Chapter 32 The Evil God Statue Don't you think this statue... and you...
After the two finished their lunch in silence, and the servants of the Wu family cleared away the dishes, Han Shannan finally spoke up: "So what are we going to do now? Just wait here until it gets dark?"
Li Chenjin was sitting at the table, pouring himself a cup of tea.
She flicked her sleeve, casually picked up her cup, took a small sip, and said, "There's still plenty of time before dark, so there are other things to do. Wouldn't it be boring to just wait?"
"So what are we going to do?" Han Shannan asked.
Li Chenjin did not answer his question directly, but said, "If that evil spirit is indeed Miss Guo, then it means that she gained the ability to harm people not long after her death. Not only that, but she can also divide those people's corpses into many pieces and send them to each person's door as 'gifts'. Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"
“Yes…she died more than seven months ago, but the evil spirit killing people started about five months ago,” Han Shannan murmured. “Normally, even with deep resentment, one would need to cultivate for a year or two. Even with some cultivation, one might not be able to directly harm people. But she’s only been doing this for a month or two, and not only can she harm people, she can also dismember them. Without decades or even hundreds of years of cultivation, she shouldn’t be able to do these things…”
He looked at Li Chenjin with some confusion, "So you mean there's something else behind her? Or some other vengeful ghost helping her?"
Li Chen said, "That's what we should really be investigating. Otherwise, killing a small fish while leaving a big fish behind will only create a huge problem for the people of Xicheng Town."
Han Shannan looked worried. "How are we supposed to investigate this? We haven't even seen the evil spirit, we don't have a single clue. How are we supposed to follow the trail?"
Li Chen asked, "Even if we can't follow the clues now, aren't there other things we can investigate?"
"Everyone in town says that the deity worshipped by Master Wu is incredibly efficacious. He grants wealth and profit, and in just over a decade, he can turn a person from nothing into a wealthy man. Don't you find that strange?"
“Yes! I actually did think about that deity before, but there are just too many complicated things to deal with, and I accidentally forgot about it,” Han Shannan said. “There must be something strange about this deity. It was always effective before, but now that evil spirits have appeared, it’s become ineffective. Could it be that this evil spirit, or something behind it, is more powerful than that deity, so that the one that Master Wu worships is a coward who bullies the weak and doesn’t dare to show itself?”
Li Chen sighed and asked, "What did I just say to you?"
Han Shannan paused for a moment, then asked, "What?"
Li Chen said, "Too much talk leads to mistakes. Think before you speak in the future. The fact that Master Wu is still worshipping that statue means we're still on his territory. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Even a mighty dragon can't defeat a local snake'?"
Han Shannan slammed his fist on the table. "It's just an evil god, a wild god. This cultivator isn't afraid of it!"
Han Shannan was so impassioned, but Li Chenjin seemed quite indifferent. She poured herself another glass of water, blew on it slightly, took a small sip, and said, "Shut up. If you don't want to listen to me, your half-master, then I'll only give you half of the sword manual from now on. You can guess the other half yourself."
Upon hearing this, Han Shannan immediately shouted, "How can you be like this?! I spent two days painstakingly building a house for you, and then I ran around with you, without asking for a single penny in reward! Where can you find another kind-hearted person like me?!"
Faced with Han Shannan's accusations, Li Chenjin seemed completely unaffected. After taking another sip of tea, he leisurely said, "Too much talk leads to mistakes; silence is golden."
Han Shannan: "..."
After that, whenever Han Shannan opened his mouth, Li Chenjin would reply with this sentence. Perhaps because he heard it so many times, he had taken it to heart, and he seemed a little quieter and more composed, but he still didn't look as steady as Jiuniang Yuanzi.
Han Shannan waited for Li Chenjin to finish her tea, but to his surprise, after she finished her tea, she did not intend to go out to investigate that so-called immortal. Instead, she walked to the bedside, sat down, and waved for him to leave.
