Chapter 17: Am I Descending to the Mortal Realm? Who’s the One Actually Traveling Through Time?

“Did you think this was a martial arts contest? These bluestone slabs have all been blessed by the shamanic priests; they possess the power to purify corruption. Can't you feel it?” A middle-aged man clad in a teal hooded cloak, bearing a raven feather insignia on his chest, scolded Yao Guang sharply. “I’m most annoyed by you young people—always breaking things for no reason. Do you think we’re just decorations here?”

Yao Guang remained silent, reaching beneath his raven-feathered robe to pull out a cluster of vividly distinct purple-black grapes.

The overseer snorted softly. “Able to eat such precious fruit, you must be from a wealthy family visiting here. I’ll cover your fine this time!”

Carefully taking the handful of barely a dozen grapes, he added, “The Shamanic Medical Hall is recruiting new members. Though the pay isn’t great, it’s enough to live comfortably. You wandering healers should be cautious. If you don’t undergo timely rituals and purifications, the corruption will take hold, and we won’t show mercy!”

Having said that, he proceeded to remind the surrounding shamans, vendors, and performers of the various rules and precautions within the area.

Lin Zhao touched the newly replaced bluestone floor and looked up. “These stones have a purifying effect?”

Yao Guang replied quietly, “For you and me, it’s barely noticeable.”

Thankfully, he truly couldn’t feel it.

Lin Zhao advised, “Why bother being a traveling healer? Why not just set up a fruit stall like those folks over there?”

At that moment, a young shaman standing nearby smiled. “Little brother, you just arrived, right? Only shamans don’t have to rent stall spaces. Those who set up stalls have to pay a hefty fee first.”

Other curious shamans gathered around. An older one asked, “Little brother, which school did you apprentice under? Are you an apprentice or a formal shaman?”

Yao Guang smiled. “I graduated from the Great Mountain Tea school in the East District of the Shamanic Kingdom.”

“Wow!” An outburst of admiration arose immediately.

Yet some were skeptical.

A middle-aged shaman sneered, “Great Mountain Tea is one of the main branches. Each year, the Di Kingdom recommends over four hundred apprentices, but only about a hundred pass the exams. Graduating is even harder than entering. Their students are pre-booked by various armies upon enrollment. If you truly graduated from Great Mountain Tea, the Headmaster of the nearby Shamanic Hall would have come begging you to join. Why would you be here as a wandering healer?”

His words cast doubt among the crowd, who found his reasoning sound.

Someone else asked, “If you’re really from Great Mountain Tea, where’s your badge? Show us for once.”

The smile on Yao Guang’s face faded. He forced out, “Those things are worldly attachments; I didn’t bring one with me...”

Laughter erupted loudly. The previously wary shamans returned to their posts, while some patients chuckled and sought other shamans. One kindly remarked, “Young man, next time when you boast, pick a more ordinary school. Who brags directly about Great Mountain Tea, a top-tier school? Look how easily you get exposed.”

Yao Guang fell silent.

Lin Zhao stifled a laugh on the sidelines. “Emperor Qing… Alright, alright, Brother Yao Guang, don’t stare at me like that. I definitely believe you.”

After all, in terms of fighting skill, Yao Guang was indeed formidable. His battle in the ruins of the Shamanic Kingdom had proven him one of the finest warriors of the age. He could probably carve a breach in the city wall right now.

Yao Guang said softly, “I’m the leader of the Green Wood branch of Great Mountain Tea; I’m the one who issues badges to others. Sigh, why didn’t I think to issue one to myself back then?”

Lin Zhao, having enjoyed the spectacle, felt a pang of conscience and asked, “What would happen if you revealed your true identity now?”

Yao Guang’s voice lacked confidence. “I’ve committed some serious offenses. The Shamanic God hasn’t pardoned me. If I were discovered, they’d capture me and ceremoniously send me back to the Demon Wasteland Sea.”

Lin Zhao was surprised. “You’re that formidable, and they could still catch you?”

Yao Guang sighed helplessly. “I carry the source of corruption within me. All the power of my life totem suppresses it. Once I use the totem, the corruption source would spread, causing devastation. It’s impossible to use the totem within the Shamanic Kingdom. Without you by my side to absorb the corrosion, I wouldn’t dare return.”

Lin Zhao suddenly understood. No wonder after that battle in the ruins, Yao Guang had said he should have killed him. Now it made sense.

This man had risked his life to save him—it was quite touching.

So, they waited together.

Yao Guang was handsome and wore valuable attire. At one point, someone asked his price. He initially said, “One hundred gold.”

The inquirer immediately left.

Yao Guang was puzzled.

“You’ve never lived as an ordinary mortal, have you?” Lin Zhao clarified with a teasing tone. “That price is too low. If I heard that, I’d think you were a fraud.”

“You haven’t lived as one either!” Yao Guang retorted.

Just then, a second person approached. Yao Guang promptly quoted, “Five hundred gold.”

The second inquirer hesitated and asked to see his badge.

No badge? Then he must be a fraud!

