Ghost Pot - Chapter 71
At this critical moment, Master Jia used his profound internal strength to guide the reversed true energy back to normal, and the numbness in his hands and feet was gradually subsiding.
"Old nun, I think this guy seems to be going astray in his cultivation," the tall old man said thoughtfully.
"It's not just a little bit of qi deviation, it's a complete qi deviation," the short old man corrected.
"Haha, isn't this a stroke of luck for this humble nun?" The old nun from Emei was overjoyed and led the two of them closer step by step...
At this moment, Master Jia was extremely anxious. He had originally thought that there would be no one to bother him at midnight on the summit of Jade Pillar Peak, and given his superior martial arts skills, he had been careless. He never expected that the old nun from Emei, whom he had driven away several years ago, would return tonight. Alas, man proposes, God disposes...
Jia Shiming simply stopped thinking about it and focused on forcing out the reversed true energy. As long as he could move his hands and feet, he didn't care about a few petty thieves at all.
The old nun from Emei and the others were only a dozen meters away from the boulder, but Master Jia's reverse true energy still had a small portion left. At this moment, they were like lambs to the slaughter, powerless to fight back, and the situation was extremely critical.
"Meow..." The big black cat "Xiao Cui'er" suddenly roared and rushed out to block the old nun of Emei's path.
"Get out of here, you wretched black cat!" the old nun from Emei cursed in a shrill voice, raising her leg to kick him.
"Meow..." The big black cat suddenly leaped into the air, actually darting up the old nun's trouser leg. Its eyes flashed with a sinister green light, and it opened its blood-red maw, aiming to bite at the old nun's neck...
"Watch out, 'coffin cat'!" In the blink of an eye, the tall, thin old man behind the nun leaped forward and blocked her path. With a rip in his chest, a bright red rooster comb suddenly peeked out from his torn clothes. It turned out that he had a large rooster hidden in his arms.
The rooster has a huge scarlet comb as big as a palm, a long and thin beak as hard as steel, two round, bead-like eyes that are blood red, and rust-colored feathers under its chin. This is the famous "Iron Rooster of Maoshan" in the Taoist world, which is known for destroying all evil spirits and is hailed as one of the "Twin Treasures of Maoshan".
"Little Cui'er" was startled and quickly pulled her head back, landing on the ground with a backflip. She stared blankly at the strangely shaped scarlet rooster with its large comb.
The tall, thin old man gently placed the rooster on the ground and said smugly, "Haha, don't panic, old nun. This rooster is just like me, willing to fight evil and exorcise demons for you, even if it means going through fire and water."
The old nun from Emei pursed her lips, gave him a flirtatious glance, and said reproachfully, "Master Mao, you're so sweet-talking..."
At this moment, "Maoshan Iron Rooster" scratched the ground with its two thick and powerful claws, raised its head, shook its huge scarlet comb, and looked at "Little Cui'er" with disdain, looking arrogant.
"Hehe, old nun, don't be afraid. This 'giant eel' of mine is even more willing to slay demons and monsters for you, to do my utmost and die for you." The short old man was not to be outdone. With a "whoosh," he pulled out a live eel from his crotch, as thick as a child's wrist and more than two feet long. This was the "Maoshan Gu Eel," one of the "Twin Treasures of Maoshan," extremely poisonous, and once it bit a person, there was no antidote.
"Mao Er, you're so kind, hehe..." The old nun from Emei smiled, swaying her graceful waist as she laughed.
The large eel, slippery all over, leaped to the ground with a gentle struggle, straightened its dark body, and glanced at the big black cat with its two gray eyes, looking at it disdainfully.
"Little Cui'er" arched its body warily, growling softly in its throat. It knew it had encountered a formidable foe tonight.
"Xiao Cui'er" is a female "coffin-carrying cat." In the Central Plains, black-haired cats have always been considered unlucky, and wherever black cats frequently appear, there are always evil spirits. However, black cats are also spiritual cats because they can see unclean things. Therefore, the ancients used them as cats to ward off evil spirits and protect the home, which is something that cats of other colors cannot do.
The "coffin-carrying cat" is the most bizarre of the black cats. It only gives birth to four kittens per litter, which are naked and hairless. In folk terms, it is called "coffin-carrying cat" because it is a cat carrying a corner of a coffin. Naturally, this is considered unlucky for the owner's family, so they are often killed at birth, and very few survive.
