Chen Shi and Li Tianqing had not seen each other for many days, were up all night, gathered in a room, talking about what they had seen and heard in the past days.
When they got to the part about Chen Shi’s na being erased by the Black Pot, they beca animated, and Chen Shi glanced up at the window, only to see the Black Pot standing outside, leaning on the window and watching them silently, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Seeing Chen Shi and Li Tianqing’s gaze sweep over, the Black Pot hastily retracted its head.
The two of them quietly got up, went to the window, and peeked out stealthily, finding the Black Pot laying under the carriage, feigning sleep.
"The Black Pot is on guard."
Chen Shi spoke about how he let his Golden Core perform Soul Ergence to spy on the Black Pot entering the underworld to search for a book, saying, "I suspect that my grandfather found the Black Pot near that palace back then, but he didn’t see the na of the palace."
"It’s most likely Yuan Chen Palace."
Li Tianqing speculated, pausing, "But, I don’t know whose Yuan Chen Palace it is."
It was rumored that Yuan Chen Palace was where the Primordial Spirit resided, and everyone had their own Yuan Chen Palace hidden in the underworld, of course, it was just a legend.
Suddenly, Li Tianqing rembered the boat girl and her father, quickly recounted the incident involving the boat girl, her father, and the old monk, pausing, "Zen Master Ku surmised that this father and daughter might be lost soul envoys from the River of Oblivion, and ntioned they were looking for sothing. Do you think, if these two are indeed lost soul envoys, could they have entered the mortal world to search for the Black Pot, leading to their disappearance?"
He looked at Chen Shi, his eyes flickering, pausing, "Or perhaps, it’s also possible they were looking for you! Your grandfather entered the underworld several tis, trying to save you, and the last ti he successfully rescued you, surely causing quite a stir! Maybe at that ti, it was their responsibility to control you, and when you were rescued, they failed to deliver, hence they escaped to the mortal world!"
Chen Shi chuckled, "Impossible. They’ve already seen and the Black Pot..."
Li Tianqing pressed, "Otherwise, why would they specifically ferry in Xinxiang County? Why did they rush to ferry in Gongzhou as soon as you went there?"
Chen Shi laughed, "If they ca to capture , my grandfather has died, why didn’t they take the opportunity to take action, to capture and bring back to the underworld? Wait, I rember now! When I was in Xinxiang County chasing down the mbers of the Li Family, this father and daughter pair seed to be monitoring and the Black Pot!"
He stood up excitedly, pausing, "At the ti, it was raining heavily, and the Black Pot wasn’t really watching and Mister Fu..."
He said in a shocked voice, "At the ti, the Black Pot also seed to be watching this father and daughter pair! That mutt must have kept sothing from !"
He had just said this when Li Tianqing hooked his sleeve with a finger, gesturing outside with his mouth.
Chen Shi looked out the window, and not seeing a canine head, only spotted a pair of black, furry ears standing up quietly below the window.
Chen Shi felt a chill, the Black Pot was still eavesdropping on their conversation!
The two lowered their voices, speculating about the origins of the Black Pot, when they heard soone shouting that the old monk had died.
"Zen Master Ku Zhu is dead?" Li Tianqing was startled.
They hurriedly put on their clothing and ran towards the sound, only to see Zen Master Ku Zhu had entered parinirvana on the bed.
This old monk had arrived staggering, needing the support of soone to walk, and now at last exhausted his vital energy, breathless and deceased.
The young monk kneeled by the side, his face sorrowful, silently reciting the Rebirth Mantra.
Chen Shi examined Zen Master Ku Zhu, only to see that although the old monk arrived in flesh and blood, his whole body was now shining brightly in gold, resembling a deity made out of gold!
Even inside him, there was faint chanting, as if soone was reciting scriptures within!
Li Tianqing murmured, "Zen Master Ku Zhu cultivated the Golden Body Skill; unbreakable and leak-proof, he sealed his own flesh to keep the vital energy from escaping. He’s said to have evaded several deathly calamities. He’s a great master of the Mahayana Realm, a pinnacle existence in our world!"
He recalled the boat girl’s words, pausing, "The boat girl on the painted barge said that such people who cheat death and evade it are terrifying when they die."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shi was inwardly alert, only to see Zen Master Ku Zhu’s upper eyelids tightly closed over his eyes, his broad ears sealing the ear canals shut, and the outer ears covering the earlobes.
His nostrils were also sealed by his flaring nostrils, leaving no trace of vital essence to escape.
HIs upper lip had joined with the lower, hiding the mouth altogether.
These were thods to prevent the vital essence of the flesh from leaking!
Suddenly, Chen Shi inquired, "Monk, after Zen Master Ku Zhu sealed his seven apertures, are there two apertures left that haven’t been sealed?"
The young monk was reciting scriptures, opened his eyes upon hearing this, looking at him with surprise but saying nothing.
Chen Shi asked loudly, "I heard from my grandfather that those who cultivate the Golden Body, wishing to reincarnate, must first evade the soul envoys. Hence, before they pass away, they seal their Primordial Spirit within the body to prevent the heavenly soul from returning to heaven and the earthly soul from returning to the earth, for fear of being captured by the soul envoys. Is Zen Master Ku Zhu preparing for reincarnation?"
The young monk intoned a Buddhist chant, pausing, "Amitabha, well said. My master’s last wish was to return to Jinli Snow Mountain, to be venerated at the Great Gratitude Temple, and he never spoke of reincarnation. Benefactor, please don’t speak irresponsibly!"
Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief, "I hope that is the case. If Zen Master Ku Zhu were to reincarnate, I fear it would cost human lives. However, even such sealing by Zen Master Ku Zhu will not contain his own vital energy. There are two other apertures which could cause the vital essence to leak and attract the soul envoys."
The young monk frowned slightly, inquiring, "May I ask, benefactor, which two apertures are these?"
"One aperture is at the navel, and the other is at the heavenly gate,"
Chen Shi explained, "The navel is the passage of Innate Qi in and out while in the mother’s womb, which seals after birth. But at death, if there’s imnse vital energy within, it may break the seal. The other aperture is the fontanelle, where the heavenly soul enters and leaves, permitting children under the age of three to see ghosts and deities. After the age of three, the fontanelle closes, and the heavenly gate is sealed. However, we Cultivators, in cultivating the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Primordial Spirit, need to open the heavenly gate, to facilitate entrance and exit."
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