Chapter 29: The Pickled Mustard Greens Come Alive: It Has Its Own Thoughts

At home.

Duan Wenxuan had already instructed the paper figurine holding the tea egg to step aside. With Mandatory Identification activated, he was naturally immune to the tea egg’s allure.

However, curiosity remained strong. Duan Wenxuan felt compelled to peel and examine the tea egg, as its shell appeared slightly cracked from cooking, suggesting it could be peeled open.

Now, tears streamed uncontrollably down Duan Wenxuan’s face—an involuntary reaction. He was deeply heartbroken at the thought of damaging such an invaluable treasure.

Despite his distress, Mandatory Identification kept his emotions under control, albeit barely. The situation became peculiar; Duan Wenxuan’s expression remained stoic while tears continuously fell against his will.

“No way.”

Duan Wenxuan attempted to peel the egg but found it impossible. Even forcefully smashing it on the ground failed to break it. Next, he tried burning it, yet again without causing any damage whatsoever.

Realizing it couldn’t be damaged, Duan Wenxuan decided to leave it alone. He found a box, placed the tea egg inside, and attached a sticky note as a reminder. This priceless treasure egg posed little harm, as long as he avoided seeing it to resist its allure.

After considering that it might prove useful in the future, Duan Wenxuan didn’t pursue further attempts to deal with the egg. Instead, he spent the next two days diligently cultivating at home. Currently, he focused on both internal and external cultivation.

In terms of external martial arts, Duan Wenxuan had already surpassed the Ming Jing stage with his Eight Trigrams Palm technique. His hands appeared pale, seemingly unchanged due to his reclusive lifestyle, but they possessed steel-like strength—a punch from him would not be easily shrugged off. Internally, Duan Wenxuan’s Merkle Strike technique was highly proficient, though his ability to strike pressure points from a distance still needed refinement.

With the eerie vines, paper figurines, and other contingencies at hand, along with the small gate as a fallback, Duan Wenxuan felt confident that unless he took reckless risks, his self-defense capabilities in the real world were now quite strong.

If not for knowing there were four more gates scattered somewhere, Duan Wenxuan’s mindset would have been much more relaxed.

“I must continue striving. Enhancing myself before collecting all symbols is always prudent,” he muttered. With that, Duan Wenxuan opened his wardrobe and changed into new clothes. These garments were custom-made by a tailor in Liyang City. Although his outfit choices were peculiar, as long as he could afford them, who would question his preferences?

Duan Wenxuan donned a white inner robe beneath a leather jacket, paired with boots. This attire would no longer draw attention as it had during his previous visit to Westbrook Continent. To further minimize trouble, he slightly altered his appearance and physique.

The fourth world behind this gate was quite intriguing, despite the severe aftermath of its mystical forces. However, Duan Wenxuan already had a promising idea in mind. The concept of anomalies and unique items held great interest; if his plan worked out, it could be immensely beneficial for him.

“Come here.” Prepared, Duan Wenxuan called out towards the door.

The Terror Slime, wearing a yellow duck raincoat and sporting a large scarf around its neck, now only revealed two blood-red eye holes, significantly reducing its terrifying aura.

For several days, it had quietly stationed itself at Duan Wenxuan’s bedroom door, occasionally peering inside with its eyes. It seemed to possess some level of intelligence, albeit not very high.

Hearing Duan Wenxuan’s call, the Terror Slime transformed into a flowing dark red slime and moved towards him, reassembling once beside him.

“You’re coming along, but without my explicit permission, you must not consume anything on your own initiative.”

The Terror Slime, somewhat gleeful, clung to Duan Wenxuan’s lower leg.

Given that the Fourth World had monsters, the presence of a slime was not surprising. This time, while bringing along the slime, Duan Wenxuan left the vine behind to watch over his home.

A momentary daze ensued.

Duan Wenxuan appeared near the inn on the Westbrook Continent. Upon landing, he seamlessly blended into the crowd this time without drawing attention. As for Winter and the clergyman who he encountered earlier, whether they were now searching for him or not, Duan Wenxuan did not concern himself with it at all.

“Hello.” The courteous doorman welcomed Duan Wenxuan inside, “May I inquire what services you require?”

This establishment was a brokerage company, offering services such as household servants, butlers, and property purchases within their scope of operations. After considerable inquiries, Duan Wenxuan ultimately chose this particular one.

Duan Wenxuan appeared quite young, with slightly curly black hair resembling someone from the southern provinces. His face showed hints of weariness, likely due to travel fatigue. Beside his legs stood a child tightly clad in a yellow duck raincoat, their head wrapped with a scarf obscuring their features.

“Here’s the situation: I plan to settle in this city for some time and intend to purchase a house as my residence. Do you have any suitable properties available?”

“I can pay extra commission, but there’s just one thing: I’m from out of town and may lack valid documentation for the Northern Province. I hope you can assist me with these matters.”

”…Of course, no problem,” the receptionist responded without hesitation.

They didn’t expect every client paying commission to be entirely law-abiding. As intermediaries, their role included helping customers resolve certain issues within reasonable limits, provided those issues weren’t too significant.

For this visit, Duan Wenxuan brought a substantial amount of silver.

Silver was the predominant currency in this world, highly valuable. However, alongside it, paper money had already emerged as a widely accepted form of currency, along with banks facilitating transactions and deposits. Silver is akin to gold in the real world - its value is irreplaceable, yet much like how few people carry gold to purchase everyday items.

