Song Yan simply pushed the door open, as if he had sliced open a wound in a swarm of deep sea sharks.
Ghosts surged madly, like a dark, furious tide rushing through the door, entering and exiting Sheng Dazhu and Wen Erniu's bodies.
The sky was covered, the moon concealed, and ghostly shadows appeared in droves.
Sheng Dazhu and Wen Erniu, these two bandit leaders, had completely lost their consciousness. Their bodies, occupied by Evil Qi, began to show some bizarre behaviors, such as sitting up, with one eyeball rolling counterclockwise, and the other clockwise...
Song Yan didn't use his dagger; he carried it just in case. At this moment, he mingled within the crowded horde of ghosts, quickly made his way into this Suspended Room, and with a brief search, found two Jade Tokens in a drawer box. A quick inspection revealed the number of Contribution Points inside.
Quite a find.
One Jade Token held 30 Contribution Points, and the other had 40 Points.
This utterly shocked Song Yan, his hand even trembled as he held the Jade Tokens, because no matter how he calculated, he couldn't figure out how these two could have 70 Contribution Points.
He only knew that these two most likely swindled the more than twenty new servants, and now they were eyeing him hungrily.
It was precisely this combination, plus "the high price of spells at the Market Square," that motivated his actions tonight.
Yet even so, these two's Jade Tokens should contain at most just under 30 Contribution Points, where did the 70 come from?
Song Yan naturally couldn't guess that these two bandit leaders had accomplices down the mountain who earned a bunch of Contribution Points through trade, allowing for the abundance they possessed.
Overwhelmed with shock, he felt a sense of sudden wealth.
He quickly pulled out his own Jade Token, and with those two Jade Tokens, "swiped" a few times onto his own.
Contribution Points can be transferred this way.
From the first Jade Token, he transferred 20 Points, and from the second, 30 Points.
Leaving each with 10 Points and returning them to their place ensured no "wealth was lost," making it likely for those checking the next day to think it was merely an accident.
But after doing so, Song Yan had another thought.
'These Jade Tokens are quite akin to bank cards from before my transmigration, so... could Official Disciples perhaps possess the ability to 'check transaction records'?'
Missing information can lead to completely opposite conclusions.
This was vividly evident in Qiu Lianyue.
Miss Qiu thought attaching herself to a "future Official Disciple" was a blessing, yet she didn't realize it actually sent her "into the tiger's mouth." If not for Song Yan, she would have long been ground into medicinal residue.
Song Yan fell silent for a moment, myriad thoughts rushing through his mind.
He made a decision.
He simply pocketed both Jade Tokens, then hoisted the two grotesquely posed bodies, being entered and exited by ghosts, onto his shoulders, climbed up, and placed them atop the Suspended Room, before swiftly departing.
After leaving, he hid behind a rock and quietly observed for a long time, only returning to his room once he confirmed the two had fallen off the cliff on their own.
Since his aura lingered behind the door, the ghosts did not knock.
Inside, Miss Qiu, affected by the "Long Water Gentle Breeze," was still sound asleep.
Only then did Song Yan let out a long sigh of relief and begin anxiously awaiting the next day.
...
...
As it turned out, the lives of the servants were indeed insignificant.
Not just the dead ones.
The living ones as well.
The investigator was still a disciple in a Profound Robe, only now the eerie two-faced Shadow Puppet emblem on his back was not black, but... red.
If a Profound Robe with a Profound Map signifies an Official Disciple, and a white robe denotes an Elder, then this Profound Robe with a red emblem symbolizes an Inner Sect Disciple.
Two people in one house, especially two "people with a chance of becoming Official Disciples" in one house, disappearing was reason enough for Shadow Puppet Peak to send someone to take a look.
But the investigator was unconcerned about the two who died; he was just curious about the process, so he was too lazy to ask questions, instead grabbing the "servant from next door to Sheng Dazhu and Wen Erniu," closing his eyes, and pointing a finger at the servant's brow.
After a long time, he withdrew his finger, and the servant whose brow had been touched immediately looked dazed, then was swiftly cleaned up and taken away.
"Senior Brother, what did you find?"
An Official Disciple stepped forward to ask.
The Inner Sect Disciple in the red-emblemed Profound Robe recalled the information he had just gleaned from the Soul Search.
