Chapter 20: Aftermath

The Human World

As Qin Sang's heart stirred, the Yama King, who had been hiding outside, flew in. It looked at Qin Sang with fearful eyes before disappearing into the Yama King Banner.

The surface of the Yama King Banner shifted, and the Yama King's image reappeared.

Qin Sang commanded it to come out. The banner twisted, and the Yama King floated out from the Yama King Banner, standing respectfully before Qin Sang, appearing very docile.

Qin Sang knew the Yama King feared the Jade Buddha, not him, but he didn't mind. Recalling the text he had just read, he commanded, "Get me a Soul Elixir."

The Yama King's eyes suddenly turned scarlet, and a fierce expression flickered across its face before disappearing. It reluctantly opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of black mist, which quickly solidified into a longan-sized Soul Elixir. Qin Sang caught it in his hand; his palm felt icy cold.

Looking at the Yama King again, its form wavered after spitting out the elixir, appearing weaker.

Suppressing his eagerness, he ordered the Yama King to retreat. After tidying the messy bed, he sat down cross-legged and, holding the Soul Elixir, activated his cultivation technique.

Just as the text described, as soon as the technique began to circulate, Qin Sang immediately felt a difference. After one cycle, the improvement was far greater than before, even stronger than medicated baths.

After his initial joy, Qin Sang grew worried. The text clearly stated that to obtain more Soul Elixirs in the future, the Yama King would have to devour human souls or malevolent Yin energy.

Qin Sang had no idea what malevolent Yin energy was. Did this mean he truly had to become a murderer?

A faint light appeared outside the window. Qin Sang sighed inwardly, lay down fully clothed, and decided not to dwell on these worries for now. He turned his attention inward, observing his body as if he had received a new and fascinating toy, exploring every part of himself.

Finally, his focus returned to his soul. The layer of yellow light surrounding it was still there, but the Buddha's image was gone.

Too much had happened that night; his emotions had surged and plummeted, making it feel longer than a year.

Soon, dawn broke. Qin Sang feigned normalcy, getting up to light the fire, practice martial arts, and perform his morning rituals as usual. It wasn't until midday that he pretended to have just discovered Old Wu's death, calling for the old Taoist priest with a panicked expression.

As expected, Taoist Master Jixin found no suspicious signs. He concluded that Old Wu, exhausted from daily laborious pulling, had simply run out of vital energy and died of a seizure in his sleep.

Among Old Wu's belongings were a self-defense dagger and a few taels of silver. When the old Taoist priest told Qin Sang to report it to the authorities, Qin Sang added his own money to buy a thick coffin and asked the temple residents to help prepare Old Wu's body and belongings for burial. A gravesite was found on the back mountain, and he was interred that same day.

Old Wu had no living relatives, so the funeral was simple. Only the old Taoist priest recited a few scriptures for him. Qin Sang knelt before the grave, burning a basin full of paper money, and softly said, "Old Wu, go live a good life down there. Later, I'll find a boy to adopt into your name, to carry on your family line. Rest in peace."

Relatives may still grieve, but others have already moved on.

Death was so common in this era that the atmosphere in the Taoist temple returned to normal that very evening.

However, for Qin Sang, another problem arose that night. He discovered that after his cultivation of the *Netherworld Scripture* advanced to the second level, medicated baths provided negligible improvement to his practice. This completely dashed his hopes of combining Soul Elixirs with medicated baths for cultivation.

Unwilling to give up, he pestered Taoist Master Jixin for new formulas, much to the old Taoist's annoyance.

Another seven days passed in a flash. After these days of consumption, a little less than half of the Soul Elixir was used up, meaning one elixir would only last about twenty days.

That afternoon, with nothing to do at the Taoist temple, Qin Sang and Mingyue went out to treat themselves to a good meal again.

The bamboo forest was tranquil. The two squatted by an earthen stove, tending the fire. Nearby were four cleaned rabbits and several plump birds.

