Chapter 123: Mental Contamination (3)

"What? Great Monk, are you trying to trick my master into becoming a monk?" Xiao Ke'ai bristled instantly, waving her fists. In her eyes, the idea of Wuxiang and the others wanting to trap her master in a temple for three to five years was absolute madness.

"Ahem, Masters, is there a faster way? I have a matter that must be completed within three years!" Wu Zui reached out to pull Xiao Ke'ai back, stopping her outburst, and then asked Wuxiang and his companion.

"This is not something that can be rushed. Besides, what could be so important?" Jingqing asked.

Wu Zui felt a surge of hope. Did that mean there was indeed a faster way?

"The World Purge Society held an evil ritual, and I must find a way to undo it!" Wu Zui did not state the reason directly; instead, he produced the black skull that Zhang Meng had been holding as evidence.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the black skull appeared in Wu Zui's hand, its black-crystal-like eyes immediately emitted a dark light, attempting to influence everyone present. Waves of resentment from living spirits instantly dispelled the peaceful atmosphere of the pavilion.

"An ancient ritual!"

"Bartel!"

Wuxiang and Jingqing exclaimed in unison.

They acted simultaneously, their combined energy suppressing the black skull's agitation. As the dark light in the skull's eyes faded, Wuxiang hurriedly said, "Put it away quickly!"

With a flick, the Soul-Questioning Chain coiled around the skull and retracted it into its internal space.

Wuxiang and Jingqing exchanged a heavy look.

"Stay at Bailong Temple for now; I have a way to help you recover in about a year! We have urgent matters to discuss, so you will have to excuse us," Wuxiang said, raising a hand to stop the questioning Jingqing, then turning to address Wu Zui with a grave expression.

Wuxiang then pulled Jingqing away, vanishing from the sight of Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai before Wu Zui could ask for details about the ancient ritual.

Soon, a monk from Bailong Temple led Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai to settle into the guest quarters.

...

Dragged to a small courtyard, Jingqing shook off Wuxiang's hand with a flick of his sleeve. He asked, looking utterly bewildered, "What are you doing? How could you possibly clear away the residual power of an ancient ritual in just one year?"

"With your power and mine, the morning bells and evening drums will be enough to cleanse that black substance within a year," Wuxiang explained calmly.

"Have you lost your mind? If we do that, we will be trapped here for a whole year. Do you have any idea how many ghosts and monsters out there require our containment and suppression?" Daoist Jingqing looked at Wuxiang as if looking at a lunatic.

"Amitabha, have you not realized it yet? The burden of our two lineages' heritage, passed down for years, is destined to fall upon our generation!" Wuxiang, for once, pressed his palms together in a respectful gesture.

"Him?"

Daoist Jingqing immediately looked back toward Wu Zui's direction. Within their domain, they could easily perceive all things without obstruction.

"Since the great upheaval of heaven and earth, there have been no surviving Karma Fire Bodies. Combined with that unique offering from the ancient ritual, I believe he is the final hope for our human race when the great catastrophe arrives! His safety is more important than yours or mine," Wuxiang said slowly, his eyes devoid of sorrow or joy.

"Heaven and earth fall silent, falling forever into darkness. Chaos erupts everywhere, humanity reduced to fodder. Only by hearing of the anomaly can this calamity be solved. The world is perfectly fine right now—where is this silence you speak of? You must be joking!"

Daoist Jingqing muttered to himself, then spoke to Wuxiang with a look of concern.

"Ever since the ancient cataclysm, when heaven and earth forbade spiritual cultivation, there has never been a threat of extinction. But now, ghosts and monsters are rising, strange celestial phenomena are frequent, and both our cultivation levels have broken through to the Seven-Star realm within a single year. These are the signs that great chaos is about to begin!"

Wuxiang did not wish for this to be true either, but as time passed, the various anomalies occurring in the world proved that it was indeed changing. Like a lake with hidden undercurrents, once the surface was disturbed, it would never be calm again.

...

"..." Daoist Jingqing closed his eyes, bowed his head, and remained silent for a long time, seemingly performing secret divinations.

"Very well! It seems we must indeed prepare early. I thought I would be like my predecessors, dying without a chance to chant the mantra I have recited for years. I never expected there would actually be a day to risk everything for the greater good of humanity!" After a long while, Daoist Jingqing finally raised his head.

His face was covered in beads of sweat; the divination had clearly taken a heavy toll on him.

"Everything was destined long ago. It is a pity the Bartel lineage cannot assist us," Wuxiang said, bowing his head to silently recite a sutra.

Daoist Jingqing also wore a look of sorrow, whispering prayers.

Two entirely different yet converging sets of scriptures echoed softly in the courtyard.

...

The next morning.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai, still fast asleep, were jolted awake by the tolling of the Bailong Temple bell.

The sound contained a majestic power, ringing nine times like a sudden enlightenment. As the bells continued to chime, Wu Zui clearly felt a portion of the black substance in his mind detach itself on its own.

A stream of black blood flowed from his nostrils, and that portion of the black substance was expelled from his body.

"Master, you're bleeding!"

Xiao Ke'ai, sleeping in the next room, rushed over. Seeing the black blood, she feared the spiritual corruption in his body was acting up again.

