Preguntando sobre canciones de amor

Capítulo 12

It's no exaggeration to say that Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism share a common lineage. The bald young man's walking speed was exactly the same as Qi Zijun's (a Tibetan Buddhist monk). The bald young man walked to Zhou Qiang's table, nodded and smiled at everyone, then sat down opposite Qi Zijun. Qi Zijun, without even opening his eyes, smiled and said, "Junior Brother Youlong, you've arrived." The bald young man replied, "Yes, Senior Brother Zijun, how have you been?" Then neither of them spoke again, both closing their eyes as if they were asleep.

Meng Linglang glanced at everyone present and nodded, then said to the crow in his hand, "Go and fetch Master." The crow flapped its wings and flew into the back hall. Suddenly, a scent wafted from afar. Zhou Qiang sniffed hard and asked everyone, "Can you smell a corpse's aura?" Xie Qifeng nodded repeatedly and said, "Senior brother, I smell it too." The group couldn't help but stare at the inn's entrance.

As everyone expected, a tall, robust young man walked in, much more imposing than Xie Qifeng. He was dressed casually, carrying a wooden box about a meter high on his back, which jingled as he walked. Just as Meng Linglang was about to speak, the young man said, "My name is Wei Tianba, from the Xiangxi Corpse-Driving Clan. I've come here today specifically for a martial arts contest." He then took a crow from an embroidered pouch and tossed it to Meng Linglang. "Take your crow." The young man's voice was slightly hoarse, but not grating; it was a voice that would be unforgettable. Wei Tianba found a chair and sat down, placing the wooden box on another chair.

Zhou Qiang and the others turned around and saw that Meng Linglang was gone. Just as they were wondering what was going on, they saw Meng Linglang carrying a long table and three armchairs, which were neatly arranged on the high platform opposite the arena. Meng Linglang called out to the inside, "Master, it's all set up. You can come out now."

A moment later, three old men emerged from the back room. They each took their places, and the slightly plump old man in the middle said, “Everyone’s here! Let me introduce myself. My name is Xia Zhenqiang, Xia as in summer, Zhen as in revitalizing China, and Qiang as in self-improvement. I am the judge for this competition. The two beside me are my old friends,” he said, pointing to the masked old man on his left, “This is my old friend, Wax Man Xue.” He then pointed to the gaunt old man on his right, “This is the Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai.”

Old Man Xia Zhenqiang paused here, then called Meng Linglang to his side and whispered a few words. Meng Linglang ran to the inn's entrance when suddenly a man rushed in. The man, who looked to be in his fifties, carried a large knife on his back. He was heavily pregnant, panting heavily, and said breathlessly, "My goodness, I've finally made it!" The man smiled at everyone, walked up to Old Man Xia Zhenqiang, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Greetings, Master. I've come for a martial arts contest. I am Wu Laosan, the executioner from Shandong."

Old Man Xia stroked his long white beard and said, "Although I didn't invite you, since you're here, please find a place to sit." The man thanked him and sat down next to Wei Tianba. Old Man Xia gave Meng Linglang a wink, signaling him to close the door.

Old Man Xia continued, "I believe your masters have already told you the purpose of this competition." The people below nodded repeatedly. "That's right. Besides competing for the top spot in the supernatural world, I will also tell the winner a secret of a treasure." A murmur rippled through the crowd. Zhou Qiang thought to himself, "My master never mentioned any treasure. Could it be that this old man added it himself?"

Old Man Xia's eyes were fixed on the inn's entrance again. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he plucked a long hair from his beard, throwing it towards the door. The hair, like a sharp embroidery needle, pierced through the door panel. A dark figure dodged past it. Old Man Xia put his hands behind his back and said leisurely, "Since you're here, why are you sneaking around and not coming in?" The dark figure heard this at the door, opened it, and walked in.

Everyone present, including the three elderly people on the stage, was dumbfounded when he walked in. This was clearly a foreigner! The man strode up to Elder Xia and said in broken, grating Chinese, "Hello, I'm an exchange student from America. I have a deep interest in ancient Chinese culture. Not long ago, during a field trip, we rescued an injured crow and found a letter tied to its leg. I opened it, glanced at it, healed it, and released it. I saw what was inside, so I came here. I also want to have a duel."

The masked old man, Xue, chuckled and said, "Child, this isn't some simple, fancy-sounding fight. I think you should go back. Otherwise, you might scare yourself to death here." The foreign youth laughed, revealing his four long, thin canine teeth. "A zombie?!" The masked old man, Xue, had lived for many years; how could he know that vampires existed in foreign countries? After speaking, Old Man Xue stood up, but the Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai stopped him, saying, "Hey, Old Xue. Foreigners are different from us Chinese. Have you ever seen a zombie talk and walk? If he wants to fight, let him be." He then looked up at Old Man Xia for his opinion. Old Man Xia waved his hand, gesturing for the foreign youth to sit down.

The foreign youth was overjoyed and greeted Zhou Qiang and his group, "Hello everyone, my name is Mike. Please take care of me." Zhou Qiang stood up and greeted him in return, but Xie Qifeng pulled him back and whispered, "Senior brother, can you spare me some face? You've completely disgraced the Qi Yi Sect. Look, besides you, who else is greeting that foreigner? Be more discreet, okay?" Zhou Qiang habitually scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

Meng Linglang whispered something in Old Man Xia's ear, and Old Man Xia said sternly, "Who didn't bring back my crows? How come two are missing?" Upon hearing this, Xie Qifeng and Zhou Qiang clutched their stomachs, their heads almost disappearing under the table. Qin Shuang rolled her eyes at the two of them and said, "Useless! A grown man can't even take responsibility." Saying this, she stood up and said to Old Man Xia, "Master, the crows you sent flew to the Gu Technique Sect, but I was in Hebei at the time, so I didn't receive them."

"Oh? How did you find out about this?" Old Man Xia pressed on, afraid of making a mistake. Qin Shuang pointed to Xie Qifeng and Zhou Qiang, who were slumped over the table, and said, "I was at the Qi Yi Sect at the time, so I found out about this. And your crow was eaten by the three masters and disciples of the Qi Yi Sect." Zhou Qiang realized something was terribly wrong. Qin Shuang, oh Qin Shuang, how could you betray us all at such a crucial moment? Not only did you betray the two of us, but you even betrayed your master.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Qiang stood up, his face flushed, and said, "That's right, I ate it. It has nothing to do with my master, Mr. Le Shui!" Without caring whether Qin Shuang was still cold, he angrily took the green cotton-padded jacket from her shoulder and put it on himself. Oh? The three old men on the stage stared at Zhou Qiang with eyes gleaming green, like weasels seeing a chicken. Old Man Xia, far from being angry, instead called Zhou Qiang over.

