GBP Chapter 377 Second Worship of the Shrine
Chapter 377 Second Worship of the Shrine
Indeed, "poverty" is always the most powerful attribute and weapon.
Once you accept the premise of being "poor," "earning Mora" becomes an inescapable curse.
Having ideals will replace your ideals.
What you have no ideals for will become your ideals.
At least from the moment Xu Ning told Zheping about the small goal until the three of them arrived at the head of the Serpent God, Zheping had not yet recovered from his worried thoughts.
"Alright, I was just saying that casually, I didn't actually ask you to give me back my Mora."
Xu Ning glanced at Zheping while chugging his drink, "The point of going out is to have fun. I'll have Master Ji go into the cave and get you a bowl. Let's sit on the snake's head and have some more drinks."
Zheping's face darkened slightly as he refused, "I can't afford it, I'm giving it up!"
"Also, that is our Great God of the Sea. You should at least show some respect for our beliefs."
Xu Ning shook his head and had no choice but to give up the idea.
"Don't look so sad. Besides, 100 million Mora isn't a lot. As far as I know, there was a blonde girl who started from scratch at the age of ten and earned 100 million Berries in eight years."
Zheping smiled wryly, "I've heard of your Tianquan Star, it's said to be incredibly wealthy."
Xu Ning laughed loudly, "Who told you all this nonsense? Ningguang isn't blonde, and besides, her Mora is in the trillions. I don't even know how much money she has. And how poor is Sea Island? A hundred million is hardly enough to rival a country. In Liyue, she can barely make ends meet. The one I'm talking about is a pirate."
"Pirates? Are pirates that rich?" Teppei thought seriously.
Xu Ning shook his head, ignoring the somewhat delirious Zheping, and turned to Master Ji behind him, shouting, "Let's shoot from the side, so we can capture the scene of you being bitten by the giant snake..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Ning saw Master Ji sitting on the ground, looking dejected and shaking his head repeatedly, as if in some pain.
Xu Ning hurried over, picked up Master Ji, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Master Ji has a headache, and there's a voice talking..."
"Headache?"
Xu Ning frowned and glanced at Zheping, who shook his head and said, "I don't feel anything."
"Let's go to the Hidden Dust Cave for a rest."
Xu Ning asked Zheping to wait a moment, and then carried Master Ji into the cave.
Shen He, who was meditating in a corner, saw Xu Ning carrying Master Ji in and stood up and walked over.
Before Xu Ning could even describe Master Ji's symptoms, Shen He spoke up.
"It is tainted by the power of karma."
Xu Ning was startled. "How could I not have thought of that?"
Focusing the power of the wine element into his eyes, Xu Ning saw that Master Ji was faintly surrounded by wisps of black energy, which was gradually dissipating under the gentle breeze in the cave.
Xu Ning asked Qingyi to fetch a bowl of wine from Qianfeng Wine Pool and fed it to Master Ji.
"No wonder we're both fine. Looks like it's all thanks to my wine. You should drink less when you're bored, or I'll skin you alive."
Master Ji was threatened by Wu Baizang from a young age that if he got drunk, he would be skinned alive by despicable humans, which made the little guy refuse to drink with Xu Ning and the others.
However, if it weren't for this, Xu Ning wouldn't have known that the power of the evil spirits here had developed to such a severe extent.
"You rest here for the night. I'll go find the source of those evil spirits. Once I've dealt with them, I'll take you to take pictures."
After giving instructions to Master Ji and asking Shen He to take care of it, Xu Ning left the cave.
However, when he came out, he didn't see Zheping guarding the Dust Concealment Gourd. Xu Ning walked around for a few steps and saw him standing next to the strange man he had met last time.
Xu Ning still remembered this martial artist.
It's quite a coincidence that the last time I encountered this martial artist, it was to find out where Zheping was.
This time, he came again because of Zheping's matter, and he was still staying here.
"Where are you from? Why are you sitting here? It's dangerous here."
Zheping asked several questions in a row, but the martial artist remained as still as a stone statue, showing no reaction whatsoever.
However, after Xu Ning walked over, the man suddenly turned to look at Xu Ning.
"You came."
The martial artist turned to look at Xu Ning, then pointed to the shrine, saying, "Those who rejoice in 'him' should be rewarded."
It was only then that Xu Ning noticed that there was an exquisite treasure chest directly in front of the shrine.
