Chapter 295
Chapter 295
Mao Jingxuan was courting death.
But he should have had a bright future ahead of him.
He came from a prestigious Maoshan lineage, was highly respected, and had numerous disciples and granddisciples under him. The elixirs he refined were so sought-after that they were nearly impossible to obtain at any price.
He had already risen to such heights. What more could he possibly have wanted?
I truly couldn’t understand it.
Fang Chuanzong let out a long, regretful sigh. “We’d known each other for many years. To me, he had always been both a teacher and a friend. When the Elixir Poison Incident happened, I couldn’t understand it either.”
He raised a hand and pressed hard at the spot between his brows. “I’m sure you’ve all heard some version of the saying that the ultimate goal of cultivation is eternal life. But how many cultivators truly manage to ascend to immortality and live as long as heaven and earth?”
Liu Junyan and I exchanged a glance.
Disappointed, I said, “So that’s what it was.”
Liu Junyan gave a derisive chuckle. “It seems the Great Lama and Mao Jingxuan were driven by the same thing.”
“Mao Jingxuan was a master alchemist,” Fang Chuanzong said. “His elixirs saved countless lives. If he had continued cultivating, devoted himself to studying alchemy, healed the sick, saved lives, and accumulated Merit, then perhaps one day…”
Liu Junyan interrupted him. “Elder Fang, do you really believe you knew Mao Jingxuan that well?”
Fang Chuanzong immediately replied, “Of course. We-”
Halfway through his answer, he suddenly froze.
I understood as well. “Mao Jingxuan’s current cultivation may not have come from years of dedicated training at all. It may have come from… elixirs.”
Consuming elixirs to boost one’s cultivation was originally meant to be nothing more than a supplementary method.
But some people were so eager for quick results that they took shortcuts to drastically increase their cultivation.
Mao Jingxuan had clearly chosen that shortcut, allowing his cultivation to advance at incredible speed.
Maoshan was a major sect filled with talented individuals.
Standing out among so many capable people was no easy task.
If someone possessed limited talent yet relied too heavily on elixirs to improve their cultivation, they could not continue down that path forever. Sooner or later, their body would begin to suffer.
Once a person had climbed to a certain height, it was hard to accept stagnating there. As they grew older and watched one younger successor after another surpass them, their mindset could gradually become warped.
That could drive them to extremes.
Fang Chuanzong had clearly come to the same realization. He murmured, “No wonder he had so many disciples and granddisciples, yet they varied so wildly in quality. Hardly any of them ever amounted to anything. Those children he sent to train under me this time nearly committed a terrible mistake too. So… there were signs all along.”
For a time, the atmosphere inside the RV grew heavy.
Fang Chuanzong refilled our cups, then asked tentatively, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, would you like to interrogate him yourself?”
I looked at Liu Junyan.
As far as I was concerned, I had already learned what I wanted to know. There was nothing left for me to ask.
However, since the Three-Eyed Toad had been created by the Great Lama, perhaps Liu Junyan would want to question Mao Jingxuan further.
To my surprise, Liu Junyan said, “Interrogating him is part of your duty, Elder Fang. We won’t interfere any further. We’re tired, so we’ll be heading back.”
Fang Chuanzong said nothing more. He rose and saw us out.
Gray Immortal Hall and the Qiu Family both invited us to visit, but we turned them down one after another.
That afternoon, Hui Moqiong drove us straight back.
Liu Junyan and I sat in the back seat. One of his arms was wrapped around my waist, while he leaned weakly against my shoulder.
He truly was exhausted.
I wrapped both arms around him and looked at his bloodless lips. “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
Liu Junyan didn’t answer immediately. After a long silence, he suddenly said, “Xiao Jiu, I want to go back to Mount Song.”
My heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable unease rose within me. “Why do you suddenly want to go back to Mount Song? Ah Yan, there’s something you want to confirm there, isn’t there?”
Liu Junyan raised an eyebrow and looked at me in mild surprise.
I reached out and gently traced his brows and eyes with my fingertips. “Let me guess. You want to return to Mount Song and confirm the connection between Chan Master Dahui and the Copper-Coin Figure, don’t you?”
Liu Junyan nodded. “More precisely, I know the two were originally one and the same. I once believed that the Copper-Coin Figure was a manifestation of Chan Master Dahui’s desires. That’s why I took such a desperate gamble in Xiaoyingkou.”
I frowned. “Isn’t that what he is?”
Liu Junyan’s theory was exactly the same as mine. I couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
But he said, “If the Copper-Coin Figure were merely a manifestation of Chan Master Dahui’s desires, he shouldn’t possess a physical body.”
“Exactly,” I said. “That’s why he needs Golden Copper Coin armor to hold his incorporeal form together.”
Hui Moqiong suddenly cut in. “Xiao Jiu’er, I can say for certain that you’re mistaken about that. The Evil Monk isn’t incorporeal. He truly exists. His face may be impossible to make out, but he has hands and feet.”
Hui Moqiong had followed the Copper-Coin Figure for so many years. If he said I was wrong, then I had to be wrong.
Liu Junyan said, “That’s why I have to return to Mount Song and get to the bottom of this. I can also enter seclusion there for a while and focus on recovering.”
“Do you need me to come with you?” I asked.
Liu Junyan ruffled my hair. “No. Xiao Jiu, take good care of yourself. I’ll come back as soon as I can and keep you company. Don’t forget — we still have an agreement.”
That was right. He had promised that once we returned from Chang City, he would tell me about the Linghai Forbidden Zone.
We didn’t speak much for the rest of the journey back to Wufu Town.
Liu Junyan spent the entire ride leaning against my shoulder with his eyes closed, resting.
After dropping me off at the Pawnshop, Hui Moqiong turned the car around and drove Liu Junyan straight to Mount Song.
Holding the Black Cat in my arms, I stood outside the Pawnshop and watched them leave.
Li Qingying said anxiously, “Why did he leave again without even getting out of the car? Even if he needs to confirm something at Mount Song, surely there was no need to rush off like this. A lot has happened in Wufu Town while you were gone. Given Seventh Master’s usual temperament, he would never ignore the Pawnshop’s affairs and go to Mount Song first. This is so strange.”
Was it strange?
It certainly was.
I had been surprised when Liu Junyan pointed out that the Copper-Coin Figure wasn’t incorporeal, but the moment he used that as a reason to go to Mount Song, I also realized something was wrong with him.
But what exactly was wrong?
What was Liu Junyan really planning to do at Mount Song?
A faint possibility surfaced in my mind, but I didn’t dare pursue it. Shaking my head, I asked, “Sister Qingying, what happened in Wufu Town these past few days?”
Li Qingying looked restless. “Everything else can wait. I’ll explain it all to you later. Xiao Jiu, come with me to the West Room first. There’s something you need to see.”
Still holding the Black Cat, I followed her toward the back and asked, “What happened in the West Room?”
The shrine was kept there. If anything had gone wrong with it, the consequences could be dire.
I immediately tensed as well.
Li Qingying only said, “It’s that Copper-Coin Figure… Oh, you’ll understand when you see it for yourself.”
As we spoke, we entered the Main Courtyard and headed into the West Room.
At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed.
But when my gaze settled on the Copper-Coin Figure, I froze.
I strode over and leaned in for a closer look.
Then I frowned and turned toward Li Qingying.
“Xiao Jiu, you see it too, don’t you?” Li Qingying asked. “I’m not imagining things, am I? When I came to make an Incense offering this morning, I noticed that the Copper Coin pieces covering his body seemed to have faded considerably…”