Chapter 16
At 5 p.m., large patches of dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, turning the clear sky into a deep darkness.
"This way."
Every time the police car passed an intersection, everyone in the car looked at Master Yun in the passenger seat. Master Yun was reliable; after giving directions repeatedly, the car finally stopped at the entrance of an alley ahead.
It's an old alleyway inside, and cars can't drive in.
The front street is mostly lined with restaurants, and as soon as you enter the alley, you can see elderly men and women washing and preparing vegetables or washing pots and pans at the back door of each restaurant.
"Hey, Lao Li, your business is doing really well lately. I've noticed you're consuming more and more vegetables."
"Hey, no way..."
"..."
These are all old acquaintances, people we know well, and we can chat happily about anything.
Upon seeing Li Yuncheng and his group, the people in the alley immediately fell silent, staring at them with curiosity. In particular, the group consisted of two policemen, a Taoist priest, and a burly man with a scar. The Taoist priest in the lead was also carrying a compass, which fueled their curiosity even more.
Some older folks even stopped washing vegetables and pots, following behind the group and whispering amongst themselves as they went to see what was going on at someone else's house.
Following the compass's guidance, Master Yun walked from house to house until he was blocked by a large iron gate.
This is almost the end of the alley.
The last one.
No matter how many times Master Yun turned around and changed direction, the pointer always pointed to this house.
"This is it," said the old Taoist priest to the police officer beside him.
The police officers nodded. They had been incredibly curious about the things the Taoist priest was carrying. They had initially thought it was just a simple police report, but it turned out to involve metaphysics.
They actually found a place.
Judging from Master Yun's unfathomable appearance, he must be a master with profound cultivation.
"Why did we stop at Lin Shen's house? Could it be that he did something wrong?"
“I told you we can’t do dog meat business, killing animals will bring divine retribution.”
"What exactly happened?"
The iron gate was unlocked, and the crowd went inside. A police officer stopped the onlookers outside the gate, but this did not stop the gossipy nature of the Chinese people, who stayed at the gate and made all sorts of speculations.
"Woof woof..."
"Woof~"
As soon as I stepped inside, I was met with a constant barking of dogs.
Inside was just an ordinary cement courtyard, but what was unusual was that there were several large iron cages in the courtyard, each cage crammed full of various furry children, their bodies pressed tightly together, unable to move.
Some mother dogs and their puppies had their legs tied, but even with their mobility limited, the mother dogs still tried their best to get closer to their puppies and nurse them.
In the middle of the courtyard, several large, curved iron hooks, the kind used in vegetable markets to hang pork and beef, hung on wooden sticks. The sharp tips of the hooks made one's heart tremble, and they all knew what they were used for.
These were all grown men, but standing in the courtyard, they still felt a chill run down their spines.
Three people were whispering to each other in the innermost part of the yard, with an iron cage lying across the middle. Two of them kept taking out dogs with their legs and mouths tied and weighing them.
When the last big black dog was mentioned, Li Yuncheng's eyes narrowed and he said excitedly, "That one, the one that was weighed, is my big black dog."
The voices attracted the attention of the three people who were making a transaction.
The shop owner saw strangers barging into the yard and was about to start yelling when he realized that the strangers were police officers. He immediately put the large dog he was carrying on the ground.
The two men next to them saw the police officers in uniform. Feeling guilty, they exchanged a glance and took a step back in unison. One of them shoved the shop owner who was blocking their way and ran out the front door.
"Don't run."
The two police officers had already recognized the two as fugitives who were about to be apprehended. Now that they had run into the criminals, they were not about to let them get away.
He quickly chased after them.
The shop owner clutched his injured waist, groaning repeatedly. Old Master Yun couldn't bear to see him like this, so he led him to a stool to rest.
Lin Shen: "Thanks... *tear*"
I bumped my waist and got a big bruise; it only hurts a little right now.
Old Daoist Yun didn't reply. Instead, he closed his eyes and kept chanting the Rebirth Mantra over this killing ground, hoping that these brats would soon return to heaven and escape from their suffering.
Lin Shen, who was in this business, felt a little embarrassed when he heard the Rebirth Mantra. He covered his waist and shrank to the side without saying a word.
"Big Black, Big Black~"
"Waaah..."
Big Black, with its mouth covered, kept whining and wagging its tail. Li Yuncheng glanced at it and saw that it wasn't suffering too much.
As soon as Li Yuncheng tore off the tape from the dog's mouth, it excitedly licked his face, "Woof woof, woof woof..." He quickly pushed the dog's head away and continued to untie the rope on the dog's legs.
As soon as Dahei, who had escaped death, was freed from its four legs, it stood up and pounced on Li Yuncheng. He put it on the ground and kept it close to his thigh, as if afraid that its master would leave it there.
They have found Big Black as quickly as possible, but Big Black was still quite frightened in the process.
They can't speak, but they understand everything.
Li Yuncheng first sent his wife his location, then patted the dog's head to comfort her.
Thanks to his strength, he used all his strength to lift Big Black up.
...
Lingxi's magical power was insufficient, so she obediently walked back. Passing by the Jin family, she saw Jin Moli sitting on a stool outside the gate.
Jin Moli also spotted Ling Xi and immediately ran over, her eyes filled with worry as she asked, "Sister Ling, where's Da Hei...hei?"
