Chapter 92 The Desire for Control (Bonus Chapter for 2100 Nutrient Solution) Once there is...
The snow melts and the ice thaws, and the spring breeze returns.
Unbeknownst to us, spring has quietly returned to the earth, and the warm sunshine has dispelled the last vestiges of chill in the air.
Li Chen had been unconscious for almost the entire winter. When he woke up, he found himself lying in a familiar room, the meditation room of Wufo Temple in the Zen cultivation world.
She slowly sat up, gazing at the familiar furnishings before her, yet everything felt so unreal.
Logically speaking, she should have died long ago, so why is she still alive?
She stared at her hands for a long time, then slowly moved to the edge of the bed. Although she could feel her legs, they were completely unresponsive to her commands. She tried to stand up several times, supporting herself on the bed frame, but failed each time.
After slumping back onto the bed again, she looked down at her legs, let out a long sigh, and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "No way... I didn't die, and that old monk saved me again, but my legs are ruined, right?"
As she spoke, she seemed amused by her own words, chuckling softly a few times. She slowly lowered her eyes, touched her knees, and murmured to herself, "Could it be... that I did too many bad things in my past life, and this is the time I have to pay off my debts..."
She muttered to herself for a while, then slowly touched her own pulse.
But the moment she touched his pulse, she suddenly frowned, as if in disbelief, released her left wrist, and then touched the pulse point of her right wrist.
After trying it several times, she let out a long "Ah!" and exclaimed in disbelief, "Did I come back to life?"
As she spoke, she tried again to touch the side of her neck, but just like when she checked her wrist, there was no pulse.
There was no breathing, no pulse, no heartbeat.
It's like...
She was just a lifeless corpse.
After a long while, her confused mind finally recalled her conversation with Shen Zhengyuan.
The new body I created for you is similar to the puppet you saw before. And if you wish for your spirit to reside permanently within it, you must become a puppet under my control.
However, I know you are unwilling, so our souls are bound together. I will use my soul to keep you in this world. This way, you don't have to be my puppet and can do whatever you want.
oh……
right……
puppet……
So she's a puppet now?
But why do they seem less agile than the puppets I've seen in the Weeping Dew Pavilion?
And what's wrong with this leg?
Could it be that Shen Zhengyuan's craftsmanship was lacking and he didn't do a good job with the legs of her puppet body?
As her thoughts raced, the door was pushed open from the outside. She looked up and saw a familiar figure appear in her line of sight. Without hesitation, she asked, "When you were in this body, did you make sure your legs were in place properly?"
Shen Zhengyuan: "..."
Shen Zhengyuan: "...?"
He was clearly taken aback, as if he hadn't expected Li Chenjin to ask such a question as soon as he saw him.
Li Chenjin continued, "Don't tell me your skills are so bad that you've crippled me."
"Sigh... never mind, this is probably your first time doing this too, so I won't ask for too much. Take a look, can this be repaired? If it can't be repaired, do you have a wheelchair? Do you have one of those fast wheelchairs?"
Shen Zhengyuan: "...?"
Shen Zhengyuan stared at her legs, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "You are probably just not familiar with this body yet. After a few more days of practice, you may be able to move freely."
He paused, then added, "But if you want a wheelchair, I'll have someone make one for you right now."
Li Chen let out a long "Oh," and then said in realization, "If you can stand up, you won't need a wheelchair."
"However, I can't stand up on my own right now. Since Sect Leader Shen is here, why not lend him some help?"
He paused, then slowly walked up to Li Chenjin and extended his hand to her.
When Li Chenjin grasped his hand, he carefully helped the person in front of him to stand up slowly.
With the help of others, Li Chen was indeed able to stand up, but he walked with difficulty, like a toddler learning to walk.
But since he can stand up, it means what he said is true. With a few more days of practice, he should be able to move freely.
Thank goodness...
Thankfully, she can still walk. She had just started thinking about how to escape if she were to become wheelchair-bound and encountered enemies...
Thank goodness...
It's good that she can still run; otherwise, she'd have to start practicing now on how to push her wheelchair to run faster...
………………
It took Li Chen nearly two months to fully adapt to the puppet body.
During these two months, they were together day and night, just like more than seven hundred years ago, except that the one being cared for had changed from Shen Zhengyuan to herself.
When Li Chen was seriously ill and bedridden, the nun who was in charge of taking care of her only visited her a few times during that period. After all, as time went on or the number of visits increased, Shen Zhengyuan would start to shoo her away in roundabout ways, like a dog guarding its food.
Seeing that she was unharmed and well cared for, the nun left the meditation community with peace of mind and went out to spread the Dharma with other nuns.
When Li Chenjin first started learning to walk, even taking a few steps was extremely difficult. Even with Shen Zhengyuan supporting him, he could only take a few steps before his legs began to give way and become weak.
