The Monkey and Keeping Secrets

The severed hand, with its deep red skin, lay quietly on the bed, its surface covered with prominent, dark blue veins.

Xu Qi'an felt like he had just finished watching "The Corpse in the Mountain Village" in the living room, and while he was scared, he went back to his bedroom to sleep. When he opened the door, he found Chu Renmei standing by the bed, staring at him with her cold white eyes.

The fear in his heart exploded with a "boom," every nerve urging him: run away, run away!

At this moment, Xu Qi'an saw the severed index finger twitch slightly, tapping lightly on the bed.

The next moment, the air seemed to become viscous, and Xu Qi'an felt like an old ox that had fallen into a mud pit, possessing a strong physique but unable to take a single step.

The five fingers of the severed hand twitched, and then, using its fingers as feet, it crawled off the bed and along the floor toward Xu Qi'an.

The scene was so terrifying, like witnessing a scene from a horror movie. Xu Qi'an was unable to move, his eyes darting around, watching in despair as it crawled to his feet and up his trouser leg.

It wants to parasitize me, just like it parasitized Monk Heng Hui. Why? Why is it targeting me? I'm just an ordinary gong. As Xu Qi'an's terrified thoughts flashed through his mind, the severed hand crawled up to his chest, and continued upwards. Then, its thumb and forefinger pried open Xu Qi'an's small mouth.

Xu Qi'an was unable to resist; his eyes widened instantly, his expression filled with terror.

Immediately afterwards, his mouth was forced open, and the severed hand brutally invaded, its fingers and palm pushing inch by inch into the depths of his throat.

Xu Qi'an's mouth split open, dripping with blood. How could a hand possibly fit into a person's mouth, let alone their throat? But the severed hand seemed to have that intention.

Soon, the severed hand entered his throat, and Xu Qi'an's trachea bulged and stretched little by little, clearly revealing the lines of the finger.

The process was quick because the severed hand didn't take Xu Qi'an's endurance into account at all; like an alien, it brutally and simply passed through his mouth and throat.

The moment the severed hand entered his body, Xu Qi'an let out a painful howl. His consciousness seemed to shatter into countless fragments. In a hazy state, he didn't know how much time had passed when he saw a temple. There was no Buddha statue enshrined in the temple; instead, a young monk sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.

Xu Qi'an tried his best to see his appearance clearly, but the monk's face seemed to be shrouded in mist, and he couldn't see it clearly no matter what.

Why did I end up here? Did I die and then enter the Western Paradise? Impossible, someone as unrespectful to Buddha as me, Buddha would only slam my head in a door and kick me out of the Paradise. Xu Qi'an thought to himself with self-deprecation, as he heard the gentle voice of the young monk:

"This humble monk wishes to borrow your body to heal my severed arm; I hope you will grant my request."

"Is he the Devil Creature's severed hand?" Xu Qi'an asked tentatively, his voice filled with doubt and uncertainty. "Should I refuse to make an exception?"

The young monk sat quietly in meditation, ignoring him.

Xu Qi'an asked in a deep voice, "Who are you, and why were you sealed in Sangbo?"

"My Buddhist name is Shenshu." The young monk paused, his tone hesitant.

Why am I in Sangbo? I can't remember why I was sealed there, or where I came from.

"I am Shenshu, but why am I in Sangbo? Where did I come from?"

He was calm at first, but gradually, with each self-questioning, he began to lose control of his emotions. His peaceful and serene demeanor vanished, the entire space trembled, and an indescribable aura of terror emanated from the monk's body.

It was an aura like that of hell, which sent chills down Xu Qi'an's spine and made his heart pound violently.

That familiar aura... At this moment, Xu Qi'an confirmed that the young monk's hand was indeed the severed one.

"This humble monk has become attached to appearances," the young monk regained his composure, the aura that had instilled fear subsided, and he spoke in a gentle tone:

"My Primordial Spirit is incomplete, so I can't remember anything from the past. I only know my Dharma name, but I can't remember where I came from or what happened before."

