The Black Buddha Mother Sect claims to be the Head of Ten Thousand Religions. Experts abound within its ranks, and their actions are utterly devoid of humanity, akin to the most malevolent deeds. As such, they are the archenemies of all righteous individuals, including those in the Patrol Defense Office. Most Evil Cultivators keep their distance from them as well. Yang Xiao had not expected that they were also connected to the Yin Temple.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Soone was coming up the stairs—it was Tai Wenqin. He inford Professor Cui that the innkeeper had already called a doctor, and the life of the severely injured person should be saved.
Additionally, the group that ca looking for them tonight was the Discipline Squad from the city’s Dharma Temple. He had already investigated, and a temple ritual would be held after dawn at the Dharma Temple in the town center, personally presided over by the White Robe Venerable stationed there.
"Boss Zhou, I have already contacted the people you wanted to find. This is the token they entrusted to bring to you." Tai Wenqin retrieved a white token from his chest.
Professor Cui handed the token to Yang Xiao after receiving it, instructing him to keep it safe. The token felt warm and smooth to the touch, neither gold nor jade. Yang Xiao guessed it was made from ivory-like bone. The front had a line of small text, and the back depicted a temple.
Not long ago, Tai Wenqin had displayed this token to diffuse a crisis.
Tai Wenqin turned to leave but suddenly seed to rember sothing and turned back to Yang Xiao, "Mr. Yang, can we go downstairs to talk?"
Yang Xiao also had so questions for him but wasn’t in a position to agree directly, so he looked to Professor Cui.
"Little Yang, why don’t you go downstairs for a chat? I’ll rest for a while," Professor Cui did not object.
Yang Xiao instructed the brothers guarding the door to stay alert, then followed Tai Wenqin downstairs.
The overturned tables and chairs had already been tidied up, though traces of blood remained on the floor.
The two of them casually found a clean table to sit at. Tai Wenqin very sincerely apologized to Yang Xiao, "Mr. Yang, I hope you can forgive for previously striking at you."
"There’s nothing to forgive. You only acted out of concern for our safety." Upon learning the truth, Yang Xiao didn’t give it a second thought, "Brother Tai, may I ask you sothing?"
"Please go ahead, if it’s sothing I know," Tai Wenqin replied as sincerely as ever.
"Do many people here smoke a certain black herb?" Yang Xiao recalled the floating, euphoric state of the innkeeper, "That stuff has a peculiar stench and can cause hallucinations."
"I know what you’re talking about. People here call it Tower Guarding Paste. It’s ant as a gift from the dead. In your country, it’s called Corpse Grass."
"This stuff is a specialty of the Myanmar-Tai Black Triangle and a hidden secret of the Yin Temple. Every year, large quantities of Tower Guarding Paste are smuggled into your country through various channels and sold for a fortune on the black market."
"If it’s so precious, how can ordinary people here afford to smoke it?" Yang Xiao imdiately spotted the inconsistency.
Tai Wenqin explained unhurriedly, "Like the Apostles, Tower Guarding Paste also has levels. Ordinary people here consu the lowest grade, which isn’t truly Tower Guarding Paste—just defective products."
"The biggest effect of Tower Guarding Paste isn’t on ordinary people but on Apostles. It can delay the ti of the next arrival of a Nightmare World."
"High-grade Tower Guarding Paste appears as a black paste, with your country giving it an apt na: Life-extending Ointnt, as in ’longevity’ life."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao imdiately recalled the half bag of Life-extending Ointnt he had snatched from an auction, which indeed matched Tai Wenqin’s description.
"The thod of making Tower Guarding Paste is a hidden secret of the Yin Temple. It requires a bizarre technique of planting the herb in a person’s body, and the person must be alive."
"As the herb grows, it drains all the nutrients from the body, leaving behind a desiccated corpse."
"Because the herb quickly dies upon leaving the corpse, it’s generally transported using the corpses. The smuggled corpses arriving in your country are mostly filled with growing black herbs."
"One more thing," Tai Wenqin’s expression beca serious, and his voice lowered, "The living used for cultivating the herbs must be Apostles. Otherwise, they will die during the herb’s growth. So say this herb absorbs one’s spiritual power."
"That’s why the Myanmar-Tai Black Triangle is one of the most dangerous places in the world. Here, any lone Apostle could be targeted and end up as nourishnt for Tower Guarding Paste."
"Every year, nurous Apostles go missing here or are sold here from all over the world. It’s said that the stronger the Apostle’s spiritual power, the better the effect of the herb cultivated from their flesh and blood."
"The black paste-like Life-extending Ointnt requires at least a Ghost-level Apostle’s flesh and blood for cultivation, and the yield is extrely low. This is the fundantal reason it sells for such a high price."
What Tai Wenqin described was partly disclosed to Yang Xiao by Director Nalan, but Tai Wenqin’s explanation was much more detailed. The concept of using a Ghost-level Apostle’s body for cultivating herbs was chilling even to imagine.
"The effects of this stuff are also very unstable, aren’t they?" Yang Xiao asked, still uneasy, "Only high-quality Corpse Grass can be used with confidence, but it’s too precious—ordinary Apostles don’t have anything of equivalent value to exchange."
"You’re correct, but not entirely." Tai Wenqin gave an ambiguous answer.
Yang Xiao frowned, "What do you an?"
"Tower Guarding Paste is very special. Only high-grade Tower Guarding Paste can be used by Apostles with strong spiritual power."
"What would happen if I used that black paste-like Life-extending Ointnt?" Yang Xiao suddenly asked.
"You would imdiately lose control and suffer backlash from the Magic Artifact. It wouldn’t end well," Tai Wenqin shook his head.
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