Qing Ling was somewhat surprised, not expecting Miaoyuan to have chased him all the way here.
His monastic robes were drenched through by the rain, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped his prayer beads, carrying quite a bit of a do-or-die momentum.
“The descent of heavenly thunder today is your destined fate,” Miaoyuan said coldly. “One who is already dead should not cling to the mortal world. Buddha is merciful, and if you turn back from your delusions and quickly descend to the netherworld at once, you can avoid the suffering of your soul scattering into nothingness!”
“He is quite reasonable,” Qing Ling said, then pushed away the arm with which Shang Changheng was embracing his waist, saying in a low voice, “Stop holding me, think of a way. If you cannot think of a way, let go of me first, as I do not want to be struck to death by thunder together with you.”
Shang Changheng was almost amused to the point of laughter by his straightforward remark, yet he also found it quite interesting. Refusing to let go, he sat firmly inside the house and said to Miaoyuan outside, “My beloved wife’s destiny grid is filled with ultimate Yin, and he is moreover a corpse-born infant. If your heavenly thunder strikes a bit too accurately, he is likely to have his soul scatter into nothingness along with me. Monk, do you dare commit murder?”
Qing Ling: “…”
Miaoyuan was also stunned. Although he cultivated Buddhist dharma, he was not well-versed in the science of destiny, and had always assumed that the heavy Yin energy on Qing Ling and the lack of visible Yang fire were due to his special destiny grid and overly deep entanglement with a fierce ghost. He never expected him to be a corpse-born infant who should not have survived in the first place.
Qing Ling truly could not laugh this time.
He cursed both this monk and this evil spirit thoroughly in his heart, thinking with bitter resentment, “I must learn this as well, so I can find a chance to strike you dead later.”
Shang Changheng let out a scornful scoff. “You cannot even practice martial Qi yet you still want to dabble in thunder arts, you had better worry about yourself.”
His words fell alongside the crash of a terrifying clap of thunder. Qing Ling was frightened to the point of losing all color in his face; the might of heaven and earth was awe-inspiring and fiercely menacing, far from something a mortal’s flesh and blood could contend against. Yet Qing Ling remembered once more that this thunder specifically restrained Yin entities, whereas Shang Changheng behind him seemed completely devoid of fear, not even changing the strength of the hold with which he embraced him.
By contrast, hesitation surfaced on Miaoyuan’s face. To kill a ghost meant having to kill a person, and an opportunity this rare, even if there were a next time, his method of summoning heavenly thunder to vanquish evil could not be used again in the short term. Ultimately, however, he let out a sigh, simultaneously forming the wish-granting seal and the fear-defying seal with both hands, signifying his ability to fulfill vows for all living beings and expressing the great compassionate heart of delivering universal salvation.
He chanted scriptures in a low voice, “Namo amituopo ye, duotuo qieduo ye…”
Totaling fifteen phrases, the moment the final syllable fell, the menacing heavenly thunder finally ceased striking toward Qing Ling’s small courtyard. Qing Ling, having clawed back a sliver of life, breathed a sigh of relief and mentally replaced the designation “monk” back with “Master Miaoyuan,” solely because while this monk was somewhat bloodthirsty, he truly possessed a compassionate heart.
At the very least, he did not commit the act of sacrificing him together with the ghost on the grounds that killing one ghost could save more people.
“Donor,” Miaoyuan said, still unwilling to resign himself as he gritted his teeth and continued, “Fierce ghosts possess only ferocity and no human nature, do not believe their honeyed words. Even if their karmic ties are settled, they will still continue killing. A fierce ghost is a fierce ghost, and has nothing to do with their past life.”
Seeing how affectionate the actions between this man and ghost were, with the fierce ghost even referring to the young man as his “beloved wife,” he attempted to offer well-intentioned advice to Qing Ling.
Qing Ling remained silent for a long time, weighing matters in his heart as well.
In the end, he gently shook his head at Miaoyuan and said, “He has never killed anyone outside of his karmic ties. The people in the Qing estate trampled on human lives and practiced corpse-refining murders, so even if they died, they were merely ridding the people of a scourge. Master Miaoyuan, he is… somewhat different. After a mortal dies, if they do not enter the netherworld, they become wandering souls. If their resentment runs deep, they can transform into fierce ghosts and harm human lives, but after a long time their souls will inevitably scatter into nothingness and they can never be reincarnated. Shang Changheng’s soul, however, has already remained in the mortal realm for a thousand years.”
