With Jin Shanyao receiving Xuanxin's personal confirmation, a huge weight was lifted from her heart. She pointed to the dark, oppressive sky.
He shouted loudly, "Listen up, Taishang Laojun! He himself has confessed to numerous sins."
"You've harmed living beings and altered destiny. I'm acting on behalf of Heaven. If you dare strike me with lightning, I'll never forgive you."
Having said that, he stopped wasting words with Xuanxin, and used his emerald green whip to lift Xuanxin up, suspending him in mid-air.
The Spiritual Power flowed along the whip, like countless tentacles, and burrowed into Xuanxin's body.
He was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't help but scream.
My heart feels as if it's being tightly bound by countless vines, the bindings growing ever tighter...
A deafening rumble of thunder echoed in the sky, and a burst of lightning illuminated the faces of the two men clearly.
The Jin Shanyao her abdomen feel increasingly hot, but she seemed oblivious to it and suddenly increased her Spiritual Power.
Thud... Xuanxin's heart was crushed to pieces.
The moment Xuanxin's soul left his body, Jin Shanyao instantly used her Spiritual Power to control it, crushing it in mid-air and causing Xuanxin to disappear completely from the Three Realms.
With Jin Shanyao, she threw Xuanxin's limp body to the ground, then turned and disappeared into the air.
In the pitch-black night, heavy rain lashed the ground. A person stumbled towards them from afar. The person was wearing a Daoist robe, and their gray hair was soaked and plastered to their face.
He stumbled along, and the moment he saw Xuanxin, he lunged at him.
"You bastard, I've finally caught you! Today I will avenge my master and cleanse the Daoist sect of its evil ways!"
Zhang Banxian gripped Xuanxin's neck tightly, his arms bulging with veins from the force. After a while, seeing no sign of Xuanxin struggling, he suspiciously released his grip.
Seeing that the other person's eyes were closed as if he were asleep, Zhang Banxian put his finger under Xuanxin's nose.
He was so frightened that he suddenly let go and fell into the water bubble.
After a long pause, as if remembering something, he placed his finger under Xuanxin's nose again, and sure enough, there was no more breathing.
Zhang Banxian pulled open his clothes to examine him, but found no wounds and could not find any cause of death.
He pulled at his clothes and laughed, a laugh bordering on madness.
"Serves you right, this is retribution, this is divine punishment for betraying your master and ancestors. Changing your allegiance to someone else and committing too many sins, you deserve to be taken down by God."
Zhang Banxian laughed for a while, then burst into tears. His cries were mournful and heart-wrenching. Over the years, he had been chasing after Xuanxin everywhere in order to avenge his master.
In order to track down Xuanxin's whereabouts, he earned money by telling fortunes and divination, and also used the money to buy information. Now Xuanxin has suddenly died.
Zhang Banxian sat on the ground, stunned, not knowing where to go for a moment.
His goal for all these years was to hunt down Xuanxin, but now that goal is gone.
He had no idea what to do next, and Zhang Banxian stumbled to his feet.
He left in the pouring rain, and no one knew where he went. Jin Shanyao never saw him again.
Jin Shanyao saw a row of people standing at the entrance of the Anzhi Hall from afar.
Qing He, Qing Yang, Lu Chi, Meng Anzhi, Meng Anci, as well as Dahuang and Xiaoli.
What are you all doing standing here so late at night instead of sleeping?
Before she could finish speaking, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci rushed towards her, grabbing her arms and checking her over. "Auntie, were you struck by lightning?"
They were always on edge whenever it rained.
After being reminded, Jin Shanyao realized that she hadn't been struck by lightning. What was causing the burning sensation in her abdomen? She quickly used her Spiritual Power to check.
The thin layer of Merit actually thickened, meaning that she wouldn't be struck by lightning for killing the Evil Cultivator, which could be considered as acting on behalf of Heaven.
Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was suddenly relieved. The joy of being Merit instantly filled her whole body. She picked up Meng Anzhi, tossed her into the air, and caught her steadily.
"Ah..." Meng Anzhi screamed in fright. Her aunt had gone mad! Her aunt had been driven insane by lightning!
Meng Anci raised her two little hands and bounced around, saying, "Auntie, I want to play too! I want to play too!"
Jin Shanyao put Meng Anzhi down, picked up Meng Anci and tossed her into the air. Her giggles echoed throughout the rainy night, and all three of them were soaked to the bone.
