Chapter 133: Interrogation
Zhou Daoshi did not turn his head. His spirit body was currently bound to the ground by chains formed from Spirit Power, unable to escape or even move. He could only nod in response.
Moreover, even if his spirit body hadn’t been fixed by the chains, he wouldn’t have turned around. He struggled just to speak; where would he find the extra strength to turn his head?
Though he didn't turn, he knew which book Yang Haoran was referring to. He only had one book on talismans in his bag, so he knew what book Yang Haoran was holding even without looking.
Seeing Zhou Daoshi nod, Yang Haoran remained silent, lost in thought. A moment later, his gaze returned to the Broken Book in his hand.
"If he, at his advanced age, could become a Talisman Master through self-study with this book, I think I can too."
Yang Haoran decided to give it a try. The Broken Book in his hand contained very detailed instructions on how to become a Talisman Master. As long as he followed the steps outlined, becoming a Talisman Master wasn't entirely impossible, especially with a successful example right before his eyes.
Besides, there was no harm in trying. Even if he didn't succeed in the end, he would gain a deeper understanding of talismans. Later, if he encountered a master of talismanship, he would at least be able to recognize some of their techniques.
Having made up his mind, Yang Haoran didn't immediately begin studying talisman arts. Instead, he closed the Broken Book and set it aside.
At present, he had other matters to attend to.
However, he now felt it was unnecessary. To understand what these talismans were, there was no need to question Zhou Daoshi. Since Zhou Daoshi's talisman arts were learned from the Broken Book, Yang Haoran only needed to read through the Broken Book to discover the names and uses of these talismans.
Zhou Daoshi wasn't needed for the talismans, but he did need to be questioned about the demon script recorded on the human skin.
Furthermore, he still had many questions about the Mountain Cave, and perhaps Zhou Daoshi could provide the answers.
With that thought, Yang Haoran stood up, picked up the human skin from the table, then pulled a chair over and sat down beside Zhou Daoshi.
Zhou Daoshi was startled by Yang Haoran's actions. He thought Yang Haoran was about to go crazy again, and the fear in his heart caused his spirit body to tremble involuntarily.
"There are some things I'd like to ask you about," Yang Haoran said, shaking the human skin in front of Zhou Daoshi.
His words were polite, but his tone was cold, making the fear in Zhou Daoshi's heart intensify even further.
"Asking questions is too formal. Just ask whatever you want, I'll tell you everything I know. I just hope you don't let impulse control you, and stay calm."
After hearing Zhou Daoshi's words, Yang Haoran's expression grew even colder. He truly hadn't expected that even in this predicament, Zhou Daoshi would still put on an act in front of him. Someone who didn't know them might think their relationship was close.
He ultimately resisted the urge to strike, knowing that another blow would truly cause Zhou Daoshi's soul to scatter.
For the next hour, Yang Haoran subjected Zhou Daoshi to an interrogation, not only about the human skin in his hand but also about everything related to the Mountain Cave.
This interrogation alone took him a full hour.
It all began with the Mountain Cave.
The Mountain Cave was not discovered by Zhou Daoshi himself, but by his master. At the time, Zhou Daoshi's master found a corpse and the Broken Book, which contained records of exorcising ghosts, inside the first stone door of the Mountain Cave.
The Broken Book was old even then, but not yet tattered. It was only after so many years had passed that it became worn and ragged.
Zhou Daoshi's master wasn't merely a Yin-Yang Master who only recited scriptures for the deceased; he genuinely possessed abilities, and all of his skills were learned from that Broken Book.
Initially, Zhou Daoshi knew nothing of the Mountain Cave. His master had never mentioned it to him until just before his passing, when he finally revealed the Mountain Cave's secret to Zhou Daoshi.
Zhou Daoshi's master had been able to obtain the Broken Book from within the first stone door because that door was already open, which allowed him the opportunity to acquire it.
Apart from the first stone door, the other four stone doors each had seals of varying strengths. After gaining his abilities, Zhou Daoshi's master managed to open the second door during his lifetime.
Inside the second door, he discovered a second book, which was the one detailing how to become a Talisman Master.
Not long after obtaining the second book, Zhou Daoshi's master passed away. Both of these books, along with the secrets of the Mountain Cave, were passed down by Zhou Daoshi's master to his only disciple, Zhou Daoshi.
Zhou Daoshi's master had no children of his own; Zhou Daoshi was an orphan he had adopted and raised as his own. Therefore, before his death, he naturally imparted all his secrets to Zhou Daoshi without reservation.
