Chapter 26: Priceless Treasure - Tea-Egg

“Child, there’s no need to rush.”

Duan Wenxuan choked slightly, realizing that this clergyman and Winter had not yet fully trusted him.

“Don’t be upset, I understand the curiosity of young people. However, this matter is extremely important. Until many things are confirmed, we cannot recklessly expose you to danger.” The clergyman appeared to be in his forties, with a calm and compassionate tone of voice.

Duan Wenxuan managed a somewhat awkward yet polite smile.

After addressing Duan Wenxuan’s confusion, their conversation for the night came to an end. The clergyman arranged accommodation for Duan Wenxuan within the church, which starkly differed from its real-world counterpart. He instructed Duan Wenxuan not to leave the church arbitrarily, as it could easily lead to mishaps.

Nightfall arrived, belonging to the monsters.

In this world, many ordinary humans were not well-informed about Nightwatchers, professionals dealing with monsters. Nevertheless, they adhered to the principle of minimizing outings at night. As darkness fell, the once bustling city swiftly quietened down.

A peaceful night ensued.

The next day, Duan Wenxuan still sought opportunities to interact with this world’s anomalies and unique items. However, the clergyman politely declined again, despite Duan Wenxuan demonstrating the paper figurine’s abilities. To the clergyman, the paper figurine was seen as an equally ominous and evil presence, which instead heightened his vigilance towards Duan Wenxuan.

Throughout the day, Duan Wenxuan felt that the clergyman was consciously restricting him from leaving the church. Additionally, the clergyman refused to explicitly state what he intended to do with Duan Wenxuan, which left Duan Wenxuan dissatisfied.

If he had truly crossed over to this dangerous world, he wouldn’t mind establishing himself within the Church, recognizing its role as a mitigator of hazards—a fact evident to any observant person.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, making it unworthy to linger here indefinitely.

Finding an excuse to return to his room, Duan Wenxuan waved his hand and instantly went back to the real world. He pondered briefly, realizing that with multiple worlds at his disposal, there was no need to engage in power struggles within the Church. Instead, starting his own influence, where he could have full control, seemed more advantageous.

This visit turned out relatively uneventful, allowing him to enjoy a good meal along the way. Back in reality, Duan Wenxuan took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts list. It contained only a few close friends and relatives; after his parents’ accident, their interactions had significantly diminished.

During the first year after his parents’ passing, some relatives felt sympathetic due to his recent loss and looked out for him. Of course, there were also those who saw Duan Wenxuan as a young man with substantial assets, hoping to gain from them. However, by then, Duan Wenxuan was already an adult, aided by Zong Cheng’s intelligence and analytical skills, which helped prevent any significant issues.

Despite this, Duan Wenxuan decided to call his relatives listed in his contacts, asking them to seek work in An City if possible. If that didn’t work out, he suggested they disperse elsewhere for jobs but gather together frequently, ensuring ample food supplies for their family reunions.

It wasn’t easy to openly discuss such matters; after making several calls, only a few listened attentively, leading to awkward endings each time.

Well, so be it.

After conducting further online research, Duan Wenxuan utilized the slime’s shape-shifting ability to subtly enhance his bone structure. His facial skin slowly shifted, eventually settling into place. Looking in the mirror at his new appearance—full of vigor and hinting at a jianghu spirit—Duan Wenxuan gave himself a thumbs up. This face was modeled after Bai Zhan Tang from Tongfu Inn, featuring striking eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding the carefree charm of a young jianghu hero.

With another bout of mental suggestion, Duan Wenxuan instantly appeared at the train station through a door.

In De County, at a rented room within Bu Village.

Jing Rui trembled uncontrollably, with a bottle of water and a loaf of bread placed before him.

He was acutely aware that he hadn’t slept or eaten properly for a long time; continuing like this would lead to his death. However, cradled in his hands was what he believed to be the world’s most priceless treasure. Whenever the thought arose to set it down, overwhelming reluctance and greed surged through him.

He couldn’t put it down or let it out of sight, fearing the treasure would vanish. He absolutely must not lose such an invaluable possession.

For an ordinary person, enduring such prolonged lack of sleep and sustenance would have likely led to sudden collapse by now.