At this point, the young monk's tone was filled with helplessness and pain, as if he was trying desperately to know what had happened in the past, but to no avail.

A fragmented Primordial Spirit? Is it because you only have one severed arm? Hmm, your body is incomplete, so your Primordial Spirit is also incomplete. That makes sense. Monk, you're in a bit of a predicament. Xu Qi'an probed:

"Master, I might know a little information, but I don't know if it will be of any use to you."

The young monk's aura trembled slightly, and within the mist, his eyes seemed to be intently fixed on Xu Qi'an.

"The formation that sealed you was jointly completed by the Great Feng royal family, the Bureau of Astronomy, and the Western Buddhist School. Since you are a member of the Buddhist School, I'm afraid you come from the Western Regions," Xu Qi'an said.

As he spoke, his own thoughts began to wander: the owner of the severed hand was a monk, and the three forces that sealed him were the Great Feng imperial family, the Western Buddhist School, and the Bureau of Astronomy. Based on information gathered from Qinglong Temple, the Buddhist School clearly placed more emphasis on the sealed artifact beneath Sangbo Lake. Wait a minute!!

Xu Qi'an's eyes suddenly lit up. He recalled several details from the Sangbo case: On the third day after the Yongzhen Shanhe Temple was destroyed, Wei Yuan told him that Emperor Yuanjing had lifted the city's curfew.

The day after the Yongzhen Shanhe Temple was destroyed, that old geezer, the supervisor, pretended to be sick and stood by and watched the whole thing.

After confirming the birth of the severed hand from Abbot Panshu of Qinglong Temple, he immediately traveled west.

These details suggest that Buddhist School was the mastermind behind the sealing of Sangbo. Most of the young monks who were sealed were from Buddhist School in the Western Regions.

No wonder, no wonder Emperor Yuanjing wanted to lift the city's curfew. No wonder the supervisor feigned illness; it's obvious he wanted to avoid trouble, since it wasn't his problem anyway.

Xu Qi'an belatedly realized the thoughts of the Supervisor and Emperor Yuanjing. Then, he remembered a detail: Wei Yuan had repeatedly emphasized that he should ignore the sealed artifacts and only be responsible for investigating traitors within the court.

Wei Yuan most likely knew the identity of the severed hand, or at least knew that it originated from Buddhist School.

No wonder the capital's higher-ups aren't paying much attention to the sealed artifacts; they're focused on finding traitors. They're all old hands.

Fortunately, I was clever and resourceful. By examining the details of the minor officer's murder and Zhou Baihu's Qi-Watching Technique, I traced the clues back to Qinglong Temple and gradually unraveled the mystery.

At this moment, the young monk sighed softly, "This humble monk would like to ask you for a favor."

"Master, I am just a Qi Refining Realm martial artist." Xu Qi'an wanted to refuse tactfully. Wei Yuan had said that the level of a sealed artifact was at least second-grade, or even first-grade.

At this level of struggle, he, a mere worm, had no confidence to get involved. Moreover, Xu Qi'an had not forgotten the original intention of Master Jinlian in establishing the Heaven and Earth Society: to kill the second-rank Daoist leader of the Earth Sect.

"It's only less difficult than me becoming emperor. And if your affairs get involved in the grudges and feuds of Buddhist School, I might as well just usurp the throne myself, "Xu Qi'an said with a sigh.

The young monk ignored him and continued, "Help this humble monk trace back his past and regain his memories."

"During this process, this humble monk will provide the benefactor with some assistance."

Could he offer some assistance? Xu Qi'an thought of the four Golden Gongs wrapped in gauze and a thought struck him. If he had a sealed artifact with him, it would be like having an extra trump card.

In this world where imperial and divine power reign supreme, he can live a more Establishing Destiny, at least without worrying about having his family wiped out or being exterminated. Anyone who dares to touch a hair on his family's head will have their brains splattered out.

