Chapter 85: Who His Clothes Believe In, What Does That Have to Do with Him?

In the Ning family home…

On a winter night…

After one cry, there was another, as if it were contagious, but… this time it came from the sister-in-law’s room.

“Ugly Slave” Ning Gang had not yet returned, and the Ning family had long since split into two groups.

The old madam was overjoyed, running back and forth between the two courtyards, but ultimately stopped at Ning Xuan’s room.

Although she treated Ning Gang as her own, Ning Xuan was her biological son.

At this moment, Ning Xuan was also standing outside the room. It wasn’t until a maid walked out from inside and said in a somewhat weak voice, “Second Master, it’s a girl.”

In this era, valuing boys over girls was still quite common.

Some families would even throw away a baby girl in the mountains.

Ning Xuan ignored the maid. He hurried into the room and looked at Lu Xuezhi, who was leaning against the bed.

The stupid wife’s face was pale, but it was filled with joy, a smile on her lips, as she held a baby girl who had not yet opened her eyes and was crying loudly.

The baby girl had been carefully wiped clean by the midwife and was now curled up in a ball, her small hands and feet gently dancing and kicking.

“Our daughter.”

Lu Xuezhi’s voice was filled with laughter.

She felt that she herself had become sacred.

She had roamed the martial world in her youth, known as the “Snow Viper Child,” with countless souls lost at her feet. Later, she had slain countless demons.

She had ended many lives, but this was the first time she had brought a new one.

From now on, she was no longer a young girl, a wife, but a woman, a mother.

“Our daughter~~”

The laughter in Lu Xuezhi’s voice was like candied fruit soaked in sweetness to the extreme, with a laughing tone, a trembling tone, and a long, drawn-out tone.

She had already sensed her daughter’s condition.

Her qi and blood were abundant, very healthy.

But it was not the kind of qi and blood that surpassed ordinary people, born as a first or second-grade.

Ning Xuan had just come from the blacksmith’s shop, still carrying the scent of fierce fire. He sat by the bed, looking at the baby girl in the swaddling clothes. His own soul trembled, and his eyes were filled with immense love.

The birth of the child had not only baptized Lu Xuezhi, but also him.

The continuation of life suddenly brought solace to the hundreds and thousands of years of loneliness in his nightmare world, like an antidote that neutralized those toxins.

“Our daughter~~~”

The stupid wife’s voice was filled with intense excitement and unrestrained joy.

Ning Xuan also smiled, “Our daughter.”

The stupid wife suddenly said, “Last night, I dreamed of my mother.”

Ning Xuan looked at her.

The stupid wife said, “My mother said that she couldn’t be with me when I was little, and now that I have a child, she still can’t come to be with me. She is very sorry.

I said I understood, I understood everything. Mother carries many burdens, so naturally, she can’t stay at home like an ordinary mother.

But mother said, this time is different. In four more years, she will definitely come back, and then come to our home and live with us.”

Ning Xuan’s pupils shrank slightly.

The stupid wife was immersed in her own memories and continued, “She also said that Teacher Lan Yu has turned over a new leaf. He is on his way here. His lifespan is not much, and what he pursues now is no longer a higher realm of martial arts, but a peaceful life…

Mother said, Teacher Lan Yu will come to our house as an old servant and teach our daughter cultivation.

At that time, our daughter and I will be both mother and daughter, and also fellow disciples. When our daughter is a little older, she can call me mother, or she can call me senior sister.”

As she spoke, she giggled.

Ten months of pregnancy, plus the birth of her daughter… In Ning Xuan’s eyes, the stupid wife’s personality had undergone a complete change, from the original reckless and impulsive to virtuous and peaceful, although he didn’t know how long it would last.

As for the arrival of Old Man Lan Yu, Ning Xuan was not surprised.

It was to be expected.

Ever since he heard his mother-in-law’s voice in the whisper chain and learned her identity, he naturally understood what his mother-in-law had taken Old Man Lan Yu away for, and also understood why Old Man Lan Yu had acted abnormally when he heard his mother-in-law was taking him away.

Lan Yu was also an old fox.

At that moment, he had already sensed that something was wrong.

But his mother-in-law had shut his mouth and instantly put him away.

Now it seemed he had become a piece of clothing.

