Chapter 82

Tonight is destined to be anything but peaceful.

Outside the Temple of the Orchid, the clouds that had been dispersed by Sun Ran’s roar gathered once more. The wind picked up, and then fine raindrops began to fall. After a while, the light rain turned into a moderate downpour, the pitter-patter of raindrops resuming, and the weather returned to its original state.

Amid the sound of wind and rain, the ethereal call of the tree spirit continued incessantly: "Xiao Qian~ Xiao Qian~"

The voice was weak and thin, barely audible, mingling with the rain, as if it had emerged from the depths of the netherworld, sending chills down the spines of the temple’s occupants.

"Is this even letting us live?" Li Yan muttered, gripping his Xiu Chun Dao, but he felt the weapon was awkward in his hands, lacking the confidence he usually had.

The women all huddled around Ke’er, seeking a sense of security from the female Taoist.

Yang Ting naturally turned to look at Sun Ran, seeing him still sitting calmly at the temple entrance. His heart eased, and he lowered his voice to ask, "Brother Changqing, what should we do?"

"It’s nothing to worry about. The demon dares not enter the temple; it’s just using the wind and rain to scare us." Sun Ran’s voice was clear and resonant. Having just demonstrated his power, his words carried a natural authority that easily calmed the unrest in the temple.

Sun Ran then looked at Xiao Qian, who still appeared frightened, her already pale face almost transparent. He asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are you so frightened, young lady?"

He had assumed that the female ghost was afraid of the tree spirit’s power, but now that he had shown his strength and kept the tree spirit at bay for so long, there was no reason for her to remain afraid.

Xiao Qian bit her lip and remained silent, but tears welled up in her eyes, rolling down and quickly evaporating into the air, suggesting some hidden reason.

"You can speak freely, young lady."

Sun Ran’s tone was very gentle, and his expression was as calm as ever. His appearance was strikingly handsome, and his every movement was graceful, which, despite his earlier deception, gave Xiao Qian great courage. She finally spoke: "Sir, my remains are buried near the Temple of the Orchid. They must have been dug up by the old demon. If she destroys them, I will cease to exist."

She no longer called him "young master" but "sir."

Sun Ran was taken aback, not expecting this. What did a dead person’s remains have to do with anything?

However, Chang'e, who had been closely observing the situation in the temple, knew what was happening. She immediately contacted Sun Ran: "This is likely a fixation of Xiao Qian’s consciousness, rooted in a widely accepted folk legend from the Confucian world. According to the legend, the remains, whether alive or dead, are the soul’s anchor. If the remains are destroyed and the soul cannot enter the cycle of rebirth, it will dissipate."

Xiao Qian was currently in a state where she could not enter the cycle of rebirth. In her subconscious, her remains were her only anchor. Without them, she would cease to exist, which is why she lingered around the Temple of the Orchid.

If one compares human consciousness to an intelligent brain, then Xiao Qian’s fixation is a self-destruct command, and the destruction of her remains is the trigger. Once the remains are destroyed, the "intelligent brain" that is Xiao Qian will self-destruct.

This kind of subconscious fixation is very difficult to resolve with brute force, as it would have severe side effects. The only way to resolve it without side effects is to fulfill Xiao Qian’s wish to gather her remains.

"The remains must be retrieved and kept with her at all times for her to feel secure and maintain the stability of her consciousness." Chang'e, aware of the danger, spoke with urgency.

"Understood." Sun Ran responded in his mind and then said gently to Xiao Qian, "If that’s the case, you should lead me there."

Xiao Qian shook her head: "Sir, it’s too dangerous outside the temple. The old demon must have set up an ambush. I can’t involve you in this."

She harbored a grudge against the Taoist who had deceived her, but she did not want to see him in danger, a complex emotion she herself could not fully understand.

Oh, such noble sentiments?

Sun Ran felt moved. This matter should be resolved as soon as possible to avoid any mishaps. He insisted, "A mere tree spirit is no match for me. Take me there quickly."

Xiao Qian remained silent, shaking her head and shedding tears, her appearance pitiful. The others in the temple, seeing her, felt their fear of the female ghost diminish, thinking she was actually a pitiful soul.

