White Crane Boy, Heir of Mount Jinhua

"Wandering Gods Festival? Thanks for the reminder. We'll go."

"Duo Duo, let's head back."

"Mm, okay." Duo Duo obediently replied and followed Huang Bai back to the orphanage.

That night, after the orphanage had fallen completely silent, Huang Bai took out the Inner Elixir, sat cross-legged, and slowly refined its medicinal power through breathing exercises.

After cultivating for over an hour, he slowly opened his eyes and rose to stand before the mirror.

The person in the mirror had long hair draped over his shoulders and a somewhat pale complexion. At first glance, he even seemed slightly effeminate. Deep within his originally pitch-black pupils, a faint ghostly green glow had appeared again.

Huang Bai stared at his reflection for a moment, his brow creasing slightly.

The symptoms of Jade Eyes and Square Pupils had indeed returned.

After the External Elixir had transformed into an Inner Elixir, the side effects had weakened considerably, but they had not truly disappeared.

The Flower of the Other Shore's Resurrection had merely reset the state of his physical body. It had not made him immune to elixir poison.

Huang Bai looked away, but he was not overly anxious.

The path of External Elixirs had always been dangerous. Side effects were only natural.

To resolve it completely, he would either need to find a method of internal cultivation, replace it with a more advanced External Elixir, or seek outside help.

Fortunately, things had not reached the most dangerous stage yet.

He was still far from needing to abandon his shell and undergo Corpse Liberation.

Over the next few days, he visited several temples and finalized sponsorship arrangements. Small contributions added up, and the final amount was not insignificant.

Huang Bai checked the accounts while organizing the list.

"All accounts will be made public. Also, hire three more childcare teachers, one cook, and two night-shift caretakers..."

The orphanage's affairs were finally being sorted out bit by bit.

Only after handling all those trivial matters did he finally free up time to attend the Wandering Gods Festival.

Three days later, at night.

The streets rang with gongs and drums, while firecrackers exploded in an unbroken stream. The entire street was packed with people—temple fair stalls, worshippers, and curious spectators all mingled together.

Zhou Cang Temple, City God Temple, Tiger General Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple, Empress of Heaven Palace... deities from every temple took turns parading through the streets.

Ritual masters and spirit mediums wore ancient costumes as they carried palanquins bearing the gods forward at a slow pace. Multicolored lights illuminated the entire night street.

At the head of the procession was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple's Official Generals' Vanguard.

According to folk custom, it was usually composed of one Decrease General, two Increase Generals, and a White Crane Boy who led the way.

Several spirit mediums had heavy paint smeared across their faces and wore gorgeous divine robes. They carried ritual implements such as fiery lots, command flags, shackles, tiger plaques, and forks. Simply standing there, they radiated a chilling, intimidating aura.

Huang Bai held Duo Duo's hand as they watched from outside the crowd.

After watching for a while, Duo Duo grew frightened and hid behind Huang Bai.

"Big Brother Director, they look so fierce."

"Don't be afraid." Huang Bai stroked her head.

It was only natural for children to be afraid of such a sight.

After all, these were ghostly deities subdued by the gods.

Huang Bai stood where he was and silently watched the procession approach.

"Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple... a mix of Buddhist and Daoist traditions. These folk lineages really do have some skill."

This was not merely people pretending to be gods, nor were the spirit mediums simply dancing around in a frenzy. There truly was an unseen power descending upon them through incense offerings and ritual ceremonies.

Soon, the parade came close.

The White Crane Boy at the front skipped about with exceptionally nimble movements. He even looked somewhat lively, like a playful child curiously looking around amid the excitement.

To "it," this human world was probably indeed very fresh and fascinating.

Incense smoke, lantern light, human vitality, clamor, dust, and all the countless sights of worldly life rolled past before its eyes. Skyscrapers, red-lit night markets, worshippers and ordinary people coming and going—everything was there.

Even an evil god had come to watch the festivities. Hm, an evil god?

The White Crane Boy suddenly stopped.

His gaze abruptly pierced through the crowd and landed directly on Duo Duo.

The next instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent.

The people around them were clearly still moving their mouths and walking about, but all that noise and bustle seemed suddenly separated by a thick layer of water, unable to reach them anymore.

Duo Duo's face turned deathly pale. Her whole body trembled as she clutched Huang Bai's hand tightly.

The White Crane Boy slowly walked toward them.

The paint on his face seemed to be melting away, and the spirit medium's face—once belonging to an ordinary human—revealed traces of an inhuman Dharma Form.

Duo Duo finally could not endure any longer. Tears spilled down her face.

"I want to go home... I don't want to stay here..."

Her crying pulled Huang Bai out of his thoughts.

He frowned and immediately suppressed his original intention.

No.