A fourth-grade piece of clothing, even if its lifespan was not much, was still fourth-grade.

Suddenly, Lu Xuezhi said again, “By the way, mother also said that an old matron will also come. That old matron accompanied me the most when I was little. Later, it was discovered that she actually had the aptitude to be a Heavenly Master, so she left…”

She said with a smile, “I call her Matron Qin. Mother said she is old now and has suffered some injuries, but she is still a very powerful Heavenly Master. She will also come to protect our child.

Oh, right, and the personal guards… The personal guards I had when I was a general, you only saw a small part of them in Hanzhou City. But actually, I have many personal guards, a full six hundred, and each one is very powerful. These personal guards were selected by my father and mother together, and of course, some I chose myself. They are a women’s army, and also my sisters. My parents and I gave this personal guard a name, called the Snow Viper Camp.

The Snow Viper Camp is very strong. I didn’t bring them when I left because my father still needed them. Mother said that since I have a child, the Snow Viper Camp should return to my command. However, we don’t need to supply their cultivation resources for now. These will be handled by Matron Qin and Old Man Lan Yu. We just need to command them. Mother said, these are her and father’s wedding gifts to us.”

Ning Xuan listened quietly.

His expression was faint, but he didn’t say much.

As he listened, the baby in the swaddling clothes suddenly started to cry loudly.

The old madam said from the side, “She’s hungry!”

Lu Xuezhi hurriedly looked left and right, but quickly remembered that “she was the first person responsible for the baby’s hunger.” She calmed down and glanced into the distance.

The old madam urged all the maids to leave.

Only then did Lu Xuezhi lift her clothes, revealing her full bosom, and began to breastfeed.

The baby girl ate her fill and then fell asleep beautifully again.

Only then did the couple discuss their daughter’s name.

After much discussion, they finally combined their names and named her Xuanxue.

—

The mother-in-law’s dream message came quickly.

In the first month of Ning Xuanxue’s birth, just as she and her brother Ning Tianhu, who was born a few breaths apart, were having their full-month celebration, the promised people arrived.

When the old man with crane-like hair and a youthful face, wearing a dark robe with longevity patterns, stood before Ning Xuan again, his expression had already lost all the arrogance of a mastermind and had become humble.

“Madam.”

Old Man Lan Yu bowed respectfully to Lu Xuezhi, and then called out to the little baby girl in the swaddling clothes, “Young Miss.”

“Master!” Lu Xuezhi was overjoyed.

Old Man Lan Yu said in shame, “The past matters, it was all master’s fault…”

“Master, it’s all in the past,” Lu Xuezhi smiled brightly.

Ning Xuan looked at his stupid wife, with nothing good to say.

The logic was simple. Old dog Lan Yu had坑ed (screwed over) your entire sect. Now, those who were坑ed are probably still in the Shanmo Sect. Besides, old dog Lan Yu also坑ed old Qin, making it highly likely that old Qin has become a demon’s dog. On what grounds do you so easily say it’s all in the past?

Although, old dog Lan Yu was surely long dead, and the one before him was just a ghost wearing his clothes. But stupid wife, you don’t know that, do you?

At this moment, he also looked at Old Man Lan Yu.

A thin old woman behind Old Man Lan Yu stepped forward, also bowed, and called out “Madam,” “Young Miss,” and then “Young Master.”

This was Matron Qin.

And outside the mansion, Ning Xuan also saw the six hundred Snow Viper Camp.

They were a bit different from the women’s army he had imagined.

Roughly… besides a dozen or so with relatively normal figures, the rest were all tall and sturdy with buzz cuts. Just their weight alone was probably equivalent to three stupid wives.

The growth of this group of people did not seem to be from consuming demon pills, but rather from using some kind of sect secret method, combined with beast meat.

And beast meat was something he had not seen or heard of in the dynasty. It only existed in those fragmented worlds.

Imagine his stupid wife, wearing a scarlet long robe, with an indifferent expression, surrounded by such a group of Snow Viper Camp. She was simply cool and beautiful. It would be hard not to become a legend.

Ning Xuan glanced at Old Man Lan Yu, then at Matron Qin.

These two, who called themselves old slaves, were about to step forward.

