The Nine-Story Pagoda's Path to Hungry Ghost Powers

The Nine-Story Pagoda came crashing down, kicking up billowing clouds of dust. Hanyu stood outside White Bone Temple, sighing as he looked at the broken walls and rubble revealed when the dust settled.

After the two of them hurried out of the pagoda, Cousin suddenly wanted to go back inside.

"The Underground Passage is a liability. What if someone follows it back into the tomb? We might as well destroy it."

With that, Cousin went back in. Before long, the pagoda collapsed.

Hanyu waited outside the temple while Little Glazed chattered incessantly in his mind.

"Hanyu, the bottle's acting up again. Why not just give it to him?"

Little Glazed wobbled back and forth in his mind, much like a child throwing a tantrum.

"How am I supposed to give it to him? It belongs to someone else. How would I return it later?"

Hanyu flatly refused. Afraid the bottle might cause trouble, he still wasn't reassured and pulled it from his robes, clutching it tightly in his hand.

Who knew it would be fine as long as he didn't take it out? The moment he did, the Glazed Bottle suddenly leaped up, its mouth pointing down as a force of suction burst from it.

It seemed to suck something into its mouth. Hanyu's tightly clenched hand suddenly felt as though something was missing. He hurriedly opened his palm and stared in astonishment at the empty space there.

"Why were you holding it in your hand? Didn't you know you can take pills from a distance with your hand? It can also snatch things right out of your hand from a distance." Little Glazed gloated.

"Make it spit that out! Hurry! We still have to return it to its owner." Hanyu panicked and urged the little Artifact Spirit.

"Impossible. If it swallowed something, you're lucky if it gives you back even a scrap."

Little Glazed spoke in a babyish voice, sounding rather pleased.

After the Glazed Bottle swallowed the Sarira, it finally settled down. A cloud of mist rose from its mouth and curled above it. A fierce flame suddenly appeared beneath the bottle and began to roast it.

Golden raindrops started falling from the mist, pattering against the bottle and the flames. In an instant, the fire surged higher, and the bottle began to glow faintly.

After a full quarter of an hour, the mist stopped raining and the flames gradually died away. The Glazed Bottle flashed with a faint light, then returned to its original appearance.

Hah—ptooey!

With obvious disgust, the Glazed Bottle spat something out.

A stone about the size of a quail's egg rolled a few times before coming to a stop. Hanyu darkly reached out and drew it to him. The Sarira, which had once gleamed like jade, was now dull and gray, looking like an ordinary piece of junk.

"So you two eat everything clean and then return the trash to me, is that it?"

Hanyu scolded them angrily in his mind.

Uh...

Little Glazed burped several times. No wonder it hadn't tried to stop the bottle earlier—it had eaten the Sarira too, in a way.

They were practically in cahoots.

"Hanyu, you ate some too. You're in on it as well," Little Glazed retorted unhappily.

"When did I eat any?" Hanyu scowled, about to argue. Then the mist in his mind trembled, suddenly swept down, and transformed into a gigantic Hungry Ghost Path Contemplation Diagram.

Xuan Yin's Hungry Ghost Diagram depicted a group of hungry ghosts, but the one in his mind was a sea of people, stretching so far he could barely see its edges. Now that looked like a true vision of hell.

"I can't believe the scraps of the Sarira were the Hungry Ghost Path cultivated by a senior monk. You've gained another complete supernatural ability!" Little Glazed cried out happily.

Hanyu's expression turned strange. He was both conflicted and bitterly amused.

Damn it, so I really did get a share after all. How was he supposed to explain this to Cousin?

Meanwhile, Cousin emerged from the ruins of the pagoda, covered in dust. When he spotted Hanyu, he hurried over.

"Cough, cough! I only meant to blow up the well and the Dungeon. I accidentally got the pagoda's foundations too. I almost got crushed to death."

Cousin looked embarrassed.

Hanyu was embarrassed too. He hesitated, then finally sighed and opened his palm, revealing the stone-like object.

"Sorry. I seem to have damaged the Sarira."

Cousin leaned in and examined it. His expression didn't change at all; he only muttered, "Its Buddhist nature is completely gone! If you like it, keep it as a memento."

He showed little emotion over the Sarira, which only made Hanyu feel more awkward.

"Damn!"

After the two of them had chatted for a bit, Cousin suddenly slapped his forehead and cried out in alarm, nearly making Hanyu jump.

"I nearly forgot about Mortal."

He explained to Hanyu that five days ago, he and Mortal had agreed to meet at Hidden Moon Peak and explore the tomb together. He should have arrived two days ago, but never showed.

Cousin had eventually grown tired of waiting and entered the tomb alone. Then he'd been trapped inside the burial mound, entered the Dungeon, and been captured.

"Could he simply have been delayed?"

Hanyu asked with a light laugh.

Cousin shook his head gravely. "He's always punctual. Besides, he was only going to Hidden Moon Peak to gather herbs. He wouldn't be two days late unless something had happened."

Hanyu's smile faded too. Cousin rummaged around in his robes, then took out a small, square wooden box.

When the wooden box was tossed onto the ground, it suddenly expanded. Then it slowly opened, revealing all sorts of little iron pieces, apparently made of the same material as those Cousin had brought out before.

Cousin crouched down and began assembling them. In just half an hour, he had pieced together a two-meter-tall Iron Bird.

Hanyu found it peculiar, but the strange bird seemed rather interesting.

"This is an Iron Kite. I put it together myself. It can fly once you install a Spirit Stone. It's faster and can fly longer than a Flying Sword. The downside is that it's not sturdy enough to rely on when you're making a getaway."

