to be about a righteous official. The content is not at all scary, but the opening scene is a skeleton wearing a robe, standing in the distance, and then suddenly a large amount of blood comes, condensing into a scene.

Later, there was a theory that it was meant to show the loyal and passionate soul of the official! What a load of crap…

Could it be that the skeleton in the official’s clothes had the same idea? I got goose bumps. Compared to the strange images of other ghosts (passing through others), this skeleton was still the most pleasing to the eye.

In addition to these, I also saw real animal immortals here. Perhaps because of their profound cultivation, their spirits can barely condense into human form. You have to know that animals are extremely yearning for humans, and becoming human is their desire!

Compared to those ‘eccentric’ good brothers, the animal immortals are much more normal. At least they try to present a normal human image, although they still can’t escape the characteristics of their animal origins. For example, a guy who is obviously a snake still has a snake-like shape and some scales floating around, and the face that has condensed is also pointed and thin.

Plus, it’s a female snake, so the hairstyle and makeup instantly remind me of the snake spirit in the Legend of the Gourd Babies. Could it be that the Gourd Babies aren’t purely a legend? Is there any basis in reality? Or should I sing a song about the Gourd Babies?

Thinking about it, my mood lightened a lot. Those guys haven’t paid any attention to me for a long time. After all, there are many people here who can open their third eye. I don’t think they need to keep paying attention to me because I’m handsome, right?

After a short observation, I found that the guys here don’t sell anything like the ‘good brothers’ outside. To get what you want, you can only communicate with them one by one. Fortunately, before I came in, I knew that there was no time limit here, unless the guys here were ‘tired’ and left on their own.

According to the rules, they will not stay here past 11 a.m. It is now a little after 9 a.m., and I still have plenty of time.

I was looking for news about Kunlun, which meant I couldn’t ask about former death row inmates and ordinary people. Their status determined their horizons, so I decided to start with the skeleton. If that didn’t work, I would choose the animal fairy.

But I really didn’t want to choose the animal spirit. The reason was simple: they were too obsessed with human incense and liked to get involved with others.

With this in mind, I walked up to the skeleton and said, “Senior, I have a question. If you can provide me with some information, I am willing to pay a sufficient price in exchange.”

The eyes of the skeleton official were just two black holes, and it was even less likely to have any expression. I didn’t know if it was listening, or even paying attention to me. After all was said and done, I stared at it uneasily. The old ghosts here were so perverted, who knew what their personalities were like? Would it be extremely difficult to get in touch with them?

“Go ahead, are you looking for your Taoist ancestors’ cave dwellings, or are you seeking lost prescriptions, hidden elixirs, or some top-secret information about the history of this world? I still have some information. Back then, I missed the path of reincarnation by a twist of fate. During my cultivation, I traveled all over China and saw the rise and fall of the country.” After a long pause, the skeleton official began to speak. His voice was that of a refined middle-aged man, unexpectedly scholarly and pleasant to the ear. It wasn’t the voice of a skeleton that I had imagined.

Of course, I don’t know what kind of sound a skeleton without vocal cords can make.

It seems that people who were cultured in ancient times, after becoming ghosts, are also cultivated, and even more cultivated than modern literati. In addition to some eccentricities in appearance, they are quite close. This skeleton official’s tone was quite big, which made me feel relieved. I asked directly, “Senior, I want to know about Kunlun. I don’t want to hear the legends. I want to hear some more concrete news, such as where Kunlun is located or how to enter Kunlun.”

I didn’t say it out loud, and I even spoke in a low voice, but just that one sentence attracted the attention of four or five old ghosts around me, and even a fairy cast a searching glance. As for the skeleton official, he even took a step back in exaggeration.

Could it be that there is another mystery here? I was a little confused, but I still added a cautious remark: “I hope you don’t misunderstand. Kunlun has always been a legendary land of immortals and the residence of the Queen Mother of the West. After all, the legends of the heavenly court are too far away! It is Kunlun that has been dotted with legends throughout history. As a Taoist, I naturally yearn for the most top-notch Taoist paradise, so…”

I had to say that. I always felt that the reaction here was a bit off, and it was also a kind of instinctive self-protection.

“Kunlun is not something that a junior like you can explore, let alone something that we can glimpse. You asked earlier, which was really reckless. It would make some of the guests here think that you are a descendant of Kunlun, which is not a good thing.” I have to say that this skeleton official is a well-cultured and good person, and he kindly reminded me in a gentle tone.

The guys who heard what I said were already uninterested and turned to go about their business.

But my heart was pounding. What did it mean to be the successor of Kunlun? Could it be that this skeleton official really knew something about Kunlun? Thinking about this, I pretended to be excited and ignorant, looking at the skeleton official and deliberately saying loudly, “Senior, is there really a Kunlun after the successor of Kunlun? I hope you can tell me! Otherwise, the future of cultivators like me is uncertain. Cultivation will eventually turn into a touch of yellow earth, so what is the point? I’m not coveting Kunlun, I just want to have a goal to encourage my heart of the Dao.

Sure enough, after I said this, those who had been staring at me before were even less interested. Instead, the skeleton official let out a clear laugh and subconsciously made a gesture of touching his chin and beard. The question is, where does a skeleton get a beard? It was just a gesture, and then he said, “To be honest, I only know a little bit of news. Many people here also know this news. As long as you are in the circle of cultivation and as long as you are of the right age, this news is not top secret, but…”

At this point, the skeleton official spoke in an official tone, with a pensive look on his face. I of course knew what he meant, and immediately said, “If you have any news, just tell me. As long as I can afford the price, I’m willing to ask you to buy this news.”

“Okay, okay…” The skeleton official finally stopped sounding official and immediately picked up the conversation, then said, “This information is not top secret, so the price is not high. That is, I think one of my descendants is quite smart and wants to find a way for him, and also let my descendants slowly enter the circle of cultivators. To be honest, this is my obsession, but I always think that only cultivators can get closer to the true meaning of life! I am on a different path from others, and according to the rules, I cannot teach him. What do you think of this condition?

My mind began to calculate. Although my family, the Li family, is said to be the most lax in terms of rules, no matter what the Taoist or magical arts are, they cannot be passed on indiscriminately. He said he wanted a magic art, and I really do have a magic art here that can be related to the metaphysics of geomancy and witchcraft.

Xuanlin’s family also hoped that the art of divination would not be lost. I don’t know if it was fate, but the requirements of the old ghost’s request were quite compatible. However, the requirements of the art of divination on a person’s character are indeed very strict, and the consequences of misuse of the art of divination are also very serious.

I thought about it in my heart and finally made a decision.