Chapter 147 - Damn Your Divine Firmament Sect, So What If You've Got Connections?
"Master, aren't we going to Renjia Town?"
After leaving with Renji, Ren Tingting had assumed he was heading toward Renjia Town. She'd even thought about visiting her father.
But judging by Renji's direction, it seemed he had no intention of going to Renjia Town.
"It's a bit out of the way now. Let's just head to the nearest town."
There was a larger town nearby, so it made more sense to go there directly.
Ren Tingting likely asked because she wanted to go home. However, due to the encounter with the Four-Eyed Daoist, they had taken a detour, making them farther from Renjia Town.
Renji simply chose to skip the visit. After all, he had only just taken Ren Tingting away—it was too early to go back.
"But the world's in such chaos these days..."
Ren Tingting was a bit worried. As cultivators, they didn't fear ghosts or spirits, but if they ran into warlords, that would be trouble.
From Ren Qinqin's earlier descriptions, she had nearly faced a catastrophe.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
Cultivators indeed shouldn't kill indiscriminately, but Renji had many ways of handling people.
He wasn't a purely orthodox cultivator.
"That's true."
Ren Tingting nodded. She trusted Renji unconditionally.
"Master, there seems to be an inn up ahead."
Ren Qinqin pointed forward. There was still some distance to the town, and it was already deep into the night. Should they rest a bit at the inn ahead?
Her constitution wasn't as strong as Ren Tingting, who had already stepped into the path of cultivation. She had been holding on all this time and was now reaching her limit. At first, she could still joke around with Renji and Ren Tingting.
But in the latter half of the journey, she didn't even have the strength to speak. Still, she kept quiet to avoid seeming pampered in front of Renji.
"Let's take a rest. For you to make it this far with your body is already a miracle."
Renji smiled and patted her on the shoulder. A stream of warmth flowed into her, and her exhaustion vanished instantly. This miraculous scene left Ren Qinqin stunned. She looked up at Renji in disbelief and asked, "Master, what was that?"
"Just a little trick. Since you're tired, rest for a bit."
"Mm-hmm. Actually, I'm not tired anymore."
Ren Qinqin's cheeks flushed slightly. She had been tired, but after Renji's technique, she suddenly felt energized.
She also felt a bit embarrassed. Delaying their journey wouldn't be good.
"Hehe, let's just eat something. We've been traveling all day without eating. It's good to rest properly!"
Ren Tingting grabbed Ren Qinqin's hand. Clearly, she wanted to rest too—mainly because she was hungry.
Hearing Ren Tingting's words, Ren Qinqin didn't protest anymore. Since everyone said so, objecting now would seem overly delicate.
"Such inexperienced kids..."
Renji glanced back at the two, expressionless, but sighed inwardly. Did they really not wonder why there was an inn in the middle of the mountains?
Who would open an inn deep in the wilderness?
Still, this was the perfect chance to give them a lesson.
Leading Ren Tingting and Ren Qinqin into the inn, Renji released Da Huang and Xiao Hei from his sleeve.
Ren Tingting was fine, but Ren Qinqin was just a mortal. It was better to have Da Huang and Xiao Hei out to protect her.
"Master, are we preparing to eat dog meat?"
"..."
You want to eat your senior brother?
A strange expression flickered across Renji's face. Da Huang looked at Ren Qinqin like she was possessed.
What the hell?
He had just been napping inside the sleeve, and now he was about to be eaten?
He had protected the sect for generations, and now he was going to be served as dog meat?
"Are we really eating dog today?"
Xiao Hei suddenly lifted his head to look at Renji. Da Huang, I can't save you, brother!
Suddenly, Xiao Hei seemed to realize something—he too might not be safe. If dog meat was on today's menu, would he be on tomorrow's?
"Qinqin, this is Da Huang raised by Master, and this is Xiao Hei. They're not food. And as cultivators, we absolutely cannot eat dog meat!"
Ren Tingting hurriedly tugged on Qinqin's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.
How could she think of eating Da Huang? He was so adorable.