Where did "Little Cui'er" come from? The owner of the house in Tongguan didn't know either. Several years ago, on a full moon night, "Little Cui'er" walked into their home alone. The old woman took pity on the kitten and kept it. In the spring, when the flowers bloomed and the willows sprouted, "Little Cui'er," like other female cats, went into heat and mated with stray male cats on the street. However, the kittens she gave birth to were all "coffin bearers" (cats that would be killed by people). Until a few days ago, she met Nizi, and since then they've been inseparable.
In fact, "Xiao Cui'er" is not an ordinary black cat, but a spirit cat from the navel of Guanzhong.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo..." Under the moonlight, the iron rooster crowed loudly, preparing to launch an attack.
With a "whoosh," the Gu Eel flashed in front of the Iron Rooster, wanting to be the first to fight. Despite being ranked second among the "Twin Treasures of Maoshan," it has never been one to accept being the boss.
This creature, whose origins are unknown, was born in the Penghu Cave of Maoshan Mountain in Jurong, Jiangsu Province. Commonly known as the "yellow eel" or "eel," it is a fish that can breathe through its mouth. As a juvenile, it is female, but after reproducing once, it becomes male—a phenomenon biologists call "sex reversal." Maoshan is a sacred Taoist site, attracting numerous pilgrims. The fish, frogs, turtles, and tortoises they brought to the mountain and released into the ponds of Penghu Cave were all devoured by this giant yellow eel. Later, Mao Er discovered this and captured it, feeding and training it using Maoshan Gu techniques. After several years, it became a highly poisonous living artifact, known as one of the "Twin Treasures of Maoshan," ranking after the Iron Rooster.
The "Iron Rooster of Maoshan" is even more famous. This rooster was raised by a farmer at the foot of Maoshan Mountain. Because it only crowed at midnight every night, and then fell silent after that time, unlike the other roosters in the village that crowed three times, the farmer felt it was an ominous sign and prepared to slaughter it. This matter happened to be discovered by Mao Da, who was greatly intrigued and took the rooster back to the mountain. After observing it for a period of time, he discovered that it had the ability to exorcise evil spirits. Its crowing could not only drive away poisonous insects and evil spirits within a radius of several miles, but even zombies would be terrified by its sound and collapse to the ground. In the following years, Mao Da trained it using Maoshan magic, and it became the guardian rooster of the Qian Yuan Temple in Maoshan, ranking first among the "Two Treasures of Maoshan."
Seeing his Gu-eel rush ahead of the Iron Rooster, Mao Er proudly glanced at the old nun from Emei.
Chapter 105 of the main text
"Old Nun of Emei" was not a real nun; it was merely a nickname. She was originally a renowned qigong healer from the capital. A few years ago, she came to the Five Old Peaks of Yongji and chose the summit of Jade Pillar Peak as her place of practice, frequently traveling back and forth to the capital each year. One day five years ago, Jia Shiming arrived at the summit of Jade Pillar Peak, captivated by the energy of the place. He drove the old nun away, took over her dwelling, and even occupied the small wooden hut, intending to live in seclusion there until the end of his life.
The old nun was no match for Master Jia and could only leave in resentment.
Over the years, she visited famous mountains and finally befriended two Maoshan Taoist priests, the brothers Mao Da and Mao Er. Although the old nun was middle-aged, she was very skilled at flirting and eventually used her beauty to seduce the two brothers, making them wholeheartedly devoted to her. Now that the time was ripe, she summoned Mao Da and Mao Er back to Jade Pillar Peak, determined to fight Jia Shiming and reclaim the territory that rightfully belonged to her.
At this moment, "Little Cui'er" arched her body, her mane stood on end, and she raised one paw in mid-air, ready to pounce.
The "Gu Eel" is extremely poisonous, especially the mucus in its mouth. Mao Er was worried that it might accidentally hurt others, so he made a retractable, tight-mouthed leather bag. He usually hid the Gu Eel inside, stuffing it in his crotch, and it was easy to take it out when needed.
Under the moonlight, the Gu eel slowly opened its small mouth, revealing gleaming white teeth. With a flick of its tongue, a stream of black venom shot towards "Little Cui'er"...