Zhou Daoshi was shocked upon learning the secrets of the Mountain Cave. By then, he already possessed power within him and had experienced the benefits it brought, so he yearned to become even stronger.
The existence of the Mountain Cave showed him an extraordinary opportunity. In his eyes, if he could open the other three stone doors, he would undoubtedly gain even more unexpected benefits.
In the following period, Zhou Daoshi dedicated all his energy to the Mountain Cave.
He first located the Mountain Cave and saw the five doors. Two had already been opened by his master, while three remained tightly shut.
On these three stone doors, he felt the power of seals, with the strongest seal being on the door that trapped Xue Li.
At that time, he tried various methods but couldn't open any of the three doors. Frustrated, he had no choice but to temporarily shift his attention from the Mountain Cave's stone doors to the book containing the talisman arts.
His master had not studied this book for long before he passed away, and naturally, he hadn't become a Talisman Master before his death. To acquire more power and techniques, Zhou Daoshi spent a year, following the book's instructions, transforming from an amateur into a Talisman Master.
A year to go from an amateur to a Talisman Master—Yang Haoran wasn't sure if this speed was fast or slow. But if Wang Yiming had known, he would certainly have been astonished, recognizing Zhou Daoshi as a genius.
Without a master's guidance, even with detailed instructions in a book, one would take many detours unless they possessed extremely high comprehension and worked diligently. Otherwise, becoming a Talisman Master in such a short time would be impossible.
After becoming a Talisman Master, Zhou Daoshi once again focused his attention on the remaining three stone doors within the Mountain Cave.
He made thorough preparations and re-entered the Mountain Cave. By then, his strength and insight were far superior to his previous visit.
This time, he successfully opened two stone doors. From one, he obtained the Corpse-Refining Art of the Corpse-Controlling Gate, and from another, he acquired the human skin with the demon script.
However, the stone door where Xue Li was located remained impenetrable, no matter what he did.
At that point, he was forced to give up once more and chose to leave the Mountain Cave. But before leaving, he destroyed all the corpses inside the other four stone doors, erasing their traces.
After leaving the Mountain Cave, he cultivated the Corpse-Refining Art, as well as the demon script recorded on the human skin. As for why he recognized the demon script on the human skin, Zhou Daoshi didn't elaborate, only mentioning it in passing.
Another year passed, and Zhou Daoshi once again entered the Mountain Cave. This time, he was even more thoroughly prepared than before, not only bringing several powerful talismans but also a few Corpse Ghouls he had painstakingly refined.
In his view, with such thorough preparations, breaking the seal on the last stone door should pose no problem.
Both the talismans he drew and the Corpse Ghouls he refined possessed immense power. He intended to forcibly break the seal on the final stone door.
But to his surprise, he failed again that time.
His talismans were exhausted, and all several Corpse Ghouls were eliminated, yet the seal on the last stone door remained unbroken.
He didn't give up because of this; the more impenetrable it was, the more valuable the contents inside seemed, and the more he wanted to open it.
Finally, he came up with a method: using Corpse Qi to corrode and wear down the power of the demon curse on the stone door.
Through his observations, Corpse Qi could indeed achieve this, but to completely erode the power of the demon curse seal, an enormous amount of Corpse Qi was needed. So, he decided to use a large number of Corpse Puppets as cannon fodder to continuously wear down the demon curse's power.
It was precisely because of this decision that Yang Haoran's second uncle was later bitten to death by a Corpse Ghoul, which then led to everyone in Yangjiawan turning into Corpse Puppets.
After listening to Zhou Daoshi's narrative, most of Yang Haoran's questions were answered.
Through Zhou Daoshi's account, combined with what Xu Meijing said in the Mountain Cave, Yang Haoran speculated that the individuals behind the other four stone doors must have suffered fatal injuries while dealing with Xue Li. So, after trapping Xue Li in the stone chamber, knowing their time was short, they hastily left their legacies in their respective stone chambers, awaiting a fated successor.
Of course, this was merely Yang Haoran's speculation, and he couldn't guarantee its accuracy.
However, decades had passed since these events, so whether his guesses were precisely accurate was no longer the main point. Those past events had no direct bearing on him; what he cared about were the matters that concerned him now.
He looked at Zhou Daoshi. During Zhou Daoshi's narration, he hadn't attacked him, so Zhou Daoshi had recovered somewhat. Although still very weak, his spirit body had at least stabilized.
"You just said that this animal skin recorded a secret art called Enchantment Art. I'm very curious, how do you recognize demon script?"
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