"You say you're Le Shui's disciple?" The three elders nodded approvingly. "That's right. People from the Qi Yi Sect all have a problem: they protect their master's reputation. You're quite similar to your master in that respect." As they spoke, they touched Zhou Qiang's green cotton-padded jacket. "Hey, it's still the same clothes from sixty years ago. Only the outer layer has been changed; the lining is still the same old thing. Your master wore this jacket back then. Le Shui probably hasn't washed it in sixty years." The three elders laughed as they spoke.

Zhou Qiang had a peculiar habit: he didn't care what anyone said about him, but he absolutely forbade anyone to speak ill of his close relatives or friends. Enraged, Zhou Qiang roared, "Don't you dare talk about my master!" He then glared fiercely at the three old men, his purple aura spreading from the top of his head.

Old Man Xia and the others weren't angry at all; instead, they laughed even louder, because in their eyes, this kid was just like Le Shui back then. The Ghost Doctor quickly tried to smooth things over, "Kid, don't be angry. We're all on good terms with your master. We were just joking around." Zhou Qiang snorted and walked back to his seat without looking back. Watching Zhou Qiang's retreating figure, the three old men couldn't help but mutter, "He looks just like his master."

Xie Qifeng overheard Zhou Qiang's conversation with the old man. Once Zhou Qiang was seated, Xie Qifeng spoke up: "Senior brother, what do you suggest? Should we two brothers wipe out everyone here?" As he finished speaking, Xie Qifeng's blood boiled, and a chilling aura emanated from him. This did not escape the notice of the three old men. Old Man Xia stroked his long beard and whispered to the two beside him, "Tianyin Star has also arrived. The Qi Yi Sect is truly remarkable. To have Le Shui and Le Xi, these two kids, ruled the supernatural world for sixty years and still manage to find Seven Lives Purple Auspiciousness and Tianyin Star is truly extraordinary. It seems they have a chance to retain their title in this competition." Ghost Doctor and Wax Man Xue smiled and said, "This is going to be a good show." ========================================================================================= Chapter Seven: Qi Yi vs. Black Magic - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

Old Man Xia glanced at the sky outside, then waved his hands, and the two wooden doors of the inn closed automatically. Immediately afterward, Meng Linglang appeared carrying a small wooden box, which looked exactly like the ones used in a lottery. Old Man Xia stroked his beard and said, "There are eight slips of paper inside, each labeled with one of the eight trigrams: Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, and Kun. Because I only invited seven sects." As he spoke, Old Man Xia's eyes flickered to Wu Laosan and Mike, "You two came uninvited, so let's have the fifth match then. Any objections?" Wu Laosan and Mike nodded repeatedly, indicating they had no objections.

Meng Linglang handed the box to the group, smiling, and said, "Eight of you, each draw one slip." After everyone received their slips, Old Man Xia spoke up: "Please, the two with slips numbered 'Qian' and 'Dui', come up and fight first." Zhou Qiang opened his slip and saw that it read "Xun" (巽) and 'Wu' (五), and breathed a sigh of relief. "Senior brother, I'll go first. You all watch," Xie Qifeng said to Zhou Qiang with a smile, completely unconcerned. He then stood up, walked to the arena, and held up the slip that read "Qian."

Suddenly, a beautiful figure walked up to Xie Qifeng. This person was none other than Qian Qiuyue, the successor of the sorcery master. Qian Qiuyue walked onto the arena carrying a package in one hand and a note in the other. The three old men in the audience nodded in agreement. Old Man Xia stood up and said, "The first match at midnight is Qi Yi versus Jiang Tou. Let's begin." A gust of cold wind howled past, and Meng Linglang, without anyone noticing, had already filled more than ten sets of tables and chairs on the left with paper tea sets. Zhou Qiang activated his Heavenly Eye and looked closely. The empty seats on the left were filled with all sorts of wild ghosts. Some had white, green, and blue faces; some were missing arms, legs, or bodies. They were truly a motley crew of bizarre and varied creatures. Zhou Qiang didn't dare to look any longer and turned his head to look at the arena.

On the ring, Xie Qifeng and Qian Qiuyue stood three meters apart—a rule and a set pattern. Xie Qifeng, still leisurely tossing his bangs, smiled and said, "Beautiful lady, I'll go easy on you." Qian Qiuyue crouched down, unzipping a package as she said, "I won't go easy on you." She then pulled a blood-soaked head from the package, startling Xie Qifeng. Trembling, Xie Qifeng asked, "Whose head is this? How could you be so cruel?" Qian Qiuyue sneered, "Hmph, this is none of your business. Take this!"

Having said that, Qian Qiuyue cradled the head in one hand, and a broken jade slipped from the sleeve of her other hand. She drew a circle in the air with the jade and forcefully stuffed it into the head's ear. The head suddenly opened its eyes, staring at Xie Qifeng with a shrill laugh. The broken jade Qian Qiuyue had given the head was the Soul-Locking Jade from a form of black magic. Black magic contains evil techniques that can torment a person to death. Once a person is killed, they will inevitably become a vengeful ghost and return for revenge. Therefore, the black magic sect developed a method to lock the ghost. After killing someone, they would cast a spell to summon the deceased's ghost, at which time the ghost's resentment was at its weakest. Then, they would try to separate the ghost's soul from its spirit, just as they would separate a person's head from their body. The black magic sect would seal the deceased's three souls in a jar and lock the deceased's seven spirits in the jade. This served two purposes: first, to prevent the vengeful ghost from seeking revenge; and second, to use the Soul-Locking Jade on the corpse for their own purposes. Qian Qiuyue originally intended to bring a dead body, but then she thought that although a corpse could walk, the stench of its body would attract attention, so she decided to use a head instead.

Xie Qifeng was no pushover either. Seeing Qian Qiuyue take out the head, he knew she was serious. So Xie Qifeng took off his coat, revealing his Evil-Repelling Armor. Then he took out three incense sticks from his backpack, placed them in their designated positions, and used the Yin-Gathering Technique. At this moment, Xie Qifeng's face and entire body turned deathly pale, no less so than the disgusting head.

