Several days passed.
Wei Kang's features jutted out, his chest and abdomen caved in. He was reduced to skin and bones, like a corpse.
The imperial physicians in the palace and renowned doctors throughout Shenjing had all been summoned, yet every one of them was helpless. They could not even identify the illness.
Huang Yuniang floated above Wei Kang's head, opening her mouth to inhale as wisps of gray-white mist merged into her soul form.
"When a yin soul devours a person's vital essence, it may seem intangible and immaterial, yet it can feed back into the physical body. That is why essence, vitality, and spirit are what a person relies upon..."
Zhou Yi hid in the shadows, observing the changes in Wei Kang's body.
In another three to five days, Wei Kang's soul would scatter and vanish.
It seemed that ordinary vengeful souls were rather slow at killing people. Their only advantage was their eerie secrecy.
Zhou Yi was preparing to leave, planning to show his face at the Heavenly Prison and check in before finding an excuse to slip away. By now, he had become someone drawing a salary for nothing at the Heavenly Prison, while Zhu Xiaowei had found another jailer to deliver meals.
Back then, Zhou Yi had muttered scornfully about jailers who drew a salary for nothing. Now that it was his turn to do so, it actually tasted rather good!
At that moment.
The gates of the Duke's residence swung wide open. The old madam personally came out to receive the guests, while the young masters of the household stood respectfully to either side.
Zhou Yi was immediately intrigued. Who possessed such enormous prestige?
A few days earlier, even the eunuch who had come from the palace on Emperor Hongchang's behalf to visit had entered through the side gate. Moreover, the old madam was the younger sister of the former Empress; even the current emperor had to respectfully call her Aunt.
The humming sounds of sutra chanting and Buddhist hymns drifted over. A moment later, two rows of eight yellow-robed monks appeared at the front.
They cleared the way, struck alms bowls, scattered flowers, and raised banners.
Behind them came another eight muscular warrior monks. Their bare upper bodies were smeared with gold powder, and they carried a lotus platform upon their shoulders.
Brocade banners had been planted all around the lotus platform, fluttering in the wind. Through them, half-concealed and half-revealed, could be seen a large, fat Chan master seated within.
Zhou Yi's gaze swept over the warrior monks. Every one of them was an expert who had successfully tempered his bones, while faint spiritual energy rippled from the seated Chan master.
"How interesting! Shenjing truly hid crouching tigers and coiled dragons. Staying cooped up in the Heavenly Prison had left me far too ignorant!"
When the monks reached the entrance of the Duke's residence, the Chan master slowly rose from the lotus platform. Looking toward the skies above the residence, his expression turned grave.
"Amitabha! What fiend dares bring calamity upon Shenjing?"
Upon hearing this, the old madam hastily sent someone forward to invite the Chan master and his party inside.
The large, fat Chan master wore a solemn expression as he explained to the old madam that the fiend was formidable, that he had to set up an altar and perform rituals, that it would consume decades of his cultivation, and so on.
Everything required from beginning to end came to over two hundred thousand taels of gold and silver!
Fengyang Kingdom's annual tax revenue did not exceed ten million taels, yet a single ritual performed by this Chan master cost two or three percent of the national revenue.
"Everything shall be done as Master Miaojue says!"
The old madam agreed without hesitation. She retrieved the keys to the underground vault and ordered people to carry out the silver.
Inside were massive silver ingots cast into the size of winter melons. Two men had to carry each one together on shoulder poles. It was not until nightfall that they finished weighing them.
"The abbot of King Kong Temple, Miaojue—one of the national preceptors that the dog emperor appointed back then!"
Listening to the discussions within the Duke's residence, Zhou Yi also learned the Chan master's origins. It was said that Miaojue had once slept foot to foot with Emperor Chongming while discussing the path to immortality. He was one of the foremost figures in Fengyang Kingdom's Buddhist and Daoist circles.
"He is over ninety, yet looks only fifty or sixty. He must have other methods, or he would never have been able to fool the dog emperor!"
Emperor Chongming had obsessed over cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, but he had not truly been stupid.
Back then, many wandering charlatans had believed their swindling tricks too ingenious for anyone to expose, hoping to enter Shangyang Palace and enjoy glory and wealth. In the end, every one of them was thrown into the Imperial Prison, tortured to death.
"The dog emperor would rather see the dynasty thrown into turmoil than give up pursuing the Dao, yet he never falls for deception. Perhaps... he has seen a real immortal?"
By then, the sky had darkened.
In Wei Kang's courtyard, dozens of whale-oil candles as thick as arms had been lit.
The warrior monks had already erected a twenty-foot ritual altar. Eight yellow-robed monks each held a Buddhist Mystic Item and took turns ascending the altar to perform rites, creating an impressively solemn atmosphere.
