Chapter 337: Donkey

"What is the origin of the 'false love root'?"

Feng Daiku explained: "A true love root is formed from a seed of emotion, nurtured in the heart and rooted in the eyes. This false love root, however, is a phantom, born in the eyes, lingering in the eyes, and dissolving in the eyes. It's simultaneously real and fake, illusory and tangible—a technique forged by illusions."

The two spoke in the cinema, seemingly unafraid of being overheard. And indeed, they weren't. The people around them couldn't see Feng Daiku, nor could they hear their conversation.

The use of illusion to fake a cultivation technique for emotions angered Feng Daiku somewhat. "Wulang, where did this handkerchief come from?"

"It was left by a close friend at Black Rock Slope when the false love root was removed."

Feng Daiku murmured, "False love roots appeared at Black Rock Slope, but not at Kudaikan. What's the reason for that?"

Ma Wu replied, "They aren't reckless people. Faking emotional cultivation techniques in your territory would be like waiting for you to punish them, wouldn't it?"

Feng Daiku shook her head slightly. "I'm not talking about that. I mean, why doesn't the same film leave behind a false love root here? If it did, I'd have to deal with it promptly. If not, where's the difference?"

Ma Wu understood Feng Daiku's point: the film screened at Black Rock Slope might be different from the one at Kudaikan. What exactly was different? Ma Wu was actually prepared for this. "My subordinates will arrive at Kudaikan tomorrow, and they'll bring the film from Black Rock Slope."

Feng Daiku glanced at the screen, raising an eyebrow. "Is this the only film they brought? This 'Blood Blade Detective' is a bit too dreary."

Ma Wu put an arm around Feng Daiku. "There are plenty of good films; we'll appreciate them one by one."

The next day, in the hotel, Feng Daiku watched 'Blood Blade Detective' from Black Rock Slope with Ma Wu. Feng Daiku, being meticulous, found the crucial point within ten minutes.

"Wulang, rewind this scene a bit."

Ma Wu rewound the film about five minutes. The lead actress, Xiao Xiufai, was showering. At a poignant moment, a tear suddenly streamed down her face. The tear ran from the corner of her eye, down her cheek, slid to her neck, and then dropped onto her conscience. The lead actor, Chu Ningsheng, suddenly walked into the bathroom and sucked the tear into his mouth.

It must be said, this sequence of shots was perfectly executed. From a purely artistic perspective, Ma Wu was impressed; 'Blood Gun Detective' couldn't produce such a long take. The detail Feng Daiku noticed was the scene where the male lead swallowed the tear. That single swallow seemed to consume all of the female lead's melancholy and sorrow.

"Wulang, this scene probably isn't in the film shown at Kudaikan."

"It isn't?" Ma Wu paused, momentarily surprised. In his memory, he thought he had seen this scene in the cinema yesterday.

Feng Daiku shook her head. "Wulang, I definitely don't have this scene. It's exquisitely filmed and leaves a deep impression. The reason you didn't notice is because you have too much experience in this area, and some people are naturally uninterested in such things and wouldn't fall for the trick. But such people are rare. An ordinary person watching this scene would surely be moved, and that false love root would be planted. Wulang, look closely: first at that tear, then at the woman's conscience. There's an illusion technique hidden there."

Ma Wu looked closely; indeed, it was different. He had slept with Xiao Xiufai, and her conscience was very light in color. Here, the color and texture were much deeper. The illusion began here. To sell a few more tickets, they actually put in so much effort.

Ma Wu shook his head and sighed. "After Ling Miaoying died, I don't know who's running this film company. What they're doing is truly despicable."

Feng Daiku frowned slightly. "Wulang, I cannot tolerate this. Regardless of their motive, using such base tricks to falsify a technique of my Taoist sect—I absolutely cannot stand for it!"

Ma Wu asked, "How do you intend to deal with it?"

"Wulang, is there a way to lure them to Kudaikan?"

Ma Wu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "These people usually stay in Greenwater City. It would be too difficult to lure them out."

Upon hearing "Greenwater City," Feng Daiku sighed. "If this happened elsewhere, it wouldn't be impossible for me to go after them. But if it's Greenwater City..." Greenwater City was Green Blossom's territory. Which local deity would dare say they weren't afraid of Green Blossom?

Ma Wu comforted Feng Daiku twice, and her mood improved slightly.

"Wulang, are you also thinking of learning their methods to earn more film tickets?"

"How could I be that kind of person?" Ma Wu shook his head. "No matter what business I do, I must uphold basic integrity. After I return, I'll immediately expose this matter and prevent others from being deceived."

Feng Daiku caressed Ma Wu's cheek. "I'll teach you some illusion techniques, Wulang, so that if you encounter similar situations in the future, you can spot them at a glance."

Ma Wu was delighted. It was an incredibly rare opportunity to learn illusion techniques from a local deity.

Feng Daiku poked Ma Wu's forehead. "Letting you always learn skills from me is a bit too cheap for you."

Ma Wu hugged Feng Daiku tightly. "How could I let you suffer a loss? I'll pay tuition!"

Early in the morning, before Qiu's Pharmacy opened, an old funerary cultivator sat early at the entrance, holding his pipe. With his gloomy demeanor, the pharmacy couldn't expect any business all day. Even those who came to buy medicine, to avoid this funerary cultivator, dared not enter Qiu's Pharmacy.

Did this funerary cultivator have nowhere else to go? He had been to other places, but after repeated comparison, he felt this place was the most suitable. The main reason was that this funerary cultivator was of a high level; ordinary people couldn't handle him. Qiu Zhiheng had inquired about him. His name was Yu Heshun, a sixth-level funerary cultivator, who in his lifetime had successively turned eighteen villages into desolate ruins. The villagers couldn't withstand his interference; some died, others left. With the villages deserted, he couldn't cultivate anymore. Forced by circumstances, he had to move constantly. Now that he was old, he truly didn't want to move anymore, so he wanted to find a suitable household to rely on and live comfortably for a few more years.

