Chapter 94

Ying Qing: "Grandmaster and Master have both lost years of their lives due to the long-term depletion of their true essence."

Zhou Xinyuan opened the fan in his hand, fanned his face a few times, and the tear marks on his face instantly vanished like smoke. He then suddenly turned around and walked back into the hall, standing in front of the dais and asked, "What do you mean?"

Ying Qing said dejectedly, "I didn't know before. It was only when Master entrusted me with the details of the events leading up to his death that I learned about the crippled old man in the wheelchair in the village, who is actually Ashi Heng's father, Ajie Zhang, and his significant background..."

He then began to recount the identity of Ajie Zhang, the physician, and the connection between Linglong Temple and Ajie Zhang, which all started with the tower in Linglong Temple.

Inside Linglong Temple, there is a three-zhang-tall black iron tower called the Linglong Tower. The tower has multiple eaves, and each eave is adorned with a bell. The wind chimes are not just for show; for the inner disciples of Linglong Temple, they are the key to practicing the Sound Word Technique.

One day, years ago, an incredible scene unfolded: the iron tower was struck and toppled by a meteor from the sky, and the tower was destroyed. This was a matter of great importance to Linglong Temple, and they spared no effort to repair it. However, due to the special materials required, they sought the help of Ajie Zhang, the physician, to find the necessary materials using the mountain-searching abilities of his department. Ajie Zhang was a great help, and his actions were deeply appreciated by Linglong Temple.

Linglong Temple promised to repay him!

Years later, when Ajie Zhang was dismissed from his post and was about to leave the capital, he sent a message to Linglong Temple, making an agreement that Linglong Temple would send a skilled expert to escort him.

However, the sky is unpredictable. The Grandmaster, who was responsible for the escort, encountered old grudges on the way and was entangled, leading to a tragic event that almost wiped out the entire Ajie family.

In short, the Grandmaster arrived too late. On his way, he encountered the assassins who were targeting the Ajie family. A servant of Ajie Zhang, who was lying on the ground but still alive, begged for help. Only then did the Grandmaster realize that Ajie Zhang was in danger.

Shocked, the Grandmaster immediately used the Sound Word Technique to find Ajie Zhang's direction and rushed over, managing to save the father and son.

Unfortunately, by the time the Grandmaster went to save the others, it was too late.

In fact, when he decided to save the father and son first, the Grandmaster had already made a difficult choice. There was no way around it; the Ajie family had scattered in all directions, and the assassins clearly wanted to ensure that no one survived to spread the news. They also scattered to pursue the family members. In a panic, the Grandmaster could only save one group and not everyone at the same time.

Afterward, the Grandmaster was very regretful and apologized to Ajie Zhang, explaining the details. He was truly helpless, as he could not be in two places at once.

In his immense anger, the Grandmaster used the Sound Word Technique to hunt down the assassins, ensuring that none of them escaped. However, he could not force them to reveal the mastermind behind the attack, as the assassins were hired and did not know the identity of their employer.

The Grandmaster did not leave any of the assassins alive, slaughtering them all.

Later, he pursued the leader of the assassin group, hoping to trace the mastermind, but he arrived too late, and the leader had already been silenced.

That time, Ashi Heng's mother, brother, and sister all died, and most of the servants and guards also perished. Only the father and son survived, and Ajie Zhang was severely injured, left with a lifelong disability.

The escort mission became a source of deep guilt for Linglong Temple, a burden they could not shake off.

Ajie Zhang had done a great favor for Linglong Temple, and Linglong Temple had promised to repay him. However, when Ajie Zhang trusted Linglong Temple and relied on them, they failed to arrive in time due to their own mistakes, leaving the family unprepared and leading to their destruction.

Later, the Grandmaster sacrificed years of his life to save the severely injured Ajie Zhang.

Ajie Zhang, who was not expected to live long enough to see his youngest son grow up, was kept alive by the Grandmaster's cultivation, who continuously nurtured and sustained his body. In essence, the Grandmaster was using his own cultivation to extend Ajie Zhang's life.

The Grandmaster, who could have lived longer, lost many years due to the long-term depletion of his true essence and passed away before Ajie Zhang.

After the Grandmaster's death, the Master took over the task, using his own cultivation to sustain Ajie Zhang's life.

In the end, Ajie Zhang, worn down by his old injuries and the aging of his body, passed away a year ago, despite all the efforts to sustain him.

The Master also followed the Grandmaster, not living much longer than Ajie Zhang. He passed away a few months before Ying Qing left the mountain.

On his deathbed, the Master entrusted the task to Linglong Temple, insisting that they must safely escort Ashi Heng to the capital to fulfill Ajie Zhang's final wish.

The Master had wanted his younger brother, Zhou Xinyuan, to escort Ashi Heng, as Zhou Xinyuan was stronger and more reliable. However, Zhou Xinyuan was elusive, and even the Master could not find him unless he returned to the mountain.

