Chapter 418 - 247: Identity

Chapter 418: Chapter 247: Identity

"Is this legend real? Does Songjiang Prefecture really have the martial arts inheritance of some peerless expert?"

Su Mu asked.

"A legend is a legend because no one knows if it’s true or not."

Wu Yiqi said, "It’s the kind of legend that only circulates on the streets. Only a man like Taishi Tianbi would believe it."

Disciples of major sects like Wu Yiqi, as well as people from the Taiping Bureau, would never take such a legend seriously.

They weren’t short on Martial Arts inheritances. Whether they were Sect Disciples from the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect or members of the Taiping Bureau, they didn’t worry about a lack of Martial Arts to practice.

But it was different for the Loose Cultivators of the Jianghu. They had to find any way they could to obtain a Martial Arts inheritance.

That’s why they were so fond of these legends.

"For Taishi Tianbi to become the number one fugitive on the Most Wanted List, he can’t be a fool. Would he really believe such a baseless legend?"

Su Mu mused.

"Better to believe it might be true than to assume it isn’t."

Wu Yiqi said, "Besides that, my investigation has turned up no other reason for him to be in Songjiang Prefecture."

This Taishi Tianbi was too mysterious. Neither the Inspection Bureau’s nor the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect’s intelligence networks could uncover his origins.

Wu Yiqi had only managed to deduce this possible motive based on Taishi Tianbi’s typical behavior.

"Assuming he really did come for that reason, where would this legendary peerless expert’s Martial Arts inheritance be? How are we supposed to find Taishi Tianbi then?"

Su Mu asked pensively.

"That’s hard to say."

Wu Yiqi gave a wry smile. "Legends are hazy things. Who the hell knows where this so-called Martial Arts inheritance is hidden."

"Perhaps there are some clues at the Divine Weapon Pavilion,"

Wu Yiqi said.

......

It wasn’t just the Divine Weapon Pavilion that found clues; the Taiping Bureau had also made a discovery.

While Wu Yiqi, Zhang Zhongmei, and Huo Zhen Court were investigating, Su Mu, of course, was also using the Taiping Bureau’s own intelligence network.

He received reports from the Taiping Bureau and from Zhang Zhongmei and Huo Zhen Court at nearly the same time.

"But really, if we hadn’t dug deep, who would’ve guessed? The number one fugitive on the Most Wanted List was just a miner a few years ago."

Huo Zhen Court couldn’t help but remark with a sigh.

Su Mu was inwardly amazed as well.

Previously, although Taishi Tianbi was on the Most Wanted List, he hadn’t actually drawn much of the Taiping Bureau’s attention.

After all, compared to demons, a mere fugitive was nothing to worry about.

This time, at Su Mu’s request, the Taiping Bureau had left no stone unturned and had finally uncovered Taishi Tianbi’s true identity.

Taishi Tianbi’s life story was incredibly strange.

His origins were even worse than Su Mu’s. Su Mu had merely been a vagrant, while Taishi Tianbi had been an outright slave.

Born a slave and trapped in the mines, he normally would have just worked to death there one day.

But one day, this Taishi Tianbi suddenly killed the mine’s Steward. He then went on to massacre several small villages, and thus, a legendary villain was born.

This was a carbon copy of the protagonist templates Su Mu had read about in his past life.

"This person is suspected of being possessed by a fiend."

Reading the last sentence of the Taiping Bureau’s report, Su Mu’s heart suddenly clenched.

’Possessed by a fiend?’

’He suddenly recalled what Taishi Tianbi had said before—that if he had met me earlier, I would have been his...’

’So that’s what he meant?’

’So Taishi Tianbi really was possessed by some fiend?’

’Body-snatching happens in this world, too?’

’Strictly speaking, my own situation could be considered a form of body-snatching, couldn’t it?’

"Brother Huo, in this world, are there really demonic creatures that can possess and take over a body?"

Su Mu asked pensively.

’If people suspect Taishi Tianbi, will they suspect me too?’

’After all, in some ways, I’m too similar to Taishi Tianbi.’

’We both went from obscurity to a sudden rise to prominence.’

"There’s a theory that once your Cultivation reaches a certain level, your spirit can become indestructible. Even if you lose your physical body, you can still forcibly seize someone else’s."

Huo Zhen Court said, "But it’s not that easy. It requires a host of stringent conditions, and no one can say for sure what level of Cultivation is necessary."

"Then is there a way to determine if someone’s body has been taken over?"

Su Mu asked pensively.

"Of course there is."

Huo Zhen Court said, "Taking over another’s body is a wicked and unorthodox path, after all. It goes against the natural order. Aren’t you folks at the Taiping Bureau the experts on this? I hear you have a special Profound Weapon that can root out these kinds of entities."

"We do."

Yang Yungzhong chimed in, "Sir, you might not have paid much attention to such small matters. When we join the Taiping Bureau, we all go through a screening process. One of the tests is to confirm that we haven’t had our bodies taken over."

Su Mu was inwardly shocked.

’I didn’t know about this back then.’

’If I had known, I might not have dared to join the Taiping Bureau.’

’Who knew if the test would have exposed me?’

’But from the looks of it now, my situation doesn’t count as body-snatching, which must be why the Taiping Bureau’s test didn’t detect anything.’

"The chances of successfully taking over a body are very low, so it’s not a common occurrence."

Yang Yungzhong said, "A case like Taishi Tianbi’s is extremely rare."

"Actually, there’s no need to worry."

Huo Zhen Court said casually, "Even if he really is a fiend reborn, he has to start his Cultivation all over again. He’s just got more experience than the average person. But the aptitude of the body he stole might not be any better than his original, and there’s no guarantee he can ever return to his peak.

"Take this recent fight, for example. Didn’t you still manage to injure him severely?"

Su Mu nodded slightly. That did make sense.

’Cultivating the Martial Dao isn’t easy. Even with experience, the path is never completely smooth.’