Chapter 247: Restraint
Chapter 247: Restraint
Within half a day, the situation in the slum district remained unchanged from before. Due to past lessons, no one dared to venture near the incident site, leaving a large vacant area.
Chen Chuan asked Lao Qi to wait outside while he entered alone, making his way to the backyard of the haunted tale, where the dummy still held Xiao Man's body in its embrace.
The Tantric Symbol drawn on the wall had faded slightly, and the ritual materials Lao Qi had retrieved seemed to be genuine. It appeared they hadn't been scammed, and even if left unattended, the ritual should remain effective for several days.
Chen Chuan returned to the front room and fetched a can, into which he scraped Lang Teng and Bochen's hair and blood. After burning it, he mixed the ashes with the remaining ritual materials and extended the Tantric Symbol.
The symbol couldn't be redrawn, but it could be extended outwards, effectively creating a new boundary around it. Fortunately, the existing foundation made this process less cumbersome.
After completing the final stroke, Chen Chuan discarded the ritual brush and turned to the dummy. If everything went according to plan, the haunting tale's influence should be minimized.
After a brief wait, the dematerialization effect on his second self began to diminish.
A cracking sound echoed as the dummy, which had been in a half-sitting position, now lay flat, its arms loosening their grip on Xiao Man.
Chen Chuan silently observed the outcome, noticing that the dematerialization signs were gradually weakening. However, after reaching a certain threshold, the effect stabilized and ceased to change further.
Compared to his first encounter, the current intensity was significantly stronger. If there were people nearby, they would perish within a few days.
It seemed the issue couldn't be entirely resolved.
Chen Chuan had previously considered that the haunting tale's formation might not be solely due to Xiao Man's obsession. The dummy itself was also problematic.
While Xiao Man's obsession was the primary catalyst, her death had added fuel to the fire, making the situation more complex.
He approached the dummy and pressed on its chest and abdomen, discovering a detachable panel. Removing it revealed a set of modular internal organs.
This wasn't a typical mannequin for displaying clothing but a specialized training dummy used by specific groups. Marks on the dummy's inner walls suggested it might have even held real internal organs.
The origin of such an item led Chen Chuan to think of organizations involved in human organ trafficking.
Furthermore, among the normal organ models, there were also substitutes made of thin fabric and cotton, seemingly serving as cushioning. However, Chen Chuan knew they represented the aberrant tissues of fighters, and there might be more to it...
He opened the dummy's head, finding it empty, but upon closer inspection, he noticed residual crystalline fibers that exuded a peculiar beauty.
After some thought, Chen Chuan concluded that these were likely remnants of aberrant brain tissue. This dummy had once held a head, and the ability to form such aberrations suggested it belonged to a Third Limit Fighter.
But how could a fighter of that caliber end up here? The presence of the head might also be a factor in triggering the haunting tale.
To swiftly and thoroughly resolve the issue, he needed to investigate the underlying causes.
However, Chen Chuan lacked the time for such an endeavor, so he opted for another approach—restraining the haunting tale completely and keeping it by his side.
Although he had been considering this option, he hadn't anticipated the opportunity would present itself so soon.
This enduring and restrainable haunting tale could replace drugs in stimulating his aberrant tissues, but the required Tantric ritual materials were costly.
Still, they might be cheaper than drugs, and given the prevalence of the Mystic Sect in Center City, the market for ritual materials was substantial. Restraint-specific materials were relatively inexpensive and commonly used within the sect.
Moreover, Mystic Sect materials were classified as prohibited items, not traded on platforms, and left no transaction records, making them ideal for Chen Chuan's purposes.
However, leaving the haunting tale unrestrained here was not an option; he needed to find a way to relocate it, or it might break free from its restraints at any moment.
Typically, long-term restraint required a unique Mystic Sect ritual tool, usually crafted by the sect or obtained from remnants left behind by haunting tales. Chen Chuan might have something suitable, and he could test its effectiveness.
It seemed a trip back to the academy was necessary.
After some deliberation, Chen Chuan retrieved the dummy and reburied it in the pit. He also needed to dispose of Xiao Man's body, so he tidied up the area and carried her corpse out of the slum district.
Upon reaching the car, Chen Chuan found Lao Qi asleep in the driver's seat. The latter had been busy all night, driving them back and forth, and as a non-fighter, he was exhausted.
