Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 183: The Secrets of Green Bamboo Town

Xu Lian had given the purple jade token to Pei Zhaoxi, but the dock manager had already recognized him. Knowing that he was a close confidant of the White Fox Town Guard Commander, the manager didn’t bother checking his pass and allowed him to board the ferry directly.

Upon returning to Green Bamboo Town, Xu Lian headed straight to the “New” Pei Manor, the estate that Pei Zhaoxi had built to resemble the original Pei Manor. With so many people, the houses on New Street couldn’t accommodate them all, so they must have moved to the “New” Pei Manor.

When Xu Lian arrived at the “New Pei Manor,” he found that everyone was living there.

When Pei Zhaoxi saw Xu Lian, she smiled and ran over, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck.

It had only been a few days since they had last seen each other, so her reaction seemed a bit exaggerated… Xu Lian understood her intention. She was deliberately showing affection in front of everyone to assert her status among the other women.

Xu Lian had no choice but to spin her around a few times, playing along with her act. He didn’t mind her behavior. After all, she was his little chili pepper, unique and irreplaceable. Xu Lian had a special affection for her and tended to indulge her.

Once she was satisfied with her performance, Pei Zhaoxi finally let go of him and led him inside by the hand.

By now, it was already noon.

Lunch was ready, spread over several tables due to the large number of people.

Xu Lian naturally took the place of honor at the first table. Such details might seem trivial, but they were actually quite important. With more and more women in his life, Xu Lian needed to maintain his authority as the head of the household to keep the peace and prevent internal conflicts.

Wang Cuiyun sat to his left, while Lin Yue and Hua Rongjun, a married couple, were seated to his right.

The head of the Pei family and his wife would also have been seated at the first table, but they had returned to the original Pei Manor and weren’t present.

In addition, Pei Zhaoxi, Jiang Yunyan, and Jing Se were also seated at the first table.

Pei Zhaoxi’s position was self-explanatory. As the mistress of the manor, she naturally belonged at the first table.

Jiang Yunyan and Jing Se, on the other hand, were given preferential treatment due to their noble background and the fact that they had traveled far to be with Xu Lian.

The second table was occupied by Chuntao, Huo Xin’er, the Zhao sisters, Xiao Xixi, Caixia, Yu Qingning, and Miao Yueyue – all women who didn’t care much about their status.

The third table was for the Lin family, while the Zhao family with its numerous members hadn’t come to Green Bamboo Town.

The fourth table was reserved for Yun Conglong, Feng Conghu, and others.

“Husband, let me toast you,” Lin Ying said as she approached with a cup of wine and a flattering smile. Her voice was slightly coquettish, although it was hard to tell if it was intentional, as her voice naturally carried a certain charm.

Xu Lian felt a headache coming on. Faced with Lin Ying’s shamelessness, he was at a loss. Everyone already assumed that he and Lin Ying were involved, treating her as one of his women. What could he do?

Reluctantly, Xu Lian clinked his cup with hers. If he didn’t do it, who knew what kind of scene she might cause? With her level of audacity, there was nothing she wouldn’t dare to do.

“Husband, eat more,” Lin Ying said with a satisfied smile before returning to her seat at the second table.

Wang Cuiyun chuckled. “Brother Lian, you two are really a good match.”

Xu Lian found this strange, suspecting that Wang Cuiyun might have received some favor from Lin Ying to speak so highly of her.

After the meal, everyone gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing. Xu Lian found himself feeling somewhat out of place…

Fortunately, there was one person who didn’t quite fit in – Jing Se. Seeing her, Xu Lian’s eyes lit up and he took her for a walk.

It wasn’t that Jing Se was antisocial; she was just adjusting to life away from home for the first time. Additionally, her relationship with Xu Lian was still purely platonic, which set her apart from the other women and made it harder for her to integrate into the group.

That night, of course, Xu Lian spent time with Jing Se.

The next day, he noticed that Jing Se’s affection level had risen to 70/100 – a good starting point.

After that, Jing Se began to blend in more with the others, as there was no longer any distinction between her and the other women.

“Master, there’s someone named Pu Ling at the gate asking to see you,” a maid reported.

Pu Ling?