Through the intermediary company, Duan Wenxuan swiftly obtained a temporary identity certificate as an outsider. Naturally, he utilized the influence of the paper figurine, which possessed some mesmerizing effect, making the process remarkably smooth. With his proof of identity, Duan Wenxuan proceeded to open an account at the bank and exchanged all his silver for cash.

When spending, Duan Wenxuan showed no reluctance whatsoever.

In this world, gold has virtually no market, so by trading between silver and other currencies, Duan Wenxuan would never face financial constraints.

Duan Wenxuan would not waste his time on trivial matters of daily life. While the real estate agent searched for a suitable house on his behalf, Duan Wenxuan returned to the real world.

City People’s Hospital.

The parasitic vine incident had temporarily concluded. Since it had received all the hosts descending from Little Peak Mountain, City People’s Hospital was under lockdown for some time, with the official announcement claiming it was undergoing expansion.

Currently, some armed forces have been withdrawn from the hospital, but what initially started as a fake expansion has now become a genuine one. Consequently, parts of the hospital campus are enveloped in dust and constant noise.

In a patient room…

Li Dong looked somewhat worn out, subconsciously reaching towards his pocket amidst his frustration.

Yes, he had recently quit smoking.

Inside his pocket were pieces of chewing gum. Over the past few days, he consumed more than a dozen lollipops each day, leading to throat discomfort due to excessive sweetness.

“Professor Wu, how are you feeling?”

On the bed lay the person who had previously been expelled by the Terror Slime. Compared to that moment, Wu Xingxian now lay naked and tied down to the bed, with all his body hair, including fine hairs, completely shed. Additionally, his head grew larger each day.

Through modern medical examination, it was found that his brain is filled with thickened blood. Under these circumstances, Wu Xingxian should not be able to survive, yet he still persisted.

Wu Xingxian’s condition was peculiar, yet he still retained some lucidity.

“It’s not good; I can’t hold on much longer.” Unfortunately, his mutation progressed rapidly.

“Don’t worry, we will save you. The surgery is scheduled for this afternoon,” Zhai Zhengping said, taking a deep breath. His aged but determined expression filled with resilience.

“No, no! Don’t!” Surprisingly, despite enduring immense pain, Wu Xingxian vehemently protested. His eyes widened dramatically, almost as if they were about to pop out due to the tightness of his swollen scalp.

“No, there must be no surgery.” He even tried to struggle against his restraints. “We were wrong; our understanding remains too limited. Mystical realms should not be explored recklessly. I can sense it - the ‘fluid’ inside my head is alive. Surgery won’t save me; instead, it could bring unforeseen changes. While I still have my wits, you should dispose of me immediately by incineration. That would be the safest course.”

Wu Xingxian had already prepared himself for self-sacrifice.

Li Dong glanced at Zhai Zhengping, feeling his frustration intensify further.

As they left the hospital room, Zhai Zhengping let out a resigned sigh and asked, “Captain Li, still no sign of Gongsun Wulong?”

“A bunch of lawless fanatics,” Li Dong said angrily. “He likely took the Slime Disease pathogen from Professor Wu’s laboratory before disappearing. We’re unsure how he managed to escape.

It’s bizarre. On that day, the entire community was surrounded by armed police. Not even a fly could have gotten out, let alone a full-grown man. Truly damned strange. Could these fanatics really vanish into thin air or burrow underground?”

Li Dong had always been short-tempered, even before the emergence of supernatural incidents. He lacked the mindset of a public servant; instead, as the captain of a criminal investigation unit, he enjoyed the minor privileges it afforded, which further fueled his fiery temper. His life was quite comfortable this way.

While it was indeed a flaw, fundamentally speaking, he remained committed to upholding justice despite occasional lapses in small matters.

Deep down, given the state of the world now, he genuinely wanted people to live safely rather than face one peril after another, such as parasitic vines and bloody slimes.

Unfortunately, while he was competent at handling cases, his knowledge of the supernatural was severely lacking. Those with abilities often remained elusive and indifferent to the lives of ordinary people, infuriating him to the point where he wished he could personally gun them down one by one.

“We should find Gongsun Wulong as soon as possible. Losing someone like Professor Wu would be truly tragic. If Gongsun managed to take away the Bloody Slime, there might be a chance to resolve the virus affecting Professor Wu and others,” Zhai Zhengping lamented, feeling equally troubled. Deep down, he knew that Wu Xingxian’s chances of surviving surgery were slim.

Previously, numerous surgeries had been attempted on patients, including procedures similar to Wu Xingxian’s craniotomy and even amputations targeting affected areas, but all proved futile.

Li Dong shook his head, asked Zhai Zhengping a few more questions, and then left.

His visit today served two purposes: first, to check on Wu Xingxian, and second, to inquire about Zhai Zhengping’s progress in researching the Bloody Slime. Earlier, when the person who expelled the slime was brought here, additional research materials from the health center, including blood samples from the slime, were transferred to Zhai Zhengping for further analysis.

The research had yielded some findings, but no cure for the virus had been discovered.

Exiting the hospital feeling dispirited, Li Dong rubbed his short hair and was just about to call for a car when his phone rang. This phone was a specially designed satellite device, indicating that it must be something important, so Li Dong promptly found a secluded spot.

Moments later, from inside the guard booth at the hospital entrance, Li Dong’s voice roared, “Are you kidding me? The preserved mustard greens planted on the outskirts can’t even be consumed anymore, and now they’re planning to eat people?!

“Wait, evacuate the personnel first. I’ll arrive within ten minutes.” Quickly hanging up, Li Dong burst out of the guard booth and immediately commandeered a police car.