Master Jingchen’s face showed astonishment. “Abbot?”
The arrival was indeed Abbot Yuanjue and others. Behind the Abbot were the monastery’s senior disciples, and behind them crowded the heads of various Daoist temples from Chang’an. Even Jiantian and Jianxian, who had just rushed back from outside, were among the crowd. Together they numbered several dozen people, their shadows flickering in the lamplight that illuminated the alley.
Everyone looked disheveled, clearly having just been through a fierce battle. Their expressions ranged from angry to confused as their eyes searched for something. “Strange,” they said, “that evil creature fled toward the back alley, yet now it’s vanished. Master Jingchen, did you see that demon just now?”
Master Jingchen looked around in bewilderment. “I didn’t see anything! Abbot, did Naizhong escape from the formation?”
Abbot Yuanjue gazed at the starless night sky above for a long while without speaking.
Mingxin and the others, who usually maintained pristine appearances, were now covered in sweat. “Abbot, to deal with this creature, the monastery began crafting the Dharani Sutra Pillar days ago. We disciples cannot understand – if this demon is a traitor to Buddhism, why did our carefully arranged formation fail?”
Before Abbot Yuanjue could answer, another flash of lightning lit up the sky above the front hall. The strange sounds grew louder, with crashes now coming from the Buddha Hall. “Not good, that thing has fled to the front hall!”
A Daoist priest exclaimed in shock: “From these sounds, this demon is destroying the Arhat statues in the hall!”
Everyone was utterly astonished. Demonic creatures typically avoided Buddhist halls at all costs, yet this Naizhong not only showed such contempt for Buddhism but seemed to harbor a bone-deep hatred.
“The sea of karma is boundless.” Abbot Yuanjue sighed, then spoke in a thunderous voice, “We must not be led astray by this creature. Mingxin, Jianxing, go to the front courtyard and re-erect the Dharani Sutra Pillar, change to the Arhat Formation.”
“Yes!”
Abbot Yuanjue took the lead, and the alley became noisy again. Master Jingchen held Duan Qingying back while carefully observing everyone’s expressions. Some used lightness skills to move swiftly, others simply leaped onto the walls – all were preparing for battle. After watching for a moment, she no longer hesitated. Taking advantage of the chaos, she protected Duan Qingying as they moved against the crowd. When the alley had emptied, they turned out of the passage behind the kitchen, left the temple, and began using lightness skills to move rapidly.
Duan Qingying seemed to finally sense something was wrong and tried to break free from Master Jingchen. Master Jingchen swiftly struck Duan Qingying’s mute acupoint, tucked her under her arm, and leaped onto the courtyard wall of the compound opposite.
It was a small courtyard separated from Dayin Temple by just one alley. The compound was completely quiet, clearly uninhabited.
Master Jingchen landed, made her way to one of the wing rooms, pushed open the door, entered, and closed it behind them.
A single lamp glowed.
The room contained only a bed, a mat, and a table.
Master Jingchen sealed several of Duan Qingying’s vital points and gently placed her on the bed, then stood beside it listening intently. Buddhist chants rose continuously from Dayin Temple, but couldn’t suppress the sky-shaking malevolent sounds.
A slight smile appeared on Master Jingchen’s lips. She first took out a pill from her sleeve and swallowed it herself, then quickly walked to the table, lifted the incense burner’s lid, and dropped in a piece of incense.
After completing this, Master Jingchen looked back at the immobilized Duan Qingying on the bed. A hint of feigned regret suddenly appeared on her face as she let out an artificial sigh.
Despite the sigh, she still lit the incense without hesitation.
Soon, a wisp of smoke rose languidly from the incense burner. As the smoke spread, the entire room was filled with a strange spicy oil-like fragrance.
Master Jingchen sat down at the table to wait for the incense to take effect. Suddenly sensing something wrong, she tried to leap up, but was too late. A sharp golden arrow shot through the window from outside, striking her right shoulder.
Knowing she had fallen into a trap, Master Jingchen hurried to leap backward to escape, but at that moment, someone kicked open the front door.
It was Lin Chengyou who entered, followed by Jiantian and Jianxian, and behind them, surprisingly, were Juesheng and Qizhi, along with a young lady wrapped in a cloak. Master Jingchen recognized this young lady as General Teng’s daughter. Behind Miss Teng was a tall guard who, strangely, was holding a basin of water.
When Jiantian saw the scene inside from the back, he was completely dumbfounded: “Master Jingchen? It is you.”
