Chapter 59 059 They are two people who need each other in this world...
The monks of the Mahāśravaṇa Hall stood outside the Chuihuan Valley.
There were the sounds of insects chirping one after another in my ears, and from time to time there were other indescribable noises passing through the mountains and fields, which made people feel uneasy and suspicious.
Holding the book and reciting scriptures with the brothers with closed eyes, they always felt that there were eyes hidden in the dark everywhere around them watching them.
He thought to himself that the Chuihuan Valley was indeed as dangerous and sinister as the legend said.
Most sects rely on barriers, formations, and disciples to defend themselves, but Cuihuan Valley is protected by natural miasma, poisonous forests, insects and snakes. Even if there is no one on duty, there is no need to worry about strangers trespassing.
"Everyone, please follow me."
When he opened his eyes holding the book, he saw the disciple from Cuihuan Valley who had left earlier had returned and was about to lead the way for them. It seemed that he had obtained Zhuang Rong'er's permission.
The disciple's appearance was ordinary, but Zhishu could see some strange inhumanity in her facial features. He got goose bumps on his arms for no reason, and suspected that what was growing under the disciple's dress might not be human legs, but a snake's tail.
He quickly lowered his eyes, fixed his gaze on his senior brother's back, held his breath, and followed the crowd into the mist-shrouded Cuihuan Valley.
Along the way, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
Recently, rumors about Zhuang Rong'er, the master of Cuihuan Valley, have been spreading throughout the entire cultivation world.
At first, they denounced her as extremely evil and wicked, colluding with Ji Yuan to massacre the people of Wanjian Mountain and persecute Li Ruohui.
Some people recalled how she had forced the former Valley Master to take the throne, and lamented that this woman was ruthless and had extraordinary means.
But later on, things took a sudden turn. It was said that a saint personally endorsed her and revealed the truth that "Li Ruohui became possessed and Zhuang Rong'er eradicated the evil spirit."
The reversal of the two poles caused a huge storm. Everyone basically believed the saint's statement. In addition, with the testimony of a group of monks at the foot of Wanjian Mountain that day, another saying that "Master Zhuang of the Valley looks like an immortal and has a heart like Guanyin" began to spread.
But when they learned that Zhuang Rong'er, who killed Li Ruohui, did not choose to use the Undissolved Bone to save the world and neutralize the corpse poison, but took it away secretly, the voices of criticism and suspicion sounded again.
In fact, Chishu and his group came here for this very reason.
The abbot ordered them to invite Master Zhuang to the Great Freedom Hall. In reality, he also wanted to ask for the Undying Bone...
I was worried while holding the book, and I never thought I could complete the task successfully.
Even if a demon who lives with insects, snakes, rats and ants kills another traitor to the righteous path, it is only out of selfishness rather than justice. How can they be so kind?
As he was thinking about this, he suddenly slipped and almost fell off the cliff.
The terrain from the outer edge of Cuihuan Valley to the inner part is quite peculiar. One has to cross a cliff, and under the cliff is a bottomless blood-red pool. If his senior brother had not helped him, he would have almost fallen down!
The blood-red pool exuded an ominous aura. The consequences of falling into it would be disastrous. It was really scary.
"Hold the book! Watch the road."
The senior brother's whispered rebuke brought Chishu back to his senses. His calves were still shaking, and he couldn't help but blush and stammered in response.
The master said that he was impatient and didn't want to send him on this trip, but the other disciples in the Great Freedom Hall were either guarding the formation for the abbot or going into the secular world to control the corpse poison. The rest were young novices who were not old enough... If he was not asked to go with them, there would be no other suitable candidates to choose.
Chishu was just about to cheer himself up and catch up with his brothers, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a giant white python suddenly emerge from the pool of blood at his feet. The python's head was almost as big as a hill, and its cold snake eyes were staring at him indifferently.
"……ah!"
The man holding the book was horrified, his pupils constricted, and he screamed in shock. He subconsciously took a step back, but his limp body seemed to be out of control, causing him to lose his balance and fall outwards.
