Chapter 140
Chapter 140: What is the Buddhist Disciple Following Me For?
For a moment, Shi Zi Chu was thrust into the spotlight.
If the right choice was made, all would be well, but what if she chose wrongly?
Shi Zi Chu glanced at the various paths ahead. “I’m not very familiar with Mother, and besides, she’s a vicious ghost,” she remarked.
“But you are still her daughter, aren’t you?” came the retort.
“How could a mother be so insane as to kill her own child?” Shi Zi Chu’s voice was cold.
“Daoist Shi, please don’t refuse!” came the pressing plea.
One voice after another offered comfort and encouragement, urging Shi Zi Chu forward. But was she really such an easy-going person?
“Have you all forgotten the source of my injuries?” Shi Zi Chu’s tone was gentle, yet tinged with helplessness. “Those vicious ghosts were controlled by my mother.”
Her meaning was clear. If my mother truly cared for me, how could I return in such a wounded state?
As those words left her lips, many began to hesitate. Indeed, if the vicious ghosts had cared for Shi Zi Chu as a daughter, how could she have returned so severely injured?
It truly was a vicious ghost, heartless and cruel!
“Let it be,” Shi Zi Chu said with a resigned shrug, then took the initiative to walk toward one of the paths.
She picked an entrance at random, and many cultivators who were unwilling to give up quickly followed.
However, Xing Lan, for some reason, did not follow.
Wanting to take the shortcut, how could that be possible?
No matter which path Jiu Jiu chose, there would be no danger because this was her mother’s domain. But for the others, it was a different matter.
As Xing Lan had mentioned, a scream echoed from the darkened path, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
Was Shi Zi Chu’s warning true?
Well, it wasn’t all bad—Shi Zi Chu had just helped them eliminate one wrong choice.
Ye He Qi suddenly approached Chu Zhi Rou, his voice gentle, “Zhi Rou, come with me.”
At her older brother’s invitation, Chu Zhi Rou agreed almost without hesitation. She certainly wouldn’t dare walk this perilous place alone.
Ye He Qi spoke again, “You choose a path.”
When it came to matters of luck, he trusted Chu Zhi Rou more.
Chu Zhi Rou stared at him, somewhat stunned.
Ye He Qi smiled softly, “Go ahead.”
His encouraging smile made Chu Zhi Rou feel valued, and she carefully considered the options before her. Finally, she followed her intuition and pointed to one path. “Big brother, I choose this one.”
Ye He Qi nodded in agreement.
Watching the siblings head down the dark path, Chu Zhi Sheng and the others quickly followed behind them.
As they walked, Ye He Qi suddenly produced a porcelain vial and handed it to Chu Zhi Rou. “I don’t have a rejuvenation pill on me, but this is a spirit supplementing pill. Take it to recover your spiritual power. As for the yin energy…”
His brow furrowed slightly. “I’m a water spiritual root; I can’t help you dispel the yin energy in your body.”
Chu Zhi Rou accepted the vial and responded quietly, “Big brother, I can heal myself.”
Ye He Qi sighed with relief. “That’s good.”
With the vial in hand, Chu Zhi Rou’s gaze followed the tall, graceful figure of her older brother, her eyes dark and unclear.
“Big brother.”
Ye He Qi did not stop his stride, but answered gently, “What is it?”
As her thoughts raced, Chu Zhi Rou clutched the vial tightly, mentally preparing herself. “When I was attacked by the vicious ghosts, why did you stand by and do nothing?”
“Zhi Rou, you offended the masses,” Ye He Qi sighed. “If I had openly favored you, what would have happened when we returned?”
Chu Zhi Rou opened her mouth to argue but could find no words in response.
“If you weren’t in pain, how could they soften their hearts?” Ye He Qi continued with a gentle tone, a hint of sadness in his voice. “You are my little sister. It hurts me to see you like this, but only in this way can we turn this situation around.”
Perhaps Ye He Qi’s tone, so full of concern, had a powerful effect on Chu Zhi Rou, because she accepted his reasoning.
