Chapter 148 – Ninth Uncle Is Jealous? Renji Has Another Promising Disciple?
"Daoist Renji, the higher-ups have agreed—so long as you're willing to help, the Red Spider Lily will be yours!"
The inn waiter rubbed his hands together and smiled brightly at Renji. Just before dawn, he came to deliver the news he had gathered overnight.
As underworld emissaries, their access to the human realm was already limited. Now that the matter involved evil cultivators, there wasn't much Hell could do. They couldn't just sit around hoping those cultivators would die and come to be punished, right?
Even if they could torment them after death, the lost souls were already real and irreversible.
If things continued like this, even reincarnation would become difficult to manage. Souls were vanishing at an accelerating rate.
With war already creating more wandering ghosts and zombies stealing souls through bites, or demons devouring them directly, Hell was under enormous strain.
Establishing a connection with a powerful Daoist in the mortal realm had become a top priority.
Their relationship with Maoshan had always been good, but relying on Maoshan alone was no longer enough. Renji, from the Divine Firmament Sect, was orthodox and righteous—they were all on the same side and naturally should cooperate.
"Alright. Do you have any details about them? Or maybe a location?"
Don't tell me I have to search blindly?
If so, that was going to be troublesome.
"We're still looking for them, but rest assured—once we locate anything, you'll be the first to know!"
After saying that, the ghost emissary took Renji's token and departed.
"Master, we can actually make deals with the underworld?"
Ren Tingting hadn't expected this. In her mind, the underworld had always been something lofty and unreachable.
But now, they were actually the ones asking Renji for help.
"They're too restricted in the human realm. Often, they have to cooperate with Daoists. We do our best to help—after all, we'll one day join the ghost lineage ourselves. Having people below makes things easier."
If you help them now, they'll return the favor later. Refuse now, and they'll surely find ways to avoid helping you in the future. So, this was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Ren Tingting nodded in realization. So even the underworld needed people to assist them.
"Master, will they come ask us for help too in the future?"
Ren Qinqin asked curiously.
If it was mutual benefit, would they come to her and Tingting as well?
"Maybe when you're stronger. No matter how desperate they get, they're not going to ask two rookies for help."
A strange look passed over Renji's face. There was an innocent, clueless quality to Ren Qinqin's question.
Ask you two to help?
What a joke.
That ghost emissary would be laughed out of the underworld.
"Daoist Brother?!"
"Fellow Daoist?"
In the middle of nowhere… they ran into Ninth Uncle?
Along the way, Renji had been teaching Tingting and Qinqin about cultivation. He hadn't noticed Ninth Uncle would be here.
Normally, Renji could sense hostility. But in the absence of malicious intent, he rarely paid attention.
"Ninth Uncle."
Ren Tingting greeted sweetly, while Ren Qinqin looked on curiously. Was this her master's friend?
"Tingting, long time no see. Looks like your cultivation progress is quite good!"
Ninth Uncle nodded, his gaze resting on Ren Tingting with a flash of surprise.
She had already stepped onto the path?
Though Qiusheng had also entered the Dao, that was because he already had some martial foundation.
Back then, Qiusheng's heart wasn't in cultivation, so he made no progress. Though his physical training was decent, only after that previous incident did he truly focus—and his progress had since pleased Ninth Uncle.
But seeing Tingting now, he suddenly felt dissatisfied with Qiusheng again. There's no harm in comparison until you're compared.
"Master taught me well."
"Cough."
Renji cleared his throat, signaling Tingting to stop talking.
If she continued, Ninth Uncle might feel embarrassed.
What do you mean 'master taught me well'?
Wouldn't that imply Qiusheng and Wencai's slow progress was due to poor teaching?
"Sorry, Ninth Uncle, I didn't mean it that way…"
"It's fine. It's true I haven't been strict enough."
Ninth Uncle waved it off on the surface, but in his heart, he was already resolved: once he got back, Qiusheng would be training twice as hard!
He'd been so proud when Qiusheng first entered the Dao. But now, seeing Tingting's progress, what was there to be proud of?
