In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 35: Elemental True Monarch 8

Chapter 35: Elemental True Monarch 8

 

–

Under the statue, Xi Yu found a tattered page from an old book, so ancient it was almost falling apart. The writing on it was faint and blurry, but a few words could still be discerned:

 

“Yuan Su is dead… My name is Yuan Xu…”

 

Lian Bei said, “How can you be sure this wasn’t deliberately placed there for you to see?”

 

“It’s possible,” Xi Yu replied, “but this page isn’t something he could have forged. There’s no way he could have foreseen hundreds or thousands of years ago that he’d need to deceive me today. My guess is that he deliberately tore it out and hid it back then. If I happen to see it now, it doesn’t matter—it might even make me more willing to help him.”

 

For Xi Yu, traps were things to jump into once discovered.

 

The fun came in turning the tables.

 

Suddenly, Lian Bei said, “I remember there’s more than one Yuan Zhen Temple. There’s another one in a northern village, and it hasn’t been abandoned. Should we take a look?”

 

“Well, since you mentioned it, I obviously have to go!” Xi Yu rested his head on his hand, looking at him.

 

Just as he finished speaking, a figure darted quickly behind them. They were sitting on the staircase with their backs turned, and the fleeting gust of wind hinted at something unusual.

 

Xi Yu slapped Lian Bei’s back. “We’ve got action!”

 

Without hesitation, they both deduced that the person was heading to Luo Yang’s hospital room.

 

It was late at night, the lights were dim, and most people on the floor were fast asleep. The intruder likely didn’t expect to encounter two night owls chatting in the corridor.

 

The two waited deliberately before stepping out. The figure disappeared around the corner, and Xi Yu declared confidently, “The Elemental True Lord.”

 

Half an hour later, Xi Yu intercepted the person at the door.

 

To avoid pointless denial, Xi Yu blocked all his exits and stated with absolute certainty, “The Elemental True Lord.”

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Elemental True Lord(YUAN SU) began bowing frantically and apologizing incessantly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry!”

 

Sensing something off, Xi Yu probed, “Yuan Xu?”

 

Xi Yu’s tone was anything but harsh—in fact, he softened it deliberately. But to his surprise, the Elemental True Lord immediately launched into another round of bowing, this time adding two more words: “Little brother.”

 

—My little brother is immature. I’m apologizing on his behalf!

 

Watching this pitiful display, three words surfaced in Xi Yu’s mind: spineless coward.

 

After a while, seeing no end to his bowing, Xi Yu threatened, “If you keep apologizing, I won’t forgive you.”

 

It worked. The Elemental True Lord finally straightened up.

 

The contrast between the two brothers was like night and day.

 

They shared the same face, but Yuan Xu exuded rebellion and carefree defiance, while this one appeared gentle and refined, like a cultured gentleman.

 

Temperament couldn’t be faked.

 

Xi Yu asked, “Do you have time for a proper conversation?”

 

“…Let’s talk here.” The Elemental True Lord lowered his head slightly, fidgeting with his fingers, and said, “I don’t have much time. Could you be quick?”

 

The Elemental True Lord’s younger brother was Yuan Xu. Early on, the two studied medicine together, but their philosophies differed—one sought salvation, the other profit.

 

To Yuan Xu, practicing medicine without resources meant not only being unable to help patients but also struggling to survive oneself. The Elemental True Lord disagreed and followed his own path.

 

Fate favored the righteous. In the end, the elder brother ascended to godhood, while the younger remained struggling in the mortal world.

 

Thus, the brothers became estranged.

 

“He’s tried to kill me but has never succeeded. With his personality, he would never give up until he achieves his goal. I became a god, and he wouldn’t let me be at peace. So while I save people, he brings calamities. At first, I could handle it, but over time, it became overwhelming. A single disaster could harm thousands, while saving lives could only be done one at a time.”

 

Xi Yu filled in the rest, “Eventually, you couldn’t keep up, and he took the opportunity to replace you, becoming the new Elemental True Lord.”

 

The Elemental True Lord said, “He thinks I’m dead. But he’s skeptical, so he keeps trying to find me. If you encounter him, please don’t reveal my existence to him. I beg you, don’t.”

 

After hurriedly saying this, the Elemental True Lord left.

 

—

 

The next day, Luo Yang received good news: he wasn’t sick after all; the hospital had misdiagnosed him. Overjoyed, he clung to Xi Yu’s leg in tears of gratitude.

 

After some preparation, they set off for the second Yuan Zhen Temple, located in a remote town. It took several attempts and double the fare to find a driver willing to take them there.