To ensure the mission's success, the Master entrusted the task to his disciple, Ying Qing.

Firstly, as a true inner disciple, Ying Qing's cultivation was higher than the other three disciples, making him a stronger protector. Secondly, the other three disciples were hesitant to deal with the authorities, as they had once left the temple and were now wanted criminals.

As a result, the Grandmaster's mistake left Ajie Zhang crippled, and Ying Qing's mistake left Ajie Zhang's son crippled. What a mess!

When he mentioned that a bowl of spirit rice had attracted a demon and injured Ashi Heng, forcing him to take the exam on his behalf, Ying Qing looked utterly dejected.

Zhou Xinyuan remained silent. He knew that Ajie Zhang had been brought to Jiupochun by his Master, and he had suspected that Ajie Zhang had a significant background. He had asked his Master, but the Master had not told him. He never imagined that there was such a deep connection and that his Master had been secretly sustaining Ajie Zhang's life.

Now, he understood why his Master had not told him. Knowing his disciple, he would have definitely tried to stop his Master from sustaining Ajie Zhang's life, and he might have even secretly killed Ajie Zhang!

He also understood why Ying Qing was in a difficult position. If he ran away, he would ruin Ashi Heng's future and betray his Master's final wish!

The room was silent for a long time. Then, Zhou Xinyuan suddenly asked, "Did the Master pass the position of Abbot to you?"

Ying Qing: "No, he passed it to you." He observed Zhou Xinyuan's reaction.

Zhou Xinyuan raised an eyebrow, "The position of Abbot would not be given to a disciple of the Sound Word Technique without special circumstances. Did you think I didn't know why the Master forced you to practice the technique? He was afraid the Abbot's calligraphy would be embarrassing!"

"Uh..." Ying Qing made a strange sound, like a duck being choked, and then sighed, "The position was passed to me, but do you know what my Master did on his deathbed?"

Zhou Xinyuan was curious and waited for Ying Qing to continue.

"My Master called us all together and, in front of the three fools, passed the position of Abbot to me. He said, 'The position should be held by the most virtuous.' Anyone who could defeat me could become the Abbot. Also, the wealth managed by the Abbot, which should have been passed to me, was divided into four parts and shared among us. Now, the three fools are opposing my leadership!"

"Did you beat them up?"

"I can't defeat them. They are waiting for you to return and take the position, hoping you will give them some relief. Uncle, you don't need to fight for it. We are family. If you want, I can transfer the position to you at any time."

"Being the Abbot means making people sweep the floor and plant vegetables every day? In this poor temple, even rats don't want to visit. I can't stay here. You keep it for now. I'll consider returning when I'm tired of the secular world."

Zhou Xinyuan sneered and then pondered, "The Master did that... You are young and lack experience and virtue. The Master couldn't tell them the truth about the inner disciples, so he had to find an excuse to pass the position to you. He didn't want to disappoint the other disciples, so he made it seem fair. If he had driven them away, you would be a lonely Abbot, wouldn't you?"

"Ah!" Ying Qing sighed and waved his hand, "That's not important now. The current situation is more pressing. Make a decision."

Zhou Xinyuan was silent, understanding Ying Qing's difficulties, but he still sensed something amiss, "I don't understand. Leaking exam questions is a serious matter. Why did that girl give you the exam questions?"

Ying Qing sighed, "Uncle, can you be a bit more mature? Stop thinking about women all the time. I said it was a man, not a girl!"

Zhou Xinyuan: "Fine, then why did that guy give you the exam questions?"

Ying Qing: "He said it was to repay me for saving his life. I saved him a few times."

Zhou Xinyuan was curious, "What happened?"

Ying Qing felt that his younger uncle was interested in Chong'er. Without much thought, he recounted their shared hardships after they met, omitting the part about winning first place in the riddle contest at Wenhua Academy. He only mentioned that they discovered Chong'er had been captured, and he went to rescue him, accidentally entering the demon realm and capturing a fire cricket before escaping.

Most of it was true, except for the parts involving money, which he was too embarrassed to mention.

However, his younger uncle knew him too well. He knew that for someone he had just met and had no deep connection with, the first thing Ying Qing did after escaping from the prison cart was not to save himself but to risk his life to save Chong'er. This seemed suspicious, and Zhou Xinyuan raised an eyebrow, waiting for Ying Qing to continue.

After Ying Qing finished, Zhou Xinyuan coldly said, "Are you sure you've told me everything?"

Ying Qing blinked, "At this point, how could I joke with you?"

Zhou Xinyuan closed his fan and placed it on the table, "I've thought it over. At this critical moment for the sect, as a disciple of Linglong Temple, I have a responsibility to take on this task. Since you think I am more suitable for the position, fine, you step down immediately, and I will take over."

The two, who had been grieving over the old Abbot's death, now seemed to take it in stride.

"Uh..." Ying Qing was taken aback. He was reluctant to give up the position and said, "Uncle, isn't this a bit too hasty?"