Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
It was weirdly quiet in the temple’s dining hall.
After a while, Kong Lanyou stopped her smile, and asked gently, “I remember, she’s your fiance. Right?”
“It’s my privacy.”
Zhang Ruochen looked unperturbed and unembarrassed.
Kong Lanyou nodded. “Since you don’t want to talk about it, I will not keep asking. My last question: if you are the same person from 800 years ago, why didn’t you perform the memorial ritual for my aunt after you arrived in the Central Region?”
Zhang Ruochen felt a little hurt by her words. He pinched his fingers.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to perform the memorial ritual for his queen mother in the Imperial Mausoleum long ago, but the things that happened in the Pluto Sword Tomb hindered him.
Kong Lanyou slowly stood up, showing her perfect figure. Her white hair was as beautiful as the waterfall made by fine white tallow, swaying in the wind.
She took a step and walked outside.
“You can keep on hiding. I will not force you to admit it. But I have to tell you this. I will go to my aunt’s tomb, sweep her grave, and guard there for the next three months. If you are him, and you don’t appear there in the next three months. I will regard him as a dead person, even if he is still alive.”
Kong Lanyou disappeared from the dining hall after she finished her last word.
Zhang Ruochen was clear that Kong Lanyou was pressing on him, and using his deceased mother to force him to submit.
“She’s so aggressive.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned and closed his eyes. At last, a smile was seen on his face.
Zhang Ruochen would have to go to his mother’s tomb. Now that he couldn’t run away from it, he had to face it.
After the breakfast, Zhang Ruochen had a meeting with Master Yintuoluo about the gold dragon. Hearing the last dragon soul had dispersed, Master Yintuoluo couldn’t help sighing.
They walked on the stoned way in the Zen Temple, and arrived at the foot of the Statue of the Emperor Buddha unconsciously.
Master Yintuoluo pressed his hands together in front of his chest, and bowed respectfully to the Statue of the Emperor Buddha. Then he said, “Mr. Zhang, actually, I have to ask for a favor from you.”
Zhang Ruochen lowered his body slightly to the Statue of the Emperor Buddha. He said, “I have to ask for a favor from you, too.”
Master Yintuoluo showed a little smile. “I don’t have many things to fear in this world, only the two characters, ’cause’ and ‘result.’ Now that we both have something in need, ’cause’ and ‘result’ can be compensated.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “What do you want from me, Master? Please just say it.”
Master Yintuoluo said, “I have fought with the Saint Elder of Sacred Central Crypt in the fights of the Pluto Sword Tomb. Although we’ve defeated the Blood Emperor Qingtian, I’ve intervened in the worldly affairs. The location of the Sikong Zen Temple has also been exposed.”
“From now on, the Sikong Zen Temple and I would definitely be involved with the fights in this troubled time, and have no chance for secluded exercise.”
“I’ve taken in three disciples in total. The third one is still too young, but the other two have made some progress. Now that the troubled time has begun, they should go to practice in the real world.”
“I don’t feel at ease to let them leave the Zen Temple and practice on their own. If Mr. Zhang could take them with you. I will be able to rest a bit more assured.”
Zhang Ruochen was a little shocked, “You want me to take Sikong One and Sikong Two to practice in the mortal world, Master?”
Master Yintuoluo nodded, “Secluding is a way of practicing. And living in the mortal world is another way of practicing. Only by experiencing the disillusions in the mortal world can they exercise their Hearts of the Buddha and improve themselves.”
Sikong Two was honest and inarticulate, and was relatively better than the restless Sikong One.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t really want to help.
He thought for a while, and said, “I can give my word to take them in the mortal world to you, Master. And may the Master answer to my favor please.”
“Please.”
Zhang Ruochen picked up the Taotian Sword, holding it in his hands. “The human race has gathered all strength to defeat Pluto and seal him at the 15th level of the Underground Spirit Prison 10,000 years ago. To crack the 15th level, six keys are needed. Each key is a Saint Sword.”
“Now the Blood Emperor Qingtian has taken 5 Saint Swords. The last one, the Taotian Sword, is with me.”
“Although the Blood Emperor Qingtian has retreated, he will surely come back again. Numerous powerful figures from the Immortal Vampires will surely come to me and try to rob the Taotian Sword in the following days.”
“I don’t have confidence in myself to protect the Taotian Sword with my current cultivation. So I want the Master to keep it for the moment. After I become a saint, I will claim it back.”
Master Yintuoluo must have known something about Pluto and the secret of the six Saint Swords with his cultivation and experience. Therefore, Zhang Ruochen didn’t conceal, but told everything to him.
“Amitabha!”
Master Yintuoluo cast a look at the Taotian Sword, and sighed, “I knew that I would be involved in the storm once I intervened in the worldly affairs. But I didn’t expect that the trouble would come to me so quickly.”
Master Yintuoluo surely understood the value of a Saint Sword. In other words, the Taotian Sword was surely the thorniest object in Kunlun’s Field.
