Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Chang Xu nodded with difficulty under Chen Ji's gaze.

Chen Ji knew his suspicions were correct. He was like a vital servant to the Mountain Lord—important, yes, but if such a servant were to betray and defect, he certainly couldn't be kept. However, if this servant chose to remain by his side, and given the 'enemy's' unique nature, perhaps he could be forgiven.

After all, what does a foolish mortal truly understand? He was merely misled by another version of himself.

Ultimately choosing himself was a commendable achievement, not entirely disgraceful... This was from a human perspective. But what if humanity wasn't the only factor? There was also the purely pragmatic angle.

As a temple keeper, repairing the temple and recasting the golden statue were, after all, useful endeavors, weren't they?

Chen Ji suddenly chuckled, then turned and nestled into Chang Xu's arms, hooking his arm around Chang Xu's waist. "So, what shall we do?"

Chang Xu replied, "Leaving me would be best for you."

Chen Ji retorted, "No, that won't do. I like you too much."

Chang Xu's jade-like face flushed with a faint blush. He turned his head away, avoiding Chen Ji's gaze. "I have no way to deal with Him for now."

Chen Ji idly toyed with Chang Xu's sash, slowly saying, "You yourself said it's 'temporary'... didn't you?"

Chang Xu and the Mountain Lord were originally one, so Chang Xu naturally knew the Mountain Lord's weaknesses. It was just that Chang Xu was currently powerless. He could simply wait. As long as he remained obedient, the Mountain Lord wouldn't seek his life for the time being... Time would eventually come, wouldn't it?

Chang Xu suddenly reached out, gripping Chen Ji's shoulder, and looked him directly in the eye. "It's very difficult, and you could die."

He could distance himself from Chen Ji, from the Mountain Lord's temple, and for now, the Lord couldn't do much to him, ensuring his own safety. But if he were to leave Chen Ji, Chen Ji's life would be entirely his own responsibility.

Chen Ji's tone was slightly teasing, yet firm. "Everyone dies eventually."

"Tell me, what should I do?"

Chang Xu remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "I was originally a white tiger in the mountains, granted divine status as an auspicious omen. Gods are unlike humans; as long as even a single stick of incense is offered, a god is immortal and indestructible."

"When your grandfather was alive, things were barely maintained. After his passing, the Mountain Lord's temple gradually declined. He resented the mortals' disrespect, but I believed it was the natural order. For certain reasons, we separated. I lost my divine status and cannot oppose Him. Because He lost me, He cannot manifest in the mountains in a mortal form..."

Chen Ji appreciated this direct revelation of weaknesses, which saved him a great deal of investigative effort. He said gently, "So? Should we help you merge back with Him, or completely eradicate Him so you can ascend to godhood?"

"It's not that simple," Chang Xu said. "He despises me intensely and will not merge with me again."

Chen Ji then prompted, "Is there any way to force Him to merge back with you? For instance, is there something like a god's heart, a symbol of authority, or something similar? Or perhaps a very powerful magical artifact or weapon that, by wielding it, could achieve this goal through some means?"

This was a common trope in games and novels, so Chen Ji merely ventured a casual guess.

Hearing this, Chang Xu looked at him, puzzled. "Such a thing exists?"

Chen Ji: "..."

Alright, it seems not.

Chen Ji felt a pang of disappointment. Indeed, games rarely mirrored reality; he would have to rely on his own exploration.

***

The next day, Taoist Master Qingjing messaged Chen Ji to set a time. After Chen Ji took Chang Xu for breakfast, they headed to the temple. Chang Xu, still showing respect, did not enter the City God Temple, so Chen Ji went in alone, and they parted ways there.

Taoist Master Qingjing was waiting at the entrance. Seeing the white tiger turn and vanish into thin air, he remarked, "You really... you'd keep a tiger."

Chen Ji shrugged. "I told you, I found it. It was quite severely injured at the time. If I hadn't realized it was a great immortal, I would've called the Forestry Department for rescue."