Since no customers came, Lin Zhao pulled him aside. “I don’t think you’ll make money here. Let’s head to the inner city, rest a bit, and then make plans.”

Yao Guang was embarrassed. “No, you have to pay to get in there as well.”

He inwardly grumbled about the vice lord of the Di Kingdom, who was so annoying—charging fees at every checkpoint. He vowed to deal with him harshly when the chance arose.

“Then let’s think of other ways.” Lin Zhao stood up.

“Wait…” Yao Guang grabbed his arm. “Are you thinking of robbing someone?”

“That’s too low-skill,” Lin Zhao rolled his eyes. “Let’s go!”

He forcibly dragged Yao Guang toward the bustling market area near the honeycomb-like structures.

The plaza wasn’t small. Lin Zhao estimated it was about 400 meters wide north to south and 100 meters long east to west, resembling a large train station plaza. The stalls offered a wide variety of goods, and their owners came from diverse backgrounds.

“That one with fox ears is from the Tu Mountain tribe, mostly residing in the Qingqiu Kingdom,” Yao Guang explained. “Those with wings are from the Feather Nation; those with fire on their bodies are from the Fire-averse Kingdom…”

Of course, introducing the vendors alone wasn’t enough; they also discussed the goods.

Fruit and vegetable sellers needed no introduction; most were familiar and only asked about prices.

“Most of these goods are scavenged from the coastal ruins beyond the vast sea,” Yao Guang said. “They also trade monster bones and beast souls hunted from the wild here first.”

Lin Zhao was shocked. “Monster beast souls? What are they used for? Are they used to become shamans?”

He hadn’t forgotten that merging with beast souls was essential to becoming a shaman.

Yao Guang sighed. “Back then, beast souls were acquired by hunting in the wilderness. After the calamity, there aren’t enough beast souls. Monster beast souls are still beast souls, but they require purification and ritual before use. Even so, if the merging fails, to prevent excessive corruption, a shaman can only attempt three times. After that, they can never become a shaman.”

Lin Zhao recalled the time in the Han Sea village when everyone could become shamans, feeling a bit regretful.

He noticed some white wood being sold in large quantities.

“Those are dead branches fallen from the Sacred Tree. Burning these in the disaster zone of the Han Sea protects weaker ones from the purple sun’s corrosion,” Yao Guang explained to the countryside newcomer.

A grizzled middle-aged vendor sneered, “Big claims. Weak? Which strong being fears the purple sun? The Celestial Shaman? The Kingdom Lord? Or the Five-direction Emperors?”

Yao Guang awkwardly replied, “Sorry, I only heard that cultivators above the Celestial Shaman level fear no purple sun.”

The vendor snorted, seeing him back down, and fell silent.

Lin Zhao curiously picked up a twig about the thickness of a finger and recognized it. It was the same type of tree branch Yao Guang had grown on those monsters during the battle in the Shamanic Kingdom ruins—he had summoned a whole forest back then.

“Little brother, want one? These were gathered from the Green Emperor’s forest. Though small, one burns for an entire hour outside the passes. Only twenty blue shells apiece,” the vendor offered enthusiastically.

“No, thanks.” Lin Zhao put the branch down and whispered to Yao Guang, “You could sell this wood yourself.”

Yao Guang whispered back, “It needs corpses of fierce beasts as fertilizer to grow. Where would I find such dangerous creatures around here?”

“No wonder they also sell fierce beast carcasses here… Green Emperor’s forest? Were you a wood seller before?” Lin Zhao whispered.

“I used to oversee a lot,” Yao Guang said quietly. “I managed the healing, sealing, purification, and army provisions for the four eastern kingdoms…”

“You’re so formidable, yet just an assistant?” Lin Zhao was amazed.

“I don’t want to be,” Yao Guang smiled bitterly. “They say the Shamanic Kingdom doesn’t lack capable generals; I’m rare, so they kept me obediently in the back, not competing for glory. Later, when I went to the Han Sea, I realized I’m actually quite strong.”

“No wonder you attacked anything that moved there!”

“It was too boring,” Yao Guang quickly explained. “I was a bit reckless then—”

“Hey, you two!” The vendor angrily interrupted. “Muttering at my stall for so long—are you buying or not? What’s there to chatter about, you two poor ghosts?”

Yao Guang wanted to leave, but Lin Zhao held him back calmly. “What? Can’t we at least compare prices? Business is about the customer; be polite.”

After that, Lin Zhao pulled Yao Guang to continue browsing.

Yao Guang whispered, “Maybe we should go back to being shamans…”

“Being shamans? No way,” Lin Zhao confidently led him to a secluded spot. “Come on, make me some fruit.”

“We don’t have money to rent a stall,” Yao Guang hesitated but then plucked a twig from his headdress. The twig transformed into a vine, quickly bearing several large clusters of grapes.

Lin Zhao smiled faintly, picked up the grapevine, and casually approached a fruit vendor. “Brother, cheap fruit, selling low. Interested?”

The vendor glanced at the lush grapevine and its leaves; his eyes lit up instantly. “Sure, if you’re sincere, name your price.”