Then Ninth Uncle noticed the girl standing beside Renji and pointed at her. "And this is?"
"She's Ren Qinqin, the disciple I'm planning to take in." Renji turned to Qinqin. "This is Daoist Lin Jiu. Just call him Ninth Uncle."
Given that Lin Fengjiao probably didn't want his name mentioned, Renji left it at that.
"Hello, Ninth Uncle."
"Hello, hello."
Ninth Uncle awkwardly rubbed his hands and returned the greeting.
...He hadn't prepared a gift.
But since Renji didn't mention it, he let it go.
Still, another disciple surnamed Ren. What a coincidence.
"Fellow Daoist, where are you headed?"
Renji was curious. Normally, Ninth Uncle rarely left Renjia Town.
After all, the yizhuang was there and needed constant attention.
"I heard rumors of a zombie nearby. It was apparently created by my junior brother—Ma Ma Di. As for Renjia Town, Qiusheng is there now, so there's no problem for the time being."
Qiusheng had at least stepped into cultivation, so Ninth Uncle wanted to test him and Wencai.
He wanted to see if the yizhuang would descend into chaos without him.
He couldn't protect them forever. Eventually, young eagles must leave the nest. Without real experience, Ninth Uncle couldn't feel at ease. Since hardship was inevitable, better to let them face it early.
Besides, the zombie here was created by Ma Ma Di. For the reputation of Maoshan, he had to handle it personally.
"Ma Ma Di?"
Music zombie?
The one hopped up on steroids?
Renji had made up his mind. Since he needed to head into town anyway, he might as well go with Ninth Uncle.
He was quite curious about this steroid-enhanced zombie.
To think such a thing could grant a zombie near-invincible power.
No wonder Ninth Uncle had come fully equipped. But at the time, Ninth Uncle had only heard that the zombie was formidable—he had no idea that ordinary Daoist techniques would be ineffective.
"Something wrong, fellow Daoist?"
"Ninth Uncle, how about we head there together?"
Since it was a music zombie, Renji naturally wouldn't refuse. It was the perfect chance to earn merit—and maybe a lottery ticket or two.
He also wanted to test whether his Samadhi True Flame worked on Nintendo.
"Wouldn't that delay your own business? After all, this is technically an internal matter of our Maoshan Sect."
Ninth Uncle felt a bit embarrassed about the situation. It was a disgrace for Maoshan's name—a corpse gone missing during corpse herding, turned into a murderous zombie.
"It won't. We were planning to stop by town for supplies anyway, so it's right on the way."
"In that case, let's go together without delay!"
Since it wouldn't delay Renji, Ninth Uncle saw no reason to refuse. Having a powerful ally meant he was less likely to get injured.
Their previous cooperation had gone so smoothly that Ninth Uncle didn't even have to make a move—Renji handled everything. If he could sit back and let someone else do the heavy lifting again, why not?
"Da Huang, keep watch on the surroundings."
Renji patted Da Huang on the head. The dog barked in response and began sniffing the area attentively.
The group of four headed toward the zombie's likely destination—Renjia Town. After resurrection, the first people zombies usually target are their own family. That made Renjia Town the most likely spot.
"This Renjia Town is way bigger than yours, Ninth Uncle!"
This place was practically a county, while Ninth Uncle's area was just a small town.
"Indeed, it's much bigger than ours."
Ninth Uncle looked around in awe. This was his first time in such a bustling place.
He used to think his own town was pretty lively, but now he saw all kinds of new things he'd never encountered before.
"Master, who is this zombie?"
Ren Tingting seemed uneasy after arriving. The two Renjia Towns were in fact related.
"Old Master Ren Nintendo, of the Ren household."
Ninth Uncle had already inquired before coming.
"Great-Uncle?"
Ren Tingting looked troubled. Why was her family producing so many zombies?
"Nintendo is your great-uncle?"
"Mm-hmm. My grandfather went into government, and great-uncle went into business. Each led a different branch of the family to different places. This town is where my great-uncle lived. I met him a few times as a child."