Cousin patted the Iron Kite as he explained.

The words "faster" and "can fly longer" made Hanyu's eyes light up. His biggest weakness had always been his inability to fly. It seemed this Iron Kite could let him experience what it felt like to soar high in the sky.

"Then I'll head off first." Cousin slipped a small Spirit Stone into the Iron Kite's belly, hopped on, and waved to Hanyu.

"Since I've got nothing else to do, why don't I come along?"

Just as Cousin was about to take off, Hanyu suddenly stopped him and spoke up.

Once the two of them were aboard the Iron Kite, a pair of two-meter-long iron wings unfolded. With a single flap, it shot straight into the sky.

Hanyu was a little excited. This was his first time going up into the sky. The suffering of a cultivator who relied solely on his body was something nobody could understand.

Below the Iron Kite, the scenery swept past. The powerful wind put Hanyu in high spirits.

Just then, Little Glazed's horribly timed laughter rang out in his mind. "Hanyu, you left your second ox behind too!"

Damn it! Hanyu's face darkened. He copied Cousin and slapped his forehead. He'd been so busy enjoying the ride that he'd forgotten his ox.

Another Big Yellow Ox had gone off without him...

Lu Dayou was rather vexed today. Just as he'd expected, Tianshui Sect had indeed come in force to demand an explanation. Several elders led over a hundred disciples straight into Minzhou City and made a grand, noisy march to Xiao Mansion.

Fortunately, Lu Dayou had warned them in advance. By the time the Tianshui Sect party arrived, only broken walls remained. The Xiao Family had long since vanished without a trace.

One of the elders, furious at finding the place empty, went to see the local warden—Lu Dayou himself.

"Heaven's going to rain and a woman's going to marry. What does their moving away have to do with me?"

Lu Dayou replied coolly.

"My sect's disciples reported that you were there that day," the elder said angrily.

Lu Dayou remained calm. "I'm the warden of this prefecture. When someone causes trouble, it's only right for me to intervene under the laws of the land."

"I heard there was also a Little Alchemist interfering throughout the whole affair?" the elder pressed rudely.

Lu Dayou shook his head, saying he hadn't seen anyone and didn't know anything.

"Do you really not know, or are you deliberately covering for him and trying to make an enemy of Tianshui Sect?"

The elder scrutinized him, his words edged with a threat.

Lu Dayou began to lose his temper too. He gave a cold snort. "If you want to throw your sect's weight around, I can send a letter back to my own sect and ask whether they're afraid of Tianshui Sect."

The elder's expression shifted between light and dark, but he didn't dare push too far. In the end, he could only turn and leave in a huff.

They had arrived in a flurry and left in a mighty procession.

"It seems Tianshui Sect has their eye on the Little Alchemist too. They must be coveting the pills."

Lu Dayou murmured to himself, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the morning glow.

He had thought that taking a post in some remote, impoverished corner of the south would mean fewer troubles. He'd forgotten that it was never people who went looking for trouble; trouble always came looking for people.

The Iron Kite flew for two full hours before it finally began to descend.

Cousin's face was pale, while Hanyu's cheeks were twitching.

"This is my first time flying so high for so long too. I'm feeling a bit sick."

Cousin held onto the Iron Kite, his legs trembling.

Hanyu was sturdy enough that his legs weren't shaking, but after spending two hours with the wind blasting into him, his stomach was in agony.

The enormous Iron Kite soon attracted a crowd of onlookers outside Shuzhou City. Many people pointed at it and discussed it.

"I think I saw them fly down from the sky on that thing."

"How did a lump of iron like that manage to fly?"

Cousin couldn't stand being stared at. He reached beneath the Iron Kite's belly, found a recessed spot, and pressed it down hard. The entire Iron Kite instantly fell apart into a pile of iron pieces.

Hanyu endured his discomfort and crouched down to help gather them. Then he asked quietly, "Weren't you going to rescue someone? Why come here?"

Cousin packed away the iron pieces one by one before replying, "I left most of my tools at my cousin's place. I need to get them. Better to be prepared."

Just then, several Prefectural Guards came out of the city. They walked over and, after dispersing the crowd, cupped their fists politely. "The prefect invites the two of you to the yamen for a chat."

How had he gotten involved with another warden now?

Hanyu sighed helplessly and glanced at Cousin.

Cousin gave him a reassuring look and explained softly, "The warden here is my cousin."

Hanyu was speechless. This was the first time he'd heard of a female warden.

The two of them followed the Prefectural Guards into the city and went straight to the Prefectural Yamen.

Cousin knew the place well. He led Hanyu through the courtyard and into the inner rooms. In a hall, a graceful figure was clearly waiting for them.

"Cousin!"

Cousin stepped forward and called out.

Only then did the graceful figure turn around. She had dark hair, delicate features, and slender, arched brows. Her bright eyes were like the Star River, and she was stunningly beautiful. She wore a fitted purple outfit that made her chest look especially full.

Cousin hurried over to her. The woman smiled faintly, and even Hanyu couldn't help feeling his heart beat a little faster.

"You finally came..." the woman said in a soft, sweet voice. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she lifted her shapely leg and kicked Cousin in the stomach, sending him flying.

Only after watching Cousin embed himself in the wall did the woman clap her hands in satisfaction.

"If you hadn't shown up, I'd have already written an Arrest Warrant for you."

Hanyu stared, dumbfounded, at Cousin stuck to the wall, unsure what to do.

Should he rescue him, or not?