My family tree hollow connects to the modern era : Chapter 39

At the Bureau office, Bai Zhizhi sat in the logistics department office watching television. The news was playing, reporting the final verdict for the owner of the Fulu Restaurant.

It is said that due to the “Xianyu” (Envy Fish) incident, the death toll has reached five. Fortunately, usable medication has now been found; after blocking the nerve conduction and improving metabolic capacity, the treatment effect for those who were not deeply poisoned has been quite good.

Because the Fulu Restaurant owner fed and sold unidentified wild game fish that led to deaths, and because the circumstances were serious and the impact was malicious, he was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment.

Bai Zhizhi did not understand, so he asked the person next to him: “What does life imprisonment mean? Does it mean being locked up forever?”

The logistics staff replied: “Yes, locked up forever, serving a sentence in prison for the rest of his life.”

Upon hearing this verdict, Bai Zhizhi was a bit puzzled: “Is this the highest punishment you have here? He caused people to die; shouldn’t he pay with his life?”

The logistics person said: “The highest penalty is the death penalty. Although this incident involved him selling fish which led to others’ deaths, he did not know that the danger of the fish was so severe. Plus, his assets were confiscated, which can be considered a bit of compensation. Also, life imprisonment requires working in prison for a lifetime, which can also be considered making a contribution back to society.”

Bai Zhizhi said “Oh.” So it wasn’t just about locking people up. If that’s the case, life imprisonment seems a bit more miserable than the death penalty.

Just as he was about to ask what other punishments existed here, a familiar voice sounded from behind him: “Zhizhi.”

Bai Zhizhi turned his head and was surprised to see the person: “Jiang Lin, you’re out!”

Jiang Lin walked into the office with a smile: “What do you mean ‘I’m out’? You make it sound like I was in jail.”

As he spoke, he walked to Bai Zhizhi’s side and looked him up and down for a moment: “You’ve become a bit more rounded in just a few days. It looks like you’ve taken good care of yourself.”

Bai Zhizhi replied: “Uncle Gao feeds me four or five times a day. Even when I say I’m full, he insists on stuffing more into me.”

Added to the fact that he had been lazy and hadn’t been cultivating these past few days, he had naturally gained some weight.

Jiang Lin said: “Come back with me. Don’t disturb them while they work.”

The logistics staff hurriedly said: “No disturbance at all! Zhizhi is quite obedient, and he even shares snacks with us every day.”

They didn’t know that Bai Zhizhi was a demon; they just saw him chasing after Team Leader Lu every day asking for results, and Team Leader Lu couldn’t do anything about him, so he simply brought him to the logistics department, saying that if there were results, they would know immediately, so he should just wait here.

Since he arrived, the guy was curious about everything. Although he asked many questions, he wasn’t annoying. He would bring small snacks every day, and if they found a TV show or news for him to watch, it could keep him quiet for a long time. He was good-looking and well-behaved, so everyone liked him quite a bit.

Before, they wondered who Bai Zhizhi was to Team Leader Lu, thinking perhaps he was interested in the cultivation circle and was pestering him. They didn’t expect him to know Team Leader Jiang as well, which made them even more curious about Bai Zhizhi’s identity.

Jiang Lin: “I’m taking him back now. You guys go ahead and get busy.”

However, Bai Zhizhi held onto Jiang Lin: “We can’t go yet. Zhuang Lixu’s matter hasn’t reached a conclusion.”

Jiang Lin had just come out of Luoxia Village and came straight to find the fox without even returning to the small courtyard. He wasn’t very clear on who Zhuang Lixu was, but he had his own way of coaxing the fox: “Tell me about it on the way. I can help you ask for the result; you don’t need to wait here.”

Bai Zhizhi was mainly worried that Lu Mingyu would try to brush him off, but Lu Mingyu probably wouldn’t dare brush off Jiang Lin. So, while walking out with Jiang Lin, he told him about Zhuang Lixu, finally concluding: “If I had known, I wouldn’t have caught him. I should have at least waited until he finished his revenge.”

