Chapter 145 - High-Level Jiangshi Encounter? Isn't One Thunderbolt Enough? What Are You Afraid Of, Simu?
"It hurts!"
Jiale was kicked awake. Before he could even complain, he was met with Simu's murderous glare.
That glare made him swallow all his complaints back down.
He nodded guiltily and rushed off to cook.
He had indeed fallen asleep last night, but how could he be the only one? Didn't it seem like Qingqing wasn't interested either?
"Qingqing, how was it last night?"
Watching Jiale run off, Master Yixiu chuckled and turned to look at Qingqing. At the start of yesterday's discussion, he had been concerned about whether Qingqing could follow along.
But once the three of them got engrossed in conversation, he didn't pay much attention to her anymore.
Still, he remembered Qingqing had seemed quite engaged at first.
"Though it was a bit hard to understand, I actually found it quite interesting."
"Is that so? Then have you thought about cultivating?"
In chaotic times, people like them who practiced the Dao actually fared better than common folk.
At least when it came to safety, they were clearly at an advantage. It wasn't just the turmoil of the times—they also had to face all sorts of monsters and spirits.
Having Qingqing follow him around wasn't a long-term solution.
After all, he was a monk. It wasn't appropriate to have a woman at his side permanently.
Qingqing was clearly taken aback when she heard this.
Wait—what?!
"Master, are you planning to take in a disciple?"
Qingqing was surprised. Hadn't he clearly said before that he didn't want any disciples?
Even Simu off to the side looked a bit puzzled. The old monk was actually going to accept a female disciple?
"No, I just think you probably have some talent for cultivation. Don't you agree, Renji?"
Master Yixiu shook his head with a smile and turned to Renji. Following his lead, Qingqing also looked over, clearly holding a bit of expectation.
She figured her aptitude shouldn't be too bad, right?
Even if she didn't end up walking the path of cultivation, she didn't want to be told she lacked talent.
"She's got some talent. At least she didn't fall asleep."
Renji quipped, leaving Qingqing a bit unsure how to react. She had no idea whether that meant her talent was good or bad.
"Master! Uncle Qianhe is here!"
Jiale ran in, panting and pointing outside. He had been washing vegetables out there when he saw a group of people approaching in grand fashion.
At first he was confused—who could be visiting this remote mountain forest? But as they drew near, he saw the four disciples of Uncle Qianhe: East, South, West, and North.
He immediately ran in to report to Daoist Simu. Uncle Qianhe was probably here to see his master.
"Qianhe?"
Simu abruptly stood up and quickly headed outside.
Qianhe had always been stationed near the border. If he was back now, it must be urgent.
"Senior brother!"
"Junior brother!"
The two greeted each other warmly. Renji curiously sized up this high-level Daoist and also glanced at the bronze-horned golden coffin.
A royal jiangshi from the borderlands…
Although royalty didn't seem to hold much value in the current era, there truly was such a thing as dragon qi. Living in high positions for long periods and dying in foreign lands in battle resulted in deep resentment.
Come to think of it, in the movie, even without that thunderbolt, the jiangshi might not have been suppressed.
Ink lines and glutinous rice couldn't hold it back—this jiangshi was far stronger than Old Master Ren.
"Right, junior brother, let me introduce you. This is Daoist Renji, head of the Divine Firmament Sect, and this is Master Yixiu."
Though he held some past grudges with Yixiu, last night's discussion had gone well, and Simu was in a good mood today, so he went ahead with the introductions.
The parties exchanged greetings, and Simu began inquiring about what was inside the coffin.
"Master, is the jiangshi inside this coffin really that strong? Stronger than my grandpa?"
Ren Tingting, overhearing the conversation between Daoist Qianhe and Simu, was surprised to learn it was another jiangshi. But how did it compare to her grandfather?
"This jiangshi has dragon qi and died in battle at the border, so its resentment is heavier. Your grandfather is different—he was raised using 'dragonfly-skimmed-water,' so naturally he's weaker."
Back when your grandfather first emerged, he had to flee when he encountered Ninth Uncle barehanded. But even Ninth Uncle might not have been able to guarantee victory against a newly emerged royal jiangshi.
