【Adventure Event: Lord Jiao transforms into a dragon, crossing into a dragon to enter the sea.
Mysterious cosmic order operates in secret. If a cultivator feels an epiphany, the success rate for the Foundation Establishment stage Lightning Tribulation increases by 1%】
【Nun Miaoyun Favorability: Three Hearts】
【Unlocked Auspicious Cloud Nunnery Faction Favorability】
【Auspicious Cloud Nunnery (Qimu, Tianshu, Miaoyun, Nian Wang'er, Bai Tuan'er...): Zero Hearts
(You are no different from an ordinary pilgrim)】
【Lord Jiao Ao Feiyin Favorability: One Heart】
【Dragon Race Faction Favorability Not Unlocked. (Unlock condition: Befriend at least three or more dragons)】
【Rao Sifang Favorability: Minus One Heart (Dislike)】
【Rao Yun Favorability: Half Heart】
【Unlocked Caiyi Sect Faction Favorability】
【Caiyi Sect (Rao Tianci, Rao Ehun, Rao Jiuxiang, Rao Liuhu, Rao Sifang, Rao Yun...): Minus Half Heart
(This faction seems somewhat unwelcoming toward you)】
System prompt chimes rang one after another, nearly filling Nan Zhi's vision, but she didn't have time to tally these favorability ratings—
【Miaoyun Prayer Beads (Gold Quality): A Buddhist dharma treasure crafted from the Bodhi seeds of the Bodhi tree at Huasheng Temple. Wearing it keeps the mind clear and immune to illusions.
Sanity +99, Buddhist Affinity +99, Constitution +99
Trait: Unwitnessed Slaughter.
(The Eight Precepts of Buddhism. Wearing this treasure forbids witnessing bloodshed, lying, taking life, indulging in wine and lust, or harming heavenly harmony... Only with great freedom in heart can one attain true liberation.)】
The string of red prayer beads rested quietly in her palm, radiating a warm, lustrous glow. Without even bringing it close, she could smell a faint sandalwood fragrance.
The aroma felt warm to the touch. Holding it for just a moment, Nan Zhi felt as though the hem of her clothes and collar were infused with the scent.
A Gold Quality equipment!
Just like that, it landed right in her hands?
Nan Zhi quickly looked up at the sky, terrified that a pie might drop from above and flatten her.
—Even if Nun Miaoyun said she was merely lending this prayer bead string temporarily, it was still extraordinary.
Although she wasn't sure how high Nun Miaoyun's cultivation was, how could a dharma treasure she carried on her person be ordinary?
Just the ability to see through numerous illusions and keep the wearer's mind clear made the Miaoyun Prayer Beads a legitimate life-saving god-tier item.
Nan Zhi fell deep into thought again.
Could she actually be the destined female protagonist of some fantasy cultivation power trip novel?
Otherwise, how else could she explain how a big shot like Nun Miaoyun, meeting her for the first time, would lend her personal equipment for no apparent reason?
It couldn't be that Nun Miaoyun planned to break a precept, so she temporarily deposited this artifact with her, could it?
She hadn't even established her foundation yet. Walking around with this string of prayer beads on display—wasn't that practically writing “come rob me” on her face?
“This thing is too hot to handle. Better hide it first and only pull it out to run away when fighting in the future.”
Nan Zhi casually wiped her face and stashed the prayer beads away.
Only then did the oil-paper umbrella beside her, silent for a long time, give a slight shake. A beautifully striking female ghost floated out from within.
“My goodness, thank goodness you put away those Buddhist beads, Sister Zhi, or else I would have been delivered by that Buddhist light!
Just now, when Lord Jiao flew into a rage, I cowered inside the umbrella and didn't dare make a sound, terrified that the nun would notice and capture me.”
Wanniang landed on the ground, holding her umbrella to shield herself from the sunlight filtering down from above:
“This truly was a case of ‘when immortals fight, little ghosts suffer.’ Does Sister Zhi know who that nun actually is? To think she dared stand up to Lord Jiao like that.
Just now, from inside the umbrella, I saw it clearly—Lord Jiao truly harbored killing intent. If that nun hadn't protected them, that fellow from the Caiyi Sect would have lost his head!”
“That Lord Jiao was trapped here in Shouzhou for decades because of a child, unable to dispel his obsession. Yet right before leaving, he still insisted on having the pear seller acknowledge him as a true dragon.
Today was quite a coincidence for all of us to encounter each other here. Lord Jiao is from the Demon race to begin with, so he was suppressing a lot of anger. Those Rao family father and son were talking bad about people, and happened to run right into the man himself.”