Xu Lian found this strange. Pu Ling usually wouldn’t bother him unless something was wrong. Did something happen at the mine?

He glanced at Jing Se who was still sleeping, then got up to wash and dress.

At the gate, he saw Pu Ling.

When Pu Ling saw Xu Lian, he quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Manager Xu.”

Although Xu Lian was no longer the manager of the mine, Pu Ling and the others were used to calling him that and hadn’t changed their address. 

“What’s going on?” Xu Lian asked.

Pu Ling hesitated. “Actually, there are two things.”

Xu Lian nodded. “Go on.”

Pu Ling began to explain. “The first is that Lin Bufeng, one of our overseers at the mine, has fallen seriously ill. I went to his house to check on him, and it seems that he’s on the verge of death.”

Xu Lian was surprised. Lin Bufeng was only in his mid-teens. How could he have suddenly fallen so ill? As an overseer at the mine, Lin Bufeng had no shortage of food or clothing, and was in better health than most.

Pu Ling continued, “The miners are saying that some kind of evil spirit is haunting the mine, and everyone’s on edge.”

Xu Lian nodded. “I’ll visit his house later and then check out the mine to see what’s going on. What’s the second thing?”

Pu Ling looked worried. “The newly appointed quarry patrol inspector seems to be unhappy with me as the mine manager and wants to replace me.”

Xu Lian frowned. “Why is that?”

Pu Ling leaned in closer and whispered, “Rumor has it that the Fang family has connections with the new Quarry Patrol Inspector. The Fangs want to take over our mine.”

Xu Lian understood. Given his past conflicts with the Fang family over Pei Zhaoxi, this was likely an attempt to embarrass him.

“Alright, I understand. Go back for now. I’ll take care of this,” Xu Lian said.

Xu Lian had long considered Green Bamboo Town his personal retreat – a place to fall back on if things didn’t work out elsewhere. The idea of living a peaceful, rural life here was quite appealing.

Therefore, he wouldn’t allow anyone to challenge his authority in Green Bamboo Town.

“Thank you, Manager Xu,” Pu Ling said and bowed again before riding off. He had absolute faith in Xu Lian’s abilities. If even Xu Lian couldn’t solve the problem, then there was no hope.

Xu Lian returned to the mansion and had breakfast with everyone.

Afterwards, he retrieved the purple jade token from Pei Zhaoxi and rode into town to visit Lin Bufeng.

Lin Bufeng’s house was still in the same place where Xu Lian had gone with Han Du to inquire about python tendons.

Xu Lian knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” a middle-aged woman’s voice called from inside.

This was a tradition in Green Bamboo Town-people were generally wary of visitors, fearing theft of food or women.

Xu Lian replied, “I am Xu Lian, the former manager of the new mine. I came here once to buy python tendons.”

The door opened and a middle-aged woman invited Xu Lian in.

Another middle-aged woman, her eyes red and swollen from crying, was also present. She was Lin Bufeng’s mother.

Xu Lian said, “I heard from Pu Ling that Bufeng is sick, so I came to see him.”

Lin Bufeng’s mother immediately pleaded, “They say there’s an evil spirit in the mine, and our Bufeng has been affected. Manager Xu, I know you’re a man of great ability. Please save our Bufeng.”

Seeing her about to kneel down, Xu Lian quickly stopped her. “Don’t worry. Let me take a look at Bufeng first.”

She led Xu Lian into the inner room.

Xu Lian saw Lin Bufeng lying on a wooden bed with a hot towel on his forehead, his entire body red and feverish.

Xu Lian placed his hand on Lin Bufeng’s wrist, gently releasing his energy to examine the boy’s condition.

To his surprise, Lin Bufeng’s body was perfectly healthy, with no signs of any evil spirit.

Of course, it was possible that the spirit was more powerful than Xu Lian and thus undetectable…

However, such a possibility was unlikely in Green Bamboo Town. Not every evil spirit was as terrifying as the one in the old well.

Xu Lian asked, “Before he fell unconscious, did he behave strangely in any way?”

Lin Bufeng’s mother thought for a moment. “A few days ago, he came back from the mine looking like he’d lost his soul. He kept muttering something about a golden light, and then he collapsed.”

Golden light?

