Chapter 193 Killing Intent
The early morning Ping'an Lane was still shrouded in a thin mist, but the usually lively streets and alleys seemed particularly quiet today.
Chen Chang'an sat at his fortune-telling stall, but his gaze kept drifting unintentionally to the empty tofu stall across the way.
Auntie Wang's stall remained exactly as it had been yesterday, a coarse cloth casually draped over the cutting board, as if its owner had only stepped away temporarily.
Chen Chang'an remembered that the cloth was a fine piece of cotton that Auntie Zhang had given to Auntie Wang for her birthday last year.
He suddenly recalled that when Auntie Wang first arrived, after finishing her morning work, she would occasionally give the neighbors a bowl of hot soy milk for everyone to taste.
That bowl of soy milk was always at the perfect temperature, not too hot to drink, yet not cooling too quickly.
Chen Chang'an felt a heaviness in his heart.
He remembered that when Jiang Che brought the news this morning, his first reaction was disbelief, followed by a sense that it made perfect sense.
Auntie Wang's son, Wang Shouzhi, was actually the 'Buddha Son' that those bald monks had been searching for.
In retrospect, there had been clues all along.
Chen Chang'an closed his eyes, the image of Wang Shouzhi's last visit to Ping'an Lane appearing in his mind.
At the time, he had only thought the young man's gaze was too calm. Now, he realized it was clearly the expression of someone who had been completely bewitched. But back then, he had thought that since Jiang Che was investigating the matter, there was no need for him to interfere.
"I should have seen it coming," Chen Chang'an sighed silently.
If only his divine sense had followed the monk and Wang Shouzhi yesterday, he could have learned of Wang Shouzhi's identity as the 'Buddha Son' in advance.
The sound of the city guard's orderly footsteps came from the morning mist. They were going from door to door, conducting searches.
Chen Chang'an knew this was futile—he had already scanned a radius of several thousand li with his divine sense this morning but found no trace of the Buddha Son or the other monks.
They must have come from the upper realms and possessed methods to conceal themselves.
This sense of powerlessness made his chest feel tight.
Chen Chang'an subconsciously clenched his fists.
Although he had no great ambitions and just wanted to live a simple life, he had always been attentive to the things happening around him.
In all his years in Ping'an Lane, he would even pay attention to a stray cat fight.
Yet, right under his nose, someone had taken advantage.
...
"Are you... blaming yourself?" Miss Ah Li suddenly appeared at his stall, placing two small, oddly shaped porcelain bottles among a pile of miscellaneous goods.
The bottles, despite their peculiar shapes, looked surprisingly normal once they were mixed in with the even stranger collection of items.
Chen Chang'an snapped out of his thoughts. Looking at the delicate ice-crackle patterns on the porcelain bottles, he managed a faint smile. "You shouldn't have, Miss Ah Li."
"There's really no need. In one's life, how can everything be calculated perfectly? Learning from experience is part of the journey. Besides..." Ah Li's voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, "Even an immortal would find it hard to predict something like patricide."
Chen Chang'an nodded, then shook his head, thinking that she didn't know his true cultivation level.
Among the mortals of the Immortal Spirit City, there wasn't much difference between him and an immortal, right?
But the next moment, Ah Li suddenly looked up, a complex look flashing in her eyes. "Even one as powerful as a Venerable, said to be omniscient and omnipotent, is not without their moments of error."
"You know of Venerables, Miss Ah Li?" Chen Chang'an asked instinctively.
But he waited for a long time without a response. When he turned his head, Ah Li had already started her daily daze...
For some reason, his mood suddenly improved a little.
But—since he could not save Auntie Wang in life, then he would avenge her in death.
These bald monks from the upper realms... truly deserved to die!
Chen Chang'an felt, for the first time, a 'killing intent' towards a group of strangers in his chest.
But that group of bald monks was elusive. Although the Immortal Spirit City was currently conducting investigations, he was not optimistic.
He couldn't help but glance at the neighboring miscellaneous stall.
Ah Li was resting with her eyes closed, holding a jet-black jar in her arms, looking as if she cared about nothing in the world.
But Chen Chang'an knew that his neighbor seemed to know a lot about these monks.
"Cough, cough..." Chen Chang'an coughed twice, shamelessly sidling over.
Before he could even speak, Ah Li opened her eyes: "You want to ask about those monks?"
Chen Chang'an quickly nodded, a flattering smile on his face: "Miss Ah Li is truly prescient..."
Ah Li sighed softly, placing the jar aside: "I mentioned last time that these monks are from the Heavenly Sound Palace of the upper realm." She paused, "Do you know what kind of background the Heavenly Sound Palace has?"
Chen Chang'an honestly shook his head.
"The Heavenly Sound Palace is the foremost Buddhist sect of the upper realm." Ah Li's voice was soft, but every word struck Chen Chang'an's heart like a hammer. "It is a genuine Venerable-level power."
"Vener... Venerable?" Chen Chang'an gasped, nearly choking on his own saliva.
Ah Li glanced at him: "Although their Venerable's cultivation must be maintained by the Buddha Son descending to the lower realm, once the Buddha Son returns to the upper realm, they will be a true Venerable." She counted on her fingers, "Below them, there are probably Saint Realm Arhats, and more Heavenly Human Realm Bodhisattvas... Are you sure you want to interfere in this matter?"
Chen Chang'an subconsciously wanted to shake his head.
What a joke! A Venerable! That was an existence that could crush him with a flick of a finger! But on second thought, he had the Sect Master's secret chamber, which could at least preserve his life. Moreover, the other party had already bullied them right to their doorstep.
He gritted his teeth and nodded reluctantly: "Yes."
Ah Li suddenly smiled. The corners of her eyes slightly curved, as if two clear springs were hidden in her pupils. This smile made Chen Chang'an a little dazed—in all the time he had known her, it was the first time he had seen her smile like this.
"It's rare to see you have such a thought." There was a hint of appreciation in Ah Li's eyes. "I always thought you were a lazy person who would lie down rather than sit."
"No... Miss Ah Li, you are not mistaken." Chen Chang'an said with a pained expression, "I am indeed a lazy person..."
Ah Li ignored him and said slowly: "Actually, based on what happened yesterday, the Buddha Son they are looking for is most likely Auntie Wang's son."
She paused, "Since the Buddha Son has already been found by their guide messenger, you don't need to waste effort looking for them. These people will soon reveal themselves."
"Why?" Chen Chang'an was puzzled.
"According to their rules, for the Buddha Son to fully mature, he must undergo three tribulations." Ah Li tilted her head and thought for a moment, as if recalling something, then explained, "After each tribulation, his cultivation will surge. After the three tribulations, he will directly be at the peak of the Saint Realm."
Chen Chang'an's eyes widened: "He reaches the peak of the Saint Realm just like that? That demonic?"
"Indeed!" Ah Li's voice turned cold. "That patricide scene yesterday should have been the first tribulation. It seems it was successful. So the second tribulation... should be coming soon."
Then, she looked at Chen Chang'an with a half-smile: "So with your strength, if you want to stop them, it's best to do it during this second tribulation! Otherwise—"
"Otherwise—"
Ah Li glanced towards the distance. Chen Chang'an didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt she was looking in the direction of the Immortal Spirit Valley: "Otherwise—we will have to rely on 'other people' to make a move."
...
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