Chapter 28: The Wooden Demon

  Grandma coughed heavily several times, as if she wanted to cough it all out at once. The coughing slowly subsided, and Grandma's hoarse voice echoed in the desolate wilderness of the tomb.

  "Three hundred years ago, there was no Orchid Temple here, but a forest of white poplars. I was just one of them. Later, a group of people came to cut down the trees day and night, using our bodies to build this temple. Luckily, I was spared from being felled and turned into beams and pillars, and survived."

  Some monks started burying dead people under this tree, don't know how they died, just some with ferocious faces. At that time, I got the essence and blood from some of the dead bodies, began to grow unusually big, even unknowingly had my own mind.

  Decades later, this place had become a chaotic burial ground, with many people who died but were unwilling to leave or unable to leave guarding it. At that time, the monks in the temple all wanted to cut off their old bodies and disperse these ghosts. But at that time, I already had some abilities, could protect myself, and also protected them, like protecting the crows on my head, they called me Grandma.

  They had always wanted to enter the temple, but the Buddha's light was too strong. One day, they suddenly couldn't hear the morning bell and evening drum that they had been listening to for a hundred years. The monks had all left, not because of ghosts, but because someone had built an even bigger and better road.

  They were overjoyed, rushed into the temple and killed the remaining monks. Although so many years have passed, I don't know who they are still hating now. Actually, I think what those monks said in their scriptures also made some sense, although I didn't quite understand human logic.

  "This is the cycle of cause and effect, where rules are established, just like human rules. I won't let them leave Lanruo Temple, I've wrapped my roots tightly around them. But the longer they stay, the more turbid they become, only Xiaoxian remains clear, it's really rare. I've done my best to help them, absorbing the essence of blood from others, but it's useless, not even a little bit useful, maybe just a tiny bit, but this old body is exhausted."

  Xiao Qian's eyes widened, and her grandmother sucked the essence of blood from the ghosts. No ghost didn't hate or fear her, but she never thought it was because of this reason. Tears fell from her eye sockets, and she seemed to understand where her grandmother's doting came from.

  Xu Xian quietly listened to the old tree's self-narration, even in his current calm state, his heart was filled with a hundred flavors and emotions. A century of fleeting time had passed, what was it all for? Evaluating the demonic path with human morals, was it right or wrong? Acting on behalf of heaven, acting on behalf of heaven, which heaven, whose path? Various questions entangled at once. But a voice in his heart said, I'm just an ordinary person! Since he's just an ordinary person, he could only follow the human path and do what people should do. Upon thinking this, that strange spiritual state slowly dissipated.

  Yan Chixia couldn't help but sigh, he was in charge of human affairs, but didn't bother to manage the demons and ghosts. Wasn't this the reason why? Using human logic to kill people is justifiable, but if you extend this logic to all living things, it becomes insufficient.

  Grandma turned around, took out a few golden pebbles from the hollow of the white poplar tree, coughed heavily several times, and then waved her hand. Several crows flew down from the tree, picked up the pebbles and flew towards Niece Xiang, placing them in her hands. Later, standing on Grandma's shoulders, seemingly reluctant to part, but Grandma simply waved her hand and said: "Go, go!"

  Xiao Qian looked at the few stones in her hand and exclaimed: "Sheli?"

  "Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" Grandma suppressed her cough and said, "This was found from the Buddhist statues in the temple's pagoda forest. Didn't you secretly hide one at that time? Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Now there are only a few left, they're all yours now. Ah-choo!

  Xiao Qian was shocked and lost her color, she originally thought that no one knew about the matter, but her grandmother had actually known all along, and it was precisely because of that sarira that she had achieved her current cultivation.

  As several sarira were taken out, Grandma's coughing became more severe. The giant white poplar tree behind her - her true form - began to make a crackling sound, and the old wrinkled bark started to split open, gushing out foul-smelling blood. The wrinkles on the old man's face in front of her also began to split open, with fresh blood flowing down, making that old face look even more ferocious and terrifying. However, the old man's expression was exceptionally calm.

  "Xu Gongzi, your true fire must be ready by now! Come and burn it, and leave me a clean one." After Grandma finished speaking, she retreated into the tree. The wrinkled tree bark seemed to have a calm face on it, gazing at everything.

  "Don't!" Little Qian exclaimed, grabbing Xian's hand and pleading: "Please, don't." That sorrowful and mournful beautiful face could move even the coldest of hearts.

  But Xu Xian just looked at her deeply and said, "You don't understand." He shook off her hand and strode forward, with golden flames already burning on his hands. Xiao Qian fell to the ground weakly, asking herself why this was happening, she only wanted to leave. Why couldn't she ever understand someone who cared about her, just because she was a tree that didn't know how to express its emotions in human ways? Or had she always only seen things from her own perspective?

  Golden flames began to spread on the tree trunk, and the burning big tree stretched out countless branches to grab a group of ghost fires, pulling them into the fire. The ghosts cried out in surprise and cursed, and Grandma laughed: "You laugh every day, but you are not happy every day. This world is no different from hell for you. Why don't you just follow me?"

  Some of the ghost fires calmed down, quietly waiting for the arrival of the golden flames. Some struggled desperately, but under the persistence of an old tree, those struggles were in vain. Everyone retreated far away, and a golden torch was lit on the hillside, illuminating the dark night. The ruthless flames burned fiercely, burning everything to ashes.