Han Shannan asked incredulously, "Didn't you say you were going to investigate that so-called deity? What are you doing?"
Li Chen smiled and said, "Of course I'm taking a nap. Alright, you can go now. Although we are now half master and disciple, there is still a difference between men and women, so you don't need to serve me."
Han Shannan roared, "You just finished eating, why are you taking a nap? And who's going to wait on you? I've never even waited on my own parents!"
Li Chenjin smiled and said, "Then you'll have to take good care of your parents from now on. Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues, and I don't accept unfilial disciples. Go now."
"you!"
"Too much talk leads to mistakes."
"No, I..."
"Silence is golden."
"..."
Han Shannan was speechless and could only turn around and walk out.
Although he left in a huff, he remembered to close the door behind him when he left, which made Li Chen very satisfied.
Li Chenjin took a nap for about half an hour. After she woke up, the two of them went out of the courtyard to investigate where the statue worshipped by Master Wu was.
Han Shannan had intended to discreetly avoid people and slowly examine all the suspicious areas, but unexpectedly, Li Chenjin stopped someone as soon as he left the house and openly asked where the statue was, which made Han Shannan's eyes widen in surprise.
What surprised him even more was that the person actually told them the location of the statue and even offered to take them there. After Li Chen politely declined, the person left.
After the man left, Han Shannan hurriedly asked, "Why did you ask so directly? If you ask like that, the entire Wu family will know."
Li Chen smiled and said, "Have you forgotten what I told you before? This Master Wu not only deeply believes in that deity, but if anyone is interested in it, he will also make a special trip to deliver a statue of the deity. Not only does he deliver a statue, but he also gives some money as a bonus. This shows that Master Wu desperately hopes that more people can believe in that deity and become believers of that deity like him."
"Furthermore, since Master Wu values that deity so highly, there must be many people where the statue is located. If we go there secretly, it would be too suspicious. It would be better to go openly and honestly, and no one would be on guard."
“Yes, that makes sense,” Han Shannan said. “I didn’t expect you to be so smart.”
Li Chenjin slowly said, "Having seen more things, you will naturally gain some experience. You are new to the martial world, so it's normal that you don't understand many things. As time goes by, you will naturally understand everything, and then you will know that what I told you is right."
Han Shannan was taken aback. "What did you say?"
Li Chen smiled slightly, "Too much talk leads to mistakes; silence is golden."
Han Shannan: "..."
He was certain that if he had nightmares afterward, Li Chenjin's face and those words would definitely appear in his dreams.
The house where the statue was enshrined was not hard to find, and when they asked people on the way, they were given directions. So, before long, they saw the house where the statue was enshrined.
From the outside, this house looks no different from the other houses around it, but once you step inside, you will discover its luxury.
Clearly, Master Wu had spared no expense in order to properly worship this deity.
There was a statue that looked as tall as two people, placed in the center of the room. It was a bright gold color, and it was unclear whether it was covered with gold leaf or made entirely of gold.
Before the statue was a sandalwood table inlaid with gold and silver, on which sat a bronze incense burner. In front of the incense burner were more than a dozen plates of fruit, and in front of the table was a kneeling cushion made of bright red brocade.
Inside the room, besides them, there were three or five maids who were carefully wiping and cleaning every corner. Although they heard the footsteps of outsiders entering, they didn't even raise their heads.
This house is close to the Wu family's gate, presumably to make it convenient for outsiders to come in and kneel in worship. Judging from the reactions of these maids, there must be quite a few commoners who come to kneel in worship regularly.
The two looked up at the statue before them.
The statue stands in the center of a lotus flower, with a gentle expression, slightly lowered eyebrows, and a faint smile on its lips.
Judging from its appearance alone, it gives people a gentle feeling like a spring breeze, but in reality, it not only does not give people the slightest feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze, but also makes people feel extremely sinister. After looking at it for a long time, even the smile on the lips of the statue reveals a bit of eeriness.
