Chapter 83: 83. You must pay a heavy price.

To prevent the grave from being desecrated and robbed, Fang Zhou did not pile up a mound or erect a tombstone, but simply made some marks that he could recognize to avoid not finding the location in the future.

After finishing up, Fang Zhou dusted off his hands, looked at the leveled ground, and whispered, “Farewell, if death really means reincarnation as you said, then I eagerly await our day of reunion.”

Although the meeting with Yan Chixia was brief, Yan Chixia’s boldness and free spirit had deeply impressed Fang Zhou, leaving a shining image of a Cultivator in his heart.

After burying Yan Chixia, Fang Zhou returned to the Lanruo Temple’s separate courtyard, with only one last matter to deal with—the men who had been captured by the monks and were being wantonly abused at Lanruo Temple.

Fang Zhou had promised to release them, but he couldn’t just let them go, as these men had seen the faces of Fang Zhou and his companions. It would be troublesome if they were let loose to talk recklessly.

It is known that behind Monk Hui Neng, there are instigators, making it easy to find out about the trio through these men.

If Fang Zhou were to act against his word and kill these people, it would be an act of utter ruthlessness, which made the situation quite vexing.

In the end, Han Li stepped forward, offering to handle the matter. After her departure, she could take the men away and deal with them properly.

Yes, Han Li was preparing to leave. She originally came to Wild Tomb Ridge to find the Buddhist Secret Treasure to cure the Black Jiao Poison in her body. Now that the so-called Secret Treasure did not exist, Han Li could only continue her journey to find a remedy.

Fang Zhou then remembered to coax and beg Ling Xiaoyue for some wine and gave it to Han Li to drink.

After drinking, Han Li felt refreshed, even feeling a slight increase in Physical Strength. Unfortunately, it did not help with the Black Jiao Poison inside her.

Unable to help himself, Fang Zhou complained to Ling Xiaoyue, “Didn’t you say your wine is of the Immortals, a Healing Holy Medicine? Why doesn’t it work on Han Li’s poison?”

Ling Xiaoyue, snapping up the wine jug, hurled it over: “You brat, you know it’s called a Healing Holy Medicine, which naturally means it’s for healing. Who said it could cure poison? If it could heal wounds and also cure poison, wouldn’t I be rich from selling wine and no longer need to make money elsewhere?”

Fang Zhou retorted unconvinced, “Being poisoned is also a form of injury, an internal one. If your wine can’t even cure internal injuries, how dare you claim it to be a Healing Holy Medicine.”

Ling Xiaoyue twisted her mouth in annoyance, “Come here, let me beat you till you have an internal injury and see if it can cure it.”

“Resorting to violence when you’re losing the argument, do you still dare claim yourself to be a role model in the educational field?”

“You defiant disciple, dare you not to use it from now on.”

Seeing the teacher and student bickering again, Han Li couldn’t help but laugh out loud, dissipating the faint sorrow of parting.

Before leaving, Ling Xiaoyue made a special round inside Lanruo Temple, scraping the ground for everything valuable, uncovering all the silver that Monk Hui Neng had earned over the years.

Fang Zhou didn’t know how much money Ling Xiaoyue had plundered, but judging from her cheerful mood, it was certainly a lot.

The trio left with a group of men from Wild Tomb Ridge on the same day, separating at the Jingchu River bank.

In this era where travel is by foot and communication by shout, after parting, the day of reunion might be indefinitely far away.

Perhaps it’s a bit better in the Cultivation World, yet the path of Cultivation is filled with extreme dangers. A slight misstep could result in demise, whether killed in a conflict or perishing in a desolate Secret Place.

For Cultivators, a parting often could become a permanent farewell.

In the face of this, Fang Zhou, a newcomer to the Cultivation World, was not deeply touched. He took his leave seriously from Han Li, inviting her to visit the Xuanji Sect if she was free, and then he and Ling Xiaoyue turned and departed.