Xu Lian’s pupils narrowed sharply. Could it be the golden light that had escaped from the stone tomb?

It was most likely.

The timing was also right.

However, he already knew that the black light was a form of an inheritance mark, which posed no harm.

When the black light had struck his forehead, he had felt no adverse effects. So why did Lin Bufeng fall into a coma?

Was the golden light different from the black light? Was it not an inheritance mark, but something harmful?

This seemed unlikely. Who in their right mind would combine something harmful with an inheritance mark?

Xu Lian thought carefully. “The inheritance mark I received was the Great Desolate Dragon Grasping Technique, which was directly recorded in my skills. I felt nothing…

If it hadn’t been recorded directly, I might have felt dizzy or disoriented. However, as a grandmaster at the 9th Stage, my physique is strong enough that I wouldn’t have fainted.

Lin Bufeng, on the other hand, is an ordinary person with no martial arts training. Receiving such a profound inheritance mark might have been too much for him to handle, leading to his current condition.”

Xu Lian vaguely understood the situation. That was probably the case.

But what did the golden light mark represent? What kind of an inheritance did it carry?

It must be different from the black light’s inheritance; otherwise, there would be no need to distinguish them with different colors.

“He is doing well. His body is healthy. He might just be overworked… He’ll recover after some rest,” Xu Lian reassured.

Upon hearing this, Lin Bufeng’s mother was overjoyed. “Really? Are you sure, Manager Xu?”

Just as Xu Lian was about to answer, something unexpected happened!

Lin Bufeng, who was lying on the sickbed, suddenly opened his eyes, which now glowed gold. He jumped up, revealed two sharp golden fangs, and lunged at Xu Lian’s neck!

Lin Bufeng’s mother and the other middle-aged woman were stunned and collapsed to the ground in fear.

Xu Lian was also startled. Instinctively, he raised his hand, summoning a burst of energy to strike back.

But then he remembered that Lin Bufeng was an ordinary person who couldn’t withstand such force. He quickly restrained himself, instead opting to gently push Lin Bufeng away.

Even so, Lin Bufeng was sent flying, crashing into the wooden bed and shattering it.

“Bufeng, what’s wrong with you?” After regaining her senses, Lin Bufeng’s mother grabbed Xu Lian in panic, begging him not to attack again. She wept bitterly, her cries filled with despair. “Bufeng, I’m your mother! Don’t you recognize me?”

Lin Bufeng’s golden eyes glared venomously at Xu Lian, his mouth wide open, revealing sharp golden fangs. He hissed like a snake.

Possessed by a snake demon?

Xu Lian was stunned. He had just examined Lin Bufeng’s body and found no signs of possession. What was going on?

Lin Bufeng lunged at him again.

Xu Lian had no choice but to shield Lin Bufeng’s mother and gently push Lin Bufeng away again.

“Don’t hurt my child!” Lin Bufeng’s mother, now a sobbing mess, clung to Xu Lian’s leg and begged him to stop.

Xu Lian reassured her, “Don’t worry. I didn’t use much force. He won’t be hurt.”

Lin Bufeng’s mother calmed down a bit and begged, “Please, Manager Xu, knock him out.”

Xu Lian was about to do so when he noticed a change in Lin Bufeng, who had fallen into a corner.

Lin Bufeng’s head became pointed, forming a triangular shape. His legs merged into a sharp tail, and his arms retracted into his sides. His entire body became elongated, and his skin grew dense green scales. In just a few moments, he had transformed into a Green Bamboo Snake!

However, his eyes and fangs remained golden, setting him apart from ordinary green bamboo snakes.

“…” Xu Lian was stunned. This didn’t seem like possession by a snake demon – Lin Bufeng himself had become a snake demon.

In an instant, a series of realizations flashed through Xu Lian’s mind like lightning. He began to put the puzzle together.

The couple who founded Pingyang County – one human, one demon. What kind of demon was the other one? Could it have been a snake demon?

The Heavenly Snake sealed in the old well…

Lin Bufeng, a descendant of a family of snake catchers…

The legacy mark that Xu Lian had received, the Great Desolate Dragon Grasping Technique…

All these clues came together to form the outline of an ancient story. Xu Lian could now roughly guess what had happened!