Chapter 234

My Buddha is compassionate?

Having just arrived in Quyang today, Xu Qing had already done something huge—not only robbing the landlord's estate of over a hundred thousand bushels of grain but also cremating the monks.

Xuanyu didn't even dare to imagine what Xu Qing would do tomorrow!

"Where does the Xu Immortal plan to go next?"

Xuanyu was full of excitement.

"Ruyi Shrine on Mount Yunmeng."

"."

Xuanyu instantly calmed down.

Cizhao Temple, also known as Daci Temple, was not far from Mount Yunmeng. The Zen masters and elders of the temple often visited Ruyi Shrine to discuss the Dao with the Daoist priests there.

However, the "Dao" they discussed was neither Zen principles nor Buddhist teachings, nor the true scriptures of the Daoist canon, but entirely matters of wealth and methods of stealing life and harming people.

Cizhao Temple was skilled at cleverly extracting money and proficient in business, owning countless fields and properties. Ruyi Shrine was skilled in the business of seizing lives and killing to extend their own longevity.

The temple and the shrine took what they needed and colluded with each other, becoming the two overlords in Quyang Commandery.

Xu Qing was not surprised by this. Temples and shrines seizing land and hoarding wealth was the norm; those who truly cultivated in purity, seeking only to understand Zen and save the world, were the minority.

After transcending the wine-and-meat monks of Xiaoci Temple, Xu Qing saw even more clearly the difference in the harm caused by this temple and shrine.

The harm of Cizhao Temple was like a dull knife cutting flesh—killing without seeing blood; Ruyi Shrine, however, hung a gleaming guillotine over one's head, causing blood to spurt in an instant!

Xu Qing did not know which of the two was more powerful. After thinking for a moment, he ultimately chose to go to Ruyi Shrine, where the Daoist Bai Yun resided.

He had to avenge Xuanyu, and since the old Daoist Bai Yun happened to be away from the shrine, what a perfect opportunity! If he didn't go and "steal the pagoda" to give the old Daoist a surprise, wouldn't that be a waste?

Following the map's guidance and asking for directions whenever he encountered unclear paths, Xu Qing traveled for a day and a half, finally arriving within the borders of Mount Yunmeng.

This mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, filled with snakes, insects, and poisonous creatures. It could be said to be devoid of human footprints, let alone cooking smoke.

Ruyi Shrine happened to be located just outside the range of the mist and poisonous miasma of Mount Yunmeng, with traces of living people and scattered villages nearby.

It was late October, and the mountain dew was heavy and the grass deep. If someone walked through it, their clothes would surely be soaked through; if they were then hit by a cold wind, they would inevitably come down with a fever or acute illness.

As a zombie who also practiced the transformation of a "Hairy Zombie," Xu Qing was part of the mountain forest's domain and did not worry about these things. Along the way, other than feeling his zombie hair growing faster than usual, he had no other abnormalities.

Only Xuanyu, who feared dampness and water, took out her Water-Avoiding Pearl early on and sat on the saddle, keeping her fur dry and smooth the whole way.

Passing through a village with scattered desolate graves and occasional black crows sweeping over withered branches, Xu Qing hadn't expected to find human habitation in such a place.

Opening the map, Xu Qing saw that this village had once been a large one, but for some reason, it had fallen into such decay.

Still, having human habitation was a good thing.

Xu Qing wanted to probe the background of Ruyi Shrine, so he turned in nearby.

The mountain village was as silent as a tomb. Walking through it, Xu Qing felt a sense of gloom even more intense than in the wild forests.

The moment he entered the village, he thought he had returned home!

Xu Qing led the horse from the entrance to the middle of the village, only to find that every household had their doors tightly locked. Only one isolated house at the end of the village had its gate wide open—though it didn't look like it had been opened from the inside, but rather broken open by brute force from the outside.

Walking closer, he saw that of the two doors in front of the small courtyard, one had fallen to the ground, and the other was half-hanging, its bottom hinge having detached from the stone base.

Xu Qing's nose twitched, and he faintly smelled a scent of blood.

No, not one scent, but two!

Xu Qing frowned. He was very sensitive to the scent of human blood, and inside this household, besides the scent of human blood, there was a scent of fetal blood that made him feel uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart.

Ever since he took the position at the Baosheng Temple, Xu Qing had had an inexplicable sense for the aura of mothers and infants. Whenever a woman passed by him, he could sense whether she was pregnant.

This ability seemed to be a talent he possessed from the moment Baosheng Niangniang was born.

Suspicious, Xu Qing immediately broke into the farmhouse.

In the courtyard, Xu Qing saw the door to a side room that had also been kicked open. He turned in and saw an old woman lying on the ground, face down, with a clear, piercing wound in the center of her back.

Xu Qing smelled the thick scent of blood coming from the inner room, along with the smoky, scorched smell of a fire burning a cauldron.

Xuanyu, having returned to her true form as a black cat, was very agile. Xu Qing walked into the room, but she was faster, entering the inner room before him.

Xu Qing did not stop her.