That's the difference. Later, if that royal jiangshi hadn't been beaten up by a summoned deity, then damaged internally by poison and glutinous rice water-fed snakes, Master Yixiu and Daoist Simu would most likely have died.
"Oh… I see."
Ren Tingting nodded in a daze. So her grandpa wasn't all that impressive after all.
When she had first seen Old Master Ren, she was shocked. But it turned out her grandfather wasn't even top-tier among jiangshi.
Renji shook his head as he glanced at Ren Tingting. This disciple of his actually seemed a bit disappointed.
Was she hoping her grandfather would be more powerful?
If he had stayed human, perhaps he could've protected his descendants. But becoming a jiangshi… that was a disaster for the family.
"Why not take down the shelter and let the sunlight suppress the yin energy?"
Master Yixiu pointed at the shelter. Since it was a jiangshi, why not just tear it down?
Wouldn't that be better?
"Right, junior brother, the jiangshi—"
Before Simu could finish, Renji interrupted, "No. While sunlight does suppress a jiangshi's yin energy, the weather could change at any moment. If it rains, the ink lines will disappear."
In the movie, the ink line lost effect, the jiangshi was struck by lightning, and it broke free.
"Ah right, I almost forgot!"
Master Yixiu slapped his forehead in frustration and then looked apologetically at Daoist Qianhe.
"Daoist Qianhe, please ignore my suggestion. If it rains, the consequences would be far worse!"
He had thought of one thing but overlooked a more important issue. If the jiangshi got out, the consequences would be dire.
"It's fine. I hadn't thought of that either," Qianhe said, shaking his head. Then he turned and bowed to Renji.
"Thank you for the reminder, Daoist. If fate allows, I'll visit your sect in the future. I hope I won't be unwelcome."
"We will certainly welcome you with open arms."
Renji cupped his hands in return, watching Daoist Qianhe and his group leave, feeling a wave of emotion.
Actually, destroying the jiangshi here would be the best course.
But judging from these people, they'd never agree.
Cause and effect… such troublesome karma.
"Daoist Renji, is something on your mind?"
Master Yixiu looked curiously at Renji, who seemed troubled.
"That jiangshi has already awakened. Now would be the best time to destroy it. If it rains and thunder strikes, the jiangshi will definitely break out."
"How can that be?!"
The shelter was intact, and the ink line was still in place. How could the jiangshi awaken?
Wait—could it be…?
Simu's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Renji.
"Don't tell me a thunderstrike released the jiangshi?"
"Exactly. A lightning strike—but it had to be a yin-type thunder!"
There was a glaring flaw in the movie.
Lightning restrains all evil. Even if the jiangshi had royal protection, it should've died under that strike!
Yet not only did it survive, it got stronger.
This proved that the lightning wasn't yang thunder—it was yin thunder.
Such a method could only come from the demonic path.
In the film, the demonic path may not have appeared, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist in this world.
Old Master Ren was nurtured by a fengshui master, and this royal jiangshi could very well have caught the attention of the demonic path too.
"You're right. There's no way this royal jiangshi would be sent back so easily. This is a crucial moment in the struggle between orthodox and demonic forces!"
An opportunity to kill an orthodox Daoist and gain a powerful jiangshi—there's no way the demonic path would pass it up.
And since they were escorting a royal jiangshi back to the capital, it was impossible that the journey would go unnoticed. In fact, the procession was so grand that it was hard not to attract attention.
Just as Daoist Qianhe was leaving, Simu already had a bad feeling.
No!
He couldn't just stand by and watch—he had to intervene!
"Daoist Simu, you're too anxious. Even if you rush over now, they won't stop. Why not follow quietly from behind? Once they exit the woods, they'll likely meet up with reinforcements. At that point, we can also leave at ease. What do you think?"
"Alright."
After much deliberation, Daoist Simu agreed to follow Renji's plan—quietly tailing them, ready to respond if anything went wrong.
"I'm coming too."
Master Yixiu took a deep breath, then turned to retrieve his exorcism tools.
Exorcising evil wasn't just a Daoist's duty—monks could do it too.
"Master, should I come along?"
"Do whatever you want!"
Daoist Simu replied impatiently. This disciple of his was truly useless.
Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Jiale saw that both Ren Tingting and Qingqing seemed ready to follow as well, so he decided to go too.