“So, this is a strategy?” she asked.
Ye He Qi confirmed with a soft, respectful smile, “Zhi Rou, you’re my only family. How could I let you die?”
He hadn’t gotten his hands on the Azure Luan inheritance, so how could he bear to lose Chu Zhi Rou?
His words were like a promise, warming Chu Zhi Rou’s heart and dispelling any lingering doubts.
She swallowed the spirit supplementing pill, and once her spiritual power began to recover, she started to heal herself.
The yin energy was purified, and the wounds on her face began to heal rapidly.
For the rest of the journey, Ye He Qi and Chu Zhi Rou encountered no further danger.
But for those following them, things were different.
The narrow tunnel seemed endless. After about half an hour, Ye He Qi and Chu Zhi Rou reached the end.
The surrounding candlelight illuminated the tomb room, where an iron chain dangled a coffin in mid-air. Spiritual power surged around the room.
The Azure Luan sword is right here! System 003 suddenly spoke up.
Chu Zhi Rou jumped, startled, then her gaze turned to the coffin suspended above.
“Big brother, I think there’s something inside this coffin.”
Ye He Qi tossed a water blade into the air.
The chain was severed, and the coffin fell to the ground. The loose lid was shaken open, and the Azure Luan sword flew out, heading straight for Chu Zhi Rou.
Ye He Qi looked up in surprise.
Chu Zhi Rou raised her hand, and the sword latched onto her palm, eager to recognize its master.
The Azure Luan sword, so desperate to bond with her, deepened the unease in Ye He Qi’s eyes.
The Azure Luan inheritance and the Azure Luan sword—why did it feel as if this sword had been specifically prepared for Chu Zhi Rou?
A strange thought crossed Ye He Qi’s mind.
“Big brother!” Chu Zhi Rou turned to Ye He Qi, her face lit up with a triumphant smile. “The Azure Luan sword is ours!”
Ye He Qi gave a soft, approving smile. “Well done.”
Chu Zhi Rou performed a blood oath to claim the sword as her own.
The sword spirit, Yu Sheng, suddenly appeared, and without warning, attacked the Azure Luan sword.
The two spirit swords clashed fiercely, and Chu Zhi Rou, being the master of both, felt the strain.
With determination, she forced the swords back, one in each hand, and after calming the spirits, she turned to Ye He Qi.
“Big brother, I think I can use the Azure Luan sword to regain my status as a personal disciple.”
The Azure Luan sword, a growing immortal-ranked sword—this was a huge achievement!
Seeing the determination in Chu Zhi Rou’s eyes, Ye He Qi smiled softly. “I think that’s a good plan.”
This matter had to be reported to Shi Zi Chu so she could whisper in the right ears.
—
Meanwhile, Shi Zi Chu turned for the third time to glance back at the Buddhist disciple, Guan Zhuang, trailing quietly behind her.
Hadn’t anyone mentioned that a Buddhist disciple from the Bodhi Sect was a small shadow?
With his kind and gentle appearance, Guan Zhuang kept a respectful distance, but Shi Zi Chu could feel that he was following her closely.
“What’s the Buddhist disciple following me for?” she asked.
Guan Zhuang clasped his hands in a prayer gesture. “Please, Daoist Shi, help me cleanse this local secret realm.”
Upon hearing this, Shi Zi Chu couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t I already say? My mother never regarded me as her daughter.”
Guan Zhuang muttered a Buddhist chant, his voice compassionate but sharp and direct. “If that were truly the case, Daoist Shi, you would not have lived this long.”
There were things he didn’t say, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know.
The murder of fathers, the slaughter of mothers, the burning of villages, the destruction of bodies—such was the work of a vicious ghost.
Had it not been for the recollection mirror not deceiving him, he might have thought it was all a lie.
Shi Zi Chu narrowed her eyes at his blunt words.
“My life-bound artifact is the Recollection Mirror, but this is something only I know.” Guan Zhuang’s calm voice continued, “Daoist Shi, you can rest assured. I will not tell a third person.”