"Little Cui'er" was shocked and quickly rolled on the ground to avoid the venom, looking extremely disheveled.
Seeing that its first attack missed, the Gu Eel turned its head toward the big black cat, preparing to spray continuously. Just then, the Iron Rooster angrily pecked down with a "smack," its steel-hard beak striking the Gu Eel on the head, causing it to see stars and almost faint from the pain.
Enraged, the Gu eel leaped into the air, opened its sharp teeth, and bit down on the iron rooster's thick comb, refusing to let go. The iron rooster roared and desperately shook its head, trying to throw it off, but the Gu eel seized the opportunity to wrap its body around the iron rooster's neck, and the "Twin Treasures of Maoshan" began to fight each other.
At this moment, their respective owners, Mao Da and Mao Er, also blushed, glared at each other, and were on the verge of exchanging blows.
"Bah! Listen to me, you two! We didn't come here today to fight over a woman. That old bastard surnamed Jia is still leisurely enjoying himself, and you two brothers are already starting a fight..." The old nun from Emei was so angry that her face changed drastically, and she shouted angrily.
Both Mao Da and Mao Er blushed and turned to face Master Jia. At the same time, the Gu Eel and the Iron Rooster stopped fighting. A large bump swelled up on the top of the Gu Eel's head, and blood seeped from the Iron Rooster's thick comb.
They finally united in their hatred of the enemy and faced the real foe together.
Knowing she couldn't defeat the combined might of the Iron Rooster and the Gu Eel, the clever cat "Little Cui'er" devised a plan: "capture the king first." She suddenly leaped into the air, pouncing directly at the old nun of Emei, her outstretched paws desperately reaching for her face...
The old nun from Emei turned pale and hurriedly channeled her energy into the Laogong acupoint in her palm, raising her arm to release "external energy" to block the enemy. Unexpectedly, the nimble cat moved extremely fast. Before her internal energy reached her palm, "Little Cui'er's" paw was already in front of her. With a "rip," her gold-rimmed glasses were knocked off, and several bloody marks were left on her nose.
Seeing the situation was dire, the tall old man Mao Da rushed out from the side, his fingers gripping a three-inch-long peach wood sword, and swiftly thrust it into the big black cat's abdomen to save the old nun from her immediate predicament.
Cats react several times faster than humans, and their unique skeletal system gives them agile and nimble movements. When "Little Cui'er" saw the peach wood sword approaching, she swatted it down with her paw. However, Mao Da was a renowned Taoist priest from Maoshan, whose skill was far beyond that of ordinary people. Her paw only deflected the sword's edge, and the peach wood sword, still imbued with Mao Da's true energy, pierced its left abdomen. With a "plop," it pierced through the flesh, grazing the edge of the cat's kidney, and blood gushed out.
"Meow..." The big black cat let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground.
Iron Rooster and Gu Eel were overjoyed and leaped forward, their beaks and venom aimed at "Little Cui'er".
While standing upside down, Nizi caught sight of "Little Cui'er" falling to the ground injured. A sudden panic gripped her, and she opened her mouth to call out, but then felt a burning sensation in her throat. A beam of blood shot out of her mouth like lightning. This was the giant blood flea attacking according to its master's will...
"Cock-a-doodle-doo... quack..." The arrogant rooster suddenly wilted as soon as it crowed, its comb drooping and its whole body trembling as it froze in place, while the Gu eel lay belly up, its body twisted into a ball, emitting painful "squeaks".
In an instant, the giant blood flea completed its mission of attacking the "Twin Treasures of Maoshan," piercing the iron rooster's comb and the slippery body of the gu eel with two needles, planting the "blood curse" inside them.
With a flash of red light, the giant blood flea returned to Nizi's mouth in an instant, its speed as swift as a fleeting glimpse. The old nun from Emei and Mao Da and Mao Er were both focused on Master Jia, so they didn't even notice the appearance of the giant blood flea. Even Master Jia, with his sharp eyes, was concentrating on opening up the meridians and did not notice this sudden change.
"What's wrong? You stingy swindler..." Mao exclaimed in surprise.
"Gu eel, get up!" Mao Er shouted.