Qian Qiuyue withdrew her arm, and the head actually stood upright in mid-air—truly unbelievable. Before Xie Qifeng could attack, the head had already flown towards him. Xie Qifeng raised his arm, and with a "smack," his palm struck the head's face, sending it flying back. Qian Qiuyue sneered, "I thought the Qi Yi Sect would be so powerful. This head has been soaking in poison for years; didn't you notice it was poisoned?" She then chuckled.

Xie Qifeng glanced at his palm and saw that it was covered in green blisters. He quickly wiped them away with his sleeve. The Yin Gathering Technique caused the caster to develop a layer of dead skin, which was used to protect against external attacks. By this time, the dead skin and poisonous blisters on Xie Qifeng's palm had fallen to the ground. Before Xie Qifeng could finish, the poisonous head flew over again. This time, Xie Qifeng dared not be careless and immediately took out his magic weapon, the Kongming Fan. He still vividly remembered the words on the walls of the tomb: "One fan brings wind, two fans bring rain, three fans bring thunder, four fans bring hail to the city, five fans bring floods to Jinshan Temple, and six fans bring the collapse of heaven and earth."

On the judging panel, the wax figure of Xue Qian leaned forward and exclaimed in surprise, "The Kongming Fan! Is it real?" Old Man Xia quickly pulled him back to his seat and said, "Don't make a fuss. Even if it's real, it belongs to someone else." As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Xie Qifeng, thinking to himself how many secrets the Qi Yi School still held that we didn't know.

Before the head could even get close, Xie Qifeng flicked his fan, and with his own yin energy, the Kongming Fan unleashed a strong gust of yin wind, forcing everyone present to cover their eyes, mouths, and noses. When they looked again, the head had already rolled to Qian Qiuyue's feet. The head opened its mouth viciously, expressing its unwillingness. Qian Qiuyue flicked her high heel, and the head flew over again. This time, the head's mouth was open, spewing out gray poisonous water that dripped onto the wooden floor of the arena with a hissing sound.

Xie Qifeng didn't even dodge. He casually swung his fan, and the head rolled to the ground, its sharp teeth gripping the floor tightly. The venom it spat out splashed onto the opposite wall, emitting a foul stench. Before the head could fly up again, Xie Qifeng rushed forward and stomped on its head. He raised his Kongming Fan high and fanned it three times forcefully. A dark cloud formed on the rooftop. In the blink of an eye, Xie Qifeng dodged, and a bolt of lightning struck the head. With a loud 'bang,' the entire head exploded, leaving no trace.

The half-finished Soul-Locking Jade Bone rolled to Qian Qiuyue's feet, making her grit her teeth and stomp her feet in anger. Xie Qifeng looked at Qian Qiuyue provocatively and said, "Bring on any other methods you have!" Zhou Qiang, watching from below the stage, stood up, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly, "Junior brother, well done!" Strange glances came from all around. Qin Shuang couldn't stand it any longer and shoved Zhou Qiang down.

Qian Qiuyue sneered, "Don't be too happy yet. Look at this!" She gestured with her long fingernails. Xie Qifeng glanced at it, then at the scratches on his hand, and understood. The blood on Qian Qiuyue's fingernails was from their handshake when they met. During the handshake, she had subtly scratched Xie Qifeng's palm with her fingernail. Don't underestimate this small gesture; breaking the stratum corneum without touching the nerve cortex is not easy. Of course, for a seasoned practitioner of black magic, it was still quite simple.

Qian Qiuyue took out a small straw doll from behind her back and then smeared the blood from under her fingernails onto it. "See this? This is you! I'm going to torment you to death!" With that, Qian Qiuyue pulled an embroidery needle from under her tongue and stuck it into the straw doll's right leg. Xie Qifeng screamed, his right leg collapsing to his knees. Qian Qiuyue sneered twice and said, "I told you to kneel down, now it's your left leg." She then stuck the needle into the straw doll's left leg. This time, however, Xie Qifeng didn't scream. Instead, he gazed at Qian Qiuyue tenderly, raised an arm towards her, and said, "Marry me."

Qian Qiuyue panicked and took two steps back. How could this be? It was clearly Xie Qifeng's blood, so why didn't he feel any pain? Was he faking it? Just then, Zhou Qiang shouted from below the stage, "Junior brother, stop pretending. Get up!" Xie Qifeng rolled his eyes at Zhou Qiang, as if Zhou Qiang had ruined a good show. Qian Qiuyue watched curiously as Xie Qifeng stood up. Xie Qifeng slowly took out a paper figure with his birth date and time written on it from his pocket. There was a hole in each of the paper figure's legs, just like the straw figure in Qian Qiuyue's hand. This was the substitute paper figure that Old Man Le Shui had given to Xie Qifeng.

Xie Qifeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief; if it weren't for Old Man Le Shui's paper figure, he would probably be a cripple by now. Looking at Qian Qiuyue, she was standing dumbfounded on the stage, unsure what to do. Fearing Qian Qiuyue might resort to some trick again, Xie Qifeng stepped forward and punched her, knocking her unconscious. Zhou Qiang shouted from below, "Junior brother, quickly use the Dream Transformation Technique!" Xie Qifeng nodded to Zhou Qiang and turned to reverse the positions of the three incense sticks. Previously, when Le Shui Po used the Dream Transformation Technique, someone needed to hold the Qi Transformation Diagram to protect her.

Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng had developed a new Dream-Calming Soul-Returning Technique. It involved using a single stick of incense to draw the soul back, a second stick as a time-based incense, and the caster could adjust the timing of the soul's return by controlling the length of the incense sticks. The third stick was a life-saving incense; as long as this incense burned continuously, the soul could remain alive. On the arena, only Xie Qifeng and the unconscious Qian Qiuyue were present, so there was no outside interference when using this Dream-Calming Technique. Xie Qifeng chanted the incantation and then collapsed to the ground.

In his dream, Xie Qifeng found himself in an alley. He needed to find Qian Qiuyue and defeat her in the dream. Suddenly, Xie Qifeng heard crying coming from inside the courtyard. He found the door of the house and saw a woman in her thirties running out of the house crying and walking away. Immediately after her, a little girl of about four or five years old ran out, chasing after the woman and crying for her mother, but the woman was already far away. Just as Xie Qifeng was about to go forward to comfort the little girl, he saw a lewd-looking man in his thirties run out of the house and carry the little girl back inside.