Ning Xuan also stepped forward, blocking them, and said, “Teacher, long time no see. This disciple has some things he doesn’t understand in his recent cultivation. Let’s go for a walk.”

As he spoke, he added, “Matron Qin, you come too.”

The old madam and his sister-in-law beside him looked over curiously. No one dared to be disrespectful to the guests from the Grand Commandant’s mansion.

However, they all trusted Ning Xuan and would not interrupt what he was about to do.

However, Old Man Lan Yu and Matron Qin did not respond.

The air was completely silent.

Ning Xuan’s invitation hung in the air.

Suddenly, Lu Xuezhi reacted and said, “Go ahead…”

Only then did the two elders nod and follow Ning Xuan out of the mansion gate, to the outside, to the lakeside where Ning Xuan usually fished.

In the deep winter, the reeds in the reed marsh had long since shed their catkins. The bare stalks presented a desolate gray under the moonlight.

Before Ning Xuan could speak, Old Man Lan Yu had already spoken.

He rolled up his sleeve, took out a leather scroll, and handed it to Ning Xuan, “One thousand Dao merit points. The choices you can buy are all on it. The perfunctory exchange items for outsiders have been removed. The remaining truly useful and rare ones are actually only cultivation techniques. See which one you want.”

Ning Xuan glanced at the leather scroll, realizing what his mother-in-law had meant by “a familiar person will come to you later.” He looked at it and said directly, “You living in the mansion makes my heart uneasy.”

Matron Qin said, “Young Master, rest assured. We are here to ensure that Madam does not have any accidents. In fact, I also watched Madam grow up since she was little. What harm could I do to her?

Of course, for Madam to be happy, we will guard the entire Ning family together.

Hanzhou is close to Leizhou. This Wangyue Prefecture’s Xinghe County, after crossing the great mountain, not considering the winding roads, is only about two hundred li in a straight line from Leizhou. It’s very close, practically at our doorstep.

Once the demons become numerous, and their numbers cross the border, and they rush into this Xinghe County, what should we do?”

Old Man Lan Yu said, “I am here to teach the Young Miss cultivation. If the Young Miss cultivates well, Madam will definitely be happy. As long as Madam is happy, everything will be fine. Other than that, this old slave will do nothing.”

Ning Xuan said, “What if I say no?”

Old Man Lan Yu said, “Then… then we can only listen to the young master. After all, you are Madam’s husband. If you are not happy, Madam will definitely not be happy either. Once Madam is unhappy, the sky will fall. This old slave will not do such a thing.”

Matron Qin on the side said, “But, it is also absolutely impossible for the young master to have us roll back to the Grand Commandant’s mansion, because then we would be unable to complete our mission of protecting Madam and the Young Miss, and there would only be a dead end.”

Ning Xuan squinted his eyes and said, “You can stay if you want, but I have one condition.”

Old Man Lan Yu said, “What condition?”

Ning Xuan said, “Follow me.”

He could not stop his mother-in-law’s arrangements.

This was the only solution.

And in daily life, he could use the light barrier bell and the Bodhi cover to create a separation. These small treasures from the incense fire world really had magical effects. Those Bodhisattvas were indeed capable.

The two elders fell silent.

Ning Xuan said, “Otherwise, there’s nothing to talk about.”

“Alright!” Old Man Lan Yu agreed, then bowed and saluted, “This old slave has seen the young master. In the future, I ask for the young master’s guidance.”

Matron Qin also said, “This old slave has seen the young master.”

—

That night, the light barrier bell covered Ning Xuan’s bedroom, and the Bodhi cover added another layer outside.

The place where Lan Yu and Matron Qin could stay was only Ning Xuan’s side room. According to the previous agreement, the two could not leave Ning Xuan’s main courtyard.

Unless Ning Xuan left.

These three formed a strange mutual restraint.

On the bed, little Xuanxue was sleeping and waking, sometimes needing to pee, sometimes needing to eat.

Lu Xuezhi held her tirelessly, gently humming a lullaby, coaxing her.

Outside the screen, under the moonlight by the window, Ning Xuan took out the leather scroll and looked at it.

After looking for a long time, he chose a fourth-grade cultivation technique compendium compiled by a Taiyin Ghost—the “True Scripture of Taiyin.”

