Chapter 14 Forbidden Books Her gaze fell on the mole at the corner of his eye.
After the locust tree spirit died, Nanke Mountain seemed to have lost its vitality, and the surrounding area was in ruins.
The countless skeletons buried beneath the inn were unearthed. The death of the locust tree spirit did not bring joy; instead, their expressions grew even more dejected and uneasy.
According to legend, after death, people go to the underworld, where judges review their lives and determine their sins. Good people are reborn into a better life, while bad people are thrown into the eighteenth level of hell.
People live their lives cautiously and inevitably make mistakes. Fearing going to hell, they try their best to atone for their mistakes.
The locust tree spirit told humans that as long as they gave it enough money, they could gain the ability to deceive the heavens and the seas, enjoy wealth and honor in life, and their sins would not be recorded after death.
The locust tree spirit said that money can buy everything.
The innkeeper dared to send his men to kill and rob because he believed in the spirit of the locust tree and thought that by handing over money, he could obtain the ability to steal from the sky.
Now that the locust tree spirit is dead, he has gone mad. He sold all his possessions for money, left Nanke Mountain, and went elsewhere to find a new god who could protect him.
"Can a person really atone for their mistakes by praying to gods and immortals?" After walking dozens of miles from Nanke Mountain, Xu Qiubai couldn't help but ask, recalling what he had just witnessed.
“I can’t answer you. I don’t believe in gods and immortals, and I haven’t inherited any Taoist magic. Go back and ask the Heavenly Fragrance Goddess,” Pei Wenjing said, holding a whip in his hand and teasing the blue ox in front of him.
The old ox let out a "moo" and pulled the cart forward.
"You didn't inherit the Daoist arts?" Upon hearing Pei Wenjing's words, Shen Cangyu suddenly froze. She couldn't help but turn her head to see Pei Wenjing still driving the oxcart in front of her.
Did he not inherit the Tai Chi Daoist arts? Clearly, when she entered Kunlun in her previous life, his Tai Chi Daoist arts had already achieved some success.
When did he begin to inherit that Taoist method?
While Shen Cangyu was still deep in thought, Pei Wenjing said indifferently, "I have the ability to navigate the world, and magic is not a necessity."
He suddenly looked at her: "I remember, you didn't inherit the Daoist arts either. What, you haven't been chosen yet?"
He spoke of inheriting the Daoist teachings so casually, as if it were as easy as picking cabbages in a vegetable garden.
There are only two ways to inherit the Daoist teachings: one is to be personally chosen by a deity and designated to inherit them; the other is to rely on one's own comprehension to understand the rules of the Daoist teachings.
Everyone has their own beliefs and pursuits; what they pursue is their own way of life.
Everyone is trying to see which method will lead them to the end and allow them to ascend to immortality.
Inner disciples receive a baptism of lessons upon entering the sect, learning various knowledge about mental arts and Taoist practices, so as to find their own faith as soon as possible.
Outer disciples cannot access those things; they can only rely on opportunities or their own experiences to comprehend the Dao.
At that time, there was a saying among the outer sect that if a strange voice suddenly appeared in someone's mind, it meant that a deity had taken a liking to him, believed that he had wisdom, and specially descended to earth to send a message, enlighten him, and pass on the Taoist teachings to him.
Those who are selected can directly enter the inner sect of Kunlun and become inner sect disciples.
At that time, Shen Cangyu, like other inner disciples, couldn't help but dream before going to sleep at night, hoping that he would hear the voice of the gods when he woke up the next day, so that he could leap into the inner sect in one fell swoop.
But she waited ten years for this opportunity and it never came.
Those who receive divine guidance and inherit the Daoist arts are few and far between. After all, those who have such an opportunity are usually geniuses, and geniuses stand out from the crowd, revealing their talents early on and leaving Little Kunlun for the real Kunlun.
There aren't that many hidden gems in this world, except for the person Shen Cangyu knew.