He anxiously grasped at his senior brother's clothes, but his grip was empty. He didn't know whether it was because he was too panicked or there was something wrong with the magnetic field here, but he actually forgot that he was a cultivator and could just use his spiritual power to touch the ground and fly into the air.
He just fell down screaming like an ordinary person.
The man holding the book's heart almost jumped out of his throat. He guessed that the giant python, which was staring at him hungrily, might jump up and swallow him in one bite.
The creepy feeling of being stared at by a monster enveloped his whole body. He closed his eyes in despair, and his fingers quickly moved the Buddhist beads on his wrist. He even forgot to recite the scriptures. He was only waiting for the suffocating feeling brought by entering the water or the entrance... But what he actually waited for was a piece of cloth wrapped around his waist.
An irresistible pulling force came and pulled him up in an instant.
The man holding the book was still in shock and didn't even react when his feet touched the ground again.
He opened his eyelids and saw that the hem of his clothes had been corroded. The part of the clothes that accidentally fell into the deep pool when he fell off the cliff was only lightly stained with the bloody liquid, and ended up in this horrible end. This meant that if his physical body fell in, it would directly turn into a skeleton.
Someone saved him.
“…Thank you, Valley Master, for your help!”
Several senior brothers who came hurriedly bowed respectfully to the woman beside them. Only then did the man holding the book realize that it was that person who saved him.
She looked young, dressed in a green dress, very beautiful, like someone who walked out of a painting, more otherworldly than these so-called monks.
Is she the legendary Zhuang Ronger?
He didn't dare to look at the book any longer, but bowed hurriedly and apologized and thanked in a hoarse voice.
Zhuang Rong'er...actually looks like this.
Even at a quick glance, she was impressive enough.
Such a person...still rescued him.
He licked his cracked lips while holding the book, then lowered his head and recited the scriptures silently, not daring to be distracted again.
Although Zhuang Rong'er couldn't see, her senses had mostly recovered. She turned to the leader and asked softly, "What's going on?"
No one expected her to be so direct. She asked questions directly in the mountains and didn't even wait to lead them into the inner hall to question them in detail.
One of them stepped forward and said respectfully, "Abbot, please allow the Valley Master to move to my Great Freedom Hall for a chat."
"Didn't you come to me to ask for your bones to be dissolved?" Zhuang Rong'er asked back.
“…”
Her question was so direct and natural that it left them speechless for a moment. The two monks exchanged a glance before answering carefully, "The abbot did ask the Valley Master to give up the Undying Bones, but it was not forced or plundered. It was simply because the corpse poison was rampant and the people were suffering..."
"The Valley Master's destruction of Li Ruohui was the cause, and his incorruptible bones were the result. If he can complete the cause and effect and save millions of lives from the fire of catastrophe, it will be an unparalleled merit. And..." The man paused, his voice lowering slightly, "In any case, the Valley Master should also make a trip to my Great Freedom Hall. It won't be too late to make a decision then."
Seeing Zhuang Rong'er remained silent, he pursed his lips and said hesitantly, "Forty years ago, the Valley Master was gifted the Rebirth Awl. Now the time limit has expired. It needs the abbot to consecrate it, otherwise its efficacy will be lost..."
The Cone of Rebirth, like the Ganoderma Lucidum, the Eye of the Reincarnation Fish, and the Unchanging Bone, is an essential material for performing the evil magic of resurrection.
Forty years ago, Zhuang Rong'er asked for a promise from Kongming, the abbot of the Great Freedom Hall, and she chose to ask for the hall's magic weapon - the Cone of Rebirth.
When she resurrects Jing Huai in the future, she can use the Rebirth Cone to fuse his soul. Then, the remaining soul of Jing Huai hidden in her pavilion can be nailed into the body she has prepared for Jing Huai.
This item was not unique. It was mainly refined from the relics of monks who passed away in the Great Freedom Hall. Many major righteous sects had also received it as gifts before. It was probably found in the treasure houses of Tianque Sect and Wuji Sect. Therefore, her request was not excessive, so Kongming handed the Cone of Rebirth to her.
