Chapter 366: Help with a Small Favor

As an experimental creation, Ji Yuan experimented almost without regard for the consumption of his magic power. He had hundreds of these joss papers, and a trickle of magic power consumption was what he feared least.

Unknowingly, evening arrived. More and more joss papers in Ji Yuan's hands had turned to ash, and a significant amount of magic power had been consumed. He had finally discovered the current limit he could achieve through his experiments.

What remained in his hand now were magic coins, each as thick as a regular Dangwu Tongbao coin. Their size was considerably smaller than the previous joss papers, yet still slightly larger than ordinary copper coins, resembling the cross-section of an egg.

The magic coins felt substantial and beautiful, like gilded gold. Each one felt as heavy as three to four liang.

Ji Yuan picked one up to play with in his hand. The words "Yinyang Tongbao" on it appeared to be carved, and the feel was excellent. The key was that, apart from their joss paper essence, they were sustained by magic power and spiritual energy, giving them a subtle, profound weight.

He flicked a magic coin lightly with his finger.

"Clink..."

The coin itself didn't vibrate, but a clear, crisp sound lingered around it for a long time.

Beautiful, substantial, and imbued with magic and vitality – this was Ji Yuan's own assessment.

He now had just over fifty left, but due to their substantial nature, they felt more numerous than the hundreds he had previously.

"Not bad, quite good-looking," he murmured. "To improve further, I'll have to start with the materials and the refinement of the spells."

With the wolf-hair brush in hand and his current familiarity with his unique method of written derivation, he felt he could still make some improvements based on his thoughts today. Nevertheless, he was already quite satisfied with today's results.

At this moment, Ji Yuan caressed the magic coins as if they were new toys. As if an idea had struck him, he picked up one of them and cupped it in his palm. After looking around, his gaze settled on a tattered straw mat and two rotting pieces of wood lying on it.

"Go!"

He softly uttered the word, then waved his hand.

In an instant, a gale arose.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

The wind rustled Ji Yuan's clothes. After sweeping over the tattered straw mat and rotting wood, it lifted them into the sky. They spun a few times in the air, then were carried directly towards the horizon and soon vanished from sight.

Looking at the lingering force of the wind in the sky, Ji Yuan's face showed a thoughtful expression.

He had used too much force this time and didn't hold back. The magic coin in his hand instantly turned to dust and dispersed, but the effect was quite remarkable.

Ji Yuan didn't use any of his innate divine abilities. This wasn't even wind manipulation; it was simply his magic power and spiritual energy rushing out, driving the surrounding wind to carry the objects away. Although it wasn't wind manipulation, it achieved the same effect. This was exactly what Ji Yuan had just envisioned in his mind; the magic coin essentially brought that thought to fruition.

The magic power of the coins came from Ji Yuan, so it was naturally very pure. The spiritual energy was also gathered by Ji Yuan, formed within his body by the transformation of the five elements, making it utterly pure, without inherent attributes or form.

This meant that anyone, if they knew the method, would find it extremely smooth to use the magic coins. They would assist in any endeavor. Furthermore, if someone possessed divine abilities or spells, using the magic coins while casting them would be akin to half of Ji Yuan helping them cast the spell.

Moreover, if one had both a magic coin and a miraculous talisman, the effect would be even more outstanding. Depending on the magic power and spiritual energy contained within the coin, the surrounding spiritual environment, and the miraculousness of the talisman, in the best-case scenario, it might even be comparable to Ji Yuan himself wielding that divine ability.

Ji Yuan thought about it and realized that, in a way, this was quite a terrifying prospect. He would not underestimate others, and he also understood his current capabilities very well.

To take a step back, even if someone possessed no spells or divine abilities—just a ghost or even a mortal—if they knew how to activate the summoning method, they could achieve miraculous effects. For instance, what Ji Yuan just did was simple and crude: merely manifesting a gust of wind from his thoughts.

If there were a candle in front of him, that same action could have ignited a large fire. Of course, this wasn't fire manipulation; it was more like wind, many times amplified, fueling a fire. Once the magic coin was used, the fire couldn't be controlled, and one would still be burned to death if standing in the flames.

"In that case, I'll have to carefully consider giving these magic coins to Dong Bicheng..." Ji Yuan murmured to himself. It wasn't that he was stingy; rather, even though the coins he had weren't perfect, if used well, they could potentially cause trouble in a ghost city. While the underworld deities and enforcers were present, ensuring no major chaos would erupt, it was possible that the enforcers might not be able to subdue him instantly. If Dong Bicheng's character as a ghost was poor, it would be like giving a weapon to a criminal.

Putting away the magic coins, Ji Yuan took out a flatbread and bit into it. With a thought, he calculated with his fingers, realizing that Lu Shan-jun seemed to be preparing to make a move.

Inside a private room on the third floor of the Lifu Grand Restaurant in the city, a large eight-person table was set. On it, everything from chicken, duck, fish, and meat to wild game, wings, and tripe was present—braised, poached, steamed, boiled, in every style. Exquisite and tempting dishes filled the large table, each perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

Lu Shan-jun sat alone in the private room, holding chopsticks and a plate. He ate with a seemingly refined but actually quite fast pace, picking up large portions of food, eating mouthfuls of meat, and occasionally raising his wine cup for a drink.

"Tsk tsk tsk, ah!"

Swallowing his food, he once again emptied his wine cup. Lu Shan-jun savored the wine, smacking his lips with appreciation.

"When I was in the mountains, who knew such earthly delicacies existed?" he exclaimed. "Even vegetarian dishes can be made so delicious. No wonder Sir cares so much about human order. Tell me, with food like this, how could the human world fall into chaos?"

