Chapter 174 – Quickly Seek Lu Liangsheng of Qixia Mountain

At the fifth watch of the night, before dawn had fully broken, the civil and military officials waiting for court outside the Imperial City had already gathered.

Min Changwen arrived at the city gates on time. After stepping down from his carriage, he greeted a few familiar colleagues with polite words and stood aside, waiting for the gates to open so they could enter the palace.

The gathered officials each formed their own circles. At such times, personal grievances were usually set aside, and information was exchanged freely.

“Have you heard?” “Heard what?”

“That State-Protecting Venerable Master has moved into the palace.”

“Utter nonsense! How can a monk reside within the Imperial City? It’s a disgrace to decorum!”

“Exactly—His Majesty must have lost his senses, to allow a monk to live there…”

Nearby, whispers like these filled the air. Min Changwen drew a deep breath and kept his eyes closed. In truth, he had already heard the news before leaving home, but by now, his heart had grown numb.

“Traitorous evil, bringing calamity upon the realm!”

Inside his sleeve, his trembling fist clenched tightly, and he could only force out that one bitter curse through his teeth.

“Just wait—the court will surely erupt in argument today.”

Before long, the palace gates opened. The assembled officials entered the palace avenue in orderly lines and gathered within the Hall of Radiant Illumination (Guangzhao Hall). During the waiting process, eunuchs and palace guards came to perform body searches and inspections.

When Emperor Chen Shubao came forth from the rear hall, the attending eunuch cried out loudly, “Attend the court!”

The assembled officials filed in one after another, taking their respective positions within the hall. As usual, they discussed affairs of state, and when the matters were done, the Emperor waved his sleeve to announce the court’s dismissal.

However, this time, before Chen Shubao could even open his mouth, someone stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, this minister has heard that the State-Protecting Venerable Master has taken up residence within the palace. May I ask if this is true?”

The one who spoke was the Minister of Revenue—a man quite familiar with Min Changwen, with whom he often associated in private. Back when Min Changwen had been reinstated and recalled to the capital, it was this man who had lobbied tirelessly on his behalf, playing a crucial role in his return.

“It is true.”

“Zhen knows what you all wish to say, but keep your mouths shut. If any among you could protect Zhen as he can, Zhen would gladly have him live within the palace as well.”

“But Your Majesty! The Imperial Palace is the most sacred place under Heaven — within dwell Your Majesty’s consorts, the ladies of the inner court, and even the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. We must not cast aside the dignity of the royal house!”

“Silence, you barking ministers—what do you know!”

As Min Changwen had foreseen, the court indeed erupted into a fierce argument over the matter. The emperor, Chen Shubao, who had intended to leave, was forced to remain and quarrel with them for a while before finally storming off in fury, his sleeves flaring as he left the hall.

“Alas…”

The morning audience ended in discord, and the officials dispersed in displeasure. Stepping out from Guangzhao Hall, Min Changwen squinted as the sunlight poured down upon him. Mr. Shuhua was gone, leaving behind only an empty desolation in his heart — not even one person remained with whom he could consult or seek counsel.

“Mr. Shuhua…”

He sighed softly and departed along with the other civil and military officials.

The day continued in its usual bustle and splendor. As time passed, the stars gradually lit the heavens, scattering brilliance across the night sky.

Between the palace pavilions and towers, a faint mist began to rise. Palace guards patrolled the corridors with torches in hand. From one of the nearby attics, a warm yellow light shone through the lattice windows.

“Namo Amitābha… Namo Amitābha… Namo Amitābha…”

Within the lamplight sat Pudu Cihang, cross-legged upon a meditation cushion, his lips moving swiftly as endless chants of Buddha’s name flowed forth. Even the insects drawn to the flame turned away, repelled by the resonant hum of his voice.

He was no longer an ordinary demon. Long ago, he had been trapped for many years in the Spiritual Connection Stage, already possessing humanlike intelligence — yet not every creature with an awakened spirit could take the next step forward.

If not for that youth’s unintentional guidance back then, he might already have perished, succumbing to the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Afterward, he found a deserted temple, hid himself within a clay statue, and received offerings from worshippers. Nourished by their incense and vows, he soon broke through the barrier of the Spiritual Connection Realm— as the saying in the human world goes: “Silent for three years, then one cry that shakes the world.”