Nan Zhi shook her head:
“If I were Lord Jiao, trapped in this water for so long, my temper would be even hotter than his. It's just that Lord Jiao is temperamental, someone who is neither purely good nor purely evil.
If we run into him again in the future, we should treat him with courtesy and stay far away.”
Only after saying this did she suddenly remember she seemed to have forgotten something.
“Two guests, the two mortals you brought are still upstairs. Hurry and take them away.”
The little hedgehog on the ground quivered, sending wood shavings scattering around. Its wet nose twitched as it spoke in a delicate voice:
“My master has an unruly and reckless temper. If he sees this place destroyed, he'll definitely take his anger out on you.
Since you saved me just now, I can't let things be hard on you either. Twenty li south of here is Shouzhou City. It's a mixture of dragon and fish—all sorts of people live there. If you hide in there, you can conceal your tracks.
Broad daylight is here now, and my master will probably return very soon. You two should leave quickly to avoid trouble.”
Wang Chen and Manager Wang.
Nan Zhi looked up, right into the giant hole in the roof. From the precariously hanging crossbeam, shattered tiles occasionally dropped.
Shoot, she almost forgot about those two.
They couldn't be buried under there, could they?
...
...
“Mmmgh! Mmmgh mmgh!”
“Mmmgh! Mmmgh!”
Inside the carriage, Wang Chen and Manager Wang were tied up tightly, with rags stuffed in their mouths. The way they looked at Nan Zhi was full of horror and the lingering fear of having narrowly escaped death.
The two were in a truly pitiful state, covered in dust and grime, and Wang Chen even had a bloody scrape across his face.
“Alright, alright, wasn't it just that I forgot you two were upstairs earlier? Being pinned under a beam for a bit won't kill you in a short while.”
Nan Zhi clapped her hands and shoved the two people—who were squirming like maggots—a bit further inside:
“Besides, who could have guessed that Lord Jiao would gouge such a huge hole in the roof? The roof collapsed, and by sheer coincidence, it happened to pin you two right underneath.”
—These two fellas were even unluckier than her.
The two of them had been upstairs eating noodles when the roof collapsed out of nowhere, burying them underneath. One got his face scratched, and the other broke a leg.
Unlucky wasn't even the word for it.
Looking at the miserable state of this old and young pair, Nan Zhi scratched her face with a bit of uncertainty:
This shouldn't have anything to do with the “Unlucky” debuff on her, right?
...
...
After the rain, the sky cleared and the landscape was bathed in fresh light.
The surroundings of the foot-shop were dead quiet, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the grass.
Drip...
The grass leaves were washed into a fresh green by the rain. A millstone-sized hedgehog suddenly poked half its head out from the grass.
Along the muddy, yellow dirt road, a Taoist holding a whip drove five sheep and three sturdy blue donkeys as he passed by.
“Baaa! Baaa!”
“Baaa! Baaa!”
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw—hee-haw—”
“Baaa!”
Upon reaching the entrance of the foot-shop, the sheep huddled together timidly, refusing to step forward any further. The three donkeys also stopped anxiously, braying incessantly.
“Fuck your mother, you rotten-life ghosts! Mao San! White 49! Where are you moist-hatched, egg-born lazy asses hiding?”
The Taoist stopped in front of the foot-shop, ignoring the beasts as he hollered at the door:
“Your grandpappy found another batch of good stock! The buyer is in a rush, so I'm leaving right away. Hurry up and serve some good wine and tender meat for your grandpappy to have a hearty meal!”
Seeing no reply, the Taoist felt puzzled. He pushed the door open, only to see the main hall smashed to pieces and debris strewn all over the floor.
“Mao San! Mao San!!”
The Taoist's face instantly twisted as he cursed out loud:
“Which bastard's spawn dared to wreck your grandpappy's shop?! Tired of living?!”
“Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak squeak!”
A plump, chubby hedgehog crawled in from outside. Upon seeing the Taoist, it squeaked as if lodging an aggrieved complaint:
“Squeak squeak squeak! Squeak squeak squeak!”
“Is that true? That old loach in the river finally deigned to leave? Even old Nun Miaoyun isn't in Shouzhou City?”
Hearing this, the Taoist's face suddenly bloomed like a flower:
“Splendid! Heaven is truly helping me! Quick, quick, slaughter a chicken, and make a bunch of pancakes! I'm going to pull a big score this time—catch more wild donkeys and wild sheep, and sell them all to Kaifeng!”
“Baaa!”
“Baaa!”
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
“Baaa!”
As he said this, the sheep and donkeys in the corner all cried out in unison. Big tears trickled down from the corners of their eyes, their gazes filled with human-like sorrow.
Rate on N.U.