Lan Ningke quickly picked up the wine pot and poured Lu Shan-jun a full cup, echoing in agreement.

"Mountain Lord is absolutely right! The human world must not fall into chaos, must not!"

"It is Sir who is absolutely right!"

"Yes, yes, yes, Sir is absolutely right!"

How could Lan Ningke dare to contradict? He nodded repeatedly in agreement, while cautiously inhaling some vital essence from the food. He savored these dishes, which he once could extravagantly order at will, but which were now a luxury.

Although Lu Shan-jun had told Lan Ningke he could eat freely, the latter didn't dare to truly indulge. After all, Lu Shan-jun was still feasting away.

Before long, all the dishes on the table were devoured. Lu Shan-jun emptied his wine cup, and Lan Ningke, being perceptive, immediately left the private room and went downstairs.

Reaching the staircase on the first floor of the Lifu Grand Restaurant, Lan Ningke called out to the manager.

"The Spring Welcome Room upstairs needs cleaning," he called out. "Send up another identical table of dishes."

"Oh, yes, alright!" the manager responded. "Uh, by the way, esteemed guest, we have a few other special dishes. Would you like to add them?"

Lan Ningke nodded.

"Add them, add whatever good dishes you have! Money is not an issue!"

"Excellent!"

The manager nodded profusely. Only after Lan Ningke went upstairs again did he secretly click his tongue in amazement. The waiters nearby also exchanged bewildered glances.

"How many times has this happened now?" "This is the third time!"

"I've seen people who can eat, but never anyone who can eat this much."

"Won't their stomach burst?"

"Who knows..."

"What are you waiting for?" the manager urged. "Go up and clean up and tell the kitchen to prepare the dishes."

At the manager's command, the people nearby immediately sprang into action. The main reason was the large silver ingot sitting on the counter, ensuring there was no worry about the guest dining and dashing.

In the private room upstairs, by the time the third table of dishes was served, Lu Shan-jun only sampled a little. He then indicated for Lan Ningke to eat the rest.

This made Lan Ningke extremely grateful. He began to eat without restraint. Although it appeared he was eating large mouthfuls with his chopsticks, surprisingly little of the food disappeared, as he was primarily consuming its vital essence. He also didn't forget to drink wine.

This feeling was now so comfortable and peaceful. After becoming a changgui, stripped of freedom and living mostly in darkness, he finally understood how precious his former life of pleasure had been.

Lu Shan-jun sat by, watching his changgui, Lan Ningke, eat with a look of pure bliss on his face. When he felt it was enough, he finally spoke with a smile.

"Lan Ningke, I need to go to a place," he said, "but I cannot enter it directly on my own. I need your help, and it will require a small sacrifice from you."

Lan Ningke stiffened. Although he had long been dead, he inexplicably felt a chill.

"Wh-what place?"

He had no ability to refuse helping; he only dared to ask where they were going.

Lu Shan-jun's smile widened. It turned out that the matter with Monk Jue Ming earlier had given him inspiration. He didn't necessarily need his complete body to go to the ghost city; his demon soul could go just as well.

However, for a demon soul to force its way through the Gates of Hell, no matter how conceited Lu Shan-jun was, he knew it would be a suicidal act. So, he needed something to draw attention, or a method of substitution.

"Heh, no need to be nervous," Lu Shan-jun said. "It's just where ghosts are supposed to go—the underworld court of Laoyang Prefecture, that's all."

Lan Ningke shuddered, his face turning extremely pale. He now understood a little about these matters. For a ghost as wicked as him to go to the underworld, how could he possibly fare well?

"Don't worry, don't worry," Lu Shan-jun assured him. "Your origin isn't Laoyang Prefecture, so they won't know too much about your affairs. Of course, your accumulated evil karma is hard to dispel, so you're definitely an evil ghost and will be subjected to extreme punishments. You just need to endure it. After you've undergone the harsh tortures of the underworld, they'll release you to this ghost city in the netherworld!"

Lu Shan-jun's plan was simple: his demon soul would leave his body, use its divine ability to hide within Lan Ningke's changgui soul, let Lan Ningke pretend to be "accidentally" discovered and seized by the underworld enforcers, then go to the netherworld to be punished before being released into the ghost city. This would complete the infiltration.

After careful consideration, the feasibility was very high. After all, Lu Shan-jun was very clear about the characteristics of the changgui's relationship with himself. Moreover, he knew he was no ordinary tiger demon, and his divine abilities were quite profound.

Lan Ningke was now terrified.

"I-I am naturally willing to help Mountain Lord," Lan Ningke stammered, "but, but what if I endure the tortures, and my soul, my soul dissipates..."

"Oh, don't worry," Lu Shan-jun said. "With me here, I'll naturally provide you with Yin energy to help you. You won't die! If you die, I'll be exposed, and I'm not so foolish as to expose myself before the City God in such a crucial underworld location! Come, let me explain it to you in detail!"

Lu Shan-jun leaned closer to Lan Ningke, murmuring indistinctly into his ear for quite a while.

"You don't need to resent me," Lu Shan-jun said. "You were destined for retribution anyway. Monk Jue Ming knew he was going to the underworld, and he didn't even have my protection. So what if you go through this once? I've explained so much, do you understand what to do now?"

Lu Shan-jun naturally knew his changgui was feeling resentful, but this time he didn't reproach him.

"I understand, I understand..."

Lan Ningke's heart was filled with despair, but he was utterly incapable of resisting. He could only agree weakly.

At this very moment, on the street outside the Lifu Grand Restaurant, Ji Yuan sniffed the aroma of the dishes from the third floor, then looked at the flatbread in his own hand. He shook his head helplessly and smiled.