Continuously staring intently at the treasure in his hands, occasional thoughts flickered across Jing Rui’s mind: No, I need to call the police, I should get help from the authorities.

Yet, just as the idea of setting aside the treasure to eat, these thoughts barely surfaced before being overwhelmed by the panic of potentially losing his precious find.

I can’t call the police, they’ll take away my priceless treasure.

Absolutely not!

By noon, Jing Rui hadn’t consumed even a single bite of food or water. Unable to endure it any longer, he collapsed from exhaustion. In that moment of fainting, Jing Rui felt a slight sense of relief.

However, his unconscious state was brief—only lasting three or four minutes before he forcibly woke up.

“Treasure, treasure, my treasure! Mine!” Jing Rui’s lips trembled, barely able to open his eyes as they frantically focused on the object held tightly in both hands. Only by staring intently at this treasure could the relentless greed within him be momentarily alleviated.

Once the greed subsided slightly, clearer thoughts emerged in Jing Rui’s mind.

Someone, please save me. I was wrong, I was so wrong.

With his left hand shaking uncontrollably, Jing Rui attempted to tear off the eerie ‘Door’ symbol from his emaciated right hand, but it proved futile.

Whenever his attention wavered, the overwhelming greed engulfed him once again, rendering him incapable of focusing on anything else.

Outside Bu Village, Duan Wenxuan casually walked in without anyone stopping him.

De County was approximately 130 kilometers away from An City, which wasn’t considered far given modern transportation means. As for why Duan Wenxuan came here, it was because Zong Cheng had sent him a message.

Previously, he had asked Zong Cheng to keep an eye out for any unusual incidents, specifically those that hadn’t yet attracted government involvement. Since then, Zong Cheng had been diligently monitoring such occurrences on his behalf.

This particular strange incident came to light when one of Zong Cheng’s classmates sought help voluntarily. She mentioned having a cousin named Jing Rui, with whom she shared a close bond since childhood. However, her cousin’s academic performance was average, and after graduating from university, his family reached out to her for assistance. She helped arrange a job for him.

But around four months ago, Jing Rui suddenly resigned from his job and left An City, heading to De County’s Bu Village.

Most able-bodied individuals from Bu Village had migrated to An City for work, leaving behind only the elderly, weak, and infirm. The village was sparse and eerily quiet.

She tried persuading him multiple times, but Jing Rui always acted mysteriously. Once, he even gave her a cheap magic wand, similar to those seen in TV shows. He told her that the world had become abnormal now, and if she ever encountered danger, she should shout “Magic Transformation” to briefly gain supernatural abilities.

At first, she thought her cousin had gone mad.

However, upon returning home, she followed his instructions, performing two minutes of embarrassing dance moves as described by her cousin, then yelled “Magic Transformation.” To her surprise, she truly transformed.

The transformation lasted for ten minutes.

From that moment, she completely believed him. Afterwards, she assisted by delivering various living essentials to Jing Rui at Bu Village, as courier services were somewhat inconvenient there.

The unexpected turn of events occurred two weeks ago when Jing Rui suddenly called her, warning that it was dangerous and urging her not to come to Bu Village—absolutely not. Then he frantically shouted to quickly find someone for help, but moments later, he pleaded “no, no, don’t call the police,” fearing he would be killed if she did.

Just as she tried to ask more, Jing Rui’s call abruptly ended.

She wasn’t one to court danger; realizing the seriousness of the situation, she hesitated between calling the police or seeking help from others. However, she had no idea whom to approach for assistance.

It wasn’t until all notable construction companies in the city were gathered together that she unexpectedly encountered Zong Cheng.

Zong Cheng had been renowned even during his student days, excelling academically with exceptional intelligence—it seemed almost otherworldly how his mind worked. His outstanding abilities naturally instilled trust in those around him.

In a moment of emotional breakdown, she ultimately decided to seek help from Zong Cheng.

Following the address provided by Zong Cheng, Duan Wenxuan leisurely approached the village. Despite appearing filled with jianghu streetwise charm, there was also a youthful heroism about him, occasionally punctuated by a captivating smile.

Knock knock.

At the rented apartment, Jing Rui stared intently at his treasured possession, his numbed senses taking a long moment to register someone knocking on the door.

Someone wants to steal his treasure! A surge of intense hostility erupted within Jing Rui; anyone attempting to take his treasure must die.