The more Li Chen looked, the more his brows furrowed.
Standing beside her, Han Shannan was no less formidable. Although he couldn't see any resentment, he still possessed basic senses. As soon as he stepped through the door, he felt a chilling and eerie aura wash over him, making him shudder and even feel an urge to leave immediately.
But Li Chenjin showed no intention of leaving, and he couldn't just abandon him, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Li Chenjin's example to observe the statue.
The more he looked, the more he felt something was off.
He looked at the statue, then at Li Chenjin, then back at the statue, then back at Li Chenjin, and asked in surprise, "Hey? Don't you think this statue... looks a lot like you?"
As soon as Han Shannan finished speaking, the maids quickly turned their heads and looked in their direction.
Han Shannan realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly covered his mouth, but words spoken are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back even if one wants to.
Li Chen glared at him, then smiled and looked at the maids, saying, "The child is ignorant and speaks nonsense. Please don't take offense."
At that moment, a maid walked towards them and asked, "You two don't seem to be here to worship. May I ask what brings you here?"
"We were invited by Master Wu to subdue the evil spirits," Li Chen said with a smile. "It just so happens that we heard there is a particularly efficacious deity in your household, so we wanted to come and take a look."
The maid nodded, not doubting whether she was lying or not, and reached out to get her three incense sticks.
Seeing this, Li Chen quickly declined, saying, "I'm really sorry. We're from the Zen cultivation world, so it's probably inconvenient for us to worship this deity. Now that we've met him, we'll go deal with the evil spirits first, so we can report back to Master Wu as soon as possible."
The maid didn't insist, but just looked at them strangely, as if she hadn't expected Master Wu to let people from the Zen meditation world in.
This suggests that the maids here rarely interacted with other members of the Wu family, otherwise they would have been completely unaware of this.
The two left one after the other, and only after they had gone far away did the smile on Li Chen's face slowly fade away.
She looked at the person beside her, her brows furrowed, and said, word by word, "Master Han, I'll say it again: too much talk leads to mistakes, silence is golden."
"If you continue like this, then go to town and find an inn to stay in. I can't afford to hire you as an assistant, and I won't give you the Sword God's sword manual. I will make up for the money you spent on building the house for me later at three times the outside price. I will never let you suffer a loss."
Han Shannan lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, I really won't do it again..."
Seeing that Han Shannan was truly admitting his mistake this time, Li Chenjin continued, "This statue is indeed strange. The aura surrounding it is like yin energy or resentment, but it is definitely not an evil ghost or demon. Judging from its cultivation level, it is not shallow. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the two of us to solve this problem."
"I will write a letter and send it to the Zen cultivation world. If you can contact the sword cultivation world, then send a letter to the people in the sword cultivation world. If you can't contact them, it doesn't matter. Once the people in the Zen cultivation world arrive, someone will naturally be able to contact the sword cultivation world."
Han Shannan sighed, "Although I came from the Sword Cultivation World, I am not a disciple of the Sword Cultivation World, so I really can't contact the Sword Cultivation World..."
Li Chen smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, we can wait until it gets dark. I would like to trouble you, Cultivator Han, to change Young Master Wu's clothes after you return, and also to keep Young Master Wu's birth date and time and his hair close to his body."
"Since that evil spirit attacked Young Master Wu earlier, it must know his current situation. So when you go back, just lie in bed and pretend to be asleep. I will try to see if I can help it pass on."
Han Shannan had been listening carefully to her words, but when he heard the last sentence, he couldn't help but frown and say, "She has harmed people, why are you still trying to help her pass on? This kind of evil spirit should just be made to vanish into nothingness!"
Li Chen sighed, “Master Han, people in the Zen meditation world often say a saying: ‘Bodhisattvas fear the cause, sentient beings fear the effect (1), all dharmas are empty (2), but cause and effect are not empty (3)’”
Han Shannan couldn't help but say, "What do you mean? I don't understand."