Squatting outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, waiting for the Jin Shanyao Taishang Laojun face, finally showed some humanity.
Qing He and Qing Yang came out quickly with umbrellas in hand. "Master, how old are you? Why are you still fooling around with them? Be careful not to catch a cold."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, " Qing He is becoming more and more like a housekeeper."
Qing He blushed at her words and glared at her reproachfully.
After entering the room, Qing He found a handkerchief and used it to wipe Jin Shanyao's hair.
"When the young master heard that you went out in the rain, he turned pale with fright. He said that you shouldn't go out in the rain because you might get struck by lightning, and he insisted on going out to find you."
After leaving Anzhi Hall, I still don't know where you went, so I can only stand outside the shop and wait.
Qing He continued wiping with a fresh dry cloth, saying, "I don't know what's wrong with Dahuang and Xiaoli. They keep looking up at the sky, and they jump up and down every time there's thunder. They're so jumpy, it's quite frightening."
Jin Shanyao took the handkerchief and wiped herself. "It's alright, let them be. It's getting late, you should get some rest too."
Qing He responded and went out.
Two little cubs, their hair still wet, pushed open the door and came in.
Meng Anci's eyes were hopeful. "Auntie, can I sleep with you tonight? I want you to dry my hair."
Her moist eyes were filled with shimmering light, and she couldn't bear to refuse, Jin Shanyao.
"Come in," Meng Anci grinned at Meng Anzhi, ran over, and Jin Shanyao's hand.
Jin Shanyao held him in her arms and gently wiped his hair, her fingertips carrying Spiritual Power as they passed through his hair, which quickly dried.
"You two have made up?"
Meng Anci looked somewhat uncomfortable. "My sister apologized."
Meng Anzhi looked up in surprise. When did she apologize? How come she didn't know?
Jin Shanyao smiled and asked, "Oh, how did she apologize?"
Meng Anci stammered, "Well, they put a piece of meat on my plate during dinner tonight."
Jin Shanyao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Just a piece of meat, and you forgive her?"
"What else could I want? My sister put meat on my plate, think about it... that's meat!" Meng Anci secretly glanced at Meng Anzhi, and seeing that she wasn't angry, chuckled twice.
The next day, the sky cleared and the streets were exceptionally clean from the rain. Jin Shanyao took her family up the mountain to pick mushrooms. As they passed the city gate, they overheard the soldiers guarding the city chatting.
"Have you heard? A male corpse was found in the suburbs last night; it looks like he starved to death."
"What's the big deal? Every year, a few lonely ghosts die in Willow and Poplar County. I heard they've already been buried in the mortuary..." The voice gradually faded away.
Jin Shanyao didn't care; her mind was now completely focused on the mountain produce!
"Auntie, aren't we going to Lush Mountain?" Meng Anzhi asked, puzzled, as she saw the oxcart heading towards White Head Mountain.
Jin Shanyao, "I heard that a new batch of monkey head mushrooms has grown on White Head Mountain. Let's harvest them before heading to Lush Mountain."
Qing He, Qing Yang, and Lu Chi had all witnessed Jin Shanyao's skill, so if she said it was true, then it must be true. The oxcart swayed and bumped its way into White Head Mountain.
The mountain forest was especially fresh after the rain, and mushrooms grew in abundance. Qing He and Qing Yang were busy with their work, while Meng Anzhi used a medicinal hoe to dig out the mature herbs.
Jin Shanyao picked the monkey head mushrooms one by one, then casually asked Lu Chi, "Have your men deliver a letter to Su Wenqian for me today."
Lu Chi's heart skipped a beat. "Where would I get subordinates from?"
Jin Shanyao at him sideways, "There are no secrets in the Anzhi Hall. Even if a fly flies in, I'll know whether it's male or female."
Lu Chi's features scrunched up in disgust. He thought he had kept it a secret, but Jin Shanyao had found out.
"Just give it to me when you're done writing, but let me make this clear: that person isn't mine, they're my aunt's, and..." he said, moving closer to Jin Shanyao.
Do you still have any ginkgo nuts? My aunt wants to buy two bottles; the price is negotiable.
Jin Shanyao glared at him. "Do you think ginkgo nuts are like cabbages, something you can have anytime you want? Wait until autumn."
Ah... Lu Chi was puzzled. Could it be that the ingredients for making ginkgo nuts are only available in autumn?
He dared not speak, dared not ask, and could only keep working.