Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter 83 The Spirit of the Cauldron Returns to Its Heart

Wasn't he the Crown Prince? How did he turn into a beast? Could it be that the spirit of the cauldron wasn't human, but some kind of beast that had become a spirit? Xiao Chong secretly pondered, constantly guessing, but he didn't ask aloud.

Ding Ling was having a great time somewhere when he heard someone summoning him so rudely. He jumped out and shouted, "Which brat is so blind as to be disrespectful to the Crown Prince!"

The golden light behind Lü Dongbin trembled wildly, and his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot that had been burning for over ten thousand years. He roared, "How dare you! It's only been a short thousand years since we last met, how dare you treat me like this? Do you want to be annihilated, body and soul?"

The angry shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, so frightening that the spirit of the cauldron felt weak and numb, and its heart pounded wildly, as if it had been doused with a bucket of cold water when its desire was burning.

"Grandpa Lu Zu, how could it be you? Didn't you say the passage between immortals and mortals had been shattered?" Perhaps because he had been having too much fun earlier, the excitement hadn't worn off yet, and the cauldron spirit didn't quite understand the situation, so he couldn't grasp the main point when he spoke.

"Hmph! Do you think that just because the mortal-immortal passage is closed, I can't do anything to you? And that you're the one who dares to speak so disrespectfully to me?" Lu Dongbin, still furious, shouted again.

Oh no, I think I just cursed at the old man! This could be the death of me!

Ding Ling finally realized what was happening and calmed down completely. He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. In his panic, he knelt on the ground and said with utter terror, "I didn't know that Grandfather Lü was here. I, Xiao San'er, am late in welcoming you. I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

After saying that, he slapped himself hard across the face, and it was incredibly loud!

Xiao Chong hadn't expected that the usually arrogant cauldron spirit could put on such a pitiful act, and he couldn't help but twitch his lips as he watched from the side.

Such behavior from the cauldron spirit must have left a deep scar on its heart. It seems that Lu Da Ka abused the cauldron spirit quite a bit back then!

And what's with that "mistress" thing? Did Lu Da Ka get so lonely while cultivating immortality that he developed a liking for men?

Was the cauldron spirit a male concubine kept by Lu Da Ka? Then why did things turn so sordid, leading to its transformation into a spirit within the cauldron? Was the cauldron spirit's skill too poor, or was its attitude improper?

Well, all of this is something I need to explore and discover myself, but not now. I'll ask Dingling about it secretly when I have the chance in the future, so as not to make Lu Daka angry and make me follow in Dingling's footsteps.

Xiao Chong's eyes darted back and forth between the two men, his gaze burning with the fire of gossip, as if he wanted to expose their true nature.

Just as he was getting into the swing of things and his mind was racing, he suddenly heard Lu Daka say something in a nonchalant way, which immediately sent a chill down Xiao Chong's spine.

“You wretched creature, I am now going to hand you over to Layman Xiao. Do you have any complaints?” Lü Dongbin asked in a softened tone.

Ding Ling quickly replied, "Xiao San'er has no complaints whatsoever. She will do her utmost to serve Young Master Xiao comfortably in the future."

Who asked you to serve them? And with all your might! Worrying is fine, but exhausting your energy is out of the question. Xiao Chong felt a shiver run through his body, and beads of sweat stood up a good two feet high!

Just as he was about to refuse, Lü Dongbin shouted, pointing at Xiao Chong and the cauldron spirit, "Very well, you two can merge right now in front of me!"

Good heavens! Mr. Lü, weren't you always known for your strong sense of justice and hatred of evil? Why are you playing this game now? Is the legend of Lü Dongbin teasing Bai Mudan three times all a lie? Or are you just indiscriminate in your affections, accepting all comers regardless of gender?

Xiao Chong felt a pang of sorrow in his heart and was about to turn and run when he saw Lü Dongbin chuckle and point at the two of them.

A golden light enveloped the two of them, and Xiao Chong felt his whole body tighten, unable to move an inch!

Oh, how bitter! Xiao Chong closed his eyes, ready to face the most solemn yet tragic sacred moment of his life.

However, after a while, the pain or the unpleasant sensation he had imagined did not come. Xiao Chong quietly opened his eyes a crack and was immediately stunned by what he saw.

In their field of vision, the golden light behind Lü Dongbin had dimmed considerably, while the spirit of the cauldron was sitting cross-legged on the ground, grimacing and his face contorted in deep pain.

On the center of the cauldron spirit's forehead, there was a crack about an inch long, from which a bewitching drop of blood was seeping out, slowly moving towards its face.

Could it be that I've misunderstood? Is Lü Daka's so-called fusion merely about drawing upon the essence of the cauldron spirit so that I can absorb it?

That's good, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. But why do I feel so empty inside, with a subtle sense of loss?

Ugh, ptooey! Xiao Chong was startled by his own thoughts and quickly focused his attention on the drop of blood, lest his pure mind be tainted by messy ideas again.

As if sensing that Xiao Chong was staring at it, the drop of blood, which had been moving very slowly, suddenly accelerated and rushed to Xiao Chong, disappearing into his brow with lightning speed.

"Hiss!" As the blood entered his body, Xiao Chong's mind was shaken, and he couldn't help but gasp.

It hurt, it hurt like hell! It felt like someone was poking Xiao Chong in the head with an awl, almost causing him to have a mental breakdown on the spot.

Large beads of cold sweat dripped from his forehead, soaking his clothes instantly. Xiao Chong was unable to move and could only grit his teeth and endure it.

Fortunately, not long after, just when Xiao Chong was about to give up, the divine restriction technique that Lü Daka had previously injected into his body began to slowly operate.

The blood bead seemed to be afraid of that forbidden spell, swimming back and forth between Xiao Chong's eyebrows, dodging and weaving.