It was just that Renji hadn't released Da Huang and Xiao Hei back at the Four-Eyed Daoist's place, so Ren Qinqin hadn't met them.
Now having made a huge blunder, Ren Qinqin flushed with embarrassment and quickly apologized: "Sorry, I didn't know. I'm sorry, Da Huang!"
She reached out to pet Da Huang's head, but he nimbly dodged and growled.
You've got to be kidding!
Da Huang had dignity, alright?
She had just threatened to eat him—now she wanted to pet him? Did she think he was a fool?
"I really am sorry. How about I make you something tasty next time?"
Ren Qinqin squatted down, looking Da Huang in the eyes and putting her palms together in a pleading gesture.
It had indeed been her fault just now. She hadn't recognized her senior brother. But she never imagined her senior brother would turn out to be a big yellow dog.
At her apology, Da Huang raised his head proudly and gave a look that said, "I'll consider it." A proper big yellow dog never bows its proud dog head to anyone, nor begs for pity!
This was the pride of an old-school canine—graceful and composed.
"Let's go."
Woof!
Hearing Renji's command, Da Huang wagged his tail and quickly followed, even rubbing up against Renji's leg with a pleased smile. He'd missed his sect master so much.
Such a suck-up.
Renji felt a bit speechless. He quickened his pace while mentally activating the lottery.
He had earned a chance earlier with Ren Qinqin and hadn't used it yet.
[Ding! One lottery chance used. Congratulations, you have obtained: Samadhi True Flame.]
Huh!!?
What??!
Was this really the Samadhi True Flame he was thinking of?
Renji's heart surged with excitement. This thing was no joke.
Even Red Boy could use the Samadhi True Flame to nearly burn the Monkey King to death.
Of course, that also depended on the user's strength. If Renji tried it on the Monkey King, the guy probably wouldn't even flinch.
The Samadhi True Flame was different from other techniques—it grew stronger the stronger the cultivator became. After all, the flame was condensed and cultivated from within the practitioner themselves.
But for Renji, it was definitely enough. This was a growth-type skill—the stronger he became, the stronger it would be.
"Something's not right..."
The moment Da Huang followed Renji into the inn, he sensed that something was off. Xiao Hei also stood upright, scanning the surroundings.
Even Renji himself seemed distracted.
The inn's attendant carried a kettle with a rag slung over his shoulder and hurried over to greet them with a flattering smile: "Guests, would you like a room, or—?"
"We're not staying. Does this inn send customers on their way, or... to the afterlife?"
Renji snapped back to awareness and examined the area. This wasn't what he had expected—he thought it was a ghost inn. But now, it seemed he had underestimated it.
"Uh, may I ask which sect you're from?"
The attendant's grin vanished. His expression turned stern, his back suddenly straightening from its earlier hunch.
He realized—this guest was in the know.
"Renji, Sect Master of the Divine Firmament Sect."
"Divine Firmament Sect? My apologies, sir. This inn does, indeed, send people along the Yellow Springs Road. But since you're from the Divine Firmament Sect, let's just pretend I said nothing. Would you like something to eat?"
"Just bring out some normal food. And don't serve me anything meant for ghosts."
"Of course!"
The waiter nodded, then turned and left. Ren Qinqin and Ren Tingting couldn't help but swallow nervously. Pointing toward the direction the waiter left, they asked, "Master, what did that mean just now?"
It felt like they had unintentionally entered a very unusual little shop.
"This is a ghost inn. It sends people to the Yellow Springs. Enter, and you're dead."
Renji said calmly.
"What? Then… are we already dead?"
Ren Qinqin's face went pale. Realizing that she might be the one responsible, she nearly cried from her own stupidity.
If not for her, they wouldn't be in this situation at all!
"Inns like this, hidden deep in the wilderness, are all without exception unnatural. No one would open an inn out here in the wild. This is your first lesson from me."
Master!
My dear master!
Couldn't you teach us a lesson without gambling our lives?
The two of them were nearly in tears. Seeing the waiter return carrying dishes with six hands, they felt like this was their last meal—after eating, they'd be escorted straight to the underworld.
