Bringing some shocking pranks to the Cultivation World

Body fluids are somewhat difficult to define as a part of the human body.

It's just like what Zhou Li is doing now, you could say this isn't something from his body, but once saliva is mixed into a bottle of water, in a broad sense, that water becomes a big mouthful of saliva. However, if you really want to be strict about it, there's definitely more water than saliva in there.

"This..."

The village chief beside him was stunned and at a loss for words. But considering Zhou Li was a future much-sought-after talent of decayed wood, the old man gritted his teeth and said, "It counts, it counts."

Zhou Li nodded his head. He wasn't unclear about what to do next, and, after pouring out one bottle, seeing it wasn't full, he wobbled to the nearby river, filled a bag with water, and did the same thing again.

After repeating this several times, Zhou Li grew impatient. He simply asked a stunned, beautiful woman nearby for a vat, and without using a scoop, he carried the vat back and forth a couple of times, filling the two buckets of Copper Coins with water completely.

Looking at the money vat full of water, the old man and the villagers fell silent. After a while, the village chief poked the floor with his cane, shook his head for a moment, and then said, "Passed."

Just as the old man finished saying this, Zhou Li saw in an instant the shadow of a bronze statue floating vaguely above the high mountain, its benevolent face watching over him with a pair of hollow eyes. But after Zhou Li blinked, the statue's shadow disappeared.

As expected.

Zhou Li's fingers moved slightly, and a glint of enlightenment flashed in his eyes. At that moment, the village chief, who had been observing Zhou Li's actions, also revealed a meaningful smile. He paused with his cane and said to Zhou Li,

"Young master, since you've passed the first challenge, let's move on to the second one, shall we?"

"Hmm."

Zhou Li nodded, straightforwardly following behind the village chief. Soon, the two arrived at a pitch-black hut that was completely airtight. Then, Zhou Li noticed that the crowd around had dispersed, leaving only himself and the village chief. After pushing open the door to the dark hut, the village chief stood slightly aside, half his body facing Divine Mount, turned his face, and with a strange smile, said to Zhou Li,

"Our second challenge is called 'Silver Handkerchief Opening'."

Perhaps years later, Zhou Li would still remember, on a sunny and breezy afternoon, the seventy-year-old man in the little dark room who spoke with him about the Silver Handkerchief Opening.

How disgusting.

Zhou Li, suppressing the urge to punch Lao Deng into the floorboards, pretended to be oblivious and asked, "So, what does this 'Silver... Handkerchief Opening' mean?"

"Do you see these handkerchiefs made of silver?"

Turning around, facing Zhou Li, the village chief said with a smile, "Using these handkerchiefs made of silver, tailor an entire set of clothes. The clothes don't have to cover the body, nor do they need to fit; as long as you can wear them, it's fine."

"And the time?"

"No time limit."

Making a gesture of invitation, the village chief said meaningfully, "However, when you put on the silver clothes, you cannot wear any other clothes."

"What?"

Zhou Li was taken aback for a moment, not quite understanding.

"Haha, just put on the silver clothes without wearing anything else, let the silver touch your skin, and that'll be fine. After the test is over, the silver clothes you made will be yours to keep."

After listening to the village chief's words, Zhou Li seemed to realize something. He didn't make a fuss but repeated with a hint of greed, "Are you saying that the silver clothes I make will be given to me?"

"That's right."

The old man, who was growing more fond of Zhou Li, squinted and asserted, "Sew as much as you want, take as much as you want."

"The silver, not heavy."

When Zhou Li walked into the dark room under the hopeful gaze of the village chief, from outside, the room appeared pitch-black, one couldn't even see their fingers in front of them. Yet as soon as he entered, Zhou Li was immediately taken aback by one dazzling flash of silver light after another.

A mountain of silver, layer upon layer of majestic silver.

What kind of inn is this? It was a huge barn filled with neatly stacked silver slabs. Zhou Li walked up to these slabs, reached out and touched them lightly, finding that they were all well-forged square silver slabs made of fine silver.

