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

Chapter 207: Chapter 144: "Words of the Sun Chaser

Damn it!

Why the hell is this happening!

If he’d initially gotten involved because of Ruchen’s persistence and a guilty conscience, Zheng Xiu’s attitude had subtly shifted when he learned that Cotton Shedding had reappeared after twenty years.

"I will solve this Cotton Shedding problem for you. Like the Alchemist from back then, I am a man of Spirit Communication."

The old man was overjoyed. "Really?" But his joy quickly faded, replaced by a worried frown. "However, the ancient records say that the Alchemist back then was still burned."

"It doesn’t matter. If I can’t solve it, you can burn me then," Zheng Xiu said, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow. "In exchange, however, I wish to receive payment for my services."

"You want money, too?" Xiaozhao’s voice suddenly rose as he interjected.

The old man patted Xiaozhao’s head, a difficult expression on his face. "You may not know this, sir, but Jingtang Town is remote and rarely interacts with the outside world. We don’t use Daqian’s currency or gold and silver here. We live by bartering. If it’s wealth you seek, I’m afraid..."

Zheng Xiu shook his head and waved his hand. "Not at all."

He then listed his demands.

Two Warm Cotton-Padded Jackets, some flint and steel, dry firewood, and coarse grain.

Hearing Zheng Xiu’s requests, the old man was ecstatic. They had no money, but as for supplies, he was the fifteenth-generation Purifying Witch and held considerable prestige in the town. It would be easy for him to gather what Zheng Xiu needed.

After parting with the Purifying Witch’s family, they found the doors and windows of the houses in Jingtang Town still shut tight.

But many of those doors and windows were secretly cracked open, and the gazes from within made Zheng Xiu feel uneasy as he and Ruchen walked down the street.

They were looking at Zheng Xiu and Ruchen as if they were two monsters.

Ruchen followed obediently behind Zheng Xiu, skipping along and looking very happy. But his smile soon turned into a worried frown. "Brother Zheng, if we get involved in this, do you think it will delay you from saving Donor Feng Bei?"

Zheng Xiu shook his head. "I don’t plan on being delayed for long. I already had a rough idea of what to do when I examined the baby earlier. Now that I’ve read the complete *Chang’an Secret Record* that the Purifying Witch kept, I’m even more confident. If all goes well, I should be able to resolve this before nightfall. The worst-case scenario is that I fail, and they just resort to their own crude methods. Besides, while I’m searching for the Cotton Shedding, they’ll be gathering supplies for me, which also saves a lot of time. It’s killing two birds with one stone."

"You’re amazing, Brother Zheng!" Ruchen said with a grin, giving Zheng Xiu a thumbs-up.

Zheng Xiu and Ruchen returned to the clearing where the Purification Ceremony had been held. The fire had burned out, leaving only a mess behind.

The woman was still kneeling on the ground, clutching the human-like mushroom. Her husband stood to the side, too timid to approach.

"That man is a real monster. How could he just watch his own wife be burned alive! I should just slap him to death myself!"

Ruchen stared at the timid husband, his face suddenly twisting into a ferocious, murderous snarl as he spat out the words. Just as quickly, his expression returned to normal. When he turned back to Zheng Xiu, his face was once again as pure and calm as moonlight. Rubbing his bald head, Ruchen asked, "Brother Zheng, how are you going to find that bug, the Cotton Shedding?"

"By following the clues."

Zheng Xiu said cryptically, then walked toward the woman.

"What are you trying to do to my Cuihua!"

The terrified man spread his arms, blocking Zheng Xiu and Ruchen.

Ruchen let out a dumbfounded laugh. "You’re a strange one! You were the one who wanted to burn your Madam, and now you’re the one jumping out to protect her! Since you could stand by and watch your own Madam be burned to death, aren’t you just making a fool of yourself by putting on this act?"

"What bullshit are you spouting, you Monk!" the man roared in fury. "The Purifying Witch said the flames were a purification! Besides, it was Cuihua who didn’t want to be separated from that bug! That’s not a Human! It’s not a Human at all! It’s a bug, WAHHH... If it weren’t for that bug, how could I just stand by and watch Cuihua burn... WAHHH... What did our Old Zhang family do to deserve this? Why is Heaven doing this to our Cuihua, WAHHH!"

The man, who had started off furious, suddenly broke down as he spoke, covering his face and sobbing.

Seeing this, Ruchen froze. He had been about to curse the man again, but looking at him kneeling on the ground, wailing in agony, he couldn’t bring himself to say another word.

"Move."

Zheng Xiu touched his fingers to the space between his eyebrows. A Dice, shimmering with a faint black aura, emerged from his forehead.

Roll.

Failure.

Zheng Xiu waited where he stood for a moment.

After the Trait’s effect wore off, Zheng Xiu rolled again.

On the third try, Zheng Xiu finally triggered [Cunning and Deceitful] and got a great success.

Ruchen watched Zheng Xiu’s strange movements. He couldn’t see Zheng Xiu’s Deceitful Object, so he wondered, ’Is Brother Zheng’s scalp itchy?’ He was about to ask out of concern but saw the resolve in Zheng Xiu’s eyes. This was no game. So, he obediently kept his mouth shut and watched to see what would happen.

He recalled something Master Dengdeng once said: "If the world’s eccentricities filled eight pecks, Odd People alone would have a bushel." The meaning was that while everyone else in the world was normal, only Miracle Masters acted strangely. They did so to obey all sorts of bizarre ’rules’ and conform to their Miracle Technique’s ’Restrictions’. This was difficult for ordinary people to understand, which is why they were called Odd People.

’Maybe Brother Zheng’s rule for Casting is scratching his forehead?’ As he thought this, Ruchen habitually rubbed his own bald head.

[You have achieved Concentration!]

A normal success with [inspiration] didn’t provide a clear view, but under ’Concentration’, Zheng Xiu’s vision suddenly transformed. The outlines of people, the ground, and the eaves of houses were all tinged with a splendid, ink-colored light.

A great success on Spiritual Vision.

"What is this?"

Under his Spiritual Vision, Zheng Xiu discovered a cloud of green light specks floating above Jingtang Town. Countless specks of light danced in the wind, sometimes rising, sometimes falling.

Looking closer, he could see that the specks were shaped like tiny umbrellas, reminding Zheng Xiu of a plant called a "dandelion."