Master Jingchen’s left hand gripped the golden arrow in her right shoulder, instantly breaking into a cold sweat from the pain. Looking at the arrivals, her expression was even more shocked than theirs: “What are you- what are you doing?”
She then turned angrily to Lin Chengyou: “Young Master, why do you attack without distinguishing right from wrong? Just now Lady Duan said she was tired from running, this poor Daoist was merely bringing her here to rest.”
Lin Chengyou, carrying a quiver of arrows, strode into the room, opened the incense burner’s lid, extinguished and removed the incense, then said mockingly: “Rest? And casually light some extremely poisonous Tianshui Sheluo incense while at it?”
Master Jingchen froze: “Tianshui Sheluo?”
Lin Chengyou tossed the dark sandalwood-colored incense in his hand and nodded with a smile: “I didn’t expect that even with tonight’s chaos, Master’s steps for extracting the fetus would still be perfect. Indeed, this good thing is essential for obtaining the Moonrise Child. Sealing acupoints can only immobilize the pregnant woman, but can’t keep her conscious – after all, people naturally pass out when the pain becomes extreme. This incense is different – it constantly stimulates one’s soul, keeping them clear-headed no matter how much pain they’re in. Only this way can these women fully witness their unborn children being extracted, thereby transmitting their intense hatred through the umbilical cord to the fetus. Without doing this, how could one obtain a Moonrise Child? Now with both criminal and evidence at hand, what else can Master say?”
Master Jingchen opened and closed her mouth: “No, this was already in the room when I entered, I certainly didn’t light it.”
Lin Chengyou smiled coldly and walked to the bed to unseal “Duan Qingying’s” acupoints.
“Duan Qingying” sat up on the bed and pointed at Master Jingchen: “She sealed my acupoints, then lit the incense herself.”
Master Jingchen stared intently at Duan Qingying. Tonight when she first arrived, she had gone to the west wing where this “Duan Qingying” had just come out of her room. Though she had only met Duan Qingying a few times before and wasn’t very familiar with her, she could recognize her at a glance. At the time, she had looked carefully – the appearance matched, the voice matched, even the personal maid matched.
Being habitually cautious, she had still verified multiple times. Even when taking advantage of the chaos to take Duan Qingying away, her palm had been constantly testing the other’s inner force. After repeated confirmation that this young lady truly had no martial arts ability, plus everything else matching up, she had dared to confirm that she truly had Duan Qingying in her grasp.
This point had been verified once again when she sealed Duan Qingying’s acupoints.
Who knew it was all fake?
Coming to her senses, she slowly turned two ice-cold viper-like gazes toward Lin Chengyou: “You had someone impersonate Duan Qingying?”
This trap had been set so thoroughly that it was practically impossible to guard against.
Lin Chengyou rubbed his ear: “And found someone without martial arts skills too. Took three days of searching and quite a bit of effort, finally managed to find a palace maid from the imperial palace who looked similar enough – with some disguising, she was adequate for use. If it wasn’t done this meticulously, how could we have lured a ‘great evil creature’ like you to take the bait? Master Jingchen, no-“
His smile slowly faded as he said word by word: “Bright Moon Hermit.”
Jiantian and Jianxian took the opportunity to escort the palace maid out of the room.
Master Jingchen pressed her left hand against the wound on her right shoulder, subtly shifting backward, her eyeballs turning slightly in their sockets as if calculating countermeasures.
Lin Chengyou pretended not to notice her calculations and said lazily: “Actually, you could have been more careful, but unfortunately these past few days you’ve been restricted everywhere due to the city being sealed off. You couldn’t carefully select pregnant women like before, yet were in a hurry to obtain another Moonrise Child. With no alternative, you remembered that Duan Qingying was pregnant but keeping it secret, so you set your sights on her. As for how you knew her secret, naturally, you had hidden and overheard it when they went to draw lots and make wishes at the Jade Truth Daoist Convent – the same method you used to learn Shu Linian and Young Lady Jiang’s secrets.”
At this point, he sneered: “These women thought the wish-granting at Jade Truth Daoist Convent was efficacious, constantly streaming in to view flowers and draw lots, not knowing that you, their seemingly upright abbess, were a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Master Jingchen discreetly retreated to the back window, suddenly turned sideways, and used her uninjured left shoulder to violently break open the window. Before she could leap out, her expression froze – dozens of Imperial Guards were quietly waiting in the back courtyard, countless gleaming arrows aimed at her. If she dared to jump out, she would instantly be shot into a sieve.