In her previous life, she met an outer disciple in Little Kunlun. He seemed no different from the other disciples, except that he was a bit cleverer, sweeter-talking, and more likely to win the favor of the elders.
But she knew that this was just a disguise, and his true identity was definitely not simple.
Because that person inherited the Taoist magic of the copper coin eye.
All her knowledge about copper coin eyes came from that person.
When Shen Cangyu was delivering goods for him, she secretly glanced at his shipment. It was a box full of banned books. She was so frightened that her head throbbed and her face turned bright red. If they were caught, both of them would be in trouble.
But that person shamelessly said, "We are selling knowledge, and knowledge should not be confined."
But that box... was full of books about mental manipulation!
The Daoist teachings are forbidden to be circulated outside the sect. Neither outer disciples nor ordinary people can access them without authorization. Inner disciples are also prohibited from freely distributing Kunlun's internal books.
However, the money he offered was so generous that she couldn't resist and had no choice but to close her eyes and deliver the goods for him.
People die for money, birds die for food; no wonder that man inherited the money-grubbing habit. He knew she was short of money and used that to lure her.
Later, she also thought that if she had been bolder back then, and not only had she delivered the goods, but she had also studied all the books he had sent out, then she would have mastered more of his mental arts.
Stolen knowledge is still knowledge.
After all, she hadn't inherited any Taoist magic, so naturally, the more life-saving skills she had, the better.
However, it is understandable that outer disciples cannot learn the Daoist arts, but why has Pei Wenjing, as an inner disciple, not yet comprehended the Daoist arts?
Shen Cangyu tentatively said, "I think the Tai Chi Daoist method is quite good, but unfortunately, I haven't found the opportunity to comprehend it yet."
Pei Wenjing's hand, which had been dangling from the oxcart frame, stopped. He looked at Shen Cangyu, his voice deepening, "I don't know what Penglai told you, but you actually want to study Tai Chi Daoist techniques..."
Hearing Pei Wenjing's tone, Shen Cangyu was somewhat puzzled. Could it be that Tai Chi Daoist techniques were not a good thing? But in his previous life, Pei Wenjing relied on Tai Chi Daoist techniques to become the undisputed number one person in Kunlun. That should be a very powerful Daoist technique.
In her memory, even the elders of Kunlun were no match for Pei Wenjing in his prime. At Blind Mountain, he was seriously injured, with many bones dug out and tendons severed, yet he was still able to fight several rounds with the elders.
Why is it that now the senior brother says...?
“Only when a close relative dies and attempts to reverse Yin and Yang will you have the opportunity to inherit the Tai Chi Daoist arts,” Pei Wenjing said. “I hope you will never encounter such a day.”
"Could it be..."
"Shh," Pei Wenjing gestured for silence, "Let's avoid this prophecy and not talk about it anymore."
So, Pei Wenjing inherited the Taiji Daoist arts because he experienced the death of a close relative?
In her memory, Pei Wenjing was an orphan who was adopted by the Kunlun Sect Leader at a young age. His closest relatives should have been the Kunlun elders who raised him. But all those Kunlun elders were alive and well, living longer than her, and she had never heard of any of them dying.
No, it seems someone really did die!
Shen Cangyu stared wide-eyed, her gaze trembling as she looked at Xu Qiubai beside her.
Could it really be such a coincidence?
In his previous life, Xu Qiubai died on Nanke Mountain, which happened to be the scene of Pei Wenjing's death. He was heartbroken and wanted to save his childhood friend, so he comprehended the Tai Chi Daoist method in an attempt to reverse Yin and Yang.
Unexpectedly, because of her appearance in this life, Xu Qiubai did not die, and Pei Wenjing had no chance to comprehend the Tai Chi Daoist method.
Shen Cangyu swallowed hard.
Oh no, she seems to have done something terrible. Now that Senior Brother hasn't inherited the Tai Chi Daoist arts, is he still capable of defeating Shen Qingyan?