At that time, Shen Zhengyuan would pick her up and carry her back to the bed.
At first, Li Chenjin was naturally not used to it, but as time went on and he did it more often, he gradually got used to it.
Sometimes, she doesn't even need help. After walking alone for a while, when she finds that her legs are starting to give way, she will subconsciously call someone over. When the person gets close, she will naturally put her hand on Shen Zhengyuan's shoulder.
It wasn't until she was picked up that she suddenly realized what she had gotten used to.
Even if they realize it, they can only sigh inwardly, while maintaining a calm demeanor and pretending not to have noticed anything.
She could actually see what Shen Zhengyuan was trying to do; he simply wanted to play the victim and slowly boil her like a frog in water, but unfortunately...
She had already used this move extensively back when she was still a sword cultivator.
These were the tricks she had already used, and in her opinion, they were practically useless, besides...
Why should a dying woman like her get involved with others?
She knew her own body was in such a state that no amount of repair would help.
If even the Venerable Master Mingcun couldn't do anything about it, what could the alchemy practitioners who often invited him to give lectures possibly do?
As for the Daoist partnership, she was truly unaware of it beforehand.
Since that thing was decided when she was confused, she naturally wouldn't acknowledge it.
Besides, that kind of thing can be untied once it's formed, and she will naturally go to find him when the old monk Mingcun returns.
After all, if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have had so many troubles. He should help her clean up the mess.
Furthermore...
During the two months they spent together, she thought a lot. She realized that she did seem to have some feelings for Shen Zhengyuan, but love, like hate, is something too ethereal, something that cannot be grasped or controlled.
She couldn't control Shen Zhengyuan, nor could she control those loves and hates. So since she couldn't completely control them, she might as well give them all up, so that she could have complete peace and quiet.
As she was pondering how to "abandon" Shen Zhengyuan and her fondness for his words, she never expected that the little monk who used to be teased to tears by her seemed to have calculated exactly when she would be able to move freely again.
On the day she was able to get up on her own and prepare to go out for a walk to find some inspiration to "abandon" Shen Zhengyuan, someone knocked on her door, interrupting her thoughts.
She looked up and saw the young monk running up to her with a letter in his hand. He then presented the letter to her and said, "This is a letter that Master left behind when he left Wufo Temple. Master said that I should give it to you today."
Li Chenjin: "..."
She looked at the letter, silently raised her head, scratched her face, stared at the ceiling above her, and exclaimed, "Oh dear... my legs seem to be acting up again today, and my ears seem to be deaf too, oh dear... this is so strange, how come I suddenly can't hear anything..."
The little monk already remembered Li Chenjin's previous mockery of his short stature, and seeing her like this now, he was even more furious. His eyes widened instantly, and he roared, "Li Chenjin! Now you dare to ignore the letter Master left for you!"
Li Chen ignored him completely, picking at his ears as he stood up and silently walked out. "That's strange, I still can't hear anything. I guess I'll have to go see a doctor..."
The little monk bit his lip, stamped his foot, and said, "I'm going to deliver a message to my master!"
Li Chen exclaimed "Oh dear!" and turned around, then asked, "It seems like I can hear you again now. What did you say just now?"
The little monk hadn't expected her to be so good at pretending to be stupid. His face flushed red and then turned pale. He stomped his foot and said angrily, "I'm going to send a message to Master!"
Li Chen feigned surprise, blinked, and asked, "Why did you send a message to your master?"
The young monk continued to glare at her, saying, "Because you didn't accept the letter your master left for you!"
Li Chenjin smiled slightly, his smile gentle. "How could I not know? Look at you, you can't even speak clearly. Would I refuse a letter from your master? Come, come, let me see it."
Seeing that she was trying to turn the tables, the little monk immediately retorted angrily, "I won't give it to you!"
Li Chen said gently, "Then I'll send a message to your master saying that you intentionally didn't give me the letter and even tried to shift the blame by saying I didn't accept his letter. Let's see if he spanks you when he gets back."
The little monk: "..."
The little monk's face immediately fell. He jumped up and slammed the letter on the table, then looked up and cried out, "Waaah, senior brother!"
"Hey hey hey!"
Li Chenjin then remembered that the old monk's disciple, Abbot Dusheng, was still in the temple. He quickly stopped the young monk who was about to rush out and apologized, "I was just joking with you. Don't be angry, and don't complain to your senior brother, okay?"
Seeing that the little monk ignored her, Li Chen continued, "Well then, I'll tell you a secret method that can make people grow taller very quickly. Look at how tall everyone in the sword cultivator world is, and I'm this tall too, all because of that secret method."
The young monk wiped away his tears and looked at her suspiciously. "Really?"
“It’s true, of course it’s true.” Li Chenjin said slowly. “Look at me, I’m about the same height as your senior brother Dusheng. Doesn’t that prove that what I said is true? As the saying goes, a monk doesn’t lie. I would never lie.”