Xie Qifeng, still uneasy, waited at the door for a while. He heard a woman's moans coming from inside. A moment later, the door opened, and a lewd man emerged, his arm around a flamboyantly dressed woman. The little girl followed closely behind, asking, "Daddy, where's Mommy?" The lewd man turned and said, "Get home." He then kicked the little girl, who fell to the ground, crying uncontrollably as she watched the lewd man and the woman walk away.

A short while later, a stern-looking old man in his fifties passed by. He helped the little girl up and said, "Child, come with me. After you've learned your martial arts, come back and we'll deal with them. You won't be bullied anymore." The girl stopped crying and smiled at the sunny-faced middle-aged man. Xie Qifeng wanted to shout, but he couldn't utter a sound. He took a step forward but fell to the ground.

When he looked up, he saw a completely different scene. A girl, presumably around twenty years old, entered the house. Xie Qifeng recognized her immediately—it was Qian Qiuyue! Then, a woman's scream came from inside. Xie Qifeng ran into the courtyard and peered through the window. He saw the little girl cut off the woman's head and say to the man beside her, "I won't kill you, because you are my father. You were unfaithful to my mother and deserve punishment." With that, she tore off a leg from the straw doll she was holding. The man inside screamed in agony. The girl wrapped the woman's head in a bundle and left. Xie Qifeng was about to stop her when the girl stopped, looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and cried out to the sky, "Mother, where are you? I miss you so much. I have avenged you."

Xie Qifeng embraced Qian Qiuyue from the front, and Qian Qiuyue quickly moved away, asking, "Who are you? Why are you holding me? I have no family!" Xie Qifeng said leisurely, "I am your husband?" Qian Qiuyue asked in confusion, "Husband?"

At this crucial moment, the incense burned out. Xie Qifeng got up from the ground, picked up the still unconscious Qian Qiuyue, and walked off the stage. The audience was completely silent, not because Xie Qifeng's actions had left them speechless, but because no one had any idea how Xie Qifeng had defeated Qian Qiuyue in his dream.

Old Man Xia stood up and shouted in his booming voice, "Qi Yi wins the first round!" ========================================================================================== Chapter 8: The Tibetan Mastiff - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Seeing Xie Qifeng come down from the stage, Zhou Qiang went over to him and asked with concern, "Junior brother, are you alright?" Xie Qifeng nodded, glanced at Qian Qiuyue in his arms, and went to his seat. He carefully laid Qian Qiuyue down, letting her rest on the table. Looking at the unconscious Qian Qiuyue, Xie Qifeng suddenly felt a pang of pity, and all of Qian Qiuyue's vicious moves from earlier were forgotten. Perhaps only Xie Qifeng himself knew Qian Qiuyue's true identity.

The old man Xia solemnly announced, "Now, please welcome the contestant who has the slips of paper with the characters '离三' and '震四' to the stage." A giant Tibetan mastiff leaped from under another table, landing on the stage in a single bound, leaving the audience in awe. Following this, Lama Qi Zijun, with his characteristically slow pace, slowly made his way onto the stage. The audience and judges were all very curious: how could this valiant Tibetan mastiff have such a master?

Zhou Qiang chuckled and said to the people around him, "I think Qi Zijun is definitely going to win. His tiger-like Tibetan mastiff could easily kill us, right?" Zhou Qiang turned around and saw Qin Shuang was gone. He looked again and saw her walking towards the ring. Zhou Qiang realized something was wrong and quickly chased after her, grabbing her hand. Looking around, he whispered, "Should I go? It's too dangerous for you!" Qin Shuang, however, seemed unconcerned, saying in a coquettish tone, "It's okay, don't worry. I can handle it myself." Although Qin Shuang said this, she wasn't really sure herself.

Old Man Xia shouted, "The duel begins!" On the stage, Qin Shuang deliberately increased the distance between herself and her opponent; she had clearly seen the Tibetan Mastiff's leap. Zhou Qiang, sitting below, had no interest in remaining seated and could only cling to the stage, watching Qin Shuang's duel with a worried expression. Wax Man Xue smiled and said to the two elders beside him, "Hehe, I think Qi Yi's eldest son seems to really like the Gu family's daughter." Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai replied, "A slender and graceful lady is a gentleman's ideal." The three elders then chuckled.

Qin Shuang dared not be negligent and took out a small Gu bell. She activated the bell, and several scorpions, centipedes, and spiders crawled out. The white snake at Qin Shuang's waist had also crawled to her shoulder, flicking its tongue at Qi Zijun opposite her. Qi Zijun's eyes, which had been half-open, suddenly snapped open, revealing bloodshot veins, startling everyone. Qi Zijun said, "Female benefactor, I will show mercy, but my Pursuit of Life will not. Perhaps you should forfeit." Qin Shuang didn't even acknowledge him.

Enraged, Qi Zijun stomped her foot, and the Tibetan Mastiff beside her charged out like the wind, leaping in front of Qin Shuang with its gaping maw. The white snake on Qin Shuang's shoulder was no pushover either. Seeing the Tibetan Mastiff charging, the white snake arched its body, glancing left and right, before suddenly leaping nimbly onto the mastiff's head. The scorpions, centipedes, and flower spiders within the Gu Bell also relentlessly attacked the Tibetan Mastiff. The scorpion used its tail to stab at the mastiff's massive claws, while the centipede and flower spider had already crawled up the mastiff's legs.

Slightly pained by the scorpion stings, the Tibetan Mastiff raised its paw and stomped several scorpions to death. Suddenly, the white snake bit the Mastiff's ear, causing it to go berserk in pain. It then began to leap wildly, shaking off all the venomous insects from its body except for the white snake. Qi Zijun watched his beloved dog suffer, unaware that Qin Shuang had already circled behind him. By the time Qi Zijun realized it, it was too late.