Jiang Lin fastened his seatbelt: “You did very well in this matter. It might look like you prevented Zhuang Lixu from getting his revenge, but you also helped him and protected many more people.”

Bai Zhizhi asked: “Who did I protect?”

Jiang Lin: “Do you know under what circumstances a spirit will linger after a person dies?”

Bai Zhizhi shook his head: “Everyone has a soul; they shouldn’t just disperse after death, right?”

Jiang Lin: “It’s for people with deep obsessions. Ordinary people enter the underworld soon after death and do not linger in the mortal world. Only those with lingering obsessions stay. But they don’t belong in the mortal world; staying for an extra day causes a certain amount of consumption to themselves, and too much consumption will lead to their soul scattering. Some spirits are satisfied once their great revenge is achieved and are willing to be reincarnated, while others do not wish to enter the underworld. In order to strengthen themselves, they will devour living souls. You protected many innocent people who might have died unjustly at the hands of those spirits.”

Before Bai Zhizhi could speak, Jiang Lin continued: “I know you pity Zhuang Lixu and feel that since he was harmed, his revenge is justified. But can you guarantee he would be willing to leave after his revenge? In the mundane world, what we cultivators do is maintain stability. If we encounter someone who died unjustly like Zhuang Lixu, we cannot leave him to his own devices. We must bring him back, clarify the grievances, and then use human laws to give him justice.”

Bai Zhizhi muttered: “The person is already dead. What’s the use of legal justice?”

Jiang Lin laughed: “The purpose of justice is to bring the truth to light. For families like the Miao, Liu, and Qin families, on the surface, they are entrepreneurs; if they run things well, they might even be charitable ones. Even if they die, people would just think it was an accidental death; nobody would know the evil they committed. Just like Zhuang Lixu, who was clearly murdered, but outsiders would only think he committed suicide. By investigating the truth and letting the world know how evil those three families were and how unjust Zhuang Lixu’s death was, we can restore his family’s reputation and warn the world that evil deeds will eventually meet retribution. It might not bring the dead back to life, but this warning can reduce the occurrence of crime.”

“And like the Wan Fang family you mentioned she was a teacher. Now that she is dead, others will still regard her as a good teacher, not knowing that she, as a teacher, led bullying against students and ruined a student’s life. Shouldn’t we expose the true face of such a person?”

After Bai Zhizhi pondered for a moment, Jiang Lin said: “If you were wronged, wouldn’t you want to clear your name in addition to seeking revenge, letting the world know that those accusations against you were false and maliciously fabricated?”

Bai Zhizhi went quiet.

Jiang Lin started the car: “Besides, bringing Zhuang Lixu back doesn’t mean he won’t get his revenge; it just means the method of revenge is different. In the end, those who did bad things must pay the price.”

Bai Zhizhi: “You won’t scatter his soul just because he killed people, right?”

Jiang Lin said seriously: “I can guarantee that won’t happen. The only case where we would scatter a spirit is if they slaughtered the innocent to an uncontrollable degree. Like Zhuang Lixu, because you brought him back in time and prevented worse consequences, we will only perform a rite to send him off to reincarnation. So, catching him is also helping him.”

Bai Zhizhi felt the small amount of guilt in his heart smoothed over by Jiang Lin: “Fine, I’ll trust you once. What did you bring out from inside this time? When will I get my thirty percent?”

Jiang Lin: “The entire energy field has your thirty percent. What’s the rush? We brought out quite a few things this time. After everything is sorted out, it will naturally be shared with you. But do you want to tell me more about the Huer incident?”

When Huer was mentioned, Bai Zhizhi got angry: “You don’t know how excessive they were! They actually resorted to framing people!”

Lu Mingyu returned from running errands and took a detour to buy a box of crispy fried chicken legs that had been very popular lately. When he carried the food to the logistics department, he didn’t see the person who was supposed to be watching TV there: “Where is Bai Zhizhi?”

Seeing it was Lu Mingyu, someone said: “Team Leader Jiang just came and took Zhizhi away.”

