Of course, Liumou didn't eat much less beatings either; he wasn't much better off than Liuzi Yu.
I remained silent, without pleading for clemency.
From the subtle expression on Laozhen's face, it could be seen that the pleading of He You Tian and Tang Wu had made his coldness heavier by two degrees. If I add another sentence, it might be even clearer that Laozhen and Liumou had suffered even more.
Furthermore, Laozhen really deserves to be punished, while it is only Liumou who is innocent.
However, this is the matter of Chunyang Daoist Observation, a little bit of explanation given by Laozhen, we cannot manage it.
During this time, neither Laozhen nor Lao Taiyin spoke.
We watched Laozhen and Liumou endure thirteen lashes, both of them nearly saw their skin split open and their flesh torn apart.
Afterward, four red-robed elders hurriedly entered the great hall.
Only when we got close could we see that the red robes of the four elders were embroidered with gold and purple flowers. In general, they looked like a mix of red and purple, indicating that they were only one step away from becoming a true person.
"Great elder, the punishment is sufficient. Shall we send Laozhen to the stone cave to reflect on his mistakes now?" one of the red-robed elders asked respectfully.
"Yes," Laozhen nodded.
They then left, with several disciples lifting up Liuzhen to follow them.
There were also disciples who intended to carry Liumou into the Chunyang Daoist Observation.
His punishment is only a flogging.
However, Liumou struggled a few times, refusing to be carried or supported by the disciples, and stumbled towards the direction of Liuzhen's departure.
"After a long journey, it's almost noon. How about having a meal first and then resting?" Laozhen stood up, his face smiling.
The people in the hall had no objections.
The place for eating was in another subsidiary hall. All the other people were also invited out, making it a lively and bustling scene.
The true people were almost all at the same table, with only two exceptions: Shenxiao and Jinlun, whose strength was not enough. However, their status was high enough. They were considered as the two leaders of Lei Ping Daoist Observation.
Apart from me, everyone's gaze was almost exclusively on Jinlun's face.
"I have a question I'm actually curious about," Laozhen said with a smile, "Please don't take offense, Jinluan elder and Mr. Zongxiang."
Jinlun bowed slightly out of respect, as his strength was relatively lower.
Tang Wu nodded.
"Jinluan elder and the disciple of Yunjinshan's Taoist Master have both taken the medicine from eight residences. In theory, Jinluan elder's face should be the norm, and the others are also like this in appearance. It seems that Yunjinshan has some method to counteract poison, and has kept the face of the Taoist Master's disciple."
Laozhen's words had hit the nail on the head!
Shenxiao and Jinlun showed no other emotions, just a bit of embarrassment.
Tang Wu remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Tianshi lineage always maintains its appearance. Due to their strength, their face is indeed like that. When the current Tianshi performs a talisman on this child's head at night during soul loss, the soul will dissipate and spread out from the entire head. However, with the talisman's effect, the soul will not scatter but will instead leave the body in a physical form, avoiding damage to the flesh. For this reason, we have a container. At night, he must stay in it, and his soul cannot be more than one hand away from his body."
Laozhen's eyes brightened as he spoke, "It is indeed a good strategy. If not for such tribulations, this young one, who is already over forty years old, would likely have surpassed that threshold as well. He is just as gifted and talented."
"There's no need to talk about it, hahaha." Tang Wu's words carried a hint of pride in his eyes.
"If he becomes a true person during this observance, his cultivation will be higher, and he will have better control over his soul. He can even fully separate his soul from his body, and have it fully return to his body." Lao Taiyin asked.
"According to theory, there is a possibility of this happening, but currently the soul's separation cannot be controlled and can only wander nearby." Tang Wu explained.
I have been listening quietly, preparing to tell these details to Wu Jinlan then. Perhaps he will be able to discern some situations from them?
"Fully separating and fully reuniting the soul is not as simple as you think, Tang old man. You people from Yunjinshan have oversimplified it."
When the time came, the old Gong emerged right on schedule but spoke against the grain.
Tang Wu smiled but did not speak.
"Well, whether you want to listen or not, the person I saw with full separation and full reunion of the soul was not an ordinary person. I don't think everyone in the eight residences has this ability. The talisman painted on the kid's head seems to have a slightly different flavor, and it is intended to use this method to make him manifest an yin spirit."
"I suspect that some out-of-yang blood and flesh may have been mixed into the talisman."
"One more sentence from Lao Gong, and it was earth-shattering!"
Tang Wu's face suddenly stiffened.
My heartbeat similarly accelerated sharply.
In fact, as soon as Lao Gong mentioned it, I realized he was talking about Mao San.
But the Yunjinshan actually had such a big plan?
No wonder the talisman's effect was so strong, allowing the soul, which should have dispersed in thin threads, to become a whole entity. It was because it used the blood and flesh characters of the out-of-yang spirit as a medium to suppress it.
"You had better be careful. It's afraid that when he becomes a true person's soul, it won't be able to return. This little bit of out-of-yang blood, without a master watching over it, is not enough." Lao Gong just finished speaking, and the moment of noon ended. He vanished without a trace.
Laozhen did not say anything else. Everyone at the table was lost in thought, and Tang Wu's brow was furrowed.
The disciples at the other tables did not understand what was going on, but they could sense the tense atmosphere and were rather silent and cautious.
Only the Tianshi disciple maintained his composure.
Shortly after, the meal was finished, and the group dispersed to rest in their respective rooms at the Chunyang Daoist Observation.
There was an empty room next to my accommodation, which was reserved for Wu Jinlan, and on the other side were the rooms for He You Tian and Si Yan.
About two hours later, I heard footsteps and the voices of disciples.
I went to the door and sure enough, Wu Jinlan was just about to enter the room.
"Mr. Wu, come in," I nodded to indicate.
The disciples of the ancient Qiang City left, and Wu Jinlan entered my room.
I concisely recounted all the previous events.
Wu Jinlan pondered for a moment before replying, "Lao Gong's analysis is indeed reasonable. A ghost at the level of a true person is already very powerful. When a living soul separates from the body, it can cause harm to the person, even leading to death. The people from the eight residences didn't die because they didn't lose many souls each time, and they were compensated with medicine. Jinlun elder can control it because he has enough willpower. If one cannot control it, they will become like Miss Cheng Qingqi, who can only be watched over by Professor Wei."
"Yunjinshan let the Tianshi disciple fully separate and leave the body directly, and consider this problem. After considering part of it at dawn, they will be retrieved."
"But when it comes to the level of a true person, there is another problem to consider, which is the jiuchong."
"And also, the stronger a person's power, the stronger their soul. When they are weak, the injury is only a trace, but when they become true persons, it's a large amount. If their fontanelle is damaged and they can't reunite their soul, then they become a spirit of the out-of-yang soul at the level of a true person."
"Using unconventional methods to become an yin spirit? That's even more impossible."
"Lu Daozhang, think about it. Who are the people we have encountered who are similar to yin spirits?"
Wu Jinlan asked me.
I pondered for a moment before saying, "Ding Ripe is the one who first manifested as an yin spirit, followed by Mao San, and there is also a master from Wu ling."
"Fang Shiduai Hong, who is also close to becoming an yin spirit," Wu Jinlan added, "They all have a common feature. Have you noticed what it is, Lu Daozhang?"
