Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 916: How to keep a secret
Yang Qing paused slightly for dramatic effects of course, and took pleasure in it when he saw a small twitch in Lei Weiyuan’s face.
"Mmph! Serves you right, Old fiend Lei,"
While he was tempted to agitate him further, Yang Qing decided not to risk it. After all there was a time and place for it, and this was neither the time nor the place.
"What you ended up getting was dependent on the cryptkeeper, which goes without saying is the caterpillar itself.
The caterpillar acted as a merchant, and the catacombs were its wares of trade. Within those catacombs, you could find almost anything.
Anything you could think of, and the catacombs would provide. If you wished for a million high-grade spirit stones, one of those catacombs would produce it, if you wished for a monarch-grade or ascendant-grade treasure, one of those catacombs would provide it, even if you wished for something preposterous like a heaven-defying talent, the catacombs would provide it.
But of course, as with everything, those things do not come free.."
Xiao Gun and Yao Chang both nodded solemnly as those words resonated with them.
"It goes without saying that whatever price you pay, will be a reflection of what you ask for, in part.
From the accounts I have read, over the years a loophole was found. For example, the price the caterpillar demands for 20,000 high-grade spirit stones would be lower than what it would ask for low-tier monarch-grade treasure or artifact.
The price for information about the location of an ascendant-grade treasure would not be the same as directly asking for an ascendant-grade treasure from it.
Things like that, but regardless of whatever you asked for, you had to pay, and as for what that cost would be, most of the time, the demands will be a direct correlation to what you have asked for, but once in a while, there have been records of the caterpillar acting rather capriciously.
For example, there is a record of a lady who asked for an aptitude that would increase her odds of becoming the next sect leader of her sect. The sect no longer exists, but that lady did end up becoming its sect master with the azure dove light physique that she got from the caterpillar in the catacombs, and all that caterpillar asked for was a lock of hair from her immediately after surviving the tribulation for breaking through to the core formation realm.
The price asked for didn’t match, as that young lady ended up reaching the domain realm, and I believe it was in no small part thanks to the physique she got.
While for her, she got what she wanted extremely cheaply to another, the cost exceeded what was asked.
Case and point, among the accounts there was a story about a young soldier assigned to some noble family. That soldier had fallen for the daughter of the clan leader. With their difference in station, his infatuations would forever be stuck in the realms of fantasy.
So said soldier visited the caterpillar and asked for something. He didn’t ask for the caterpillar to make him handsome to the point that he could even charm the dao, nor did he ask for insurmountable wealth, nor did he ask to be given heavenly powers or abilities, or the abilities of a silver-tongued poet, or the aura of a banished immortal, no he didn’t ask for any of this.
All he asked for was this, a chance, a chance to catch her attention just once, nothing more nothing less, just that, a single chance and the chance he got.
A month after he got back, the empire he was a part of got embroiled in war both from within and outside. The emperor got sick, and he had not named an heir yet. Factions were created, hidden battles exploded, and it wasn’t long before those within the empire were at each other’s throats, and soon their enemies knew, and smelling the blood of the bleeding beast, they pounced.
Besieged by enemies within and outside, the empire turned into a battleground with nowhere safe. That soldier’s moment came within that chaos. When war came to their doorstep, he caught the attention of that young maiden, and every other maiden within the empire as his prodigious talent shone through the war that had arrived at their doorstep.
When darkness beset the empire, it was that young soldier’s fire that guided them through, and eventually young soldier turned from a young soldier to a mature emperor with the maiden he longed for becoming the empress.
The talent he showed wasn’t from the caterpillar. Everything he did to get himself to that position was all him, all the caterpillar gave was the impetus, the stage for him to shine, and for that intervention, the cost the caterpillar asked for was his merits for the next five thousand years starting from the day of the deal.
When the deal was made, the young soldier didn’t think much of it. It even felt like he was getting the better end of the deal, after all, as someone with no backing, he had long grown used to his superiors or those with background, stealing his merits.
If he could trade his merit points for the next five thousand years, for a shot at that young maiden, it would be worth it.
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He did not expect to live five thousand years, let alone that he would become emperor. All he thought of was getting that young lady’s attention.
When five thousand years hit, the caterpillar came to collect and that young soldier could not believe it. Accomplishments.." Yang Qing said as he grabbed the air around him with colorful radiant threads of light flowing within his hands.
"Such an abstract thing, yet very fundamental to one’s life. The young soldier had no idea the level of trade he had made when he agreed to it, and what he stood to lose. Getting married is an accomplishment, having children, is another accomplishment, overcoming a heart demon, another accomplishment, overcoming your fear, another accomplishment.." Yang Qing paused as he gently clenched a fist, snuffing out the radiant lights.
"Becoming an emperor, is an accomplishment too. In a single moment, that young soldier, despite being at the height of his power, in charge of millions, even with the power of a domain expert, he still lost everything in that time it took to take a breath.
His wife, his children, his accumulated wealth and prestige, he lost it all, and it didn’t stop there. His cultivation realm regressed to where it was when he first made a deal with the caterpillar of the catacombs and eventually, he went mad and died, his soul rumored to wander the catacombs in search of what he lost..." Yang Qing said somberly.
"The reason I mentioned that caterpillar is because it’s able to do wonderous things, the unimaginable, provided one can pay the price.
The things it can do subvert common sense. For example, let’s say hypothetically there is this person who has this secret they don’t want getting out. That person isn’t confident in their ability to keep that secret hidden, after all, they are surrounded by powerful people who would be able to sniff it out.
What would such a person do? They have three options I could think of, one is to divulge that secret to those powerful parties, or try to guard that secret themselves and take a gamble that those powerful figures will never notice that he or she is keeping something from them, or three find an ingenious way to keep that secret like let’s say make a deal with the crypt keeper.
With its abilities, replacing overriding, and planting memories is within the realm of possibility. That person could have the caterpillar twist the memories of their secret, and have the caterpillar guard that memory and whatever secret it involves up until a certain period of time when it becomes opportune for that person to make use of said secret.
With the real secret being held by the caterpillar, they would not have to worry about being found out," Yang Qing paused as prism shard of golden light suddenly appeared in his palms.
"Branch manager, Yao De, you see the thing is, despite the abilities the caterpillar shows, there is one universal truth that has always defined this world of ours, and that is power trumps all.." Yang Qing said as the prism shard in his hand broke into two white lights, one of them flew toward Yao De while the other grew and transformed into a cauldron.