This true scripture had nothing else, it was just comprehensive, recording the methods for Taiyin Ghosts to cultivate to the fourth grade, as well as the secret arts that various ghosts could master. The description on the leather scroll was “a hodgepodge,” meaning it had everything.

—

The next day.

Ning Xuan told Old Man Lan Yu his choice.

Then he began to spend effort, just as Qin Shan Jun had tested him before, using third-grade power to test the female soldiers of the Snow Viper Camp.

One by one, their souls flew out and then returned.

The souls of these female soldiers were very light, and also full of yang qi, clear at a glance.

Besides that, their relationship with Lu Xuezhi was really very good. Every one of them, when they saw Miss Lu, their eyes would sparkle.

Ning Xuan could clearly have finished in half a day, but he still spent five days and pretended to be exhausted.

And Old Man Lan Yu, using some unknown method, quickly retrieved that copy of the “True Scripture of Taiyin.”

A printed version, a thick volume…

Just these two typical characteristics were enough to show what kind of mass-produced, common goods the “True Scripture of Taiyin” was.

“What is this?”

Ning Xuan held up the brick-like “True Scripture of Taiyin.” He opened a page, sniffed it, and there was actually the scent of ink, indicating it was newly printed.

Old Man Lan Yu said, “The value of this book will only far exceed one thousand Dao merit points. It has everything. You can not only find cultivation methods and secret arts suitable for yourself, but also find others’.

As for true transmissions, inheritances… the young master doesn’t think one thousand Dao merit points can get those directly, does he?”

Ning Xuan’s hands trembled with annoyance as he roared, “Right, right, you’re right! It has everything, but what you can learn… is only the content of a mere one or two pages. The rest you can only look at!”

He was acting.

In fact, he had just seen a ghost art.

Just that one ghost art was worth one thousand Dao merit points.

Matron Qin on the side chuckled, “Young Master, this book is still useful. We also learned from this. The fourth-grade Life-Establishing Realm is both the divide between immortal and mortal, and also our Taiyin Ghosts’ entry-level realm.

This realm has a very wide path, which is why such a ‘True Scripture of Taiyin’ was compiled. Because if you don’t try, you won’t know what you can learn… Many ghosts don’t have enough understanding of themselves.

Although the young master has only fused with a Claustrophobia Ghost, you might as well study it carefully. You will definitely have gains.

Speaking of which, you should be able to cultivate our techniques, right?”

Ning Xuan said faintly, “I can.”

Matron Qin said, “The young master will definitely become an anomaly among our Taiyin Ghost race. In the future, I’m afraid I’ll really have to follow you.”

With that, Matron Qin smiled again, “Today, within the range specified by the young master, this old slave caught some fish. I just happened to stew a fish soup for the young miss and madam. I’ll bring a bowl for the young master as well.”

Ning Xuan said, “You can also cook fish soup?”

Matron Qin said, “The second-in-command chef of Suizhou Dao’s Shixian Lou is my disciple.”

Shixian Lou?

Ning Xuan had heard his wife mention it a few times, saying it was the best restaurant in Suizhou Dao city.

Ning Xuan said, “You can still do it now?”

Matron Qin said, “I can’t, but what does that have to do with whether my clothes can? This piece of clothing of mine can do it very well.”

Ning Xuan said, “Quietly pour the soup away. Don’t do this kind of thing next time.”

Matron Qin was not angry, “As the young master wishes, I will go and pour it away now.”

Ning Xuan said, “After pouring it away, you and Lan Yu go back to the side room to rest. Don’t come out until dawn.”

Old Man Lan Yu suddenly said, “Besides testing the Snow Viper Camp these past few days, the young master has also been shutting himself in the blacksmith’s shop. This old slave guesses that the young master should be trying to break through to the fourth grade, right?”

Ning Xuan’s expression turned cold.

Old Man Lan Yu said, “This old slave happens to have some insights and experience, and would like to exchange them for some trust. Is the young master willing to exchange?”

Ning Xuan was silent for a long time, “I know the fourth grade is very difficult. To want to step from sensing heaven and earth into heaven and earth, the risks involved are enormous. One can only try step by step…”

Old Man Lan Yu smiled, “We are all here under orders, with no ill intentions.”

