Using entries to cultivate immortality in chaotic times

The storyteller who was fervently praising Chen Qiu just yesterday onstage now had a complete change of tune, suddenly banging the alarming wood block he held in his hand!

"Let's talk about the days when Chen Qiu had just risen to prominence in Quzhou and had no reputation to speak of. Qi Mei, a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, recognized his potential and wanted to recruit him into the sect," he said.

"Originally, it was a peaceful invitation. Even if he refused, at worst, they would go their separate ways. But who knew Chen Qiu would be so heartless and cruel?, considering the act of recruitment an insult, he immediately killed the True Disciple who had come to recruit him on the spot!"

"Following that, he even slaughtered the entire Yuan Sect!"

"Today, we are fortunate enough to have Qi Mei, the True Disciple of the Yuan Sect from that day, to provide us with a detailed account of what happened!"

Guided by the storyteller, Qi Mei, dressed in mourning clothes and wrapping his head with white cloth, his eyes red-rimmed, walked onto the stage with a look of profound sorrow, like a cuckoo weeping blood, and roared with eyes about to burst with rage.

"I am Qi Mei, a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect. I can testify about that day's..."

Chen Qiu, who was wearing a bamboo hat in the audience, looked up at Qi Mei on stage, who was trying hard to sell his story, and almost laughed out loud. He had to admit, Qi Mei did have a bit of the strategist's flair.

But he'd only learned a bit of the surface, missing the essence completely.

The storytellers changed their tune overnight, naturally, because last night Qi Mei had dropped quite a sum of Yin Stones, and by dawn, all the storytellers in Crow Ghost City had unified their version of events, beginning to recount old stories of Chen Qiu's massacre of the Yuan Sect.

As a True Disciple of the Yuan Sect, Qi Mei constantly appeared in various teahouses, giving testimony in person.

"Hey, brother."

Perhaps he heard Chen Qiu's laughter, the young man sitting next to him leaned over and whispered, "That storyteller must have been bribed. Others may not know the truth, but I do, it's definitely not what happened."

"Moreover, whether Chen Qiu is dead or not is still up in the air."

"Most likely he's not dead at all."

"Oh?"

Chen Qiu glanced at the somewhat talkative young man beside him, lowered the brim of his bamboo hat a bit more, and chuckled, "The Heavenly Dao Decree says Chen Qiu has already succeeded in creating a Merit Body, so why do you say Chen Qiu is definitely not dead? The logic doesn't add up."

"The logic is off," the young man shook his head.

"Explain where the logic is off," Chen Qiu said, his eyes twinkling with amusement and curiosity.

"It's quite simple," the young man countered, counting on his fingers and speaking earnestly, "I've just died and came to the underworld today. I should have the firsthand news about Chen Qiu, regardless of whether that person is telling the truth."

"After dying in the Mortal World, if one doesn't turn into a resentful spirit, one is supposed to be pulled into the underworld as a Yin Soul seven days later."

"The Heavenly Dao Imperial Decree said yesterday that Chen Qiu had formed a Merit Body, which means that eight days ago, Chen Qiu should have already died, just making it seven days before arriving in the underworld yesterday."

"But the problem arises here—"

"Chen Qiu arrived in the underworld earlier than I did, so he definitely died before me."

"But before I died, I hadn't heard any news of Chen Qiu's death at all. For someone as esteemed as Chen Qiu, his death couldn't possibly have been without any disturbance."

"That is the biggest problem."

"Besides, I happen to be from Quzhou. I know what happened that day. It was clearly a situation where the True Disciple of the Yuan Sect failed to recruit Chen Qiu, attacked first, and was ultimately killed by Chen Qiu in self-defense, resulting in the massacre of the entire sect afterward."

"Moreover, the 'Yuan Sect' wasn't anything good; although not an Evil Sect, what they did was all in the style of evil demons."

"I've privately given Chen Qiu a nickname, 'Evil Eradicator.'

"It means that although Chen Qiu has killed many people, he has never killed the good ones, only the bad."

The young man went on and on, laying out his logic.

Chen Qiu just chuckled, listening patiently without interrupting, and suddenly realized one thing—there was an information gap between the Mortal World and the underworld, a seven-day gap.

The intel on him in the underworld was seven days outdated.

And seven days ago, he hadn't yet broken through to the Divinity Transformation.

That meant no one in the underworld knew he had already achieved Divinity Transformation.

Of course...

None of this mattered. Chen Qiu tossed the fruit core in his hand aside, patted the young man's shoulder casually, and said, "Next time don't randomly give people nicknames, and if you do, at least choose something that sounds nicer. 'Evil Eradicator' is just unpleasant to the ear."

"Your taste is lacking."

He then took off his bamboo hat, stood up, and walked to the front of the stage, standing before Qi Mei.

Qi Mei, who had been speaking with great enthusiasm on stage, turned deathly pale the moment he saw Chen Qiu, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to flee, but his body went limp on the ground, his lips trembling as if wanting to say something, yet no words came out.

"Long time no see," Chen Qiu crouched down, gently patted the head of Qi Mei, who had collapsed on the ground, and smiled.

Then he applied a little force.

Qi Mei's head exploded like a watermelon, splattering blood mist on the faces of the audience around him.

After doing all this,

he stood up and casually wiped his bloody hands on the storyteller who was now petrified in place: "Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Qiu. I didn't scare you, did I?"

"No... no..." The storyteller stammered, his face ashen. He hadn't wanted to defame Chen Qiu either, but Qi Mei had threatened him using his family, so he had to obey. He had never expected Chen Qiu would be listening in the audience all along.

"It's okay, don't be scared."

Chen Qiu patted the storyteller's shoulder and walked off the stage, heading towards the city gates. He had already sensed that outside the city, several Divinity Transformation members of the Devil Clan and Ghost Cultivators were awaiting him. It was time to reap the fruits of his labor.