Chapter 69: You idiot!

In a corner of the dining hall, steam gently rose.

A few plates of bland side dishes and two bowls of steaming hot rice porridge sat on the table.

Lu Yuan broke open a white steamed bun, the heat and aroma of wheat washing over his face. He took a big bite and, mouth full, looked hazily at the old man across from him.

"If all the evil curses and those insidious things on Qingwan's body are removed, won't she be less fierce?"

The old man, who had been lowering his head to slurp his porridge, lifted his eyelids at these words and gave him a faint glance.

"Less fierce?"

Lu Yuan nodded vigorously.

"Right! Isn't it precisely because she was harmed by those things that she became this ferocious?"

"When all that stuff is gone, she probably won't be so powerful anymore."

After listening, the old man put down his porridge bowl and shook his head directly.

"I've told you long ago, that insidious technique on her body wasn't this powerful when it was first laid down."

"The reason it has become the ghostly state it is today is because that technique has already fused with her, becoming a part of her."

"As strong as she becomes, that insidious technique becomes that strong."

The old man paused, his tone sinking.

"To put it bluntly, it is she herself, using her endless, fierce energy, who nourishes those evil curses and that technique."

"And it is also she herself, using this method, who suppresses and restrains herself."

"If those evil curses and insidious techniques are unraveled, she will not only not become weaker..."

At this point, the old man didn't continue.

Lu Yuan was stunned, the bun in his mouth forgotten. Following the old man's train of thought, his voice dry, he continued.

"Not only will she not become weaker..."

"On the contrary, because she no longer needs to expend fierce energy to nourish those things, and having broken free from the suppression..."

"She'll become... even fiercer?"

The old man picked up his bowl again, lowered his head to drink porridge, tacitly agreeing.

"I suppose so."

Lu Yuan was completely dumbfounded.

She's already that fierce now.

And she'll be even fiercer later?

No way...

What level would she even be at by then??

Lu Yuan had originally thought that as the evil curses and insidious techniques on Gu Qingwan's body were gradually unraveled, she would become less fierce.

That her baleful energy and fierce energy would slowly dissipate.

That way, if Lu Yuan worked hard to become a bit stronger, he'd have a chance to send Gu Qingwan off to the afterlife.

But now...

"According to what you're saying, how am I supposed to send her off in the future?"

"With her situation, forget me becoming a Celestial Master at nineteen. Even if I achieved the Celestial Master realm directly from the womb, I still wouldn't be able to handle her!"

Lu Yuan, looking utterly bewildered, asked the old man.

The old man finally seized the opportunity, raised his eyes to glare at him, and scolded irritably:

"Now you realize the trouble?!"

"I told you back then, don't get involved! Don't get involved! But you just wouldn't listen!"

"Now look!"

"Can't even shake her off anymore!"

Lu Yuan pursed his lips and glared back.

"Less of the sarcastic remarks! Hurry up and tell me, what exactly should I do!"

Lu Yuan was frantic with anxiety, but the old man leisurely lowered his head again to drink his plain porridge:

"The cart will find its way around the hill when it gets there. Take one step, look at the next..."

"What's there to panic about!"

"Anyway, judging by her demeanor, even if she becomes fierce enough to poke a hole in the sky, she won't harm you."

Lu Yuan: "......"

…………

A little past six in the morning, the sky was gray and overcast, the morning mist not yet dispersed.

Celestial Master He Xun, leading the Tianlong Temple group, was already packed and ready.

This time, there was no unnecessary talk. After a brief farewell, they left.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, plunged back into his own room and buried himself under the covers to sleep.

It wasn't until past one in the afternoon that Xu Erxiao finally rushed back from Qixia Town at the foot of the mountain.

Wang Cheng'an's home was farther away; he arrived, travel-worn, a little past five in the afternoon.

The three of them had a simple dinner and prepared to set off.

Once they left on this trip, they probably wouldn't return until after the New Year, after the first lunar month.

Before leaving, Lu Yuan went to the side hall to give Gu Qingwan a few instructions.

He didn't say anything extra, just things like listen to the old man at home.

Gu Qingwan was obedient, nodding meekly the whole time, quiet to an almost unnatural degree.

At half past seven in the evening, Lu Yuan came out of the side hall.

Under the moonlight, three figures—Wang Cheng'an, Xu Erxiao, and the old man—were waiting for him at the gate.

"Well, the three of us are off now."

As he spoke, Lu Yuan fished out a folded map from the cloth bag he carried and handed it to the old man.

"This is the route and places we plan to cover on this trip."

"I intend to start from this point."

The old man took the map, unfolded it, and saw it was a detailed topographic map of the area around Fengtian City. Over a dozen red dots were marked on it with cinnabar.

Next to each red dot, small characters noted a number, clearly indicating the order Lu Yuan had planned for eradication.

"If you need to find me for something and it's not urgent, you can first send someone to Aunt Qiao'er's or Aunt Qin's house in Fengtian City to leave a message."

"I'll find time to return to the city in between to buy supplies."

"If it's an extremely urgent, critical matter, have them send someone to look for me along the route, following the marked locations on the map."

Lu Yuan instructed carefully.

After speaking, he didn't dawdle any longer and waved a hand.

"Let's go!"

……

One o'clock in the morning, the cold was bone-chilling.

Dozens of miles north of Fengtian City, at the bend of the old river loop, it was desolate and uninhabited.

