Chapter 003: Plug-ins
However, it is not easy to navigate the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, as it is inhabited by deities and magic.
The third external tool is quite remarkable. Compared to the first two, the Courage of Lü Bu and the Minor Rejuvenation Talisman, this third item can be regarded as a true treasure. This treasure is called the Soul Capturing Pearl, which can forcibly draw a fragment of a person's or a spirit beast's soul into the pearl, thereby placing them under the control of the Soul Capturing Pearl. They will be utterly loyal to the master of the pearl, never betraying them. Furthermore, the master of the treasure can issue commands to those under control through the Soul Capturing Pearl, and if necessary, can even cause the controlled individual to lose their soul instantly.
I fear that Jia Ke will not fare well, and will soon be dealt with by others. If he returns to the underworld, he will certainly lodge a complaint with Lord Yan Luo. At that time, not only will Judge Cui be punished, but the celestial officials will also face consequences
At this moment, Jia Ke felt a continuous surge of warmth merging into his body, and countless memories were incessantly emerging from the depths of his heart. These included numerous experiences from battlefields, techniques for wielding halberds and weapons, as well as methods for transporting vital energy and accumulating internal strength
However, in order for Jia Ke to obtain these three external aids, he must promise to remain silent from this point onward. From now on, the causes and effects will cancel each other out, and neither party will owe anything to the other.
After careful consideration, Jia Ke found himself with no other options and reluctantly agreed to go along with it.
However, this matter was discovered by the renowned Judge Lu, a close friend of Judge Cui, who appears in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio".
The golden talisman is precisely the Minor Rejuvenation Technique. The precious orb is the Soul Capturing Orb. As mentioned in the previous information, the Minor Rejuvenation Technique requires one to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy for charging; once fully charged, it can be used three times. The Soul Capturing Orb can absorb the surrounding spiritual energy as well as utilize its own life force for charging. However, the Soul Capturing Orb cannot endlessly capture souls; it can capture the souls of up to 300 individuals. If it has already captured the souls of 300 individuals and wishes to capture more, it must either destroy the captured souls or release them. Yet, once a soul is destroyed, the person from whom the soul was captured will be utterly annihilated, unable to even reincarnate. If the soul is released, although the individual may not understand the reason, they will instinctively distance themselves from Jia Ke.
As for why so many predecessors have traversed the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, he does not know. Moreover, such a great secret is not something a mere mortal like him can comprehend
Before fainting, Jia Ke must have already felt despair, planning to separate from his family after getting married in the future, and then secretly take Concubine Zhou to live under assumed identities in a place where no one could recognize them, living cautiously.
But just now he was no longer afraid, because he had obtained the benefits that all travelers possess—an external aid, a golden finger
At this moment, if I were to accept these three treasures, although it would mean that we would owe each other nothing from now on, there would still be some degree of personal connection when we meet again. Moreover, I would have the means to protect myself in this world of the Red Mansions, and with a bit of caution, I might even attain the rank of a marquis or a minister, enjoying wealth and honor throughout my life
Jia Ke believes that even without the bravery of Lü Bu and the minor rejuvenation technique, he can still thrive solely with the soul-capturing orb. He even considers it possible to rescue the entire Jia family.
He had just received the information, and he confirmed that Judge Cui of the City of the Wrongly Executed had indeed betrayed him. He did not die a normal death; rather, he was possessed by a celestial official who had descended to the mortal realm. However, for reasons unknown, that celestial official did not allow his soul to disperse. When his soul drifted to the underworld, Judge Cui, in order to cover for that celestial official, sent him to this world. Unfortunately, he did not inquire carefully; he merely saw that the child in front of the hall was from a wealthy family and arranged for him to come here, not realizing that the child was from the Jia family of the world of the Dream of the Red Chamber.
Moreover, the Soul Capturing Pearl does not rely solely on its own talisman to absorb spiritual energy for storage like the Minor Rejuvenation Technique; it can automatically absorb energy and can also utilize the internal vitality of blood and qi after Jia Ke has achieved progress in his training. Although this may cause Jia Ke to experience a temporary weakness, it can be quickly replenished through substantial consumption and the digestion of internal energy.
The first is the bravery of Lü Bu. Once this external aid is activated, it allows Jia Ke to immediately acquire the martial skills and combat experience of Lü Bu at his peak, and enables Jia Ke to reach the physical strength of Lü Bu at his peak within three years. Furthermore, due to the cultivation methods of Lü Bu, Jia Ke can continuously strengthen himself. By that time, he is likely to be much stronger than Lü Bu at his peak.
