Chapter 61: 60, Three Men Make a Tiger

60, Three Men Make a Tiger

The bride beneath the red veil extended fingers as slender and white as jade, gently resting them on Zhou Chang's wrist.

The threads of thought clinging to Zhou Chang's wrist instantly snapped taut as if struck by lightning!

In the next moment, all his threads of thought received a terrifying boost; clusters of threads, some faintly white and transparent, some blood-red, some resembling iron wires, all transformed into streams of water, which instantly froze into ice threads!

A biting chill erupted from every ice thread, spreading in patches throughout Zhou Er Yang's lotus-root body!

Zhou Er Yang's Xiang thoughts were frozen over in patches by this biting chill; in an instant, all his Xiang thoughts were thoroughly frozen, wrapped by the ice threads, and transformed into a stream of illusory, mottled water that poured out from his mouth!

"Miss Bai! I did not mean to harm you..."

"Can you spare me this once?"

"My cultivation is just one step away, I am just one step away..."

Within that stream of Xiang thoughts turned to water, Zhou Er Yang's murmuring continued to sound constantly.

Upon the Lotus Root Divine Spirit, lotus threads remained coiled.

Bai Pandi, the bride who had lent Zhou Chang a hand, in a blink of an eye, transformed back into the nine-section lotus root swaying in the water.

Bai Xiue's face appeared and disappeared among the nine-section lotus root; she smiled gently at Zhou Chang.

All the threads of thought flowing from Zhou Chang's body returned to their original state, as if they had never turned into water or frozen into ice threads.

Gazing at the stream of Zhou Er Yang's Xiang thoughts flowing beside him, Zhou Chang rotated the bone ring on his finger.

Within the bone ring, the six Kong Dong where Ao True Zan Ben resided erupted with floating light, competing to devour this hard-won Xiang thought until it was torn and eaten clean, after which the six Ao True Zan Ben drilled back into the Kong Dong.

Now, if a suitable skin becomes available, Ao Bai Ma and the third Ao should both have the chance to drill out of the bone ring and breathe a bit of fresh air in the outside world.

At this moment, a sudden throbbing arose in Zhou Chang's heart, and he immediately looked at the Lotus Root Divine Spirit before him.

The lotus threads covering this section of human-shaped lotus root, like a silkworm cocoon, shimmered with a silver luster in the water.

Every lotus thread flowed and contracted like a stream of water, being rapidly absorbed by the Lotus Root Divine Spirit.

Upon the Lotus Root Divine Spirit, which had lain dormant at the bottom of this deep pool for over a hundred years, a bud began to sprout.

Buzz...

The mottled Xiang Qi filling the pool water converged from all directions, surging into the Lotus Root Divine Spirit, causing the bud growing on that section of the Lotus Root Divine Spirit to gradually sprout tender green roots and leaves; the leaves expanded in great clusters upward, blooming across the surface of the Bride Pool.

Green lotus leaves swayed in the cold pool.

Amidst the endless lotus leaves, a lotus bud, white with a hint of pink, poked its head out slightly.

At the bottom of the deep pool, the Lotus Root Divine Spirit that had grown a lotus bud became withered and black at this moment; the spiritual essence and aura that had originally filled the lotus body were now completely exhausted.

The Lotus Root Divine Spirit gradually withered and decayed.

Yet the lotus bud blooming on the surface of the pool water slowly opened.

The blooming lotus scattered petals of red and pink.

The clear pool water lifted Zhou Chang's form to the surface.

He poked his head out from among the swaying lotus leaves filling the pond and swam to the side of the lotus pod where all petals had withered away.

Although the emerald green lotus pod had lost all its petals, it remained full of vitality.

The lotus pod possessed nine holes, yet no lotus seeds were visible within.

Zhou Chang grasped this lotus pod; his gaze fixed on the nine holes atop the pod, and his own living soul suddenly felt a powerful sensation of detaching from his flesh shell and plunging into the nine orifices of the lotus pod.

"The nine orifices of the lotus pod correspond exactly to the nine orifices of the human body!

Using this object as a false body to harbor the living soul has unique and wonderful uses!"

This transformation painstakingly orchestrated by Zhou Er Yang now fell entirely into Zhou Chang's hands!

The Yin Mother, the Holy Mother of Mount Li, had shaped countless 'life shells' identical to Zhou Chang; the qualities possessed by these life shells, Zhou Chang possessed in full, and the various endowments and abilities gained by these life shells, Zhou Chang could, upon encountering them, inherit and acquire them without any obstruction!