Whoever kept it would be dragged into endless slaughter.
“So be it. Perhaps everything is meant to happen, once you’ve stepped in the Sikong Zen Temple.”
Master Yintuoluo picked up the sword hilt of the Taotian Sword, and put it away in his sleeves. “I can no longer stay in the Sikong Zen Temple. If Mr. Zhang wants it back, please find me in the Brahma Way in Western Region.”
Master Yintuoluo took a Buddhist marble made of green wood, and lay it in the palm of Zhang Ruochen. He added, “This Buddhist marble has special power to help you hide your Qi. You can avoid the Octagon Mirror of the Ministry of War, and the calculation of the Saint of Spiritual Power of the Immortal Vampires. And when you comes to Brahma Way in the future, you should see me with this Buddhist Marble as our token.”
The Buddhist Marble did save a lot of trouble for Zhang Ruochen.
Then, Master Yintuoluo called Sikong One and Sikong Two to come, telling them to listen to Zhang Ruochen’s instructions and so on after they entered the mortal world.
Then Master Yintuoluo took Sikong Little and they went on their way to the Western Region.
Sikong Two appeared to be very sentimental to depart from his master. He kneeled outside the Zen Temple for a long time before getting up, his eyes filled with tears.
But Sikong One appeared to be super excited. He returned to the Zen Temple, and began packing. He had packed ten giant packages with no stop, and yet failed to include everything.
Zhang Ruochen was curious, and asked, “What are you packing?”
Sikong One laughed mysteriously, and opened one sealed package. Two blood red skeletons were in it.
The two skeletons were crystal clear as if carved by ruby. Rings of saint light were seen floating on the surface of the bones.
“Saint Bone,” said Zhang Ruochen.
Sikong One said, “Yes! After the Saint Elder of Sacred Central Crypt killed the two saints of the Immortal Vampires yesterday, these two saint skeletons were left there. I was told by a visitor before, who once stayed in the Sikong Zen Temple, that the Saint Bone is the priceless treasure which can be sold at a high price in the Black Market. So I went to the blood lake last night and dredged them up.”
Then Sikong One opened other packages and showed them to Zhang Ruochen. Some of the packages were filled with the battle weapons of the True Treasure Class and saint weapons which were collected by him. Some were filled with sacred medicine and sacred fruits.
Each of the objects in the packages would sell at a good price.
Zhang Ruochen picked up a green spur which was more than 20 meters long. The spur had 19 levels and was covered up by thick dragon inscriptions.
It was the saint weapon of the Blood General Kongyi, Blue Dragon Spur.
“How strong the dragon Qi is!”
Holding the spur in his hands, Zhang Ruochen could hear the low dragon roar from it.
A strong dragon soul must have been kept in it. It might have reached the level of a saint dragon.
To exercise the Tenth Palm of the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, Zhang Ruochen had to refine dragon souls and elephant souls. Now that one dragon soul was placed in his face, he wouldn’t want to lose it.
Since Sikong One wanted it to sell, Zhang Ruochen thought he might buy it from him.
“You name a price. This dragon spur is very important to me. I will buy it,” said Zhang Ruochen.
Sikong One put on a less delighted face. “You are treating me as a trader. Just feel free to take everything you want. Of course…don’t take too much.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled, and looked at the ten giant packages on the ground. He thought for a while and took a Spatial Bracelet out and passed it to Sikong One. “I have something that might be useful for you.”
Then Zhang Ruochen told Sikong One the way to use the Spatial Bracelet.
“I was just worrying about taking so many things with me. I didn’t expect that Mr. Zhang had such a magical treasure. Amitabha! Thank you so much!”
Sikong One was thrilled to find out the usage of the Spatial Bracelet. Then, he dug out ten more giant packages from another corner of the Zen Temple. Each package was filled with treasures from the heaven and the earth.
After packing up, Zhang Ruochen, Sikong One and Sikong Two went on their way to the mortal world.
Zhang Ruochen had planned to go to the Pluto Sword Tomb to look for Ling Feiyu, and to see the condition of the Ancient Race of Prison Guardians.
But after a second thought, Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
Although the Blood Emperor Qingtian had retreated, there must be some powerful figures of the Immortal Vampires hiding outside the Pluto Sword Tomb.
Those from the Immortal Vampires didn’t know that Zhang Ruochen had given the Taotian Sword to Master Yintuoluo, so they would keep searching for him at any cost.
If Zhang Ruochen went to the Ancient Race of Prison Guardians, he would surely expose himself.
Now it was better for him to disappear, preventing the Ministry of War and the Immortal Vampires from finding him.
“Where should we go, Mr. Zhang?” Sikong Two asked him.
Zhang Ruochen said, “To the Black Market.”
Sikong One lit his eyes hearing the words. He thanked Zhang Ruochen silently, Mr. Zhang is truly a considerate person!
He thought that Zhang Ruochen chose the Black Market as the first stop for his sake. Actually, it was Zhang Ruochen’s wish to go there as well.
