Right and Wrong

"Soul Shaking Pagoda?" Chen Luo looked at the exquisite little pagoda Granny Jin had placed on the table, hesitation flickering in his heart. Just now, Granny Jin had explained the entire matter to him, from beginning to end, and bluntly told him that this was the only way to avoid tearing apart his soul.

"What effect will it have on me?" Chen Luo asked.

"I won't deceive you, Earl. Soul Shaking was originally a Daoist punishment. It causes the soul to suffer continuous impacts, as though it were covered by a huge bell while someone outside kept striking it..." Granny Jin explained calmly. "The soul will tremble and be unable to completely merge with the physical body."

"You and my little beast have only been Soul Merging for two days. By my estimation, separating the Soul Merging should take about the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

"For you, Earl, your movements may be slower than ordinary people's in the future. Your intellect will not decline; only the circulation of your thoughts will become more sluggish."

"I promise that I will gather Spirit Materials and precious medicines to help you recover completely. In addition, I, Jin Sanshun, owe you a favor."

"This is my promise!"

Granny Jin said a great deal in one breath, but Chen Luo had already rejected the proposal in his heart.

There's no way I can agree. He, Chen Luo, was about to embark on the martial path, which emphasized the unity of body and mind—where the eyes saw it, the hands reached it, and the heart followed. If there were any other method, Chen Luo could accept it even if it were more painful. But this method would sever the foundation of his cultivation...

"If I don't agree?" Chen Luo fell silent for a moment before deciding to say it outright. It wasn't that he had never considered stalling until the imperial court's people arrived, but he didn't believe that such a little trick could escape Granny Jin's eyes.

Granny Jin smiled faintly. "To be honest, I rather like you, child. Surviving that brush with death makes anyone feel pity for you. But... Guagua is my own grandson. Leaving aside whether this will affect Guagua's cultivation, what if your lifespan runs out?"

"You're only an ordinary person. At most, you'll live a hundred years. Once you die a natural death, with the Soul Merging between you, Guagua will be seriously injured at best and die at worst. I don't dare gamble..."

As Granny Jin spoke, she raised a hand and pointed at Chen Luo. Chen Luo only felt his entire body bound by a force, rendering him instantly unable to move.

Granny Jin formed several hand seals and sent them into the Soul Shaking Pagoda. The pagoda emitted a faint glow, then actually rose into the air and flew toward Chen Luo.

Unable to break free, Chen Luo shouted, "Granny Jin, I'm a Great Xuan meritorious official and the Earl of Wan'an ennobled by His Majesty. Aren't you afraid the imperial court will punish you for this?"

Granny Jin shook her head slightly. "My old bones can still bear a little punishment. Earl of Wan'an, forgive me. Rest assured, my earlier promise still stands."

Chen Luo struggled with all his might, yet could not muster the slightest strength. By now, the Soul Shaking Pagoda had flown above his head. He felt a suction force descend upon him, and his mind seemed about to be pulled into a black hole...

"How dare you!" At that moment, an angry roar rang out of nowhere.

A streak of cold light pierced through the wall and struck the Soul Shaking Pagoda. It was actually a flying sword. The sword tip touched the body of the pagoda, and the pagoda seemed to be hit by tremendous force. It flew backward, smashed through another wall, and vanished to who-knew-where.

Granny Jin's expression changed. Her entire body sprouted scale-like patches resembling copper coins, while her vast Demonic Power surged like waves suddenly rising across a calm sea. She prepared to meet the enemy. When she saw two figures land before her, she was startled at first, then immediately reined in her Demonic Power and bowed respectfully. "Disciple Jin Sanshun greets Dao Lord Tian Ling!"

The newcomers were none other than True Person Yuanxia and the middle-aged Daoist from before. Granny Jin naturally knew the middle-aged Daoist: he was True Person Yuanxia's master, a Dao Lord of the Daoist sect whose Daoist title was Tian Ling.

Dao Lord Tian Ling glared at Granny Jin and snorted coldly. Then he turned to see Chen Luo's pale face and waved a hand, undoing the restriction Granny Jin had placed on him. A kindly smile appeared on his face as he stepped forward. "This young friend must be the Great Xuan Earl of Wan'an, whose talent is peerless, and our Daoist sect's Virtuous Teacher, correct?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "Virtuous Teacher."

Chen Luo: (｀;)?

Granny Jin: (⊙_⊙)?

After moving to another room and conversing for a while, Chen Luo finally learned that the middle-aged uncle before him, who wore a rather lecherous smile, was actually a Dao Lord of the Daoist sect—a figure of equal standing to a Great Scholar of the Confucian sect. The Daoist nun standing beside him was none other than True Person Yuanxia, who had proposed the Soul Shaking method.

