Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

The ethereal sound of the zither rang out again. Nie Xiaoqian parted her cherry lips slightly and sang along with the melody as her fingers plucked the strings. A sense of sorrow naturally flowed out and slowly seeped into Li Xiuyuan's heart.

The melodious zither music seemed to come from the sky, or perhaps it was playing in the abyss. Li Xiuyuan sat opposite Nie Xiaoqian with his eyes closed. Following the rhythm, he kept his eyes tightly shut, his palms together, as if he were listening intently.

However, Li Xiuyuan's attention was actually focused on Nie Xiaoqian's body, secretly using his barely perceptible telepathic abilities to probe her true nature.

The more Li Xiuyuan examined it, the more astonished he became. He exclaimed in surprise, "Apart from lacking the turbulent blood and qi of a living person, it is exactly the same as a real person. This skin, this black hair..."

"...Even breathing is present, and every frown and smile is flawless. Tsk tsk, it is truly extraordinary that such a realistic entity can be formed without the need for an original physical body."

"You should know that Nie Xiaoqian has only been a female ghost for a year, yet she has such cultivation. This is truly extraordinary. She is no weaker than a grandmaster."

Nie Xiaoqian was not what he had previously guessed—that her appearance was merely an illusion—but a real body, almost indistinguishable from a living person.

This was simply unbelievable, but Li Xiuyuan quickly realized that a little ghost like Nie Xiaoqian, who had only been dead for a short time, could not possibly have such great abilities.

That situation must be related to the tree spirits that bind and drive them.

Could it be that the tree spirit possesses some kind of treasure?

Thinking of this, Li Xiuyuan felt a surge of excitement; he would soon find out...

After a while, the piece ended. Nie Xiaoqian pressed down on the strings, patted Li Xiuyuan, whose eyes were still closed, and said softly, "Master, you're done playing."

Li Xiuyuan suddenly opened his eyes as if he had been startled awake, and then praised, "The female benefactor's zither playing and singing are truly heavenly music. This humble monk was unknowingly so captivated that he could not wake up. My apologies."

A faint smile appeared on Nie Xiaoqian's pale face as she covered her mouth and thanked him shyly, saying, "Master, you flatter me. My skills are shallow and my talent is not worthy of your appreciation."

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "It's getting late, female benefactor. You should go back and rest early! This humble monk will take his leave!"

Chapter 102 A Gathering of Ghosts and Monsters

Having said that, he stood up, thinking to himself that it was a pity that the Tree Demon Granny hadn't appeared, and that he had waited for so long for nothing. But if he stayed for a couple more days, he didn't believe that the Tree Demon wouldn't show up.

As Xiaoqian watched the monk's figure depart, she drifted into a daze and sighed softly in her heart.

Not long after Li Xiuyuan left, Yan Chixia rushed out, puzzled, and asked, "Why didn't the monk subdue that female ghost?"

He knew perfectly well that with Li Xiuyuan's abilities, dealing with a Foundation Establishment stage female ghost would be a piece of cake.

After hearing this, Li Xiuyuan calmly said, "Big Beard, that female ghost is being controlled by the Tree Demon Granny. If we want to get rid of the Tree Demon, we still need her to lure her here."

Having said that, he leaped into the meditation room and went to practice for the time being.

Upon hearing this, Yan Chixia suddenly realized that it made sense. If he killed Xiaoqian today, but Grandma was still alive, it would only arouse his vigilance. Moreover, the tree demon had more than just this female ghost under its command.

As the morning sun streamed into the room, Li Xiuyuan opened his eyes. A night of cultivation had brought his energy and spirit to their peak.

Yan Chixia disappeared early in the morning. He was hiding in Lanruo Temple, not only to avoid the grudges of the martial world, but more importantly, to guard the demons here and prevent them from harming good people passing by.

While their standards for judging good and bad are debatable, given Yan Chixia's personality, he would likely leave without responsibly if he didn't resolve the issue of the monster.

Li Xiuyuan had plenty of time and didn't plan to rush back to Lingyin Temple, because he hadn't fully mastered some of the Dragon Subduing Techniques.

Whether it's practicing the Arhat's Heaven-Turning Seal or the Six-Syllable Mantra, Li Xiuyuan has to spend a lot of time on it. After all, these are all advanced spells, which are indeed much stronger than the ultimate techniques in Feng Yun such as Sword Twenty-Three and Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source.

Comparatively speaking, it would take Li Xiuyuan much longer to learn it, especially the Arhat Heaven-Turning Seal. Even with his primordial spirit cultivation, he could only use it at full power two or three times before exhausting his mana.

Under these circumstances, it was the right thing for Li Xiuyuan to focus on honing his skills. After washing up, he practiced his magic on the bluestone square of Lanruo Temple.

…………

Before long, Yan Chixia appeared, carrying two pheasants, and said with a smile, "Monk, I'm treating you to meat today."

As he spoke, he plucked all the chicken feathers off. Compared to experts like them, their speed in doing small things was far beyond what ordinary people could match.

After eating Li Xiuyuan's food and wine yesterday, Yan Chixia knew in his heart that it was no ordinary thing. He took out the Eight Treasures Chicken that he had been raising in secret. Although it was not as good as dragon meat, it was not an ordinary thing either.

Upon seeing the Eight Treasures Chicken, Li Xiuyuan, based on his own judgment, concluded that the chicken was actually a spiritual creature at the Foundation Establishment stage. He nodded to himself, thinking to himself, "Indeed, none of the figures in mythology are simple."

Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "Alright! All my life, I've loved drinking and eating meat!"

As they were talking, the two started working on it, and after a while, they put it over a fire to roast.

After having a few drinks, the two started chatting, and the day quickly passed. Night fell again, and this time they followed their plan.

Moonlight fell, but no shadows were cast.

Outside the courtyard of Lanruo Temple, an old woman with a hunched back and a frail appearance, dressed in a faded red dress, had a silver comb in her hair that shone brightly in the moonlight.

The purple-clad female ghost complained, "Why hasn't Xiaoqian arrived yet!"

She is Xiaoqing, one of the two female ghosts under the command of the Tree Demon Granny. She can't stand seeing Xiaoqian doing well, so she will naturally slander her in secret.

The old woman coughed twice and said, "It'll be soon, it'll be soon."

Xiaoqing said unhappily, "Hasn't she complained to Grandma lately?"

The old woman chuckled twice, her voice like a broken bellows, sending a chill down one's spine. She said, "Since she came here, have you ever heard her complain to anyone?"

Xiaoqing frowned and said, "This girl is too cunning; she's not one of us."

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old standing quietly in the dark corner. Zi's heart skipped a beat. She was so close that her spiritual sense had no difference. This girl's cultivation level had increased again.

The woman looked over with a deep gaze, it was unclear whether she had heard what she had just said, or if she had been listening the whole time.

Xiaoqing forced a smile and said, "Oh, isn't this Xiaoqian? It seems we really shouldn't talk about people behind their backs. Grandma and I were just talking about you when you, you little devil, sneaked over. Luckily, you didn't say anything bad."

The old woman said in a gloomy voice, "Young lady, you are like a figure in a painting. If I were a man, I'm afraid I would have been bewitched by you."

Xiaoqian said in a cool voice, "Besides Grandma, who here would speak well of Xiaoqian?"

The old woman sneered, "Hmph, it's good that you know. I'm asking you why you haven't managed to seduce any men for Grandma these past few days."

As she spoke, she looked over with a cold gaze.

Xiaoqian whispered, "Grandma, very few strangers have come these days, making it even more difficult to help you find someone."

Snapped!

A whip lashed across Xiaoqian's body, and the old woman said coldly, "You dare to talk back? I don't care if you don't find someone for me tonight, you'll be in for a world of hurt."

As she spoke, she flew away.

The two female ghosts were still terrified of their grandmother, knowing that if they failed to complete the mission, they would likely suffer the consequences.

…………

Xiaoqian's light steps grew increasingly sluggish, but she still persisted. Finally, she placed her hand on Li Xiuyuan's door, gave it a gentle push, and the door creaked open with a strange sound.

The door is open!

The sudden increase in heat gave Xiaoqian the illusion that she was burning up, but as the golden, blazing light shone, a wisp of heat entered her cold body.

Upon seeing Xiaoqian appear, Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Xiaoqian, it's late. May I ask what brings you here?"

As he spoke, he stood up from beside the fire.

After hesitating for a moment, Xiaoqian said, "In the deep of night, I feel your loneliness. You are sleepless under the moonlight. I wish to make peace with you."

She smiled sweetly, her voice tinged with shyness.

Xiaoqian's voice was soft and pleasant, and she spoke those sixteen words in an extremely elegant manner.

Chapter 103 The Goddess of the Luo River Dances Lightly

But Li Xiuyuan immediately recognized those two words.

Not to mention that doing such a thing would lower Xiaoqian's score.

Most importantly, with a thief outside the door, it's not appropriate to do anything.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Amitabha! Miss Xiaoqian, this humble monk is a monk and cannot have lustful thoughts."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands together and continued, "If you're so inclined, why don't you dance for me?"

His face was righteous and awe-inspiring, yet he refused Xiaoqian's kind offer.

At this moment, Xiaoqian breathed a slight sigh of relief. Logically speaking, she had come to seduce Li Xiuyuan and naturally hoped that he would fall in love with her. But for some reason, she felt better after seeing that he was not bewitched by her.

At least it proves he's not that kind of person!

Xiaoqian was still smiling, but was she just dancing?

Nie Xiaoqian did learn it before she died, but it's unknown how long it's been since she last performed it.

In the desolate forest, at the ancient temple, amidst the lonely graves and wild ghosts, who is the person who wants to jump but is actually watching?

But today, to avoid being tormented by her grandmother, Xiaoqian twisted her slender waist, lifted her lotus steps, and danced with her cloud-like sleeves, beginning her first dance since her death.

There was wind and moon, but the name of the dance had long been forgotten, and no musicians played any music.

At first, there was some hesitation, but now her movements are so light and graceful that they are incomparable to her former self. Her movements are fluid and natural, and the music is already frozen in her dance without needing any.

In the quiet moonlight, only her figure danced, as if the moonlight itself was revolving around her.

When I was little, my mother always forced me to learn to dance, but I never wanted to. If she could see this now, she would be very happy!

"I don't want to be a dancer!"

Whose wounds have those words, once uttered by the surname Ren, now become?

I remember my mother staring at me blankly for a long time, then reaching out but not hitting my face. Instead, she turned away and wiped away her tears, and never forced me to learn to dance again.

Yes, my mother was just a dancer before, and later just a concubine.

The frail girl who often hid in her father's arms and shed tears would smile and say to herself after he left: "Silly girl, I was just teasing your father. Let's see who dares to bully us now."

My mother, who was usually very prone to tears, deliberately turned her face away that day, hiding her tears.