Ke’er spoke up, "Xiao Qian, go with my senior brother. He’s very powerful. I’ll protect everyone here, so there’s nothing to worry about."

She had quietly released a divine poison gas throughout the temple, making it impossible for anyone to break in.

Madam Yang also urged, "Sister, since Daoist Changqing has spoken, you should go."

Xiao Qian knew Sun Ran’s abilities and her expression softened. Sun Ran extended his hand at the right moment, and Xiao Qian finally agreed, placing her light and cold hand in his warm palm, allowing him to pull her up.

Seeing Xiao Qian’s thin clothing, Sun Ran reached out and lightly touched her, a faint white light spreading over her body, transforming into a white dress similar to her original one.

This was a manifestation of the soul-stabilizing technique, similar to the white dress the tree spirit had, but much more advanced. Once she put it on, Xiao Qian immediately felt warm, with no trace of coldness.

"Let’s go, lead me to where your remains are buried," Sun Ran said with a smile.

"Okay," Xiao Qian lowered her head to hide her blush, and let Sun Ran lead her out of the temple, quickly leaving the Temple of the Orchid.

Outside the temple, the tree spirit, seeing Sun Ran appear with the female ghost she had painstakingly cultivated, was filled with rage. She immediately mustered her strength, emerging from the darkness, and from a distance of several dozen meters, pointed at Sun Ran and shouted, "You despicable Taoist, lusting after women, you dare to steal my female ghost! Today, I will make you both dissipate into nothingness!"

In her hand was a clay jar the size of a head, presumably containing Xiao Qian’s remains.

Sun Ran was well aware of the tree spirit’s plan and knew that she was likely destined to be struck by lightning. He was not angry. He pulled Xiao Qian closer, letting her hide behind him, and said calmly, "Give me the jar, and I’ll spare your life."

The tree spirit, in a fit of rage, threw the jar into the air and a greenish glow emanated from her cane, which she swung viciously at the jar: "I hate your smile the most. I’ll destroy this thing and see how you smile then!"

As the cane was about to hit the jar, Xiao Qian let out a pitiful cry, and her body began to blur.

Sun Ran was startled, realizing how powerful a fixation could be. Something that had no inherent connection could become a matter of life and death once given meaning by one’s consciousness.

Since being alerted by the intelligent brain, Sun Ran had been prepared, using a delayed casting technique to gather data.

As soon as the tree spirit made her move, Sun Ran acted without hesitation, using a Taoist spell: Dragon Capture.

Dragon Capture is a third-level Taoist spell, capable of descending into the netherworld and ascending to the heavens, searching the seas and capturing true dragons for play.

The Dragon Capture hand and the Dragon Capture diagram are part of a series of Taoist spells created by the Supreme Deity Laozi. Among Sun Ran’s disciples, this one was the most cunning and had the highest level of Taoist spells. Sun Ran liked using his spells.

As the spell was cast, a pair of giant hands glowing with a clear light appeared in the air in front of Sun Ran, swiftly reaching the tree spirit. One hand caught the cane just before it hit the jar, and with a squeeze, the cane shattered into pieces, turning to dust. This was the tree spirit’s life’s work, and she immediately let out a scream, spitting out blood.

A third-level spell against a second-level one had this devastating effect. To Xiao Qian, the man before her seemed exceptionally valiant, ten times more powerful than the strongest hero she could imagine.

She naturally thought: This man is so kind, so handsome, and so capable. I really want to stay with him, but he deceived me with sweet words… But it wasn’t really sweet words; he said he genuinely felt that way. Yes, it’s not that he doesn’t want to, but he can’t marry me. There must be some reason.

Sigh, what should I do?

At this moment, her grudge had long vanished.

Sun Ran, unaware of the girl’s inner turmoil, used one Dragon Capture hand to grab the jar and the other to seize the tree spirit’s body, ready to crush it into a pulp.

At the last moment, the tree spirit gave a bitter laugh, pulled out a silent magic ball, and threw it to the ground: "Despicable Taoist, I’ll show you! Go to hell!"