NCCnovel #159 - Big Black Pot
#159 - Big Black Pot
Zhang Chen’s expression turned somewhat awkward upon hearing this. Xie Lingyun seemed to notice his embarrassment but playfully teased him, “Oh, so you were hiding something from me! You actually had a way to suppress the Great自在Heavenly Demon, but you didn’t tell me earlier, making me worry for nothing. If that Great自在Heavenly Demon hadn’t actively sought you out, were you just going to watch me die?”
She was just teasing, though, and didn’t really suspect Zhang Chen of abandoning her to her fate. After all, they were in the same boat. Zhang Chen was a smart man, and a smart man would never do something foolish.
Zhang Chen smiled wryly, “How could that be? That Great自在Heavenly Demon would never let me go, never tolerate my continued existence. The reason I didn’t act was because, until that very moment, I didn’t have the means to restrain it. It was only after returning and facing a life-or-death crisis that I gained a new understanding of talisman techniques, figuring out new mysteries. But I didn’t know if it would work. I used it as a last resort during that life-or-death moment and was lucky enough to subdue the demon.”
The Soul-Snatching Art was his last trump card and couldn’t be revealed!
Anyway, no one knows his methods, and no one knows the mysteries of Qi refining and immortality. He could directly attribute the mysteries of the Soul-Snatching skill to talisman techniques and Qi refining. Who could doubt him? There was no other Qi refiner in this world besides him. Who would know if he was telling the truth or not?
“How do you want me to thank you?” Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen with her eyes.
Zhang Chen smiled wryly, “Being able to survive is already a blessing. How can I deserve the noble’s thanks?”
Xie Lingyun didn’t think so. “I offered you an official position, but you refused. You don’t care for gold and silver treasures either. In that case… there is a book on talismans in the Bureau of Inspections. I can authorize you to borrow it for a month to study.”
“Thank you, Madam.” Zhang Chen was overjoyed and respectfully bowed to Xie Lingyun.
“Don’t be so polite. You saved my life. There’s no need to be so formal in the future,” Xie Lingyun said softly.
If the previous Xie Lingyun was aloof and unapproachable, then the current Xie Lingyun was amiable and approachable, focusing on being friendly and lovable.
“Noble Lady, now that your evil thoughts have been sealed, what should we do next?” Zhang Chen looked at Xie Lingyun, feeling that this wasn’t a solution and that a way to resolve it had to be found.
“I think it’s quite good. This is a peculiar state. Without the five poisons in my heart and without the arising of evil, my cultivation speed seems to have increased. Tonight, I will break through the Corporeal Inhabitation stage. Within half a year, I will definitely break through the Manifestation stage. Within a year, I will definitely break through the Body Seizure stage. Within five years, I will definitely attain the Yin Divinity. My mental state is very peculiar right now, and cultivation is as if I have divine assistance,” Xie Lingyun said with a strange look in her eyes, never expecting that losing negative emotions would have such benefits.
Hearing Xie Lingyun’s words, Zhang Chen was stunned. A thought popped into his head: “Could it be that Xie Lingyun gained a buff because she lost her negative emotions?”
A good person gets a reward cheat?
“The Dao of Heaven is impermanent, and always favors the virtuous,” Zhang Chen was inexplicably touched.
Xie Lingyun looked at Zhang Chen, then at the jar sealing the Great自在Heavenly Demon. “I need to go back. I’ll leave the Heavenly Demon to you to watch over. I’ll come to the Daoist temple to see you every seven days. In seven days, I’ll bring you the talisman book.”
Having survived the ordeal, Xie Lingyun’s words were filled with irrepressible joy as she walked out the door.
“Wait, there’s another trouble you mustn’t forget!”
Zhang Chen called out to Xie Lingyun, referring to the vengeful ghost transformed from the woman who died unjustly. Because she had obtained the fortune of the Great自在Heavenly Demon, she had become a force to be reckoned with, equivalent to an incarnation of the Great自在Heavenly Demon.
However, it should be emphasized that an incarnation of the Great自在Heavenly Demon is not the same as Xie Lingyun’s inner demon.
One person can only have one Heavenly Demon, or rather, one person can only have one inner demon. But the Great自在Heavenly Demon is entrusted to all living beings and can have countless incarnations!