This trip to Qianzhou was meant to give the cat more experience; he wouldn't be overly protective and coddle her, as that would only harm her in the future.

With a gloomy face, Xu Qing approached the inner room. Just as he lifted the curtain to enter, he heard a violent shout and the sound of the curtain being torn by a long sword.

Cloth strips and broken cotton flew about. When the curtain lost its ability to block the view, the situation in the room became clear instantly.

Inside the room, an ugly Daoist priest wearing a Daoist robe and covered in scabs was turning red in the face, exerting all his strength to try and stab his sword into Xu Qing's chest.

Looking at Xu Qing, his iron-pincer-like hand tightly gripped the tip of the stabbing sword, and no matter how much the scab-faced Daoist exerted himself, he couldn't move it an inch.

Xu Qing's gaze passed over the scab-faced Daoist and looked behind him.

Behind a pitch-black furnace, in the corner of the wall, a woman who had been stripped of her clothes lay naked in a pool of blood.

Xu Qing's gaze moved down; the congealed, cold human blood and fetal blood were exceptionally jarring.

An inexplicable rage surged into his heart. Xu Qing asked in a cold voice, "Did you kill the person in this room?"

Seeing that he was no match for Xu Qing, the scab-faced Daoist immediately released the sword hilt, stepped back a few paces, and bowed, saying, "Forgive me, Daoist brother. I thought it was some idler who had broken in and wanted to ruin my alchemy, so I attacked. Since you have come to visit, I should naturally offer an apology."

"As for this person, she was just a mountain villager; it is of no consequence. You need not be angry, brother."

The scab-faced Daoist spoke as if he were stating something perfectly natural. He laughed and said:

"I am just about to start refining this furnace of longevity medicine. Once the elixir is formed, I am willing to give you a portion, just to form a good connection."

"Longevity medicine?" Xu Qing flipped the long sword, took hold of the hilt, and asked with a still-gloomy face, "How is it refined?"

"You might not know, brother, but I am a registered disciple under the Immortal Bai Yun of Ruyi Shrine. The Immortal Master has three types of immortal medicine: first, the Blood Longevity Pill; second, the Fortune Longevity Pill; and third, the Immortal Longevity Pill. All three are longevity medicines that increase lifespan and add fortune..."

"I asked you how it is refined?" Xu Qing took a step forward, his grip on the long sword tightening involuntarily.

"This... this is a secret matter of the shrine." Seeing Xu Qing's expression was wrong, the scab-faced Daoist quickly changed his tone: "But since you are here, brother, telling you is no harm."

The Daoist assumed Xu Qing wanted the recipe for longevity, so he felt relieved.

In this day and age, whether it was the righteous path or the crooked path, he had never seen anyone who could resist the temptation of longevity. Now, as long as he told Xu Qing the recipe and offered wealth to save his life and form a good connection, he thought today's matter would pass.

Having made up his mind, the scab-faced Daoist hurriedly brought a wooden stool for Xu Qing and explained:

"The Blood Longevity Pill only requires the blood fetus from the womb of a pregnant woman. That blood fetus possesses innate qi and can make at least two portions of immortal medicine. One portion can increase lifespan by two months, though the more of this pill one takes, the less the lifespan increase."

"And the Fortune Longevity Pill—I am only a registered disciple and have never been taught by the Immortal Master. I only know that this pill can both extend life and benefit cultivation. I have craved this pill for a long time, but unfortunately, I have never been able to taste a single one."

"Although my studies are complete, I have not been able to catch the Immortal Master's eye, so I can only go down the mountain to see if I have a chance to earn the opportunity to start my own sect. Who knows, perhaps one day I can also attain the Dao and become an immortal!"

Xu Qing looked at the daydreaming scab-faced Daoist and continued to ask, "I know about the Blood Longevity Pill and the Fortune Longevity Pill. How is the Immortal Longevity Pill refined?"

"That pill is extraordinary." The Daoist sighed, "The Immortal Longevity Pill is truly a rare and precious elixir. If I had the fortune to eat one, I would die content, even if I could just smell it..."

Seeing Xu Qing's unfriendly gaze, the scab-faced Daoist quickly wiped his drool, bowed and scraped, and said, "I only heard that Immortal Master Bai Yun once refined a furnace of Immortal Longevity Pills in his early years, but it was destroyed during the pill tribulation. It was truly a pity."

Seeing Xu Qing's face becoming increasingly gloomy, the scab-faced Daoist finally realized something was wrong.

"Daoist brother?"

Xu Qing raised the long sword and finally spoke: "I once learned a technique of 'lingchi' (death by a thousand cuts) from a cruel official. It can slice three thousand pieces of flesh from a person until the bones are visible before they find release. I used to think this technique was against the laws of heaven, but now..."

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Xu Qing took out a white cloth and carefully wiped the blood from his hands.

Behind him, a blood-drenched skeleton opened its jaw, but could not make a sound. If one looked closely, one would see that the tongue was gone from its mouth.

As Xu Qing turned around to wipe his hands, the scab-faced Daoist's life also came to an end. He tried to widen his eyes to look at Xu Qing, but instead, his gruesome eyes fell from their sockets. As the intense pain struck, the scab-faced Daoist let out his final breath and went completely still.