Li Chenjin walked ahead of him. After hearing his words, he turned back and smiled at him, "Then you'd better try to understand. Since you're half my disciple, you're practically a member of the Zen cultivation world. If you don't understand, then I can only give you half of the sword manual. Who told you to insist on recognizing me as your master?"
Han Shannan was taken aback by her words, "Wh-what?! Hey! I worked so hard..."
What did I just remind you of?
Before Han Shannan could finish speaking, Li Chenjin's casual remark silenced him. He silently covered his mouth and followed her for a while before saying, "Alright. I'll try my best to understand. I'll buy some Buddhist scriptures to read tomorrow, okay?"
“No need for that.” Li Chen pulled out the storage bag at his waist, took out two scriptures, handed them to the person behind him, and then glanced leisurely at the person staring blankly at the scriptures, saying, “Besides storybooks, I also have quite a few scriptures here. After you memorize these two, you can come back and ask me for the rest.”
Han Shannan: "..."
"Remember to study this carefully, I might check it. If you don't memorize it, I won't give you the sword manual."
"..."
For some reason, he suddenly felt like he was on a pirate ship and couldn't get off...
Li Chen looked at the people behind him who had fallen silent in front of the two Buddhist scriptures and couldn't help but smile.
Actually, she didn't intend to drag Han Shannan into the world of Zen meditation, nor did she really want him to memorize scriptures. It's just that this guy is too noisy. Not only is he noisy, but he also speaks without thinking. His mouth is too easy to cause trouble. It's better to find something for him to do.
After returning home, Han Shannan saw that it was almost time, so he changed into Wu Gongzi's clothes with a look of disgust, as Li Chenjin had instructed. He then carefully placed Wu Gongzi's birth date and time and his hair close to his body before lying down on the bed.
He had originally planned to just close his eyes and pretend to sleep, as he had discussed with Li Chen, but unexpectedly, he actually fell asleep.
"Waaaaah... Waaaaah..."
"Father...Mother...how cruel you are..."
"What a cruel heart..."
Han Shannan was dreaming of going home, where he was being waited on hand and foot, and the meals were all delicacies. It was much more comfortable than doing hard labor here, serving others, and eating tasteless food.
As he continued the dream, before he had even finished eating, he heard a series of low, mournful sobs that sent chills down his spine.
The sound came from near and far, its origin unclear, yet it gave the impression that something was lurking nearby, like a cold, venomous snake coiled beside him, waiting for the right moment to bite its chosen 'prey'.
That feeling was extremely uncomfortable, causing him to uncontrollably wake up from his sleep. However, to his surprise, as soon as he opened his eyes, a dark, grinning face appeared in front of him.
Blood was flowing from the eyes, mouth, and nose of that face. As you got closer, the blood dripped onto his skin, so cold it sent chills down your spine.
What he found most unacceptable was that the evil spirit was sitting on him, bent over, head down, grinning menacingly, staring at him, and constantly moving closer to his face.
"Disgusting! Get away!!"
The evil spirit hadn't expected that the person in front of it wasn't Young Master Wu. Caught off guard, it was repelled by a burst of spiritual energy and let out a shrill scream.
Han Shannan quickly sat up, but instead of dealing with the evil spirit, he frantically took off his clothes and grabbed the blanket to frantically wipe his face, as if the few drops of blood that had just dripped on his face were extremely filthy to him.
The evil spirit was taken aback by Han Shannan's actions, but it seemed to know that it was no match for Han Shannan. Seeing that Han Shannan was taking off his clothes and wiping his face, it simply took the opportunity to fly out of the house.
Evil spirits have no physical form. Even the weakest evil spirit can pass through walls and doors with ease.
It didn't know where this person came from, just like the person it had met at Jiang Lanhan's house before. It didn't know where that person came from either. It thought that person was helping it, until it was about to kill someone but was suddenly attacked by the backlash and seriously injured, forcing it to hide and recuperate. Only then did it realize that the person had come to deal with it.
