Wandering Gods of Day and Night-Chapter 1015 - 400: Earth Child’s Past (Part 2)

He went behind my back and secretly made a transaction with the Earth Child. The Earth Child planted the ’Earth Child’s Appearance’ within him, but he only reached eight sticks of incense. The Earth Child craves for him to reach nine..."

"So, the ’Earth Child’s Appearance’ planted by the Earth Child on Li Zougui doesn’t have significant side effects?"

Zhou Xuan had started to understand and interjected.

"Master truly has foresight." The Earth Child gave a thumbs-up and said, "Not only did the Earth Child not demand extra incense offerings from Li Zougui, but those hands hidden within him were also obedient. They do require daily sustenance but won’t subject Li Zougui to the punishment of hunger and thirst,

just as you said. The Earth Child did not give him significant side effects, and that’s why Li Zougui constantly insulted me,

with words like, ’Master, you offended the Earth Child, and that’s why you’re being punished,’ or ’Master, you need to reflect on why you’re subjected to the punishment of hunger and thirst,’

hearing it every day was exhausting. I wanted to find a chance to take him down, but since he made a deal with the Earth Child, he belongs to the Earth Child, and I didn’t dare to act rashly."

"But you did find an opportunity," Zhou Xuan said.

The Earth Child was stunned, quickly asking Zhou Xuan what he meant by that.

Zhou Xuan’s gaze was as sharp as a cold knife, sweeping across the Earth Child’s face. The look was too intense, causing the Earth Child to lower his head, not daring to speak much.

"Master, I was just saying how strange things were today. For example, Li Zougui died, so why didn’t you come out to help?

Also, after Li Zougui died, I walked through Jingchuan Prefecture, yet none of Mr. Ye’s men came to arrest me,

which doesn’t seem like Mr. Ye’s usual domineering style. Now that you mention Li Zougui, I understand."

Zhou Xuan dipped his right hand in some rice wine and wrote the word "knife" on the table, saying, "Master, you used my knife to kill Li Zougui. Looking at your weighty appearance of several hundred pounds, I didn’t expect you to be so meticulous."

"Master, Master, at the time, I only had a rough idea. Li Zougui came to me, asking me to send people to bring you back to the Main Hall, to extort Mingjiang Prefecture."

The Earth Child felt Zhou Xuan was overly clever, and this young Master’s thinking was particularly odd, always able to deduce the causes and effects of things from mere words,

almost as if he’s guessing right eight or nine times out of ten.

As a result, the Earth Child dared not hide anything anymore and decided to confess everything about his dealings with Li Zougui.

"What were you planning to extort?"

Zhou Xuan asked again.

"We know how important you are to Mingjiang, and Mingjiang has something that Jingchuan Prefecture doesn’t have, like—the Ancient Tree Golden Bell."

"So you had designs on the Ancient Tree Golden Bell?" Zhou Xuan frowned, realizing just how audacious Mr. Ye’s Tangkou was.

"No, no, we only hoped that the Ancient Tree Golden Bell of Mingjiang Prefecture could expand its range, encompassing our Main Hall. In these turbulent times, even Mr. Ye can’t afford to be careless. The golden bell would provide significant protection."

The Earth Child elaborated, "That’s what Li Zougui discussed with me, but I thought, you are a formidable figure in Mingjiang Prefecture. It’s not that easy to capture you. At the time, I thought—

——If it worked out, then our Mr. Ye’s Tangkou would have the protection of the golden bell. If it didn’t work out, then Li Zougui would most likely be killed, removing that thorn from my side. Either way, I would benefit."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhou Xuan said ’good’ three times in a row, but the Earth Child couldn’t perceive any specific emotion from those words, nor could he guess Zhou Xuan’s intentions.

People are always afraid of the unknown, and masters of nine sticks of incense are no exception,

instantly feeling a sense of insecurity, and the feeling intensified as Zhou Xuan suddenly stood up.

In an instant, Zhou Xuan quietly put on the Taoist Ancestor Mask, and his gaze, like a torch, fell on the Earth Child.

This look was even more terrifying, and the Earth Child didn’t have the courage to look directly into it—even with his head lowered, he could feel the burning gaze,

the oppressive sensation the gaze brought, pressing right on his soul, momentarily making him feel as if he returned to his childhood.

And Zhou Xuan, wearing the Taoist Ancestor Mask, used the power of the Dunjia Incense’s ’River of Destiny’ to enter the Earth Child’s river of destiny and saw a pivotal event from his childhood.

...

In the Earth Child’s childhood, his father was a gambling addict, and his mother ran an incense factory. Because of gambling, his parents often quarreled.

One day, the young Earth Child crawled under the bed, trying to steal pastries his father kept in a basket under the bed, and just then, he heard noises in the room,

then he peered through the gap between the bed and the floor and saw two pairs of legs moving around the room, followed by the sound of his parents quarreling.

His father, having lost a lot, wanted to mortgage the factory, his mother, seeing her hard work being ruined, humiliated her husband in various ways.

In a fit of rage, both of their eyes reddened, and then the Earth Child saw his mother fall, into a pool of blood, a pair of scissors stabbed into her chest.

His father crouched down, pulled the scissors out, and continued to stab, deciding to see it through.

As she lay dying, the mother saw the Earth Child hiding under the bed. Instead of struggling, she gently shook her head at him, signaling for him to stay hidden.