Wandering Gods of Day and Night

Chapter 1448: Chapter 537: Rotten Lotus_3

"Even to this day, I still think Zhou Lingyi is not as good as me.

You admire Zhou Lingyi only because she is from the Nuoshen Family, a descendant of the Nuo God. You don’t truly favor her abilities."

Lord Jiu shook his head and asked Chen Lanzi, "Only Zhou Lingyi possesses a gentle nature, indifferent to worldly conflicts, always dedicating her heart to the Zhou Family’s Troupe. If she were to compete, there would certainly be a battle between you and her."

"Who would lose, who would win?" Chen Lanzi eagerly desired an answer from Lord Jiu.

Lord Jiu remained silent.

He didn’t want to hurt the self-esteem of this once-great talent before him.

In the path of cultivation, besides talent, the most crucial thing is the mindset. If the mindset is damaged, it leads to stagnation like Yuan Buyu—incense ceases, progress halts.

"Do I have a seventy percent chance of winning?" Chen Lanzi asked.

Still, Lord Jiu remained silent.

"Surely sixty percent, at least?"

"Could it be only fifty percent?"

"Forty percent? Does Lord Jiu think so low of me?"

Chen Lanzi’s eyes shimmered with light.

After a long sigh, Lord Jiu said, "If it’s a duel to the death, it won’t take a stick of incense for Zhou Lingyi to take your head."

"No... No... That’s impossible... Impossible." Chen Lanzi felt the flame in her heart was rapidly extinguishing.

Lord Jiu handed Chen Lanzi a handkerchief, saying, "Wipe away your tears. Zhou Lingyi has never revealed her true power."

"Because once she reveals it, she will die."

"But before she dies, she will blossom like a thousand-year-old epiphyllum, even the disciples of nine sticks of incense can’t gain the upper hand in her presence."

"Everyone thinks that the biggest trump card of the God Traveling Department in Ping Shui Prefecture is Lord Jian. No, before Mr., it was Zhou Lingyi."

Chen Lanzi finally burst into tears, the resentment accumulated over the years pierced by the truth calmly revealed by Lord Jiu, and also shattered her pride of being a genius.

"When today’s matters are settled, pay a visit to the Zhou Family’s Troupe—Zhou Lingyi hasn’t held grudges against you these years because of her broad-mindedness. Now, it’s time for you to apologize, and in the future, let go of your knots, be more placable..."

Lord Jiu, upon saying this, walked toward the east of Lotus Mountain, where Lord Jian was waiting for him.

"The handkerchief is yours, take care of yourself afterwards. Zhou Lingyi doesn’t fight, but Mr. will fight for Zhou Lingyi.

Mr. will not spare you because of your talent—because in his eyes, you are not a genius.

In his eyes, you are merely another kind of mediocrity, a slightly better mediocrity."

...

All the night patrol deities on the sealed mountain, except for the devastated Chen Lanzi,

every other deity had assembled.

Lord Jian stood with a bow, while Zhou Lingyi relaxed in the shade, cuddling a white cat taking a nap.

If the witches were all indifferent to worldly affairs, then Zhou Lingyi was even more of a witch than a witch. Apart from making brief arrangements for troupe affairs each day, she would lounge in the warmth, nap, and stroke the cat,

The only thing that piqued her interest was when the masters in the troupe or Yuan Buyu, big brother, and others, talked about Zhou Xuan’s affairs.

Whenever it happened, she would open her eyes slightly and listen lazily.

"Old Jiu, everyone’s waiting for you."

Lord Jian called out to the belated Lord Jiu.

"Isn’t that why I’m here now."

"What about Sacrificial Wine?" Lord Jian asked.

"Chen Lanzi has personal matters, couldn’t come, asked me to take a leave for her."

Lord Jiu glanced at Zhou Lingyi, who remained napping.

"Then let’s head into the mountain now."

"All deities, listen to my orders. After Mr. burned the Heavenly Fire, the mountain is overrun with death energy and blood energy spreading around, I’m afraid the situation has changed."

"Mountain Guardian, Evil Slayer... You scout the South Mountain."

"Ping Xiang, Sun Patrol... You scout the North Mountain."

"Night Patrol, Ghost Deflector... You follow me into the Lotus Temple."