 

The driver was talkative and started recounting his past during the ride.

 

“Have you ever seen someone who looks exactly like me? Here’s my number—please call me if you do.”

 

The driver sighed. “I have a younger brother… Our parents passed away early, and we grew up relying on each other. We’re twins. He was born just a minute after me, but his personality is completely different. When we were kids, he’d listen to me. But once we got to high school, I couldn’t control him anymore. My grades were better, his were worse, and he decided studying was useless. He said, ‘Before knowledge can change our fate, we’ll starve to death on the streets.’ He insisted on dropping out to work.”

 

“I disagreed. We fought about it constantly. Then, in our second year of high school, we couldn’t afford tuition for both of us. We borrowed from neighbors but could only scrape together enough for one person. After another argument, he disappeared the next day, leaving a note saying he was going to work and not to look for him. After that, he sent me money every few months, which helped me finish high school. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into college.”

 

“Now I’m trying to find him. The address he used to send letters from is here. I’ve stayed and driven this cab for years, hoping to meet him. I can’t even remember how many years it’s been.”

 

Luo Yang sighed. “That’s tough. Have you put up missing person notices or contacted the media to use online resources?”

 

The driver said, “It’s not that there’s no news—he wrote me a letter telling me to stop looking for him… We’re here. That’s the village entrance up ahead. Do you see it?”

 

Lian Bei patted Xi Yu on the head, prompting him to reluctantly get up and look outside. At the village entrance, there was a massive banner.

 

“Welcome to the Land of the Medicine God. May the Medicine God bless you with health and safety!”

 

Although remote, the village used its unique “Medicine God” branding to attract tourists. As soon as they got out of the car, the fake commercialized atmosphere was overwhelming. On one street alone, ten shops could be found—three selling Medicine God merchandise and four offering so-called healthy cuisine supposedly inspired by the Medicine God.

 

The shopkeepers shouted exaggerated claims, twisting facts to draw customers. Xi Yu approached to ask questions, only to find they knew nothing about the Medicine God’s story. Their “healthy cuisine” boasted various benefits—this one improved digestion, that one strengthened the stomach, another promised shiny black hair, and yet another claimed lifelong health. When asked about the Medicine God’s name, title, or history, they were utterly clueless. After a while, they grew impatient and waved him off, telling him to stop blocking business.

 

So, with a forced smile, they bought a pile of useless trinkets, only to gain no helpful information. Some people didn’t even know if the Medicine God was male or female.

 

—One-day tour of the Land of the Medicine God.

 

Xiyu stopped in front of a shop, where a sign read: “One-day tour of the Medicine God Village, live guide with real-time explanations, experience the customs and stories of the Medicine God Village for just 199 per person!”

 

Just as he was about to enter, a man burst out of the door, muttering to himself, “Success or failure depends on this!”

 

The man’s actions were hurried, but his demeanor was lifeless, like a walking corpse. Xiyu turned to glance at him and caught the man turning his head as well, revealing sunken, slightly darkened eyes.

 

Wasn’t this the Chen Zhidao they had met a few days ago? In just a few days, he looked even more “dead,” almost frighteningly so.

 

Behind him came a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He stopped in front of Xiyu and asked, “Are you here for a guided tour?”

 

Lian Bei replied, “Yes.”

 

Chen Zhidao complained, “Didn’t they say it would be a one-on-one explanation?”

 

The man with glasses ignored him and said, “Three people, right?”

 

After receiving Lian Bei’s confirmation, the man with glasses told them to wait a moment. He waved at Chen Zhidao in the distance, saying, “Add two more people; I’ll give you a 40 yuan discount!”

 

The next day, the four of them met at the agreed-upon village entrance.

 

The man with glasses turned out to be a very dedicated guide. As they walked, he kept talking, weaving bits of the origin story of the Medicine God Village into their conversation.

 

The name “Medicine God Village” was a recent creation, coined only a few years ago. Before that, almost no one knew about the existence of such a deity. But this god wasn’t entirely fabricated. Years ago, during a village meeting to discuss development, after many discussions, they decided to focus on tourism. Being a barren area where not even trees grew easily, they couldn’t rely on natural geography and had to dig up some historical or cultural depth. They went door to door, searching through family genealogies, hoping to find some notable figures or even tenuous connections to famous people.

 

Surprisingly, they did find something. This “Elemental True Lord” was unearthed from a family’s genealogy, delighting the village chief, who immediately awarded the family a 1,000-yuan bonus.