If she weren't still recovering from her serious injuries, the person she encountered today wouldn't have retreated without a fight. As for the person she encountered before...
Once she recovers, she will naturally seek revenge on that person.
It was pondering how to find that person to take revenge when, unexpectedly, the "enemy" appeared out of nowhere. It didn't need to go out of its way to find him; as soon as it stepped out of the door, it ran into Li Chenjin, who was already waiting outside.
Li Chenjin had obviously already guessed that it would come out. Instead of showing any surprise or panic, he smiled brightly at it, waved, and said, "Is this Miss Guo? I didn't expect to meet you again. We are truly destined to meet."
Before it could react, he tossed a yellow talisman over.
When the yellow talisman was pasted on its body, she felt as if her body was instantly engulfed in flames. The scorching flames burned her continuously, causing its body to twist uncontrollably. Its shrill screams almost echoed throughout the entire Wu family.
When Han Shannan came out, he saw Li Chen tidying his clothes. He looked like he had just woken up, and his clothes were still a little messy.
He looked around but didn't see what he was looking for, so he immediately asked, "Where's the evil spirit? Did you kill it?"
Li Chen said, "Oh, you mean evil spirits... I'll release it."
Han Shannan exclaimed, "Release them?! Release them?!"
Li Chen nodded. "That's right. If we don't seriously injure it before releasing it, how can we find out who the big fish behind it is? Logically speaking, it should have been seriously injured when it attacked Young Master Wu, and it should have been unable to show itself for at least several months."
"But as you just saw, it doesn't look seriously injured. Either its cultivation is too profound, or the big fish behind it is helping it."
"Now that I've personally and severely injured it, I can use this to answer our questions. If we can also take care of the big fish behind it, wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"
Han Shannan stamped his foot, "If anyone should be seriously injured, it should be me! It was sitting on me just now and dripped blood onto my face!"
Li Chen smiled slightly, "It doesn't even have a body, so where would the blood come from? It's just a smokescreen to scare people. Why are you scared?"
"Who said this cultivator is afraid?!" Han Shannan said, "I... I just find it dirty! Wearing other people's clothes is already uncomfortable enough, how could I have to be tainted by an evil spirit? What bad luck..."
When Han Shannan was at home, he was always pampered by his family. When something happened, he would habitually seek someone to confide his grievances, and his grievances would almost solidify on his face.
Li Chen said helplessly, "Alright, don't feel wronged. You're a man, why are you being so petty?"
"The voice of that Miss Guo just now must have been heard clearly by everyone in this mansion. Even if not everyone could hear it, the people around this courtyard should have been able to hear it. But now look, it's quiet all around, there's not a single person, not even a guard on night patrol. Don't you think something's wrong?"
Reminded by Li Chenjin, Han Shannan also realized that something was wrong.
The sound was extremely shrill, even he found it jarring, so how could the people nearby not have heard it?
Han Shannan suddenly realized, "You mean, the Wu family actually knew who that evil spirit was all along?!"
Li Chen said slowly, "I'm not sure about the others. But that Master Wu must know everything about this."
"Logically, we should go and ask Master Wu now. But look, it's getting late, Master Wu should be asleep by now..."
"Sleep? Sleep what?!" Han Shannan had been listening carefully to Li Chenjin's analysis, but when he heard her last sentence, he couldn't help but exclaim again, "Master Wu's courtyard isn't far from here, there's no way he couldn't have heard it, he's probably hiding in his room trembling with fear right now!"
Li Chen nodded and said, "What you said makes a lot of sense."
Just as Han Shannan was about to invite her to go with him to Master Wu's courtyard to inquire about matters, she suddenly looked at him apologetically and continued, "However, I should go to sleep now, so let's talk about this tomorrow morning."
"If Cultivator Han is not sleepy, you can go to Master Wu's room to ask now, but I think... Master Wu probably wouldn't dare to open the door for you at night."