Ning Xuan said, “Even if I can’t break through to the fourth grade, I will absolutely not let you casually approach my family. You… can only be by my side, or go back to where you came from.”

Matron Qin sighed, “Why must the young master be like this? At least for these four years, the orders we have received will not change. After four years… everything will be up to Her Ladyship.”

“What Ladyship?”

Ning Xuan asked.

Matron Qin chuckled, but did not answer.

Old Man Lan Yu said, “Then we will take our leave first.”

The two saluted and retreated…

From an outsider’s perspective, these were just two old servants from the Grand Commandant’s mansion serving their new master.

But in fact, they were each other’s cages, monitoring each other, yet together they formed a terrifying defensive net.

It could be said that even if the outside was now swarming with a demon tide that had conquered the entire Wangyue Prefecture, they… could absolutely not break through this Ning Mansion.

—

In the darkness of the night, a small, charming, shy, and expectant voice came.

It was Lu Xuezhi’s voice.

“Xuanxue is asleep.”

Ning Xuan put down the “True Scripture of Taiyin,” went around the screen, quietly loosened his belt, and slipped into the bedding. Like a thief, he quietly completed a long-awaited union with Miss Lu, then pulled up his pants again, returned to the table, and seriously read the “True Scripture of Taiyin.”

Women would never affect the speed of his cultivation.

The “True Scripture of Taiyin” was roughly composed of two parts.

One was the cultivation method.

The other was ghost arts.

The cultivation method explained the process for Taiyin Ghosts to cultivate to the fourth grade.

When a martial artist charged towards the fourth grade, it was to invest the “yang qi formed by their own power veins” into the “yang qi of heaven and earth” to gestate a Yang Soul Body.

When a Taiyin Ghost charged towards the fourth grade, it was completely different. Logically, a Taiyin Ghost’s fourth grade should require gestating a Yin Soul Body, but Taiyin Ghosts were innately Yin Soul Bodies. What was there to practice?

But, compared to martial artists, Taiyin Ghosts lacked one thing, and that was completeness.

In this step, what Taiyin Ghosts sought was completeness.

Simply put, a Taiyin Ghost needed to find a piece of clothing that was also fourth-grade, whether it was a martial artist, a Heavenly Master, or even a demon, anything was fine, as long as it was alive.

Then, this body became the Taiyin Ghost’s cultivation environment.

Fourth grade…

A martial artist was a “Yin Soul foundation, Yang Soul Body.” A Taiyin Ghost was a “Yang Soul lining, Yin Soul Body.”

A martial artist pulled out a large amount of yang qi from outside their small Yin Soul.

A Taiyin Ghost planted a small amount of yang qi inside their large Yin Soul Body.

Having both yin and yang was completeness.

The process was equally complex.

No.

To be precise, the Taiyin Ghost’s might be a bit more complex.

Because this cultivation process for a Taiyin Ghost might have to be repeated countless times, with an extremely low success rate.

They had the characteristic of being immortal with a long lifespan. The price was that they were innately powerful but also innately deficient, and cultivation was extremely difficult.

Therefore, their foundation might be extremely rich, because there must be old monsters who have lived for who knows how long. But they also needed a great deal of clothing.

They absolutely could not snatch clothing, absolutely could not drain the pond to get the fish.

They even cared more about the general environment than anyone else.

They hoped that this general environment would be beneficial to the cultivation of Heavenly Masters and martial artists.

As Ning Xuan read, he became a bit confused.

Before, he had cultivated a Yang Soul Body outside his Yin Soul Body…

So now he had to cultivate yang qi inside his Yin Soul Body?

However, as he continued to read, this confusion was resolved.

It was very simple…

He couldn’t practice it.

At least not at the fourth-grade Life-Establishing Realm.

This so-called “establishing a life” was to establish either a Yang life or a Yin life. Once you chose one, you could not choose the second.

It seemed a bit uncoordinated now, but it would presumably be perfected at a higher realm.

Ning Xuan was not stubborn. He was very receptive to advice.

For the fourth-grade Life-Establishing, he naturally would not use a Taiyin Ghost to establish it.

He would put it aside for now.

He then looked at the secret arts.

Ghost arts were an extension and refinement of the ghost seal. They could be cast once one’s spirit reached the fourth grade. If it didn’t, one could still cast them with difficulty, but the consumption would be enormous.