But he didn't mention at that time that this thing had a time limit.
"I see."
Zhuang Rong'er nodded.
Seeing that she didn't seem to be opposed to it, nor was she angry at their forced "threat", the monks breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were about to respond, they heard Zhuang Rong'er say, "I will make some preparations and will be able to set off tomorrow. Please go back first."
"this……"
The monks looked embarrassed again. Things were going more smoothly than they had imagined, but they did not come here just to deliver the message. They were supposed to "bring" Zhuang Rong'er back to the Great Freedom Hall.
However, Zhuang Rong'er doesn't want to go with them now. What if she is actually pretending to obey them?
Well, it seems that this is not necessary. After all, Zhuang Ronger is stronger than them.
They were still in her territory at the moment, and if she was really unwilling, she could just break up with them right there.
One of them thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Will the Valley Master be willing to hand over the Undissolved Bones to us? It's urgent to dissolve the corpse poison..."
"Even if I give it to you, can you really keep it?"
“…”
Zhuang Rong'er's words sounded contemptuous, but her expression was not arrogant, even though her words left them speechless again.
He secretly raised his head while holding the book, but unexpectedly he happened to "meet" Zhuang Rong'er's eyes. He was stunned for a moment, and was about to look away hurriedly, but suddenly he found that her pupils were extremely dim, as if... she couldn't see?
She just seemed to be looking at them all equally and calmly.
Zhishu felt his heart beating inexplicably faster. He just stared at Zhuang Rong'er, forgetting to come back to his senses, until he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand.
"hiss……"
He raised his hand and saw a half-foot-long bloody wound on the back of his hand. It was not deep, but it hurt strangely, even more painful than being hit by the ruler in the Great Freedom Hall.
As for the "murder weapon" that caused the wound, it was even more bizarre. It was actually a pink petal of an indistinguishable flower species, which fluttered and fell beside him, with his blood still on the edges.
How could a petal fluttering in the wind be so sharp?
And... there are only green fields around, and not a single colorful tree. Where do these pale pink petals come from?
Chishu suspected that this was because he was so engrossed in reading that he displeased Zhuang Rong'er and was therefore warned!
However, when he carefully looked up to confirm, he couldn't see that Zhuang Rong'er was paying him any extra attention.
...Could it be that someone else taught him a lesson?
Who is it? Is it the disciple with inhuman senses, the giant python in the pool of blood, or some other being gazing at everything from the shadows?
When he was holding the book in confusion and trembling, Zhuang Rong'er suddenly ordered him to leave.
"Please go back," she said.
After saying this, she turned around and her figure quickly disappeared among the mountains like a wisp of green mist.
The disciple from Cuihuan Valley who had led the way disappeared when Zhuang Rong'er appeared. Now that Zhuang Rong'er had left, she suddenly appeared again, like a ghost, walking towards them from the side of the road.
"Please follow me back," she said.
The monks looked at each other and finally nodded helplessly.
…
When Zhuang Rong'er returned to the cave where the ice coffin was, Ah Huai was still standing there quietly, as if he had not moved since she left, like a real puppet, waiting for his master to return.
"...I'm going to leave soon. It won't be long." Zhuang Rong'er said nonchalantly, "You just stay in the valley and recuperate."
She didn't plan to take Ah Huai out with her this time.
Now that Ah Huai is full of weirdness, she can choose not to investigate and continue to get along with him by pretending that nothing is wrong, but it is difficult for others to do so.
Especially since her destination this time was the Great Freedom Hall, and the person she had to meet was the abbot Kongming.
She wasn't afraid of getting into trouble, but the time wasn't right.
Ah Huai didn't respond to her immediately. After about three or five seconds, he said, "...Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."
The dialogues were simple and natural, as if nothing had happened. They all tacitly did not mention their experiences at the foot of Wanjian Mountain, nor did they mention the consumed incorruptible bone.
Zhuang Rong'er has always been good at deceiving herself, and this time, Ah Huai is willing to cooperate with her.
They could only blindfold themselves, cover their ears, and hug each other.
Because they are two people who need each other in this world.
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