“Immortal Fairy, do you know where the three-eyed ghost child went?” Lu Yang asked. They had originally planned to put on a show with a little ghost, yet even after the performance had ended and two Nascent Soul old ghosts had been captured, the three-eyed ghost child was nowhere to be found.

“Before you started fighting, that little lass from the Cui Family switched on the lamp and burned the little ghost to death.”

“Ah?” Lu Yang quickly understood. The solar lamp’s solar power had killed the three-eyed ghost child.

“I think I recall the Radiant Sun Creed mentioning that their lamps have some special properties. Ghosts like that three-eyed child, who haven’t yet matured, only dare to come out at night; they won’t even show themselves during the day. They can’t withstand the light from a solar lamp.

“Judging by what Master Duanchen said, the Buddhist Kingdom has many evil spirits. It seems solar lamps will be a big hit here.”

Lu Yang reckoned that the spirit stones the Radiant Sun Creed would distribute to him were about to increase again.

“I wonder how many spirit stones I have now.”

Lu Yang had royalties from the flying carriage, a share of the Nine-Netherworlds Creed’s barbeque business profits, and a portion of the Radiant Sun Creed’s solar product earnings. He received substantial amounts of spirit stones from time to time, but he usually accepted them all without bothering to count.

I can’t spend them all anyway.

“Never mind. As long as they’re enough.”

“Benefactors, please rest. I will interrogate these two evil spirits.” Master Duanchen smiled as he looked at the three-eyed ghost monk and the hollow shadow. Based on what these ghosts have said, they have been lurking in Kaihuang City for over fifty years. I wonder what they are plotting.

I worked so hard to build up Kaihuang City, yet these two ghosts nearly ruined it all.

Fortunately, these two benefactors helped me root out this trouble. Master Duanchen counted his blessings.

“Then we’ll leave it to you, Great Master.” Matters of Kaihuang City were best handled by Master Duanchen himself. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had no intention of interfering.

The next day, word spread like wildfire through every street and alley, claiming that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were visiting Kaihuang City and had helped Samaritan Cui eliminate evil spirits.

In a teahouse, a man asked his friend mysteriously, “Do you all know what that battle last night was about?”

His friend’s curiosity was piqued. “What happened? Tell me quickly!”

Hearing this, others nearby pricked up their ears to eavesdrop, and the noise in the teahouse subsided considerably.

“I have a friend at Kaihuang Temple. He said that among the cultivators in that great battle last night were Sword Immortal Lu and Buddha Scion Meng!”

“The same Sword Immortal Lu who visited the immortal palace and left many pregnant there?”

“Which other Sword Immortal Lu could there be?”

“Ss! So envious.”

“The enemies last night were even more formidable. According to Sword Immortal Lu and Buddha Scion Meng, the enemies were Fusion great cultivators who had been lurking in Samaritan Cui’s home for unknown purposes. The two had originally intended to help the Cui family deal with their hauntings and quietly leave without revealing their identities, but they didn’t expect to uncover such powerful enemies.

“They also said that the two entered the battle with the resolve to bring their enemies down with them. Fortunately, they won by a narrow margin.”

A bystander couldn’t help but exclaim, “Divine Transfiguration cultivators challenging Fusion cultivators?! It's that incredible?!” Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he hurriedly covered his mouth and pretended he hadn’t said anything.

The man continued, “Last night, Master Duanchen took the two back to the temple and tended to them attentively. They are now out of danger. The two even expressed that they would stay in Kaihuang City for a while longer and attend the Buddha Bathing Festival.”

“That’s a good thing,” his companion commented cheerfully.

After leaving the teahouse, the man, his companion, and the bystander secretly gathered together. They removed their wigs, revealing shiny bald heads.

As instructed by Master Duanchen, they had completed their task. All that remained was to wait for the news to ferment gradually.

“We didn’t lie just now, did we?”

“No, the lines were all thought up by Shifu; every word was true.”

“Were they thought up by Shifu? Why did I hear it was Benefactor Lu who came up with them?”

Monks were bound by many precepts, and “not speaking of falsehood” was the greatest one. But now that Kaihuang Temple had received guidance from an expert, it was no longer an issue.

