How could Lang Jiuchuan dare?
Even Gong Qi was somewhat taken aback. How had she thrown all caution to the wind and stood her ground right at her own family’s gate like this, seemingly without the slightest fear that the Xuan Clan or the imperial family might make trouble for the Lang Family?
Was Lang Jiuchuan afraid?
Had this been when she had just borrowed this body to return to life, when she still needed to keep a low profile—she would not have gone out of her way to court death. But as this body of hers grew stronger, as her divine soul became more solid, and most importantly, as her strength grew ever greater, she had already accumulated enough chips to contend with the Rong Family.
Moreover, at this point, her investigation into the truth of her origins was drawing ever closer to the answer. She was now fully exposed before the Rong Family’s eyes. Judging by the other side’s frequent provocations, the grievances and entanglements between them had already reached a white-hot stage.
The other side was unaware of what she knew—yet both parties were, in their hearts, fully clear on what this feud was about. The Rong Family had unsheathed their sword. She would naturally stop hiding.
The Rong Family had chosen to use the stigma of demonic possession to deal with her. This method was, in truth, quite crude. It would have been more effective to rally powerful allies and encircle her in secret—that way, they could have eroded her strength and sought an opportunity to destroy her. What a pity. Since they had chosen such a clumsy approach, she could hardly be blamed for biting back.
Her jab at the young master of the Rong Family just now had appeared offhand, but word would carry itself to the right ears.
It might produce no visible effect right now—might not cut her to the bone—but in the future, when the young master of the Rong Family’s movements began to seem suspicious, people would recall her words today and look at him with doubt. By that time, both she and the Rong Family would understand the meaning of a backlash.
The Rong Family wanted to ruin her reputation—to make the whole world condemn her, to make this “demonic entity” disappear. Then she would do the opposite: make the whole world know of her existence, lodging herself like a fishbone in their throats.
Sometimes, if you kept a low profile for too long, people took you for an easy mark. Showing a little strength at the right moment was what made them wary, made them think twice before acting rashly.
That moment had now arrived.
That was why Lang Jiuchuan was being so conspicuous. She also wanted everyone to know—the ninth daughter of the Lang Family was also a cultivator of the Dao, a Heavenly Master whose cultivation realm was not to be trifled with!
If the Xuan Clan still tried their old trick of “recruit, and if that fails, suppress”—she was not afraid. At worst, she would simply die once more.
As for the Lang Family…
If it truly came to the point where she stood against the entire world, she would sever ties with the Lang Family. She trusted that the Gong Family would offer them some protection. And if they would not, then they would simply have to survive under the shelter of the ancestors’ blessing!
Everyone bore their own karma, did they not?
Tantai Cong saw that Shen Qinghe had also arrived with his people. He scrambled up from the ground in a wretched state and called out to Gong Qi and Shen Qinghe: “Director Shen, you’ve come at just the right time. You all saw what just happened—this demonic entity deliberately injured people! Take her back to the Surveillance Bureau’s prison now and rid the Great Dan of this menace! Senior Zhishang, is that not so?”
Daoren Zhishang said nothing. He rose to his feet, and upon seeing the scorch marks on his whisk, his complexion turned ashen. He stared fixedly at Lang Jiuchuan with an iron gaze.
His divination could not be wrong. This woman’s existence would damage the national fortune.
“What demonic entity? Grand Master Lang is a Heavenly Master of orthodox lineage. She previously made great contributions in both the malevolent deity case in Tong City and the corpse-zombie case of the Cong Family—especially in the corpse-zombie case, where she personally eliminated the century-old corpse-zombie. She even destroyed the Cong Family’s patriarch. That was a great merit, and there are living witnesses to it. Especially in the corpse-zombie case, the Xuan Clan’s various families all sent people to assist, and all of them witnessed it. Though the details of that case were never publicly announced, who participated is all on record.” Shen Qinghe’s voice rang out in furious rebuke. “Third Imperial Prince, if you do not know the facts, you may keep your silence—but do not spew slander. Defaming someone who has accumulated such great merit with false accusations—are you not afraid of being struck by thunder? For someone of the imperial family who cultivates the Dao as well, you should know that the karmic debt of speech is not to be taken lightly!”
As if in response to his words, a dull thunderclap suddenly boomed through the sky.
Tantai Cong instinctively shrank his neck back. Then, seeing that everyone was staring at him, he could not help but flush with mortified rage, his face turning a deep purple.
