Chapter 40: The Legacy of the Sequencer

"I knew your words weren't to be trusted. You just said you were going to help me, but now you're backing out. Calling you cowardly wouldn't even be an exaggeration. However, there's one thing I forgot to tell you: the eerie stone soul weapon that fused into your heart has a life of its own."

"I won't deny that the more you feed it, the stronger it grows, but one day, it will awaken right out of your chest."

Hearing this, Lin Yi was half-skeptical.

The eerie stone was a soul weapon he had bound after system authentication. Based on the system's introduction at the time, this growing soul weapon should have been completely harmless.

However, this was the transcendent world after all, and the system wasn't as omnipotent as one might imagine, so it was impossible to tell whether Old Fourth Gu's words were true or false.

Even so, Lin Yi had no intention of letting Old Fourth Gu lead him around by the nose.

This guy was simply trying to trick him into going to the cave deep in the valley.

Perhaps Old Fourth Gu's next line would be: "The method to resolve the flaw in your soul weapon is inside that cave; you just need to make a trip there with me."

Seeing that Lin Yi remained silent for a long time, Old Fourth Gu said, "Kid, solving the problem with the eerie stone soul weapon isn't actually difficult. The eerie stone soul weapon is the ancestral secret treasure of our Gutan Village. There are corresponding records on how to control the eerie stone and prevent its awakening, and those inheritances were taken away by the Spirit Controller back then—they're right inside the cave in the valley."

Lin Yi smiled.

As expected, Old Fourth Gu's pitch was identical to what he had imagined, down to the very last detail.

This made it highly probable that Old Fourth Gu was trying to scam him.

"Captain Fourth, if you're going to make up a reason for me to go, please make it a bit more convincing. I'm quite busy today and will be logging off and leaving shortly. As for the half-cat jin of ash I owe you from yesterday, if you're in a rush, I'll sell off all my supplies tomorrow and pay you back. It's getting pitch black outside, so we'd better head back first."

With that, Lin Yi ignored Old Fourth Gu entirely and hurried back in the direction of the camp.

"You brat, what do you mean I made it up?!"

Seeing Lin Yi leave without even turning his head, Old Fourth Gu genuinely panicked.

At this moment, Gu Chenghu, who had been listening the entire time, chimed in, "Fourth, Qingshan is right. What you just said really sounded like you were making it up on the spot. Even I thought it sounded fake."

"I..."

Old Fourth Gu was at a loss for words. But seeing Lin Yi's figure about to vanish from sight, he hurriedly chased after him alongside Gu Chenghu.

Rushing forward at a fast pace, Old Fourth Gu turned his head and said, "Gu Chenghu, you're that kid's captain. Help me persuade him. It's almost been a full three hundred years since the turmoil back then. You know as well as I do that three hundred years is the limit; if we drag this out any longer, we really won't be able to retrieve those inheritances."

Gu Chenghu shook his head. "I can't persuade him. If you were familiar with Qingshan, you'd know he isn't the type to take risks. Even if those eerie spirits are sealed in the cave, it's still far too risky for the two of you—unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you invite the village chief out and have him personally lead you into the cave. Otherwise, forget about it, it's not happening."

"No way, that old man won't let me take risks!"

Hearing this, Gu Chenghu stopped in his tracks, glared at Old Fourth Gu, and said, "You know it's a risk? If you ever actually become village chief, Gutan Village will sooner or later be ruined by your hands."

Old Fourth Gu also came to a halt, saying earnestly, "I'm doing this for the sake of Gutan Village! That batch of lost inheritance is not only related to the Deity profession, but it also contains a complete Sequence Transcendent inheritance. Can you, Gu Chenghu, really be content with just classing up as a Martial Artist? You should know there are differences among the four major professions..."

"Heh, I really have no interest in Sequence Transcendents. A Martial Artist can split mountains and drain seas, soar through the skies and burrow through the earth—that's been my dream since I started learning martial arts as a kid..."

Old Fourth Gu couldn't help cursing, "Damn it, I'm wasting my breath talking to a wooden block like you. If Gu Liehai were here, he'd definitely dare to take the risk with me. He's been yearning to be a Sequence Transcendent for more than a day or two."

Gu Chenghu retorted without giving an inch, "Seriously, if the two of you really dare to go, that's not taking a risk—that's lighting a lamp in a latrine: looking for shit (death)..."

Just like that, Lin Yi ran ahead while Gu Chenghu and Old Fourth Gu cursed at each other all the way back. Along the way, the two of them even teamed up to slash a level-seven corpse monster, though unfortunately Lin Yi wasn't there at the time, so no loot dropped.

Even after arriving back at the camp, the two of them were still arguing fiercely, neither willing to yield to the other.

"I say, you two captains, if you don't have anything else, I'm going to head out first."

Although Lin Yi still had more than half an hour of online time left, staying here meant he would just be pestered by Old Fourth Gu. Right now, it was better to log off and leave, giving Old Fourth Gu some time to cool down.

Besides, people from the Black Card Alliance had sneaked into his apartment today, and Lin Yi felt he needed to do something just in case.

After all, one shouldn't be too passive; when an active strike is called for, one must take the initiative.

At that moment, however, Old Fourth Gu stopped Lin Yi. "Kid, if I can guarantee that you won't be in the slightest bit of danger, would you be willing to make the trip with me?"

Lin Yi thought about it seriously and replied, "As long as safety is guaranteed, I can help."

"Good. Wait for me."

With that, Old Fourth Gu briefly tidied up his belongings inside his tent and vanished into the night.

"Captain, what is he doing?"

"He's probably heading back to the village to invite the village chief."

Lin Yi asked in surprise, "Invite the village chief?"

Gu Chenghu nodded. "Actually, what Old Fourth Gu told you is mostly true. The inheritance inside that cave is extremely crucial to our village, and the soul weapon you possess is the key to whether we can obtain that inheritance."

"After you revealed that ancestral soul weapon in front of him last night, he set his sights on the inheritance inside the cave. That's why Old Fourth Gu was so impatient today."

"I'm guessing he lingered in the valley at dusk just to scout the path in advance, only to happen to run into us."

Lin Yi nodded in understanding, but still asked doubtfully, "Captain, didn't you say Captain Fourth only lacks an eerie spirit core to advance to the Deity profession? What meaning does the inheritance in that cave hold for him then?"

Gu Chenghu explained, "Qingshan, you don't understand. For the four major professions, the professional tier is merely the beginning of transcendence, and the path ahead is very, very long. Ever since the turmoil three hundred years ago, our Gutan Village has lacked the path beyond the Deity profession, which is why the village's strength has never been overwhelming, forcing us to barely rely on the temple to protect ourselves."

"To Old Fourth Gu, while a semi-professional eerie spirit core is certainly important, it is far less significant than the future inheritance hidden within that cave."

Only then did Lin Yi understand. "So that's how it is. Thank you, Captain..."

Gu Chenghu smiled and said, "Don't thank me. I've always invested all my chips in you, so of course I'll tell you what I know."

After a brief pause, Gu Chenghu added a reminder: "However, Qingshan, if you really do go to the cave with Old Fourth Gu, remember not to ask for other rewards. There is a complete Sequence Transcendent inheritance inside that cave—you must get your hands on it."