The young monk said suspiciously, "But you said before that because you're not a monk, you can lie..."
Li Chenjin quickly covered his mouth and smiled slightly, "That was just a joke, a joke. Don't tell your senior brother, okay?"
"Also, after I tell you that secret technique, you can't go and complain about it. If you secretly go and complain, then the secret technique won't work!"
The young monk tilted his head to look at her, thought about it seriously for a moment, and finally nodded.
As soon as Li Chenjin released her hand from his mouth, the little monk reached out his hand to her, asking for the secret technique.
Li Chen touched his nose, his eyes darting around. "Um... this secret technique, I need to prepare it and write it down so you won't forget it. How about this... I'll definitely give you the secret technique before I leave the Zen cultivation world."
"Why do you wait until you leave to give it to me?" the little monk asked, puzzled.
Li Chen sighed softly, "Because I've been busy with some things lately. Besides, didn't your master ask you to pass on a letter to me? Every time your master leaves me a letter, it's because he wants me to run around doing things for him. You have to wait until I've finished everything before you talk to me, right?"
The little monk thought about it and realized it made sense, so he stopped urging her and just told her not to forget when the time came, then skipped away.
Judging from his cheerful figure, he's in a good mood and certainly won't complain. Excellent, excellent...
Li Chen walked to the table, flipped his fingers, and took the letter in his hand.
He then pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and before he could even see what it said, just looking at the densely packed words gave him a headache.
The fact that he can write so much means the matter he's dealing with this must be quite complicated; it's really giving me a headache...
She couldn't help but sigh, and patiently read the letter, where the old monk Mingcun had entrusted her with his instructions.
Although there seem to be a lot of words, there aren't many things she needs to do; in summary, there are only three:
Firstly, to show Shen Zhengyuan around Wufo Temple; secondly, to temporarily assume his role as abbot, handling various affairs within the Zen community and incidentally receiving pilgrims who would be visiting Wufo Temple later; thirdly…
Three months later, he represented the Zen meditation community and went to the sword cultivation community to participate in the peace talks.
She was naturally aware of this "peace talks." It was simply a matter of each cultivation world sending representatives from their respective sects to the "head of the cultivation world" to hold talks and finally sign a contract to maintain peace between the cultivation worlds for another hundred years.
Before the existence of the so-called Sword God, the Dharma Cultivation Realm was the leader among all realms, so in the past, peace talks were always held in the Dharma Cultivation Realm.
After the appearance of the Sword God, the people of the Sword Cultivation World followed the Sword God and repeatedly sought opportunities to suppress the people of the Magic Cultivation World. Naturally, the leader changed from the Magic Cultivation World to the Sword Cultivation World, and the peace talks were naturally held in the Sword Cultivation World.
Back then, the Sword God disliked Shen Zhengyuan so much, yet he never allowed a real war to break out between the two realms, all because of that contract.
Once the contract is truly broken, it will not only be a matter between the sword cultivation world and the magic cultivation world. It will inevitably involve other cultivation worlds. Once involved, things will become unclear, and even greater wars are bound to occur.
Therefore, when the Sword God wanted to cause trouble for the Dharma Cultivation Realm, he always went directly to Shen Zhengyuan. He rarely made things difficult for the disciples of the Dharma Cultivation Realm, let alone the people within its territory. So other realms turned a blind eye, treating it as a minor disturbance.
However, now that the Sword God of the Sword Cultivation World has long since fallen, there is no one in the Sword Cultivation World who can rival Shen Zhengyuan for the time being. It seems that after this peace talks, the leading position among all the worlds will return to the Law Cultivation World.
Thinking of this, Li Chen couldn't help but sigh.
With the departure of the Sword God, the cultivation world has become all-powerful. Over the years, not a single talented person has emerged from any of these worlds. It's truly lamentable that the younger generation in the cultivation world is getting worse with each generation.
And this old monk Mingcun is also here to cause trouble. He only makes things difficult for her, but he doesn't tell her anything serious. For example, she only learned about the demon race from Shen Zhengyuan.
Although he didn't know what the old monk was planning, Li Chen was certain that the old monk knew more than Shen Zhengyuan. After all, since she was sent to Xicheng Town, she had been learning about the demon race step by step, which was too coincidental to ignore.
She pursed her lips, stuffed the letter back into the envelope, and tossed it back onto the table. "That old monk... what's he up to? He's always trying to scheme against me..."
Actually, taking Shen Zhengyuan around Wufo Temple wasn't difficult; temporarily taking over the abbotship of Elder Mingcun wasn't difficult either; only taking his place in the sword cultivator world was truly a difficult task...
But she had no choice but to go, since attending the peace talks required sending invitations in advance.