Xu Qing leaned against the stove and remained silent for a long time.

Perhaps because he had become Baosheng Niangniang and had seen the birth of so many small lives with his own eyes, Xu Qing had an inexplicable affection for infants and children.

The dead woman and the blood fetus were right in front of him, yet he hesitated to step forward to perform the transcendence.

One must know that there are two types of resentment in the world that are hardest to transcend. One is when a fetus dies prematurely, the infant spirit fails to grow normally, and the soul cannot be reincarnated, forced to linger in the world and suffer.

Such infant spirits often wander between yin and yang, suffering from hunger and abuse. Their resentment is extremely deep, especially if the fetus was over six months old or if the death occurred a long time ago.

The second type is those who committed heinous crimes while alive. The root of their resentment lies in ignorance and a lack of forgiveness; they cannot let go and cannot see, and only by falling into the "Avici" (Uninterrupted) realm can they find release.

Xu Qing did not fear the second type, because such karmic debt must be borne by the deceased themselves. He only needed to lead them into the Avici realm, and that would count as transcendence.

As for what kind of torture the deceased would suffer afterward or how many calamities they would encounter, that had nothing to do with him.

Only the first type was the hardest for him to let go of.

Xu Qing cursed Chen Guangrui again. If it weren't for this County Magistrate's meddling, why would he have to feel such empathy?

The prayers of the Baosheng Temple, the strong obsession of mothers everywhere, and the innate longing of the fetus for its mother were like a mountain pressing down on him, a zombie.

Xu Qing felt depressed, and at the same time, his hatred for the old Daoist Bai Yun rose to a new height.

To be precise, it was no longer just a one-sided grudge between Xu Qing, Xuanyu, and the old Daoist Bai Yun.

It was now a grudge between Baosheng Temple, Baosheng Niangniang, and Ruyi Shrine.

Seeming to sense Xu Qing's emotions, the cat, which had been sitting at the door, walked to his side and rubbed against him.

Xu Qing's mood improved slightly, so he stood up and went to the woman's side.

Turning the pages of the "Scripture of Transcending People," he saw the woman's life had been plain and simple. Only yesterday morning, just after she had sent off her husband who worked as a laborer, the scab-faced Daoist had taken advantage of the opportunity to break into her home.

The scab-faced Daoist used the safety of the fetus in her womb as a threat to rape the woman, and then, going back on his word, he alive-extracted the blood fetus and kept it in warm water as a medicinal ingredient...

As the scripture finished turning the page, several "Fetal-Protection Pills" appeared in Xu Qing's hand.

The rewards from the "Scripture of Transcending People" were mostly skills the deceased had practiced while alive or things formed by their obsessions after death.

And for the woman before him, her only obsession was to protect the fetus in her womb.

Xu Qing tidied up the woman's remains, dressed her, and then stood up and went to the pitch-black furnace.

Beside the furnace was a wooden basin covered by a cloth skirt. Xu Qing lifted it and saw a blood fetus wriggling in the warm, crimson water.

Only four or five months old, the underdeveloped blood fetus had been removed from the mother's womb and still appeared alive before Xu Qing.

But he was powerless to save it.

The blood fetus seemed to sense something, and its painfully wriggling body gradually calmed down.

Xu Qing took out the "Mother-Qi Bottle," and warm red incense smoke drifted out from the Blood Lake of the Dharma Realm, enveloping the blood fetus.

In this world, only the incense in the Blood Lake could transcend these infants.

Xu Qing buried the mother and child together and wrote a letter, placing it in the farmhouse.

In it, he simply stated the sequence of events. The woman's husband should know the inside story. As for how he would react afterward, that was a matter for the farmer's family.

This was all Xu Qing could do to help.

"Is Xuanyu not afraid anymore?"

On the way to Ruyi Shrine, Xu Qing suddenly noticed that the cat beside him was no longer as fearful as before.

"Not afraid. Xuanyu is the protector of Baosheng Temple and must uphold the dignity of Baosheng Niangniang."

"."

Under the jurisdiction of Quyang, Bailong Village.

"Are you satisfied with this batch of medicinal ingredients, Junior Uncle?"

A young Daoist stood at the village entrance, behind him were over a dozen villagers in white clothes, imprisoned in a carriage.

Those villagers sat in the middle of a wooden cage only a foot high, looking out with curiosity.

"The material is good. After this furnace is opened, we can refine at least a hundred portions of longevity medicine. You have done well in cultivating the ingredients. When the time comes, I will naturally report your merit to the Master and save a few portions of the elixir for you."

"Thank you, Junior Uncle!"

As the two were talking, the middle-aged Daoist suddenly looked behind the young Daoist.

"Is this person also from the village?"

The young Daoist turned around and saw a young man dressed in a green-collared white shirt, looking refined and elegant, leading a young girl toward them.

The young girl was dressed in black, with dark blue eyes, a clear and cold face, and held a sword with flowing cold light slanted in her hand. She walked in a straight line, light and elegant.

(End of chapter)