A Heart Worth Its Weight in Gold, a Thought That Stirred the Four Directions

A faint glow rose from Chen Cuo's body as he sat cross-legged on the bed.

Little Pig still lay beside the bed, but his eyes kept darting upward. At the sight, he froze.

Little Turtle lay on Little Pig's head, staring at Chen Cuo for a long while. For a moment, he felt that the faintly glowing figure before him had merged with the clay statue in his memory!

Within the Dream Marsh, Chen Cuo appeared. With a lift of his hand, a blank book took shape.

"The blank books I brought in recently might not be enough."

The Dream Marsh could make copies endlessly, but only one copy of any given object could exist at a time. With the pills, for instance, he had to swallow one before he could copy another. He had already copied a book to hold fragments of Chen Fangqing's memories, so this time he simply brought in the original.

At a thought, Golden Light surged from every part of Chen Cuo's body and gathered in midair, forming 1,024 characters. They hovered briefly, then streamed into the book like flowing water. There they became gilded characters, page after page, seeming to float above the paper.

Chen Cuo studied the characters. Golden Light patterns reflected in his eyes, and a flood of information pressed into his mind.

"These characters were formed from the Temple Dragon King's thoughts and memories. They contain everything he learned over a lifetime of cultivation. Every one holds a wealth of information."

After watching them for a long while, he beckoned. The sixty-four characters on the first page rose and landed on his forehead one after another, sinking into him.

At once, sixty-four characters blazed within his mind!

Countless scenes of light and shadow, histories long past, and the joys and sorrows of those who had offered incense echoed through him!

"If I take them all in at once, the Temple Dragon King's memories and temperament might overwhelm my own awareness and obscure my true self. I need to proceed gradually and digest them bit by bit."

When Little Pig had bowed earlier, Chen Cuo had received a great deal of information at the end of the illusion, the instant the golden light touched him. He had learned many of its intricacies. Now, as the sixty-four characters merged with him, he sat cross-legged in the Dream Marsh and slowly sank into contemplation.

“When the Temple Dragon King was a Deity of one region, he comprehended the Divine Path Legalism Method from heaven and earth. He could be called a Deity born of nature. This truly was knowledge granted by heaven and earth. The gift he's given me is far too great. Sigh...”

Ordinary gods would never pass on such information. Many of the Legalism methods concerned the very foundations of their power. Those Talisman characters held not only insights and understanding, but also authority over the Divine Path. To part with them was to damage their own foundations.

Gods gathered the thoughts of the many and answered the desires of human hearts. How could they do something that harmed themselves for another's sake?

"Having received this gift, I'll press forward and fulfill your wish. I'll also treat your two fellow Daoist Friends well. I owe them both a debt, and I must repay it."

Outside, a faint glow rose from Chen Cuo's body on the bed.

Following some strange connection, it spread outward, gradually becoming invisible. Sparks flickered through it now and then.

The path of the gods lay in gathering thoughts!

As Chen Cuo contemplated the Divine Path and absorbed the Temple Dragon King's insights, he unwittingly connected with his own Incense, much as a Deity would.

And his Incense was the Human Thought people held about his writing!

The Dragon King's temple had fallen into ruin. Throughout his life, he had received little Incense, and few Devout Believers remembered him. For all his insights, there had been little response. Chen Cuo was different.

His work was newly written and at the height of its popularity. People throughout the city spoke of it constantly. In the Temple Dragon King's hands, that connection of the Divine Path had caused scarcely a ripple, its power merely settling over time. But when it spread from Chen Cuo, it was like pouring boiling oil onto a fire. Ripples erupted at once!

The invisible radiance spread farther and farther, rushing out of the house and following countless threads of literary thought in every direction!

Human Thought!

The many Human Thoughts born from "The Painted Skin" trembled faintly at that moment.

The first to be affected was Chen Hai, not far away.

Since reading the story, he had gradually changed his opinion of Chen Cuo and finally decided to serve him. His mind was always on his master and how to win his favor and trust so that he might become a confidant. Now, carrying out Chen Cuo's orders by investigating at the foot of the mountain, his thoughts were naturally all the more intense.

Suddenly, Chen Hai stopped short. His mind blurred, and he saw a radiant figure sitting cross-legged within his heart. Looking closer, he realized it was his own master!

He was startled!

When he came to, he was drenched in sweat. He looked around, bewildered.

Wang Jin and the others staying at the temple had been discussing "The Painted Skin" with enthusiasm. Their minds suddenly wavered too, and a figure flashed through each of their hearts. Then everything returned to normal, and none of them noticed.

In the temple, the old Presiding Monk's heart jolted. Alarmed, he calculated with his fingers, his expression shifting. At last, he summoned Huizhi and sent him to the rear mountain to check on the Marquis of Linru County.

Once Huizhi had left, the old monk's brows drew tight.

