Chapter 143: Purpose

Uncle Yan extinguished his cigarette butt and continued, "Although the holder of this first Yin Palace amulet became immensely wealthy—so to speak, stepping up to the heavens overnight to enjoy a fleeting two-plus years of supreme luxury—he had neither children nor descendants. After his death... almost all of his property was confiscated by the state, including the deity statue that... concealed the Yin amulet."

"If he had never acquired this Yin amulet in the first place, he might have lived out an ordinary, unremarkable life, but at the very least, he would have lived safely to the end. It was essentially trading the majority of his lifespan for a mere two years of immensely extravagant living. Was it worth it? Everyone has their own thoughts and expectations on this question, but personally, I feel it wasn't necessary."

Hearing him finish this tale in one breath, Qi Yan was at a loss for how to evaluate it.

There had once been an interesting survey online that asked: 1. You live a safe, peaceful life for a hundred years, but you will never become extremely wealthy. 2. You are granted vast fortunes with an endless supply of money, to the extent that even the toilet paper you use to wipe yourself is made of gold foil... but you can only live for one daytime.

Which would you choose?

In fact, when daydreaming, many people would choose the latter, especially middle-aged folks who had already toiled away most of their lives.

Such a question might seem rather boring, but in reality, it was quite hard to define. The poor naturally had their hardships, but the rich also had their own troubles... It all depended on the kind of life one pursued in their heart and their perspective on their own mortality.

This could be considered a philosophical question with a fifty-fifty split, leaving no absolute conclusion since, after all... it was merely a hypothetical scenario.

Yet, wasn't that short-lived Thai-Chinese billionaire from Rayong essentially a living example of this survey? Moreover, he hadn't just lived a good life for a hundred days, but for over two years.

The point of Uncle Yan sharing this example was actually that... the efficacy of the Yin Palace amulets was indeed extraordinary. If an ordinary person, unaware of the truth, was chosen by the "Yin Palace" as a holder, these Yin amulets would bring unexpected and massive benefits to their life.

Take the Yin amulet known as the "Meta-Insect," for instance. Its formidable wealth-attracting ability brought overnight riches... One has to wonder how many people in contemporary society could truly resist such a temptation.

Not every Yin amulet holder realizes the terrifying nature of the side effects before dying from the backlash. As the very first person chosen by the Yin Palace, he only figured it out within a brief window right before his death.

What good is vast wealth? If they give you all the money in the world, do you even have the life left to spend it?

However, after listening to this story, Qi Yan couldn't help but feel aggrieved and protested, "This... why on earth? It's unfair! At least the billionaire you mentioned enjoyed over two years of a golden life, tasted fine foods and wore silk, and was a man of immense wealth. Ding Lingzi's blind spirit... to put it bluntly, if she had abused her power like that billionaire did, it would also be a skill defying the heavens.

"And yet, we're both dealing with Yin Palace amulets. Mine... oh lord, not only has it failed to bring any massive benefits to my life, but it has turned me from an ordinary person into a 'medium,' making me walk on thin ice every single day. When did I ever run into ghosts in the past? But look at me now—no offense to you guys, but when I walk down a night street and see someone wandering alone, I give them a wide berth... terrified that they might be some roaming Yin spirit."

Hao Dalong still had the mood to joke around and chuckled, "Hey? How can you put it that way? Didn't Old Yan emphasize this before? In terms of sheer aggressiveness, your 'godmother' surpasses all other Yin Palace amulets. With her protecting you, neither man nor ghost dares to mess with you. She's a super-bodyguard."

"Pwah! Your godmother... do I even need her protection? I'm not going to the battlefield to fight a war, nor am I a national leader worried about being assassinated. Why on earth would I need a Yin amulet with such destructive offensive power to turn people into ashes?!" Qi Yan said indignantly.

Uncle Yan pressed his hands down toward the two of them. "Alright, alright, don't get sidetracked! We've strayed from the point. Let's focus on the matter at hand!"

"Did you guys understand what I meant? If this really is a Yin Palace amulet, how could its effects... manifest so slowly? That depends entirely on the wearer's subjective consciousness, unless this young man named Zhong Yu has extraordinary willpower and can guard his original intent, forcibly suppressing the power of the Yin amulet with his own mind to make it work. Otherwise... it shouldn't be this slow."

Qi Yan reined in his slight jealousy and chimed in with his own analysis. "I think... as fellow Yin amulet holders, I can empathize. If I myself actively try to repel the Yin amulet, its power is indeed delayed and weakened. Unless I actively summon it from within my heart, the... 'Mother's' abilities remain very passive."

Uncle Yan nodded. "Alright then, regardless of why he has managed to remain safe and sound up to now, the whereabouts of the new Yin amulet have become clear, and we should plan ahead."

"There's one more thing... guess who I ran into when I went out today?" It was only then that Qi Yan brought up what had happened when he stepped outside earlier.

Hao Dalong couldn't sit still upon hearing this, abruptly standing up. "What?! She actually came to talk to you in person? This... is abnormal! It shouldn't be. That's not her style at all..."

Uncle Yan appeared relatively calm. He didn't seem particularly surprised, merely offering a cold chuckle. "No, no, no... That is precisely her style: using both coercion and enticement, applying both soft and hard tactics. It's just that... under normal circumstances, she rarely resorts to this. For her to suddenly pull this move at a juncture like this can only prove one thing: she is desperate! That's right, she must be desperate."

Qi Yan and Hao Dalong both turned to look at him. "Desperate?"

Uncle Yan nodded, took a sip of the broth from his instant noodle cup, and guessed thoughtfully, "Although I don't know why Xiao Yihong has concentrated most of her energy over the years on hunting down the Yin Palace amulets, or what ulterior motives she harbors—something I still haven't figured out—a person like her rarely panics."

Qi Yan frowned. "Actually, I care a lot about this. You mentioned before that those people have been secretly conducting some kind of dark research targeting various paranormal entities. But what on earth are they researching? Uncle Yan, if you know, I think you should lay your cards on the table for me."

Uncle Yan shook his head and sighed. "I don't know... If I knew, wouldn't everything be fine by now? What I can guess is that she certainly wants to unlock the secrets of the 'Yin Palace' as well, and in that regard, her goal aligns with ours.

"We want to explore the Yin Palace to find a way to sever the karmic bond between the Yin amulets and their holders. But why she is also dedicated to exploring the Yin Palace... I truly can't guess. Either way... I reckon she isn't up to anything good."

At this point, Qi Yan thought of another question. "Uncle Yan, tell me... What happens if those Yin amulets whose karmic ties have already been severed—becoming unowned items like the 'Meta-Insect' you mentioned earlier—are acquired by someone else? Can other people also use the power of these unowned amulets?"

Hearing him ask this, Hao Dalong slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Ah, right! You hit the nail on the head! That's what I used to think. These Yin amulets have such overbearing powers—it's like having seven supreme, heaven-defying supernatural abilities! If someone were to gather all the Yin amulets..."

"Can you summon a divine dragon?" Uncle Yan cut him off before he could finish, letting out a sarcastic laugh. "Stop talking nonsense... As I said just now, both of our factions have dedicated many years to exploring the Yin Palace. To be honest, Xiao Yihong understands the secrets of the 'Yin Palace' and these Yin amulets much better than I do. She knows all too well how severe the dangers of the Yin amulets are, so she could never genuinely desire to possess this kind of power... While I can't guess her true motive, the fact that... she actually came in person to try and win Qi Yan over proves at least one thing: whatever she is after, she is truly desperate!"