  Xiao Qian tightly grasped the sarira in her hand, her mind a complete blank, forgetting to think.

  It was night, and flames shot up into the sky, illuminating dozens of miles around.

  Xu Xian asked Yan Chi Xia after the event, "Why did the tree demon choose such a result?"

  Yan Chi Xia said, "The old tree has absorbed too much polluted blood. The essence of the blood is beneficial to monsters, but just like over-fertilization can burn crops, an excessive amount of undigested essence has already caused fatal harm to it. Purifying its surroundings is its innate instinct, which cannot be erased even if it transforms into a human shape. If not for constantly relying on consuming Sheli to suppress it, its lifespan would have ended long ago. Ah, yes, evil spirits and monsters are unable to use the power of Sheli, but it's just a tree after all. The concept of good and evil is nothing but a joke to it."

  At that time, Xu Xian had a strange feeling, but he didn't know how to describe it. It wasn't until much later that he understood, and that was also "the way", the persistence of a tree, its own way.

  Ning Caichen was overjoyed to see the two return, and the shouts of killing outside made him feel frightened. Several small ghosts rushed in, but fortunately, the sword case left by Yan Chixia protected him.

  Xiao Qian's corpse had been incinerated in the great fire, but Xiao Qian said that the restraints had disappeared and she could finally leave this place, but not as happy as she had imagined. With a few sarira, she no longer had to worry about the problem of yang energy, and she was also able to use the power of the sarira. But Xiao Qian said that since there was nothing else to do, she might as well go with them to Hangzhou to take a look.

  The most intense fight, but everyone didn't feel sleepy at all. Before dawn, they set off one after another and left Lanruo Temple, only Yan Chixia stayed behind saying that there were still some things that hadn't been done yet.

  Xu Xian walked to a hillside, and when he turned back, he could still see the mountain ridge from last night. The scorching sun had reduced the towering tree to ashes, leaving only a white patch of ground. However, at some unknown time, a seed was deeply buried underground, waiting for winter to pass and spring to arrive, when a spring rain would awaken it, beginning another life. Would there be another Granny, or another Lanruo Temple? No one knew.

  But Xu Xian knew that at least there would never be another Nie Xiaoqian again.

  Xiao Qian hid in a slightly yellow ancient jade in Xu Xian's arms, Xu Xian saw her put the jade on herself and then floated in, also entrusting him with the few sarira.

  Only a ghost knows why it wasn't Ning Caichen but herself. Or perhaps only a ghost really knew that Xu Xian had thought of giving the jade to Ning Caichen. But in the end, he didn't do so. Since he was already free, why must he keep her trapped in such an ambiguous story? He wasn't qualified to make any choices for her.

  Although he had a bit of "wicked" thoughts, Xu Xian didn't think he would have any future with Nie Xiaoqian. Whether it was the different paths of humans and ghosts or whatever, anyway, he himself didn't have the talent to make women fall in love at first sight, maybe that guy far away in Hangzhou did!

  And who knows, in the distant future, there is another woman waiting for herself, ready to start another story. But should she be trapped in a story again? Perhaps with her arrival, the story has already ceased to be a story, at least not the original one anymore.

  "Let's go, Hanwen." Ning Caichen called out loudly. The short two days at Lanruo Temple had brought the two people much closer together. Perhaps it was because they would be able to return home soon, but even the normally stern and serious face showed a hint of joy.

  "Here it comes." Xu Xian stroked the ancient jade in his bosom and said, "Let's go." Then he chased after Ning Caichen.

  The villagers near Lanruo Temple didn't dare to go out until the sky was bright, and last night's earth-shaking killing shouts and dazzling flames really scared a lot of people. It is well-known in the countryside that Lanruo Temple has ghosts and monsters, and no one wants to go there on ordinary days. Later, some brave and curious people went to take a look and found that the unusually large poplar tree on the chaotic mound was burned down by fire, leaving nothing but ashes. In addition, the golden light emanating from Lanruo Temple that night spread rumors in the countryside that the Buddha had collected evil spirits. Some people even vividly described how Vajra Arhat fought against monsters and claimed to have seen it with their own eyes. Those who didn't believe them immediately turned red-faced and swore: if there was half a word of falsehood, they would give birth to children without anuses.

  Three days later, the head of Jinhua County was beheaded, and many people secretly applauded, saying that this cruel official had finally gotten his due. This matter, combined with the great fire at Lanruo Temple, led to rumors that the Buddha had collected a demon in Jinhua City, and had taken care of it along with the temple's troubles. As various rumors spread, they became increasingly absurd and mysterious, but as a result, Lanruo Temple actually gained fame, and monks returned to preach the law, with many people still burning incense and worshiping, all of which is another story.

  Xu Xian listened and knew that Yan Chixia's early departure and late return these days were not ordinary Jianghu people who killed in anger, but still liked to use the name of righteousness to avenge heaven. These real swordsmen thought deeply before killing anyone, and also gathered information. Only when it was really time to kill would they take out their swords and behead someone, never killing indiscriminately. Their names were destined to be unknown, their deeds buried in the dust of history, but who cared?

  There were still two voices with Qin dialect chanting in my ears.

  The heroic spirit of martyrdom is fragrant and will not shame the world's heroes.

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