Master Jingchen narrowed her eyes and turned to throw a handful of hidden weapons, but before she could exert force, her fingers went numb. The more force she used, the more obvious the swelling numbness became, gradually spreading until her chest felt as if pressed by a huge stone, leaving her entire body immobilized. Both shocked and hateful, she asked: “You poisoned the arrow?”
“This is called fighting fire with fire.” Lin Chengyou still held the golden bow in his left hand, while his right hand pulled out a flash of silver from his sleeve. With a wave of his hand, the Soul-Locking Beast immediately bound Master Jingchen without hesitation.
Master Jingchen hurried to bite her tongue, but the end of the silver chain entered her mouth, quick as lightning, completely impossible to guard against. She only felt an iron-like taste fill her mouth, forced to open it from nausea.
“Want to die?” Lin Chengyou said, “Save your strength. Before I get the answers I want, you don’t even qualify to die.”
After struggling futilely, Master Jingchen became composed instead. Looking at Lin Chengyou, she suddenly smiled: “Naizhong has already broken into the temple, yet instead of helping the old monk subdue demons, you have the leisure to contend with me here. Though that creature hasn’t fully recovered its yin force, slaughtering a temple full of monks would be child’s play.”
Lin Chengyou crossed his arms and smiled.
Master Jingchen’s gaze trembled and her expression darkened: “The formation wasn’t broken?”
Lin Chengyou raised his eyebrows: “I’m truly sorry to say you’ve wasted your effort, Hermit.”
He turned his head and said to those outside: “Miss Teng, what did this ‘Master Jingchen’ tell you that day?”
Teng Yuyi stepped past Juesheng and Qizhi to enter the room and said unhurriedly: “That day she came to the temple to tell me that the hairpin I lost in the underground palace couldn’t be found. After saying this, she made an excuse to go eat with Masters Mingxin and Jianxing in the back. I guess that’s when she figured out the temple’s layout and formations, which is why she was so certain the temple couldn’t contain Naizhong tonight.”
Lin Chengyou smiled brilliantly: “Understand now? Since we suspected you were problematic and knew you had visited the temple, how could we not make changes? Though you released Naizhong tonight, it was trapped by the Dharani Sutra Pillar as soon as it arrived. What you saw earlier was just an illusion we prepared for you. Even the Daoist priests from various temples were kept in the dark about this point.”
Master Jingchen ignored Lin Chengyou’s words and instead scrutinized Teng Yuyi. Suddenly showing a look of realization, she nodded and said: “So you were the one who broke into the meditation room that day. You appeared before my eyes several times, yet I never connected that yellow-faced, bearded youth with such a flower-like young lady.”
She then cast a sidelong glance at Lin Chengyou: “Had I known you and Miss Teng had private dealings, I should have-“
Before Teng Yuyi could rebuke Master Jingchen for speaking nonsense, the Soul-Locking Beast seemed to receive a signal from its young master and extended its body to plug Master Jingchen’s mouth with its tail.
Master Jingchen frowned. This time, besides the iron taste, there was also a hot, foul odor spreading in her mouth. The smell was bizarrely repulsive. She barely had time to furrow her brow before her eyes flew open in rage: “Lin Chengyou, you actually—”
The creature had released gas in her mouth.
How vulgar! How shameless!
Nauseated and furious, she burst out cursing: “You little beast, how dare you humiliate me like this!”
Lin Chengyou smiled shamelessly: “This creature is quite willful. If you keep talking out of turn, next time it might directly—”
Master Jingchen’s scalp tingled. Could he mean the creature might defecate in her mouth?
She cast a hateful glance at Lin Chengyou’s earlobe. He was extremely handsome with fair skin, and she had caught that fleeting blush. She sneered: “Whether I’m speaking nonsense or not, you know very well in your heart—”
Lin Chengyou’s expression darkened, and Master Jingchen felt the creature’s tail probe forward again. Terrified it might defecate in her mouth, she hurriedly swallowed her remaining words.
“I ask, you answer,” Lin Chengyou said with a smile. “If you dare play tricks, I have countless ways to humiliate you. Don’t believe me? Feel free to try.”
Master Jingchen didn’t dare try again.
She breathed heavily in indignation, her teeth itching with hatred. For the moment, she didn’t dare plot anything else and could only suppress her rage to say: “Fine, but before I answer your questions, could Young Master tell me when I revealed my flaw?”
