Chapter 49: Yin Ke Chan Master

“Wish to see the abbot? The abbot has no time.” The tall, thin monk said with difficulty.

“Monks should be at their duties.” Guo Ming stated the time when monks were supposed to perform their daily practices.

He had traveled to many famous mountains and ancient temples—how could he not know these things?

“The abbot is occupied with other matters.” The tall, thin monk hurriedly added.

This made Guo Ming’s expression darken further—making excuses must at least be plausible.

The mountain is sealed. What could possibly be so urgent?

“You bald bastard, you’ve got no sense of decency.” Chu Danqing scolded with a laugh, pulling out a small silver ingot and tossing it at him: “Grateful for your temple’s hospitality, we bring a little incense offering.”

“And have the abbot copy us two copies of sutras to take back—can’t you even manage this small thing without dragging it out?”

The tall, thin monk caught the silver ingot, then heard there was more money—greed flickered in his eyes.

But then he remembered who their abbot truly was, and shuddered inwardly.

“I—I’ll go ask the abbot.” The tall, thin monk gritted his teeth. To refuse money is to be a dog.

Besides, he was confident he could persuade their own ‘abbot’ to meet these two.

Saying this, the tall, thin monk turned and walked away.

Chu Danqing and Guo Ming exchanged a glance, each revealing a faint smile.

They played good cop and bad cop, exploiting the monk’s greed for an opening.

About ten minutes later, the tall, thin monk returned to summon them, saying the abbot wished to see them.

Under his guidance, they soon reached a small dwelling, where a stove burned warmly inside.

There sat an old Zen master, his face gentle and benevolent, turning prayer beads as if silently reciting sutras.

“This is our abbot, Yin Ke Chan Master.” The tall, thin monk introduced.

Chu Danqing and Guo Ming sat directly before him; Da Bao stood behind Chu Danqing, ready to act at any moment.

“I hear you two wish for two hand-copied sutras. Lately, I am unable—so I can only offer sutras from the Scripture Library as a gift.” Yin Ke Chan Master opened his eyes and spoke slowly.

“Such a generous gift—we are deeply grateful.” Chu Danqing replied promptly.

As he spoke, the monk’s head seemed to swell slightly, appearing deeply unnatural.

The two pretended not to notice, continuing to chat with Yin Ke Chan Master.

At first, the topics were shallow, and Yin Ke Chan Master could still respond somewhat—but as the conversation grew deeper, he began to struggle.

Finally, he could only say: “I am weary today. Let us speak again in a few days.”

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Da Bao.

Chu Danqing and Guo Ming posed no threat—but Da Bao was different. He must be handled with caution.

“Then we shall take our leave.” Chu Danqing rose, and as he did, he used his Insight Technique on Yin Ke Chan Master.

Instantly, Yin Ke Chan Master’s gaze turned fierce and cruel, his mouth splitting open to reveal sharp fangs.

Fortunately, he reined it in quickly.

“Forgive me—I recently caught a cold; my face is a bit stiff.” Yin Ke Chan Master hastily added.

Chu Danqing’s expression remained unchanged. “Master should take better care of your health.”

With that, the three left the dwelling. Guo Ming wiped sweat from his brow: “That was close—I nearly died.”

He had thought the abbot was about to attack—luckily, the thing wasn’t hungry, so it held back.

None of them paused on the way back. Once in their quarters, Chu Danqing finally checked the digitized data on the abbot.

【Yin Ke Chan Master】

【Attributes】

【HP: 10%】

【MP: None】

【Strength: 1】

【Agility: 1】

【Constitution: 1】

【Spirit: 5】

【Perception: 5】

Chu Danqing looked at the attributes and felt something was off—could this really be the data for a Zhuanji Tiger?

The name was wrong, the stats were too low, and it had no talents or skills at all.

“This Zhuanji Tiger has truly become a spirit—it can command chang ghosts, and now even wears human skin. But it doesn’t master the art well, hence all these flaws,” Guo Ming said after gulping down tea to calm himself.

Chu Danqing didn’t question how Guo Ming knew these things—he asked instead: “Does wearing human skin reduce the Zhuanji Tiger’s power?”

“Naturally not.”

“But human skin is incredibly fragile to a tiger. One misstep and it tears—so it must be handled with extreme care.”

Guo Ming added: “The peeled skin is no ordinary object.”

“If worn by an evil tiger for long enough, it too becomes a ghostly thing—could even become a Hua Pi Chang Ghost.”

Now Chu Danqing understood: the stats he saw were correct—but they belonged to the human skin, not the Zhuanji Tiger.

The abbot’s sudden agitation earlier hadn’t come from Chu Danqing’s Insight Technique—it was the human skin mutating, and the Zhuanji Tiger mistaking it for rebellion, thus warning the skin.

Yin Ke Chan Master and the Zhuanji Tiger were not one entity.

“Pity we’re trapped in this temple. Chang ghosts crave sourness—if we could find fresh plums or dried plums, we could lure them away.” Guo Ming muttered.

Chu Danqing heard this and quietly said: “I have some.”

He pulled out a bottle of vinegar and asked: “Is this enough?”

Guo Ming looked surprised: “Sleeve of the Void? Doesn’t seem like it—if you can perform such a technique, Chu Brother’s lineage is no small thing.”

“Just a fox’s Zen—nothing compared to yours.” Chu Danqing replied.

“Three or five chang ghosts? This bottle’s enough—but…” Guo Ming’s tone implied it wasn’t.

Chu Danqing then pulled out a crate of apple vinegar drinks and several sour fruits.

“You carry these foods when traveling?” Guo Ming’s worldview felt shaken.

“I had more—but Da Bao ate a lot of it.” Chu Danqing answered honestly.

Guo Ming glanced at Da Bao’s size and found it perfectly reasonable.

“Then we act tonight!” Guo Ming’s confidence surged: “Removing the chang ghosts won’t be hard.”

“The Zhuanji Tiger, though…” Here, Guo Ming paused—his mind formed a plan: “I recall the Zhuanji Tiger’s courtyard has a dry well.”

“We trick the Zhuanji Tiger into coming, then push it in, and have Da Bao seal it with a boulder.”

“Just delay it a little.”

Chu Danqing didn’t quite understand: “Why not just lure away the chang ghosts and kill the Zhuanji Tiger directly? Why bother removing the chang ghosts first?”

“Chu Brother, you don’t know—these chang ghosts are the tiger’s power. Killing them weakens it.”

“When all the chang ghosts are dead, the Zhuanji Tiger loses at least thirty to forty percent of its strength—and cuts off its ability to regain power by consuming them.” Guo Ming explained.

“I see.” Chu Danqing nodded, then said with deep meaning: “Chu Brother, your family background is clearly distinguished.”

(End of Chapter)