Zhou Li discovered that these silver pieces were engraved with various grand artworks, exuding an air of elegance beneath their opulent appearance. Needless to say, just the craft of these translucent thin pieces and the divine carving would fetch a high price if sold outside.

Moreover, these were all made of silver.

In the world of Da Ming, the currency was mainly based on Copper Coins and silver ingots. The mountain of silver before Zhou Li could even buy out all the shops in Shang Liang. Even the entire wealth of Shang Liang's richest, the Jie family, might not match a corner of this silver mountain. And now, these silver pieces were proudly presented before Zhou Li, ripe for the taking.

"No wonder..."

Zhou Li took a deep breath. He wasn't a saint. The sight of such a towering mountain of silver had a profound impact on him, and the greed deep within him grew for a moment, especially considering his sister's illness and the need for money.

But...

Shaking his head, Zhou Li's eyes instantly cleared. He knew that these silver pieces were definitely not pure and innocent wealth. Once he yielded to greed, he would probably have to stay here and live a degenerate life of luxury, draped in silver Pai incessantly.

He walked forward slowly toward a podium on which there was a box containing a delicate furnace and needlework. Of course, the most important item was a large bottle of high-quality, thick fish glue. Zhou Li estimated that if he used up this entire bottle of fish glue, he wouldn't have to worry about money in his next life.

Nor in the life after that.

Huh~

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Li stepped forward and began to work on the silver pieces according to his plan. First, he took off his robe and then started to affix the silver pieces onto its surface. The reason he was doing this was the same as before with Money Eye—the objective was to reduce the connection with the Mountain God.

Just now, when the village chief spoke of "Money Eye" and the man mentioned the rule discrepancy, Zhou Li had a vague realization about the true nature of Qiansan Pass.

He noticed that whenever the chief uttered something important, he would glance at Divine Mount not far away. And when Zhou Li passed the first challenge and saw the Mountain God's ethereal shadow on Divine Mount, he understood the essence of Qiansan Pass.

Once you enter Money Eye and cross the threshold, you can see the exalted Mountain God. But that's not enough. The coppery smell on you is insufficient, you must drape the silver on your body, shedding your human skin, leaving only the silver skin.

Then, you've entered Money Eye, your body clad in silver, but your insides are still impure, so you must pass the final challenge. You have to drink gold, fill your organs with this golden liquid, and only then do you truly become a servant under the Mountain God.

Or rather, a ghost.

As for why the old village chief changed the rules, the answer was quite simple. As a Spirit Qi Master, Zhou Li had a natural resistance to gods, demons, and spirits. The chief must have been guided by the Mountain God to make Zhou Li closer to the silver and copper, to strengthen the connection with the Mountain God.

So the question was.

Zhou Li, naked to the thread, lifted the robe laden with silver pieces and nodded significantly.

What can you really see?

Mountain God.

After speaking, Zhou Li donned the "silver garment"—silver on the outside, but only a robe inside—took a deep breath, adjusted the hem, and then walked out with commanding presence.

"Good, good!"

Seeing the well-tailored, even slightly attractive, silver garment on Zhou Li, and more importantly, the hint of bare flesh just beneath the robe, the village chief praised warmly. He then took a deep breath and, smiling, said to Zhou Li:

"Alright, young hero, you have passed this challenge."

"You may take off the silver garment and put on your own clothes."

Hmph.

Zhou Li laughed confidently. He walked up to the chief, patted him on the shoulder with a steady and forceful hand, and said:

"No need, I've grown fond of this silver garment."

Just like the chief wouldn't tell Zhou Li the secrets hidden within the silver pieces, Zhou Li also wouldn't tell the chief that his clothes had been burnt to ashes by the Demon Monk's fire, and all along this journey, he had worn nothing but a robe, with nothing underneath.

It wasn't that he wouldn't change—there was simply nothing to change into.