Normally, Qin Shuang appeared weak and powerless, but in a real fight, she was no less strong than anyone else. Qin Shuang stretched out her slender arm and grabbed Qi Zijun's neck, and no matter how much Qi Zijun struggled, that slender arm gripped his neck like a steel clamp. Qi Zijun gripped the shovel in his right hand and swung it backward, hoping to hit Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang was no ordinary person. She dodged to the side, causing Qi Zijun's light cylinder axle to miss. Just as he raised the axle to strike again, Qin Shuang increased the force in her arm, and Qi Zijun was already out of breath, unable to even grip the axle. With a 'clang,' the bronze light cylinder axle fell to the ground, making a crisp sound. The giant Tibetan mastiff turned around, saw its master in danger, and, disregarding the white snake on its body, pounced on Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang had no choice but to release the nearly dead Qi Zijun, and a chase ensued. Below the stage, Qian Qiuyue woke up, opening her blurry eyes and asking Xie Qifeng, "I just lost?" Xie Qifeng turned and said earnestly, "No! You won. You won my heart." Qian Qiuyue blushed and turned to look at the stage, "Ah, why is Junior Sister Qin Shuang fighting with that stinky lama!"

As Qin Shuang ran, she commanded the white snake to continue biting the Tibetan Mastiff. Blood was already streaming from the mastiff's ears down to its face; the mastiff had gone completely berserk, desperately chasing Qin Shuang. The man, the dog, and the snake began circling the arena. Qi Zijun sat up, catching his breath. Just as he was about to get up, he saw Qin Shuang already running towards him, with Zhui Ming chasing after them like a madman. Qi Zijun stretched out his leg, but by the time Zhou Qiang warned him, it was too late; Qin Shuang was tripped by Qi Zijun.

The Tibetan Mastiff, drooling, slowly approached. The white snake on its head bit through the mastiff's other ear, causing it to howl in pain and violently shake its head, sending the snake flying to the side. The injured snake didn't abandon its master; it slowly crawled in front of Qin Shuang. The mastiff didn't even glance at the snake, extending its massive paw to crush it, when suddenly a snake's head emerged from Qin Shuang's clothes, hissing at the mastiff.

The Tibetan Mastiff was clearly terrified by the snake's head and froze. Not because the snake's head had suddenly appeared, but because what the mastiff saw was no ordinary snake. Qi Zijun shouted, "Zhuiming, what are you standing there for!" A master's words are a command to a loyal dog, especially a Tibetan Mastiff that only recognizes one master in its lifetime. Although the mastiff was afraid of the small snake in Qin Shuang's arms, it still stepped down, but unfortunately, Qin Shuang was already prepared.

She grabbed the white snake's tail and pulled it back, causing the Tibetan Mastiff, Zhuiming, to stomp its foot on the floor, leaving a huge footprint. Qin Shuang thought to herself, "Now's the time!" The Tibetan Mastiff opened its blood-red maw, and Qin Shuang, without warning, produced a black pill in her hands, tossing it into the mastiff's mouth. The mastiff whimpered twice, knelt on the ground for a while, and then lay still. Qi Zijun quickly stroked her beloved dog, crying out, "Zhuiming, don't scare me! Don't die!"

Qin Shuang stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and said calmly, "You lost!" Qi Zijun turned to look at Qin Shuang again; the injured white snake had already crawled to her side. Qi Zijun chuckled to herself, closed her eyes, and said, "Kill me."

But after a while, Qi Zijun saw that Qin Shuang hadn't made a move yet, so he opened his eyes again. What he saw moved him deeply. Qin Shuang extended her slender hand and offered Qi Zijun a red pill in her palm, saying, "Take this, it's the antidote." Then, Qin Shuang knelt down, picked up the white snake, and stepped off the stage. Qi Zijun happily said, "Thank you."

Zhou Qiang picked up Qin Shuang, spun her around, and put her down again, asking, "Qin Shuang, that was dangerous." Qin Shuang hugged Zhou Qiang back, without saying a word. On the judging panel, Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai noticed something amiss and said to the other two elders, "Did you notice the Divine Hound seemed frightened just now? It looked like something was sticking out of the Miao girl's arms. My old eyes are failing me, I didn't see it clearly. Did you see it?" Wax Figure Xue and Elder Xia shook their heads. Elder Xia said to Ouyang Bai, "There must have been something, we just didn't see it. Maybe it will appear next time." After saying that, he stood up and shouted, "Second round, the Gu Technique faction wins!" =================================================================================== Chapter Nine: The Battle of Contradictions - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Before Elder Xia could speak, Zhou Qiang was already standing on the arena. Elder Xia chuckled, "This kid's got a short temper; he's already up here before I've even said anything." The three elders exchanged a smile. Hearing the laughter, Zhou Qiang assumed the three old men were still mocking him and rolled his eyes at them. Just then, a young man emerged from the back hall. Zhou Qiang recognized him immediately—it was You Long from Buddhism! Only You Long had changed his attire in the back hall. He wore a Buddhist robe with authentic brickwork patterns, a string of dark black prayer beads around his neck, and carried a begging bowl—a Buddhist practice. You Long, as always, moved at a snail's pace towards the arena.

On the judging panel, the Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai quietly said to the other two elders, "So it's him. I didn't recognize him at all before, not seeing his attire." The two elders asked in unison, "Brother Ouyang, do you know this person?" Ouyang Xiu smiled and said, "Yes, fifteen years ago I went to the Summer Palace in Chongqing and met this little monk's master, Abbot Qiran. Abbot Qiran took great care of him; in Abbot Qiran's eyes, this little monk was like a treasure. I asked Abbot Qiran why, and he told me about the little monk's background."

Decades ago, the monk Qiran's master, the abbot of the Summer Palace, was named Wenhua. One night, Wenhua had a dream. He dreamt he was wandering on a mountain when he suddenly saw the Buddha and Laozi playing chess. Out of curiosity, Wenhua slowly approached and stopped behind a tree not far from the Buddha, eavesdropping on their conversation. Laozi picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board, sighing, "Alas, I wonder if we can escape the great calamity that will befall humanity in a few decades." The Buddha, expressionless and with lifeless eyes, replied, "If it is a calamity, why bother to avoid it?"

Laozi said unwillingly, "If we don't hide, are we supposed to let humanity face this calamity? What if humanity can't withstand it?" He didn't say this aloud because he didn't want the outcome to be as he predicted. Buddha, still expressionless, said, "What's meant to come will come. Don't natural disasters and man-made calamities happen frequently in the world? Let people face them."

