Only the True Secret Formula Exists in This World; Ten Thousand Volumes of Daoist Scripture Cannot Contain It

Anyone else would have hemmed and hawed and denied it. Tang Changsheng, however, answered honestly, "Who wouldn't want a treasure lamp with such tremendous power? But a gentleman loves wealth and acquires it by proper means. As I said before, Senior, whatever you ask of me, I'll do it!" True Person Lü Yuanhua looked at him with approval. He tried to laugh, but spat out a mouthful of blood. After a long while, he said, "Good, good, good. You've got nerve, all right. You gave me a tongue-lashing just now, and now you want my lamp... Heh..."

His tone was strange and his words hardly courteous, but Tang Changsheng could hear that he was relenting.

Overjoyed, he said, "Please grant me this, True Person!"

Lü Yuanhua shook his head. "I can't give you this lamp. Heh... Even if I did, you couldn't use it...

"So be it, so be it. I'd once thought of taking you as my disciple. Now I'll give you an opportunity instead..."

Tang Changsheng was disappointed at first, but what followed filled him with delight. "Thank you, True Person!"

"I'll teach you the Ritual Refinement of this lamp. But remember: after I die, find a safe place and bury me together with it!"

Tang Changsheng let out a soft "Ah." True Person Lü Yuanhua took out a book and tossed it onto the ground. "This lamp isn't a magic treasure. It's a life-bound magical artifact refined through our school's Ritual Refinement. While its master lives, the lamp lives; when its master dies, the lamp goes out...

"A pity. I once swore I would break through life and death and bring glory to our Dao. I never imagined I'd die here tonight.

"Fate has made a fool of me, and brought me to this!"

His voice dwindled,