During this time, the cat "Little Cui'er" endured the excruciating pain in her abdomen and staggered back to Nizi's side, whimpering as she looked at her.
"Hahaha, I'm fine now." Master Jia suddenly burst into laughter, released his grip on Ni Zi's San Yin Jiao, and leaped up to stand in front of Mao Da and Mao Er. His robes billowed slightly as he activated the Quanzhen School's supreme "Innate Qi Gong"... "Be careful, this old bastard's qi gong is extraordinary!" the old nun from Emei shouted a warning.
Mao Da and Mao Er stood side by side, one holding a three-inch peach wood dagger to ward off evil, and the other holding a mottled bronze mirror to reveal demons. One was tall and the other short, complementing each other perfectly.
Master Jia chuckled dismissively, "Who are you two? Don't you dare to state your names?"
“The leader of Maoshan,” Mao Da said.
"Second Brother Maoshan," Mao Er echoed.
"Hmph, I thought the old nun from Emei had invited some great master to help me, but it turns out they are just two nameless rats from Maoshan in Jurong," Master Jia said disdainfully.
“Brother, that old bastard said you’re a nobody,” Mao Er said to Mao Da.
“Bullshit, he said you’re some nobody,” Mao Da corrected.
"You two are both nameless cowards," Master Jia said with a sneer, thinking to himself, "This old nun from Emei actually found two such idiots; they're both complete fools."
"You two hurry up and get up there..." the old nun from Emei urged angrily from the side.
Mao Dayi brandished his peach wood sword, made a hand seal with his left hand, and chanted, "Six Jia Nine Chapters, Heaven is round and Earth is square."
Mao Er interjected, "The four seasons and five elements: green, red, white, and yellow."
Mao Da: "Taiyi is our teacher, and the sun and moon are our light."
Mao Er: "Yu walked the path to govern, and Chiyou avoided war."
Mao Da and Mao Er chanted in unison: "Azure Dragon flanks the wheel, White Tiger supports the balance. Mars leads the way, dispelling misfortune. The Big Dipper punishes, removing calamity. The five gods guide me, traversing all directions. Those who oppose me will die, those who defy me will perish..."
"Bah! You two are trying to show off your limited skills in front of me, you're simply overestimating yourselves." Master Jia sighed and shook his head.
Mao Da roared, "Demon, take this!" He gripped the peach wood sword with three fingers of his right hand and thrust it straight at Master Jia. The blade was wrapped in an invisible sword aura, which arrived before the sword.
Mao Er also shouted, "You old bastard, prepare to die!" With that, he swung forward, opened his mouth wide, and with a "whoosh," spat out a flame that burned directly at Master Jia.
Master Jia chuckled coldly, then with a flick of his arms, a powerful surge of true energy swept across like a shockwave. Mao Da's peach wood sword was instantly knocked askew by the airflow, and his wrist was nearly twisted. The flames that Mao Er spat out bounced back in an instant, burning off a patch of his beard. He hurriedly slapped the fire out with a series of crackling sounds before finally managing to extinguish it.
The old nun from Emei watched from the side, her heart filled with rage, and shouted, "You two useless pieces of trash!"
Mao Da and Mao Er exchanged a glance, then resolutely bit their tongues, spitting blood onto the peach wood sword and the demon-revealing bronze mirror with two "pfft" sounds. They then lunged forward together. A crimson sword aura suddenly shot from the tip of the peach wood sword, while a faint blue light instantly emanated from the rusty demon-revealing bronze mirror in Mao Er's hand, directed towards Master Jia…
Those who have reached a certain level in their practice know that the blood on the tip of the tongue is the essence of qi and blood, a gateway to trigger the true qi of the whole body. It can instantly increase the practitioner's power tenfold, bringing the potential of the body to its limit, equivalent to all the true qi pouring out. However, this cannot be sustained. Afterwards, the practitioner will be exhausted, lose all internal strength, and will not recover for several months without recuperation.
Mao Da and Mao Er are really going all out for the old nun of Emei.
Chapter 106 of the main text
Master Jia thought to himself, "Hmm, this is more like it. Peach Blood Sword Qi and Soul-Sealing Azure Light are extremely powerful weapons against evil spirits. However, I am the purest Quanzhen Primordial Qi Gong in the world, so I have nothing to fear."
