Chapter 69

Zhenbao had indeed killed two Bhikshus just now, but it was all through trickery and ambush, striking when they were in a state of ecstasy. His true skills were far from a match—let alone now, facing six opponents head-on!

Before he could even take a few steps, a fierce kick from the side hit his waist, sending him flying and landing on the ground in pain. Before he could get up, he was already lifted by his hair.

In a panic, Zhenbao thrust the dagger at the shadow in front of him. Just as he exerted force, his wrist was seized by something like an iron clamp, causing unbearable pain. His grip loosened, and the dagger fell.

Then a punch landed on his head...

In a moment, he was captured by the two Bhikshus.

Seeing Zhenbao fall so quickly, the tall and thin Bhikshu looked displeased and said, "What a pair of good-for-nothings, unable to handle a mere child—how fortunate for you to die and achieve liberation, otherwise, falling into my hands, death would be so easy?" He walked to the bodies and kicked aside their robes, spitting, "Just as I thought!"

He immediately guessed that the two had been ambushed and killed. If so, then Zhenbao might not be of much value.

He thought for a moment, then walked to Zhenbao, raised his palm, and chanted a Buddhist mantra. His other hand circled above Zhenbao's head, muttering continuously, as if reciting a spell or funeral rites. The Bhikshu beside him took out a porcelain bottle from his robe and opened it, holding it in front of Zhenbao.

The bottle emitted a pungent odor. Zhenbao recognized the smell from the cave and pretended to struggle fiercely.

The Bhikshu was not gentle, pinching Zhenbao's cheeks to force his mouth open and pouring the powder inside.

Once he let go, Zhenbao opened his mouth wide and panted heavily. After a few breaths, he suddenly rolled his eyes, lowered his head, and appeared to die on the spot. The tall and thin Bhikshu sighed and instructed, "This one won't be made into a corpse child. Wait half an hour, then collect his soul and report back."

The Bhikshu holding Zhenbao bowed and said, "Yes!" He then placed Zhenbao under a nearby tree and sat cross-legged to meditate.

The tall and thin Bhikshu continued, "If one understands, there is no blame; if one claims to understand, then there is a demon of emptiness entering the heart. The divine Buddha gave me these words just now, and I have understood. The Five Wheel Sect in the mountains is either dead or captured, with no survivors. We need not linger here. Let's go down the mountain. Ring the wheel bell to summon the corpse children and escort them back."

The remaining Bhikshus bowed and said, "Yes!" They immediately rang the bell, and the clear sound echoed for miles. Soon, black figures rushed toward them. Not only that, but the few people who had hidden in the pit also stood up and rushed over.

The Bhikshus moved quickly. In a short while, they had recalled the corpse children, packed their bags, and disposed of the two bodies and their souls. They respectfully reported to the tall and thin Bhikshu, who glanced at them and headed down the mountain, with the group following closely behind.

"Once you're done, come immediately. Do not delay!"

The last Bhikshu immediately bowed and said, "Yes! I dare not disobey!"

Zhenbao was anxious but dared not move. He waited for the time to pass, and suddenly felt the Bhikshu beside him stand up and grab his clothes, tearing them off!

He was terrified, thinking, "Damn it! Is this guy going to do the same thing as those two beasts?" Sichuan dialect immediately came to mind.

As he thought, his pants were also pulled off...

"Damn your ancestors!" At this moment, he could no longer hold back. He suddenly opened his eyes and stood up, only to see the Bhikshu staring at him in shock, holding a leather bag from which a golden, viscous liquid was flowing...

This seemed different from what he had expected?

Zhenbao realized he had guessed wrong. The Bhikshu quickly recovered, grabbed Zhenbao's arms, and lifted him up. In that split second, Zhenbao grinned and spat out a mouthful of saliva!

Immediately, a pungent smell filled his nose, familiar... The Bhikshu collapsed like a pile of mud!

Zhenbao stood steady, patted his chest, and said, "Scared me to death! I thought you were going to do the same thing, but it turns out you were preparing to cook me with oil..." Since the last incident, Zhenbao had a clear memory of being eaten. He looked at the Bhikshu, his anger rising, and kicked and punched him, shouting:

"You damn son of a bitch! I thought this drug only worked on us, but it works on you too! What's up? Now you can't stand up? Can't act tough?—Damn it, get up! Get up and fight me!"

