Chapter 122: The Great Purifying Pill

After a few minutes of Nightmare Train travel, they returned to the place where they had parted ways earlier. Luo Bin was crouching on the ground, examining the traces of their fight.
“Well?” He stood up and asked Yang Zicang.
Hands in pockets, the young man shook his head and recounted what had happened in the mountain.
On hearing the news of the mysterious apparition that had appeared, Luo Bin narrowed his eyes and chuckled, saying:
“First, let’s analyze the intelligence a bit.”
YangZicang smiled, knowing that Luo Bin wanted to show off his quadrilateral model. As an intelligence-analysis model, it could only be flaunted in front of someone like himself; for others, it had to be kept confidential. Likely, after successfully upgrading the model, this bloated Luo Bin had been itching to show it off, barely able to contain himself.
The two of them and the vehicle stood by the edge of the forest, and Luo Bin said, “That guy in the mountain, as soon as he saw you, he put on a strong show of presence, right?”
“The presence was so-so, but he warned me standing in the air. Flying beings must be pretty formidable, right?”
At least Zhao Anlong and the Defender couldn’t fly. Thinking of this, a peculiar expression crossed YangZicang’s face.
Did it really harbor such a powerful entity here?
“Flying?”
Luo Bin thought for a moment, his brow instantly furrowing as the initial excitement from playing with his newly acquired model subsided. If they really encountered a being capable of flight, that would likely mean its strength was quite terrifying.
In other words, the danger factor of staying here had rapidly escalated.
YangZicang hummed in agreement, rubbing his chin as he said, “He mentioned that he’d overlook this time, basically letting you off the hook, and then added that there were someone coming over on the other side.”
Luo Bin casually drew a map on the ground with a twig: the two of them were located on the northeast side of these mountains, while another group was presently to the southwest, specifically on the opposite side of multiple mountains.
“Next, after you used your reconnaissance-type secret technique, they attacked you directly and even revealed a pentagonal symbol. Hmm, it appeared from the eyes, which is pretty much the same as the mark of the Moon Shadows.”
“I’ll go check out who those people are.”
Yang Zicang stood up and was about to leave, but this time Luo Bin wanted to go with him—afraid that the figure’s words were meant to split them up. Yang Zicang nodded in agreement. Nearly twenty minutes later, a train that had taken a long detour appeared on the other end.
A group of people truly was coming toward this direction on the horizon.
“So they didn’t trick us after all.”
Luo Bin frowned, feeling uncertain about the monster he originally thought was just bluffing.
In the dim light, a group of people holding torches soon walked over, chatting among themselves.
Suddenly spotting two figures at the edge of the dark, shadowy woods ahead, they immediately became alert.
“You two over there, can you speak human language?”
“Fuck your ancestors, can you speak human language?”
Hearing Luo Bin’s reply, the few across from them nodded quite satisfied. The one who had asked the question chuckled to the team leader, who resembled Mr. Tree, and reported, “Boss, confirmed—they’re hometown people, not some monsters turned from the mountains.”
“Hmm, but let’s still stay cautious.”
Among that group, the scrawny and disheveled man who had said this walked forward. As he moved, his skin showed a golden-white temporal augmentation afterimage, his whole body glimmering, which added a certain touch of elegance.
“Gentlemen over there, my name is Jia Zijian. Where do you hail from?”
“I’m Zhou Liren, from the nearby shed area. Are you two planning to head into the mountains?”
“Exactly.”
“These extra peaks behind us are probably in the Scarlet Moon region. Lately, quite a few from our shed have gone missing there. I advise you two not to recklessly enter and lose your lives for nothing.”
Luo Bin stepped forward: “So, what do you folks plan to do?”
The dozen or so people noisily spread out in formation, holding up torches.
Zhou Liren let out a faint smile and said:
“Naturally, to seek treasure in the mountains. We have a method to ward off miasma—different from ordinary teams, especially with this many people.”
“We’ve got people who’ve come out alive from the mountains, haha—that’s our ticket in. If you want it, one miasma-repelling incense pill for a hundred years of life.”
One in the group raised a sachet, and Yang Zicang and the other could indeed smell a strong medicinal aroma on these people.
Yang Zicang sized them up, while they watched the two warily in return.
“Relying on them can avert danger?”
“Looks like these two don’t trust us. Let’s go.”
The dozen-member team bypassed Yang Zicang and the other and headed off ahead. The scent of incense on them made Yang Zicang feel considerably calmer in both mind and body.
This wasn’t a miasma-repelling incense pill; it was one for centering the mind and calming the spirit.
“Hold on. For a hundred years, I’ll buy a pill, but I want the formula.” Yang Zicang said.
One of the team members turned around:
“One hundred? Ridiculous. Friend, I can see you know your goods. If you’re sincere, I can make it five hundred years for you.”
Luo Bin leaned in close to his shoulder: “I know you have plenty of time fluctuations, but don’t waste them recklessly. Other than slightly enhancing mental clarity in simulated environments, what good is this thing?”
“Find me another item besides this incense pellet that can handle simulated environments.”
Luo Bin’s lips parted, and a sharp “Heh” escaped his throat.
“Alright, alright, alright. To be honest, sometimes I think you’re better suited for this model of mine. But I still consider these time fluctuations wasted injustice.”
