Chapter 65

Chen Qingmeng's eyes turned green.

Well, well.

Three months gone, and my dharma partner didn't just turn into a nun—she climbed to the top branch and became a Dharma Master revered by ten thousand.

Just one look at her, and she's drenched in precepts and discipline—how could he possibly touch her?

"Why not both of you go together, smash the monastery, and drag her back to Tiankui?"

Jiang Yanqiu smirked, teasing.

Chen Zhao snorted.

Cutting off someone's immortal path is worse than killing their parents.

Whether white ascension is real or not, if he dares to do it, he'll face a united onslaught from ten thousand.

The changes had been confirmed, the person found—let the sect be the villain; he had no wish to get involved.

He patted Chen Qingmeng, who was lost in despair; the latter shook off his hand, vowing to bring the immortal maiden down to earth.

No, correction—the nun has descended into the mundane.

Chen Zhao couldn't stop him, so he silently left.

"These Spirit Fish here are decent—containing a bit of Water Spirit Qi; they can advance your cultivation and make good gifts to take home."

Of course, he had no intention of buying them outright.

"I wonder how much of my fishing skill remains."

Before leaving, he glanced at Jiang Yanqiu.

This woman isn't foolish—her spiritual sense is high, and she's at Qi Refining eighth level; leaving her here is no problem.

But just then.

A murmured voice reached his ears, half-laughing, half-sarcastic.

"The resources here are decent, the defenses are weak, and Yan Xiaoqian no longer seems to be of Tiankui..."

"If I install a puppet to replace her... who should I kill? Yan Xiaoqian, or the bald little monk?"

Jiang Yanqiu pressed her index finger to her chin, her eyebrows furrowed deeply—as if this question were an unbearable nuisance.

Moments later, she slammed her palm, smiling sweetly,

"Wouldn't it be better to kill them both?"

Mad crone.

Chen Zhao thought to himself, too lazy to care about this mess.

He turned against the crowd and walked back toward the county's marketplace.

"I wonder what bait these Spirit Fish eat—surely not fragments of Dharma Treasures?"

Chen Zhao could simply dive in and grab them, but then he'd miss the cultivation of inner composure.

Even if his heart is as clear as a mirror, he must still wipe it often, lest dust gather.

Fine.

Just felt like itching to do it.

"Grabbing them directly would look too crude—better to cast a line first, and fish for air."

He turned and walked into a fishing gear shop.

Everyone had gone to the Water-Land Assembly; the shop was suddenly empty. The middle-aged female shopkeeper smoked water-pipe, bored out of her mind.

"Madam, how much for this fishing rod?"

"Sir, excellent taste—it's only one tael of silver..."

"How about one Low-grade Spirit Stone?"

"My shop can't make change."

The shopkeeper thought she'd gotten a wealthy customer—until she saw the Spirit Stone, and sweat broke out instantly.

It wasn't that she didn't want it—she simply couldn't accept it.

Mortals who hold immortal artifacts are like children carrying jade—they dare not spend it.

Chen Zhao's brow twitched.

Should've brought some mundane treasures back then.

He was the youngest son of the Prince of Yue, Qi Refining ninth level—he should've been able to navigate both immortal and mortal realms.

Yet he was stumped by one tael of silver.

A bit undignified.

"Give him the fishing rod—I'll buy you a drink."

A woman's voice, like cold spring water rinsing jade, came from across the street; Chen Zhao's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on Li Zhiwei, holding a wine bowl.

She held a scripture scroll—this time, she wasn't drunk.

"Sister, why are you here?"

"The Li family head has passed; I've come to sever these mortal ties."

Unlike Jiang Yanqiu's casual indifference, her tone was colder—but warmer.

Of course, who knew if drinking had anything to do with it.

"And what are you doing? Neglecting your mission to go fishing?"

"Cultivating inner composure, and..."

Chen Zhao didn't blush or flinch.

"Then let's go."

Huh?

Chen Zhao blinked, his vision blurred for a moment, and suddenly he was by the lakeside.

He pressed his lips together; Sister Li had always been as direct as ever, never dragging things out.

