Old Gong's self-talk is too ambiguous, even though I'm clear about some of the things Maocuan has done, I can't analyze them thoroughly. So I didn't think too much about it. In the past, how was it? Only Qie Weizi can say it clearly. However, I don't know when his soul turned into three true worms and when he could become conscious again.
Not long after, we exited the gates of Ju Shan Mountain.
In and out, from the moment we arrived at Ju Shan Mountain, fighting with Bai Song and others, to getting out, coming back again, and now leaving once more. The time spent was long. I was exhausted in spirit; I had already expended a considerable amount of energy earlier but just managed to maintain myself. The other teachers were even more so; they were yawning as they walked along the mountain path.
We had walked a considerable distance before I signaled for everyone to stop and take a short rest.
Everyone leaned against the tree or lay on the flat ground, dozing off lightly.
The sky was still dark when Old Gong was on guard, while I began to cross-legged sit in meditation at dawn.
As we neared noon, the teachers all woke up, and our pace of travel quickened.
Upon arriving at the lower town, Wu Jinluan led us to a restaurant where we ordered a table full of dishes.
Everyone was already famished, so they ate up the dishes as if a storm were sweeping them away.
After a feast for all the five internal organs, everyone looked energetic and lively. Wu Jinlan then cautiously asked me what our plan was next. Were we really going to wait at the foot of the mountain?
I nodded.
"A bit too risky," one of the teachers whispered, "It would be better to leave the corpse pill directly? Leave someone to send a letter? The matter of collecting the body does not concern us, Maocuan has not over-estimated the oracle, he will come to collect the body."
Before I could respond, Wu Jinlan shook his head and rejected the idea. He pressed his eyebrows together before saying, "There is an antidote; indeed, we can only wait here. We still have to deal with those people."
The problem is that Wu Jinluan raised it and indeed, he had thought it through clearly.
"We'll stay at the Qi family courtyard," I said. "My intuition tells me that they will go straight to Ju Shan Mountain and won't bother searching that courtyard for anything. They won't expect us to have stayed behind or not be on Ju Shan Mountain."
"The most dangerous place can also be the safest," Wu Jinlan nodded slightly.
Later, we bought more water and food and went directly to the Qi family courtyard.
After the ghosts left the courtyard, it became exceptionally bright, especially with sunlight constantly shining on the roof eaves and wall corners, releasing some gray mist that dispelled the yin atmosphere here.
For safety reasons, Wu Jinlan and the others stayed in three separate rooms, with each other keeping an eye on each other.
First, I stayed in the hall for a while before accidentally going to another place, the private room of Lao Qin.
However, this time, I really didn't find anything. All the secrets of the entire Qi family courtyard have been uncovered by me, with no further concealment left.
I no longer felt any familiarity, nor was there any subconscious attraction. All of this had vanished into thin air.
Upon returning to the main hall, I found that the teachers had cleaned it thoroughly and set up camp in the courtyard.
The Qi family courtyard was originally not small, resembling a small garden, and the teachers arranged it in there, altering the feng shui from subtle details.
At a glance, the courtyard seemed unchanged, but it gave me a feeling that was mysterious and elusive, as if I would definitely not be able to leave if I went straight out.
Based on this, can people outside just walk in and not be able to leave?
Standing quietly for a long time, just before the sky turned dark, the teachers returned one by one to the main hall. They were all in high spirits, their eyes glowing with energy, as if they had demonstrated their skills and felt excited about it in their hearts.
Wu Jinlan was the same, confident and serious.
"Luo Daozang, if those people want to come in here first, they will have to suffer some consequences. We will also have the confidence to negotiate with them. We can hand over the corpse pill and discuss conditions. If they haven't found us yet, we'll send someone to invite them in when they leave Ju Shan Mountain!"
Wu Jinluan's arrangement is meticulous and indeed suitable.
I was nodding.
However, Wu Jinluan looked outside and said, "Could Luo Daozang please retrieve the corpse pill and let me examine it first?"
I was slightly surprised but did not suspect anything of Wu Jinluan. I took out the corpse pill and handed it to him.
All the other teachers had a look of yearning in their eyes, none exception. The greed had disappeared; the first instant was out of instinct to see a treasure, and since it was mine, they did not have that thought.
To me, Wu Jinluan just hadn't seen it before, only heard of it as a precious item, and wanted to touch it for real.
He gently caressed the corpse pill and sighed, saying, "Not all corpses can ascend, nor can all ascended corpses be made into pills. This incident in General Mountain is a major regret in the realm of Yin and Yang, but I never expected that there would be such a great destiny hidden within it. The corpse pill has been touched once, which is already a profound blessing."
For Wu Jinluan, the breaking of the dragon vein held an even greater significance.
Perhaps it's a feeling similar to the collapse of a mountain gate in our Daoist path?
"Let's have a look and touch it too, to soak up some vitality." Wu Jinluan handed the corpse pill to another teacher.
The teacher received it as if it were a precious treasure, his hands and legs trembling even.
It took him a couple of minutes to reluctantly hand over the corpse pill to the next person.
Someone pressed it against their face to feel it closely, while someone deeply inhaled a breath.
There was one person who was the most exaggerated... He licked the corpse pill with lightning speed.
"Er... Why does it have a strange salty taste? It's also bitter, like old phlegm?" The teacher looked confused.
The others laughed at him for not having good taste, suggesting that a pill taken from the belly of a corpse couldn't be sweet. Even if the vitality is strong, the corpse pill itself is born from the body of the corpse, so being bitter is normal.
The embarrassed teacher wiped away the corpse pill and gave it back to Wu Jinluan, who gave him a stern look.
Afterward, Wu Jinluan cupped the corpse pill in his hands. His breath was slightly rapid, and he deeply looked at me before saying, "Luo Daozang, the corpse pill cannot be simply handed over. I'm not saying that any other anomalies will arise. This object truly should not be held by you, as others have lost their lives for it. But you can use it. Why not try holding it in your mouth for a while or scraping some powder and swallowing it? Jinglun Master and others have such great destiny; if you don't use it, isn't that a great waste?"
"You're in such a depleted state now, you need to replenish yourself."
The other teachers immediately reacted and nodded in agreement.
My heart rate sped up by several times.
I had indeed thought about this before, wondering why Lao Gong wouldn't let me use the corpse pill.
Wu Jinluan's suggestion does indeed make sense... The vitality of the corpse pill is very strong. Using it to recover my body may not cause any major harm.
Quietly, Lao Gong appeared next to Wu Jinluan. He was fully prepared and quickly grabbed the corpse pill from Wu's grasp, rolling his eyes and saying, "Little Wu, it seems you have an insatiable ambition. Once your master is gone, you take the relics of Yangshen and the inheritance of Ju Shan Mountain. Now you're trying to set up a ascension pavilion like the Eight Mansions, with teachers and Daoists together? I think you should just rename yourself Tian Guan Temple?"
Lao Gong's words caused Wu Jinluan's expression to change dramatically. "Lao Gong, I have no such intention! I was letting Luo Daozang replenish his body, how could that become wanting to harm him? You've misunderstood..."
I narrowed my pupils, and only then did I realize the different nuances in it. It seems like this matter isn't as simple as it seems...