Lin Chengyou knew this person was deeply calculating. Directly asking about who was behind everything would definitely yield no answer. Better to engage in verbal sparring and try to catch her off guard. So he unhurriedly said: “Your biggest flaw was going to unnecessary lengths to frame Shu Wenliang.”
“Unnecessary lengths?”
“Let’s start with Shu Linian’s death,” Lin Chengyou said. “This woman only came to Chang’an last July, met Secretary Zheng on Mid-Autumn night, and then moved to Chun’an Lane. She became pregnant in the twelfth month, now over three months along. She rarely associated with others before her pregnancy, and after becoming pregnant she stayed even more secluded. I asked Shu Linian’s servants – besides Shu Wenliang, no one had visited her in these three months. And from how the killer stalked Shu Linian before striking, it seemed they were unwilling to act in Chun’an Lane, as if afraid her neighbors would recognize their figure. Looking at it this way, besides Shu Wenliang, the killer couldn’t be anyone else.
“But upon careful investigation, I found that besides Shu Wenliang, another short person had visited Chun’an Lane in these three months. However, this person wasn’t specifically visiting Shu Linian but rather going door to door delivering New Year talismans during the twelfth-month celebrations.
“After delivering the talisman to Shu Linian’s residence, this person chatted with her at length, and before leaving told her that the temple’s incense was very efficacious and she should come burn incense for blessings when free.
“When I asked several times before, neither Shu Linian, her servants, nor her neighbors remembered this incident. This was natural because no one would think a Daoist priest delivering door god talismans would be connected to a murder case. Only when I changed my approach and asked if any monks or Daoists had visited recently did they recall this.
“After learning this, I investigated further back and found that Shu Linian had visited the Jade Truth Daoist Convent to burn incense even before that day. I suspect you overheard some of her secrets but weren’t quite certain. Since you needed to confirm the pregnant woman had done evil deeds before acting to avoid harming your cultivation, you had to figure out what was going on. So you secretly followed Shu Linian, learned she lived in Chun’an Lane, and used the pretext of delivering talismans to entice her to come to burn incense again. I heard your temple doesn’t charge extra for drawing lots, but has one rule – you must state your wish before the deity statue for it to be efficacious. That divination room is empty – no one would think this rule was designed to allow someone to eavesdrop in secret.
“Sure enough, Shu Linian soon went to burn incense at the Jade Truth Daoist Convent again. Initially, I focused only on investigating the overlap in shops frequented by her and Young Lady Jiang, overlooking the most obvious connection in their routines – the Jade Truth Daoist Convent. Because I never imagined a Daoist priest from a temple would be involved in this series of fetus-harvesting murders.”
Teng Yuyi listened from the side, nodding secretly. The Jade Truth Daoist Convent was built by Princess Yuzhen years ago. To build it, the princess had specially invited a hundred extraordinary talents from across the land to construct the underground palace and invite celestial lords. Even the princess herself took the title of “True Person.” After the princess’s passing, the temple remained prosperous. Besides regularly hosting flower viewing and poetry gatherings to curry favor with noble ladies of the capital, there had long been a saying that wishes made by women drawing lots at the temple were more likely to come true than elsewhere, so the stream of worshippers had never ceased over the years.
Master Jingchen gave a cold laugh: “So what? Just because they came to our temple to burn incense, that proves their deaths are connected to me?”
Lin Chengyou said: “True, this alone proves nothing. Unfortunately, you were overly cautious. Even before arranging for Zhuang Mu as the obvious culprit, you had already prepared Shu Wenliang as the ‘real criminal’ in the shadows. To successfully frame Shu Wenliang, you specially arranged for a ruffian. This ruffian was short in stature but had large hands. Before Shu Linian and Young Lady Jiang’s incidents, this person repeatedly loitered outside shops, appearing to be specifically stalking the two, which also matched details of the later two murder cases:
“First, Young Lady Jiang was killed in the spice shop. She liked to rest in the quiet room downstairs every time she visited – this point, if I hadn’t learned about Song Jian’s involvement in stirring things up, I would have thought was a conclusion the killer reached after stalking for some time. Second, Shu Linian was killed in Chun’an Lane, which again seemed to confirm the killer was Shu Wenliang – afraid of being recognized by Shu Linian’s neighbors while committing the crime, the stalking was meant for acting outside, but finding that Shu Linian rarely lingered outdoors, they had no choice but to kill and take the fetus in Chun’an Lane.