Granny Jin sat beside True Person Yuanxia, her face showing neither joy nor anger, without the slightest trace of anything unusual. Dao Lord Tian Ling, on the other hand, was exceedingly lively, constantly explaining the Daoist sect's benefits and policies for Virtuous Teachers to Chen Luo.

"So the Daoist sect's intention is to have Zhong Kui join the Daoist sect?" Chen Luo asked.

Dao Lord Tian Ling nodded, then shook his head. "That is part of it, but not all. As Zhong Kui's master, you naturally deserve to be ennobled as our Daoist sect's Virtuous Teacher."

Chen Luo raised an eyebrow. He already understood Dao Lord Tian Ling's purpose. Put simply, they wanted to give Zhong Kui an identity within the Daoist sect.

The reason was obvious. The Daoist sect had surely received word of Zhong Kui's ability to subdue ghosts, and they also knew that the imperial court intended to promote it. The Daoist sect, meanwhile, did not want to give up its influence in this field.

But Wei Yan had spoken with Chen Luo before. Zhong Kui's matter involved Great Xuan's national destiny, so the imperial court definitely would not compromise either.

Thus, the Daoist sect had come up with a solution: Zhong Kui could catch ghosts however he pleased, but he had to do so under the identity of the Daoist sect.

For Zhong Kui to bear the Daoist sect's identity, Chen Luo's own identity had to be established first.

After all, Zhong Kui was not a natural spirit, but Chen Luo's Book Spirit. Once Chen Luo's Daoist identity was settled, the question of Zhong Kui's origins would naturally be resolved as well.

To accomplish this, the Daoist sect had employed all kinds of connections to delay the escort sent by Great Xuan for Chen Luo, arriving one step ahead so that Chen Luo could accept the Daoist sect's ennoblement first.

After piecing together most of the situation, Chen Luo's heart settled. So the Daoist sect was asking something of him. In that case, things would be easier to discuss with Granny Jin.

"Dao Lord, I still wish to communicate with the imperial court about this matter. After all, Mister Wei and Mister Su both instructed me that Zhong Kui's affairs involve the nation's destiny. Please forgive this junior for not daring to decide on his own!"

Chen Luo had two considerations at heart. First, he truly ought to inform the imperial court, since the imperial edict conferring the title of Earl of Wan'an had already been issued. Second, he wanted to see whether he could force the other side into helping him resolve the matter with Granny Jin.

"Earl of Wan'an, I offended you earlier!" Before Dao Lord Tian Ling could speak, Granny Jin rose and bowed to Chen Luo. When she finished speaking, a copper coin slowly appeared on her forehead and floated toward Chen Luo.

"This is a Life-Buying Copper Coin, which I can condense only once every hundred years. It can substitute for death once. I give it to you, Earl of Wan'an, for protection, as an apology from me. I hope what happened today will not affect your view of our Daoist sect..."

Chen Luo gazed at the copper coin before him, his heart twisting with complicated emotions. At the end of the day, Little Frog had been trying to save him, while Granny Jin had been acting for Little Frog's sake.

To set aside one's position and argue right and wrong was merely a sign of childish thinking.

It was just that... he actually had a very promising future...

"Take it back, Granny." Chen Luo shook his head. "When Frog Brother wakes up, let's discuss properly how to resolve this matter. After all, the parties involved are Frog Brother and me. What do you think?"

Granny Jin did not answer. She merely gave Chen Luo a meaningful look, then cupped her hands toward Dao Lord Tian Ling and slowly walked out. She did not take back the Life-Buying Copper Coin.

A white crane flew out of Floating Cloud Mountain with the Soul Shaking Pagoda that had been sent flying earlier clamped in its beak. It landed in the courtyard, shook its body, and transformed once more into the white-crane Daoist Boy who had delivered the letter earlier. Just as he was about to go inside, he saw Ning Bing gazing at him with a radiant smile.

"Aunt Bing, you haven't rested yet?"

Ning Bing slowly approached him. "What a good child. You found the Soul Shaking Pagoda so quickly."

The white-crane Daoist Boy proudly patted his chest. "Of course. I was playing in the sky earlier and saw the direction the Soul Shaking Pagoda was sent flying. Grandpa told me to look for it, so I followed the trail and found it in no time."

Ning Bing gently patted the white-crane Daoist Boy's head. "All right, go to sleep. I'll deliver the Soul Shaking Pagoda to Granny."

The white-crane Daoist Boy nodded. "Okay! Thank you, Aunt Bing!" With that, he bounced off toward the little courtyard where he lived.

Clutching the Soul Shaking Pagoda, Ning Bing turned back to glance in the direction of Jin Guagua's courtyard. A trace of resolve flashed through her eyes...

Jade towers rose halfway into the heavens as reed pipes sang; the tale bore turning after turning of careful thought...

I'm telling the story earnestly and sincerely. I hope everyone enjoys reading it.

What do you do after finishing? Wait for the next update, of course~~