"That's no ordinary calamity!" Laozi exclaimed, somewhat agitated. He knew that the Taoist disciples alone couldn't handle it. Buddha finally showed a pained expression and said, "All things have a spirit. Even if it is evil, we, as gods, cannot kill it. Every cause has its effect; let human affairs resolve themselves." With that, he tossed down a chess piece and turned to leave. In that instant, the monk Wenhua clearly saw two tears streaming from Buddha's eyes. He knew Buddha wouldn't stand idly by while humanity suffered; these two tears likely represented Buddha's hope for humanity.

Just awakened, Abbot Wenhua summoned all his disciples to the main hall and confidently declared, "Listen carefully, all of you. I now order you to go down the mountain and find two newborn infants. We don't want those born from a mother's womb. We only want the infant born of Buddha. Go down the mountain now. Whoever among you finds the Buddha's infant will become the abbot of our Summer Palace." The disciples left the Summer Palace one after another. Some monks thought Abbot Wenhua was old and confused. They found his talk of Buddha sending down an infant utterly ridiculous. So they ignored his words. These monks never returned after going down the mountain. Other monks, including Monk Qiran, believed the abbot's words and went down the mountain as well.

After descending the mountain, the monk Qiran traveled to many cities. With his exorcism skills, he managed to barely make ends meet. Two years later, one day, Qiran passed by a dilapidated temple. Suddenly, a heavy rain began, forcing him to seek shelter inside. When he opened the temple door, he was overjoyed to find a naked infant cradled in the hands of a Buddha statue. Upon closer inspection, Qiran saw the baby shivering with cold and appeared to be nearing its end.

The monk Qiran quickly picked up the baby and held it close to his chest to warm it. The baby's body gradually warmed up, but it began to cry loudly; it seemed the baby was hungry. The monk Qiran felt his own body and found no food at all. Suddenly, he knelt down before the Buddha with a thud and pleaded, "Buddha, you sent down this baby but haven't given it any food. Isn't this killing a little life?" Then, the monk Qiran cried like a child.

Hearing the bleating of goats behind them, the monk Qiran stood up and turned to look. He was delighted to see that the shepherd had also been caught in the rain. Qiran invited the shepherd into the dilapidated temple. Naturally, it was only right that he fetch some goat milk to feed the child. The next morning, the sky had cleared. Qiran, holding the child, stood up and said to the shepherd beside him, "Benefactor, thank you for your goat milk that saved this child's life." Seeing that the shepherd was still unconscious, Qiran, to repay his kindness, placed his begging bowl beside the shepherd and left.

When the shepherd saw that the monk Qiran had left, he opened his eyes, smiled, and said, "Who said I didn't feed the baby?" He looked down at the bowl beside him and smiled.

Along his journey, whenever the monk Qiran heard the sound of a baby crying, he would enter the baby's home. He would kneel and beg the mothers who had just given birth to give some milk to their infants. In this way, he traveled for three days, and the child was well-fed and watered. When Qiran arrived at the temple, the abbot was overjoyed and gave the child a secular name, Youlong. From then on, the abbot passed on the title of abbot to Qiran.

When Youlong was four years old, he brought back a bowl from playing. Qiran saw that this was the same bowl that had been given to the shepherd years before, so he quickly asked, "Youlong, where did this bowl come from?" Youlong murmured, "The Buddha gave it to me." The monk Qiran did not doubt Youlong's words, turned to face the bronze statue of Buddha, and chanted Amitabha.

"And what about Buddha's other tear?" Old Man Xia was really engrossed in listening and pressed on. The Ghost Doctor glanced at Qi Zijun sitting in the contestant's seat and said, "I suspect it's Qi Zijun, the Tibetan Tantric Lama." The three old men didn't ask any more questions, because You Long had already walked onto the arena.

"Go ahead and attack, benefactor," You Long said, clearly not taking Zhou Qiang seriously. Without a word, Zhou Qiang charged forward. He wanted to show those three old fogies in the stands his skills. Zhou Qiang threw a punch at You Long's face, but You Long easily dodged, and Zhou Qiang's punch missed. This was exactly what Zhou Qiang wanted. With a twist of his left ankle, Zhou Qiang's left fist swung towards the dodging You Long. This punch, carrying a gust of wind, struck You Long's stomach. If an ordinary person were hit by this punch, while other things were uncertain, coughing up blood was a certainty.

Yu Long could no longer dodge and, in desperation, could only block. A cry of "Ouch!" rang out, and everyone present, both human and ghost, burst into laughter. It turned out that Yu Long had used the bronze bowl in his hand to block Zhou Qiang's fist. The fist struck the bowl, and the pain brought tears to Zhou Qiang's eyes. Zhou Qiang took two steps back, shook his wrist, and said, "Damn it, you won't wake up without a weapon!" With that, he pulled out the Soul-Destroying Thorn from his back waist and charged forward again.

You Long suddenly bent down, took the string of Buddhist beads from his neck, and flung it out. It caught Zhou Qiang's arm, which was gripping the Soul-Destroying Thorn. With a fierce pull, You Long dragged Zhou Qiang, arm and all, back towards him, then flung him away, sending him sprawling. The Soul-Destroying Thorn, due to inertia, fell to the side. Zhou Qiang stood up unwillingly, taking out the Ghost-Raising Bottle from his pocket. The bottle trembled incessantly; it turned out the Fiendish Ghost Cheng Long had long wanted to fight. Zhou Qiang removed the red cloth from the bottle, and a plume of black smoke shot out rapidly. The smoke stopped in front of Zhou Qiang, transforming into a human figure. A commotion erupted from the audience. It was the first time the ghosts had seen a Fiendish Ghost helping someone fight. They all put down their teacups, watching Zhou Qiang intently, afraid to miss the next move.

The demon Chenglong lay prostrate on the ground, the demon relic glowing in its mouth. Zhou Qiang shouted, "Fire!" A massive flame erupted from Chenglong's mouth, engulfing Youlong. Youlong, not daring to be careless, removed his cassock and twirled it in front of him, his movements somewhat resembling the handkerchiefs used in Northeast China's Errenzhuan (a type of folk opera). Strangely enough, no matter how fiercely the fire burned, it couldn't penetrate Youlong's cassock.

The flames raged for a full minute. The demon Cheng Long, utterly exhausted, finally withdrew the flames, panting heavily. You Long was in the same state; his robe was now covered in burn marks. You Long tossed aside the robe and said righteously, "Hmph, watch me subdue your demonic form!" With that, You Long raised his alms bowl high, its mouth pointing towards Cheng Long. A beam of yellow light emanated from the bowl, illuminating Cheng Long. The demon seemed terrified of this light, lying motionless on the ground, only able to let out painful howls.

