A quarter of an hour later, Gangzi returned, carrying the unconscious He Shujun. Then, he had Gangzi kill her.

In all of this, he hadn’t violated the Oath Contract.

He had released the person, but it was Gangzi who had done the killing. ’Perfectly logical.’

He collected her Soul in a separate Soul Crystal Stone, stored the body in the Wilderness World, and then led four more people out of the cave. He simply told them they had been ransomed, giving the remaining captives hope to live on.

Once they were a good distance away, he killed them, continued to collect their Souls, and sent their bodies one by one into the Wilderness World.

Next was the re-shaping of the two new Soul Slaves.

Once the two new Soul Slaves were ready, Cheng Zongyang inspected their Talents and Abilities.

But the results left him somewhat disappointed.

One had an incredible eye for detail. Before his death, he was a forensic doctor who examined corpses.

The other had deft hands for mechanisms, having studied Mechanical Arts in his former life.

After handing them over to Luo Dingran, Cheng Zongyang wrote down the feigned death technique he had memorized in detail.

Only after writing a full eight pages did he have it appraised.

——

[Corpse Control Gu Worm Cultivation Method]

Description: A secret formula detailing the method for cultivating Corpse-controlling Gu Insects.

Restriction: Can only be implanted once per person.

Quantity: 1

Points: 3000

——

Looking at the awarded Points, Cheng Zongyang was quite pleased.

This secret technique could grant a person an extra life, but the cultivation method was overly complex and consumed too much Essence Blood. Moreover, the process was prone to failure. It was valuable, therefore, but not exceptionally so.

Receiving Three Thousand Points for it was beyond Cheng Zongyang’s expectations.

He handed it to Luo Dingran. "Have Ding Xing make several copies, then let Zhang Jinquan research it. Afterward, put it up for recurring consignment along with the stone carving rubbings."

Luo Dingran nodded, but then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Should we also copy and sell the Divine Weapon Refining Technique?"

Cheng Zongyang thought for a moment.

’Although I can forge and sell Weapons in the future, the materials are difficult to find, so I can’t mass-produce them. Besides, I’ll have many uses for Extraordinary Level materials later on; I can’t commit them all to forging Weapons. Not unless I find an Extraordinary Material Vein. And the market stall needs all that Gold precisely for restoring the material veins in the Wilderness World.’

’I might as well sell the technique for Points now. After all, I’ll still have the original copy.’

So, Cheng Zongyang asked, "Have you had its value appraised?"

Luo Dingran nodded. "Two thousand Points per copy."

Cheng Zongyang said, "Then copy and sell it. If we have plenty of materials in the future, we can still forge and sell Weapons. That brings the number of copied formulas and techniques we’re selling to three. What’s the status on the purchase request for a translator?"

Luo Dingran cupped his hands. "My lord, someone bought it, but there’s been no word since."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Then you can handle the remaining matters as you see fit. For now, our priority is acquiring Soul Crystal Stones."

Having given his instructions, Cheng Zongyang did not linger, leaving with the items he had prepared to take back to the village.

By the time he was back outside, it was already afternoon. He had Gangzi carry the goods, and they started walking in the direction of the village.

There were quite a lot of things to bring back this time.

First, some of the Jewelry.

Second, some medicinal formulas, some Medicinal Materials, and a few effective and spoiled Elixirs.

Third, some Teleportation Array Materials.

The first and third points were to lay the groundwork for what was to come.

A hoard of roughly fourteen hundred pounds of Jewelry was no small amount.

Bringing a little back now would help prepare his clansmen, letting them know that "that place" contained treasure and hinting at the Teleportation Array he would create in the future.

By the time they returned to the village, it was already four or five in the afternoon. In the distance, he could see wisps of cooking smoke spiraling into the air.

The last time, he had simply left a letter before heading into the mountains, so upon his return, his parents gave him quite an earful.

Cheng Zongyang smiled, took out a stunning pearl and jade necklace he had specially selected and cleaned, and draped it around his mother’s neck. Just like that, the subject was successfully changed.

Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family was delighted. Seeing the necklace, Cheng Guanghai was also quite surprised. "You got this from that place you were talking about?"

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "That’s right. We can talk about it in the meeting hall after dinner tonight."

Seeing this, Cheng Guanghai didn’t press the matter.

He entrusted the Mole Beast to his father’s care. ’I have no more use for it myself,’ he thought. ’Later, I’ll have it help the village dig river channels and level the mountain terrain.’

’With the Mole Beast’s help, the work should go much faster.’

After dinner that evening, once the children had finished their Foundation Establishment Medicine Baths, the adults gathered in the meeting hall, eager to hear about Cheng Zongyang’s latest discoveries.

Once everyone had arrived, Cheng Zongyang began to lay out the story he had prepared.

Everyone was stunned when they heard that Cheng Zongyang had discovered a trove of treasure, Arrays, medicinal formulas, and medicine vials.

They believed him, because the items Cheng Zongyang had brought back were laid out on the table before them.

The dozen or so pieces of Jewelry he had brought back were of a quality they wouldn’t have even dared to dream of in the past.

Then there were the various medicine vials, formulas, and other things they couldn’t comprehend.

After answering their questions one by one, Cheng Zongyang repeated his cover story:

"That place is still very dangerous. For now, I need to study these things related to the Array and see if I can figure out how to bypass the mechanisms there. So, I won’t be going back into the mountains for a while."

The elders, of course, had no objections to this.

No one was more pleased than Cheng Guangshan.

The few medicinal formulas he’d brought back were mostly geared toward Martial Arts Cultivation, providing new ways for the village’s Martial Artists to advance.

He had some research to do.

The meeting didn’t last long, ending in less than half an hour.

After everyone dispersed, Cheng Zongyang and his father walked home.

Cheng Guanghai asked with concern, "You weren’t injured, were you?"

Cheng Zongyang shook his head, a smile in his eyes. "No. I’m about to break through to the Fifth Grade. There’s almost nothing in these mountains that can hurt me anymore."