Chapter 21: Innate Impure Sacred Body

Wu Xian blinked in surprise.

“Not over yet?”

Shi Ji nodded grimly: “Yes. If I go to the toilet, more malevolent spirits will come for me.”

Wu Xian narrowed his eyes—he had spotted the blind spot.

When he was cursed before, he encountered only Master Wang as a malevolent spirit.

Shi Ji received the ‘Bestowed Malevolence,’ yet it was the same level of negative effect; the impact should have been limited to one spirit—why are more coming for him?

“Shi Ji, Shi Ji, you’re hiding something from me.”

Some, like Wu Xian, attract divine attention before entering the Blessed Land; others, like Shi Ji, earn the favor of deities through outstanding performance within it.

At this point, Wu Xian could no longer abandon Shi Ji.

Though Favored Ones retain their memories, they cannot reveal any information about the Blessed Land to the unaware, in any form.

“Tell me everything you know.”

Shi Ji had many inconsistencies, but his simple appearance and sincere demeanor caused everyone—including Wu Xian—to overlook them.

“My first trip to the Blessed Land? Don’t laugh—I barely scraped through. If I hadn’t accidentally blown up a septic tank, I wouldn’t have survived.”

After worshipping the Heavenly Official, Shi Ji received the ‘Bestowed Malevolence,’ burdened with impure malevolent energy, which makes him more likely to attract impure malevolent spirits.

Despite hurrying back, everyone had already returned to their rooms; no one waited for them in the lobby.

Every Favored One receives a credential.

Leveraging this anomaly.

The Diejia of Bestowed Malevolence and Bestowed Blessing triggered a chain reaction—Shi Ji attracted several additional impure malevolent spirits; the credential stated six spirits would attack him!

Wu Xian was startled—this guy really went all out on his first Blessed Land trip?

“Then I received the favor of the Posterior Empress Zi Gu, the Toilet Deity, and gained this cursed ‘Innate Impure Sacred Body’…”

Shi Ji panicked and helplessly pulled something from his clothes: “Fine, I’ll confess—I’m not a novice. I’m a Favored One.”

Talismans, divine arts, artifacts, encountered spirits—all have a higher chance of being tied to impurity.

Outside, darkness fell; sunlight retreated from the city, and malevolent spirits reclaimed their dominion. The living could only hide behind closed doors, hoping danger would not come.

It recorded the Favored One’s basic data, including talismans, divine arts, artifacts, and more.

Additionally, after leaving the Blessed Land, the credential notified the Favored One of the time and location of nearby Blessed Lands, allowing them to choose whether to participate or avoid danger.

But this did not mean a Favored One could forever evade danger within the Blessed Land by possessing the credential.

If evasion became too frequent, the credential’s notification could become a command; defying its command would bring something more terrifying than death.

The credential’s information could be seen only by the Favored One himself.

“Fine, I’ll save you—but on one condition: during this trip, you obey me completely, even in the distribution of spoils.”

Wei Chaofang’s income was decent, so staying temporarily at a guesthouse to avoid delays was normal—but Shi Ji was just a toilet cleaner. Why would he spend money on an hourly room just to wait for a ride?

How could an ordinary man escape from a hungry ghost that disrupts perception? Could that hungry ghost really have such bad teeth?

On his first day of attack, what reason did he have to hide it from everyone?

And last night’s child spirit—surely it attacked every room—so why does Shi Ji have not a single handprint on his face?

“Ah… what a curse… why did I agree to you!”

Fighting to sustain fighting not only avoids loss—it grants stronger divine rewards.

Those favored by immortals and gods are called Favored Ones.

But this trouble lies in the Bestowed Blessing.

Shi Ji, relying on Wu Xian to save him, dared not conceal anything and began recounting his Blessed Land experiences.

From Shi Ji’s words, Wu Xian finally understood the concept of a Favored One.

Originally, Wu Xian thought rescuing Shi Ji would be simple: just have him wait in the toilet—kill one spirit when it comes, two when they come.

“Big Brother Wu, I’ve told you everything I know. Please save me.”