An arm emerged from the bowl, grabbing the demon's ankle and forcefully pulling it back in. The demon struggled desperately, its fingernails digging into the floor, drawing blood from its ten fingers. Zhou Qiang knew this was serious. Ever since he had consumed the demon's relic, he was destined to be bound to it by fate; if the demon lived, Zhou Qiang lived; if the demon died, Zhou Qiang would die. Zhou Qiang shouted, "Don't hurt my brother!" and rushed towards the arm in the bowl. The Soul-Destroying Thorn lay nearby; it was too late to retrieve it now.

Zhou Qiang didn't dare to think too much. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and bit the arm. The arm felt the pain, released the evil spirit, and withdrew its grip. Instantly, the light in the bowl dimmed and disappeared. On the judging panel, Old Man Xia feigned a headache and said, "I really can't do anything with this kid. I've even used my teeth. Haha." Suddenly, Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai leaned forward and exclaimed, "Twin Ghost Relics! A rare treasure! This child and the evil spirit he raised actually possess twin ghost relics!" Old Man Xia hurriedly looked towards the arena.

Zhou Qiang rolled on the ground, picked up the Soul-Destroying Thorn, and returned to the Demon King's side. The Demon King, Cheng Long, was furious. He half-squatted, opened his mouth, and the Ghost Relic reappeared in it. Zhou Qiang also pulled the Ghost Relic from his chest into his mouth. From a distance, the two appeared to be holding two dim light bulbs in their mouths. Zhou Qiang roared, and he and the Demon King simultaneously spat out flames, burning towards You Long on the other side.

Youlong's expression changed drastically. His robe was burned beyond recognition; it wouldn't withstand even one ghost relic, let alone two. Youlong quickly sat down on the ground, threw his prayer beads into the air, and then swiftly brought his hands together, chanting a Buddhist mantra. The prayer beads landed precisely on Youlong's neck. Immediately afterward, with a loud "thud," a large, transparent yellow bell descended from the sky, completely covering Youlong's body. Youlong secretly breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he had reacted in time.

The large bell blocked the flames, and You Long, sitting inside, was completely unharmed. Zhou Qiang had heard the old man Le Shui mention this Buddhist spell, called the Golden Bell Shield, which could withstand evil attacks from unclean spirits, but its weakness was that it had no effect on attacks from normal people. Zhou Qiang grinned wickedly and casually threw out the Soul-Destroying Thorn. The Soul-Destroying Thorn flew fiercely towards You Long's head. You Long knew that if he stopped the spell now, he would be burned by the flames; if he continued, he would be pierced to death by the Soul-Destroying Thorn. Either way, he was going to die. With that thought, You Long closed his eyes, thinking, "This time I'm going to see Buddha."

When You Long opened his eyes, the Soul-Destroying Needle was only millimeters away from him. And the one wielding the Soul-Destroying Needle was none other than the fiend Cheng Long, whom he had just tried to kill. On the judges' panel, Old Man Xia stood up, clapping his hands and saying, "Wonderful! Wonderful! In this battle of 'spear' and 'shield,' the 'spear' has won." He then looked at You Long, "You Long, you are a Buddhist, and you abhor killing. Therefore, your moves were all defensive, only resorting to killing when you encountered the fiend. The irreconcilable conflict between Buddhism and demons is understandable. However, you must understand that not all ghosts are evil." Old Man Xia then turned to say something to Zhou Qiang, but Zhou Qiang had already left the stage. Old Man Xia thought to himself, "This kid really has quite the temper."

"I reiterate, the Qi Yi School wins the third round," Old Man Xia said solemnly. The audience, both humans and ghosts, erupted in cheers. Meng Linglang walked over to Zhou Qiang and asked, "Are you alright? This match was so exciting!" Zhou Qiang scratched his head shyly. =================================================================================== Chapter Ten: The Origin of Corpse Driving - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

Zhang Xiaolong had just gotten up to go onto the stage when he brushed past Zhou Qiang. Zhang Xiaolong smiled and murmured, "As expected of Senior Brother Ji Ye, I won't let you down either." The two clapped their hands in perfect unison, like a relay race. The other contestant, needless to say, was Wei Tianba, the corpse-driving master from Xiangxi. Old Man Xia looked around and whispered to his two old friends, "Do you think this match will be exciting?" Wax Man Xue and Ghost Doctor nodded repeatedly, their eyes fixed on the wooden box behind Wei Tianba, muttering, "Corpse-driving techniques originate from Maoshan magic; this match is quite interesting."

Legend has it that in the early Ming Dynasty, the Maoshan Sect was at its peak. Many disciples, having little to do on Maoshan Mountain, requested permission from the sect leader to descend and travel, exorcising demons and monsters for the people of various regions. With the sect leader's permission, many disciples left the mountain, and the once-thriving Maoshan Taoist temples suddenly became much quieter.

There once was a Taoist priest from Maoshan named Wei Wenchang. Wei Wenchang traveled far and wide, making friends with many heroes. However, one time he arrived in western Hunan and ran out of money. He went hungry for three whole days, and his exhausted body finally gave way, causing him to faint. When he awoke, he found himself sleeping in a warm bed, with a wealthy middle-aged man sitting beside him. The man, seeing Wei Wenchang awake, said, "Brave warrior, you must be hungry. I've already had my servants prepare a meal for you." Wei Wenchang repeatedly thanked him for saving his life. After spending several days together, Wei Wenchang learned that the wealthy man's name was Liu Shuang, a well-known wealthy and philanthropic man in the area who would open his granaries to distribute grain during famines, thus earning him an excellent reputation among the people.

Despite Liu Shuang's repeated persuasion, Wei Wenchang still refused to stay. Before leaving, Wei Wenchang said to Liu Shuang, "Thank you for saving my life, brother. I will repay your kindness in my lifetime." Although Wei Wenchang spoke earnestly, Liu Shuang didn't take it to heart at all. He thought, "How can someone who can't even afford food repay such a debt?" But as fate would have it, a few years later, Wei Wenchang traveled to western Hunan again, only to learn that Liu Shuang had recently died! Wei Wenchang inquired everywhere and discovered that the newly appointed county magistrate, seeing Liu Shan's immense wealth, had framed Liu Shuang, and Liu Shuang's entire family was imprisoned. The day before Wei Wenchang arrived in western Hunan, Liu Shuang, filled with resentment and grief, died. All of Liu Shuang's property was confiscated, while his wife and children were released. Now they could only live in a dilapidated temple in the town.