He was no different in essence from this life shell of Zhou Er Yang.

Zhou Er Yang had cultivated this hard-won life shell into this 'Lotus Root Divine Spirit,' which could now be used by Zhou Chang at will!

"It is mine."

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Chang snapped off the lotus pod brimming with spiritual essence and aura and tucked it into his bosom.

Nearby lotus leaves swayed, and a crimson figure wearing a red veil also surfaced at this moment.

She faced Zhou Chang.

Even through the red veil, Zhou Chang could feel her gaze scrutinizing him.

At this time, the sky lightened slightly.

Morning light broke through the lush trees, casting upon the surface of the Bride Pool, where the waves shimmered.

Zhou Chang looked at that crimson figure, which grew even more vivid under the morning light; his expression remained unchanged as he was about to speak—

Suddenly, Bai Xiue's weak and faint call sounded behind that crimson figure: "Grandmother Bai..."

Hearing that voice, Zhou Chang's expression did not change much, though his heart actually relaxed considerably.

As Bai Xiue's voice sounded, the cold gaze that had fallen upon Zhou Chang, almost solid as a substance, instantly dissipated; Zhou Chang's vision swam, and where was the Bai family grandmother wearing the red veil before his eyes?

There was only Bai Xiue in grey and white clothes, smiling at him with pressed lips.

"Dawn is breaking; it is time to return."

Bai Xiue extended an arm like a jade lotus root toward Zhou Chang.

Zhou Chang also smiled, about to reach out and grasp Bai Xiue's fingers—

A red veil appeared and disappeared behind Bai Xiue.

Behind that red veil, seven women with faces resembling lotus root holes gazed at Zhou Chang, each with a different expression.

"Go, go, go!"

Zhou Chang lowered his hand and swam directly toward the water's edge.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

In every household of Qingyi Town, people were already standing properly at their own doorways.

In every alley and street, figures stood silently along both sides of the roads.

Under the dim, heavy sky, it was hard to make out the expressions on people's faces, yet they all fell silent and waited together; various gazes roamed and drifted through the crowd, and slowly, a suppressed and profound atmosphere began to grow among them.

"Dong!"

Until someone struck the bell.

A chanting sound, so neat and orderly it was chilling, passed from one person's mouth to another's ear, moving from one street to the next.

In every district of Qingyi Town, such chanting echoed: "One person does not enter a temple, two people do not look into a well, three people do not embrace a tree..."

One person does not enter a temple, for a single mind is dark and weak; entering a wild temple alone, one fears the ghosts and spirits within will devour one's thoughts and give birth to a Thought Demon.

Two people do not look into a well, for human hearts are fickle, and beneath the well, in the river, and in the water, ghosts and spirits often hide; they can frequently bewitch people into pushing their companions into the water to be devoured by them.

Three people do not embrace a tree...

Ancient sayings state: Three people make a tiger.

The delusions of three people, their mutual suspicions, are enough to summon a Thought Demon and brew a tragic disaster!

That seemingly ordinary tree—who knows whether it might become a suitable resting place for some hanging ghost?

Zhou Sanji glared fiercely at a neighbor standing at the opposite doorway, causing the other to dare no longer steal glances in his direction.

He then lowered his eyelids, yet felt more and more gazes from all around turning toward him.

The malice, suspicion, and vigilance contained within those gazes made his spirit tremble.

He did not doubt that once some opportunity arose, those gazes hiding in the shadows and spying on him could transform into fierce demons clutching sharp knives, coming to pierce open his chest and belly, tear out his heart, and question him again and again—had he broken the rules of Qingyi Town?

Zhou Sanji tightened the ragged padded jacket on his body and instinctively glanced at his senior brother beside him.

Senior brother Yang Rui lowered his head, muttering to himself; at one moment he made an orchid-finger gesture, and at the next, his face displayed a strange, eerie smile.

He noticed Zhou Sanji's gaze, turned his head to meet Zhou Sanji's eyes, and his expression instantly returned to normal: "What is it, junior brother?"

Zhou Sanji shook his head, pulled the stone egg Shidanzi, who was trembling beside Yang Rui, over to his side, lowered his eyelids, and hid full of anxiety in his eyes: "People are going crazier and crazier...

The entire Qingyi Town has gone mad...

My youngest grandson, where are you now?"