Not many households could withstand a sixth-level funerary cultivator. For instance, Yu Heshun had once visited the steamed bun shop in Ligou, but the owner was an honest man. An honest man doing honest business couldn't endure too much trouble. Yu Heshun's nasty remarks almost made the steamed bun shop close down; a few more days of harassment, and the owner might have committed suicide.

Qiu Zhiheng was clearly no ordinary person. In Yu Heshun's eyes, someone like him might not die even after ten or eight years of trouble, so this "rice bowl" must be held onto. Of course, if he had heard of Qiu Zhiheng's reputation, he wouldn't have dared to pester him persistently. Enduring him for a while was out of a desire to avoid bad luck, but that didn't mean Qiu Zhiheng would tolerate him indefinitely.

"Old Seven, the Lu Family newspaper business is now yours. You should be familiar with the people from Yaowanggou newspaper, right?"

Li Banfeng replied, "Not close, but I recognize them."

"Recognize them is enough. Invite them over in a bit."

"Brother Qiu? You're not thinking of getting the newspaper to expose this old fellow, are you? He has no sense of shame; doing that would probably be useless."

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "He does know shame, depending on the matter. Wife, prepare a good medicated meal according to this recipe and send it to Yu Heshun."

His wife looked at the prescription, her face reddening. "Can this work? He's so old..."

Qiu Zhiheng replied gravely, "He's old, so he needs to nourish his body. Caoye, stop crying, lend me your two draft donkeys."

At noon, his wife brought a bowl of lean meat porridge to the entrance and handed it to Yu Heshun. "This is for you. Eat it."

Yu Heshun took the porridge, looked at it, and with a grim face, said, "Did you poison the porridge?"

His wife frowned. "How dare you speak like that?"

"What did I say? What did I say? I just asked if there was poison! Why are you getting angry? Are you guilty of something?" Yu Heshun's mouth was like a rapid-fire cannon, unable to stop.

His wife turned and left. Yu Heshun picked up the porridge and ate it ravenously, muttering as he ate, "This porridge is too watery, all liquid and hardly any substance! Clearly not from a generous household! How can they even run a business like this? They can't even spare real ingredients for a bowl of porridge. Such people deserve to be poor their whole lives!"

While eating the porridge, Yu Heshun kept tasting the ingredients, also fearing someone had poisoned it. But his wife truly hadn't poisoned it. She was a high-level food cultivator, an exceptionally good cook, and had made this bowl of porridge with care. Yu Heshun ate every last bit, then smashed the bowl to pieces.

"They don't even let you eat your fill! Clearly, you have ill intentions!" Yu Heshun also spat.

A passerby asked, "You didn't pay them, and they gave you food. Why are you still scolding them?"

"What did I scold? What did I scold him for?" Yu Heshun loudly protested, "I wasn't full in the first place, was I wrong to say so?"

Don't argue with him; even one extra word would be a disadvantage.

A pharmacy assistant came out to dump dirt, and incidentally led two donkeys to Yu Heshun's side. Yu Heshun, with a grim face, said, "What's this for? Are you blind? Can't you see I'm here? Why are you bringing livestock here?" The assistant ignored him and turned back into the pharmacy.

Yu Heshun didn't leave; he sat next to the donkeys. Did they think two donkeys could chase him away? What were they thinking?

Qiu Zhiheng came up behind Yu Heshun and lightly patted him. Yu Heshun turned and cursed, "I'm telling you, don't touch me! Touch me again, and your whole family will die a horrible death!" This was "mournful speech," one of the funerary cultivator techniques. If Qiu Zhiheng touched him again, his family might not die, but they would certainly encounter misfortune.

Qiu Zhiheng raised his hands, shaking his head. "I won't touch you. I just want to give you some money so you can find somewhere else to stay."

"No, I'm not going anywhere! I like staying here, what can you do about it?"

Qiu Zhiheng nodded. This was his last chance for Yu Heshun. His wife's porridge indeed contained no poison, only nourishing herbs. But combined with Qiu Zhiheng's technique, it was a different matter entirely.

Yu Heshun sat at the entrance, smoking another bag of dry tobacco, when he suddenly heard the donkey braying in his ear. "Hee-haw!" Strange, why did this donkey's bray sound so pleasant? Yu Heshun looked up at the donkey, then lowered his head again. "Hee-haw!" The donkey brayed again. Yu Heshun's face turned a little red. It truly was a pleasant sound.

The donkey brayed a third time. Yu Heshun didn't look up, but it seemed... he did look up again. The donkey brayed several more times, and Yu Heshun stood up. What was happening? Yu Heshun felt something major was about to happen to him. No, absolutely not... He wanted to leave.

"Hee-haw!" The donkey brayed again.

Someone unknown had untied the donkey's reins, and the donkey walked towards the intersection of Paifang Street. Yu Heshun left. He followed the donkey. Now, all he could see was the donkey!

When they reached a crowded area, Yu Heshun lost control. The donkey also lost control. He went behind one of the donkeys and engaged in an intimate act with it. Then, the other donkey came up behind him and engaged in a similar intimate act with him.

All the pedestrians were stunned. This was a street intersection! And these were donkeys! Even the reporters from Yaowanggou were dumbfounded.

Li Banfeng, standing by, said, "What are you staring at? Take photos, record it!"

"Ah..." the reporter responded, recording while trying to figure out how to write the news story.