"Ahem, it's not that way at all, Iceberg girl. You can't imagine stealing, nor can Grand Elder. Without very unconventional means, how could we discover very unconventional secrets?"
"You're good, he's good, but only to be bullied by the wicked. When it's time to be angry, you should be angry; when it's time for flexibility, you must be flexible."
Lao Gong solemnly said, "He's going to jump from Jiang Kuang's head to Si Yan's shoulder."
Si Yan lifted his hand, but instead of moving, a spell emerged from his fingers.
Lao Gong made a sudden stop, returning to where he was on Jiang Kuang's shoulder.
"I can't argue with you, Lao Gong, but the truth is right here. Moreover, you're not allowed to come to my shoulder again." Si Yan spoke firmly.
"Oh?" Lao Gong appeared with a pouty face.
"Well, it's not my fault, I'm honest and straightforward, and it's all for your sake and to avoid any conflict with Master..." Lao Gong's words came out in rapid succession.
Si Yan no longer looked at him.
"Alright, Lao Gong, come back." I let out a sigh of relief, and Lao Gong's head drooped as he disappeared from Jiang Kuang's shoulder.
Jiang Kuang was almost sweating profusely, too scared to breathe heavily.
"As for the specific location, I will tell you after the matter is over. Now, you can say it. The secrets of Tianshuo Temple and... Sun Zhuo's weak point." I looked at Jiang Kuang.
Si Yan watched him simultaneously.
Jiang Kuang heaved a slight sigh of relief before opening his mouth to speak.
It was then that I learned about the composition of Tianshuo Temple's strength.
The people of Guikan Temple raise ghosts, borrowing a certain degree of ghost power, or even turning themselves into something akin to half-human, half-ghost.
Tianshuo Temple is different; they revere their own Taoist arts. Besides having strong physiques and high levels of power, they have a preference for odd and mischievous ghosts.
They don't allow their ghosts to consume themselves, nor do they use blood to raise ghosts. Instead, they often control the ghosts more like a master and servant.
Just like the monk I handled earlier, he placed an evil ghost on his tongue. If there were no unusual circumstances, that ghost should have been a foetus spirit.
"What is a foetus spirit?" Si Yan interrupted Jiang Kuang.
"Uh..." Jiang Kuang was slightly uncomfortable, asking, "Really? Maybe...you, the female Taoist master, may not be suitable for it."
"What's not suitable? Just tell me." Si Yan maintained his calm.
Jiang Kuang fell silent for a moment before replying, "It's the fetus of a woman who has a miscarriage. However, it's not done by normal means. Years ago, in Jiang Huang City, there were some small workshop clinics that helped with abortions. Those 'doctors' might have only been assistants or nurses, who would first use a clamp to pull the fetus out roughly."
"Some, due to improper operation, leave the dead infant inside the mother. The dead infant's resentment fills the sky, gradually devouring the mother's body, killing the father, and becoming a foetus spirit."
"The foetus spirit likes to stay on human tongues, because, in many cases, it's men who with their sweet words lure women into traps and make such cold decisions. Half the time, the foetus spirit dislikes liars."
"If...had I reacted a bit slower before, that foetus spirit would have penetrated the master's tongue and wanted to come out. In that case, it would have had to be removed by picking a hole in the tongue."
Jiang Kuang's words made Si Yan's face pale and uncomfortable.
However, his example was very fitting. I have a fairly good understanding now that the Taoists of Tianshuo Temple's strength is equal to their own, plus the ghost they carry.
Looking back, the eight elders of Tianshuo Temple at that time might have been extraordinary in strength, but they were killed by an unexpected attack on the ground.
After transformation into a ghost, their strength should be far less than when they were alive.
The ninth elder was quite strong. Even in my presence, he didn't show his ghost.
It was still killed by the ground energy!
The earth energy is a natural predator of ghosts...
"The strength of the new elders, I'm not familiar with. Tianshuo Temple is divided into the outer and inner sects. The outer sect has monks who defected from various Taoist temples, and Tianshuo Temple fears they are traitors or spies. They observe them for a long time before admitting them to the inner sect. Besides the monks, there are also many from heretical schools of thought. Their qualifications must be determined before they are accepted into the inner sect."
"As for Sun Zhuo's life point, that's a woman."
"Hmm... I went to Jin Yang and took her out, handing her over to Tianshuo Temple."
At the end of Jiang Kuang's words, a slight shock ran through my heart.
Woman?
Sun Zhuo also likes a woman?
From the deceived Huaying, who wanted to climb the social ladder, to Xu Nuan, who was exploited for her body.
I've always thought that Sun Zhuo is a person who values self-interest.
"That's a normal woman, Sun Zhuo's childhood sweetheart, protected very well by Sun Zhuo. And the woman is very cautious. It took me some effort to trick her out."
"Hmm... If it hadn't been for that woman, Sun Zhuo would be a two-faced man. He would abandon Tianshuo Temple or Four Rules Mountain at any time. I've seen him a few times, and he really is like that!"
Jiang Kuang spoke earnestly.
He took out his phone and showed me a photo.
Upon seeing the woman in the photo, I paused for a moment, then fell silent.
"I'll send you the photo." Jiang Kuang said.
"No need. I remember." I told Jiang Kuang.
After that, I asked Jiang Kuang how to get into Tianshuo Temple and how to find his strand of soul once inside.
The most important thing is, will Jiang Kuang come with us?
Jiang Kuang first shook his head, saying he couldn't go, he would be discovered.
Then, he whispered a proposal in my ear.
I pondered for a moment, and thought that Jiang Kuang's suggestion was too obvious.
He wanted me and Si Yan to enter the outer door, pretending to be a couple of monks who defected from the temple. We would only need to show some skills to easily be selected for the inner sect.
But there's more to the plan than just that.
There is a way between the outer and inner sects, but only for specific disciples of the inner sect. If we can find it, we can still sneak into the inner sect.
Fortunately, his strand of soul is with Lao Gong. With the power of the ghost under sunlight, Lao Gong can find a place.
As for the location of the woman, he is currently unable to help. That will depend on ourselves.
Lao Gong, just like Jiang Kuang, muttered, "Young man, besides giving a strand of soul, you're trying to get something for nothing."
Jiang Kuang awkwardly smiled.
Si Yan, on the other hand, was in a state of uncertainty, her eyebrows knitted together.
I remained silent.
Jiang Kuang said that it's as good as not saying anything. Even without him, if we really want to sneak into Tianshuo Temple, we can use this method.
This is actually being tricked by Jiang Kuang.
Instead, we were used to do something, and we would have to risk going to find his soul……
The atmosphere in the room fell into a tense silence.
At this moment, Jiang Kuang carefully took out something from his chest.
It was a thin bone, resembling a scapula, but it was too small and not very human-like.
"This bone... is the remains of the ghost raised by the Taoist of Tianshuo Temple. The ghost was discovered by our Jiang Huang Ghost Cave and was taken into the possession of Tianshuo Temple."
"Hmm... if used properly, it should hurt Tianshuo Temple. Perhaps, Tianshuo Temple treats Jiang Huang Ghost Cave in this way because Tianshuo Temple has sensed something, but he did it very subtly, without pushing me to a dead end..."
"Master, this thing is my stepping stone..."
Jiang Kuang handed me that bone, looking quite reluctant.