But why today did she have the leisure to watch him fish?

"Don't look at me—I'm cultivating my mind too."

Li Zhiwei tilted her head and drained a bowl of wine, her face neither flushed nor trembling.

"What's your take on this?"

"The changes in Lintai County are mostly due to the Water-Land Assembly; oddly enough, Yan Shimei is that Dharma Master."

Chen Zhao tied on the meat bait he'd traded for wine, twisted his waist, and snapped the line sharply into the air.

It stretched taut, then plunged into the water.

Li Zhiwei watched him fish with interest and picked up the thread.

"Do you really believe someone without a Spirit Root can't cultivate?"

She sipped her wine.

In her voice, a rare hint of melancholy surfaced.

Chen Zhao sighed softly.

"Everything has a price; if cultivation were this simple, no one would come to us begging for pills."

As Lin Yutang said, the more miraculous the effect, the less you should touch it.

Whether Yan Shimei was being controlled or possessed, he didn't care to find out.

Li Zhiwei bit her lip lightly.

She knew it too well—but...

"My elder sister was a mortal; she just passed away of natural causes."

Even if both parents are cultivators, their children aren't guaranteed to have Spirit Roots.

Chen Zhao raised an eyebrow.

He saw Sister Li close the book, revealing its cover: The Sutra of Guiding Souls.

"This technique gathers the collective wishes of living beings and forcibly 'seals' Spirit Qi inside the human body, mimicking the effect of a Spirit Root."

"But it requires a body with a Spirit Root as a medium, channeling its Spirit Power into the recipient; the more reciters, the weaker each individual becomes,"

"and if faith falters, or if the medium is damaged and not promptly replaced, the Spirit Power dissipates entirely—and turns into karmic obstruction, devouring the user."

Thus,

every beneficiary of the Water-Land Assembly would 'spontaneously' convert, continuing to hold the Water-Land Assembly and offering more Spirit Beings.

Today they sacrifice Spirit Fish—what about tomorrow?

Of the thousand or so people in the city, six in ten are accomplices.

Are they wrong?

Who can resist the temptation of immortality?

A mortal, living in constant fear, dying before a hundred years, too afraid to even accept a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Trapped their whole life in a single acre of land, let alone seeing the vastness of the world.

Unfortunately, this method is controlled by a rival sect.

To Tiankui Sect, even if it's not truly a demonic technique, they must still make the common folk suffer.

"This book was hidden under my elder sister's pillow—if she'd lived just a little longer..."

From now on, they are enemies, not kin.

Her delicate brows furrowed; her cold face finally shifted—she knew she couldn't bring herself to act.

"Fate, destiny."

Chen Zhao sighed with the weight of an old man, tied on another lump of bait, and cast his line again.

"When did you become so cryptic, Younger Brother?"

"What did you say, Sister?"

Chen Zhao reeled in his empty hook, then finally realized.

His heart still echoed with sorrow.

Sigh.

No fish caught—bad luck indeed.

Seeing he hadn't noticed, Li Zhiwei smoothed her expression and said coolly:

"Nothing. I just meant—you've got remarkable patience. Two hours, not a single bite, and you still sit there."

Chen Zhao took a deep breath.

No—he'd never shown off in all his years of cultivation.

This time, he'd catch a massive one, then casually reel it in.

Pure master-level aura—he'd impress Sister Li!

Build up, then release—three false strikes, then the real one.

Of course, if this cast still didn't catch anything, he'd jump in and fight the Spirit Fish himself—let them know whose lake this was.

Suddenly,

His hand jerked with sudden weight!

Chen Zhao remained calm, not rushing to reel in.

This fish was surely testing the water—wait until the pull grows threefold stronger, then it's hooked!

And just then—

A wave of melodious bell chimes rose from behind him.

He saw a half-meter-long big fish leap and splash out of the water.

But it turned around and left, as if it had made some kind of resolve.

Chen Zhao stared blankly at the water's surface.

For a moment he was at a loss, unsure how to make amends.

Just at the moment the splash vanished, it seemed to have grown heavier by a few jin, like a once-hidden crush that, with the passing years, had put on weight and grown plump.