(End of Chapter)As Chen Chuan approached, Lao Qi suddenly woke up, likely due to a pre-set alert on the Boundary Vessel. Seeing Chen Chuan, he quickly sat up and asked, "Chen Xiao Ge, what's the situation?"
Chen Chuan replied, "There's still an issue that needs attention. I need to go back to the school to retrieve something." He placed Xiao Man's body down and said, "Lao Qi, I'd appreciate it if you could take care of this for me."
Lao Qi sighed upon seeing Xiao Man's body, "This child is truly pitiful. Chen Xiao Ge, your matters are more important. You should go and handle them. I'll take care of this."
Chen Chuan glanced at him and said, "Lao Qi, you must be tired too. Finish up here and go back to rest. I can handle the rest on my own."
Lao Qi agreed.
Chen Chuan entrusted Xiao Man's body to him and turned to leave.
Once he was out of sight, Lao Qi seemed to remember something and slapped his forehead, "Oh no, the money..." Chen Chuan's voice echoed from the Boundary Vessel, "Lao Qi, keep the money with you for now. We'll discuss it later."
"Alright, sure."
Chen Chuan left and took the tram outside, soon arriving at the school and entering the Xuan Gong Tower. The Boundary Vessel then connected to the Red Flare.
"It has been detected that the student did not return to the dormitory yesterday. For the student's safety, the academy suggests implanting a miniature monitoring implant that does not hinder physical activities."
"This implant can observe the student's internal bodily functions. In case of danger, it can transmit real-time data to the academy, allowing them to understand the situation..."
The message went on to list the benefits of the implant, such as recording the student's combat data with others, monitoring hormone levels in real-time, and detecting the growth direction of aberrant organizations. This, combined with assessment results, could provide more specific training plans.
After reading the message, Chen Chuan immediately declined without a second thought.
Aside from his reluctance to have the implant, he was concerned that if such information were transmitted to the platform, it would not only reveal his whereabouts but also expose his personal data to others.
While it might make training easier, it would also make him more vulnerable to targeted attacks. He preferred to be a pure Insight cultivator, or perhaps even a Pure Body cultivator.
As he stepped into the elevator and headed towards the dormitory, he received two consecutive messages. The first was from Tan Zhi, containing several photos. Judging by the time stamps, Tan Zhi was still at the party, surrounded by boldly dressed and alluring young women.
One photo showed Tan Zhi leaning back, one hand on his forehead and the other stretched behind him, his face expressing a sense of euphoria. Surrounding him were women with their hands raised and feet off the ground, their skirts billowing in a dynamic display.
Tan Zhi's dancing skills were indeed impressive. Chen Chuan quickly marked the photo as read and swiped it away.
The second message was from a teacher named Wu Yi, who had noticed the new student's lack of combat skills through the internal platform. He offered to provide guidance if Chen Chuan was interested and even included his past evaluations.
After a few glances, Chen Chuan added it to his reading list. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and he quickly returned to his dormitory. After a quick wash and a change of clothes, he took out a few nutritional bars and an upper jawbone with sharp teeth.
This was a remnant from the Ghost of Mountain Haunting Tale.
Chen Chuan kept all remnants from past Haunting Tales, and this jawbone might serve as an item to bind the ghost. He wondered if he should try it, as he had never done something like this before. Based on the materials provided by Director Lei, it should be theoretically possible.
Moreover, he didn't need the ghost for anything specific. As long as it was bound and kept by his side, that would suffice. The difficulty of such a task was minimal, requiring only the most basic techniques. If he were to attempt a binding, the complexity might increase exponentially.
The person who had performed the large-scale Mystic Sect ritual was indeed highly skilled, which explained Mo Lan Corporation's investment.
After taking the jawbone, he also picked up a booklet and placed it in his sturdy backpack before leaving the school and taking the tram back to the Slum District.
Lao Qi's car was gone, indicating he had left to handle Xiao Man's affairs.
Chen Chuan returned to Xiao Man's backyard alone and buried the jawbone, placing it on the dummy's chest.
He then opened the booklet and spread it out, taking out the last of the ritual materials and carefully tracing the intricate ritual pattern.
Due to the complexity of the pattern, he had to copy it meticulously.
After working for most of the day, he finally completed the pattern, just managing to use up the last of the ritual materials without any mishaps.
He stepped back a few paces, and now all that was left was to wait for the outcome of the ritual.
End of Chapter
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