Taoist Master Qingjing rolled his eyes. If you realize it's a great monster, shouldn't a normal person run away? Forget a great monster, even an ordinary tiger—would a normal person go up and check if it's dead? Aren't you afraid of becoming its next meal?!

An adult tiger's bite force could snap a human neck as easily as a duck's!

As they talked and walked in, Chen Ji suddenly tripped over the threshold. The Taoist master's expression changed, and he quickly supported him. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Ji had already looked behind him.

His manner of 'looking' was too obvious. The Taoist master followed his gaze to the back, where the temple gate was empty. Chen Ji asked, "Do you have door god images pasted at your temple entrance?"

"No," said the Taoist master. "But we have peach wood charms hung."

Chen Ji smiled. In his vision, two golden, shining divine generals stood at the temple entrance. They held magical treasures, majestic and awe-inspiring, commanding respect. Chen Ji, being an ordinary person, naturally felt reverence and slowly bowed to them. The two generals seemed to discern the aura on him, realizing he was not a ghost or evil spirit but a mortal, and then withdrew their gaze, their figures gradually fading from Chen Ji's sight.

Seeing Chen Ji's actions, the Taoist master understood immediately. He stammered, "You... you saw them?"

Chen Ji straightened up. "Hmm... perhaps the supernatural aura on me is too strong, so they mistook me."

"It's nothing, they just took an extra look at me, no malice intended."

The Taoist master looked vexed, and after a long pause, said, "Being blind has this benefit?... Maybe you shouldn't treat your eyes after all."

Yin-yang vision itself is extremely rare; even Taoists who have cultivated for decades may not attain it. Chen Ji gained his yin-yang vision due to some minor incident, and now it was even better. Though he claimed to be blind, he walked normally without any issue, and could even see divine generals!

This was no longer mere yin-yang vision; this was a true opening of the Heavenly Eye!

After all, yin-yang vision only perceives the underworld and the mortal realm, but the Heavenly Eye sees the celestial realm.

—While understanding Yin and Yang can be aided by external objects, can deities be seen simply by wishing to?

Chen Ji held the Taoist master's arm. "Please lead me inside."

Chen Ji was now certain that their Little Green Mountain area was truly a desolate place with harsh mountains and vicious waters. Look at these divine generals—they were also deities, and he even made eye contact with them without any issue, feeling only gentle radiance. Then he thought of his own "Lord"—he only saw Him in dreams, and hearing Him speak a few words made his seven orifices bleed, being touched by Him made his skin and muscles crack directly. If the contact lasted longer, he even felt he would turn into a puddle of flesh.

Taoist master: "Aren't you able to walk by yourself?"

"The temple is too bright; everything I see is a gold and white blur," Chen Ji explained.

Taoist master: "What about me?"

Chen Ji looked carefully. "Gray. Probably in about twenty years, you should die."

The Taoist master was only thirty-three this year. He looked older than his age purely because, as a monastic, he didn't care for external appearances and was too lazy to groom himself. In twenty years, he would be fifty-three. Hearing this, he scoffed. "You're talking nonsense!"

"I'm not too sure, after all, I don't have those fortune-telling skills," Chen Ji laughed. "It might be a calamity. When the time comes, cling to your Grandmaster's thigh, and you should be fine after passing it."

The Taoist master then felt relieved. If Chen Ji had said he would definitely die in twenty years, he would have let go of him right then and there, letting him stumble and hit his head until it bled!

He was about to say something when suddenly an old man walked out from behind the hall. He called out, "Young friend, you are quite right. Qingjing, you should thank the young friend."

Taoist Master Qingjing turned around, meekly bowing his head in respect. "Grandmaster."

The old man was Taoist Master Qingjing's Grandmaster. Chen Ji turned as well and saw that the lines around the old man were particularly striking even in the temple. The lines around him glowed with a vibrant green, interspersed with gold, outlining the face of a kind, long-bearded old man—an old immortal!