However, it was to no avail. The divine restriction technique quickly gained the upper hand, emitting a golden light that tightly enveloped the blood bead.

The blood droplet trembled violently, struggling desperately, but ultimately could not withstand the erosion of the golden light. It turned into wisps of blood energy and dissipated in Xiao Chong's mind, leaving only a tiny speck smaller than a pinhead.

"Buzz!"

A tremendous roar resounded in Xiao Chong's mind, and several acupoints in his body that had shown signs of loosening in recent days were suddenly opened up with unstoppable force.

Most remarkably, after the roar subsided, a faint connection was established between Xiao Chong and the spirit of the cauldron.

For some inexplicable reason, Xiao Chong had a feeling that as long as he made a thought, the spirit of the cauldron would experience unbearable agony and agony. Even if he wanted to reduce the spirit of the cauldron to ashes, it would only take a few seconds.

The feeling of having power in one's hands, with life and death in one's own hands, is wonderful! Xiao Chong glanced at the cauldron spirit with its somewhat dazed eyes, hoping that the other party would take the initiative to cause trouble, so that he would have an excuse, no, a reason, to test it.

Unfortunately, Ding Ling was in a very weak state, collapsing to the ground in a daze, giving Xiao Chong no chance at all.

"Alright, the fusion is complete. This clone of mine has exhausted its power and it's time for me to leave." Lü Dongbin interrupted Xiao Chong's reverie, the golden light behind him gradually disappearing. He finally instructed Xiao Chong, "I only hope that you will keep your word and not forget what you promised me."

Xiao Chong, now free, performed a standard Taoist kowtow to Lü Dongbin and respectfully said, "Reverend Master, you can rest assured, I will certainly not disappoint you."

"Snapped!"

As the last glimmer of golden light dissipated, Lü Dongbin's clone also vanished.

Staring blankly at the empty space where the great man had disappeared, Xiao Chong was lost in thought.

What a kind old Taoist priest! Giving me such a huge gift on our first meeting—how thoughtful! It's a pity I'm a man, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have given him the "friend zone" treatment.

Just as he was reflecting on this, he suddenly heard the spirit of the cauldron ask, "Was the Pure Yang True Man just now merely an avatar?"

“That’s right, didn’t you just see it too?” Xiao Chong replied naturally.

"Wah..." Upon hearing this, Dingling suddenly burst into tears, his tears and snot flowing like a torrent of urine.

After a long while, recovering from his grief, he suddenly pounced like a tiger, leaping up and fiercely grabbing Xiao Chong's neck.

He cursed loudly, "Damn it, why didn't you tell me sooner! If you had known that that scoundrel Taoist priest was a fake, the Crown Prince could have fought him. The outcome would have been uncertain. Why are we now at your mercy?"

Huh? Has this guy lost his mind? Knowing he's under my control, he still dares to be rude to me. Does he think I'm kind and easy to bully?

And who was it that was so shameless just now, calling me "Grandpa Lü Zu" all the time, only to turn around and become a slovenly Taoist priest?

Those who bully the weak and fear the strong are despicable!

With a thought, Xiao Chong activated the divine restriction spell within his body. A barely perceptible fluctuation flew out from between his brows, striking directly at the cauldron spirit.

"what-"

The spirit of the cauldron let out a miserable scream, its body was thrown far away by the shockwave, and it fell to the ground with its hands covering its head, rolling around and wailing.

This scene looks familiar; it's very similar to the scene where Guanyin Bodhisattva subdues the Black Bear Spirit. The only difference is that the headband has been replaced by a divine restriction spell.

Seeing the cauldron spirit rolling around on the ground, Xiao Chong chuckled inwardly. He hadn't controlled himself properly, and the fluctuation stopped for a moment.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, the spirit of the cauldron rolled to Xiao Chong's side, wrapped its arms around his thighs, and weakly pleaded, "Good man, please stop, I can't take it anymore!"

Hmm? Could it be that I was deceived by Lü Daka's appearance, and there really is an affair between them? Otherwise, why would Ding Ling's words be so ambiguous, making people think so much?

Xiao Chong raised an eyebrow, and beneath his thick, bushy eyebrows, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he wanted to see right through the spirit of the cauldron.

However, although the spirit of the cauldron looked exhausted, its gaze was firm and pure, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it. Xiao Chong disgustedly pulled his thigh out of the cauldron spirit's hand, and said with a half-smile, "How was it? Wasn't it wonderful? Want to do it again?"

"Enough, enough, please don't try again," Dingling stared at Xiao Chong's thigh, her hands twitching a few times before she finally stopped hugging him. She said weakly, "I'll listen to you from now on and I'll never dare to offend you again."

After pausing for a moment, seeing Xiao Chong nod in satisfaction, she thought for a moment and then hesitated, saying, "There's just one thing we need to discuss."

"You're smart to know what's going on," Xiao Chong said with a cold expression. "Tell me what it is."

The spirit of the cauldron carefully chose its tone and said, "When you take human form in the future, you should give me more face in front of others. Of course, you can make all the decisions behind the scenes."

"It's nothing serious, no problem. But you must always remember that face is never given by others, but earned by yourself."

As long as the spirit of the cauldron was obedient, Xiao Chong had no intention of bullying it, so he readily agreed.

"Young Master Xiao really knows how to care for people; he's much more considerate than that old scoundrel Lü..."

Ding Ling was so grateful that tears welled up in her eyes. She choked back sobs and rushed forward again, hugging Xiao Chong's leg. She was crying and sniffling like a little girl who had just escaped from the clutches of a demon.

Uh, it seems there's still something going on. It's not that I'm mentally unhealthy, it's just that what you're saying is really disgusting.

Xiao Chong kicked the cauldron spirit away, and goosebumps rose all over his body.