Chapter 67
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Chapter 67: House Full of Gold and Silver
In the morning, thousands wore white mourning clothes, and ten thousand people wept!
“Wuuu, Master Uncle, handsome Master Uncle…” The sound of crying was unbearable. Li Hui woke up groggily, completely exhausted. He had nearly lost his life yesterday and had finally made it to Guangxiao Temple, where he took off his wig and collapsed into bed for sleep.
“Wu Jing?”
The little monk, usually difficult to command, knelt beside the bed, crying like a flood. When he saw Li Hui awake, he became overly excited, wiping his nose and sobbing, “Master Uncle! The abbot and Master are both dead, and the great monk of the temple was brought back this morning, their bodies filling the courtyard. In the city, many people have died mysteriously, and everyone is in a panic, afraid to go outside.”
The Ghost River Shattering Great Formation targeted all cultivators in the city; there was no escape for Guangxiao Temple, even the abbot Zhi Ku could not avoid death.
Now, Fusu City had nearly become a vacuum zone for cultivators; little monk Wu Jing had yet to tread on the Dharma clouds, so he was the only one in the temple to escape this calamity.
Of course, there were some less skilled monks and the chef monk. However, little monk Wu Jing’s experience in welcoming and sending guests granted him insight—he knew that only the handsome Master Uncle had compassion, while the other monks, along with the chef monk, were likely plotting to seize the temple’s assets.
Temples like Guangxiao controlled substantial amounts of property; how else could all the monks survive? Wu Jing was determined to stick with the handsome Master Uncle; other monks were no different from stepping into a den of dragons and tigers.
“Human life is paramount; first, go hire people to bury the dead.” Li Hui offered some comforting words and sent the little monk on his way. He touched his face; he didn’t need a mirror to know that this handsome face looked at least ten years older.
“I understand now! The Jade Symbol Sect buried talismans within me, called the Golden Threshold Thirty-Six Symbols, which seem capable of stimulating life force. The problem lies with the silver snake bracelet; each time it devours enough artifacts and treasures, it self-amplifies the power of these talismans. This is likely why I can rapidly enhance by unlocking the Dragon Claw pattern.”
“In the end, it all relates to the silver snake bracelet. What is the Purple Absolute Divine Symbol? I have all these books in my head but can’t access them unless I unlock new spirit markings.”
Li Hui connected what Mu Qianyun saw in the storage room of the wooden building with the clues obtained while annihilating the King of the White Sea, having figured out around seventy to eighty percent of the strategies the Jade Symbol Sect had used on him.
“I wonder how much time I have left; perhaps I’m close to unlocking spirit markings again—I need to prepare quickly.” Li Hui rubbed his chin; unlocking spirit markings demanded a significant amount of Miao Jade. Besides the one hundred and eight Miao Jades he had peeled from the treasure chest layers, those cultivators’ bags of treasures should have goods as well.
“Haha, surviving great calamities surely brings future blessings; let’s see what I’ve gained.”
Before long, over two hundred bags of treasures and numerous chain bags were piled on the bed.
Li Hui hastily emptied their contents. He tossed ordinary gold and silver coins into the corner, piled various clothing near the door, placed food on the tables, and found the most numerous items were pills and poisons. Just as he wished to continue counting, Wu Jing hurriedly returned to report.
The little monk gazed in astonishment at the room filled with gold and silver; after a while, he patted his bald head and said, “Master Uncle, there’s an ugly man named Luo Chongba who has come to return the Cow Cart and wants to meet you in person.”
“Luo Chongba?” Li Hui’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, “Mm, go bring him here.”
“Yes!” Wu Jing hastened to comply, seeing the handsome Master Uncle’s status in his eyes rise tremendously.
The little monk was incredibly excited, running to invite Luo Chongba while thinking, “Oh my! I’ve encountered a real expert! In such a short time, Master Uncle has amassed all this gold and silver; even if he doesn’t continue as a monk, just a bit of his guidance would allow me to return home and enjoy wealth and splendor.”
While waiting for Luo Chongba to arrive, Li Hui picked up the black flag of the Ghost Army, sensing its aura and pondering deeply.
Soon, a voice came from outside, “Disciple Luo Chongba greets you.”
Li Hui wasn’t in the mood to collect disciples, but he needed Luo Chongba to handle some matters, so he told him not to be polite and to come right in.
Standing outside, Luo Chongba had some doubts. He thought to himself, “My cheap Master lives in such simple conditions; could he really be a high monk who doesn’t partake in the human world? Yet, even high monks need people to serve them.”
When he stepped inside, sunlight shone through a gap in the roof; he hurriedly raised his hand to shield his eyes, wondering why it was so dazzling.
How could it not dazzle? A huge pile of gold and silver filled the room; no matter how humble the place was, this treasure could illuminate it significantly…
“Master!” Luo Chongba was no ordinary person; he quickly composed himself and approached, bowing down by the bed. As he looked at his cheap Master, his heart filled with shock. The striking monk from yesterday now looked gaunt, as if he had shrunk, and recalling the rumors spreading in the city, along with the strange sights he himself had witnessed, he immediately guessed that some significant event must have occurred in Fusu City.
“Is everything alright with you?” Li Hui didn’t let Luo Chongba rise and allowed him to kneel by the bed instead.
“I am fine, Master, but many families in the city have died mysteriously, and there are rumors of fierce ghosts roaming the streets, demanding souls—especially in the places where the authorities detain criminals, only a few remain alive!”
“Good, as long as you’re safe.”
Li Hui gestured, instructing, “You and Wu Jing should use all these clothes, food, and gold and silver for disaster relief, considering it as the temple’s contribution. However, the gold and silver can’t be taken for free; I want to build several hero memorials to honor those who once protected our homeland and fought against foreign enemies.”
Luo Chongba quickly bowed, “Master’s great kindness will not disappoint you, the masses will surely revere you.”
“Go ahead!” Li Hui waved his sleeve, not too concerned about the matter. He sensed that Luo Chongba had some ambition, and as long as half of the gold and silver went to disaster relief, it was fine; enhancing his cultivation and strength was the priority now.
Luo Chongba and Wu Jing didn’t dare ask anyone else for help. They made three trips back and forth to load everything onto the Cow Cart to take away. In the end, they received a batch of formidable weapons along with over twenty bottles of potent pills, making them feel ecstatic and viewing themselves as the trusted aides of the handsome master.
While the two busy themselves, Li Hui initiated talisman-making.
He wanted to take advantage of the silver snake bracelet’s lingering effects, combined with several artifacts pulled from Zheng Tianxiang’s belt, to utilize the ordinary blank talisman paper he had collected to increase his success rate for creating talismans.
Even for practice, he wanted to create as many talismans as possible.
Golden Sword Talismans, Golden Bell Talismans, Blood Ignition Talismans, and Spirit Sense Talismans were essential core talismans; he had stabilized their rates at over three Spirit Motion marks and could occasionally produce one with four. If he gathered enough quantities, he might be able to manufacture an artifact.
In addition, Li Hui began to draw the Lightning Sword Talisman from the Record of the Four Gods and Demons. At the start of his drawing, his success rate was already quite high; even after the bracelet’s failure, he maintained a thirty percent success rate. Despite most being first and second marks, it significantly boosted his confidence.