After saying that, without waiting for Han Shannan's reaction, she turned around and leisurely walked into her room, closing the door decisively as if she were going back to sleep. Han Shannan couldn't help but widen his eyes, momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Logically speaking, since Li Chen had already gone back to his room, he should also go back to his room now.
The lingering sensation of the evil spirit's cold blood dripping onto his face made it impossible for him to fall asleep.
After much deliberation, he went to the courtyard where Master Wu lived. He knocked on the door and called out "Master Wu," but after knocking for a full quarter of an hour, there was not a sound from inside the house, nor was there any movement around him. He didn't even see a maid or servant, which was very strange.
He knocked again, but the person inside seemed to be fast asleep, making no sound at all.
Besides the door being locked, the windows were also locked, making the entire house like an airtight fortress, giving no one a chance to step inside. He couldn't help but mutter, "Li Chenjin was right after all; she guessed it all..."
With no other option, Han Shannan had to go back to his room to rest.
But as soon as he closed his eyes, the image of that evil spirit would appear before him. It was so ugly that he couldn't sleep, and in the end, he could only keep his eyes open until dawn.
As soon as it was light, he couldn't wait to go out to find Li Chenjin. Just then, Li Chenjin's door was wide open, and she was dressed and sitting at the table, slowly drinking tea.
Han Shannan sat down in the empty seat opposite her and asked, "Are we going to find Master Wu now?"
"No rush," Li Chen said, putting down his cup. "Let's have breakfast first."
Han Shannan almost jumped up, "Why do we still need to eat breakfast? Shouldn't we be getting down to business right now? Can't you fast first?!"
Li Chen gave him a strange look. "Doing serious business is important, of course, but eating breakfast is equally important to me. As for this fasting..."
"To my shame, although I used to enjoy fasting, often going ten days, half a month, or even several years without eating, I don't know if it's because I fasted for too long that my health is not very good now and I can no longer fast."
Just as Li Chen finished speaking, footsteps could be heard outside.
Han Shannan turned around and saw two maids from the Wu family, who were slowly walking over with food in their hands.
There were exactly two breakfasts, one placed in front of Li Chenjin and the other in front of Han Shannan. After the two maids put down the food, they bowed slightly and then left quite naturally.
Li Chen sighed, "I thought that after Cultivator Han woke up, he would definitely come to find me, so I had two meals delivered. I didn't expect that Cultivator Han wanted to abstain from grains. It seems that I went to unnecessary trouble."
"Master Han, please go back first. I will come to find you after I finish eating."
Han Shannan had wanted to apologize earlier after hearing Li Chenjin's words, but was interrupted by the maid who came over. Now, hearing Li Chenjin say the same thing again, he didn't know what to say for a moment. After hesitating for a long time, he said awkwardly, "I... I didn't say that I wanted to abstain from grains. Besides, these two portions have already been delivered. Wouldn't it be a waste if I didn't eat them?"
Li Chenjin smiled slightly and said, "Cultivator Han, there's no need to worry. If you don't eat, there's still sweet fermented rice balls. You can leave this portion for the sweet fermented rice balls. They also like this mushroom and shredded chicken porridge."
Han Shannan lowered his head and met the gaze of Zheng, who was squatting next to him and looking up at him.
When the sweet fermented rice balls saw him looking at them, they thought he was going to give them food. So they tilted their heads, picked up the bowl next to them, and placed it at Han Shannan's feet.
Han Shannan: "..."
He slowly raised his head, looking at Li Chenjin who was smiling at him, and said with a somewhat aggrieved tone, "But wasn't this what you were going to give me? Why are you giving me sweet fermented rice balls instead?"
Li Chen took a leisurely sip of porridge. Seeing how aggrieved he looked, his smile deepened slightly. He then said, "Eat up. I also asked them to prepare a lightly salted lean meat porridge for the sweet rice balls. It will be here in a little while."