Miaoyuan was even more incredulous.
He knew that the great tomb beneath Dragon-Slaying Mountain was of great antiquity. When he passed through this area that day, he had perceived baleful energy soaring to the skies within Dragon-Slaying Mountain, which was why he braved the danger to enter the mountains in the rain. He had assumed someone had occupied that great tomb to cultivate and gain power, yet he never imagined that this fierce ghost had genuinely spent a millennium in the mortal realm.
The sudden downpour came swiftly and departed just as quickly, leaving behind only sporadic raindrops, though the sky remained gloomy.
Miaoyuan wiped the rainwater from his face and furrowed his brows tightly. “How can this be possible?”
“It is true,” Qing Ling said while pushing away Shang Changheng’s hand, taking a brief moment to look back and tell him, “That is quite enough, the thunder is gone, let go of me quickly.”
Then he turned back to Miaoyuan and said, “He does not remember his past events, which is likely why he has stubbornly refused to leave the mortal world. If we can recover his memories for him and resolve his obsession, perhaps we will not need to resort to weapons against each other.”
Miaoyuan had indeed heard that the Zhu family of Tongzhou excelled at ferry-crossing for ghosts. Once someone became a fierce ghost, however, it became exceedingly difficult to dissolve their resentment and restore their sanity, which was why even the Zhu family mostly exterminated fierce ghosts when dealing with them. He had never witnessed a millennium-old fierce ghost retaining its sanity, and he looked with suspicion toward the handsome-featured fierce ghost.
And in response, he received a sarcastic glance from the evil spirit.
In truth, he was no different from a living person.
Shang Changheng finally released his hold under Qing Ling’s continuous pushing. Now that the heavenly thunder had passed, he stood up, walked to the doorway, and shoved open the door frame that had been charred black by lightning, smiling with ambiguous meaning as he said, “Your opportunity is gone.”
Miaoyuan immediately clutched his prayer beads and formed hand seals, tensing his face as if facing a formidable enemy.
That moment just now had been an absolute prime opportunity, yet Miaoyuan did not regret giving it up. Living humans were judged by the laws of the mortal realm, and he naturally could not disrupt the rules by murdering a living person—even if the price for missing this chance meant angering the fierce ghost and dying right here.
As a result, the slender mortal grabbed the fierce ghost’s arm, dragged him inside, and stepped out himself. He looked at the door frame, which had already turned into charred wood, and sighed, “A broken door still needs to be compensated for, Master Miaoyuan.”
The expression on Miaoyuan’s face went completely blank, before he lowered his head in a somewhat ashamed manner. “This humble monk does not possess much silver either.”
Qing Ling paused. “Then what about your daily food and clothing expenses?”
Miaoyuan: “Relying on alms.”
Shang Changheng’s figure faded away once more, and since the bedroom door could not be replaced for a while, Qing Ling had no choice but to tidy up the side room to sleep in. As for Master Miaoyuan having no money to pay compensation, he could only contribute some physical labor by chopping all the firewood in Qing Ling’s backyard wood room.
He possessed immense strength; after arranging the pieces of wood, he took an axe in a single hand and casually chopped downward, splitting the logs into four or five pieces and cutting firewood with great ease.
He even stayed behind to partake in the evening meal. Because of this ascetic monk, Qing Ling specially prepared two vegetarian dishes. Just as the dishes were being served onto the table by him, Shang Changheng materialized once again, taking a seat right beside Qing Ling.
Miaoyuan still found it absurd while eating, marveling that he was actually sitting at the same table with a millennium-old fierce ghost.
Qing Ling, however, had grown accustomed to it, remaining much more concerned with his agreement with Shang Changheng.
Miaoyuan finished his meal briskly, put down his bowl, and suddenly spoke up, “Someone is searching for individuals skilled in exorcism and dispelling evil spirits to deal with the two of you.”