“By this point, you had almost perfectly pinned the crime on Shu Wenliang. But suddenly something felt wrong to me, because when questioning shop assistants, they all remembered the ruffian’s large hands, as the ruffian had caught and eaten lice in front of these people.
“Would a calculating killer expose such an obvious flaw in public? Impossible – this was only done to ensure people noticed the ruffian’s large hands. This way, even if I later discovered you had visited Chun’an Lane, your suspicion would be eliminated, because although both Shu Wenliang and you were short in stature, your hands were delicate.
“You thought of everything, and never forgot to lay the groundwork in advance, but unfortunately cleverness became too clever, revealing your tracks instead.
“Once I understood this point, the rest became clear. In these months, among those who had visited Shu Linian and been seen by neighbors, while also being short in stature, besides Shu Wenliang, there was only Master Jingchen who had delivered New Year talismans to Chun’an Lane in the twelfth month. When I discovered you had left Chang’an for a period last month to prepare for the Daoist Grand Assembly at Purple Pole Palace in Luoyang, I became even more certain.”
Master Jingchen’s eyes flickered as she smiled slightly: “So what? Couldn’t the ruffian’s large hands have been Shu Wenliang deliberately exposing flaws to frame me instead? Though I left Chang’an several times in the past two months, each time was to prepare for the Daoist assembly. The heads of various temples can testify to this, even your temple’s two young disciples can confirm. As for Tongzhou… can you produce evidence that I went there?”
“Don’t rush,” Lin Chengyou looked at her with an ambiguous smile. “I haven’t finished. The biggest point disconnecting Shu Wenliang from this case is Young Lady Jiang. Although Shu Wenliang was also from Huazhou, he left fifteen years ago to take the imperial examinations in Chang’an and then went to Huaixi Circuit as an adviser for many years. After returning to Chang’an, he worked at the Capital Prefecture, while Song Jian served in the Imperial Guard, and the Earl claimed illness at home – these places had no connection. As for Madam Shu, she had long claimed illness and never socialized with other ladies. So no matter how I investigated, I could find no trace of interaction between Shu Wenliang and the Rong’an Earl’s mansion.
“The backlash from a Moonrise Child on the spellcaster is no small matter. Unless forced by circumstances like tonight, one must be certain before acting. Shu Wenliang had no contact with Young Lady Jiang – how could he dare confirm if those rumors were true?
“But you were different. Unlike Shu Wenliang who had no connection at all, I discovered you had deep ties with Young Lady Jiang. Young Lady Jiang had visited the Jade Truth Daoist Convent multiple times and specially supplied an eternal lamp for averting disasters. Besides this, because Young Lady Jiang couldn’t sleep well after becoming pregnant, Song Jian had invited you to perform rituals at the Rong’an Earl’s mansion. I guess this was arranged between you and Song Jian – before the time came to take the fetus, you feared Young Lady Jiang might have complications from being startled, so you needed to find a way to quickly calm her.
“That night when I asked Abbot Yuanjue about your background, the Abbot told me the real Master Jingchen had become abbess sixteen years ago. But thirteen years ago, Master Jingchen suddenly contracted a strange illness that lasted half a year. When she recovered, her appearance had become quite gaunt. I suspect you were already lying low in the temple then, and that illness was something you secretly created to take her place. You’re a master of disguise – taking the place of someone ill would have been child’s play for you. Coincidentally, that year while ill, Master Jingchen dismissed several Daoist nuns, all her senior disciples. I imagine you feared exposing yourself and found excuses to drive them away in advance.
“Investigating to this point, I could almost confirm you were the killer… You were the abbess of the Jade Truth Daoist Convent, could effortlessly learn many women’s secrets, were away from Chang’an when the Tongzhou incident occurred, had close contact with several victims before the incidents, possessed Daoist arts, were short in stature, knew evil magic, had enough silver to keep followers…
“However, to avoid catching the wrong person, I still set up a trap first. As expected, you kidnapped the pregnant Duan Qingying and lit the Tianshui Sheluo that had appeared at every crime scene. At this point, what else do you have to say?”
Master Jingchen’s smile became somewhat unnatural as she nodded and sighed: “So young, yet so clever. I was careless in one detail – if I had known, I wouldn’t have tried to be so clever. But losing to an opponent like you, I can’t say it’s unfair.”
