I'm Already the Richest Man, Why Did My System Just Arrive?

Chapter 204: Chapter 143: Purification Ceremony, Centennial Worm

"You won’t throw things at the big, tough Brother Zheng, so you decide to pelt this Little Monk instead!"

"You’re just picking on an honest person!"

Ruchen was himself again. Muttering under his breath, he plucked the vegetable leaves from his bald head and tossed them to the ground. He scratched his head, completely baffled.

The Monk and the Mighty Man exchanged a look of bewilderment.

"You two gentlemen."

The boy, who had put his mask back on to hide his face, had been secretly observing Ruchen and Zheng Xiu. Seeing that Zheng Xiu didn’t seem completely unreasonable, he finally mustered his courage and spoke cautiously. "You’re from outside the town, aren’t you?"

Zheng Xiu nodded.

A look of understanding dawned on the boy. "My name is Xiaozhao," he said, "the sixteenth-generation Purifying Witch of Jingtang Town. We are in the middle of a Purification Ceremony. I understand you two don’t know the circumstances, but this is an internal affair of Jingtang. Outsiders are not to interfere."

"Hmph." Before Zheng Xiu could speak, the Monk snorted. "What kind of circumstances require you to burn a helpless woman and child alive? Still, Brother Zheng, you go on and attend to your business. Just leave this to me. When I see injustice, this Little Monk can’t just stand by and watch you burn people alive."

Zheng Xiu, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "This Purification Ceremony of yours... how many times have you performed it recently?"

Ruchen froze.

The Mighty Man’s words landed like a hammer blow, and the crowd’s whispering instantly fell silent.

The boy took two steps back.

Ruchen finally understood. "Brother Zheng, are you saying..."

Zheng Xiu nodded, confirming the Monk’s unspoken suspicion. Under the fearful gazes of the crowd, he strode purposefully toward the woman.

The woman, still terrified, muttered to herself, "Don’t burn my child... Don’t burn my child... Don’t burn my child..."

Zheng Xiu crouched in front of the woman and gave a small smile. "I mean you no harm. May I see the child?"

The woman looked up blankly and clutched the swaddled baby to her side.

"Look, I’m the one who just saved you and your child. If I was going to save you, I’m not going to harm you. I just want to take a look and see why they wanted to set that fire."

Perhaps it was because Zheng Xiu was handsome, or perhaps it was because the Mighty Man’s rescue was an undeniable fact. The woman finally lowered her guard. She carefully opened the swaddling, revealing the child inside.

Ruchen leaned in for a look.

Inside the tightly wrapped bundle was a child with a sallow complexion. Its features were delicate and bore a slight resemblance to the woman. The baby was curled up with its eyes shut tight, its lips smacking from time to time.

"Waa!"

The baby made a noise, and Zheng Xiu realized that it wasn’t the typical "cry" of a fussy or hungry infant. It was less of a cry and more of a... "call."

Zheng Xiu looked at the baby and noticed patches on its face and neck that resembled moldy spots. They were a dark, murky green and extended down onto its body.

They weren’t so much birthmarks as they were some strange growth on the baby’s skin.

’Inspiration.’

Zheng Xiu felt a faint premonition and spent a moderate amount of points.

’There’s something wrong with that baby.’

Zheng Xiu’s eyes sharpened. In his vision, the woman embracing the infant looked as if she were holding a corporeal mass of Filthy Qi. A viscous, wax-like Filthy Qi was slowly seeping from the baby’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Zheng Xiu instinctively glanced up at the sky, his guard raised.

For now, no Ravens were circling overhead.

Zheng Xiu immediately pulled Ruchen aside. "We don’t need to get involved in this."

"Huh?"

Ruchen froze at his words, then said with a hint of disappointment, "If Brother Zheng says so..." He quickly masked his feelings with a smile, then paused before adding, "Brother Zheng, you should quickly prepare your supplies and head up the mountain. Rescuing Donor Feng Bei is what’s most important, after all."

"No," Zheng Xiu said, shaking his head. "I may not know the full story, but this is clearly a matter for Ye Weiyang."

Ruchen let out a surprised, humorless laugh. "You mean... *that* Ye Weiyang?"

Zheng Xiu nodded seriously. "Yes, *that* Ye Weiyang."

Zheng Xiu knew what Ruchen meant.

Ye Weiyang had been hunting them relentlessly, all for the sake of Feng Bei, who was trapped in a painted scroll. In Ruchen’s eyes, Ye Weiyang was nothing short of a "great villain," a scourge upon the world whom he despised. And yet, it was precisely Ye Weiyang who was responsible for handling supernatural cases within the Daqian Dynasty.

Zheng Xiu didn’t know the details behind the Purification Ceremony presided over by Jingtang’s Purifying Witch, Xiaozhao. But what he saw with his Spiritual Vision could not be faked: there was something wrong with the baby.

Ruchen looked Zheng Xiu straight in the eye, his gaze incredibly serious. He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Brother Zheng, if Donor Feng Bei were here... would she get involved?"

Ruchen’s question made Zheng Xiu suddenly recall the look in Little Feng Bei’s eyes from twenty years ago, when she was just a girl with disheveled hair and a dirty face, having just suffered a family tragedy.

"She would." Zheng Xiu tugged at his hair, saying it softly at first. Then, as if annoyed with himself, he repeated, "She would."

With a sigh, Zheng Xiu added, "This is why I hate my conscience. It always gets in the way of things!"

Ruchen was confused for a moment, not quite understanding. But once the meaning dawned on him, he joyfully threw his hands in the air. "Brother Zheng, you are a man of great righteousness!"

"Righteous, my ass."

"This Little Monk has no sister of his own. But should I discover I do have one after finding my true self, I would hope she has the chance to meet Brother Zheng and witness your magnificent bearing for herself."

"..."

’So we’re just inventing sisters out of thin air now, are we?’

While Zheng Xiu examined the infant, the fire on the pyre gradually died down. The fact that they were still there showed their intention to "interfere." The crowd was angry but dared not approach. Intimidated by the Mighty Man’s prowess, they didn’t dare make a move, resulting in a tense stalemate.

Just then, a commotion arose from the edge of the crowd. An old man leaning on a cane came jogging through, panting as he pushed his way to the front. He rushed over to the bewildered Purifying Witch Xiaozhao and said urgently, "Lord Purifying Witch, the fifteenth generation... the fifteenth generation has returned!"