After growing up, Ren Tingting studied abroad, so she hadn't stayed home much. Her great-uncle was often away doing business, and they rarely met.
Her father had followed his uncle into business. Her grandfather had helped open doors for his brother, who in turn helped her father succeed. That's what her father told her.
Her father had received many resources from Nintendo and had launched his own ventures.
"That'll make things easier. Tingting, can you take us to the Ren estate?"
Originally, Ninth Uncle had planned to go directly to the execution grounds. The execution was imminent, and since he didn't know anyone here, his plan was to crash the scene, display his abilities, and convince them he could handle the zombie.
That way he could both impress them and take responsibility for the situation.
"Of course."
Ren Tingting nodded. Though their families didn't visit often, she could still lead the way.
She then looked to Renji, waiting for his approval.
Renji nodded. He too was wondering why they hadn't encountered Nintendo yet.
According to logic, Ninth Uncle should've met him on the way and realized ordinary techniques wouldn't work.
Had they arrived earlier than expected?
Following Ren Tingting, the group arrived at the Ren estate. White mourning cloth still hung above the gate. Until the old master's corpse was recovered, they wouldn't remove it. First, they wanted those "killers" executed.
Ren Tingting's arrival surprised the Ren household.
Master Ren emerged quickly from inside, followed by a stylish young woman. Both looked excited.
"Niece, what brings you here?"
"Cousin Tingting!"
They couldn't even remember how long it had been since she last visited.
Ren Zhuzhu ran up and held Ren Tingting's hand. Ren Qinqin looked on with a bit of envy, especially surprised by how much Zhuzhu resembled her.
"Uncle, Zhuzhu, it's been so long."
"Yes, it has. Cousin, you haven't visited in ages. I heard from uncle that Great-Grandfather turned into a zombie?"
History really does repeat. Ren Zhuzhu was shocked—she never imagined both brothers would become zombies.
She had once encountered her grandfather too. Thanks to a pocket watch, she'd narrowly escaped. But the watch had been left behind. She remembered the legend: once a zombie resurrects, it kills its family first. That thought made her shudder.
"Yes, Grandpa was manipulated by evil men. After death, his resentment lingered, and he became a zombie. Luckily, Master handled it."
Ren Tingting nodded, a trace of sorrow on her face. No matter what, the dead man had been her grandfather. That he became a zombie due to lingering resentment only made it more tragic.
The mastermind behind it was vile.
They had hoped her grandfather would kill his entire family, become a wandering specter, and either harm innocents or eventually be slain by Daoists.
"Zhuzhu, Uncle—I heard something happened to Second Grandfather?"
Ren Tingting hesitated but still asked.
"Yes… there was an accident on the road. Grandpa is terrifying now."
Ren Zhuzhu nodded, her face pale. She remembered how he used to tell her stories so gently. Now, he was a horrifying monster. She was at a loss for words.
"Tingting, these people are?"
Master Ren turned to the guests behind Tingting.
It was obvious she hadn't come just to pay respects.
"Oh! This is Ninth Uncle, a Daoist of the Maoshan Sect."
"Hmph! Another one from Maoshan?"
Master Ren snorted coldly before she could finish. He had no fondness for Maoshan at all.
If it weren't for them, his father wouldn't have gone missing.
Even Ren Zhuzhu's expression grew colder.
That left Ninth Uncle a bit embarrassed. He wished he could strangle Ma Ma Di right now. This was exactly what he didn't want—resentment toward Maoshan.
He knew this mess would come back to bite them.
"Uncle, Ninth Uncle is truly capable!"
Ren Tingting quickly explained. She hadn't met this 'Ma Ma Di,' but there was no comparing him to Ninth Uncle!
"This is my master, Renji, Sect Master of the Divine Firmament Sect. And this is my junior sister, Ren Qinqin."
Ren Tingting introduced them both. After some persuasion, she managed to defuse the tension over Maoshan.
You couldn't really blame Master Ren. They'd just been burned by Maoshan. It would've been strange if he welcomed them warmly. But after Tingting's repeated assurances, he chose to trust one more time.
(End of Chapter)
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