Chapter 150 – Two Draws, Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West of the River, Never Look Down on the Poor Youth!
"Is that strange?"
"Isn't it strange?"
Uncle Jiu opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat.
What made it worse was Renji's expression—so calm, as if this was all perfectly normal.
Show-off.
The way this guy said it so casually made Uncle Jiu want to punch him in the face.
Thankfully, he restrained himself. The gap between them felt even larger now.
"Fine, fine, you're impressive, you're right, you've got True Samadhi Fire—then don't say nonsense like 'this jiangshi isn't afraid of Dao techniques'!"
Uncle Jiu smacked his lips and gave up arguing. This guy always had some new trick up his sleeve.
No wonder Renji had been so confident earlier, saying that once the jiangshi appeared, it could be dealt with.
He had True Samadhi Fire—what jiangshi, no matter how mutated, could withstand both heavenly lightning and that kind of flame?
"Who is this guy exactly? Since when does the Shenxiao Sect play with fire?"
Mama Di leaned close and whispered to Uncle Jiu.
He had initially assumed Renji was just talking big, and that the three of them would need to cooperate in the end.
After all, he had suffered from that jiangshi himself and knew how formidable it was. It was normal for Renji, who hadn't faced it before, to be confident—but Mama Di had even hoped Renji would take a hit or two, just so he could save face later.
But now it seemed like there wouldn't be any such opportunity.
"He's the sect leader."
"Huh?"
That young?
Mama Di had long since left the mountain and didn't know much about other sects. Hearing this, he was surprised—Renji was the sect master of Shenxiao Sect?
No wonder.
But wasn't Shenxiao known for lightning? When did they start using fire?
"Enough with the questions. Your problem's solved."
Uncle Jiu had originally intended to resolve it himself, but once again, Renji stepped in.
It seemed he'd troubled Renji again. He didn't even know how he could repay the favor.
"Tch, so you called him here to help?"
He didn't want to say it, but seeing Ren Tiantang howling as the True Samadhi Fire consumed him, Mama Di knew his trouble had indeed been handled.
A jiangshi might resist Dao techniques, but unreasonable forces like the True Samadhi Fire didn't care what kind of mutation you had—it would burn everything down.
"You think I could invite someone like him?"
Uncle Jiu gave him a strange look. How could he possibly have that kind of pull?
If they hadn't run into each other by coincidence, he wouldn't have dared ask Renji for help. This whole situation was caused by Maoshan—and now they had to rely on Renji to clean it up.
He felt ashamed.
"You're right. No way you'd know a sect master."
Mama Di's mood eased a little as he fired back.
If he really had a connection like that, someone so strong who could lend a hand at any time, that would be more painful than dying!
"Looks like it's just as I suspected."
In the movie, Ren Tiantang didn't seem afraid of any Dao technique. Uncle Jiu tried all kinds of methods, but in the end had to purge all the hormones from his body.
Truthfully, Ren Tiantang shouldn't have been able to become a jiangshi at all. It was the drugs that caused his mutation—he was a special 'corpse' driven by chemicals.
Naturally, Dao techniques were useless against him. But once his limits were exceeded, he could still be destroyed.
The hormones strengthened Ren Tiantang, but they didn't make him invincible. The core issue was that Uncle Jiu lacked a powerful way to break his defenses, and the target was immune to Daoist magic.
But he still feared heavenly lightning and fire—weaknesses shared by all jiangshi.
Even if the mutation allowed Ren Tiantang to briefly resist the True Samadhi Fire, it was ultimately useless. He didn't even get to use most of his abilities before he was reduced to ashes.
It was simple, really.
Renji turned to Ren Zhuzhu and said, "You can bring them over now. There's no body left, but you can bury the ashes in a grave—let that count as peace for him."
Peace is your lie.
How could a jiangshi find peace? Uncle Jiu grumbled internally, though he didn't say it out loud. At least it gave the family some comfort.
"Alright…"
Ren Zhuzhu nodded, her heart momentarily dazed. If she remembered correctly, she had just been pitying Ren Tingting—her grandfather had been blasted into ash by heavenly lightning.
Now it seemed she no longer needed to pity her. She herself was in the same boat—her grandfather was burned to ash by True Samadhi Fire.
Different circumstances, same ending: both turned to dust.
"Fellow Daoist, I truly owe you this time!"
"No trouble—it was just a casual effort."
What a pity.
No reward draw.
Renji felt a bit disappointed. He'd thought finishing off Ren Tiantang early might have earned him a chance.
Still, he received plenty of merit points. Once he got back, he could use them to cultivate again.
