Old Gong kept his mouth agape, as if unwilling to bear it.
My mother looked very confused, but she didn't dare to interrupt me.
Soon, I had bled out a third of the bottle, and the wound on my palm had become white and unhealed.
After screwing the lid back on, I placed the blood bottle inside the hole and whispered again, "The elder brother has given me many medicinal herbs and soaked me in medicinal liquids. My blood can detoxify. Even that Luo family patriarch hasn't poisoned me. So my blood must have even better uses. You can try drinking a sip later."
My mother was speechless, and in the tired and cloudy eyes, there was a hint of sadness, tears flowing freely.
"Madam don't cry, ten months pregnant, childbirth in a day, flesh and blood, you have given father the flesh and blood of life, just take it as drinking your own blood." Laughing, Lao Gong tried to ease the atmosphere.
"I..." My mother's voice was choked up, but she bit her teeth together, trying to compose herself.
"This is not the Luo family, the surface-level Luo family is a very secretive family, few people know about it. In fact, they have always been very careful in their survival, and their status and position are even more humble... They are just the outer people of the Black City Temple, responsible for supplying things to the temple every day."
Her explanation shakes my spirit.
I always thought the Luo family was particularly mysterious, and their demeanor presented to me was just that: enigmatic and domineering.
Results... the Luo family can only be a gatekeeper, a logistics department?
It's like there are also outer disciples in the four regulations mountain, responsible for delivering food and daily necessities?
What is the Black City Temple, and what a terrifying place is it?
"Peeling the corpse object is a sacred item in the temple. The Luo family has been given a few pieces, so they have been working hard to find similar objects. Moreover, several decades ago, the Luo family tried to send a woman into the temple. If it could continue a few of the temple's bloodlines, perhaps, the Luo family could gain more benefits."
"Result, the lady in charge of sending people inside that year was left in the temple. When she was released, not long after, she became pregnant."
"According to her, the other women all died."
"She gave birth to a son, which was your father, Luo Muye. The patriarch of the Luo family couldn't kill him, so he wanted to gain the favor of Black City Temple and get more effective peeling objects. However, things didn't go as he wished. In anger, your father was expelled from the Luo family."
"These years, your father has always wanted to return, not because he has much affection for the Luo family, but because he doesn't want to leave his mother. However, things turned out to be like this."
"Back then at the Gao Tian Temple, we used all means to bring out a small piece of thumb from the Taoist Gao Tian. After returning to the Luo family, we prepared the peeling object with special methods. The peeling object... is a medium that uses the resentful souls of the devout to summon even more terrifying things to possess the body. Your father, under the orders of the Luo family, used Gao Tian's peeling object and has been crazy ever since."
"Even if he went crazy, he didn't get to see his mother. I don't even know if she is still alive, because I haven't seen her either."
"After going crazy, your father was very weird. Sometimes he would chant sutras and give lectures, sometimes he would even draw some ghost paintings. The Luo family could only send him to the Black City Temple. Your father... should have been put in the dungeon."
"I only know... the entrance to the dungeon is that tower far away. In the past, the people of the Luo family would take me here far away to keep an eye on it, telling me some scattered information, but I remember your father's instruction not to harm Mr. Qin, not to let them know about your existence..."
My mother's words have more than overturned my cognition!
She revealed everything she knew about the Black City Temple, as well as the origin and actual status of the Luo family.
She also mentioned... my father's identity...
In this light, can he be considered a member of the Luo family?
It seems he might only have half a bloodline.
Moreover, the peeling object... is just a medium!
A vision flashed through my mind: When Luo Kuan used that peeling object, he indeed had a woman on his back, with her hair covering her face and obscuring her features.
The woman had half of her blood-soaked clothing, her hands folded together in prayer. That gesture was a sign of devout prayer, wasn't it?
After that, Shāng Taixi said some things, including that there was a resentful soul in the bones, which he didn't like to touch much. This further confirmed the details.
But the peeling object is indeed too mysterious.
Ghost niche is to raise ghosts and use them. Tian Shou Dao Temple is a little more advanced, coexisting with ghosts. The peeling object also uses corpse poison. It looks more dangerous at first glance, but it turns out to borrow ghosts to summon "objects". It's bizarre!
Even with the level of Gao Tian Dao Ren, how could a strand of residual soul possibly act as a human medium?
He might be enough as a summoned being...
"Don't worry, Xian Shen. My father and I have traveled for many years and encountered dangerous situations. Both of us survived. We originally thought that the Luo family was our punishment, but we didn't expect that you would become our savior. Mom will take care of herself no matter what, and wait for you to come out!"
"Just that mom is sorry to you, letting you go into the dangerous place of the Luo family first, and then into another dangerous place..." My mother's voice was more choked up.
Taking a deep breath, I digested everything she said and comforted her a few words.
Then I smiled and said, "The Luo family is not dangerous. This Black City Temple... I don't think it's as powerful as Gao Tian Dao Ren. He has been knocked down a level by me. Mom, you hide well."
Just as I finished speaking and was about to turn around to leave, I suddenly remembered something. I slapped my head in realization.
I carefully searched my body again, and at the most hidden inner package, I found another porcelain bottle.
This bottle came from Liu family!
"Mom, this is the blood pill from Guchang City. Keep it for your own use. Concern leads to confusion. I just didn't remember it earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have had to bleed, making you uncomfortable."
My mother's face changed slightly, and she muttered, "Gucang City... Liu's blood pill?"
"I don't want it." She decisively shook her head.
"Master... I know about this item, but I thought you were aware of the danger and didn't take it out. You should not give this to the old lady. The old bones of the Liu family are very tough, she might not be able to handle it. If there's any problem, you eating it would be just right." Lao Gong spoke up immediately, his tone serious.
"The sky... it's getting brighter. We have to hurry in. Otherwise, if I can't come out, it will be troublesome for you, Master. Let's go quickly." Lao Gong urged immediately.
The night color is indeed black to a certain extent, the darkness before dawn.
Without hesitation, I followed Lao Gong's instructions and walked towards the direction of the tower, gradually approaching the hill that looked like a monster in the darkness.
Lao Gong kept telling me the direction, how many steps to take, and to change positions.
The place that could be reached in just ten minutes was walked for half an hour.
Although the distance traveled was greater, it did not attract any attention from anyone!
I have arrived at the base of that tower!
The top of the tower had light, clearly indicating that there were people living inside.
Thanks to Lao Gong, they hadn't noticed me getting close!