Jia Ke decided to focus his main efforts on the courage of Lü Bu, for it is known that only what one can control truly belongs to oneself, and among the three treasures, only the courage of Lü Bu, which can be integrated into oneself, is capable of achieving this
To destroy a person's soul is to incur karmic retribution, and returning to the underworld may lead to suffering in hell. Moreover, releasing the other party's soul to turn friends into enemies is likely something no one would willingly do. Therefore, this magical artifact, the Soul Capturing Pearl, must be used with caution; otherwise, it may backfire on oneself. This could be a test set by Lu Pan for himself, or perhaps another pit he has dug for himself. Jia Ke feels that the likelihood of the other party digging a pit for him is greater, and one must remain vigilant against these deities; otherwise, one might end up being sold while cheerfully counting the money for someone else.
As Jia Ke had just come to a clear understanding of the terms of agreement, the three luminous orbs in his mind radiated brightly together. One of the orbs began to melt and merge into Jia Ke's body, while the other two revealed their true forms. One was a piece of golden talisman paper, and the other was a colorful gem.
Jia Ke pondered that the celestial official seizing his physical body had not completely shattered his three souls and seven spirits, nor had it caused irreparable damage. Moreover, even if he were to report to King Yan, the punishment of Judge Cui by King Yan would not necessarily have any effect on that celestial official; otherwise, Judge Lu would not have thought that reporting to the Lord of Hell would cause trouble for the underworld. Furthermore, even if he won the case, the Lord of Hell could punish that celestial official, but it would not benefit him in any way. Additionally, if he were to report to King Yan, and King Yan punished Judge Cui, it would not necessarily have any effect on that celestial official; otherwise, Judge Lu would not have thought that reporting to the Lord of Hell would cause trouble for the underworld. Moreover, even if he won the case, the Lord of Hell could punish that celestial official, but it would not benefit him in any way. In the event that the friends and relatives of these deities sought revenge on him, it was likely that no one would come to his aid then.
The second is a spell—Minor Rejuvenation. This Minor Rejuvenation is somewhat of a double-edged sword, as it can only heal certain ailments affecting Jia Ke's own body, such as injuries, poisoning, and various pains. It has no effect on others. Furthermore, the use of this spell requires the Minor Rejuvenation talisman to automatically absorb external spiritual energy, and even when fully charged, it can only be cast three times. To fully charge the Minor Rejuvenation spell, it would likely take about three days. Under normal circumstances, this would be sufficient, but considering the first external aid provided by Lu Pan, the Courage of Lü Bu, and combining it with Jia Ke's own situation, it seems that to quickly gain power and protection for oneself, one may have to go to the battlefield. Once on the battlefield, where danger is imminent, the usage of Minor Rejuvenation will likely need to be conserved.
At this time, although Jia Ke had regained all the memories of his original self, he had been strictly disciplined by Aunt Zhou over the years. This was partly due to her fear of any unforeseen events and partly to encourage him to study hard to win Jia Zheng's favor. Therefore, he did not often roam around the residence. A few days ago, it was his birthday, and without any homework, he was free to play for a day. Hearing a young maid secretly mention that the golden koi in the garden pond were quite beautiful, he sneaked off to take a look and, for some unknown reason, fell into the pond. As a result, he was not very familiar with the specific circumstances of the Jia residence. Thus, he intentionally engaged in conversation with Chun Cao, who was also simple-minded. Through Jia Ke's indirect inquiries, he managed to learn almost everything Chun Cao knew about the Jia residence.
Just now, he not only absorbed the memories of the original body, but also received a stream of information
Jia Ke can clearly feel three spheres of light in his mind, which are the three external aids provided by Lu Pan.
Judge Lu feared that Jia Ke would return to be tried in the Ten Halls, so he reported to the King of Hell in the Ten Halls, which is why he gave Jia Ke several small bribes to silence him. This was done both to cover for Judge Cui and to repay the favor owed to the person with the exquisite heart from the last time. Additionally, it was intended to minimize major issues and resolve minor ones, preventing Jia Ke from causing trouble for the underworld. In return for the benefits received, Jia Ke would no longer file complaints in the future
Jia Ke's original self was significantly lacking. According to information overheard by Chun Cao, Jia Ke's original self had limited talent and would at most achieve the status of a scholar in this lifetime. The current Jia Ke is not much better off; in modern times, Jia Ke did not perform well in studies and left school to work right after graduating from high school. Even with the memories of the original self, Jia Ke lacks the confidence to compete with ancient individuals in the imperial examination.
Currently, the Jia residence is nominally under the title of the elder master Jia She, but in reality, it is managed by his father Jia Zheng. As for the reason, being just a lowly maid, she could not possibly know.
Currently, in the second branch of their family, there are only two male members, he and Jia Zhu, while Jia Baoyu has not yet been born. Among the two, Jia Zhu has shown considerable talent in his studies, and many of his teachers at home have praised him, believing that it is only a matter of time before he succeeds in his studies (passing the imperial examination to become a scholar). They also think that achieving the degree of Jinshi (the highest degree in the imperial examination) is within reach.