By the way, the sixth generation [horses] and ’55 Kai’ were not hurt by the monks, perhaps because the monks saw the horses’ intelligence and did not slaughter them, allowing them a chance to safely return to their master.

Han Li watched Fang Zhou’s departing figure, silently memorizing the address of his sect that he had given her.

She didn’t know if this parting was forever, but if there was a chance, she would definitely meet Fang Zhou again.

…

“`

Late at night, in the deserted courtyard of Lanruo Temple, a crow flew down from a tree branch, perched on the rooftop, and let out a series of ominous caws.

Two figures appeared in Lanruo Temple, their heads covered with conical bamboo hats, draped in black cloaks.

With the arrival of these two figures, the temperature inside Lanruo Temple plummeted drastically. Many plants in the courtyard began to wither before the naked eye, their branches and leaves frosted over with ice.

The crow on the rooftop seemed to sense danger and took flight, only to plummet to the ground midway.

Not just the crow, but a large number of creatures within Lanruo Temple were dying, rendering an area of lifeless silence.

Apart from a few young monks taken away by Han Li, the rest of the monks in the temple had perished. Out of humanistic spirit, Fang Zhou and Han Li dug a grave to bury the monks, lest they be exposed in the wilderness.

The two figures in black quickly found the burial site. One of them squatted down, pressed a hand to the ground, and finally said, “Hui Neng’s body is beneath, but his three souls and six spirits have been dispersed. What lies here is just an empty shell.”

The voice was pleasing to the ear, belonging to a young woman.

Another figure in black let out a cold snort, “Useless in success, yet causing trouble in failure.”

That voice belonged to an old crone.

The young woman beside her remained silent.

The Mystic Yin Tree has been planted by the Divine Sect; it has stood for a century.

After the previous caretaker passed away unexpectedly, Hui Neng was appointed as the new guardian. His duty was to watch over the Mystic Yin Tree and to capture Blood Food and Cultivators to feed it.

He diligently attended to his duties here for over ten years. The Divine Sect trusted him and never bothered to check up.

Little did they know, Hui Neng gradually grew lazy in secret, posing as a monk to enjoy his leisure and spreading rumors to lure Cultivators into their deaths, while he sat back and reaped the benefits effortlessly.

Although this strategy was easy, it was extremely risky, as it could easily attract virtuous masters.

This time, it indeed backfired.

By the time the Divine Sect received the news, the Mystic Yin Tree Demon had been slain, the Golden Core was missing, and Hui Neng himself met a fatal end.

Truly detestable and deserving of death, he not only brought disaster upon himself but also caused the Divine Sect’s century-long plans to be ruined overnight.

The upper echelons of the Divine Sect were enraged. As the local supervisors, they were duty-bound to rush over in the night to investigate the killer and the whereabouts of the Golden Core, cleaning up the mess Hui Neng had left behind.

After the old woman cursed under her breath, she formed Dharma Seals with her hands and shouted into the silent woods, “Hui Neng! Soul return! Hui Neng! Soul return!”

Following her calls, a transparent and ethereal soul shadow began to drift out from within the woods; it was indeed the soul of Monk Hui Neng.

The crone abruptly seized Hui Neng’s soul shadow and demanded fiercely, “Who did this?”

Hui Neng’s expression was one of agony as he uttered in a broken voice, “Xuan…ji…Sect…”

This was merely one of Hui Neng’s three souls, which could only remember the most significant impressions, while the other souls and spirits had long since scattered.

Seeing that no useful information could be extricated, the crone ruthlessly tore Hui Neng’s soul to shreds.

With the loss of this soul, Hui Neng was deprived of any chance for reincarnation, doomed to remain an unconscious solitary ghost forever.

Still unsatisfied, the old crone stomped forcefully on the ground, the strength of the blow passing through the soil to pulverize all the monks’ bodies below into dust.

“Xuanji Sect? Well, Xuanji Sect, you shall pay a terrible price!!”

“`

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com