"I'm fine. That's black blood condensed from the spiritual corruption. This bell... it makes one feel so at ease!" Wu Zui said with a smile. Even the anxiety caused by the intrusion of the black substance had faded; the bell seemed to soothe his very soul.

"The bell? Pleasant? Oh, I saw the Great Monk Wuxiang ringing it in the courtyard when I came over! Clang, clang, clang—it was so noisy!" Xiao Ke'ai didn't find the bell pleasant; she found it annoying.

*[Doesn't he know that every beautiful girl uses sleep to protect her skin? How dare he disturb my slumber!]*

"Did I disturb you, Benefactor? My apologies!" Jingqing pushed the door open, having heard Xiao Ke'ai's complaint, and spoke with an apologetic expression.

"It's... it's alright~"

Caught bad-mouthing someone, Xiao Ke'ai couldn't help but stick her tongue out at Wu Zui.

"Master Jingqing, you are up very early," Wu Zui said, trying to smooth things over.

"Not early at all. We have already finished our morning lessons. I figured you would be awake by now, so I started the bell ringing. Otherwise, it should have been struck at the first light of dawn!"

At this moment, Wuxiang walked in. Wu Zui, with a sharp eye, noticed sweat on Wuxiang's temples. Given his Seven-Star cultivation level, even at his age, he wouldn't break a sweat from merely ringing a bell!

"From now on, you must rise early every day—rise when the bell tolls at the Hour of the Rabbit (5–7 AM) and sleep when the drum beats at the Hour of the Rooster (5–7 PM). In about a year, you will be rid of that black spiritual corruption in your mind," Wuxiang said.

After regulating his breathing, the sweat on Wuxiang's brow evaporated.

"Thank you, Masters!" Wu Zui, having guessed the truth, said gratefully to both Wuxiang and Jingqing.

"If you feel any abnormalities in your body, you can find us in the Main Hall during the day. At night, come to our quarters," Wuxiang said, and then he and Jingqing departed.

...

Once they were gone, Xiao Ke'ai peeked at Wu Zui, her eyes darting around.

"Master, a whole year! It's going to be so boring! How about... you continue teaching me martial arts?" Xiao Ke'ai blinked her large eyes, shaking Wu Zui's arm.

"Alright," Wu Zui said, petting her fluffy hair with affection.

He couldn't go out to deal with ghosts and monsters anyway, so taking this time to improve his young apprentice's self-defense skills was the best possible use of his time.

"Yay! I want to learn the Piga Palm, the Sky-Piercing Cannon, and also..."

An excited Xiao Ke'ai dragged Wu Zui toward the courtyard to train. It seemed that for the coming year, Xiao Ke'ai would be staying at Bailong Temple to keep someone company.

...

Meanwhile, Xiao Anguo was staring at a document on his desk, suffering from a splitting headache. It was a formal protest sent over by the American Metropolitan Capital, demanding accountability.

Last night, the monitoring system of the American Metropolitan Capital had been paralyzed for an entire night, and five spiritual detectives had been killed. The impact was enormous. Even if Commander Kaelin resigned to take the blame, it was far from enough to quell the internal turmoil within the capital.

As a top-tier hacker, Xiao Ke'ai had naturally cleaned up her tracks perfectly. Even without the Reaper taking action, the American side couldn't find a shred of evidence against her.

But Wu Zui was different. His conflict with Yi Qiaosi and the other five had not only video evidence but also countless witnesses.

This gave the American Metropolitan Capital the opportunity to make an issue out of it!

"These lunatics who don't understand the times are actually threatening us with war. Do they not know how many more ghosts and monsters would appear if war were to break out now? These blonde idiots!" Xiao Anguo, rarely abandoning his composure, cursed with a livid expression.

"Minister, the other six leaders are waiting for your response," Chu Yun, who was responsible for Xiao Anguo's safety, reminded him from the side.

*Tap, tap, tap.*

Xiao Anguo's index finger tapped lightly on the desk...

"Revoke Wu Zui's status as a spiritual detective. Issue an S-class arrest warrant through the national detective system citing his flight. Set the bounty at 1 RMB, plus a silk banner. Write on it... 'Sino-American Friend'!"

Xiao Anguo stopped tapping and spoke to Chu Yun.

*[A reward of 1 RMB? A 'Sino-American Friend'? Would anyone actually bother to arrest him for that?]*

"Yes!" Chu Yun was shocked by Xiao Anguo's leniency toward Wu Zui and amazed that Wu Zui could command such favor from him.

The 1 RMB bounty was a gesture; the Minister clearly didn't want any idiots actually bringing him in. The silk banner was a warning to those political rivals who opposed him—don't touch Wu Zui. In the current climate, that phrase was equivalent to an accusation of treason.

It could be said that other than losing his status as a spiritual detective, Wu Zui had suffered no other loss. The American Metropolitan Capital had saved face; after all, an arrest warrant had been issued—whether or not he was found was up to fate!

As Chu Yun went to relay the message to the other leaders' operators, Xiao Anguo rubbed his temples, sighing to himself.

*[Can't these two just stop causing trouble for me! My old face is becoming worthless!]*