The ghost seal was loud and grand.

Ghost arts, however, made it more spiritual and more hidden.

The “True Scripture of Taiyin” recorded a ghost art of the Claustrophobia Ghost—the Claustrophobia Curse.

A single curse character could be used to curse through any means. As long as you could come into contact with the target, even just by sight, you could cast the curse.

This curse was extremely hidden when cast. Even those with stronger strength could not sense it, unless it erupted.

And the person who was cursed could have the curse triggered at any time.

Once triggered, the next room they entered would become a “coffin.” They could get in, but not out. The more they used their power to attack the room, the stronger the room’s rebound force would be, until it bounced them to death.

But this rebound also had an upper limit, which was the Claustrophobia Ghost’s own spiritual upper limit, plus a little bit more.

Very hidden, very terrifying.

But…

This was not the ghost art that Ning Xuan felt was worth the “one thousand Dao merit points.”

His gaze fell on a corner of the “True Scripture of Taiyin.”

The record in the corner was very short, unlike the Claustrophobia Ghost, which had a long overview, describing what characteristics defined a Claustrophobia Ghost, how to determine if one was a Claustrophobia Ghost, and how Claustrophobia Ghosts were formed…

This also showed the rarity of this type of ghost.

This ghost was named [Twin Life Ghost].

The characteristics and how to determine it were described in the record.

One treasure, two ghosts, sharing one soul, this was twin life.

But only “how it was formed” was not described.

The record only had four words: “formation unknown.”

Even the ghosts didn’t know how “Twin Life Ghosts” were formed. Anyway, it was definitely not something like twins.

When Ning Xuan saw this, his heart beat a little faster, because… he found that he met the characteristics of both a [Claustrophobia Ghost] and a [Twin Life Ghost].

He had fused with Tianyouzi’s Yin Soul in his body, and there was another of Tianyouzi’s Yin Souls in the Heavenly Demon Record. These two souls shared the same baleful treasure.

The corresponding ghost arts for the [Twin Life Ghost] were two.

One, the Double Death Curse.

Two ghosts cursing together, the power of the curse doubled.

Two, the Twin Life Curse.

The two ghosts could each find a piece of clothing, and because they shared the same soul, they could simultaneously perceive the situation on both sides, carry out two types of cultivation, and… at any time, use the Twin Life Curse to switch souls and return souls.

Switching souls was to swap the two sides. Returning souls was for the two souls to return to one place.

Ning Xuan felt he met the conditions.

Although he wasn’t sure, he thought he could give it a try.

—

Seven days later.

It worked.

The middle stage of the fourth grade for a martial artist was very difficult.

This step had no fancy tricks; it was just accumulating yang qi.

If one wanted to speed up, one had to find a suitable environment with abundant yang qi.

But, the blacksmith’s shop was already the limit Ning Xuan could find.

To find more, he would have to go outside.

—

Unconsciously, it was mid-March. The peach blossoms around Kushan Monastery were in bloom.

The two babies of the Ning family were almost three months old. And the old mother, sister-in-law, and stupid wife, who had been burning incense, worshiping Buddha, and copying scriptures, had spent these three months in a daze, day and night.

When the baby cried, it was daytime; when the baby slept, it was nighttime…

Seeing that on this day, the spring wind was rich with the fragrance of flowers, the sunlight was warm, and seeing that the children were growing up healthy, fair, and chubby…

The three women discussed it and decided to take the children to Kushan Monastery to fulfill their vows, and at the same time, to go for a spring outing and admire the flowers.

There was nothing to say. The Snow Viper Camp set out, and Ning Xuan, Old Man Lan Yu, and Matron Qin secretly followed…

Halfway there, Ning Xuan, as usual, estimated the time and directly took Old Man Lan Yu and Matron Qin to Kushan Monastery to investigate.

Matron Qin was a fine piece of Heavenly Master clothing. She continuously遁地 (traveled underground), allowing the three of them to arrive at Kushan Monastery almost instantly.

It had only been eight or nine months since they were last here, when Ning Xuan had just slaughtered a “Bear Demon Believer Abbot of the Secret Pearl Black Sky Great Bodhisattva.” Today’s visit… was actually just a routine check out of caution.