"This inn usually receives ghosts. Naturally, those are meant to be sent to the Yellow Springs. As for the living—once they enter the inn, it's fate!"
The waiter picked up Renji's line with a cheerful tone as he set dishes in front of the group.
Then he placed two dishes in front of Da Huang and Xiao Hei as well.
"But you don't need to worry."
"Why not?"
Ren Tingting felt slightly relieved, but also curious.
Why didn't they need to worry?
"Because we've got people both above and below."
Renji said indifferently.
This was the benefit of being from a prestigious sect. If he had been a rogue cultivator, the only way out today would be to fight—otherwise, death was certain.
"Oh please, Master Renji, with your strength, I already know what you're capable of. Even if you had no backing, we wouldn't be able to stop you!"
There were ghost generals stationed in this inn. But to try and stop Renji? That was just unrealistic. Especially since the Divine Firmament Sect's lightning techniques were terrifying.
Even ghost generals feared them.
"Now I finally understand what it means to have backing when walking the world."
Ren Qinqin murmured. So this is what it feels like to have someone above looking out for you?
So this is what it feels like to be protected.
"Master, you already knew what this place was beforehand, didn't you?"
Ren Tingting had figured it out by now. Renji had known everything and deliberately brought them here.
But to be fair, it really was a valuable lesson. She hadn't been that cautious before.
"Mm. You've only just started cultivating, so you don't know how dangerous the world is. One moment of carelessness could lead not just to death, but complete annihilation of your soul, leaving you unable even to reincarnate."
"I'll remember, Master!"
"So will I!"
The two listened solemnly. With Renji leading by example, if they didn't remember this lesson, it would be a waste of his effort.
"Eat. Once you finish and rest a bit, we'll leave."
This place, after all, was the boundary between Yin and Yang. Staying here too long wasn't good for Ren Qinqin.
She was still a mortal. Even Ren Tingting wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
"By the way, waiter—have you been operating here for a long time?"
"Sigh, don't mention it. We constantly move. Wherever there's been a lot of recent death, that's where we appear. And we're not the only one—there are quite a few of us. But lately, the cultivation world's been anything but peaceful."
The waiter lamented. Their job was to collect wandering souls. Wherever people died, the inn would go.
And it wasn't an easy job.
"Unsettled?"
"Yes, Daoist. Lately, spirits that should've been retrieved have started vanishing without reason. That's not normal. It must be the work of evil cultivators…"
The waiter's expression grew bitter. These evil sects had become too arrogant—they even dared to steal souls from the underworld!
"Daoist, what do you think?"
"I'll take action if I come across them. But this seems like a matter for your underworld, doesn't it?"
Renji said, then raised a finger: "One Red Spider Lily."
"Huh?!"
Seriously?
Was that how this worked?
The waiter's face fell immediately upon hearing Renji's words. But then he remembered: Daoists were always like this. Handling any matter required payment—be it coin, a meal, or something else.
This was called settling karma.
If he didn't go to Renji, he'd still have to pay someone else. The conditions might just be different.
"I can ask for you."
The waiter hesitated for a moment. Though not part of the living world, they still kept up with what was going on. They knew Renji was among the strongest Daoists out there.
His lightning techniques could restrain evil cultivators. Having him handle this would be ideal.
But the Red Spider Lily wasn't something he could decide on his own.
"Alright. Take this. Contact me any time."
"Got it."
The waiter accepted the object Renji handed over and carefully stored it. After they finished eating, Renji tossed down a stack of spirit money and left the inn.
Once they exited, Ren Qinqin and Ren Tingting were visibly more cheerful.
"Master, what does the Red Spider Lily do? Why did you ask for it?"
"Medicinal catalyst."
"Oh."
Ren Tingting and Ren Qinqin nodded, half-understanding. So it was for alchemy?
But Renji wasn't dwelling on that now. He was more concerned about the evil cultivators. He hadn't expected them to be bold enough to steal souls from the underworld.
(End of Chapter)
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