"Big Black, come back with your Sister Jin later."
"That's good." Jin Moli felt relieved.
She was a little afraid of Big Black, but she was also worried about it if it disappeared.
Lin Fengjuan had just finished offering incense to the locust tree when she heard a noise at the door. She went to the door and said, "Ling'er is back. How did it go? Did you find the dog?"
Lingxi gave a brief explanation, saying that she had called the police and the body had been found, but she didn't say what help she had given inside.
"Thank goodness they found it. These dog thieves are getting more and more brazen."
Lin Fengjuan harbors deep resentment towards the dog thieves; both of her previous dogs were stolen and she could not find them again.
Speaking of feeding the dog, Lingxi asked, "Grandma Lin, do you know if Sister Jin's dog is raised by herself or not?"
When this was brought up, Lin Fengjuan thought for a moment and said, "It seems like they said they were going to give the child up for adoption. If you want to adopt, then tell Ali about it?"
"Is that alright? Thank you, Grandma Lin."
"You don't need to be so polite to your grandma, it'll make us feel distant."
Lingxi turned her head and smiled shyly.
As she turned her head, her gaze swept over Jin Moli, who was sitting and playing with her fingers. A complex look appeared in her eyes. She leaned closer to Lin Fengjuan and whispered:
“Grandma Lin, you said there is a completely new path. If she takes it, she will live a different life, see a different world, and perhaps even reach a height that no one knows about. But whether it will be good or bad after she takes this path, no one can predict.”
"Do you think she should step on it?"
Lingxi's soft words stirred up a storm in Lin Fengjuan's heart.
She followed Lingxi's gaze to her granddaughter.
Jin Moli tired her fingers from playing and looked up to see the two people she liked looking at her. She chuckled, her eyes curving like crescent moons, her face flushed red, like a ripe red tomato. The vibrant color kept hitting Lin Fengjuan's broken heart.
Lin Fengjuan's lips trembled, as if confirming, "Ling girl~ are you...?"
"Yes, I'd like to take Jasmine as my apprentice; she's very talented."
The conjecture has been confirmed.
Lin Fengjuan's eyes instantly stung with tears. She forced back her tears, also afraid of missing the opportunity, and immediately agreed, "Let's go..."
"Grandma Lin, there's no rush. Think about it carefully first, and have a good talk with Jasmine while you're at it."
Lingxi felt that her words were too sudden, and she didn't expect them to give her an answer right now.
Lingxi turned to look at Lin Fengjuan and whispered, "I'm waiting for your answer."
Lin Fengjuan originally wanted to say that she had thought it all through, but... she still didn't make the decision for Jasmine directly.
"Okay, Jasmine, it's all decided. Grandma will tell you."
"Thanks."
Lingxi nodded, turned around, waved to them, and went back.
Lin Fengjuan watched Lingxi walk away, and when she turned to meet those big, round eyes, her wrinkled face suddenly broke into a mix of crying and laughing.
Still unaware of what had happened, Jin Moli's big eyes widened even more upon seeing the tears, and she asked worriedly, "Grandma, what... happened?"
"It's alright, Grandma is happy." Lin Fengjuan stepped forward and hugged the girl, happy for her future.
“Come on, let’s go back and burn incense for your tree grandpa again.”
"By the way, let's have a chat with our little Jasmine."
Jin Moli nodded obediently, "Okay."
Lingxi, who had finally made it home, went to the backyard first, then pulled out a mat from some corner and came to the old spot in the water lily field.
Lingxi blinked, not starting her cultivation. Her tired body carried a joyful soul as she gazed at a cloud in the sky. A faint fragrance wafted to her nose from somewhere, and she felt as if her soul had left her body and was soaring towards the heavens.
A quarter of an hour, a quarter of an hour...
The setting sun had faded away sometime earlier, and the pitch-black sky slowly descended.
The woman, surrounded by multicolored light, was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of mist that gently swirled around her. Then, without anyone noticing, a corner of the backyard was completely shrouded in white, obscuring everything.
Lingxi's eyebrows twitched slightly as she explored the drifting clouds. Guided by her consciousness, the clouds gathered in front of her into a white cloud. She placed her hand above the cloud and slowly channeled her true energy into it.
As she soaked and permeated every wisp of mist, the floating cloud gradually seemed to take on a physical form, its empty interior becoming more solid.
She pressed her finger down, and there was a slight resistance, but the floating cloud was still a bit short of being able to carry her. Lingxi put it into her sea of consciousness and nurtured it slowly.
The delicate fragrance filled her nostrils, and her thoughts and the circulation of her meridians became faster and faster. Finally, with a clear "pop," her cultivation, which had been stuck for more than half a month, finally entered the later stage.
As for that sudden fragrance...
Lingxi looked down at herself and smiled slightly.
The water lily is blooming!
Its flower stalk is surrounded by leaves, standing there straight, unassuming and unpretentious. There are several flower buds on the stalk, some open and some not.
The boost from her increased cultivation made Lingxi feel a bit tingly, and for a moment her soul felt light and airy, as if she were floating in mid-air, unable to touch the ground.
She casually lay down, her nose gently brushing against its tiny flower bud, and in her hazy state, she closed her eyes and thought.
Would you say this counts as developing an addiction to spiritual practice?
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