With his blessed land and hidden realm, he was eager to improve.
"Really, thank you this time."
Mama Di's lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say more. But with Lin Jiu present, he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
He was prideful. Although Renji was the one who handled the jiangshi, Renji probably wouldn't have come if not for Uncle Jiu.
"How about I treat you all to a meal!"
Mama Di gritted his teeth and finally said what had been stuck in his heart.
After all, the man had saved his life. If he didn't even offer a meal, that would be inexcusable.
He also had a few things to take care of.
"Alright then. I'm a bit hungry anyway. That said, you really need to take things more seriously from now on."
Uncle Jiu gave Mama Di a deep look. Though it sounded like a lecture, Mama Di, surprisingly, didn't argue back.
He seemed to have his own thoughts.
During the meal, both disciples remained quiet. Ahao had been annoyed earlier, but after witnessing Renji's methods, he realized that if he ever acted cocky in front of Renji, he'd definitely be harshly disciplined.
That only deepened his dissatisfaction with Mama Di. Why had he picked such an incompetent teacher?
"Ahao, Aqiang—you two never officially joined the Maoshan Sect. After this incident, I've realized I'm not suited to be a teacher, and you two aren't suited for this path either. So after this meal, we'll go our separate ways."
Mama Di had mulled it over for a long time. He finally decided—with his skill level, he shouldn't be taking disciples at all.
After this incident, Mama Di finally realized that his two disciples weren't suited for cultivation at all. Their character was poor, and Mama Di had seen it clearly during their time in jail.
This time they even lost the client's corpse and indirectly caused people's deaths. Instead of reflecting, they just kept blaming others. Mama Di knew it was better to drive Ahao and Aqiang away before something even worse happened.
He even felt a bit lucky—thankfully, he hadn't officially accepted them as disciples. Otherwise, he'd be finished.
Uncle Jiu, watching from the side, had a trace of satisfaction in his eyes. His own disciples weren't perfect, but at least they weren't like Mama Di's. Still, this was Mama Di's matter, and previously he hadn't been in a position to interfere.
Now that Mama Di had decided to dismiss his disciples, Uncle Jiu was quite pleased.
"They're really leaving, huh…"
Renji's eyes flashed with a hint of reflection. In the film, those two disciples took Ren Zhuzhu with them to pan for gold.
But realistically, in this era, gold-panning usually led to bad outcomes—especially for someone like Ren Zhuzhu, a delicate girl unfamiliar with the world.
Aqiang and Ahao had no real skills, and Ren Zhuzhu was a sheltered young lady. Anyone with sense wouldn't go with them.
But this time, it was Mama Di who chose to drive them away.
In Renji's view, that was the right decision. The two had no heart for the Dao and would only bring trouble. Judging from their personalities, they weren't suited for this path at all.
"Master, I—"
Aqiang tried to speak but was stopped by Ahao.
He already harbored resentment toward Mama Di. He hadn't made any money and nearly died. He had no more desire for corpse herding.
Now, he was planning to head to the coast to seek gold.
What was so good about cultivation? Every day was spent dealing with corpses.
"I get it. I don't think I'm cut out for this either. I'm planning to go seek gold—I hear there are more opportunities in the big cities."
As he spoke, Ahao looked toward Ren Zhuzhu and said, "Miss Zhuzhu, would you like to go to the big city with us? I heard it's full of opportunities. We can go build a future together!"
From earlier conversations, Ahao knew Ren Zhuzhu had come from the West.
Naturally, she'd long for the modernity of the big cities and wouldn't want to stay in this town. Ahao had set his sights on that—hoping to convince her to go with him.
First, if Ren Zhuzhu left with him, he'd have the chance to win her heart along the way.
He'd long been eyeing her, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity.
Second, the Ren family was wealthy. If he could marry her, he'd gain their backing—a huge help for his future. So the first person he invited was her.
Aqiang, still uncertain, lit up at Ahao's words. If they could bring Ren Zhuzhu along, then maybe going to pan for gold wasn't a bad idea after all.
"Me?"
Ren Zhuzhu hesitated. Unlike the movie, she didn't have any deep bond with them.
Still, she did long for the city. After returning from the West to this tiny town, everything felt so old-fashioned.
She really did want to venture into the city.
"Cousin, the world outside is too chaotic. I don't think it's a good idea."
Ren Tingting tugged her cousin's sleeve, signaling her not to agree.
These two were clearly unreliable. Go gold-panning with them? She feared they'd end up dead or worse.