Chen Ji thought Qingjing had twenty years left, but looking at the Elder Taoist Master, he felt the man had at least fifty years left—easily living past 120 wouldn't be a problem.

The Elder Taoist Master stepped forward and bowed. "I am Su Lian, an old Taoist."

"Taoist Master Su Lian." Chen Ji bowed his head respectfully. The Elder Taoist Master waved his hand to indicate no need for such formality and led them to the back room.

After checking his pulse, the Elder Taoist Master said, "Young friend, your eyes are not difficult to treat. It just depends on how you wish to treat them."

Chen Ji wasn't one to lie: "These eyes have been a huge help to me, and I still want to use them to learn some things... but they do need to be fixed. Ideally, they'd heal up in a month or two."

He had studied the Five Thunder Talisman for so long without success, only to master it after going blind. Chen Ji considered his talent ordinary, so with such an opportunity, he felt he should make the most of this period to learn more.

The Elder Taoist Master chuckled, "If fate still binds you, then there’s no need for treatment."

Taoist Master Qingjing wanted to say something, but the Elder Taoist Master waved his hand and even glared at him, silencing Qingjing. The Elder Taoist Master then said, "Young friend, you and I are fated. How about I offer you a divination today?"

Chen Ji naturally agreed. The Elder Taoist Master pinched his fingers and calculated, then said, "Young friend, your future is fraught with deadly calamities. Head east, and you may encounter a noble person who can help you. There might still be a sliver of hope."

Chen Ji bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Taoist Master."

"No need for thanks." The Elder Taoist Master turned to Taoist Master Qingjing and said, "Qingjing, why don't you show our young friend around."

This was a clear dismissal. Chen Ji, understanding the hint, rose, pulled out his phone, and asked Qingjing to help scan a code for payment. The Elder Taoist Master said, "No need. This divination is a gift for you, young friend. No payment required."

After expressing his gratitude, Chen Ji followed Qingjing out. He said to Qingjing, "Could you help me scan a payment for your grandmaster? How about 888?"

Qingjing replied, "Didn’t you hear my grandmaster say no payment is needed?"

"Isn't it bad luck not to pay?" Chen Ji hesitated.

Qingjing, knowing Chen Ji could barely see, rolled his eyes hard. "Is there a possibility that we find money from a dead man walking to be inauspicious?"

Chen Ji sighed. "...Fine."

Qingjing helped Chen Ji sit down in the courtyard. It was a perfect spring day, the gentle breeze and warm sun making everything feel lazy and relaxed. Chen Ji squinted in the sun, his whole body feeling loose and heavy. Resting his chin on his hand, he asked Qingjing, "The Taoist Master said going east might lead me to a noble person... East? Should I head east as soon as I leave?"

He'd gotten down the mountain easily enough, but who knew what would be waiting for him when he went back?

Qingjing asked, "Do you eat vegetarian meals? ...Oh, well, then head east. Right after you leave, there’s a small restaurant to the east that’s quite good. You can't miss it—they've got a Guanyin statue right there."

Chen Ji nodded his thanks and left. Once he was outside the temple, his eyesight got a lot clearer. Seeing he was steady on his feet, Taoist Master Qingjing didn't offer further help.

After walking for a while, Chen Ji spotted the restaurant Qingjing had mentioned—the one enshrining Guanyin. It was unmistakable, the entire place bathed in a holy glow!

Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly heard a familiar voice say, "Hey? Aren’t you that guy?"

Chen Ji paused and looked up. The aura he saw was sharp and edged with purple, likely belonging to a young person. He wondered, *Could this be his noble person?*

*They say purple is a noble color—it must be, right?*

The other person took out his phone, glanced at it, and asked, "Are you Chen Ji?"

Chen Ji nodded. The next moment, the young man said, "Yes, it’s him! Come on, take him away!"

Two burly men immediately stepped forward, one on each side, and said to Chen Ji very politely, "Sir, our young master would like a word. Please come with us."