"What? Is this a reward from my last pilgrimage? I haven't been here for so long, and you still kept it for me?"
Xu Ning walked over, kicked open the box, and inside were golden Mora and some magic crystal ore, as well as some grayish-white ores.
Beidou and Xu Ning have talked about this many times. It's a specialty of Bayun Island, called "Crystallized Bone Marrow," and it's one of the essential materials for forging famous swords and knives.
Zheping was surprised to see these treasures and was a little confused about the relationship between Xu Ning and this martial artist. Why would this man give Xu Ning such valuable items?
"You know what, there are quite a lot!"
Xu Ning didn't pick them up, and laughed, "We Liyue have an old saying, 'One should not accept rewards without merit.' You gave me so much wealth just to thank me for my worship last time?"
The martial artist said calmly, "Compared to 'his' immense blessings, this is merely a small reward."
"Pray, worship, listen to 'Him,' and let 'Him' listen to you. Then you will hear 'Him's' words from within your heart, just as I have. Then 'Him' will lead you out of suffering and give you great blessings."
Upon hearing this, Zheping's expression changed.
“Xu Ning…”
Xu Ning raised his hand to stop Zheping from speaking, and smiled at the martial artist, "It seems that as long as I continue to worship, I can still get such a reward tomorrow. I can't let it pass by, let's do it again."
Xu Ning walked to the slightly dilapidated shrine and, following Liyue's custom, bowed three times again.
In the tranquil environment, Xu Ning smelled the fragrance of flowers and heard the rustling sound of lizards crawling by, but other than that, he heard nothing else.
However, the seated warrior seemed quite satisfied.
"Remember, if you offer sacrifices three times a day, you will surely receive a reward. Remember this well, remember this well."
Xu Ning laughed and said, "So you mean there's another treasure chest to collect tomorrow, right? Then I'll come back tomorrow."
The warrior remained silent, and Xu Ning led the bewildered Zheping back to Hishiki Village.
"You had contact with him before? This person just said that a voice came from the bottom of his heart. I'm afraid he also has the same symptoms as that little raccoon. But why are we all fine?"
Xu Ning said seriously, "Then I'm afraid we'll have to ask your superior, Lord Wulang. Please go and invite him over; I still have some arrangements to make here."
When Goro and Teppei entered the courtyard, they found that Xu Ning had already placed dozens of wine jars of various sizes in the yard.
Zheping's face paled. Recalling Xu Ning's words during the day, his mind involuntarily began to calculate the price of this pile of wine.
Xu Ning ignored what this guy was thinking and asked Goro directly, "How much wine do you still have left from last time? Has anyone stopped drinking it a long time ago?"
Goro thought about it carefully and replied, "Since the discovery of the Evil Eye, all the soldiers who have used it have been gathered here. Some of them who used it for a short time went back to the camp, while others stayed to help take care of the others."
"Fortunately, they stayed, because they soon developed unusual symptoms again and are still resting here."
Xu Ning nodded, having gained a general understanding of the situation of the Coral Palace soldiers who remained here.
"There probably isn't much wine left for you, so I'll take out some more and distribute it to everyone, including Lord Goro himself. Everyone should drink it."
Goro thanked him and then arranged for Teppei, who was familiar with logistics, to go find someone.
After Teppei left, Goro asked Xu Ning in a low voice, "Did you find something out when you went out today?"
Xu Ning pulled Wulang to sit down on the steps and poured him a bowl of "Thousand Birds".
"You spend most of your time around Haizhi Island and Bayun Island. What do you think of the supernatural power that permeates these areas?"
Goro sighed and glanced in the direction of the giant serpent's skull.
"According to ancient legends, the sea god Omikami broke off a coral branch from his body and brought our ancestors here, thus bestowing a great favor upon the island of Umi."
"I may not be right to say this, but ever since that thunder god killed the Great God, the demonic power emanating from his body left here has become a nightmare that shrouds Hachiyun Island."
"Although Thor's retinue later set up a magic array on the island and used protective objects to suppress the demonic power, preventing the inhabitants from being corrupted by it, even a small amount that escaped was enough to pose a great threat to their health. However, the crystallized bone marrow formed from that trace of power became the main source of income for Eight-Breath Island..."
Xu Ning pointed in the direction Wu Lang was looking, "Didn't we say this morning that no villagers had returned? The concentration of the evil spirits over there is probably already beyond what the human body can withstand. It's highly likely that the talisman has failed or has been damaged."