Without a word, Wei Wenchang ran to the dilapidated temple. He could hear the cries of women and children from afar. Opening the temple door, he saw Liu Shuang's body lying in the main hall, without even a bed or blankets. Wei Wenchang collapsed to the ground, weeping, regretting that he had arrived too late. Seeing Wei Wenchang's grief, the woman kindly helped him up. Unexpectedly, Wei Wenchang's face hardened, and he said, "Sister-in-law, I will avenge my brother." He then took out a talisman for summoning the spirit from his bag. Holding the talisman in one hand and a copper coin in the other, Wei Wenchang placed the coin inside the talisman, closed his eyes slightly, and began chanting incantations.

A moment later, the talisman in Wei Wenchang's hand burst into flames. Once the talisman burned out, Wei Wenchang stuffed a red-hot copper coin into Liu Shuang's corpse's mouth. Suddenly, Liu Shuang's corpse stood upright, frightening his wife who huddled in a corner with their son. Immediately afterward, Wei Wenchang affixed a corpse-fixing talisman to Liu Shuang's forehead, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. Although my cultivation cannot bring my brother back to life, I can still summon back a part of his soul. Now, my brother's corpse can understand what you're saying, and it can even move. Tonight, I'll take my brother to kill that damned county magistrate!" He then carried Liu Shuang's corpse aside and went out to buy some food. Unbeknownst to him, the tiger teeth in Liu Shuang's corpse's mouth began to slowly and quietly grow longer.

That night, Liu Shuang led his corpse into the county magistrate's mansion. The corpse was in the open, while Wei Wenchang remained hidden. The guards, seeing the body moving in the courtyard, rushed to subdue it. However, the body was already stiff, and no matter how sharp their weapons, they couldn't penetrate the moving corpse. Taking advantage of the chaos in the county magistrate's mansion, Wei Wenchang entered the magistrate's bedroom alone and, without hesitation, killed the sleeping magistrate, who was clutching a gold ingot, with a single sword stroke.

Wei Wenchang, his wish fulfilled, returned to the dilapidated temple with the throbbing corpse and fell into a deep sleep. However, Liu Shuang's wife was not asleep. She had heard Wei Wenchang say that Liu Shuang's corpse could understand human speech, so she quietly approached the corpse, tears welling in her eyes, and cried out, "Master, how are we supposed to live now that you're gone?" Seeing the talisman covering Liu Shuang's face, Madam Liu reached out and peeled it off. Suddenly, the zombie opened its eyes, revealing its long, thin canine teeth, and glared menacingly at Madam Liu, terrifying her half to death. Madam Liu took two steps back, about to scream, but it was too late; the zombie had already bitten her neck. The zombie released the dead Madam Liu and intended to harm the sleeping Wei Wenchang, but seeing the peach wood sword beside him, it turned its attention to its own son.

Liu Shuang's son had just woken up and, not finding his mother, looked up to see Liu Shuang's corpse drinking her blood. Being a naive child, he was so panicked that he forgot to scream for help. Just then, the zombie jumped towards him, and Liu Shuang's son finally cried out. His cry immediately woke the sleeping Wei Wenchang.

Wei Wenchang looked up and saw that the zombie's two tiger teeth were deeply embedded in Liu Shuang's son's neck. Immediately, Wei Wenchang picked up the corpse-fixing talisman from the ground and swiftly affixed it. The zombie instantly stopped moving. Wei Wenchang didn't dare think further; he snatched the child from the zombie's arms and saw that he was also dead. Wei Wenchang held the child and wept bitterly. Although he had avenged Liu Shuang, he had also harmed Liu Shuang's family. The next day, Wei Wenchang wrote a letter and gave it to his junior brother, who was also traveling in western Hunan, asking him to deliver it to their master. Then he turned and left.

The first task was to bury Liu Shuang and the others' bodies, so Wei Wenchang found a desolate open space and dug a grave. After placing the three bodies in the grave and about to cover it with soil, he suddenly noticed that Liu Shuang and his son's bodies moved slightly, as if unwilling to remain underground. Liu Shuang's body would twitch slightly even with the Taoist talisman attached, which wasn't unusual for Wei Wenchang, but the fact that Liu Shuang's son moved was strange. Thinking it over, Wei Wenchang picked up the child from the ground. Upon examination, the child was indeed dead. Could it be...? Wei Wenchang was right; it was because Liu Shuang hadn't drained his son's blood that a zombie had been created.

After some thought, Wei Wenchang retrieved the bodies of Liu Shuang and his son, and buried Liu's wife's body directly. Wei Wenchang chose a spot near a peach grove in western Hunan and built a small house. He made two special peach wood coffins and buried them under the house, each containing a corpse—Liu Shuang and his son. Afterwards, to make a living, Wei Wenchang decided to go to town to find work. Due to his old age and frailty, no one would hire him, except for a coffin shop. Since ancient times, dealing with the dead has been considered unlucky, and young people wouldn't do such work, which conveniently gave Wei Wenchang an opportunity. Soon after, a Taoist priest came to the coffin shop, handed Wei Wenchang a letter and a strange bell, and said sadly, "Senior brother, Master entrusted me to give you this and this letter."

Wei Wenchang opened the envelope. The letter read: "My beloved disciple Wenchang: How have you been lately? Since your letter, I have been tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night. You harmed someone in your pursuit of revenge, which is indeed understandable."

You said you had no face to see your master again. We've been together for decades, day and night; have you even considered seeing your master again? I understand your temperament; I know that once you've made up your mind, you'll never look back. Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish. I remember once you secretly showed off my Soul-Capturing Bell to your fellow disciples, saying it was something I passed down to you, which caused dissatisfaction among them. Now I'm passing on the Daoist treasure, the Soul-Capturing Bell, to you. You might wonder why I'm not afraid of the disciples' complaints now? By the time you read this letter, I will have already passed away. Do not worry.

The letter fluttered from his hand, and Wei Wenchang, his face covered in tears, knelt down facing the door and roared to the sky.