Hearing Li Chenjin's words, Han Shannan felt satisfied, but as soon as he smiled, he suddenly realized that something seemed wrong.
Strange, why does he feel like Li Chenjin sometimes treats him like a dog?
Thinking this, he couldn't help but look up at the person opposite him.
But Li Chenjin had already started eating breakfast leisurely. Han Shannan understood the principle of not speaking while eating or sleeping, so he had to hold back what he wanted to say and decided to wait until he finished breakfast.
After they finished breakfast, Li Chenjin finally agreed to set off, having completely forgotten about the question he had planned to ask earlier.
The two men and the dog arrived at the main house where Master Wu lived. Before they even entered the courtyard, the steward saw them and quickly invited them to the room where Master Wu enshrined the statues of the gods.
When I went there again today, the maids who used to tidy up and clean the house were gone. Only Master Wu was inside, kneeling on the kneeling cushion in front of the statue of the god. He looked very sincere in worshiping and kowtowing, and he was muttering some words of blessing. It seemed that he was quite frightened last night.
The butler entered the house before them, walked to Master Wu's side, and quietly informed the others that they had arrived.
Upon hearing this, Master Wu quickly stood up. Turning around, he saw Li Chen smiling at him and saying, "Master Wu must have slept very well last night, as you have the energy to come and worship the gods so early in the morning."
Following Li Chenjin's words, Han Shannan looked towards Master Wu.
He didn't know whether Master Wu slept well last night, but judging from Master Wu's pale face, he knew that he probably didn't have a good night.
When Master Wu saw them arrive, he hurriedly went to greet them and said, "Gentlemen, what about that evil spirit..."
Li Chen sighed, "We came here to ask Master Wu if he heard any strange noises last night. If so, could you deduce the origin of the evil spirit from those noises?"
Master Wu hesitated for a moment, "I...I slept soundly all night and didn't hear anything. I really can't guess where that evil spirit came from. If I knew, my son wouldn't have done this!"
Li Chen scrutinized Master Wu, neither confirming whether he believed him nor not, but sighed again and said slowly, "That's a difficult situation. Young Master Wu has been corrupted by the resentment of that evil spirit, damaging his mind. If we can't resolve the evil spirit's inner conflict, I'm afraid Young Master Wu will have a hard time fully recovering..."
Upon hearing this, Master Wu hurriedly said, "Can't we just eliminate that evil spirit directly? That evil spirit is causing so much harm to people, it deserves to be punished by heaven and earth!"
Li Chen nodded repeatedly, saying, "Such harm deserves to be punished by heaven and earth. However, our abilities are limited, and we are probably no match for that evil spirit..."
The butler suddenly shouted, "How could you two be no match for that evil spirit? Wasn't it last night..."
Li Chenjin's gaze slowly shifted from Master Wu to the butler, and he said gently, "Nothing?"
"no……"
The butler was momentarily speechless and subconsciously turned to look at Master Wu.
Upon seeing this, Han Shannan immediately said, "You clearly heard some noise last night, didn't you? I knocked on your door in your courtyard last night for more than a quarter of an hour. Even if you were sound asleep, you should have woken up by now, right?"
Master Wu: "..."
housekeeper:"……"
Han Shannan spoke so directly at this moment, but Li Chenjin did not stop him. Instead, he slowly revealed a smile.
Her eyes gazed silently at the two people opposite her, without a trace of urging or doubt. Instead, they seemed to know everything, carrying a hint of mockery, as if she were looking at two weak ants.
However, Master Wu and the steward were in a state of confusion at the moment and had no time to pay attention to anything else. They dared not look directly at the two people opposite them, so they did not see Li Chenjin's expression.
When Han Shannan saw that they still didn't say a word, she turned to ask Li Chenjin for help. Her expression returned to normal, and she looked like a gentle and mild-mannered lay Buddhist. "Since Master Wu doesn't believe us, we have no choice but to take our leave."