A convoy of carriages slowly advanced across the silent wilderness.

At the center of the convoy was an extremely ornate and luxurious carriage.

The carriage body was wrapped in expensive purple cloth embroidered with gold.

Intricate talismans were densely embroidered all over it, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.

At the front edge of the carriage hung a pair of small copper bells.

As the wheels rolled, they emitted a soft "ding-ling... ding-ling..." sound.

In the deathly silent wilderness, it sounded particularly ethereal.

"Master!"

"They must be lying!"

Beside the carriage, Song Yan followed closely, his face flushed red with agitation and indignation.

"How could there possibly be a nineteen-year-old Celestial Master!"

"This is absolutely impossible!"

"The current fastest record for becoming a Celestial Master is Shen Jizhou's daughter from Wuqing Temple, Shen Shulan, who entered the Celestial Master Realm at twenty-six!"

"Looking further back, the fastest record was someone named Li Xiuye, at twenty-eight!"

"Nineteen?! If such a monstrous talent really existed, his reputation would have spread throughout the entire region beyond the Great Wall long ago. How could there be not a single whisper of it!"

Song Yan's mouth was like a floodgate opened, muttering and complaining nonstop.

Inside the carriage, Celestial Master He Xun sat with his eyes closed, turning a deaf ear to his disciple's grievances.

He harbored not the slightest doubt.

The reason was none other than this:

He knew his junior brother's temperament and character better than anyone.

Anyone else in this world might lie to show off, but his junior brother absolutely would not.

Lu Yuan...

This junior nephew of his...

was indeed the one and only, unprecedented nineteen-year-old Celestial Master!!

A peerless genius, one in ten thousand!

Moreover, based on what he'd learned these past few days, this Lu Yuan... had only entered the temple gates a mere year ago!

Such a thing was simply absurd, defying all reason.

If it had happened to anyone else, Celestial Master He Xun wouldn't have believed a single word of it!

But the facts were right before his eyes...

A surge of intense jealousy welled up in Celestial Master He Xun's heart.

What kind of damn luck did that arrogant fool stumble upon!

How did he get to pick up such an uncut jade, such a treasure!

"Master... this doesn't seem to be the road to Fengtian City..."

At this moment, the incessantly chattering Song Yan finally noticed something was wrong. He looked around at the desolate scenery and spoke hesitantly.

In response to his disciple's words, Celestial Master He Xun replied with some annoyance:

"Only noticing now?"

Ever since being ignored by Lu Yuan this morning, this disciple had lost his wits, his mind filled with nothing but indignation and resentment.

They had been walking all day, and only now did he realize they were on the wrong road.

Really driven mad by anger.

Song Yan's face instantly flushed red with embarrassment as he asked:

"Master... then where are we going?"

Celestial Master He Xun snorted coldly.

"This great river ahead is one of the Life-Severing Wang Family's Nurturing Malevolence Sites!"

"The root of the recent events in Fengtian all lies with the Life-Severing Wang Family. The common people hate them to the bone."

"Now, whoever can clear out one more of their Nurturing Malevolence Sites will earn an extra jade bean at the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony!"

"Naturally, we've come to eradicate it!"

Upon hearing this, Song Yan looked around again, his face full of astonishment.

"Here... there's a Nurturing Malevolence Site?"

"This disciple can't sense anything at all?"

Celestial Master He Xun stroked his beard, looking utterly composed.

"If you could detect it, you'd be a Celestial Master yourself!"

"From two li away, your master could smell the stench of baleful energy drifting from this place!"

"Presumably, some change has occurred in the Life-Severing Wang Family's clan-guarding treasure, the 'Book of Malevolent Spirits,' causing the Nurturing Malevolence Sites they laid down in earlier years to also begin loosening..."

"No mistake about it, the eye of the baleful energy should be right in this river!"

Before Celestial Master He Xun's words had fully fallen, a disciple sent ahead to scout suddenly came rushing back, his expression tense.

"Venerable Master, there are people on the riverbank!"

Hmm?

Both Celestial Master He Xun and Song Yan were taken aback.

Beaten to it?

Song Yan reacted extremely quickly, immediately darting forward.

"Take me to see!"

In less than half a minute, Song Yan came rushing back like a gust of wind, his face wearing an expression of near-manic delight.

"Master!!"

"It's Lu Yuan!"

"He's on the riverbank with those two junior brothers from Zhenlong Temple!"

Celestial Master He Xun looked strangely at his disciple.

So Lu Yuan is there.

Why are you so excited?

Song Yan's eyes sparkled with the glee of revenge. He lowered his voice and said excitedly:

"They must also be targeting this Nurturing Malevolence Site!"

"Master, this is the perfect opportunity for us to chase them away! To properly vent the resentment from this morning!"

*SMACK!!!*

A crisp, sharp slap suddenly exploded in the deathly silence of the old river loop ridge, especially piercing.

Celestial Master He Xun inside the carriage had, at some point, lifted the carriage curtain.

His face was a mask of fury as he glared fiercely at Song Yan, who was stunned by the slap, and berated him sternly:

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"

"If you felt wronged about this morning's incident, if you are indignant, if you think he's not as good as you, then go challenge him properly to a contest!"

"Let him see the capabilities of our Tianlong Temple!"

"But you, you blockhead!"

"How could you come up with such a lowly, despicable, spineless idea!"