Moreover, once Zhou Chixiong is captured, he will definitely be promoted and receive a raise, and his own power will also increase.

However, there are two things I need to clarify before agreeing to the monk's request.

"Master, do you need to constantly absorb Qi and Blood?" Xu Qi'an tried to use calm words.

"As long as it's within your body, there's no need for external replenishment of Qi and Blood. Of course, if you want to use my power, you'll need to nourish it with your Essence Blood afterward; it's best if you're a cultivator."

In other words, you can just stay inside my body normally and nothing will happen, but if I want you to work, I have to feed you. Xu Qi'an nodded, agreeing with this concept of Equivalent Exchange.

"Why did you choose me?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Someone brought me here," the young monk said, "Because we are of the same kind."

Xu Qi'an hurriedly asked, "What is a type of person, Master? Please enlighten this junior."

The young monk said, "I just instinctively felt that way; I can't remember much else."

"I can't remember." Xu Qi'an's lips twitched, and he asked again, "Who brought the senior here?"

The young monk conjured a scene in which a figure dressed in black and wearing a hood solemnly opened a brocade pouch and put the severed hand inside.

Judging from her figure, with her full breasts and round, pert buttocks, she was clearly a woman.

Embroidered on the brocade pouch is a white animal, shaped like a fox, lively and beautiful, with a white tail that spreads out like a screen behind it.

A fox, with a tail like a screen. A nine-tailed celestial fox? Hmm, according to the gray fox's testimony in the Imperial Academy of Music, those involved in the Sangbo case were the remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. And the fallen Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons was a nine-tailed celestial fox. Hiss, the people of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons brought the severed hand to me.

Why?

They've noticed me. Xu Qi'an felt deeply worried.

Xu Qi'an opened his eyes and found himself lying on the cold ground, the faint moonlight providing a sliver of light to the silent room.

He went to the table, lit the oil lamp, and carried it to the bronze mirror. His masculine face was reflected in the mirror, with dried bloodstains at the corner of his mouth. He gently wiped them away and found no wound left.

The wounds inflicted by the unreasonable monkey, Shenshu Monk, have healed.

The water leak indicated that the time was 9:15 PM.

Xu Qi'an sat by the bronze mirror, letting his thoughts wander and considering what he should do next.

The immediate problem was what to do with the severed hand, and whether he should report the matter to Duke Wei.

"It's true that Wei Yuan appreciates me, but I'm not his biological son after all, and there's a limit to how much he appreciates me. And this matter involves the sealed artifact of Sangbo."

"If he can remove my severed hand, there's no problem. If not, will he protect me, or will he seal me away with him in Sangbo?"

"But I'm just a Qi Refining Realm stage cultivator; it's impossible for me to survive for five hundred years without eating or drinking."

"The Director of the Imperial Observatory can surely remove my severed hand, right? He's a first-rank Warlock, after all. The problem is, I'm not even familiar with him." Xu Qi'an, Xu Qi'an, you've fallen again, hopelessly addicted to the warmth and fragrance of the Fuxiang. Have you forgotten that Chu Caiwei is waiting for you to win her over? Become the son-in-law of the Bureau of Astronomy soon, and the Director of the Imperial Observatory will be one of your own.

"The old supervisor knows about my strange luck, so I can't trust him completely, because he must be plotting something in secret."

In addition, there is a distant problem:

The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons went through all sorts of hardships to release the sealed artifact; surely it wasn't just to benefit him.

Bringing the severed hand to him secretly must have been for a purpose; even a fool could see that. But was that purpose good or bad for him?

The monk Shenshu said he could nurture his arm and Primordial Spirit. Could this be the reason the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons brought him here?

Will they come back to take back my severed hand someday? At that time, no one can say for sure whether I will live or die.

At that moment, he heard the gentle voice of the monk Shenshu resound in his mind:

"Keep the secret!"

Xu Qi'an's expression froze.