"This matter would be more suitable to be left to the sword cultivators or the magic cultivators. Please rest assured, Master Wu, after we return to the Zen cultivators' realm, we will send a message to the other two realms. Although the cultivators of the sword cultivators' realm and the magic cultivators' realm are often entangled in various miscellaneous matters, they will probably have to wait until they have finished their current tasks before they can come over."
"However, based on my past experience, it will take at most one month and at least two months to arrive here, which isn't too long. It's just that forcibly eliminating the evil spirits, while a permanent solution, might be problematic for Young Master Wu..."
Seeing that Li Chen seemed about to speak but hesitated, Master Wu quickly pressed him, "What are you afraid of? What will happen to my son?!"
Li Chen said with great difficulty, "Young Master Wu will probably never be able to live a normal life again. In fact, I examined Young Master Wu before. Although the evil spirit did not take Young Master Wu's life, it took away one of his souls and two of his spirits, which is why Young Master Wu has become like this."
"Although I severely injured that evil spirit yesterday, I did not find the soul of Young Master Wu that it had taken away. It must have hidden it. Only by dispelling its resentment and making it hand over Young Master Wu's soul on its own can Young Master Wu recover. If it is eliminated directly afterward, the soul of Young Master Wu that it took away will never come back."
As he spoke, Li Chen sighed deeply, looking very distressed, and said, "Alas...it's truly pitiful..."
“My…my son…”
Master Wu staggered back two steps before being supported by the steward.
After regaining his footing, pain and sorrow were evident in his eyes, and even a few cloudy tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. It was clear that he truly loved Young Master Wu and was indeed a good father.
Seeing Master Wu's state, the steward couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat. Holding back tears, he said, "Gentlemen, please save our young master! He's been timid since childhood and is afraid of the dark. I've watched him grow up, and I can't bear to see him like this..."
"Please, gentlemen, have mercy! Even if it means exchanging my life for yours, I will do it without hesitation! Let that evil spirit take my soul and bring you back, I beg you!"
Their cries were heartfelt, but Han Shannan wasn't buying it. He bluntly said, "Then tell us the identity of that evil spirit! We don't even know what that evil spirit is. Even if we wanted to exchange you for your young master, we can't find him anywhere!"
Master Wu closed his eyes, his expression grave, and said, "To tell you the truth... it's all because of my unfilial son, who did wrong when he was young and ignorant. If I'm not mistaken, the evil spirit haunting my son should be his new wife, Guo Hanyan, whom he married more than seven months ago..."
According to Master Wu, although Young Master Wu had taken a liking to Guo Hanyan, Guo Hanyan absolutely refused to like him. In fact, during one of their meetings, she directly stated that she would rather spend her life with a Buddhist lamp than marry him. This angered Young Master Wu so much that he smashed everything in the house when he returned home.
Master Wu had advised Young Master Wu, telling him, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, why be hung up on just one?" But Young Master Wu was determined to marry Guo Hanyan no matter what.
He begged Master Wu to send someone directly to the Guo family to propose marriage. Master Wu naturally disagreed at the time, after all, the Guo family was just a small family, and Guo Hanyan was known for her aloofness and was not suitable to be the daughter-in-law of the Wu family.
However, when Master Wu refused, Young Master Wu began a hunger strike at home, going without a drop of water for five whole days until he fainted from hunger.
Master Wu was really worried that something might happen to his only son, so he had no choice but to follow his son's request and have someone prepare a generous betrothal gift to present to the Guo family.
At first, the patriarch of the Guo family also refused, saying that he felt his daughter should not marry up. But Master Wu had seen many such polite refusals, so he naturally wouldn't fall for it. He directly used his status in Xicheng Town to pressure the Guo family.
The author's note: (1) From the Avatamsaka Sutra
(2) From the Prajnaparamita Sutra
(3) From the Yogacarabhumi-sastra
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