Chapter 40: The Center of the Storm

Qin Mu's eyes widened in astonishment. Could this unassuming Zen staff truly buy down Inlaid Dragon City?

"This Zen staff is named Xi Qi Luo, possessing four strands and twelve rings. It was refined by the Tathagata of Great Thunder Sound Temple. While it can be used to strike, its value is indeed comparable to Inlaid Dragon City."

Ma Ye explained, "However, its greater purpose is for cultivation. Hold the staff, and your heart stirs, causing the rings to tremble. With each tremor of the rings, the杂念 (miscellaneous thoughts) within your heart shall vanish. It is a treasure to dispel心魔 (heart demons). The twelve rings can break twelve kinds of miscellaneous thoughts, eliminating twelve kinds of heart demons. When a heart demon arises, the rings will sound, encircling and trapping the heart demon, refining it to ash. The staff's four strands break the four births, allow recitation of the four noble truths, cultivation of the four dhyanas, and entry into the four meditations. Cultivating with this staff in hand will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Si Po Po's eyes suddenly gleamed, emitting light as she stared at the Zen staff in Qin Mu's hand. With a laugh, she said, "Mu child, lend this Zen staff to Po Po for a moment. A great heart demon resides within Po Po, one that has plagued me for a long time!"

Qin Mu handed the Xi Qi Luo Zen staff to Si Po Po, asking with curiosity, "Po Po, what heart demon resides within you?"

"An old fellow."

Si Po Po sighed, her brows furrowed with worry. "No matter how I refine him, I cannot refine that old fellow to death. I've killed him a thousand times, yet he remains alive, always dwelling in my heart to torment me! This time, if I can rely on the Zen staff to refine him to death, I can finally be at peace."

Qin Mu still didn't know who this old demon head in her heart was, and Si Po Po didn't elaborate. As the Zen staff fell into her hand, it suddenly let out a *huala huala* sound, all twelve rings shaking together, deafening.

Si Po Po's demonic nature erupted. A terrifying, heart-pounding aura diffused from her body, an aura that was utterly unlike her, more akin to another person!

Qin Mu's hair involuntarily stood on end. Another person was actually residing within Si Po Po's body!

Blind man, Ma Ye, Cripple, Pharmacist, Mute, and the others all felt their hair stand on end. They hurriedly retreated a step, this terrifying aura making them feel extremely dangerous!

After a moment, Si Po Po appeared dejected. She returned the Zen staff to Qin Mu, saying, "This thing is useless. It cannot deal with that old demon head. Damn it, why can I not kill him!"

Qin Mu took the Zen staff back, intending to tuck it behind him alongside his bamboo staff. However, the Zen staff was too long, making it impossible to walk if placed behind. He could only hold it in his hand.

"Throw that thing onto the ox cart, you're not a monk," Ma Ye instructed. "Today was a market day, and you passed. You cleared the test. There's no need to fight again from now on. Defeating a disciple of Great Thunder Sound Temple is a great achievement in itself. However, that Ming Xin was not a Tathagata's disciple. He is still far from being a Tathagata's disciple, do you understand?"

Qin Mu casually tossed the extremely valuable Zen staff onto the ox cart and asked curiously, "How strong are the Tathagata's disciples?"

Ma Ye said faintly, "In the past, I was a Tathagata's disciple. When you can defeat me, only then can you be considered a true Overlord Body."

Qin Mu's heart trembled slightly. Every day, when he practiced fist forms with Ma Ye, Ma Ye only used the cultivation of the Spirit Embryo realm. Yet, even so, Qin Mu would still be beaten black and blue.

To think, Ma Ye only had one arm. If both his arms were complete, what kind of terrifying strength would he possess?

Qin Mu knew that he still had a long way to go in the Spirit Embryo realm.

Grandma Temple's market would only end after two days. As evening approached, many people began packing their goods and moving into Grandma Temple. This temple was very vast and guarded by stone statues, making it quite extraordinary. Hiding within here meant the darkness could not encroach, it was a safe place.

Qin Mu drove the ox cart into Grandma Temple. He looked up, only to see the setting sun hanging on the mountaintop, illuminating this part of Heavenly Wolf Palace.

After entering the temple, he finally understood why the map referred to Heavenly Wolf Palace as Grandma Temple. It was because the main hall of this temple enshrined a kind and amiable old woman.

That old woman had kind eyebrows and eyes, like a little old lady from a neighboring village. There was also a hint of shrewdness in her eyes. The carving was very lifelike and vivid.

Qin Mu actually felt that she resembled Si Po Po greatly and looked at her for a couple more moments. However, when he used his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye to look, he was greatly startled.