Now, Qin Sang didn't need traps to find food; he could infallibly catch anything with just a stick and stones. Nothing that moved could escape his grasp, much to Mingyue's admiration.

With wine and meat, the two leaned against a rock, listening to the rustling wind, feeling utterly content. Qin Sang suddenly thought that if he had never encountered immortals, living out his days here wouldn't be bad at all.

Mingyue tore off a rabbit leg with his teeth, took a gulp of wine, then a bite of meat. Following Qin Sang's martial arts training, he had not only grown taller but also developed a larger appetite and higher alcohol tolerance.

Mingyue suddenly sat up, his ears twitching. Puzzled, he asked, "Senior Brother, why do I hear pigeons cooing?"

"I've heard it a few times already," Qin Sang said nonchalantly. "It's probably from a temple on the front mountain. Pigeons are very nourishing. When I'm in the mood, I'll catch a few for you to try pigeon soup."

Mingyue shrugged and chuckled, "Just don't get caught by the owner, or Master will scold us."

Qin Sang scoffed, "Don't you trust my skills?"

After eating and drinking their fill, as night approached, the two brothers returned to the Taoist temple. After completing their evening rituals, they each went back to their rooms.

As usual, Qin Sang tidied his bed, then held the Soul Elixir and the Yama King Banner. Before beginning his cultivation, he touched the ebony sword at his chest. Compared to the Yama King Banner, he was most interested in the ebony sword, but the energy in his body vanished into it like a stone sinking into the sea, eliciting no reaction. The Yama King Banner's incantations were also useless on it; there was nothing he could do.

The moonlit night was quiet, with only the alternating long and short chirps of insects beneath the windowsill.

Qin Sang was concentrating intently on his cultivation when his expression suddenly changed. He opened his eyes and loudly exclaimed, "Who's there!"

His eyes darted, fixed on the corner of the wall.

Immediately, the darkness in the corner of the wall stirred, and then a dark figure emerged from it—a person dressed in night clothes!

"Who are you!"

Qin Sang was startled; someone had actually infiltrated his room silently.

His hearing was extremely sharp. He had only been alerted by an unusual rustle of wind when the person slipped in; otherwise, he might not have noticed them even if they approached him.

Who was this person? What did they want by sneaking into his room? Had his secret been exposed?

Qin Sang's mind raced, and his hand quietly reached for the Yama King Banner on the bed.

The figure in black stood calmly in the room, showing no panic at being discovered. Their eyes, even in the dim light, were remarkably sharp. Qin Sang felt as if two knives were scraping him, and a chill ran through his entire body.

The figure in black looked at Qin Sang with some surprise. "Tsk tsk... I didn't expect a Taoist priest in this dilapidated temple to have the insight to see through my movement technique. So, does this mean Old Wu died by your hand?"

Old Wu's death was Qin Sang's biggest secret. He had thought his post-mortem arrangements were flawless, so to have it suddenly revealed by a stranger deeply shocked him. His gaze narrowed slightly.

"Was it really you?"

The figure in black narrowed their eyes, and a terrifying murderous aura instantly erupted from them. They said grimly, "Old Wu reported that there were only two minor Taoists in the temple who knew some martial arts, nothing to worry about. I didn't expect him to make such a fatal mistake! Kid, I'm very curious who you really are. Even a killer from Jiangshan Tower could fall into your trap!"

Qin Sang was surprised by the figure in black's sharp perception; they had caught onto a tiny flaw he had revealed. At the same time, he found it odd. Judging by this person's words, Old Wu was no ordinary individual. Could his identity as a boat tracker have been fake?

What was Old Wu's purpose in lurking at the Taoist temple for half a year?

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Qin Sang, his voice strained, vehemently denied it. "Old Wu died from exhaustion because he pulled boats at the ferry crossing every day. It has nothing to do with me! He didn't have a single injury on his body. If you don't believe me, go open the coffin and examine the corpse!"