Chapter Forty-Two: Advice

“Clear the area! Everyone, tidy your attire and open the coffin!”
At Master Nine’s command, the coffin lid was lifted, and a visible black vapor immediately spread out.

“Father… Grandfather… Forgive us for disturbing your rest, your unworthy children can only beg forgiveness!” Staring at the corpse inside the coffin, Master Ren and Ren Tingting instantly fell to their knees, weeping in mourning.

Just then, the Angry Sunshine Chicken in Li Yang’s pocket suddenly became restless, struggling to leap from his sleeve, but he swiftly pressed it down.

“Stay still…” he whispered, and only then did the chicken quiet.

Li Yang looked up at the sky. As the coffin opened, the daylight seemed to darken, and a flock of crows in the distance burst into cacophonous cries, as if startled by some unseen terror.

By all rights, Ren Weiyong had only absorbed the earth’s energy for twenty years. Even if he had been buried in an auspicious site, it shouldn’t have been enough to alter the heavens themselves. For this, Li Yang was momentarily perplexed.

“Master Nine, can this tomb still be used?” At this, Master Ren and his daughter managed to stifle their sobs, gazing at the coffin as they addressed Master Nine.

“No, the ‘Dragonfly Touches the Water’ principle dictates that once a point is chosen, it cannot be revisited. This site is spent. I suggest cremation on the spot.” Master Nine’s expression was grave as he looked at the uncorrupted corpse within the coffin.

“No, my late father feared fire above all else in life—I cannot do this.” Master Ren immediately shook his head in refusal.

“Master Ren, not cremating will bring trouble.” Master Nine’s face grew troubled as he tried to persuade him.

“If you all don’t mind, might I say a word?” At that moment, Li Yang, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, stepped forward through the crowd.

He recalled from the original story that Master Ren’s death could not be divorced from Master Nine’s actions. He had taken payment but failed to make the danger clear, and he well knew the incompetence of his own disciples. Their carelessness had allowed the old master to escape his tomb, leading directly to disaster.

Taking payment means shouldering the responsibility; when one’s own disciples’ negligence causes the client’s death, Master Nine could not escape blame. In fact, Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai were the root cause of the tragedy.

Now that Li Yang had encountered this, he could not simply stand by. Whatever else could be said, Master Nine’s character was worthy of respect. As for whether Master Ren would listen, that was not his concern.

“Li Yang, do you have any suggestions?” Master Nine, who had watched Li Yang quietly for some time, stepped aside and asked.

“Master Ren, look at your father’s body—uncorrupted after twenty years, which is due to the earth’s energy gathered at this fengshui site. If he is not cremated in time, I fear he will become a jiangshi, a scourge upon the land.

“The jiangshi is a creature outside the Three Realms and Five Elements. If it awakens, its first act is to sever its ties to the world—by killing its own kin and blood relations, thus completing its transformation.” Li Yang spoke solemnly, pointing to the corpse.

“With Master Nine here, surely there’s no problem?” Master Ren hesitated, his expression conflicted.

“Alas… even the best advice cannot persuade those fated to die!” Seeing this, Li Yang could only sigh. He had done what he could; the rest was up to Master Ren.

With that thought, Li Yang shook his head and turned to leave.

“You see… Well, Master Nine, please think of something!” Master Ren called after him, troubled.

“Let’s take the body back to the mortuary for now,” Master Nine said at last, after a long moment of contemplation.

…

After leading the three strange beasts around the mountain for a time, letting them eat and drink their fill, Li Yang returned to the villa.

“Li Yang, your medicinal bath has been prepared. Madam is waiting for you—please go quickly,” Jin Ling greeted him breathlessly as soon as he entered, pointing toward the rear courtyard.

“Thank you, Sister Jin Ling.” Nodding to her, Li Yang hurried toward the back.

“Why are you back so late today?” In the side room behind the courtyard, a large furnace dominated the center. Atop it stood a square bronze cauldron, steam billowing from within. Madam He, her face shining with sweat, was adding more herbs to the concoction.

“I ran into Master Nine and Master Ren on the way back and stopped for a chat.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Madam.” Seeing Madam He’s robes drenched with sweat and clinging to her figure, tracing her curves, Li Yang’s eyes sparkled as he stepped forward to help her down from the stove.

“Stop staring… Go inside!” Flushed and flustered beneath Li Yang’s gaze, Madam He scolded him in embarrassment as she hurried out of the room.

Watching Madam He flee, Li Yang couldn’t help but smile. He removed his outer garment, and with a leap, plunged into the cauldron filled with boiling medicinal broth.

A searing pain enveloped him, and Li Yang sucked in a few sharp breaths.

Yet in moments, his entire body flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead, his figure glowing like a block of red jade, the blood beneath his skin surging like molten magma.

This decoction was a rare external remedy for bolstering vitality and purging impurities. For three years, Li Yang had immersed himself in it weekly to cleanse the toxins left by his alchemical training and stimulate his body’s growth. The cost of a single bath was more than enough to support a common family for an entire year.

With such resources, he had managed to raise his vitality to an extraordinary level in just three years. Now, his physical strength was not inferior to that of cultivators who had already undergone marrow-cleansing and blood-changing processes on the path to transcendence.

If facing ordinary beasts, Li Yang was confident that, with his current constitution, he could refine three at once and still withstand the strain.

But the Six-Winged Golden Centipede was a different matter. Its bloodline was extraordinary, an ancient and rare breed, and its centuries-old cultivation could not be borne by an ordinary physique.

If Li Yang could fully absorb its power, he would soar in a single leap, becoming the equal of a Daoist master. While he still couldn’t compare to those truly immortal, whose bodies had been wholly transformed, with the divine powers from the three beasts, he would not be entirely powerless.

As time passed, the broth gradually cooled. Li Yang leapt from the cauldron in a single bound.

His skin glowed red like fire, as if molten rock flowed beneath it. With each heartbeat, the sound was like a muffled drum, clear and powerful.

He dressed and sat cross-legged on a mat in the side room. Only after half an hour did the extraordinary phenomena around him finally dissipate, his skin returning to a jade-like whiteness.

With a deep exhalation, a stream of grayish turbid air shot from his lips, striking the ground and leaving a small pit—a testament to the incredible strength of his organs.