This kind and amiable old lady actually diffused a terrifying aura. Her divine light formed an extremely tall and massive giant wolf, its head raised in a roaring posture, seemingly wanting to devour the sky!

Besides the main hall, there was also a front hall, two side halls, and beyond that, a vast garden and a pool. However, the garden was devoid of flowers and grass, and the pool had dried up. Beneath the pool were several skeletons.

Qin Mu went over to take a look. They should have been fish bones, but they were very large, about six or seven zhang long. What was strange was that these fish bones actually had a dragon-like skull!

Pharmacist called him back and brought wound medicine to apply to his injuries. On the other side, Blind man and Mute were frying eggs. The Chicken Mother Dragon had laid an egg the size of a coconut and was calling out "keda gekeda."

Within Grandma Temple, other villagers also began making fires and cooking. The sun was setting, and after dinner, they would sleep.

Just then, a young man suddenly ran into the temple from outside, his face full of anxiety. He shouted loudly, "Old midwife! Is there an old midwife here? My wife is about to give birth!"

The people inside the temple all stood up and looked at him, but no one spoke.

Si Po Po stood up, her voice trembling slightly. "This old body has delivered babies in her daily life, my hands are familiar. Can your wife still wait? It's getting dark quickly. If she can wait until tomorrow, this old body can make a trip..."

The young man fell to his knees with a thud and repeatedly kowtowed, crying out, "Cannot wait! Please, old midwife, use your skilled hands to save her! The child is having a difficult birth, the old midwife in the village cannot deliver her!"

Si Po Po looked at the setting sun, showing a difficult expression.

"Save a life! Save a life!"

The young man kowtowed until his forehead bled, crying, "My wife has been pregnant with several children over the years, but they have all perished during delivery, dying as soon as they were born! If this one also goes, my family will be extinct!"

Si Po Po was surprised. "All perished during giving birth?"

The young man nodded repeatedly. Si Po Po said doubtfully, "Since she can get pregnant and deliver, it's impossible for the child to die upon being born. There must be something strange involved. Is your village not far from here?"

"Not far! Only less than twenty li from Grandma Temple!"

Si Po Po glanced at the setting sun and breathed a sigh of relief. "Less than twenty li? You are from Zhang Zhuang Village. Zhang Zhuang Village isn't far, we can arrive before dark. Blind man, Mu child, you two follow me. There's something fishy going on."

Qin Mu was surprised. Si Po Po's temper was usually strange, he hadn't expected her to be so enthusiastic.

The man hurriedly scrambled to his feet and ran wildly towards Zhang Zhuang Village. He must have been a martial artist, his speed very fast, fearing they wouldn't make it in time. Just as he was about to turn back and urge Si Po Po and the others on, he saw Si Po Po and Blind man steadily following behind him. Even that eleven or twelve-year-old boy had caught up.

"Your footsteps are too slow," Blind man said calmly. "Mu child, carry him. Speed up a bit, lest the sun sets."

Qin Mu immediately rushed forward. Without a word, he hoisted the man onto his back and said, "Be careful, I have knives on my back, don't let them cut you."

The man hurriedly said, "Put me down, you won't run fast carrying me..."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly heard whistling wind in his ears. Qin Mu leaped up, soaring out of the mountain forest, carrying him and sprinting wildly with footsteps that seemed to tread on leaves!

The man was shocked. The wind sound in his ears grew louder and louder. He only felt that the footsteps of the boy carrying him were also getting faster and faster. His heart was filled with astonishment: "How did this little brother cultivate? He's much stronger than me!"

As Qin Mu ran wildly, he had a feeling of treading on wind. His heart stirred slightly: "Cripple Grandpa said that when he refined his body, he was in the Spirit Embryo realm and could tread on the wind's tip to walk on wind. If I can find the wind's tip, then I can also tread on wind? But what is the wind's tip?"

As he ran, he had no leisure to ponder deeply. The man behind him was still worried that Si Po Po and the Blind man could keep up. Suddenly, he saw that these two old people were actually sitting cross-legged, following closely behind Qin Mu. These two individuals were actually being carried by the whirlwind Qin Mu was creating with his wild running, their speed no slower than Qin Mu's!

"What kind of body method is this?"

His mind was blank. The sun finally set in the west. Darkness rolled in from the west, covering the sky and earth. Everything was swallowed by darkness.

Qin Mu's speed was extremely fast. He could see Zhang Zhuang Village in the distance and immediately dashed towards it. Just before the darkness could catch up to him, he finally rushed into the village!

Hoo—

Although he stopped, the strong wind behind him still whooshed forward. Si Po Po and Blind man sat calmly in the wind, floating forward more than ten zhang before their legs extended, and they stood steadily on the ground.

Qin Mu was startled, his heart overflowing with joy: "Wind tip, so this is the wind tip!"