Seeing this, the members of the Duke's residence all pressed their palms together and bowed whenever a monk descended from the altar.
Miaojue sat cross-legged upon the lotus platform, palms pressed together, silent and still.
"What is this bastard doing?"
Zhou Yi frowned slightly. If not for the spiritual energy rippling from Miaojue's body, he would have long since lost interest in watching the monk jump around and bluff people with his sham rituals.
Not until midnight.
"Amitabha!"
Miaojue suddenly proclaimed the Buddhist invocation. His voice burst like thunder, instantly rousing the drowsy people of the Duke's residence.
Miaojue leaped into the air, flew over everyone's heads, and landed atop the ritual altar.
Zhou Yi thought the monk was finally about to display genuine magic, only to see Miaojue resume chanting and performing rituals. Threads of True Essence condensed at his fingertips. If this bald thief keeps acting for another half hour, he can have one of my swords!
Miaojue seemed to sense the danger. After chanting for only half an hour, he took a bronze mirror from his robes.
The bronze mirror was ancient in design. One side was polished bright, while the other bore patterns of cloud seas.
"Amitabha! Why has the fiend not revealed itself?"
As Miaojue's words fell, a figure appeared in the mirror. It was Huang Yuniang.
"..."
Huang Yuniang had heard during the day that an eminent monk had arrived to subdue demons, so she had stopped feeding on vital essence and stood not far from the ritual altar to watch the monkey show. Yet beneath the mirror's illumination, her yin soul revealed itself on its own.
"Where did that woman come from?"
"That's a ghost!"
"A ghost!"
"..."
Some of those in the Duke's residence noticed Huang Yuniang appearing out of thin air. Startled cries and chaos erupted as they fought to hide behind the ritual altar.
Miaojue used the bronze mirror to pin Huang Yuniang in place, then shouted, "Burn my lifespan and grant you divine weapons! Disciples, heed my command! Why do you not swiftly subdue demons and vanquish devils?"
"Om!"
The eight warrior-monk disciples shouted in response and lunged at Huang Yuniang together.
The blazing, masculine blood energy condensed through martial body tempering was an extreme restraint against yin souls. Merely drawing near made Huang Yuniang's soul form turn illusory, on the verge of dispersing.
"These monks..."
Zhou Yi flicked his finger. A True Essence sword streaked across Miaojue's wrist, circled before his eyes, then sliced off several strands of his beard.
Over the past two years, his Innate True Essence had grown almost imperceptibly. Yet his control had steadily improved. Within a radius of thirty feet, he could shape it into countless forms and manipulate it as he pleased.
Condensing it into a sword tip was merely born from Zhou Yi's dream of becoming a sword immortal!
Pain shot through Miaojue's wrist, and the bronze mirror fell from his hand. It could no longer hold the yin soul in place.
Huang Yuniang drifted upward, then vanished in an instant.
The warrior monks turned toward the ritual altar, only to see Miaojue staring blankly in terror. Then he grabbed a pill bottle from his robes and tipped its contents into his mouth.
Pfft!
Miaojue spat out a mouthful of blood. His face turned pale, and he toppled from the ritual altar, rolling to the ground.
"Chan Master!"
"Abbot!"
Cries of alarm rang out.
Miaojue's breath was weak. "Amitabha! This poor monk has failed the old madam. The fiend's Mana is too powerful and has broken the King Kong Demon Subduing Formation... pfft!"
Before he could finish speaking, he sprayed blood again and fainted.
One of the monks said, "Old Madam, this humble monk will first take the abbot back to the temple to recuperate. We shall send someone to return the two hundred thousand taels tomorrow."
"What are you saying, Master? The Chan master was injured over this old woman's family affairs and has even damaged his lifespan."
The old madam shook her head. "This little gold and silver can serve as incense money and offerings."
"Amitabha!"
The monk proclaimed the Buddhist invocation, then had the warrior monks carry a soft sedan chair as they raced away.
In the shadows.
Seeing the farce drawing to a close, Zhou Yi said to Huang Yuniang.
"You have seen it as well. Yin souls are formless and intangible, but they cannot act recklessly. Remember to remain cautious in the future!"
"Thank you, Senior, for saving me."
Huang Yuniang knelt and bowed to the ground. "This little woman has avenged her great wrong. Should Senior ever have need of me, simply command me. Even if my soul scatters and vanishes, I would not refuse even ten thousand deaths!"
Wei Kang had already lost sixty to seventy percent of his vital essence. Even if he woke, he would only live a few more days. His oil was spent and his lamp had run dry; not even a divine physician could save him.
"As it happens, I will be leaving the capital as well. I will help you find a suitable place while I am at it."
Zhou Yi put away the jade hairpin, his figure flickered, and he vanished.
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