Lu Mingyu said nothing and turned to leave. After two steps, he turned back and put the fried chicken legs on the table: “You guys share them.”

Jiang Lin is back; that pestering fox shouldn’t come to bother him anymore. That’s good.

Bai Zhizhi chatted all the way, recounting everything from the midnight shadow breaking into the courtyard to capturing Zhuang Lixu on the roadside.

He especially emphasized the part about ruining Huer and Aike’s supernatural power cores at the Bureau: “They didn’t have much real ability, but their schemes were one after another. If they hated me and came to challenge me head-on in a one-on-one, I might even think higher of them.”

Jiang Lin praised: “Some people lack the strength and can only use underhanded methods. Zhizhi is very smart not to fall for their tricks. It was lucky that the safety of the courtyard was entrusted to you. It’s a good thing you were there.”

Bai Zhizhi said proudly: “That’s for sure. I could see through their little tricks at a glance.”

Jiang Lin looked at his proud little face and continued to compliment him: “Thank you, Zhizhi, for guarding the courtyard for me.”

On the way back, Jiang Lin had basically figured out the events of this period. To be honest, he was surprised that Bai Zhizhi had only destroyed their power cores instead of taking their lives. Even for himself, if he had been provoked like that time and again, he wasn’t sure if he could have kept his temper in check.

Looking at the person next to him who was simply happy and delighted, Jiang Lin looked away and also revealed a smile. The little fox was great, even better than he had imagined.

When they arrived back at the courtyard, even before entering, they could feel the spiritual energy wafting with the scent of fruit. Jiang Lin was stunned: “What’s in the house? Why is the spiritual energy so rich?”

Bai Zhizhi pushed the door open: “We’re back.”

Uncle Bi was carefully pruning leaves from the grapevines that were beginning to turn yellow. These plants grown from spiritual soil and spiritual spring water carried spiritual energy even when withered. Once he collected some and buried them in his vegetable garden, the vegetables he grew would surely be even more juicy and fresh.

Hearing Bai Zhizhi’s voice, Uncle Bi looked back. Just as he was about to ask why they were back so early today, he saw Jiang Lin behind him: “Little Jiang, you’re back. Why are you the only one? Where are Dao’an and Xiao Yang?”

Jiang Lin: “They are still in Luoxia Village. We brought back many things this time that need to be sorted out. Is this spiritual fruit?”

Uncle Gao, hearing the voice, came out of the house as well and smiled: “Yes, Zhizhi grew them. We’ve already harvested one batch; there was too much to eat, so we made grape jam.”

Spiritual fruit, too much, can’t finish eating… How did these words sound like a dream he hadn’t woken up from?

Yue Zhihuan ran out of the kitchen, happily jumping around Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin smiled and said: “Your brother and the others can’t come back for the time being. The list for entering the energy field is almost finalized. Once they rest for two more days, they will have to go in again.”

Yue Zhihuan gestured: *It’s okay. As long as brother and the others are safe. We are all doing fine at home. You all need to be careful outside; don’t worry about home.*

After gesturing, Yue Zhihuan ran into the house, brought out grapes freshly picked that morning, and offered them to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin looked at Bai Zhizhi: “Can I eat one?”

Bai Zhizhi: “If you want to eat, just eat.” He wasn’t such a stingy fox; why ask him about this?

Jiang Lin smiled upon hearing this: “Thank you, Zhizhi.”

Bai Zhizhi turned his face away. It’s just eating a grape; humans are just so pretentious.

Huang Tianli and Lu Renjie, who were guarding the courtyard, saw Jiang Lin return and ran over: “Team Leader Jiang!”

Jiang Lin said: “Xiao Lu must have arranged for you to come. Thank you for your hard work these days.”

Huang Tianli said hurriedly: “It’s no trouble at all. Um, since you’re back, does that mean we need to go back to report?”

As he said this, his gaze couldn’t help but linger on the grapevines. This parting, he didn’t know when he would be able to see the spiritual fruit again, or if there would ever be another day. Thinking about it, he was even more reluctant.

