“This is strange. Who on earth did all this?” Jiang Wen felt lost in a thick fog. He frowned and looked at the Huai spirit again, realizing there were so many schemes within this small space.
“If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it.” Yan Gongli reached out and brushed his brow, smoothing out the frown. She stood beside Jiang Wen, gazing at the now-quiet Huai spirit, and said to him, “This Huai spirit consumed my body and is already connected to my life force. I used my essence blood to control her, so even with immense power, she will find it difficult to escape.”
“You have taken care of me so much, so I will give you this Huai spirit. You can dispose of her as you wish.” Yan Gongli said, looking at the Huai spirit with a smile. “This beauty is truly rare. Your blood is vigorous and your essence abundant. If you were to mate with her and seize her primal yin, you could obtain endless benefits.”
“What are you talking about! I'm not that kind of person!” Jiang Wen protested Yan Gongli's words, wanting to prove that he was an upright person.
“You must know that this妖精 is a Huai spirit, a unique treasure in the world. Ordinary Huai trees need to undergo three tribulations to transform into a spirit. Each tribulation is a life-or-death ordeal; passing it means life, failing it means death. In these ten thousand years, I have only seen this one Huai spirit.” Yan Gongli sighed. “Huai spirits are naturally nourishing to the three souls. Moreover, she has merged with my body, gaining some human qualities. Now, she has even entered the realm of a demon king, with profound power. If you were to mate with her, you would truly gain endless benefits.”
“……” Jiang Wen was somewhat tempted by her words. However, he ultimately restrained himself and adhered to his principles. “I have my own pursuits and wouldn't do such a vulgar thing.”
“Is that so?” Yan Gongli looked at him with a teasing smile. “This Huai spirit is now yours.”
Having said that, she jumped off the flying sword and landed on the ground, walking towards the purple-crowned tree.
Jiang Wen stood in front of the Huai spirit, watching her slowly awaken.
The Huai spirit's expression was dazed, her purple eyes looking at him. Her black hair had faded, turning silver again.
“This monk wants this tree, it is of great use.” The monk said, touching the tree. “This monk wants to use it to spread the Dharma, this monk wants to let those in the Buddhist sect know what Tathagata is. As for this Huai spirit, this monk feels that he cannot beat you now.”
“Next time there is a chance to come to the Western Land, I look forward to a fair fight with you.” Hongluan said, then crushed the escape talisman, and the whole person disappeared into the underworld.
“What is your name?” Jiang Wen asked.
“Hey, how about this? You can follow me from now on and help me take care of the Daoist temple. I'll give you a name, let's call you Ziyun.”
Looking back, the monk over there was still cutting down trees. The red-clothed girl was sitting on the tree, dangling her feet. There was no seriousness of having just experienced a life-and-death battle.
Jiang Wen's impression of these two had been shattered. He came to the tree and looked at the monk who was cutting down trees.
“Then where are you planning to go in the future?” he asked again.
“An Yin tree nourished by flesh and blood naturally possesses the power to capture souls,” Yan Gongli said. “Go and take a straight branch from the middle of the tree crown and make it into a wooden sword. In the future, when you encounter ghosts, use this sword to deal with them. Whether they are ghosts, demons, or ghost kings, none can escape this sword.”
On the way, they encountered a giant poisonous soul frog. Jiang Wen summoned Ziyun to skin it and eat the frog meat deliciously.
“Ziyun?” The Huai spirit raised her head, blinking her eyes innocently.
Perhaps a monk is just a monk, so what if he said his real name?
“Knowing is good.” Yan Gongli said, unconsciously climbing onto Jiang Wen's back. “I am about to fall asleep again, so I will trouble you with the rest.”
Jiang Wen asked him what he was going to do, and the monk said with a smile, “This monk is going to the Buddha Country.”
“I say, monk, what are you going to do with this tree? Didn't you come to find the Huai spirit?” Jiang Wen looked at the monk in confusion, feeling puzzled by their purpose. They had sworn to fight for the Huai spirit before they came, but now that the Huai spirit was right in front of them, the two of them were indifferent.
“Naturally, I am going to attain the Dharma and obtain the true scriptures.” The monk smiled. “This monk's lifelong ambition is to make these evil Buddhas repent and return to righteousness.”
“I know, you are you, she is her.” Jiang Wen nodded.
“There is such a benefit?” Jiang Wen felt like he had gained an unexpected reward when he heard this. He quickly flew to the treetop and took down the straightest branch.
So, Jiang Wen, who had decided to dig three feet into the ground, stayed in the underworld for a few more days, on the one hand, to build a good relationship with the Huai spirit Ziyun, and on the other hand, to collect good things in the underworld.
“I'm leaving. I've gained a lot from this experience. I feel like my swordsmanship has also gained more insights.” Hongluan took out her twin blades and spun them in her hand. Then, she took out an escape talisman, held it in her hand, and looked at Jiang Wen.
Those corpse people were so frightened when they saw Ziyun that they scattered and ran away, no longer daring to chase Jiang Wen and beat him.
“Why go so far?”
A day later, the monk finished cutting down the tree. He prepared to leave the underworld with the tree trunk. Before leaving, the monk handed Jiang Wen a string of prayer beads, saying that it could ward off evil spirits, drive away evil, and resolve inner demons.
Jiang Wen removed the spell, releasing her from the suppression. After the Huai spirit stood up, she sat there blankly.
In the end, the monk didn't tell him his real name.
He threw it into the storage bag, planning to deal with it after he settled down.
“Yes, who can fight against you with such immortal-like magic just now?” Hongluan landed beside Jiang Wen and threw a fruit to him. Jiang Wen caught the fruit, feeling that this scene was familiar.
The monk said it easily, but Jiang Wen could hear the hardship in it. Although he didn't know what the monk was going to do, he still sent his blessings.
“Yes, your name will be Ziyun from now on.”
“Buddha Country?”
“This is the safest place for you, I'm not going anywhere.” Yan Gongli snorted嬌哼 and stopped talking.
“……” The Huai spirit still didn't know.
“…… Can't you find another place to rest?” Jiang Wen said helplessly. This Ancestral Grandmother had set her sights on his back. As soon as she was tired, she would climb up, really not treating him like an outsider.
“……” The Huai spirit shook her head.
The other party was looking at the roots of the tree with great interest, seemingly looking at something.
Only when Jiang Wen walked over did he realize that there were countless heads under the roots of the tree. It was hard to imagine how many people had died under this tree.
“It is a place beyond the Great Thousand.”
“Okay, Ziyun, I.” She nodded and stopped talking. Jiang Wen didn't know what Yan Gongli had done to her, but he knew it was definitely not a good thing.
“The things of the underworld are all related to ghosts. The Huai spirit is a transformation of a ghost tree, so it can naturally restrain the things in this underworld. In the future, when you encounter cultivators who control ghosts, you can let Ziyun deal with them.” Yan Gongli said, taking a good look at Ziyun. “Although she has my flesh and blood, she is not me.”
“This monk is leaving.” The monk laughed and left.
Leaving Jiang Wen carrying Yan Gongli, walking in this underworld.
“I should leave too.” Jiang Wen said to himself.