Yet, his strong survival instinct sparked a faint plea—Help me, anyone, please. Call the police or do something, just save me.

“Is anyone there?” a voice called from outside the door.

”… Get lost…” Jing Rui heard a hoarse and deeply resentful tone emerge from his throat, trying to drive away the visitor.

No… don’t come in, help me instead.

Jing Rui’s bloodshot eyes welled with tears streaming down his face.

“If you keep talking like that, I might get upset.” The person outside chuckled lightly. Then, seemingly using some unknown method, Jing Rui heard rustling sounds coming from the locked door he thought was secure.

Click, it opened.

”… Leave…”

With one hand tightly clutching his priceless treasure, Jing Rui, whose body could barely stand, stumbled towards the figure at the doorway.

“See, see.” Duan Wenxuan swiftly entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Jing Rui lay sprawled on the floor, but he still clutched tightly at his chest as if protecting something precious.

The curtains in the room were all drawn shut, with any occasional gaps sealed by Jing Rui using various objects. Consequently, the interior appeared dimly lit, poorly ventilated, and filled with a strange odor.

Duan Wenxuan remained unmoved, showing disdain due to the lack of clean space to step. The room was littered with filth, including traces of bodily waste scattered across the floor. After pulling out disposable gloves and putting them on, Duan Wenxuan cautiously grabbed Jing Rui’s hair, lifting his head, “Yu Qian’s cousin?”

Jing Rui struggled furiously, anger mixed with madness, but after prolonged starvation without food or water, he had little strength left, resembling a dying fish gasping for breath.

“What happened? How did you end up like this?”

”…My, my treasure…”

Duan Wenxuan had already noticed how Jing Rui fiercely guarded his chest amidst piles of filth. It seemed evident that whatever he held close was significant.

Without hesitation, Duan Wenxuan yanked Jing Rui upright and flung him onto the bed.

Jing Rui was barely recognizable as human, yet even in this state, he clung tightly to the object in his hands like a miser with greed ingrained deep within his bones and soul.

“Ah!”

As Duan Wenxuan lifted Jing Rui, a sudden intense pain erupted in his right hand. It wasn’t fleeting but persistent, causing Duan Wenxuan’s teeth to grind audibly from the agony.

Then, he noticed on the back of Jing Rui’s right hand, a symbol resembling the character ‘門’ (door) clearly visible!

Although Duan Wenxuan’s own symbol had become more intricate now, having acquired some door-related materials from the paper figurine and slimes, Jing Rui’s symbol distinctly matched his original one.

Despite the pain, a hint of panic surged through Duan Wenxuan instead. This “golden finger” ability wasn’t exclusive to him alone. Could it be that Jing Rui also possessed the same capability to traverse various worlds?

While Duan Wenxuan broke out in cold sweat from the pain, Jing Rui similarly clutched his hand, wailing miserably, his body convulsing uncontrollably. However, the excruciating pain seemed to momentarily restore some clarity to him, as he cried out, “Save me… Save me…”

With determination, Duan Wenxuan suddenly removed his glove, stepped forward, and grabbed Jing Rui’s wrist.

The pain intensified sharply, causing Jing Rui to roll his eyes from agony, his left hand convulsing like a clawed chicken foot. Despite this, it seemed that the treasured item still sought protection.

After one minute passed…

The intense pain receded like an ebbing tide, simultaneously flooding Duan Wenxuan’s mind with a massive surge of information, momentarily overwhelming him. Shaking his head, he temporarily suppressed the influx, noticing that the ‘Door’ symbol on Jing Rui’s right hand had completely vanished. Looking down, he observed that the symbols on the back of his own hand had become even more intricate and enigmatic; gazing at them for too long evoked a sense of profound mystery.

Jing Rui had fully fainted.

Duan Wenxuan now saw what Jing Rui was protecting—and he was taken aback.

It appeared to be just a tea egg, with a deep yellow shell slightly cracked, emitting a faint aroma characteristic of tea eggs.

“Priceless Treasure Tea Egg?” Curiously, Duan Wenxuan picked up the egg, but as soon as he held it, a thought instantly emerged in his mind.

It was an invaluable treasure egg, and he intended to keep it hidden, ensuring no one else could claim it.