Chapter Seventy-Eight: Forging the Dragon Robe, Racing Against Time

Wang Fugui, being the youngest member of the Wang family genealogy, naturally had the most abundant remaining lifespan. Even if he could only claim one percent from the malevolent spirit, it would still last more than half a year.

Afterwards, everything could be attributed to the evil spirit—“It was all under the evil spirit’s control, none of it was my own doing.” Old Wang knew exactly what he was doing. The darkness in human nature revealed itself in full at that moment.

However, when the old man lifted his head, exhilarated, what he saw was not a younger relative collapsing from life drained. Instead, a shoe sole loomed larger and larger before his eyes.

Bang!

The old man was sent flying four or five meters by a kick from Wang Cheng.

Struggling to raise his head, he looked incredulously at “Wang Fugui,” who stood unscathed, not even a strand of hair turned white, and muttered, “Fugui, where did your lifespan go?”

He failed to notice that the malevolent shadow and the evil spirit's lifespan entwined his body like a serpent, binding him tightly. The [Kowtow for Lifespan] within him trembled in fright.

His fragile neck was broken by Wang Cheng, who had caught up and delivered another kick.

Even in death, he couldn’t comprehend why, despite following the rules of the “Kowtow for Lifespan” and killing someone in front of a junior, he had failed.

Wang Cheng himself had been startled at first. It was only when the old man performed the first kowtow that he realized he was merely acting as Wang Fugui. The real Wang Fugui had died long ago; the old man’s attempt to borrow lifespan from him was futile—he couldn’t even obtain a single strand, and might end up owing three years instead.

The old man could kowtow himself to death but would never find a solution.

Spitting viciously at his corpse, Wang Cheng cursed, “You old scoundrel, did you really think you could borrow my lifespan?”

A flash of the blade from his sleeve—transformed into the [Guardian Spirit General], the treasured blade Chiwen sprang from its sheath, plunged into the ground, pinning the evil spirit’s true form, now appearing as a decrepit old man, to the earth.

Wang Cheng reflected for a moment. Killing his great-grandfather while in Wang Fugui’s guise would inevitably tarnish the reputation of himself, the Fourth Lord, and Wang Banjie.

A crimson glow emanated from his palm, and he sold both corpses—human and spirit—to the [Universal Treasure Exchange], disposing of them cleanly.

According to newly unlocked features, he converted them into wealth, satisfying his most urgent needs.

He looked around, but nothing had happened. The battle had ended so swiftly that even the nearby patrols of the Mountain-Sea Association's temple guards and stewards were not alerted.

Just as he was about to leave, the rooster perched above cried out again.

Immediately after, accompanied by a strange, rustling squirming sound, a hoarse voice came from behind him:

“Hiss hiss, compete with me! Compete with me for height!…”

Turning around, Wang Cheng saw a snake—over ten feet long, its whole body marked by black and white patterns—slithering toward him.

A normal person, faced with such a massive, triangular-headed viper, would surely have been paralyzed with fear.

But Wang Cheng, eyeing its supple, boneless length, licked his lips greedily.

“Slurp~ Brother, you’ve arrived at just the right time!”

The Treasure Exchange immediately revealed information about the newcomer.

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[Evil Spirit: Height-Competing Snake.

Across the realm, there exists the Measuring Person Snake, also called Height-Competing Snake. The shorter ones are six or seven feet, the longer ones reach ten or twenty feet. They like to coil quietly where no one is around, appearing no different from ordinary snakes. But upon encountering a person, they immediately raise their bodies upright to compete for height.

Taboo: If the person is not as tall as the snake when it rises, the snake will bite them to death. If the snake is not as tall as the person, it will bite itself to death.

Folklore Origin: Some people are competitive, feeling joy when surpassing others and resentment when falling short. Their intense wishes manifest as folklore, attaching themselves to snake species, thus spawning endless Height-Competing Snakes.]

Of course, the snake’s inherent abilities were not the main point. The key was the folklore’s anchor—the snake itself!

It was a silver-ringed snake, a true centenarian spirit beast, the most venomous serpent in the land, with few rivals.

The silver-ringed snake was legendary, also called the Money Flower Snake or Bone-Melting Dragon.

The folk saying went: “Even a qilin child cannot match the Bone-Melting Dragon,” and “A home with a Bone-Melting Dragon must beware debt collectors,” speaking of its greed and voracious appetite.

The ‘Treatise on Snake Catchers’ also recorded:

“In Yongzhou’s wilds grows a strange snake: black body with white markings, all plants it touches wither; its bite is fatal, with no defense…”

This strange black-and-white snake was none other than the silver-ringed snake.

Due to its high medicinal value, the imperial court permitted snake catchers to pay taxes with their catch, but no snake catcher ever met a good end.

The writer sighs: “Who could have guessed that the harm from oppressive taxes is even greater than the venom of this snake?”

This snake was a living legend—far superior to the Han family’s green-ringed snake.