 

Chen Zhidao clicked his tongue. “Sounds like a scam. Probably all for the money.”

 

The man with glasses retorted, “But they didn’t take the money.”

 

Chen Zhidao said, “They probably didn’t expect anyone to take it seriously and didn’t dare accept it for fear of being exposed.”

 

If what Chen Zhidao said was true, then wouldn’t the man with glasses be ruining the village’s hard-earned reputation by telling them this? People wouldn’t travel all the way here just to hear that the Medicine God Village was a fabrication, and someone like this guide would have been dealt with long ago.

 

He was merely using this story to argue that the existence of the Elemental True Lord was highly likely.

 

“At first, the family was unwilling to share,” the man with glasses explained. “The village chief had to persuade them for almost a month. It was only for the betterment of the villagers that they finally agreed. Did you check Wikipedia before coming? Everything written there isn’t made up; they say it was all found in ancient texts.”

 

Xiyu asked, “Where did these ancient texts come from?”

 

The man with glasses replied, “Passed down through generations.”

 

When they arrived at the Yuan Zhen Temple, Chen Zhidao tried to enter but was stopped by an elderly man. “Hey! You haven’t paid the entrance fee!”

 

Chen Zhidao frowned. “This shabby little temple charges admission?”

 

The old man held up three fingers. “Thirty.”

 

“Thirty?!” Noticing the glances from those around him, Chen Zhidao lowered his voice, muttering, “That’s daylight robbery!”

 

The old man said, “Are you going in or not? If not, don’t block others from entering!”

 

Chen Zhidao straightened up and said, “I’m a streamer!”

 

“What’s a streamer? Does that mean you don’t have to pay?” The old man frowned. “Even the village chief has to pay to get in!”

 

Chen Zhidao replied, “I’m planning to livestream in this temple to promote it. That could bring you a lot of visitors!”

 

“I don’t care what kind of ‘caster’ you are,” the old man said firmly. “Even if the Elemental True Lord himself showed up, he’d have to pay the entrance fee!”

 

Enraged, Chen Zhidao stormed off.

 

Xiyu watched him leave and remarked, “He’ll definitely come back tonight.”

 

If the Elemental True Lord cured Luo Yang, he would surely help Chen Zhidao as well. After all, his current state was likely caused by Yuan Xu.

 

Late at night.

 

Xiyu and Lian Bei hid in the shadows behind the curtain of Yuan Zhen Temple.

 

As expected, Chen Zhidao sneaked back in.

 

Xiyu looked up, only to meet a pair of lifeless, dark eyes.

 

Even the statue’s eyes were moving. Chen Zhidao, however, didn’t notice and sat down on the cushion, chatting with his livestream audience.

 

“Is it looking at me?” someone commented, prompting Chen Zhidao to glance around. “Where? It hasn’t moved! You’re just trying to scare me again. Nice try, ha ha!”

 

“Should I make an offering?” Chen Zhidao readily agreed. “Sure!”

 

“What should I wish for? Longevity? Health? Let me think…” A thought flashed in his mind. “Why don’t we test if this statue is truly effective? Let’s wish for something with quick results, like—”

 

Lian Bei coughed softly.

 

Chen Zhidao immediately fell silent, scanning the area cautiously. “Who’s there?”

 

He turned on his flashlight and carefully searched around, edging closer to where Xiyu was hiding.

 

Suddenly!

 

Bang!

 

The door was flung open, slamming against the wall and swinging back and forth with a creak.

 

A beam of light illuminated Chen Zhidao’s face, forcing him to squint.

 

Both voices shouted at the same time: “Who are you?”

 

The newcomer, however, reacted faster, yelling, “I knew you weren’t up to any good! I left a little trap, and sure enough, I caught you!”

 

The two beams of light crossed, lighting up the dark room and revealing both figures clearly.

 

It was the ticket seller from earlier.

 

The livestream was still running. Chen Zhidao gritted his teeth, glanced down at his phone, and gestured for the old man to stay quiet.

 

But the old man didn’t hold back, publicly exposing all of Chen Zhidao’s actions and his thoughts about him in an unrestrained, sharp manner. Watching Chen Zhidao’s face turn blue and then pale, the old man seemed satisfied and mockingly said, “Regretting it now? Since you’re still young, I won’t call the police. Follow me out!”

 

Chen Zhidao ended the livestream, lowering his head as he followed the old man out.

 

The light faded, the door closed again, and their footsteps grew distant, leaving the room in silence once more.

 

Xiyu hadn’t anticipated such an unexpected turn of events. “Quick, follow them!”