The group followed from behind the procession all the way until midnight. The sky gradually darkened, and the oppressive air made Simu sense something unusual.
"Daoist Renji, it seems just as you expected."
Storm clouds loomed. Even a fool could tell something was wrong.
"Someone's casting a spell."
Renji closed his eyes. He didn't sense anyone nearby, which meant the spell was likely being cast remotely to summon yin thunder and awaken the jiangshi.
That would require powerful spiritual energy.
To begin casting from such a distance… impressive.
As Renji finished speaking, dark clouds thickened in the sky. Two choices now lay before him.
One: allow the thunder to strike.
Two: seize control of the thunderbolt.
He possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—naturally born to command lightning.
"Not good, it's coming!"
As raindrops hit his face, Daoist Simu pulled out his peachwood sword, ready for battle.
"No need. I'll handle it. The enemy wants yin thunder—but this lightning won't obey him."
"What do you mean?"
Daoist Simu looked at Renji in confusion, not quite understanding.
Ren Tingting, however, understood. It was this very move—Renji's celestial lightning—that made her feel cultivation was incredibly cool.
Originally, she'd wanted to learn thunder arts under Renji.
But in the end, she chose talisman arts. Given her father's situation, she didn't want to rely solely on Renji. Once she had the skills, she hoped to craft her own talismans for him.
"Did you forget Daoist Renji is from the Divine Firmament Sect?"
Master Yixiu clutched his prayer beads and muttered.
This guy must've forgotten what the Divine Firmament Sect was best at.
Thunder, of course!
Not only was Renji from Divine Firmament, he also had the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Controlling lightning was as easy as breathing for him.
"Master, something's wrong!"
"The rain is drifting in and soaking the ink lines. They won't hold!"
Even with the shelter, the rain was coming from all directions. It couldn't be blocked, and many places were already drenched.
Meanwhile, Attendant Wu kept shouting to the prince to take shelter inside, completely ignoring Daoist Qianhe's request to place the coffin inside first.
Watching the ink lines dissolve into ink running down the coffin, Daoist Qianhe clenched his teeth. This battle could no longer be avoided.
But he wasn't afraid. He was strong enough. Even if it was a borderland royal, he believed he could suppress it.
Before he could act, a bolt of thunder struck from the heavens, striking the coffin directly.
"No!!"
Daoist Qianhe shouted.
Yin thunder!
This jiangshi was about to awaken…
He didn't dare finish the thought.
"To the death!"
Now, there was only one option—fight to the death. As Maoshan Daoists, they would never allow a jiangshi to wreak havoc in the human world.
But before Qianhe could act, another even greater bolt of lightning struck from above—completely reducing the emerging jiangshi to ashes.
"What the hell?! Even Heaven is helping us?!"
The royal jiangshi's piercing scream echoed through the forest. Everyone present couldn't help but swallow hard—it felt like they'd just brushed past the gates of hell.
"Heaven? No. That was me helping you," Renji said calmly, then glanced at everyone. "Let's go."
The jiangshi was destroyed. The demonic cultivators weren't here. Renji had no reason to stay.
Then again, this jiangshi didn't seem all that strong compared to his current self.
[Ding! Fate of Daoist Qianhe has been altered. You've earned one lottery chance.]
Not bad.
At least saving you wasn't for nothing.
"Is your master always like this?"
"Isn't he super cool?"
Stars shone in Ren Tingting's eyes. Her gaze toward Renji was filled with admiration, and her reply to Qingqing came with excitement.
Yes!
It was Renji's charisma that had made her join the Divine Firmament Sect.
Whatever—she would master thunder arts no matter what, even while cultivating talismans!
"He really is cool…"
Qingqing whispered, staring at Renji's back. Her entire worldview felt turned upside down.
To think there really were Daoists in this world who could command heaven and earth—even lightning bowed to his will. That was true power.
"He's just showing off!! That guy is absolutely showing off!!"
Daoist Simu was stunned. No wonder Lin Jiu had once said that working with Renji to slay monsters would break both your body and soul. Now he finally understood why your spirit would take damage too!
How could it not?
His prestige compared to Renji's…
No wonder Renji was a sect master, and he was still out here chasing corpses for money. Comparing people really was maddening.
(End of Chapter)
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