Chapter 224
Chapter 224
Coiled into a heap in the corner, Eighth Master Chang’s eyes darted about as he watched the scene.
He opened his enormous mouth and swallowed all his instant noodles in one gulp. Then he put on the black wok, transformed into a wind, and departed.
Zhao Fei also climbed down from the heated brick bed. After bowing respectfully to Hemp-clad Grandmother and Deaf Granny, he left the room with a grave expression.
The two had barely left when Young Monk Wuxin, who had just awakened in the side room, walked in from outside.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha.
“Grandma, has my brother come back…?
“Oh, Brother is asleep?”
Wuxin did not hesitate. Kicking his short legs furiously, he clambered onto the heated brick bed. He reached out with a chubby little hand, pulled over the quilt, and lay down beside Hua Jiunan.
“Grandma, Grandmother, remember to wake Brother and me when it’s time to eat.”
The two elders gazed fondly at the children lying there and answered softly,
“All right. Be good, Wuxin, and sleep. We’ll wake you when it’s time to eat.”
With no “outsiders” left to interrupt them, Deaf Granny and Hemp-clad Grandmother began preparing for Guoyin.
Deaf Granny took out several handfuls of incense ash, wrapped them in cotton cloth, and tucked them against her body.
She placed the spirit medium’s Great Seal and the Gold-Silver Fan inside her clothes.
Then she tied the Immortal-Binding Rope around her waist as a belt.
Finally, she took two sinister bones from a black box.
They were the very Millennium Wraith Bones that Deaf Granny and Old Li had held in reserve as a final, desperate measure to protect the newborn Hua Jiunan on the night of the “Hundred Ghosts Fight for His Life” fifteen years ago.
As previously explained, eating a Millennium Wraith Bone would greatly increase one’s cultivation, but the person would also suffer the cruelest punishment in existence:
Never reincarnating!
Their soul would wander the world forever, enduring the agony of death by a thousand cuts every moment.
They would truly be unable to live and unable to die!
Even so, Hemp-clad Grandmother, who had already cast all other concerns aside, lit up when she saw the Millennium Wraith Bones.
“Little sister, I never guessed you had something this good hidden away!
“Hehe, perfect. We can each take half!
“With this thing, our odds will be much better when we storm the Underworld Court to save them!”
Empty pleasantries meant nothing when someone was helping you at the cost of her own life.
Without hesitation, Deaf Granny handed half a Millennium Wraith Bone to her.
“Hehe, elder sister, with our current cultivation, we’ll be far stronger than an ordinary Ghost Immortal after eating this!”
Hemp-clad Grandmother nodded repeatedly as she took a Human-skin Lantern, Corpse-Binding Ropes, and other items from the Ghost Sedan and equipped herself with them.
“Of course we will!”
Once the two elders were prepared, they cast one last, lingering look at Hua Jiunan and the others.
They softly instructed,
“Children, live well and be good people for these old women!”
With that, they began casting the art for Guoyin.
At the critical moment, the white-robed Chang Huaiyuan suddenly appeared.
With a sweep of his sleeve, he interrupted their spell.
“Elder sisters, you mustn’t do this!
“Elder sisters, you are being foolish!”
Hemp-clad Grandmother was a half-step Ghost Immortal with an eccentric temper. She glared and demanded sternly,
“Chang Family Eldest, what is the meaning of this?
“If you can’t explain yourself, this old woman won’t let the matter rest!”
Chang Huaiyuan did not grow angry. Instead, he first helped both old women sit down.
“Elder sisters, why did you not send someone to notify me when something so serious happened at home?!
“Had Little Eighth not returned to report it, I, Chang, would still know nothing!”
After gently voicing his complaint, Chang Huaiyuan continued,
“Filial devotion comes before all other virtues. The young master physician must save his mother now that she is in danger!
“Yet the Underworld Court is no ordinary place. I know that neither of you wants the young master physician to throw his life away, so you intend to take his place.
“But have you considered how deeply he will blame himself if the two of you perish and your cultivation is destroyed?!
“Given his temperament, he will likely storm straight into the Underworld Court. He would rather have his soul destroyed than remain alive in this world alone!
“Alas, not only would that bring about a catastrophe, your sacrifice would become utterly meaningless!
“Such an outcome would truly grieve those who love him and delight his enemies!
“Do you understand now, elder sisters?!”
Just then, Zhao Aiguo and Chen Fu, whom Zhao Fei had summoned, walked in one after the other.
“Old Auntie, the two of us would also venture to say that Elder Chang is right.
“If something truly happened to you two elders, then even if Xiao Jiu didn’t storm the Underworld Court, his temperament would leave him unable to hold his head up for the rest of his life.
“That would ruin the boy!”
After hearing Zhao Aiguo’s words, Deaf Granny and Hemp-clad Grandmother broke into a cold sweat.
Even their voices revealed lingering fear.
“Thank goodness you arrived in time!
“Otherwise… otherwise, we two old women would have harmed Xiao Jiu!
“Alas, we’re old. Truly old! We don’t even know how to handle trouble anymore!
“Aiguo, you’re young and worldly. Tell us what we should do!”