This was simply bad luck for Shi Ji.

His Bestowed Blessing was called the ‘Innate Impure Sacred Body,’ which made him more likely to encounter impurity-related events within the Blessed Land.

Wu Xian sneered:

“Fine. You accuse me of pretending to be a fool while hiding my strength—but you’re the one hiding the deepest. If you won’t speak, fine—we part ways. I’ll find my own room tonight!”

This Bestowed Blessing sounded vile, but its effect was powerful.

…

But unexpectedly, a full day passed without a single attack.

Either Shi Ji’s credential was wrong, or the ‘Bestowed Malevolence’ wasn’t sending spirits one by one like the Huluwa saving their grandfather—it was hoarding malevolent energy to unleash a massive strike against Wu Xian and him!

Worse, by wasting too much time waiting for spirits, they had no time to search for divine statues, so they hurried back to the guesthouse after letting Shi Ji use the worship opportunity gained from killing the strangling spirit.

…

Wu Xian quickly extracted all the information Shi Ji possessed, then turned his attention to the crisis Shi Ji faced.

He could only squeeze into Room 402 with Shi Ji, stomach growling, waiting for whatever might happen tonight.

Had he not met Wu Xian, Shi Ji’s fate would have been drowning in some cesspool—he shamelessly knelt, wiping snot and tears onto Wu Xian’s pants.

That fat toilet spirit was merely the vanguard of the attack.

Wu Xian suddenly recalled: Shi Ji had shown many oddities all along.

Shi Ji had discarded his mop handle and now clutched a katana with a red scabbard, offering Wu Xian an awkward smile.

Inside Room 402 of Ping’an Guesthouse, Wu Xian stared helplessly at Shi Ji.

Wu Xian closed his eyes, weighing risks and benefits, then opened them moments later.

“I accept.”

Only Favored Ones are true participants in the Blessed Land; ordinary people who survive to the end but fail to gain divine favor have their memories of the Blessed Land erased.

When he entered the Blessed Land, his credential indicated he was a Favored One—this suggested Shi Ji might possess vital information.

Favored One!

Shi Ji looked uneasy, reluctant to answer Wu Xian’s question.

Favored Ones’ divine gifts are random, but Shi Ji’s Bestowed Blessing made him more likely to obtain systematic abilities, easier to trigger synergistic effects, and reduced the chance of acquiring useless items.

Wu Xian’s gaze flickered.

“Mengxi Bitan,” Volume 21.

Ancient custom: on the night of the full moon in the first lunar month, people welcomed the Toilet Deity, called Zi Gu. But it need not be restricted to that month—it could be summoned anytime. When I was young, I saw children summoning it casually for amusement. Once, a relative summoned it and the spirit refused to appear; I witnessed this twice, and after that, no one dared summon it. During the Jingyou era, the Grand Secretary Wang Lun’s family summoned Zi Gu, and a spirit descended upon his daughter, claiming to be one of the Empress’s maidens from the Heavenly Court, skilled in poetry and prose, elegant and refined. Her writings are now known as the ‘Collection of Female Immortals,’ circulated in the world. Her script had several styles, remarkably forceful, yet none resembled earthly seal or clerical script. She used names like ‘Algae Paper Seal,’ ‘Sprouting Gold Seal,’ and over ten others. Wang Lun was an old friend of my father; I associated with his descendants and personally saw her handwriting. His family occasionally saw her form—only from the waist up, appearing as a beautiful woman; below, she was always veiled in clouds. She excelled at the zither, her melodies sorrowful and haunting, making listeners forget fatigue. Once she told his daughter: “Can you ride the clouds and travel with me?” The girl agreed. White clouds rose like steam from the courtyard; the girl stepped upon them, but the clouds could not bear her weight. The spirit said: “Your soles are tainted with impure earth—remove your shoes and ascend.” The girl then stepped barefoot, as if treading on silk and cotton, rising gently to the roof before descending again. “You are not ready yet,” she said. “We shall meet another day.” Later, the girl married, and the spirit never returned; the family suffered neither misfortune nor blessing.

(End of Chapter)