Beside him, Lu Renjie remained silent. Lu Mingyu and Jiang Lin were both their superiors; naturally, he would listen to whatever the superiors arranged.

Jiang Lin said: “You go back and find your Team Leader Lu first. See if the list for entering the energy field this time includes you two. If not this time, you can come back to the courtyard.”

The two acknowledged and packed their things simply before returning to report.

Watching them leave, Bai Zhizhi still felt a bit reluctant. Two gaming partners were gone, and many random teammates online were just bad. Sigh.

There were two main things brought out from the energy field this time: one was gold ore, and the other was water spiritual crystals. As for what was further inside, they did not probe deeply.

Every energy field is entered by cultivators from all nations together, because of the lessons learned in blood. Jiang Lin dared to take risks himself, but he would not disregard the safety of his own people. So, when the main force entered together, he wouldn’t let people probe dangerous areas, only scraping some spoils from the edges of the entry and exit points.

The gold mountain was near the entrance/exit. They set up camp directly at the foot of the mountain. After clearing the surrounding dangers, the army brought tools and instruments to mine in shifts day and night.

They were not sure how long this energy field could be maintained or how many times they could enter and exit so smoothly, so naturally, they had to strive to maximize the benefits each time.

Besides the gold ore, the other thing brought out was water spiritual crystals. With the beast-repelling liquid provided by Bai Zhizhi, Jiang Lin dived into the water very smoothly, but the water spiritual crystals were good at camouflage and hiding. He could only collect every kind of stone he saw into his storage device and screen them after getting ashore.

Although the several dives were dangerous, they did not know how long the beast-repelling liquid would last. Once the effectiveness expired, the “Envy Fish” in the lake would swarm to attack the outsiders who broke into their home. Fortunately, it ended without danger in the end, and quite a lot were brought back.

The first piece of water spiritual crystal discovered, after careful research and analysis by the research institute, was found to have a surprising use: in addition to being most beneficial to water spiritual root cultivators, its greatest function was purification. It could purify water sources.

Although cultivators with other spiritual roots could also absorb the spiritual energy in the water spiritual crystals, the conversion rate was low, resulting in waste due to the mismatch of spiritual roots.

Finally, after unanimous discussion and agreement, the authorities chose the capital as the testing point, putting the water spiritual crystals into special boxes and dropping them into creeks and lakes. If the purification effect met expectations, they would gradually deploy them nationwide.

So, Jiang Lin had two tasks after returning: one was to formulate the next entry plan, focusing on collecting water spiritual crystals, and the other was to formulate a deployment plan. To prevent the water spiritual crystals from being stolen, formations had to be set up at every deployment point.

These things would be buried deep under the water; ordinary people wouldn’t dive that deep. The defense was against some cultivators who could sense spiritual energy.

They brought out 120 water spiritual crystals this time. After putting aside the 30% that belonged to Bai Zhizhi, there were over 80 left. There were 18 large natural streams, rivers, and lakes in the capital. According to size, the number of water spiritual crystals deployed varied.

Deep in the night when the public was sound asleep, convoys set out from the Bureau, heading toward the target locations. Each team leader accompanied the convoy, responsible for their own deployment point.

According to the plan, each convoy reached its respective target location within the expected time. After measurement, spot-fixing, and preparations were all ready, everyone waited for the final instruction for deployment.

As pieces of water spiritual crystal entered the water and formations were spread out, those water spiritual crystals buried at the bottom of various lakes vibrated circle after circle of spiritual energy, dispersing and condensing with the water flow, purifying the filth in the water.

The purification effect might not be immediate, but if it was effective, it would be a long-term benefit.

Bai Zhizhi, who was in deep sleep, seemed to perceive something. He turned over and opened his eyes in a daze. Before he could carefully feel what that subtle change was, a faint itch appeared at the end of his tailbone.

Bai Zhizhi sat up abruptly, turned his head to look at his bottom. How did he feel his tail was a bit itchy?