His mind conjured up the sounds of "hearing the ghosts crash open the door" and "vaguely seeing two figures climb to the roof of the Suspended House, twist and crawl there for a moment before disappearing," so he replied: "Last night, the evil fog was thick, and inside hid a formidable ghost. That ghost crashed open the door, causing the two to be possessed, unconsciously climb out of the house, and fall off the cliff."
The Official Disciple whispered: "The two aren't good people, they just recently lured a flock of fat sheep down the mountain to slaughter. Could it be someone coveted their Contribution Points and made a move?"
Senior Brother, I don't care about Contribution Points, I'm just curious if it's really like that, then... how did the person make a move?"
The disciple in the Profound Robe of the Red Map looked at him with a smile that was not a smile and said, "What's wrong? Do you still want to investigate? Or are you questioning the findings of my investigation?"
The Official Disciple was taken aback and quickly said he didn't dare.
"I know you don't dare." The disciple in the Profound Robe of the Red Map patted his shoulder, lowered his voice, and said, "As your Senior Brother, let me remind you: in our Puppet Palace, there are too many secrets. When someone dies, don't ever delve deeper, or else... you'll soon become one of the dead.
If you don't understand these words, then ponder over them."
"Thank you, Senior Brother, thank you."
The Official Disciple wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, bowed, and watched the disciple in the Profound Robe of the Red Map leave.
...
...
Last night, Song Yan was unperturbed.
Today, when he saw disciples from Shadow Puppet Peak coming to the cliffside, he remained calm.
But when the day ended and he returned to the Suspended Room, once dust had settled, he instead felt a belated fear.
He had no idea how he dared to do what he did.
But recalling the expression of that Shadow Puppet Peak disciple, as if seeing something at a point between the brows, he largely understood: this world must have a Soul-Searching Skill.
If someone used the Soul-Searching Skill on him, it would be all over.
The accumulated pressure suddenly frustrated him, as if a fire was rising in his belly. He embraced Qiu Xiaoniang, pressing their plump bodies together against the couch.
Qiu Xiaoniang didn't know why, but her reaction today was particularly fierce.
After their whirlwind-like outburst, they both finally calmed down.
Qiu Xiaoniang lay like a pile of mud, her beautiful eyes blinked, looking at the red mist through the gaps, her pupils full of fear as she trembled, "Big Brother Song, during the day, many people were saying the bloody mist became denser, the ghost creatures stronger. If one is not careful, the ghost creatures might break through the door... that's how Sheng Dazhu and the others died.
We are all just servants, Shadow Puppet Peak won't care about servants; if a servant dies... they just die.
But I don't want to die, I really don't want to die... wuwuwu..."
Qiu Xiaoniang broke down and cried.
Song Yan was momentarily dumbfounded.
He suddenly realized the pressure his breaking the door brought to all the servants in the Tannery last night.
And in this moment of distraction, Qiu Xiaoniang pounced on him again, with the most fearful yet gentle voice, "Big Brother Song, I will serve you well, I'll do anything you want, I'm very obedient, take me with you, don't abandon me, alright? Alright?"
Her black disheveled hair, delicate yet fear-stricken face, a look of desperation willing to please with her body in exchange for a chance to live...
Song Yan hugged Xiaoniang tightly in his arms, waiting for her trembling body to calm down slightly, then said, "Since you said you'd do anything, then I want you to do one thing now."
"What is it?" Qiu Xiaoniang was prepared for anything.
Song Yan said, "Take a Strengthening Ginseng Pill and have a good sleep."
Qiu Xiaoniang: ...
She obediently took the Strengthening Ginseng Pill and slowly fell asleep.
Song Yan sat on the fifth-layer steps, slowly entering a "half-awake, half-asleep" state.
He wasn't worried about the ghost creatures breaking in, but in a place like this, how could he possibly sleep soundly?
...
...
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
New servants were replaced and supplemented in several batches.
The unique "cycle" of the Tannery continued.
In this cycle, both Song Yan and Qiu Lianyue quickly became veteran servants.
They understood the unspoken rules here, and knew how to survive.
For most servants, surviving another day is just another day, as for hope... there simply wasn't any.
For Qiu Lianyue, it was about "hoping her husband becomes successful," wishing that once Song Yan becomes an Official Disciple, he could pull her out of the abyss. After observing how many servants who followed qualified disciples suddenly became weak and then disappeared, Qiu Lianyue was introspective, and became even more attached to Song Yan.
For Song Yan, a lot happened in these six months, and he... finally was able to spend the Contribution Points he had snatched half a year ago.