Chapter 55: Household Chronicles of the Tian Family

Xiao Jie had prepared himself for a hard-fought battle. However, when the door swung open, the main hall before his eyes was completely empty, with nothing but a vacant chamber presenting itself to him and I Wish To Be Immortal.

Because the windows were tightly sealed and the light was scarce—perhaps also due to having been sealed away for over a century—the interior of the old Tian estate exuded a dim, gloomy, and decaying atmosphere. Everything was covered in a layer of drab grays, radiating an ominous aura that made Xiao Jie feel as though he had traveled back to the days of staying up late playing Dark Souls 3.

"Meatball, go on in and check it out!" Xiao Jie commanded.

This was precisely where the value of pets truly shone. For tasks involving risking one's life to scout ahead, naturally, the dog had to go first.

Meatball let out a whimper and nervously squeezed its way inside.

Broken Fang followed suit. The two dogs swept the hall from left to right, circling it completely, yet no combat was triggered.

Xiao Jie did not let down his guard because of this. Logically speaking, a hidden map unlocked through a questline was bound to feature a boss.

He and I Wish To Be Immortal followed far behind the two dogs, beginning a thorough search of the entire old Tian estate.

Xiao Jie was of the mindset that whatever he passed by, he would not miss. Seeing anything collectible in the hall—whether it was a decorative vase or an incense burner on the guest table—he stuffed all of it into his inventory.

There was nothing of note in the main hall except for some destructible tables, chairs, benches, and bulky furniture. Moving toward the side parlor, he found it equally empty.

Next came the kitchen, where a few useful items were indeed found: a chopper, plates, and ceramic bowls. Xiao Jie showed no courtesy, shoving them all into his pack. Even the smallest mosquito was still meat, after all; tossing them into a shop would at least fetch a few copper coins.

Seeing this, I Wish To Be Immortal followed suit, letting nothing that could fit into a backpack escape.

Unfortunately, several rice vats contained only "rotting grain" and "rotting apples"—items that clearly could not be sold off as trash.

Following that was the bedroom, which yielded a bit more: "tattered cloth garments," "tattered fur coats," "tattered leather boots," and "tattered trousers." The prevailing theme here was a complete series of tattered rags.

Xiao Jie packed up the whole lot as well. To his pleasant surprise, he found a document inside a cabinet by the head of the bed.

[Title Deed to the Old Tian Estate (Quest Item)]

So smooth? Xiao Jie happily stowed the item away first. Although the quest was initially just for gathering intelligence, who knows, it might even yield some quest rewards.

The two wandered around, looting the entire old Tian estate from top to bottom.

Most of the rooms held nothing of value; the best spoils were merely scattered copper coins recovered from a few wooden chests, alongside some old clothes and statless jewelry that might fetch a meager sum if thrown into a shop.

Deep within the old estate, the pair finally located the door to the cellar, which was shown to be in a locked state.

Xiao Jie did not rush to open it. "Keep searching."

After rummaging through two more rooms, they opened the door to the final chamber and discovered a study.

"Whoa, so many books."

Inside the small study, several rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged. Xiao Jie clicked his mouse to search them one by one, managing to find a few readable books.

"Travels of the Strange"
"Classic of a Hundred Herbs"
"Chronicles of the Nine Provinces"
"Illustrated Mountains and Seas" ...

Xiao Jie collected them one by one. Many games featured original texts and books that players could read, usually providing detailed descriptions of the game's background lore to make the world-building feel more immersive, sometimes even concealing hidden quest clues within them.

Lore buffs loved studying this kind of stuff. Of course, Xiao Jie usually just looked up walkthroughs directly, but since this game offered no guides to consult, it certainly didn't hurt for him to moonlight as a gaming historian.

Oh? "Annotations on the Tian Family Chronicles"—could this be... Tian Youcai's diary?

A wave of delight washed over Xiao Jie upon seeing the book's title.

Clicking to open and read it, he found that the entries mostly recorded mundane daily trivialities of the Tian family. Most of the content was meaningless, mentioning things like raising an ox today or slaughtering a pig tomorrow.

Yet, as he read further, he managed to unearth some useful details.