Ren Tingting had good instincts. The way Ahao looked at her earlier was the same as how he looked at Zhuzhu—it was obvious he wasn't a decent man. Unlike her own master, who always carried a calm and elegant demeanor.
Then, an idea came to her. Turning toward Renji, she asked, "Master, how about accepting Zhuzhu as a disciple too? Since both Qingqing and I are surnamed Ren, wouldn't it be nice to have another Ren among us? Please?"
As she spoke, she shook Renji's arm playfully.
Rather than let her cousin get tricked, it was better to have her come up the mountain too.
Zhuzhu was so pure—there's no way she could stay here forever. Once Tingting left, Ahao might come around again to take her away.
So it was better to have her cultivate together on the mountain.
"Isn't it boring living on the mountain? You're so young—can you really endure the hardships of cultivation?"
Ahao quickly interjected, trying to dissuade her.
No way!
If she went up the mountain, he'd lose everything!
"Zhuzhu won't be stuck there all the time. She can still come down. Haven't you noticed my skin's gotten better lately? Cultivation improves every aspect of your body—you can preserve your youth and even live longer!"
Preserve youth? Smoother skin?
Ren Qingqing was taken aback, then secretly delighted. Did that mean she could too?
That became the final straw for Ren Zhuzhu.
Eternal youth!
No woman could resist that temptation.
"I haven't even agreed yet,"
Renji muttered with a twitch in his eye. Did anyone even ask him?
At his words, Ren Tingting froze, while Ahao's eyes lit up—he suddenly felt a bit of gratitude toward Renji.
"To become a disciple, I first need to examine her aptitude. And approval from the founder is required—it's not just up to me. If she wants to join, she can make her decision now, and we'll hold the formal initiation once she's on the mountain."
Fair enough.
Better to bring her along than let her follow those two fools.
And besides… it gave him another lottery chance.
"Thank you, Master!" Ren Tingting exclaimed happily, then quickly turned to Qingqing. "Hurry up and agree! Once we're on the mountain, it'll be just like when we were kids. Qingqing and I will take care of you!"
"Mm!" Ren Zhuzhu hesitated, then nodded.
"I've got a junior sister now?"
Ren Qingqing blinked. In just one day, she'd gained a new junior.
"Alright then. Ahao, Aqiang—since you've made your decision, it's time to go."
Mama Di waved his hand, motioning for the two of them to leave. There was no reason for them to linger.
From the moment Ahao agreed to go, their master-disciple relationship had ended.
"Fine."
Ahao gritted his teeth, a flash of resentment in his heart. He'd been so close.
He'd seen the hesitation in Ren Zhuzhu's eyes. He really thought he had convinced her.
But in the end, Ren Tingting had stepped in and ruined it.
He now resented everyone here. Aqiang looked like he wanted to say something, but upon seeing his master's expression, swallowed his words.
Yes. It really was over.
[Ding! Changed Mama Di's fate. Reward: one lottery draw.]
[Ding! Changed Ren Zhuzhu's fate. Reward: one lottery draw.]
Huh?
Renji's eyes flashed with surprise. Ren Zhuzhu not leaving with Ahao really did count as changing her fate.
But what about Mama Di?
On second thought, in the film, Ahao and Aqiang had left of their own accord. But this time, Mama Di expelled them himself—so that counted too?
All in all, not a bad outcome. Two lottery draws earned.
"Old ghost, I'm following you back this time!"
Watching Ahao and Aqiang disappear into the distance, Mama Di sighed. He didn't want to bow his head, but right now he had no choice—he'd have to stick with Uncle Jiu for a while.
Thanks to Ahao and Aqiang, his reputation was ruined. No one would want his corpse herding services anytime soon.
So his thinking was simple: follow Uncle Jiu and reflect on his own teaching.
"Fine. But I won't tolerate that bad temper of yours."
Uncle Jiu nodded, though from the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, it was clear he was amused.
Looks like the old ghost had finally bowed his head.
"My condolences about your grandfather."
Mama Di looked at Ren Zhuzhu and apologized seriously. He was supposed to return a body, but it ended up being ashes.
"Daoist, you're not entirely to blame."
Ren Zhuzhu lowered her head in embarrassment. She'd nearly followed the man responsible for her grandfather's death to go gold panning.
The thought filled her with shame.
At the same time, she made up her mind. Since she couldn't stay in town, she might as well go cultivate with Renji. With two companions her age, it wouldn't be boring.
Elsewhere—
Ahao cast one last hateful glance toward the inn, silently vowing to himself:
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Never look down on the poor youth. One day, they'll regret this!
[End of Chapter]
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