Goro asked in confusion, "Why don't we feel anything when we're so close..."
At this point, he suddenly realized, "It's your wine! No wonder those who had stopped drinking suddenly started having strange symptoms again, but they got better after drinking some more."
"Yes, that's why the wine I'm giving you this time is called Thousand Birds. It contains the power of lightning, which is very effective in dispelling this kind of evil spirit power."
Xu Ning suggested, "If there is no compelling reason to remain here, it would be best to withdraw these soldiers back to Tengdou Fortress and address the sealing issue here as soon as possible."
As a general, Goro was very concerned about the potential danger to his soldiers, and immediately issued an order to withdraw all his troops to Tengdou Fortress overnight.
Xu Ning did not follow him.
The warrior I met today at the Snake Head Land was strange in every way, and he kept talking about "three times," as if some miracle would happen after three worships.
I've been worshipping for two days now, and since these evil spirits don't seem to have any effect on me, I might as well wait a couple more days.
Zheping also stayed, not at Xu Ning's special request.
At least in Xu Ning's opinion, if this guy still refuses to cheer up after he gave him a small goal, he might as well talk to Wu Lang and let him spend his whole life mining on Bayun Island to pay off his debts!
However, Goro said that it seemed the Coral Palace was sending an expert in formations, and Teppei was to stay here as a guide.
With Qingyi present, Zheping enjoyed the most lavish dinner of his life with Xu Ning.
While drinking after-dinner drinks, Teppei sighed, "No wonder Paimon kept talking about your food and drinks when Sora and the others were on Sea Island. You really can't forget a meal like that!"
Xu Ning laughed and said, "When they were in front of me, those two were quite tough. Did they ever mention that they could no longer afford to raise Little White Hair?"
"It's almost become my catchphrase."
Zheping laughed for a while, then looked at Xu Ning and suddenly asked, "I heard from General Wulang that the famous Big Dipper leader of Yunlaihai, the legend of the Southern Cross Star, was personally trained by you? And you were once an instructor for the Thousand Rock Army?"
Xu Ning didn't know why Zheping suddenly asked this question, and laughed, "Beidou's talent is purely her own; my role was minimal. As for the instructors, they just spent a few days playing with some new recruits."
“You’re too modest. It may be a bit rude of me to say this, but could you please teach me?” Zheping said with exceptional sincerity, bowing respectfully.
Xu Ning shook his head and laughed, "What should I teach you? Marksmanship? Your marksmanship is already quite good, what you lack is only eyesight and practice."
Hearing Xu Ning praise his marksmanship, Zheping blushed immediately, "You don't need to comfort me..."
"I'm not trying to comfort you!"
Xu Ning said seriously, "When you wore the Evil Eye, I saw your spear technique. It was like a venomous snake. According to Li Yue, you already had a sense of 'momentum'. This is precisely the threshold that many martial artists never reach in their entire lives."
Thinking back to the day I fired at Xu Ning, although it felt very smooth and fluid at the time, that should have been the power of the Evil Eye, and had nothing to do with me. Moreover, I was subdued by Xu Ning in one move, and even the Evil Eye was taken away. Can this be called strong?
Seeing that he didn't believe him, Xu Ning explained, "The evil eye you are wearing was made by the scattered soldiers of the Fools' ruling class in the evil eye factory on the south bank, using the power leaked out by your Great God. It inherently possesses the attack characteristics of a snake."
"The fact that you can grasp this and demonstrate it in your marksmanship is a remarkable talent in itself."
These words left Zheping somewhat doubtful.
Seeing this, Xu Ning sighed, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Where's your gun? Haven't you touched it since that day? You haven't used it as a fire poker, have you? Find it and try it out."
This time, Teppei was truly embarrassed.
Before he obtained the Evil Eye, he diligently practiced his marksmanship and archery. But after obtaining the Evil Eye and witnessing its immense power, he abandoned even basic training. He reasoned that without the Evil Eye, he couldn't obtain the Divine Eye, and no matter how much he trained, he would never reach that level again.
And then he never practiced shooting again.
Xu Ning took the spear that Zheping had found, completely unconcerned about the slightly rusted spearhead. He picked up the spear, casually twirled it, and asked, "Have you heard of the name 'Long Serpent'?"