In times of danger, Zhenbao reverted to the child he once was in the ghost market!

After a while, he saw a thin black smoke emanating from the Bhikshu's body, quickly coalescing. Zhenbao knew the drug was working and immediately pulled down his pants, aiming at the Bhikshu's crown, and urinated without hesitation.

Child's urine, a potent weapon against early-stage ghosts, caused the soul to hiss and smoke, fleeing into the night sky with惨叫声不绝于耳，阴气消散，显然无法进入轮回了。

Zhenbao happily pulled up his pants, found nothing of value on the Bhikshu, and left. He searched the mountain, and indeed, the Five Wheel Sect was gone. Not only were there no enemies, but even the bodies were missing. The mountain was desolate and silent, like a grave.

Since Kong Feng was not on the mountain, Zhenbao decided to follow the path of the tall and thin monk, taking some ripe fruits from the orchard to help his captured fellow disciples.

Save one if you can!

***

The Nu River.

The moon hung low, hidden by sea mist, and the rocks by the river were endless. The moonlight reflected on the river, and a small boat was drifting downstream. Two elderly men were drinking under the moon, dressed in fine clothing, with several men serving them, lighting candles and pouring wine, showing great respect.

The elder man at the head of the table looked haggard, wearing a thick, embroidered robe and a soft, golden velvet cushion on his knees. He sipped his wine. The other elder wore a silk robe and a soft leather vest, holding a folding fan that he occasionally opened, revealing the words:

"Third Ding, Fourth Jia."

After a sip of wine, the man in the silk robe sighed, "Brother Shi, I owe you a great deal. If you hadn't come to help me, how could that rich man have given me that ancient jade? Without that jade from the Qin King's spiritual vein, after our master passes away, Luwu would not be able to stay in the sect!"

Before Elder Shi could respond, he coughed, and a middle-aged man immediately came to pat his back. When the coughing subsided, he said, "Your name is Ji Qianwan, and wasn't that matter within your calculations? You dug up the rich man's request for my family to remove the ghosts from his house decades ago. What else could you not do? I merely accompanied you, which doesn't count as a favor, not at all!"

Elder Ji Qianwan laughed, "As the saying goes, planting trees bears fruit, and good deeds bring good results. If you hadn't helped the rich man, he wouldn't have given in. Regardless, I am grateful for your help this time." He leaned closer to Elder Shi and said slowly, "Why don't I ask the eldest brother to let you see him?"

Clang!

At the words "see him," Elder Shi's hand trembled, and the cup fell to the table. His eyes welled up with tears. After a moment of silence, he shook his head, "No!"

Though the words were soft, they carried the weight of countless decisions.

The middle-aged man could not hold back and cried out, "Father! Elder Ji is talking about your son! You haven't seen him in ten years, why don't you want to see him?" He pleaded, "Even if he made a mistake, he is still your son. Can't you at least see him?"

Elder Ji also urged, "Yes, Brother Shi! It's the eldest brother's seventieth birthday. While he's in a good mood, let's all go and ask the headmaster to let you see your son. Wouldn't that be good?"

"Yes, yes!" The middle-aged man nodded, "Father! Mother misses your son very much..."

Both men stared at Elder Shi, waiting for a nod, but he shook his head again, "No!"

"Father..."

"Brother Shi..."

Both tried to persuade him, but the old man suddenly shouted, "Don't mention this again!" His face was filled with sorrow, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "It's not that I don't want to see my own son, but I cannot, I dare not!"

He shook his head and continued, "That boy disobeyed the sect and fell in love with a demoness. Not only that, he brought upon himself a grave and dangerous cause and effect. The eldest brother risked his own safety to protect my rebellious son, but even so, he needs to be strong enough to resolve it... If I go to see him now and something goes wrong, all the efforts will be in vain. What then?"

He sighed, "I can only pray to heaven that my son, Bu Xing, practices well and soon understands the truth. If we are fated to meet in this life, we will. If not, so be it!"

Moved by his words, all three men shed tears and sighed deeply.

Just as they were grieving, Ji Qianwan's face changed. "Not good, it's a distress signal from the Dingjia Sect!" He immediately stood up, went out of the cabin, and pointed at the sky:

"Yang returns to Yin, the command is eternal!"

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