Qing Ling had only recently emerged from the mountains and considered himself to have no enemies, while most of those with whom he shared grievances were already dead, leaving only that single individual. He thought for a moment and asked, “The county magistrate?”
“His identity was not disclosed, but it should be him.” Having accepted a meal from them, Miaoyuan and they could be considered to share a karmic affinity. Ignoring the fierce ghost sitting idly nearby who could neither eat nor utter a sound, he continued, “This humble monk has also heard some rumors concerning the county yamen. This Magistrate Luo harbors truly sinister intentions, and likely because he is unable to properly report on the matter of the Qing estate, he has come to harbor a grudge against the donor.”
“More than that,” Qing Ling’s expression turned icy. “He wanted money, and when I refused to give it, he intended to burn me to death under the pretense of treating me as a monster.”
Miaoyuan was unaware of the inner details, and upon hearing this now, his brows furrowed even deeper. “Such a corrupt official, how can he serve as a local parent magistrate?”
Shang Changheng sneered from the side with mockery, “The Qing estate has likely paid him no small amount in tribute over the years, otherwise everything they did could never have remained airtight.”
Miaoyuan wore a complex expression that was difficult to describe.
Shang Changheng pulled a straight face. “What?”
“Nothing.” Miaoyuan fished out his prayer beads once more, spinning them with a somewhat hurried pace as he said, “This humble monk has never sat at the same table with a fierce ghost before.”
Shang Changheng sitting right here was simply far too peaceful.
Aside from the deep, chilly ghostly aura emanating from his person, not a single trace of fierce, murderous intent could be detected. He had never witnessed a fierce ghost capable of containing its baleful aura without a single leak, nor had he ever seen a fierce ghost capable of acting entirely indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
Miaoyuan asked further, “Qing donor, what do you plan to do about Magistrate Luo’s affair? Since ancient times, commoners do not fight officials, but this corrupt official is truly hateful.”
Qing Ling instinctively glanced at Shang Changheng, then stated, “It is of no consequence, his official hat will not remain on his head for much longer.”
“That is good.” Miaoyuan did not ask further, merely letting out a sigh. “Otherwise, if they continue offering such high bounties, I fear quite a few practitioners from the mystic sects will end up finding their way here.”
Qing Ling was unconcerned. “Even if they come, it is useless.”
“No.” Miaoyuan pressed his lips together with a look of constrained endurance, sighed deeply once more, and displayed a universal compassion expression as he said, “This humble monk is afraid none of them will be able to return.”
After all, there was a millennium-old fierce ghost parked right here!
A millennium! Who in the mystic sects had ever laid eyes on a millennium-old fierce ghost?! With all his accumulated merit, he would still be pressed down so hard he couldn’t even raise his head in front of this fierce ghost!
Qing Ling had nothing to say to that.
So it turned out he was worried his little courtyard would run red with blood.
“It has been so many days, and still no one has managed to eliminate that monster?”
Magistrate Luo wore casual attire, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back inside his estate.
The bailiff lowered his head and replied, ” Replying to Your Honor, a young master monk has already gone, so we should just wait for news, however,”
Magistrate Luo looked over, speaking with irritation, “However what?”
“Wang five also doesn’t know where he went, and his inexplicable disappearance has this subordinate truly worried. Could something have happened to him?” The bailiff still kept his waist bent.
“Who cares where he went!” Magistrate Luo waved a hand, brushing the matter aside. “Just dock his wages when he returns. What matters right now is still that little bastard. Who knows what kind of crooked, evil method he used—the moment he lives another day is a day I cannot rest easy! You, me, all of our necks are currently being pressed against the blades! Just think about how those people of the Qing family died!”
Had they not turned hostile with Qing Ling, things would be easy to discuss, but things had reached such a stage that Magistrate Luo dreamed at night about dying into those terrifying appearances of corpses.
He couldn’t even get a peaceful night’s sleep!
“Alright, you may leave first.”
After dismissing the bailiff, Magistrate Luo still felt uneasy, unable to explain why even to himself. Feeling overwhelmed by irritation, he strode rapidly into his study, twisted a white cabbage jade carving on the multi-tiered curio shelf, and caused a hidden compartment in the wall to suddenly appear. Stepping inside to take a look, his eyes instantly split with fury!
The space inside, was completely empty!