This was no ordinary ghost or monster, but a summoned Yin Spirit.

They had always only cared about killing, never about the aftermath. If they came over, the child would most likely not survive.

Setting aside whether they could eliminate the Great Black Buddha Mother, he at least did not want to watch an innocent little girl die miserably before him.

Huang Bai quickly made his decision.

"Let's go."

He bent down, picked Duo Duo up, and immediately retreated toward the edge of the crowd.

The White Crane Boy kept watching him, and there was clearly more scrutiny in its gaze. In the end, it did not pursue them. It merely gave Huang Bai another look before withdrawing from that profound and mysterious state.

The next moment, the spirit medium was still just a spirit medium. With a turn of his feet, he returned to the Wandering Gods Festival procession.

The noise around them instantly rushed back.

Gongs, drums, firecrackers, and vendors' cries mixed together, as though that brief moment had only been Huang Bai's illusion.

Huang Bai carried Duo Duo all the way to a street corner before stopping.

"Big Brother Director..." Duo Duo was still trembling.

"It's all right now." Huang Bai gently patted her back. "Let's not watch anymore. We'll go somewhere else."

The Wandering Gods Festival did not end until the latter half of the night.

The spirit mediums and ritual masters from the various temples returned to their temples looking as if they had just been pulled out of water, their clothes soaked through.

Inside Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple, several people sat around a pot of seafood congee.

The temple keeper, Chen Lixing, set down his chopsticks and looked at his disciple, A Gui.

"What happened to you earlier?"

"This isn't your first time summoning the White Crane Boy. Why did you suddenly stop midway?"

A Gui scratched his head, looking confused himself.

"I don't know either."

"When I reached that area, my heart suddenly tightened, like I saw something I wasn't supposed to see. But when I tried to look more carefully, I couldn't make sense of it."

Chen Lixing's face darkened after hearing this.

He was the master, so he saw more clearly than others. A Gui had not simply lost focus earlier. Something had truly made the White Crane Boy take another look.

Just then, urgent shouts suddenly came from outside the temple gates.

"Master Chen! Master Chen!"

A couple hurriedly rushed in, carrying an unconscious child between them.

"Master Chen, please save our child! He's been unconscious for three days. The doctors can't find anything wrong..."

Chen Lixing had no time to question A Gui further. He got up and went outside, and with a single glance at the child, he saw the problem.

"He's been possessed by evil."

"Bring talisman water."

Someone nearby hurriedly brought over a bowl of clear water. Chen Lixing walked before the statue, muttered a few Incantations under his breath, then burned a talisman in the water and had them carry the child beneath the locust tree outside the temple.

After the child drank the talisman water, his body convulsed violently twice. Then he suddenly vomited out a large mouthful of black water.

The black water did not disperse after hitting the ground. Instead, it slowly swelled and stirred as if alive, transforming into a mass of black mist in the blink of an eye.

Chen Lixing's expression changed instantly.

"How bold, still daring to possess someone."

He was just about to raise his hand and summon a god, having already calculated the proper timing. With his seniority, it would not take long for a god to descend upon him; unlike those younger disciples, he did not need to set up an altar and perform elaborate rites.

But before he could act, someone beside him had already moved first.

Whoosh!

A streak of golden light tore through the air.

The black mist had just tried to retreat when the golden light struck it squarely. The thing immediately let out a shrill scream, like a clump of snow dropped into boiling water, melting away completely in the blink of an eye.

Chen Lixing was stunned and abruptly turned his head.

Not far away, Huang Bai stood there, his hand still held in a spell-casting gesture.

A storm rose in Chen Lixing's heart.

No need to summon a god, no need for incense offerings, and no need for divine possession.

He could cast spells with a mere lift of his hand? What kind of lineage was this?

He looked at Huang Bai. The confusion in his eyes had now turned into genuine shock.

"May I ask which lineage this esteemed master belongs to?"

Chen Lixing's cultivation was not shallow. He could tell that Huang Bai did not carry the distinctive yin and ghostly aura of a spirit medium borrowing the power of a god.

Huang Bai's aura was upright, and his magic came from himself rather than being borrowed.

Huang Bai remained calm and casually gave the identity he had prepared earlier.

"Huang Bai, heir of Red Pine Master's lineage from Mount Jinhua in Jiangsu-Zhejiang."

When traveling abroad, one's identity was whatever one claimed it to be.

Besides, it was not entirely a lie. Huang Chuping's Daoist title was Red Pine Master. Borrowing that banner was reasonable enough.

Chen Lixing was briefly stunned before understanding dawned on him.

"So you are a Daoist immortal."

He immediately stepped aside.

"Mr. Huang, please come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, A Gui remembered as well and hurriedly said, "Master, during the Wandering Gods Festival! He's the person the White Crane Boy stopped to look at!"