Shen Qinghe then turned his tirade on Daoren Zhishang and the others: “And as for you—I’ve heard that those who carry great merit have golden light protecting their bodies. You clearly could not see it, which shows your cultivation is nothing worth praising. Instead of wasting time here ganging up to defame others, you’d be better off going home to study more Daoist scriptures and paying reverence to the Three Pure Ones, so you might gain a little more enlightenment—and stop behaving like cultivators of the Dao who repeat whatever rumors they hear without thinking.”
“She will surely bring turmoil to our Great Dan…” Daoren Zhishang said in a deep, somber voice.
Lang Jiuchuan narrowed her eyes and looked at him. The other man met her gaze without flinching.
“Turmoil in the Great Dan—will she single-handedly cause war or something of that sort? If the Great Dan falls into turmoil because of one young girl, then what needs to be examined is the holy ruler and those of us who serve in the court—for we are the ones who govern the Great Dan, not some young woman.” Shen Qinghe let out a cold sound through his nose. “All of you Daoist priests—you cry ‘demonic entity’ at the drop of a hat. Then produce your evidence and prove what kind of demonic entity she is. Is your whisk not working properly? Is the coin sword not sharp enough? Or is your cultivation simply not strong enough, which is why you cannot destroy her?”
When it came to verbal combat, Shen Qinghe the Blue Sky was in a class of his own!
The crowd was left with faces cycling between green and white.
“Director Shen’s words are entirely correct. We who study and read do so to understand reason, to cultivate wisdom, to speak on behalf of the people. How the Great Dan fares is a matter for us scholars and officials to educate and govern.” Xue Shi suddenly stepped forward from the crowd, accompanied by Elder Ou. The two of them said: “We have both suffered harm from a demonic entity, and it was Immortal Master Lang who resolved it for us.”
He bowed deeply toward Lang Jiuchuan from a distance.
Lang Jiuchuan returned the bow, inclining her head with a faint nod. The coldness in her sharp features softened slightly.
“Young friend Lang, do you remember this old man? If not for your miraculous healing arts, this old man’s eye would have gone blind.” Zeng Guangchuan laughed heartily and raised his hand in greeting.
“I am here as well, and I am willing to bear witness to Immortal Master Lang’s path. She also helped me drive away an evil and eliminate a curse.”
“I am the steward of the Duke of Founding Nation’s manor, sent here on behalf of our young lord to personally express gratitude to Immortal Master Lang for saving the young mistress’s life. The young lord has gone north to take command of the troops and could not come in person. Please do not hold it against the immortal master.”
One after another, more people stepped forward, bowing their heads in reverence toward Lang Jiuchuan.
Lang Jiuchuan had always believed that karma was simply a matter of completion—they paid with gold and silver; she received payment and handled the task. The karmic relationship was settled and done. She had never imagined that the good connections she had forged would be returned to her in this manner!
Even though she did not need it, now that it had truly come, her heart was shaken to its core.
Act well and do not ask after what lies ahead?
Lang Jiuchuan gently closed her eyes. Her state of mind reached a sudden epiphany, and without conscious intent, she entered the realm of the spirit wandering the Great Void.
“Fellow Daoists, Lang Daoist friend did indeed make great contributions in the two demonic entity cases that were mentioned. I recall that in one of those cases, Daoren Mingqing also went along, did he not?” Gong Qi addressed the Daoren from the Feng Family who had come with the group.
Daoren Mingqing nodded: “That is true, though I did not get a clear look at her appearance.”
Tantai Cong’s eyes brightened at this.
“That is because she used a concealment technique,” Gong Qi replied. “But I trust that the abbot of Huguo Temple can bear witness on her behalf—after all, they worked together to destroy the Cong Family’s patriarch.”
The crowd’s expressions shifted once more. If Xuanneng, the great abbot of Huguo Temple, were to testify—who would dare question it?
“If that is still insufficient, I, as a son of the Gong Family, pledge upon my name and cultivation that if Lang Daoist friend is a demonic entity, I shall willingly be struck by heavenly thunder at the crown of my head.” Gong Qi raised two fingers in solemn oath.
Suddenly, the winds shifted and the clouds transformed—an anomaly erupted.
A great thunderclap rang out.
A bolt of golden thunder came crashing down in the direction of Lang Jiuchuan. Just as the crowd braced themselves to witness her death, the lightning transformed at three feet above her head into a golden lotus that slowly revolved. Its nine petals bloomed in full, and an otherworldly fragrance seemed to drift forth.
Thud.
Someone—no one knew who—went weak at the knees and sank to the ground, staring at the golden lotus in a daze, murmuring: “The Golden Lotus Bears Witness to the Dao… how can this be possible…”