"This phenomenon looks like the sign of someone preparing to invoke a god after gaining clarity about his true self. Surely he hasn't mastered the Legalism method the moment he received it? Even for a Reincarnated Immortal, that would be astonishing. A person reborn is shrouded by the mystery of the womb and has forgotten his former life. Casting off worldly thoughts and seeing his true self should be harder for him, if anything."

With that thought, the old monk drew a deep breath. The situation was growing too tangled. He finally made up his mind and summoned the Karma Master.

"See the temple's guests out and close the temple for three days. No one else is to enter or leave without good reason!"

The Monk accepted the order and left.

Meanwhile, the formless, intangible radiance of Human Thought continued to spread at speed...

Centered on Guishan Temple, the radiance surged outward like a towering wave. In the blink of an eye, it swept across more than half of Jiankang City. A figure flashed through the mind of everyone who had read or heard "The Painted Skin"!

Across the city and beyond, numerous divine senses rose to probe it, only to halt at the same instant and withdraw!

"What audacity!"

A cold snort came from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and an illusory Five-Clawed Golden Dragon flew out.

The dragon turned in midair and became a formidable man seated on the Dragon Throne. Currents of azure qi came from every direction, gathering before him into ceremonial chariots, drum mallets, halberds and shields, swords and shields, and bows and arrows. Banners flew, and a grand canopy shaded him.

Clouds descended from the sky, forming a vision of mountains and rivers stretching ten thousand miles around him.

"What petty god dares run wild in my Great Chen?"

He reached out. Golden Light filled the sky like the evening glow!

All across the city, people looked up and pointed. Those who knew what they were seeing changed expression.

Golden Light rolled down, about to engulf and shatter the radiance of Human Thought that filled the city. But the moment the two touched, the formidable man paused, his brows knitting.

"Imperial Clan Bloodline?"

He narrowed his eyes. When he discerned that the source of those Human Thoughts did not belong to the current emperor's line, he gave another cold laugh.

"In that case, why should I extinguish these thoughts? Someone of the imperial clan has become a god while still in the flesh. That is the Chen clan's Fortune. Once the fifty-fifty balance passes, he may even protect Great Chen. As for who holds power, that is no concern of mine..."

At that thought, he withdrew the Golden Light filling the sky. With a shift of his will, a wisp of purple qi drifted from his forehead.

"He has good Fortune and is Xiuxian's descendant, yet he has only just begun. I should offer him some protection. This wisp of Dragon Aura will be enough to keep him safe and spare us another bout of fighting among our own. Go!"

At his command, the wisp of purple qi descended into Guishan Temple. It entered the Secluded Courtyard on Mid-Slope and reached Chen Cuo, winding silently around his body without anyone noticing.

That done, the formidable man glanced toward the palace and gave a cold laugh. He turned back into a dragon and returned to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

In an instant, every strange phenomenon vanished.

Before long, the Imperial Palace was in turmoil. Attendants and palace maids hurried to and fro. As word spread, everyone fell silent.

No one paid any attention to the radiance of Human Thought that had spread across the city.

Yet a few breaths later, that invisible radiance of Human Thought suddenly stopped and rushed back. In the blink of an eye, it returned to Chen Cuo's body!

His whole body shook, and Golden Light blazed around him!

A torrent of information flooded his mind, leaving Chen Cuo dizzy within the Dream Marsh. He did not hesitate. With a turn of his will, he touched a finger to his forehead. Stray thoughts and intentions peeled away from his mind, flowed out through his seven orifices, and formed lines of text that floated in midair.

By now, expelling thoughts had become second nature.

"I can't inscribe them all in books..." With another thought, Chen Cuo reached out. The lines of text gathered and carved themselves into the ground, row by row. "Every sentence here represents someone's thoughts! Next time, I'll bring in more books and bamboo slips to record them. But what caused such a commotion this time?"

As he sensed the sixty-four gilded characters turn within his mind, Chen Cuo more or less understood.

"I unwittingly followed the Divine Path and stirred the Incense of Human Thought? The response was so fierce because I'd never answered people's hopes before. Hm?"

After expelling the thoughts, Chen Cuo frowned. In the Netherworld, he caught sight of a pair of vicious eyes!

They were bloodred, filled with madness and malice.

Evil Ghost!

The Evil Ghost had not attacked him directly, so Buddha Light had not suppressed him. He had merely followed the connection between them to sense Chen Cuo from afar!

"Perfect! Time to say hello! As for which of us will be the hunter and which the prey, that remains to be seen!"

This time, Chen Cuo felt no fear. He focused his will in his eyes and raised a hand. Lines of text and characters flew up from the ground and gathered over his eyes. The sixty-four Golden Light characters within his mind blazed, merging with them into one. Then Chen Cuo visualized the Wisdom Sword he had seen that day and drove it straight along that unseen connection!

His gaze shot out like a sword!

The Evil Ghost screamed. Those vicious eyes snapped shut, severing the connection.