After breaking through, his cultivation advanced at a staggering pace, but he also became dependent on incense and vow power. Ordinary cultivation no longer satisfied him.

And in his mind, a new ambition had taken root—

To transform into a dragon!

Rather than assuming human form and cultivating as a mere demon, he would seize the emperor’s dragon qi to aid his cultivation. One day, he would shed his mortal shape, ascend as a true dragon, and gaze down upon the mountains and rivers, coiling across the Nine Heavens above.

This was the greatest aspiration of every creature that had lived too long in the dark caves beneath the earth.

The Crimson Cauldron Profound Qi would reach perfection on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. The final step was to borrow the might of dragon power and the grand aura of officialdom to achieve his transformation in one leap.

Though the emperor of Chen had already been drained of his dragon qi, it mattered little — for the emperor still had sons, and there were still countless civil and military officials…

The Buddha chants echoed on. His emaciated figure stretched upon the wall, casting a vast, undulating shadow. With his long whiskers trembling, he glided out of the lamplight and melted into the darkness.

Across the city, where countless lights glittered like stars, darkness crept over the vast plains beyond. Beneath the ground, innumerable black shadows slithered and writhed, converging upon the city from every direction. At a certain moment, the paving stones along the streets of the officials’ mansions began to loosen, and one by one, dark figures emerged from below, crawling and coiling in every direction. They scaled courtyard walls and slipped silently into backyards.

Before long, a scream pierced the night — sharp, brief, and horrifying — startling the watchdogs into furious barking.

Woof! Woof! … Woof, woof, woof!

The shadows, their bodies like countless centipede legs, spread swiftly toward a mansion with a plaque bearing the single character “Min.” Amid the barking, they climbed the courtyard walls, gliding rapidly along the foundations like a living tide.

Inside, the warm light of a study glowed through the window lattice. At the desk before it, Min Changwen was bent over his work, drafting a memorial to the throne. When the distant barking of dogs grew more frantic in a neighboring compound, his brows knit slightly.

Woof… woof! Woof, woof!

“What’s going on?”

Setting down his brush, Min Changwen adjusted the lamp wick, lifted the oil lamp from the desk, and pushed open the door of his study. In that instant, a wave of foul stench struck him full in the face.

Hoo—!

A fetid wind howled through. As he raised a sleeve to cover his nose and mouth, a massive shadow slithered along the wall behind him. Its long whiskers trembled and extended toward the back of his neck—

But just then, a scroll painting hanging on the opposite wall flared with light, bursting forth with a streak of talismanic radiance that struck the shadow head-on with a thunderous boom! 

The enormous body crashed to the ground. Startled, Min Changwen spun around. In the lamplight, he saw a centipede as long as two men, writhing and convulsing, its body smoking and hissing.

His face went pale with terror. He fled the study at once, shouting, “Come quickly! Guards!”

Lights flared across the mansion as footsteps rushed in from all sides. Servants and guards arrived wielding blades and cudgels, but by then, the monstrous centipede had already dissolved into a pool of thick, black fluid, reeking with unbearable stench.

“Master, what… what is that thing?”

“Such a stench! Stay back, everyone — it might be poisonous!”

Surrounded protectively by his servants, Min Changwen retreated a few steps, gazing at the steaming pool in grim silence. After a long moment, he said in a low voice, “Fetch the young mistress at once. We must leave the city immediately — it’s no longer safe here.”

The mansion blazed with torchlight. Before long, a dozen horses were assembled by the rear gate.

“Father, what’s happening?” Asked a young woman, dressed in traveling clothes, glancing anxiously at him from horseback.

“No time to explain.”

The streets beyond were eerily lit, and beneath the roar of torches came the faint, unsettling sound of skittering and crawling from the dark. Min Changwen drew a sharp breath, gripped his whip, and swung it high.

“Follow your father — out of the city at once! Hyah!”

The hooves thundered as the horses surged forward, galloping into the night. The young woman and the household guards followed close behind, racing toward the southern gate, their torches flaring in the darkness.