Do You Want to Emerge?

"Who is that?" Chan Yi asked, his expression somewhat dazed.

Chen Zhou did not answer directly but asked instead, "Have you ever heard the name Wan Xiu?"

Chan Yi frowned and thought hard, eventually shaking his head.

"I have never heard of him."

"In a place like Tianchi Province, those who survive don't have time to gossip. We just live day by day."

Chen Zhou nodded and asked further, "Besides telling you to hide well, did your grandfather say anything else before he died?"

Chan Yi concentrated, trying to recall the fragments of information he had heard from his father.

"Lord, it seems my grandfather once said that our clan must suppress our nature and never easily undergo emergence."

"Once we emerge, the sound of the Mingchan will echo through heaven and earth, inevitably bringing about a total catastrophe."

"He also said... he said..."

He stopped, his brow furrowed into a tight knot.

"He said what?" Plague Rat asked, leaning in closer.

Chan Yi was startled by him and shrank back, stammering, "He... he also said that our Mingchan Clan owes that person."

"Owes who?" Plague Rat pressed.

Chan Yi shook his head. "I don't know. My grandfather didn't make it clear, or perhaps my father didn't explain it well."

"In any case, he said the Mingchan Clan is born to hide because we owe someone, so we cannot let them find us."

Chen Zhou fell into deep thought after hearing this.

Owed to Wan Xiu?

Or someone else?

He looked at Jing Hui, who was also frowning.

"I have been in Tianchi Province for a thousand years, and I have never heard of the Mingchan Clan owing anyone," Jing Hui said. "Duke Wu never mentioned it either."

Chen Zhou nodded and didn't press further.

These old debts couldn't be untangled in a moment. Once they found the Eternal Scars, everything would likely become clear.

He looked at Chan Yi and suddenly remembered something.

"You just said that your Mingchan Clan cannot easily undergo emergence?"

Chan Yi nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Yes, we must suppress it."

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. "How do you suppress it?"

Chan Yi scratched his head and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Our Mingchan Clan has a self-mutilation secret technique."

"During the nymph stage, we seal the cicada shell within our bodies and forcibly dissipate the accumulated vitality and spiritual power to prevent it from growing."

"This way, we can remain in the nymph form indefinitely and will not undergo emergence."

He added with a hint of pride, "The secret technique is very difficult. This little one practiced for several hundred years before mastering it."

Chen Zhou did not show much sympathy. In this apocalyptic, eerie world, survival itself required a price.

He merely smiled faintly. "Suppressing vitality? That means as long as you are supplied with enough vitality and flesh-and-blood energy, you can break through these shackles at any time?"

Chan Yi nodded, then gave a bitter smile. "In theory, yes."

"But resources are scarce in Tianchi Province. Plague and pollution are everywhere. Clean flesh-and-blood energy is incredibly precious. Where would we get it..."

Chen Zhou's expression shifted. "You don't need to worry about that. I only ask you this: do you still want to emerge?"

Chan Yi was stunned.

What did the Lord mean by that?

Did he still want to emerge?

Of course he did.

What member of the Mingchan Clan didn't want to emerge?

After emergence, they would grow transparent wings, fly through the sky, and let out a clear, melodious song.

That was their innate instinct, a desire etched into their very bones.

He had lived for eight hundred years, crawling underground for eight hundred years, eating dirt for eight hundred years.

He dreamed of flying just once.

But...

He stole a glance at Jing Hui, then at Chen Zhou, and whispered, "This little one... this little one wouldn't dare."

Chen Zhou patted his shoulder and handed him a handful of Flesh-Reconstitution Pills, speaking with confidence, "Flesh-and-blood energy is the easiest thing for this deity to obtain. You can have as much as you want."

"As for safety, you don't need to worry too much."

"I can tell you truthfully that I currently have a great need for the abilities of the Mingchan Clan."

"So, if you wish, you can go and prepare. Dig the new tunnels well."

"Within seven days, this deity can help your entire Mingchan Clan undergo emergence."

Chan Yi's mind went blank.

For eight hundred years, the result of every divination had been an ultimate disaster. Thus, he could only huddle underground, enduring day after day, waiting year after year.

What he was waiting for, he didn't even know himself.

Perhaps he was waiting for an opportunity, or perhaps he was just waiting for death.

But now, someone was telling him that in seven days, he could emerge.

And it wasn't just him, but his entire clan.

Chan Yi lowered his head, looking at the pills in his hand, his eyes suddenly stinging.

He thought of his grandfather, his father, and those clansmen who had died underground without ever emerging.

They had hidden for a thousand years, hiding so deeply they didn't even dare to look at the sunlight.

If only they could have lived to see this day.

Chan Yi took a deep breath, looked up, and stared at Chen Zhou.

"Lord, I..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something grateful, but it felt as if something was stuck in his throat, and the words wouldn't come out.

Chen Zhou waved his hand. "Enough nonsense. Go get to work."

Chan Yi nodded vigorously and turned to leave.

After a few steps, he turned back, looked at Chen Zhou, and asked softly, "Lord, after we emerge... will that person really not find us?"

Chen Zhou looked at him and said seriously, "Wouldn't it be better if he did? This deity would simply slaughter him."

Chan Yi stared into his eyes for a long while, then grinned.

"Understood. This little one believes you."

Chen Zhou found the little creature quite interesting. He would have to wait until Chan Yi emerged to learn more about the Eternal Scars.

In the meantime, he couldn't stay idle.

He thought for a moment, looked at Plague Rat, and asked, "You've lived in Tianchi Province for over three hundred years. Have you seen a hundred corpse patchwork?"

Plague Rat nodded. "I have. I saw them when I was little; it scared me quite a bit back then."

Chen Zhou asked again, "Then do you know when the hundred corpse patchwork first appeared?"

Plague Rat scratched his head. "This... this rat really isn't sure."

He thought about it and added, "In any case, they already existed when I was born. Back then, one or two would occasionally fall into the Earth Dissolving Cave."

Chen Zhou nodded and then asked Chan Yi, "Were there hundred corpse patchwork in Tianchi Province when you were born?"

Chan Yi nodded. "Yes, they were there when I was born."

"But there weren't many back then. You'd only see one once in a long while."

"It's not like now, where they are everywhere."

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. "You remember that clearly?"

Chan Yi looked a bit embarrassed. "Well... although this little one has been suppressing my emergence, my memory is still good."

"I heard my father say when I was little that hundred corpse patchwork were very rare. When one appeared, everyone would gather to watch it."

"Later, the numbers slowly increased, and eventually, they were everywhere."

Chen Zhou nodded.

This was a key piece of information.

The number of hundred corpse patchwork had been steadily increasing over the past thousand years.