Since the Venerable Master Mingcun gave her such instructions in the letter, it means that the invitation with her name on it had already been sent out.
If she doesn't go, it will be seen by other circles as the Zen community being unwilling to negotiate.
If this were to cause chaos in the cultivation world, she would be a sinner for all time, a sin she could not bear.
Just as she was feeling a headache, she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone entering out of the corner of her eye.
She turned her head and sighed again.
Who else could it be but Shen Zhengyuan who came in?
well……
My head hurts, it really hurts...
As Shen Zhengyuan approached, Li Chenjin said, "Let's go, before it's lunchtime... Oh, wait, I almost forgot, I'm not human anymore, so I don't need to eat human food..."
She still remembered the puppet she had seen in the Weeping Dew Pavilion. Although it looked like a human, it was hollow inside. Not only did it not need to eat, it did not even need to drink water.
well……
Two interesting things are definitely missing...
However, she didn't regret it for too long. After all, it was common for her to not eat or drink for several years, so she was just going back to her old habits in a roundabout way, which wasn't a bad thing.
She beckoned Shen Zhengyuan out of the meditation room and led him outside.
Wufo Temple is built on the top of a mountain. When you walk to the temple gate and look down, you can see the endless mountain range surrounding Wufo Temple. Going up or down the mountain is a difficult task.
For outsiders to reach Wufo Temple, they must cross one high mountain after another.
On the way up the mountain, you can always see Wufo Temple in the distance, but when you actually go there, you will find that it seems like you can never reach the end.
Even if one were to fly on a sword from the border of the Zen realm to Wufo Temple, it would take five or six days of non-stop flight. Not to mention the mortals who travel on foot, it is common for them to trek for seven or eight months.
Moreover, because Wufo Temple is located on a high mountain peak with no shelter from the elements, strong winds could be felt for six out of seven days.
The wind in spring and autumn, though it can make your face feel dry, is still quite refreshing; but once summer and winter arrive, the wind becomes rather torturous.
The summer winds, combined with the scorching sun, are like the heat of a steamer, making people feel hot all over and sweating profusely; the winter winds, combined with frost and snow, are like the ice of the Arctic, making people feel cold all over and their hands and feet crack.
Those who have never been to Wufosi Temple often think that practicing there would be very comfortable, but in reality, it is a far cry from being "comfortable".
As soon as Li Chenjin stepped out of the Zen temple, he heard a howling wind, which made the surrounding trees and the prayer ribbons on them flutter loudly.
Wufo Temple wasn't particularly large or small, but fortunately, Li Chen had spent a long time there and was familiar with every part of the place. It wasn't difficult for him to show Shen Zhengyuan around every hall.
As they entered the Guanyin Hall, Shen Zhengyuan glanced back.
The Buddhist temple here seemed to be protected by an invisible barrier. No matter how fierce the wind outside howled, it could not blow into the temple at all. However, he could not sense the existence of any magic array. It was quite magical.
When he turned around, he saw several lotus lamps placed in front of the Buddha statue, emitting a soft glow. Near the corner of the hall, there was a cushion, and a monk guarding the hall was sitting cross-legged on it, his hands in a mudra in front of him, smiling and naturally entering into meditation.
In front of the tables with oil lamps were rows of somewhat faded kneeling cushions.
At that moment, a person was kneeling in front of the Guanyin statue, kowtowing devoutly, muttering something under their breath. When they got up, they wiped away tears from the corners of their eyes, looking extremely sad.
Just as the man turned around, he happened to see Li Chenjin and immediately looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected Li Chenjin to appear at this time.
After she realized what was happening, she quickly put her hands together and bowed respectfully to Li Chenzhou, saying, "Master Chenjin."
Li Chenjin quickly followed suit, pressing his palms together in return, "Madam Su, how is Mr. Su?"
The woman, fighting back tears, nodded and said, "Thank you so much, layman, for risking your life to fetch the elixir for my husband. Master Dusheng said that my husband can live for at least three more years. In three years, we can at least have a child. Although he doesn't want to be left with no one, a widow and an orphan, I will try to persuade him. Consider it... a thought that keeps me going..."
“Layman, do you know? My husband and I grew up together, childhood sweethearts, and were betrothed since we were little. He has always treated me very well, indulging me in everything. I thought... I thought I could grow old with him, but I never imagined..."
Author's Note: Xiao Shen: A Sincere Confession and Reasonable Analysis
Xiao Li: First of all, thank you for the reminder. Secondly, anyone who always tries to outmaneuver me but still wants to control me will only get kicked away by me.
………………
I've discovered that the most suitable character for Xiao Li is actually Xiao Shen, who is low on health in the very early game.
It seems like Xiao Li's ideal type is someone who needs her protection, a bit clingy and dependent, and also somewhat intelligent. She doesn't like Xiao Han, who's a bit clumsy. [doge emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