After the three landed, they did not enter the hall, but each displayed their divine abilities and began to check the situation inside.

The former Cihai, the current Cijue.

A different abbot, a different old man.

But what hadn’t changed was the “da da” sound of the wooden fish and the chanting of scriptures.

After a long time, Old Man Lan Yu shook his head, indicating there was no problem.

Matron Qin also nodded in agreement.

The two had already searched.

Completely no problem.

It was just a very normal temple.

The two then looked at Ning Xuan. Ning Xuan also said, “Then let’s go.”

He walked at the back with his hands behind his back…

On the tips of his fingers was the curling incense that permeated the red walls and yellow tiles. The pilgrims here were in an endless stream, which was normal. However… a wisp of incense was drifting over from afar, and it actually pointed towards Ning Xuan’s finger.

Ning Xuan flicked his finger, shaking off the wisp of stolen incense, and then left with Old Man Lan Yu and Matron Qin.

He said nothing.

But in his heart, he couldn’t help but feel emotional.

*’There are so many demons. I killed one, and another one came. Cihai was replaced, and now Cijue is replaced too.’*

*’This Buddhist sect is also strange. A mass-produced light barrier seed and Bodhi cover can actually block the detection of high-grade Taiyin Ghosts. And these incense believers who have received the Bodhisattva’s blessing can’t even be detected without using the incense-stealing technique.’*

*’But then again, aren’t the curses of the Taiyin Ghosts and the clothing of the Taiyin Ghosts equally difficult to detect?’*

The trip to Kushan Monastery went smoothly. Everyone was very happy. The only fly in the ointment was that when the three women went to the Mahavira Hall to pray, the abbot happened to be absent. Even when the manager went to invite him, he couldn’t be brought over, saying he was in meditation.

This made the old madam praise him endlessly, saying, “This is a truly eminent monk. Only in a temple like this will prayers be efficacious.”

—

That night.

Kushan Monastery, a deep Zen room.

The old monk Cijue tremblingly took off his kasaya.

His hands were still trembling.

My god, what kind of monsters had come during the day? Each one of them seemed to be afraid of some blind demon in the surroundings, and had spread their auras completely.

He was so scared that he scrambled and crawled, hurriedly running back to the monastery, saying he was in meditation.

Now that the group of people had left, he had finally calmed down.

“It’s finally over.”

The old monk murmured.

And just then, the window suddenly made a sound.

A gust of yin wind suddenly rushed in from the window crack.

The old monk was stunned.

But in the next instant, he was no longer there.

In its place was a strange space. In front of him stood an incomparably terrifying giant.

The giant looked down at him, lowered its head, looked at him, but did not bite.

Cijue opened his eyes, but before he could speak.

A tender child with a twelve-petaled red lotus on his brow suddenly appeared in the void before him.

A cold arc formed on the child’s lips. He pushed his palm forward and gently patted Cijue’s chest.

*Boom!*

Cijue’s soul flew out.

It was a leopard!

The leopard’s soul left its body, as if falling into an ice river. It struggled desperately, wanting to return to its warm body, but halfway there, it was struck again by the red lotus child’s palm, and its soul scattered in mid-air.

Immediately, the red lotus child drilled into Cijue’s body.

In the Zen room, Ning Xuan let out a long breath. His figure changed. In the bronze mirror, the old monk also changed, turning into the appearance of a golden leopard.

He sat upright…

Sensing…

Nothing was different.

The Buddha statue, the sutra, a white animal fur stuck to his body.

He looked at the sutra, waiting for it to disappear, because he had not fused with the soul, but had chosen to disperse the leopard demon’s soul before putting on this piece of clothing.

He was worried that there was something unclean in the leopard demon’s soul.

However, at this moment, he waited for a long time, but the sutra did not disappear.

In other words, the faith was still there. This leopard demon was still a believer. It was still competing for the identity of a “boy attendant under the Great Bodhisattva.”

Regarding this, Ning Xuan was even a bit taken aback.

Could it be that faith was not only rooted in the soul, but also in the body?

Once you enter the Zen gate, your body is the Buddha’s person, and your death is the Buddha’s ghost?

This was the only explanation.

But, it no longer mattered…

Just as the Taiyin Ghosts often said in that tone: Who his clothes believe in, what does that have to do with him?