Lin Chengyou wasn’t buying it, suddenly changing his tone: “What evil deeds did Bai and Shu Linian commit?”
Master Jingchen snorted: “They were all black-hearted people. Bai’s mother-in-law was bedridden for years. The couple had to manage their cloth business while caring for their mother, and over time grew impatient and poisoned her to death. Shu Linian had a spoiled sister-in-law whom she long feuded with. Once while out playing, they argued and Shu Linian pushed her into the water. She neither rescued her nor called for help, watching coldly as her sister-in-law drowned before leaving. Her husband’s family suspected her involvement but couldn’t find evidence. After coming to Chang’an, worried this matter would bring disaster to her and her child, she repeatedly came to the temple to burn incense to avert calamity, yet still had constant nightmares. As for Young Lady Jiang, there’s no need to elaborate. In short, except for tonight’s Duan Qingying, everyone I chose had committed evil deeds.”
Lin Chengyou stared expressionlessly at Master Jingchen: “Who is behind this?”
Master Jingchen stared blankly at Lin Chengyou: “Behind this?”
“The person who instructed you to set up this trap and murder Song Jian?”
Master Jingchen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter: “I did all this to take revenge on your self-righteous imperial uncle. My Jade Truth Daoist Convent is prosperous – as abbess, I lack neither money nor manpower. Why would I need anyone’s instructions? Why would I need others to help me set up plans?”
Before she finished speaking, her whole body shuddered. Some unknown poison on the arrow suddenly began to itch, as if countless venomous insects were crawling through her pores and burrowing into her skin.
Her eyelids twitched as her muscles began to spasm uncontrollably. She wanted to scratch but couldn’t move at all, bound by the creature. Her teeth chattered as large beads of sweat rolled down from her forehead. Her expression became grotesque from the convulsions, and her throat made strange rattling sounds.
She tried to bite her tongue to make herself pass out from pain, but the creature’s tail once again transformed into hard iron and probed into her mouth.
So she could only endure, but this suffering was ten thousand times worse than death.
This, truly, was the taste of purgatory.
Lin Chengyou smiled and said: “How is it? Few people in this world can endure this kind of itching. If you don’t want to suffer more, stop playing tricks. Tell me, who is the mastermind behind this?”
Master Jingchen’s facial muscles twitched uncontrollably as she forced words through her clenched teeth: “What mastermind?! You’re right, I am the Bright Moon Hermit from back then. When that foolish emperor purged my sect, I schemed for all these years just for this day! Even cutting him into a thousand pieces couldn’t quell the hatred in my heart!”
Teng Yuyi was secretly shocked. As Master Jingchen spoke these words, her body trembled like a paper kite, her lips twisted, and the whites of her eyes kept rolling up, clearly enduring extreme pain. Yet even on the brink of mental collapse, she still stubbornly refused to talk.
For others, once the whole conspiracy was exposed, giving up accomplices to suffer less punishment would be common.
This mastermind meant more to Master Jingchen than her life and dignity.
She glanced at Lin Chengyou beside her. Lin Chengyou had realized this too and decisively grabbed Master Jingchen, dragging her to his feet and sealing several of her vital points: “Quite stubborn, aren’t you? You can take your time talking at the Court of Judicial Review.”
He then instructed the Imperial Guards in the back courtyard through the window: “I’m taking her to the Court of Judicial Review immediately. She has accomplices who might attempt a rescue, so follow along the way and don’t withdraw midway.”
The Imperial Guards responded loudly in acknowledgment.
As Lin Chengyou left the room, he glanced at Teng Yuyi and Dan Fu beside him.
The basin in Dan Fu’s hands contained nothing but his foot-washing water.
This was on Teng Yuyi’s instructions.
Earlier, after finding Teng Yuyi in the temple, he led them to the temple kitchen. While waiting for Master Jingchen to take the bait, he and Teng Yuyi reviewed the details of Master Jingchen’s temple visit that day. As Teng Yuyi described Master Jingchen’s behavior, she instructed Dan Fu to prepare water for washing their feet.
Finding it strange at the time, he had asked Teng Yuyi: “What’s this for?”
Teng Yuyi had seriously told him: “Today I read a Buddhist scripture story that said evil creatures transformed from Buddhist or Daoist traitors have different natures from ordinary evil beings. They are most afraid of filthy things. Since Naizhong was a Buddhist monk before falling into demonic ways, he must also fear things like foot-washing water. Dan Fu has no magical implements and can’t use talismans. If the formation fails to contain that great creature, he’ll have nowhere to hide. So I had him prepare a basin of foot-washing water – when the creature’s yin force approaches, Dan Fu can splash this water to buy some time.”