“Leave it to me. A mere little ghost is no match for me! As long as that vengeful ghost is killed, the Great自在Heavenly Demon will lose its foundation, and the incarnation of the demonic seed will naturally dissipate,” Xie Lingyun’s voice came from outside the door, and she had already disappeared.
Zhang Chen relaxed and looked at the jar. “I wonder if I can get any skills from this Great自在Heavenly Demon.”
The abilities of this Great自在Heavenly Demon were a bit heaven-defying. Skill one: Entrustment to the mind, immortality. Skill two: Invisible and formless.
Regardless of which skill he obtained, it would be heaven-defying.
Zhang Chen looked at the Great自在Heavenly Demon in the jar, pondering. The next moment, he saw golden light shooting out from his hand, reinforcing the barrier of the jar. The Great自在Heavenly Demon inside the jar touched the barrier and immediately grimaced in pain, screaming, “Boy, you’ve already sealed me, why are you still torturing me? This is mistreatment of a prisoner. Isn’t it too immoral?”
The Great自在Heavenly Demon screamed in pain, but Zhang Chen ignored it and continued to apply the golden light. After about thirty breaths, Zhang Chen saw that the Heavenly Demon’s screams were getting softer and its aura was getting weaker, so he had to stop. “Strange, why didn’t any skills drop? Where’s the problem?”
Zhang Chen felt that something was not right. Why weren’t any skills dropping?
“There will be plenty of time to study it later. I’ll go to sleep for now,” Zhang Chen muttered, heading straight for the bed. “If I could explode out a True Dragon skill again, turning this Great自在Heavenly Demon into my skill, that would be great.”
Little Bean noticed Zhang Chen’s arrival and instinctively clung to him like a koala. Because Little Bean had been drinking medicinal soup these past few days, he was sleeping very deeply. Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun’s commotion earlier hadn’t even woken him up.
The next day, just as dawn broke,
The elders counted the number of people and found that no one had died last night. Moreover, Wu Changming had also entered the Yellow Dawn Temple with the disappearance of the illusion. The entire Daoist temple was overjoyed, and the disciples celebrated their escape from disaster.
The disciples gathered in the square. Zhang Chen hid in the crowd, quietly observing Wu Changming. He saw a black aura flowing around Wu Changming, clearly already infected by the Heavenly Demon and rooted in his mind.
Wu Changming wasn’t stupid either and had already noticed something. He had a gloomy face. After counting the number of people and seeing Xie Lingyun off, Wu Changming disappeared from the Daoist temple.
“The Divine Path is simply a natural breeding ground for Heavenly Demons, most suitable for parasitism,” Zhang Chen sighed inwardly, but he couldn’t stop it.
He couldn’t stop the Yellow Heaven Dao from spreading its teachings, nor could he stop the Heavenly Demon from possessing people.
He was able to pull the Heavenly Demon out yesterday because the Heavenly Demon had just possessed Xie Lingyun and hadn’t completed its seven-day resurrection.
As everything returned to normal, the Taoist temple regained its tranquility, all disturbances vanished without a trace, and a moment of serenity seemed to descend.
Zhang Chen's days returned to their usual pattern, focusing on Qi cultivation or teasing the little bean sprout.
"It's been a while since I visited Mr. Chen. I was busy trying to survive before, but now I should seek his wisdom." Zhang Chen transformed into a wisp of mist and disappeared into the forest, drifting several miles away from the Taoist temple before turning into a vampire bat and flapping his wings.
When it came to speed, mist was no match for the flying speed of a vampire bat.
When Zhang Chen reappeared in Da Liang City, in Wangjia Lane, he sensed something was amiss, as the entire lane was guarded by soldiers.
However, the soldiers were all bruised and battered, looking rather disheveled.
"Strange." Zhang Chen looked at the soldiers guarding the entrance, a hint of astonishment in his eyes, but he still approached with gifts in hand.
"Halt, who goes there?"
As Zhang Chen approached the entrance, a guard reached out to block his path.
"I am Zhang Xiaohua." Zhang Chen quickly bowed and took a piece of silver from his sleeve, handing it over. Sensing something was wrong, he simply used a false name.
The guard's face lit up with a flattering smile upon seeing the silver, and he respectfully asked, "Are you here to see the Confucian scholar?"
Zhang Chen was surprised but calmly replied, "Indeed, I ask for your kind consideration."