Hearing Luo Bin’s words, the group tensed up and hurriedly turned back.
“Are you all seriously interested?” one person asked warily.
The leader, Zhou Liren, slapped the outstretched hand of his companion, then turned to face Yang Zicang opposite:
“Five hundred years or not? Say yes, and I’ll write down the recipe for you right now.”
If he could sell the recipe for a spice-based incense for five hundred years, Zhou Liren felt he’d hit the jackpot even if he never entered the mountains on this trip.
“I don’t know if it’s genuine or fake. After you write it down, make a batch on the spot. If it works, I’ll give you the time fluctuations.”
“How can that be? If you examine it and claim it’s fake, you’ll have stolen the formula for nothing.”
Yang Zicang stood motionless on the spot, but an aura of profound distance instantly radiated from him.
[Silent Night!]
Zhou Liren and his companions, still caught up in their speech, suddenly felt a suffocating oppression closing in.
Those with weaker mental fortitude even felt as if they were deep under the sea, abandoned by the world.
“You have… a mental-system…”
“An ill, illusion skill!”
Whoosh, YangZicang dispelled Silent Night, and the few people instantly gasped for air as if they had just been pulled out of the water.
“Judging by your reactions…” YangZicang nodded approvingly, “You are indeed a bit stronger than the average. But with a resistance level like this, five hundred years is too steep. Three hundred at most—otherwise, I’ll be leaving.”
The group of over ten people stared at each other in astonishment. The guy before them could actually generate mental illusions, which was essentially the same as directly verifying the goods!
“Three hundred… May I ask, which one are you, sir?” Team leader Zhou Liren asked cautiously at that moment. The young man in front of them was definitely an expert from some major faction, probably sent to investigate the existence of this Feiyue-class anomalous rift.
YangZicang said indifferently: “Jiazi Space.”
“Jiazi Space…” The group mused over the name.
None of them had heard of it before, but that didn’t stop them from starting to get to know this young man from now on.
Zhou Liren glanced at the incense pellet in his pocket.
This pellet was useful only in this exceptionally dangerous A-class area; anywhere else, it was just ordinary incense.
“Fine, three hundred it is.”
Faced with two people of unknown strength, the captain didn’t keep haggling. He quickly wrote down the recipe and mixed some herbs he had on hand to make a pellet on the spot as a bonus.
“Does it have a name?”
“No, we just call it Big Incense Pellet. If you want to be fancy, you can name it yourself.”
“Then from now on, I’ll call it ‘Great Client Aroma Pill’.”
Luo Bin said without hesitation, suddenly he felt a sharp gaze from beside him falling on himself.
“Call it ‘Clear Mind Aroma Pill’.” Yang Zicang said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
The captain proactively invested in Yang Zicang, who gave him $300N in return.
After seeing off the group of about ten people, the two conferred for a while and pitched their tent on the spot. The next afternoon, the team actually came out with only two people injured.
“Did you encounter any danger?”
Luo Bin stood up and asked the people carrying several animal corpses. They had also collected a lot of plants and minerals, appearing to have made quite a bountiful haul.
“I can’t believe you two are still here! We got lucky on this expedition; we didn’t see that terrifying mountain-realm illusion. We still ran into some mental disruptions, but with the aroma pills, we didn’t need to fear them.”
“What kind of mental disruptions are inside?”
“The people who went there before felt like they had turned into monsters, or their own arms had become monsters, and they ended up hacking themselves to death. But with the aroma pills, even though those intense feelings still occurred to us, at least we could still tell reality from illusion.”
So that’s what it is. Yang Zicang nodded inwardly. For this team– even with nearly a dozen members– stabilizing this area was still extremely difficult. No wonder it was an A-grade zone.
For ordinary owners of the Model, it really was a deadly peril.
“Uh… both of you, how about coming to our camp? It’s about twenty or thirty miles away, not very far. We can get there in half a day.”
Wanting to leave but finding it awkward to just go, Zhou Liren deliberately made the invitation sound as if it was a grueling journey.
“No need. We’re also planning to head into the mountains to take a look. It’s a relief to see you all made it out safe.”
The team rejoiced as they departed. They had no desire to engage further with two people of unclear strength, having merely been polite to a customer who had earned three hundred years of timeline revenue.
After they left, Luo Bin combined the information gathered last night and today about this place and began deploying his model to collect additional intelligence.
[I will consume 1N of principal to inquire into the target’s extra information.]
[I discovered that the phantom Yang Zicang described seemed bound by some unknown force. Most of its attacks were merely bluffs.]
Luo Bin opened his eyes with a delighted expression.
“Well damn, so that thing really was just trying to scare us. But that mental attack on you last night could still have actually hurt you, just not as horribly as you imagined.”
Yang Zicang felt the pressure from the phantom in the mountains ease significantly.
“In that case.” Yang Zicang smiled. “Brother Luo, it seems the Nen ability here is much weaker than expected. How about we expand into other businesses? You know, Zhuyin holds quite a grudge against me.”
Luo Bin’s face tightened as he looked at him. “What are you planning?”
“This mountain is huge. It would take forever for just the two of us to search it. Why not call in more people?”
Luo Bin said warily, “You promised the Nen ability here to me, you know.”
“That’s not set in stone yet. Besides, I didn’t say I was giving up on it.”
“This…”