Lord Jian continued to assign the tasks of entering the mountain, with positions like Mountain Guardian, Evil Slayer, Ping Xiang, Sun Patrol, etc., being roles of the gods.

Zhou Lingyi was the Night Patrol God from the Ping Shui Prefecture, her task was to go to the Lotus Temple. Even when she heard Lord Jian assign her task, she remained eyes closed, slightly nodding, indicating acknowledgment.

In a short time, several divine lanterns divided into five groups headed into Lotus Mountain.

...

"Sect Leader, what are you doing? We were just about to finish burning the Heavenly Fire with Master Zhou, and soon we can enter the mountain and pay respect to Master Zhou’s mountaintop. But you insist on pulling me back to the Heavenly Dome?"

Tiancan Monk said somewhat angrily.

He rarely descended to the human world to support Zhou Xuan. If he didn’t personally see Zhou Xuan, how would Zhou Xuan know he came to help?

If Zhou Xuan doesn’t know, wouldn’t it be a waste of his trip to the mortal world?

"You bald donkey, truly have no sense... To show merit to Master Zhou, one must act subtly, arriving quietly and leaving unobtrusively, just leaving human relations in the world."

Having served Changsheng Palace Master for years, the Eternal Life Sect Leader was indeed adept at handling situations, understanding some things clearly.

"But if Master Zhou doesn’t know we came, how can we quietly contribute?"

"That’s the beauty of seeing goodness through hardships. If we always provide help like this, quietly and continuously, one, two times—even if Master Zhou doesn’t care, eventually... How do you think Master Zhou would see us?"

"Surely he would consider us a hardworking old ox that mostly contributes quietly. His heart might soften and reward you with dozens or hundreds of elixirs—could you consume them all? Even over a year, you couldn’t finish them."

Sect Leader said, "Let’s go. It’s fortunate I’m here today to restrain you. If it were someone else, you wouldn’t understand the method and foolishly seek credit."

"Sect Leader is absolutely right."

Tiancan Monk finally comprehended and held even deeper esteem for the Sect Leader, quickly saying, "Sect Leader possesses grand wisdom."

"Did you expect any less? You’re going to study well in the future."

The Eternal Life Sect Leader was extremely satisfied.

...

On the Lotus Mountain cemetery, the incense fire Taoist was about to leave.

"Xuan, today your affair was compromised. I’ll find a chance to make up for it. I’m leaving first."

"Don’t rush to leave."

Zhou Xuan smelled the "fishy, rotten odor" around and said, "The visualization zen of Twenty-one Zen seems to be emerging, want to go see the commotion with me?"

"Let’s go."

Upon hearing the appearance of Twenty-one Zen, the incense fire Taoist wished to join Zhao Wuya to see the spectacle.

Zhou Xuan found old incense’s quick change amusing—thinking that only dragon-seeking Taoists liked watching the excitement, he realized after all that no Taoist in the world didn’t enjoy witnessing the commotion.

He first waved to Old Cat and the others, saying, "You three elder brothers can descend the mountain now. This cemetery, don’t guard it anymore in the future—I’m afraid you’ll starve without business."

Old Cat and the others immediately dashed down the mountain, eager to drink wine and ease the anxiety from the day,

They also wanted to visit the teahouse—to boast and chat, having first met near the nine sticks of incense’s Nuodai, then seeing the legendary Incense Fire Taoist God—a grand blessing indeed.

They planned to narrate today’s experiences, probably making it a blueprint for the storyteller in the teahouse, capable of writing more than ten episodes of Liang Zhi.

Once Old Cat and the others left, Zhou Xuan also took Zhao Wuya and the incense fire Taoist down the mountain.

While on the mountain, the wind was strong, and those fishy, rotten odors weren’t too intense, but descending the mountain, the stench became overpoweringly pungent.

Zhou Xuan felt as if he were walking through a pit filled with decaying corpses.

The death of the Hundred-eyed Child seemed to strip away Lotus Mountain’s layer of wondrous, fragrant disguise, revealing a truly "filthy, sinful" face.

"Could it be that the ’White Bone Burial Pit’ mentioned by Master Wu Ya refers to the entire Lotus Mountain?"

Zhou Xuan pondered as he simultaneously released his Perception...