Umbrella Monk

But it seemed Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't be getting to eat this meal at Imperial Awakening Temple after all.

He removed the door bar and opened the door.

In the shadow beneath the eaves stood an old monk, dressed in a blue cloth robe and holding a black umbrella. He had appeared there at some point without Zhu Yuanzhang noticing.

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak,

surprise flickered in the Umbrella Monk's dark eyes as he looked at him.

"You really did master the Sutra of Subduing Demons with Fixed Light?"

"Do you want to live, Minghe?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer.

Because he had suddenly noticed something deeply unsettling.

This Umbrella Monk has no shadow!

The moon shone bright, its watery light filling the courtyard.

In the candlelight, the shadows of Zhu Yuanzhang, the water vat in the courtyard, and the hitching post where a lay devotee had tied his horse all stretched across the ground, long and clear.

They stood in stark contrast to the light beneath the Umbrella Monk's feet.

In Mahavira Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang had observed Yang Lianzhenjia, as well as the monks Mingguang and Minghui.

No matter how horrifying their methods were, no matter how strange and unfathomable,

they still followed certain basic laws of physics.

Well... they weren't exactly strict about it.

Thinking of Minghui and Mingguang's methods, Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself.

They all had shadows!

But this was the first time he had seen a person without one.

Who was he? One of Minghui's men?

Someone who had come to challenge the temple, like Yang Lianzhenjia?

Or another senior monk from the temple?

His thoughts raced.

Zhu Yuanzhang took half a step back.

He let himself blend completely into the candlelight behind him, feeding his vital essence into the true flame at his chest.

Then he asked in a low voice,

"What's wrong with the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique?"

"Clever."

The monk's voice was neither loud nor soft. Beneath the black umbrella, his gaze held a flicker of approval.

"Do you know how many flames the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique requires?"

"Three."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought for a moment before answering.

As the saying went, a person had three fires, one on the forehead and one on each shoulder, like the flames of a human-shaped candle.

If one flame went out, the person would fall ill; if two went out, they would be in danger; if all three went out, they would die.

The Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique required refining three true flames to replace the three fires of the human body, transforming a mortal into a Buddha and increasing the light of wisdom, with all kinds of inconceivable powers.

"No. Four."

The old monk shook his head.

"The human-oil lamp in Mingguang's hands? Why?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked in confusion. He had witnessed the power of the lamp in Mingguang's hands during their first meeting.

It was not difficult to guess the truth.

"I think Minghui really underestimated you."

The old monk's gaze turned inscrutable as Zhu Yuanzhang immediately understood the crucial point. "What do the three fires burn?"

"The three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit."

"And what happens once they're burned away?"

"The person dies, and the lamp goes out!"

Zhu Yuanzhang practically ground the words out through his teeth.

Damn it—good thing I didn't rush into refining this thing with my real body in the real world.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yuanzhang let out a long sigh.

He seemed to be lamenting his ill-fated lot in life.

I worked like a beast of burden in my last life to build up good karma. How did I end up in another godforsaken place in my next one?

"Can I switch to another technique?"

"No. How could a candle put itself out before it had burned down?"

"Then can I abandon the technique and start over?"

"Once the light goes out, there'll be no true flame to protect your soul. Your soul will scatter, and you'll still die."

The old monk shook his head.

Zhu Yuanzhang fell into thought.

By examining the true flame at his chest, he had realized that the old monk seemed to be telling the truth.

Even now, less than the time it took for a stick of incense to burn had passed since he had just formed a single "true flame."

The true flame was consuming the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit faster than his body could replenish them.

That meant that from this moment on, the flame was no longer burning the three treasures within Zhu Yuanzhang's body.

It was burning away his lifespan!

At that thought, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression turned ugly.

Recalling the previous times he had started over, he suddenly realized something else.

It wasn't that Minghui had failed to warn me about the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique.

After I entered the temple and drove Mingguang back, Minghui told me not to smell the Corpse Oil Lamp in Mingguang's hands.

That was his roundabout way of telling me the secret of the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique.