With a soft "hiss," Mao Da's peach-blood sword energy actually pierced through the qi barrier, drilling a small hole in his sleeve. He was secretly surprised, but then he understood the reason. Mao Da had condensed all his true qi into a beam of sword energy. In terms of attacking a certain point, it was naturally stronger than the large area covered by the "innate qi energy". This was the dialectical relationship between point and surface. It seemed that he had underestimated his opponent.
The pale blue light from the bronze mirror shone on the invisible aura surrounding Master Jia. The blue light particles refracted repeatedly within his innate true energy, and his body was now enveloped in a cold, pale blue light...
The qi barrier formed by innate qigong can block an enemy's fists, feet, and weapons, including arrows and other hidden weapons, but it cannot block the penetration of light; at most, it can cause light to bend and refract. Mao Er's demon-revealing bronze mirror is a kind of exorcism tool in Maoshan magic. The blue light it emits can capture evil spirits and some unclean things. However, Master Jia was originally the abbot of Baiyun Temple of Quanzhen Sect, that is, the head of Quanzhen Sect. Naturally, he was not an evil spirit. Therefore, the blue light only had the effect of disturbing his mind and had no major harm to him.
"Well done!" the old nun from Emei urged anxiously from the sidelines. "Just a little more effort and we can take down this old bastard."
Little did they know that Mao Da and Mao Er had already done their best and were about to collapse from exhaustion.
At this moment, Ni Zi had already gotten up and was surprised to find that Master Jia was shrouded in a blue light, and even his face was bluish-green. She was immediately puzzled. She bent down and picked up the big black cat "Xiao Cui'er" and tenderly pressed on its bleeding wound.
The old nun from Emei had been wandering the martial world for many years and was no ordinary person. She could tell that the Mao brothers were already at their limit and it seemed impossible to expect them to kill the old bastard. She had to think of another way, so she turned her attention to the little girl standing on the boulder.
While the old rascal's mind was distracted by the soul-capturing blue light, the old nun from Emei quietly moved towards the giant rock.
Mao Dayi thrust his sword at Master Jia again and again, but the sword energy grew weaker and weaker until it couldn't even penetrate the qi barrier. His body trembled uncontrollably, his true energy was exhausted, and he could no longer stand steadily on his legs...
Mao Er could only hold up the demon-revealing bronze mirror, his true energy continuously leaking out to maintain the energy of the soul-capturing blue light, but it was also slowly waning.
Although the old nun from Emei was not considered a top-tier master in the martial arts world, her skills were still considerable. After taking a few more steps, she leaped into the air and swiftly used a Shaolin Minor Capturing Hand technique to grab at the girl in mid-air...
Nizi was so focused on pressing on "Xiao Cui'er's" bleeding wound that she neglected to take precautions. Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her neck, and the old nun from Emei tightly gripped the Dazhui acupoint on the back of her neck. Her vision went black, and she saw stars.
"Meow..." At this critical moment, "Little Cui'er" roared, enduring the excruciating pain in her abdomen, and with all her might, she grabbed the old nun's hand with her claws, tearing her delicate flesh and splattering blood everywhere.
"Damn it!" The old nun from Emei roared in pain, violently slamming her hand away from the cat's claws. However, the immense force caused Nizi to lose her balance and stumble backward several steps before finally stepping into thin air and falling into the abyss with "Little Cui'er" in her arms...
"Master..." Nizi's shrill scream reached Master Jia's ears. He immediately snapped to attention, turned around, and saw that Nizi was no longer on the boulder. Only a pair of embroidered cloth shoes lay forlornly on the rock, and the old nun from Emei stood there, stunned and bewildered...
Master Jia was struck dumb as if by lightning. He let out a heart-wrenching roar, and with a jerk of his arms, his innate qi surged up like a whirlwind. With two loud thuds, he sent Mao Da and Mao Er flying more than ten feet into the air, where they crashed heavily to the ground, spitting out blood and breaking bones.
Master Jia, as if possessed, rushed towards the boulder, knocking the old nun from Emei to the ground with a single palm strike. He then clung to the edge of the boulder, staring at the bottomless abyss, and cried out in indescribable grief and indignation, "Nizi... Nizi..."