Lin Chengyou had laughed then: “What a devious method you’ve thought up. Fine, as long as you don’t mind the smell.”
Thinking of this now, he glanced again at that basin of foot-washing water. This was indeed a method for dealing with Buddhist evil spirits, just cumbersome and smelly. If it made Teng Yuyi feel secure, let Dan Fu carry it.
He turned to Juesheng and Qizhi: “Alright, things are temporarily settled here. Take Miss Teng and the others back to the barrier. Senior Brother will come right after delivering the prisoner.”
Then to Jiantian and Jianxian: “Please trouble you two elders to help watch over them.”
The Bright Moon Hermit twisted in Lin Chengyou’s grasp while raising her head to observe the night sky. Today was the new moon, the darkness notably deeper than usual. As she gazed at the crescent moon, a shadow of a smile played at her lips. Suddenly her eyes flew wide open, her body violently convulsed several times, then collapsed motionless.
Everyone was startled.
Lin Chengyou crouched down to examine her and found Master Jingchen’s face had turned black – clearly death by poison. But before he could identify what kind of poison, the surrounding air suddenly chilled. Master Jingchen’s corpse abruptly opened its eyes, the pupils rapidly turning crimson, while her complexion took on an eerie blue tinge.
Lin Chengyou’s expression changed drastically. Without a word, he pulled out a talisman from his sleeve and struck, but as soon as the talisman touched the Bright Moon Hermit’s forehead, it instantly turned to smoke.
Jiantian and Jianxian exclaimed in shock: “Not good, a Ghost Rakshasa!”
As they spoke, they shot countless talismans from their sleeves, but when these hit the Bright Moon Hermit’s corpse, they too had no effect.
By now Teng Yuyi also sensed something was wrong. While backing away, she asked Juesheng and Qizhi beside her: “What’s a Ghost Rakshasa?”
“It’s when someone skilled in Daoist arts uses evil magic to transform themselves into a fierce ghost before death,” Qizhi stammered. “She must have planned this, planting five soul curses in her body. Once she dies, she immediately becomes a Ghost Rakshasa. No magic can affect her for a short time unless we immediately set up the Mysterious Heaven Formation! But we don’t have enough people now – how can we arrange a formation? Senior Brother—”
Lin Chengyou took several golden arrows from his quiver and shot four linked pearl arrows in succession, instantly sealing several of the Bright Moon Hermit’s soul points. However, this had little effect – in just a moment, the Bright Moon Hermit’s corpse underwent rapid transformation.
Jianxian frantically attempted several spells to no avail, then looked at the Bright Moon Hermit’s corpse with shock and hatred: “How vicious – she’s determined to sacrifice herself to Naizhong! Young Master, what should we do?!”
Before Lin Chengyou could answer, a blood-red humanoid shadow rose from the Bright Moon Hermit’s corpse. Simultaneously, the chill in the air became more bone-piercing. In an instant, everyone felt as if they were in an ice cave, unable to stop shivering.
The shadow wavered several times, the blood color gradually deepening. Suddenly, as if turning its face toward Lin Chengyou, it began laughing eerily.
The laughter was unstable, like dark wind gusting past their ears. Then everyone felt something whispering beside their ears, its breath like a poisonous snake’s tongue, drifting into their ears in wisps. Though the actual sound was unclear, they could somehow understand what it was saying.
“You think preventing me from obtaining the Moonrise Child will stop Naizhong from slaughtering the city?”
The thing gazed silently at everyone, its voice cold and fierce.
“I chose the new moon for my plan, not just because I couldn’t wait any longer.” The blood-colored figure stepped over the Bright Moon Hermit’s corpse, slowly walking toward everyone. With each step, it left a blood-colored footprint behind. “Tonight I made perfect preparations. Before lighting the Tianshui Sheluo, I had already taken poison. If I couldn’t obtain the Moonrise Child within half an hour, the poison would take effect. Once I died, I would become a Ghost Rakshasa as planned. This method was taught to me by my master, the Qiankun Hermit.”