"What's so special about the candlestick?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked sincerely.

"The candlestick itself is a magical artifact refined from the blood of a hundred beasts. There's nothing wrong with that. What really matters is the corpse oil inside, refined using a secret method. It's called the Corpse Incense Offering."

The monk's face showed neither joy nor sorrow, like a corpse. Even when he spoke, his lips barely moved. "The Corpse Incense Offering can take the place of the human body's three treasures and bear the burning of the true flame."

"If I don't refine the Corpse Incense Tribute, how much longer do I have to live?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Corpse oil, Corpse Incense Tribute—those ominous names made Zhu Yuanzhang instinctively wary.

Even the Great Wisdom Zen Technique, the Sutra of Maitreya's Descent, and the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique—all of them sounded more righteous than the last—were riddled with deadly traps.

How reliable could something directly called "Corpse Incense Tribute" be in this world?

Zhu Yuanzhang had serious doubts.

"At most three months. Minghe will die when his lamp runs dry," the monk replied.

The wind passed through Locust Wood Forest, rustling like countless ghosts whispering in the darkness.

At that moment, feeling the "true flame" inside him burn hotter and hotter,

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a chill run through his entire body.

Fuck! What a rip-off!

What kind of godforsaken place is this?

Is there no decent person left in my Great Yuan?

He couldn't help lamenting, "Is there no technique in this world without any side effects?"

"There is, Minghe. There is."

At Zhu Yuanzhang's question, the Umbrella-Holding Monk's expression turned strange. "Haven't you already learned it?"

"The Great Wisdom Zen Technique?"

"Exactly. The Great Wisdom Zen Technique can increase wisdom and sharpen the mind. It's one of the finest techniques in the world for nurturing the body and preserving one's life."

As he spoke, the Umbrella Monk shook his head.

"But it has no combat power at all. It's a first-rate technique for producing talented scholars," Zhu Yuanzhang said, tossing out a casual jab.

But then he remembered that the man before him was the only lifeline he had, and his expression instantly softened. His tone gentled, and he looked at the Umbrella Monk with eyes as clear as a freshly graduated college student's.

"Then, Master, are you going to teach me the Corpse Incense Tribute?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked amiably.

Although the Corpse Incense Tribute was most likely problematic,

the one who would pay the price was Minghe. What did it have to do with Zhu Yuanzhang?

The Umbrella Monk was taken aback by Zhu Yuanzhang's sudden change of face, but he still answered, "No. I have a technique that can strengthen your qi and blood and temper your muscles and bones. It can temporarily curb the true flame's consumption."

"Oh? Such a divine technique exists? Please teach it to me, Master! I'll do anything!"

Before the Umbrella Monk could refuse, Zhu Yuanzhang smoothly dropped to his knees and performed the bowing ritual for a new disciple.

Then he raised both hands above his head and waited eagerly for the Umbrella Monk to pass on the technique.

However, what happened next was unexpected.

"The technique isn't with me. It's in the Scripture Depository. Follow me."

The Umbrella Monk replied, then turned and walked out of the courtyard, gesturing for Zhu Yuanzhang to follow.

Zhu Yuanzhang rose without a word and followed the Shadowless Man along the mountain path toward the Scripture Depository, deeper into the back mountain.

What does this man want from me?

As he walked, he watched the old monk's ghostly gait, the man's toes barely touching the ground, and thought to himself.

From beginning to end, he had not heard the old monk make a sound as he walked.

There's something wrong here.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and kept his guard up.

He did not believe the other man was truly so kind as to save his life out of simple goodwill.

Zhu Yuanzhang had not been here long, but he had already grasped how this world worked.

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

The fact that he was still alive, instead of being killed by Minghui after he went over to Mingguang, proved one thing.

He was still useful!

But what, exactly, was he useful for?

Looking at [Great Wisdom Zen Technique (False)] on his status panel, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the Imperial Awakening Temple monks' plans were still as murky to him as flowers seen through a fog.

And the Umbrella Monk had clearly come for that reason.