Just as Master Duanchen had anticipated, news of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou subduing demons and vanquishing devils spread not only quickly through Kaihuang City but also reached several surrounding cities in a remarkably short time.

~~~

“Sword Immortal Lu and Buddha Scion Meng are going to attend the Buddha Bathing Festival in Kaihuang City?”

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were beloved by both mortals and cultivators. Mortals wanted to see the legendary figures they often heard about in pingshu storytelling performances, while cultivators wanted to participate in the Buddha Bathing Festival’s martial contest and receive guidance from the two.

“Dang, two great prodigies of the current era who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Fusion cultivators.”

“Not just shoulder to shoulder; haven’t you heard they eliminated two Fusion ghost cultivators last night?”

“Truly terrifying.”

To ordinary cultivators, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were figures far beyond their reach. To receive even a word or two of guidance from them would already be a great fortuitous opportunity.

“Brother Zou, are you going to attend the Buddha Bathing Festival in Kaihuang City?”

“Of course. But considering how rare this opportunity is, I’m afraid the number of cultivators heading to Kaihuang City will far exceed that of any previous year.”

~~~

Master Duanchen came to find Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

“Great Master, is anything the matter?” Lu Yang was puzzled. Why does he look so troubled? “Is the publicity not going well?”

“That’s not it. The publicity has been unexpectedly successful. It’s just that the results of the soul searches on the two ghosts have come in.”

“And what about it?” Meng Jingzhou asked. It seems the problem lies in the soul search results.

“These two have some connection to the Heartless Creed, though they aren’t members, just pawns.

“The Heartless Creed paid them with Divine Concentration Pills to lurk in this city and do their bidding.

“For example, many people in recent years have abandoned their families to join monastic life. That was the work of the Heartless Creed.

“The Heartless Creed developed a pill called the Emotion-Forgetting Pill, which dissolves in water. After consumption, it can cause a person to lose their emotions for years. The affected individuals, now heartless and devoid of attachment, will often interpret this change as the desire to enter monastic life. When the pill’s effects wear off, they no longer feel that pull and wish to return to secular life.

“These two ghosts secretly drugged people and observed the pill’s effects.”

“I see.” Lu Yang recalled asking the Everlasting Immortal Fairy to check the third pilgrim for anything unusual. I presume the pill’s effects on that pilgrim had already worn off by then, which was why she hadn’t detected anything.

“Do we know who their superior is?” Meng Jingzhou questioned. I still have some pent-up energy from last night.

Master Duanchen shook his head. “We only know that it’s a Fusion elder of the Heartless Creed, but they have never seen the elder’s face. All contact was one-way from the elder. After last night’s incident, that elder will likely never contact them again.

“I also learned from their memories that there are others like them in cities across the eastern region of the Buddhist Kingdom. I suspect the Heartless Creed has a branch in the Buddhist Kingdom, and it is no small force.”

“To think there’s such a thing.” Lu Yang frowned. No wonder Master Duanchen is so worried; this is no small matter.

Master Duanchen continued, “I will naturally report this to Xitian Temple. However, I was hoping you two benefactors could write a letter to the Great Xia as well. Perhaps our two sides can join forces to eradicate the Heartless Creed’s presence in the Buddhist Kingdom?”

Lu Yang contemplated for a moment and nodded. “That works.”

“Excellent.”

With Lu Yang’s agreement, Master Duanchen felt one weight lifted from his shoulders. Looking much more relieved, he left the guest quarters.

“What are you going to do? Write to the sect?” Meng Jingzhou asked. Sending a letter would take at least half a month to reach the Dao-Seeking Sect, and any mishap along the way could cause it to become lost.

“No need for such trouble. I have a way.”

“What way?”

Lu Yang didn’t answer. Under Meng Jingzhou’s baffled gaze, he lay serenely on the bed and stopped breathing.

~~~

Dai Bufan yawned. Lying in a water sphere, he felt at ease, so relaxed that he could easily drift into sleep.

Suddenly, his disciple, Gu Junye, burst in, panicked. “Senior Brother, it’s terrible! Senior Brother Lu Yang’s soul lamp has gone out!”

“What?!” Dai Bufan was so startled that he drank a mouthful of water and choked. He rushed to the soul lamp chamber to check on the situation of Lu Yang’s lamp.

Arriving at the soul lamp chamber, he saw rows upon rows of lamps lit up, illuminating the room. Only Lu Yang’s soul lamp was extinguished.

Suddenly, Lu Yang’s lamp lit up, then went out again, then lit up once more. He had heard that this was what happened when solar lamps malfunctioned.

Dai Bufan’s expression grew increasingly peculiar. He remembered Lu Yang telling him that if a soul lamp’s flickering followed a certain pattern, it could form words and transmit messages.

Although he had mentally prepared himself, watching Lu Yang’s soul lamp flicker on and off still looked unnervingly unnatural.