At this point, the blood-colored figure raised its head to the night sky. Though its features were unclear, they could almost see the melancholy on its face: “My master studied Daoist arts without restraint. At a young age, he had already mastered all the righteous and evil arts under heaven. In all my life, I’ve never met anyone more brilliant than him. Every new moon, my master would teach me Daoist arts. He called me Bright Moon, hoping the moonlight would be brighter on this day. What a pity that such an unfettered talent died at the hands of a foolish emperor.”
She laughed through gritted teeth: “I’ve lived until now just for revenge. Having finally released Naizhong, how could I let you ruin my plans? You righteous sects don’t know, without a Moonrise Child, a Ghost Rakshasa serves the same purpose. As long as someone becomes a Ghost Rakshasa and sacrifices themselves to Naizhong on the night of the new moon, its yin force can still fully recover. When that happens, even more monks and Daoists will be crushed to meat paste by it.”
Jiantian and the others’ expressions grew increasingly ugly. No one could predict the consequences of Naizhong’s yin force fully recovering. Frustratingly, once a Ghost Rakshasa took form, it was protected by overwhelming resentful energy – no magic could affect it for two hours.
The ghost’s laughter became more shrill: “Don’t think a mere Heaven Spirit Formation can contain it. Naizhong will soon break into the imperial palace and begin its slaughter. Tonight you will all die without burial grounds.”
Lin Chengyou had been quietly watching her, but now suddenly said: “Since we’re all doomed to die, why not let us die knowing the truth – tell us, who is your mastermind?”
The Ghost Rakshasa merely laughed twice, seemingly certain that no one present could do anything to her. Her form wavered as she unhurriedly walked toward the courtyard exit, emanating such dense malevolent energy that no one could approach. Jiantian and Jianxian were instantly terrified beyond measure and cried out in unison: “Young Master, think of something quickly!”
Juesheng and Qizhi shuddered violently, also desperate to rush forward: “Senior Brother, what should we do?!”
Once this thing reached Dayin Temple and merged with Naizhong, no one could prevent Naizhong from recovering its yin force.
In this crucial moment, Lin Chengyou said to Teng Yuyi: “Do it.”
Teng Yuyi understood and turned to Dan Fu: “Splash it!”
Dan Fu finally came to his senses, gathering his energy to chase several steps while raising both arms high, throwing that basin of stinking foot-washing water he’d been carrying all along at the Ghost Rakshasa. Before the Ghost Rakshasa could dodge, she felt the foul-smelling water pour down over her head.
Seeing the water hit its mark, Teng Yuyi quickly hid behind Lin Chengyou and beckoned to Dan Fu: “Quick- come back here.”
The Ghost Rakshasa froze for a moment, lowered her head to look, and seeing the blood color rapidly fading from her body, let out a shrill scream. However, she had barely screamed once before Lin Chengyou shot out a talisman that struck her. This time it worked – as soon as the talisman touched the ghost form, it emitted bursts of scorched stench, and soon she was completely immobilized by the talisman.
Lin Chengyou smiled and said: “My apologies, Hermit – before completing your training, you were stopped by a basin of foot-washing water.”
Jiantian and Jianxian were overjoyed. Looking at Lin Chengyou, then at Teng Yuyi, they clapped and laughed heartily: “Well done, you two are something! To think you could come up with such a stinking idea!”
Lin Chengyou glanced at Teng Yuyi behind him. Fortunately, she immediately understood his meaning when he just said “Do it,” otherwise he would have had to grab that horribly stinking basin of foot-washing water from Dan Fu and splash it himself.
Seeing the Ghost Rakshasa contained, Teng Yuyi couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Looking up, she met Lin Chengyou’s black eyes and hurriedly pointed at the ghost form ahead: “Young Master was just complaining about how smelly Dan Fu’s foot-washing water was, but look how useful it turned out to be.”
Her almond eyes held a hint of reproach. Lin Chengyou suddenly felt his heart flutter – a truly strange feeling. He pondered it for a moment, quickly turned his head away, and nodded with a smile: “Yes, very useful. You’ve been a great help, thank you.”
That was better – Teng Yuyi nodded in satisfaction and quietly moved another step forward with Dan Fu, getting closer to Lin Chengyou, which also meant greater safety. After speaking those words, Lin Chengyou casually threw out one last talisman, making the ghost form wail in agony. Though the Bright Moon Hermit had fallen into evil ways, she was still of the Daoist sect. Even as a Ghost Rakshasa, she feared filthy things – splashed with foot-washing water, she was instantly reduced to an ordinary fierce ghost.