"You honor me with such a title. Please, enter." The guard seemed to consider Zhang Chen a distinguished guest and was not surprised by his arrival. Many people had come to visit in recent days, all of them nobles. Although his superiors ordered him to block the lane, how could he stop nobles?
Those nobles all had terrible tempers. If he dared to block their way, they would beat him without hesitation, and he couldn't retaliate. It was incredibly frustrating. After being beaten several times, he learned from experience and simply made a show of asking for the visitor's name before letting them pass.
Zhang Chen entered the lane and arrived at his master's door, finding it ajar. He pushed it open and walked in.
However, upon entering, he was stunned by the dilapidated state of the courtyard.
The courtyard was a mess, with broken pottery scattered everywhere, looking utterly chaotic.
His master sat under the big tree, hair unkempt and face unwashed, legs crossed without any ladylike demeanor, holding a teapot and staring at the old tree, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the sound of reading emanated from the house. Zhang Chen recognized the voice as belonging to the down-on-his-luck nobleman, Chai Chuanxin.
Seeing the courtyard, which appeared to have been ransacked by bandits, Zhang Chen quickly entered and approached Han Suzhen. "Master, what... what happened? Did you encounter some misfortune?"
Han Suzhen was taken aback upon seeing Zhang Chen, then quickly straightened up, put down the teapot, and let out a long sigh. "I thought you wouldn't come back."
Zhang Chen was puzzled by her words and asked, "Once a teacher, always a teacher. How could I not visit you, Master?"
Han Suzhen looked Zhang Chen up and down for a moment, then sighed and slumped back onto the stool. "You shouldn't have come."
"What happened?" Zhang Chen stepped forward and placed the seven paper packages on the table, his eyes filled with surprise as he looked at Han Suzhen.
Han Suzhen had completely abandoned her dignified teacherly persona and acted like a hoodlum. "You're no ordinary person, kid. Your apprenticeship gifts are going to be the death of me."
As Zhang Chen looked on in bewilderment, Han Suzhen recounted the events. It turned out that Zhang Chen's instructions to the fox spirit to steal gold and silver had led to a city-wide lockdown.
Han Suzhen's lavish spending of the gold, silver, and jewels sent by Zhang Chen had immediately caught the attention of the authorities and aroused their suspicions.
The Chen couple had been under surveillance in the Northern Lands. Seeing them suddenly go from rags to riches naturally raised suspicion.
A large group of officers searched their home. The Chen couple explained that the items were Zhang Chen's apprenticeship gifts, but after a brief investigation, the authorities discovered Zhang Chen's impoverished background. A poor, penniless boy like Zhang Chen could not possibly have such wealth to offer as an apprenticeship gift. Most importantly, a victim identified the origin of a pearl among the gifts, and the authorities immediately deemed the apprenticeship gifts as stolen goods.
The blame was then placed on the Chen couple.
They were told to either find Zhang Chen and clear their names through a confrontation, or the Chen couple would have to take the blame.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen looked at Han Suzhen, who was lounging lazily on the reclining chair, recounting the events as if they were unrelated to her. A wry smile appeared on his face, and he knelt before Han Suzhen. "It's all my fault. I've dragged you into this, Master."
Han Suzhen glanced at Zhang Chen, her legs crossed, looking very much like a young delinquent. "Don't you have something to tell me?"
Zhang Chen smiled wryly. "All the jewels were stolen by me. Master, just hand me over. I will never cause you any trouble."
"Come here." Han Suzhen beckoned to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen crawled over to Han Suzhen, whose eyes showed curiosity. "What I'm curious about is how you managed to steal jewels from the county government, and from so many wealthy families in one night, without leaving a single clue?"
Zhang Chen smiled wryly and pondered for a moment. "Extraordinary people must use extraordinary methods. Rest assured, I will never implicate you, and I will find a way to clear your name."
"No need. It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning. Just hide yourself well and don't let them find you." Han Suzhen said lazily, "With my status, they wouldn't dare try to smear me with such a small amount of gold and silver."
"If it's not difficult, why are there soldiers guarding the outside?" Zhang Chen asked.
"That's because the soldiers found Chen Sanliang's manuscript during the search, which caused trouble." Han Suzhen said.
Zhang Chen was stunned and looked at Han Suzhen in surprise, wondering what trouble the manuscript could cause. Could it be that it contained some forbidden content?
Han Suzhen smiled wryly. "This goes back to Chen Sanliang's debate with the Confucian scholars back then."