Shen Cangyu covered her forehead, feeling extremely regretful. She should have known better than to get involved. Now, her senior brother had lost the Daoist techniques he had acquired, and she hadn't found any suitable ones either. How were the two of them going to fight against Shen Qingyan?
Looking at Shen Cangyu's expression, Pei Wenjing assumed she was troubled by his words. He shook the whip in his hand and said, "It's alright. There are so many Taoist methods on Kunlun. There's bound to be one that suits you. If not Tai Chi, there will be others."
“Yes, even if we don’t have Tai Chi, we’ll have something else.” Shen Cangyu secretly cheered himself up and nodded to Pei Wenjing.
Senior brother, you must find your own path as soon as possible! Our mission is arduous, so you must work harder!
“Cangyu, come to our Xingxiang Hall!” Xu Qiubai got excited when he said this. He said to Shen Cangyu, “Our Heavenly Fragrance Goddess has boundless magical power. If you believe in her, you will become an immortal in no time.”
Shen Cangyu looked at him questioningly: "The Heavenly Fragrance Goddess has boundless magical power, how come you didn't inherit any of it? If it weren't for me when we were at Nanke Mountain, you probably would have collapsed."
Xu Qiubai retorted, "I was bewitched by the locust tree spirit back then and didn't have time to burn incense. Next time, when I encounter a demonic cultivator again, I'll show you what I'm capable of!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the incense burner on the oxcart shook, and the white smoke from the incense swirled and pointed in another direction.
Xu Qiubai's expression hardened: "Something's not right. Have the demonic cultivators come again?"
Pei Wenjing got out of the car: "Let's go, let's go take a look."
"Just the three of us? What if that demonic cultivator is too difficult to deal with?" The locust tree spirit of Nanke Mountain had already left Xu Qiubai with a lingering fear. He had inquired with the villagers and learned that the incident of the locust tree spirit impersonating the Lucky Star Immortal had only occurred a few months ago, indicating that the demonic cultivator who passed on the Copper Coin Eye to the locust tree spirit had not gone far.
Recently, Kunlun disciples who are training in various places have sent messages saying that the demonic cultivators are making more and more noise, and they are probably secretly plotting something bad.
In order to maintain stability in various regions, a large number of disciples from the Kunlun Sect left the mountains to gain experience in the world and eliminate the remnants of demonic cultivators.
"Don't worry, I'm here." Pei Wenjing snapped his fingers, put the oxcart back into his flask, and walked in the direction indicated by the smoke.
The wind was howling, but the smoke from the incense burner stretched out like a taut rope, pointing towards the withered trees.
There was a dilapidated temple nestled among the withered trees. The roof tiles had long since fallen off, rendering it useless as a shelter from the wind and rain. The temple door had been stolen and used as firewood, and the wind howled as it blew in.
As soon as she entered the dilapidated temple, Shen Cangyu smelled a stench of decay. She looked around and saw a swollen, rotting corpse in a pile of straw in the corner.
His clothes were tattered; he must have been a beggar who froze to death. He was the source of the stench.
The smoke from the incense burner was pointing directly at the corpse.
"Wait, there's a child there too." Xu Qiubai pointed to the pile of straw next to the corpse.
Shen Cangyu looked at the child curled up in a ball on the straw pile, thin and small, like a kitten.
She walked over, turned him over, and when she touched him, she felt the skin beneath her hands was burning hot.
She brushed aside the thick hair on his face and was about to look at his forehead when suddenly her gaze fell on the mole at the corner of his eye.
"That year, I almost died in a dilapidated temple. I heard the sound of copper coins, and then I saw gods."
A phrase she had once heard suddenly came to mind.
Her subordinate suddenly opened his eyes and met her gaze.
She knew who this person was.
Jiang Qian, the successor of the copper coin eye technique.
The one she knew in her past life.
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