The old monk overestimated Lu Zheng’s interest in the various sects of the southern border, so he died, contributing a considerable amount of luck’s light, making his death somewhat valuable.
…
“I really didn’t expect this guy to be so cunning,” Lu Zheng complained. “Just swearing not to kill him wasn’t enough. I also had to promise not to place a mark on him, none of you could act, and we couldn’t leave the manor…”
Hua Yixing and the other women looked at Lu Zheng speechlessly. If they hadn’t just witnessed the verbal sparring and linguistic traps between Lu Zheng and the old monk, they might have actually believed his nonsense.
Although they didn’t get any specific information from the old monk, Lu Zheng still learned some general, non-confidential details.
For some unknown reason, the major sects in the southern border had temporarily set aside their disputes and grudges, significantly reducing conflicts among themselves.
As a result, many self-serving, unorthodox practitioners turned their attention to the Great Jing Dynasty.
Previously, evil cultivators who either didn’t dare to come to the Great Jing Dynasty or caused chaos in the southern border began sneaking into the dynasty to stir trouble.
For instance, the Blissful Heavenly Maiden Enchantment Realm that the old monk was refining required the souls of beautiful women with cultivation.
While the southern provinces of the Great Jing Dynasty weren’t exactly overrun with demons, they had become relatively dangerous. Many powerful demonic figures, who already held grudges against the dynasty, were now fishing in troubled waters, aiming to destabilise it.
Thus, mid-tier practitioners like the old monk infiltrated deeper into the heartland of the Central Plains.
Lu Zheng rubbed his chin. “There are still so many crooked practitioners in the cultivation world. I thought everyone was peacefully cultivating, pursuing immortality.”
Shen Ying smiled. “How could that be? Immortality is difficult. Many fall into indulgence. Besides, Lu-lang, wasn’t the first strange entity you encountered a heart-digging, skin-peeling painted corpse ghost?”
“That’s just a strange entity,” Lu Zheng waved his hand. “But this Enchantment Realm the old monk was preparing, aside from combat, it can’t just be for pleasure, right? Unless…”
Lu Zheng paused. “Alright, it could indeed aid his spiritual cultivation?”
Liu Qingyan nodded. “That should be the case. This old monk came from the Enchantment Valley, which sounds like a sect focused on soul cultivation.”
“Why disguise himself as a monk? Isn’t he afraid of the Buddhist sects coming after him?”
Shen Ying laughed. “Didn’t he mention having many nun disciples? Perhaps the Enchantment Valley’s techniques originate from Buddhism. The Daoist sects have three thousand branches, and Buddhism has many schools too. In the Western Buddhist Kingdom, there’s even the Joyful Zen, centred on universal love. It’s not surprising for an evil offshoot to emerge from it.”
Lu Zheng was speechless.
“What about these two bodies? Dig a pit and bury them?” Hua Yixing stepped forward.
If Lu Zheng hadn’t appeared today, they might have been completely taken down by the old monk.
If Lu Zheng knew Hua Yixing’s thoughts, he would tell her to drop the “might have.” The luck’s light extracted through the jade seal wouldn’t lie.
“Bury them,” Lu Zheng nodded, then added, “But first, let’s search the body.”
“Search the body?” Hua Yixing didn’t understand.
“I mean, check if he has anything valuable on him, like this.” Lu Zheng reached out, used a transportation technique, and picked up the brass alms bowl that had fallen to the ground.
“Clang!”
He tapped it lightly and shook his head. “No good, it’s not pure.”
Everyone was speechless. A dignified magical artefact, and you’re concerned about whether the material is pure?
Lu Zheng channelled his true qi into the bowl, but it didn’t respond. It was clearly an exclusive artefact of the Enchantment Valley, requiring either a specific method or unique true qi.
“To use it, it needs to be cleansed and re-refined,” Lu Zheng said. “But we don’t need this thing. Might as well give it to Guangyue.”
Liu Qingyan covered her mouth and chuckled. “But Guangyue isn’t a wandering monk, is he?”
A temple monk, who uses an alms bowl?
Lu Zheng nodded. “I also think we shouldn’t let him have it so easily. It’ll be part of my collection then.”
…
This old monk wasn’t wealthy, nor did he carry cultivation manuals. Apart from the magical alms bowl, his only valuable possession was the light orb of the Blissful Heavenly Maiden Enchantment Realm.
Lu Zheng extracted the light orb from the old monk’s body and infused it with true qi. Though he couldn’t activate the Enchantment Realm, the orb flickered incessantly, emitting rays of light. Translucent figures appeared faintly within the orb, their eyes vacant, seemingly without consciousness.
These were the souls of the heavenly maidens in the Enchantment Realm, all women killed by the old monk.
“So pitiful,” Bai Ting’er couldn’t help but clutch Lin Jing’er’s sleeve. The thought that her own soul could have been refined into such a thing made her tremble with dread.
Liu Qingyan’s eyes showed sympathy as she nodded. “Their souls have sunk into oblivion, their true spirits lost in a sea of desire, unaware of themselves, like walking corpses.”
Hua Yixing glanced at Lu Zheng and couldn’t help but say, “Let their souls return to the heavens?”
Before Lu Zheng could respond, Shen Ying took the light orb. “Hold on. Though their souls have sunk, their true spirits aren’t extinguished. If we break the secret technique and nurture them for a while, they can recover their true spirit memories.”
“But they’re already like this,” Yu Mingxin couldn’t help but say. “Restoring their true spirit memories, wouldn’t that be even crueller?”
Hua Yixing reminded, “Their souls have been refined and can’t cultivate independently. They’re like branches needing a trunk to rely on. Even sending them to the Netherworld would be useless.”
“I know,” Shen Ying said. “But I am an incense deity, rooted in the ‘Peach Blossom’ poem, originally an immortal peach tree. I lack peach blossom maidens. They can use my incense power to achieve longevity.”
“What?”
The five women gasped, looking at Shen Ying with astonishment and envy.
Shen Ying smiled. “They were unjustly killed by the old monk and may not be willing to just die. I’ll restore their true spirit memories and ask them.
If they don’t wish to exist as soul entities, I’ll let their souls return to the heavens. If they’re willing to rely on me, I can grant them the status of peach blossom maidens, choosing peach trees as their vessels. They can then serve as my divine attendants, cultivating through the peach trees or following the path of incense divinity.”
Shen Ying shrugged. “Instead of letting them fade into nothingness in oblivion, it’s better to let them decide their own futures.”
Yu Mingxin nodded, convinced.
“Third Sister, let’s dig a pit,” Lin Jing’er said to Hu Cainiang.
“No need, leave it to me,” Lu Zheng said. He waved his hand, grabbing Ji Zizhen’s body and then the old monk’s. His figure sank and disappeared into the ground.
Lu Zheng realised that the earth-travel technique was also an excellent way to dispose of bodies.
