Chapter 346: Separation Field

Chapter 346: The Stripping Field

"Seeking dragons, dividing gold, gazing upon entangled mountains—one layer of entanglement is wrong. I'm not here to rob tombs, so this algorithm doesn't apply."

Within the Black Dragon Capital building, Zou Siuji, clad in a Warring States region high priest's robe, stared at the face of Tang Shang Que, his gaze fixed on the chaotic, tangled forks ahead, lost in thought.

After a long while, he suddenly lifted his head, his eyes gleaming with light, hands dancing rapidly in front of him.

"The slender house's fortune, rented by Cheng. Neighbors strong, boundaries hard to breach. To invite the wealth god's blessing, there must be a path to the west of the mansion!"

Zou Siuji's eyes locked onto the westernmost fork, his steps forward uncharacteristically resolute.

After an incense stick's time, he gazed at the familiar yet alien fork ahead, his face suddenly turning ashen.

"Fine, fine, fine—you Black Dragon Capital lot built your nest with nine palaces and eight trigrams, didn't you! Damn it, I'm gonna figure out every pattern on your undergarments today!"

His eyes blazing with fury, the black hair on his head stirred without wind, just as he prepared to roll up his sleeves and begin his calculations, a puzzled voice echoed behind him.

"Tang Shang Que? What are you doing here?"

"Ah."

Zou Siuji spun around abruptly, and at a spot beyond the other's line of sight, Tang Shang Que's true brain mechanism reactivated.

"I was just reminiscing about the cherry blossoms in my homeland, preparing to calculate when it would be most auspicious to return."

"Return home. Don't move."

The other wore a face of bewilderment, a mechanical spider leaping from his sleeve to land on Zou Siuji's shoulder.

"Nagano-kun, what do you mean? According to regulations, I have the right to move freely on this floor. Why doubt me?"

Zou Siuji's face flushed with indignation, his body motionless as the "Rou Xin Fu" that could identify identities crawled onto his brain mechanism.

Drip.

The blood-red glow in the spider's eyes surged upward like stored water, just as it was about to overflow, it abruptly shifted to green, emitting a sharp, clear sound.

Hiss.

Zou Siuji exhaled silently in relief, though his face grew more furious.

"How about it, can you confirm my identity now? If you're still unsatisfied, continue the inspection. This humiliation, Tang Shang Que can endure—what choice do you have but to accept it, being a Mingzhi?"

Mingzhi Nagano did not anger at Zou Siuji's sarcasm, retracting the "Rou Xin Fu" into his palm, apologizing: "Que-kun, don't be angry. You know, this is the most critical moment for the entire group. Naturally, we must be cautious."

Having narrowly escaped the ordeal, Zou Siuji did not follow the other's lead but, true to Tang Shang Que's habit, shouted loudly: "Of course I know this is a critical moment, but that doesn't justify such humiliating methods to verify my identity!"

"Que-kun, please forgive my rudeness."

Mingzhi Nagano's hidden vigilance finally faded entirely, hands gripping his pants, back straight, bowing deeply to Zou Siuji.

The timing was about right—any further would be excessive.

"Enough. I understand your unease, Nagano-kun. But trust me, though I don't bear the Mingzhi name, my loyalty to the Shinto path rivals any man's!"

Zou Siuji's anger subsided, his large sleeves sweeping as he took a step to leave.

"Que-kun, wait."

Just as they were about to pass each other, Mingzhi Nagano suddenly spoke.

Damn little Warring States dog, what else do you want?

Zou Siuji's face tightened instantly, forcing calm: "Is there something else?"

"It's the Stripping Field side—they've encountered some trouble. The consciousness of the Sacrificer is too tenacious, making the stripping process difficult. We need a yin-yang order priest to guide it."

Mingzhi Nagano smiled: "Lucky you're here, Que-kun. I won't have to seek another priest."

The Stripping Field. Wasn't this the place he was searching for?

So the "wealth god" his calculations had indicated would grace him—this little brat!

"If the group needs me, I shall not refuse. However, my name isn't on the list of those permitted to approach the Stripping Field."

Zou Siuji restrained his secret joy, feigning reluctance: "I thought the group didn't trust someone of my ilk."

"You overthink, Que-kun. Before, we didn't involve you for other reasons, not because we doubted your loyalty. Now is the time for you to contribute to the Warring States Shinto path."

Mingzhi Nagano bowed again, "Please don't refuse."

"Since you insist, Nagano-kun, let's go."

"Please!"

Mingzhi Nagano led the way, guiding Zou Siuji deeper into the building.

The entire process lasted nearly half an hour before Zou Siuji confirmed he had left the nine palaces and eight trigrams' domain.

"No wonder my algorithm went awry at first. Who could've guessed Black Dragon Capital was so mad as to construct such a massive maze beneath the group's headquarters?"

A colossal mechanical gate, glowing coldly, blocked the path entirely.

Mingzhi Nagano walked ahead, stopping before the gate.

A red light shot down from the top of the door, enveloping him.

Perhaps considering his earlier actions had wounded Zou Siuji's dignity, Mingzhi Nagano did not ask him to step forward for identity verification again.

Click.

A steel door three zhang tall slowly slid open.

Zou Siuji's eyes widened as the world behind the door slowly unfolded, then contracted.

Within the vast underground space, ear-piercing mechanical noise filled the air.

Hundreds of bodies hung suspended beneath a dome of rock, two-finger-thick neural cables inserted into their napes.

Their eyes were tightly shut, but their occasional convulsions revealed they were not dead—only trapped in a dream of illusions.

The cables' other ends dangled to the ground, like winding streams converging into a massive golden illusion host, two people tall, shaped like a crouching fox.

"Fuck."

Zou Siuji was stunned, his eyes wide, a sharp, forceful word escaping his lips involuntarily.

"What are you saying, Que-kun?"

Mingzhi Nagano's gaze was puzzled, the cacophony in the cave preventing him from hearing Zou Siuji's words clearly.

"I mean, this scene is awesome!"

Zou Siuji roared loudly, simultaneously raising a thumb toward the other.

"There are four such Stripping Fields in the Warring States region, centered around Edo, distributed in the four great cities of southeast, south, northwest, and north!"

Mingzhi Nagano's face lit up with excitement, arms outstretched, "Once all the Stripping Fields are complete, Takamagahara will descend upon the Warring States region, and we'll no longer have to endure the exploitation and oppression of the Great Ming Empire!"

Indeed, there would be no more exploitation.

By then, everyone would be fucking dead—who would there be left to exploit?

Who gave you the guts to do this?

Zou Siuji nodded vigorously, his face full of admiration: "The Mingzhi family, unparalleled in the world!"

Mingzhi Nagano raised his arms, his voice resounding: "Que-kun, you needn't say such things. Your contribution will be part of this grand endeavor. The history of the Warring States region will remember you with bold strokes!"

Zou Sijiu's face stiffened, his features frozen in an awkward grimace.

He offered a sheepish smile, remaining silent.