"Chronicles of Tian Family Life"
Section Thirteen: June 13th.
That Daoist priest has come again, spouting his crooked heresies left and right about a great calamity approaching and disasters plaguing the world. Hmph, spreading demagogic nonsense! Did he take me for some ignorant, backwoods country squire? Clearly, he is trying to swindle me and scheme for my family's wealth.

Section Twenty-Seven: August 3rd.
Bad news has arrived from outside the valley once more. Word has it that the prefecture has plunged into complete chaos. Manifested demons are everywhere, people are dying on all sides, corpses walk the wilderness in broad daylight, and wild beasts have all gone mad. Perhaps what that Daoist said held a grain of truth after all.

Section Fifty-Nine: May 3rd.
I actually ran into that Daoist again. He wants to sell me a [Divine Talisman], which is said to summon heavenly soldiers and generals. Three hundred taels of silver—this represents decades of savings for the Tian family. However, to safeguard the Tian family's estate, I must take a gamble. I only hope he is not deceiving me.

Section Sixty: May 5th.
Those scarecrows have all come to life. Heavenly soldiers, you say? ... They are merely moving puppets, akin to tricks of arcane mechanisms. Still, they are somewhat useful; the maddened beasts outside have all been driven away, so at least it wasn't a losing investment.

Section Sixty-Three: May 9th.
Alas and alack! Pity that Yulian stayed by my side for over twenty years, sharing weal and woe, only to meet her end at the hands of a scarecrow. What kind of [Divine Talisman] is this? It is clearly a [Demonic Talisman]! No, today I must destroy this [Demonic Talisman].
Yet, an idea has suddenly struck me. Since this talisman can bring scarecrows back to life, I wonder if it might also resurrect my wife? I shall give it a try; if it fails, destroying it then will not be too late.

Section Sixty-Four: May 10th.
It actually worked! Hahahaha, this [Divine Talisman] is truly a peerless treasure. With such a magical artifact in hand, I shall never again fear death or the destruction of my lineage.

Section Sixty-Seven: I can no longer remember what date it is today.
Yulian has been acting very strange lately. She constantly mutters to herself, claiming she can hear "immortal music." She eats nothing by day, and at night, I have caught her secretly drinking raw blood. This [Demonic Talisman] is indeed a scourge.

Section Sixty-Eight:
The servants have all fled—a bunch of useless trash. Why? Did that Daoist trick me?

Section Sixty-Nine:
I feel something is not quite right. The power of the talisman is influencing me. I have seen many bizarre things, and my body is slipping out of my control. Dazu's look toward me is not right either. That unfilial wretch—could he be plotting to seize my divine talisman?

Section Sixty-Eight [sic]:
The old immortal, the bitch, and that unfilial wretch all want to steal my divine talisman. I won't give it to them! This divine talisman must never be given to anyone else. I have driven them all out; hopefully, it is still not too late.
I have sealed the main gate tight so they cannot get back in.

Section Sixty-Nine [sic]:
So noisy. My ears are filled with voices. Who is speaking?

Section Seventy:
I must destroy this thing and prevent it from harming anyone further. But why can't I bring myself to do it? It feels as though a voice is stopping me.

Section Seventy-One:
The [Divine Talisman] belongs to me! No one can take it away. That's right, I must hide it safely. Perhaps the cellar would be a good place...

The book ended here.

Upon reading this far, Xiao Jie finally gained a clear understanding of the story.

Clearly, when the great calamity descended back then, this Tian Youcai had purchased a [Divine Talisman] from that Daoist priest. It was capable of resurrecting lifeless objects, turning scarecrows into so-called "heavenly soldiers" to guard the estate. Little did he expect that it could resurrect corpses as well, and the talisman seemed to possess mind-altering properties that drove him mad, causing him to drive his family away while he ultimately hid himself inside the cellar with the talisman.

As for his family members, they had all been corrupted into demonized beings, lingering around the old Tian estate—whether drawn by the demonic talisman or driven by some other cause.

Therefore, this Tian Youcai had most likely been demonized by now.

And he would certainly be much stronger than those three previous demonized humans.

He might very well be a boss.

As for that [Divine Talisman / Demonic Talisman], it was bound to still be on his person.