The only question remained: how could he persuade the owner of the “shed skin” to willingly hand over its skin to him, Lord Wang?

If this were a beauty snake, he might even be tempted to break his principles and use the… [Beauty Disrobing Technique].

Whoosh—

By now, the Height-Competing Snake was stretching skyward, carrying a stench on the wind.

At first, it only reached Wang Cheng’s shoe, then his calf, knee, thigh, waist, chest, shoulders… soon it would surpass his head, proving the snake taller than the man.

For a snake over ten feet long, this was hardly a challenge.

Yet, just as its head was about to overtake Wang Cheng’s nose, it abruptly dropped back down, settling at his chin.

“Hiss hiss hiss…”

The Height-Competing Snake writhed desperately, stretching upward again, just reaching Wang Cheng’s nose before slipping back down.

This time, the descent was unstoppable—chin, shoulders, chest…

It finally sensed something amiss and turned to look at its tail.

It saw its shadow rippling like water, beneath which a pitch-black, terrifying figure clutched its tail, dragging it downward.

One side pulled, the other stretched; no matter how much it extended above, only a snake head remained visible.

Height competition ended with nothing but a view of the opponent’s shoe sole?

Enraged, the silver-ringed snake twisted around and bit itself. The deadliest venom in the land took effect instantly, and in the blink of an eye, the snake killed itself.

Wang Cheng smiled in relief.

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“As long as you find the pattern, a mere snake is no threat!”

Of course, like the [Kowtow for Lifespan] and the Height-Competing Snake, the evil spirit shadow [Scion of Heaven’s Patrol] had its own taboo.

Legend says that souls crossing rivers, whether in the East or West, must pay a toll.

So with enough money, one can forcibly dispel the “Sending Off the King’s Boat” custom anchored to him.

Ordinary copper coins have the least effect. The large silver ingots and sycees, circulating for years in the markets, can send the spirit fleeing in panic.

If met with those massive, thick, heavy gold ingots and bricks, being bludgeoned to death by money isn’t out of the question.

That is likely the only way the evil spirit shadow could die!

But Wang Cheng himself was not as rigid as the spirits. His living body and evil spirit form complemented each other, their combined strength far greater than the sum.

He stepped forward, first pressing the snake’s head with the sheath to prevent any lingering nerves from biting him.

Then he gripped the ten-foot tail, expertly wielded his fish-splitting knife, and stripped the snake skin whole, washing it clean with saltwater.

The rest could not be used for medicine, but its venom was potent—stronger than any sedative, with tremendous impact even on third-rank officials.

Wang Cheng took the century-old snake skin back to his own courtyard.

He burned incense, bathed, and pulled out alchemical materials he’d collected from the Han family, reciting: Incense Burning Spell, Purified Water Spell, Spell Paper Text, Spell Pen Text, Inviting Spirit Spell…

He sat at a desk, the evil spirit shadow manifesting and taking a seat opposite him.

One white, one black—two Wang Chengs extended their hands, pressing together as if playing spirit-writing, each holding a wolf-hair talisman pen, and together they drew two [Water Gathering Talismans] in bold, flowing strokes.

All major sect officials, when drawing talismans, must borrow power from ancestors or other spirits—their own power, the power of the gods, the force of the talisman all combine to bring spiritual efficacy.

Wang Cheng, having learned [Ghost Drawing Talisman] from the Treasure Record of the Moon Palace, could borrow not just divine power, but ghostly power as well.

Many in the Mountain-Sea Association, after learning this rare art, kept spirit-writing ghosts—those who were skilled at drawing talismans in life were especially sought after.

Wang Cheng, aided by his dual-sided evil spirit form, drew the [Water Gathering Talismans] needed for crafting the Dragon Robe quickly and expertly.

Considering the unstable situation at Moon Harbor, and the risk of accidents outside for seven days in a row, he set up an altar within the money-eye of the Universal Treasure Exchange early the next morning.

At the hour of the dragon (7–9 a.m.), he placed the snake skin in a white silk pouch, offering it beneath the [Heavenly Image Altar] and began his ritual.

He stamped the two characters of the Big Dipper, formed the Dragon Subduing Seal with his hands, raised his head and, using the exquisite Dragon Breathing Technique, drew a breath of eastern energy, chanting the spell seven times in succession:

“Master Snake, Master Snake, rolling and coiling, thunder flashing fire, easy to see, easy to hide, crossing the sea, hibernating upon collection. Command!”

He then burned the Water Gathering Talisman he had drawn the night before.

Though the sun had risen, the stars remained; from the Azure Dragon’s seven lodges, a faint, invisible starlight descended, passing through the money-eye, falling into the altar and producing a spiritual response.

He watched as the snake skin in the silk pouch was infused by the spiritual response, slowly blooming with magical light, turning from dead to living, gaining a new vitality.

Wang Cheng let out a long breath.

“Everything is ready. After six more days, before the second month, I will no longer be a blank official—I’ll finally possess battle power matching my rank.

Let’s hope all goes smoothly, and no more accidents occur.”