【Encounter Event: Lord Jiao transforms into a dragon, the crossing jiao enters the sea.
The secrets of heaven are obscure. If a cultivator feels it, the success rate of the Foundation Establishment stage lightning tribulation increases by 1%】
【Nun Miaoyun Favorability: Three hearts】
【Auspicious Cloud Nunnery faction favorability unlocked】
【Auspicious Cloud Nunnery (Qimu, Tianshu, Miaoyun, Nian Wang'er, Bai Tuan'er...) Favorability: Zero hearts
(You are no different from an ordinary pilgrim)】
【Lord Jiao Ao Feiyin Favorability: One heart】
【Dragon race faction favorability not yet unlocked. (Requirement: Befriend at least three or more members of the dragon race)】
【Rao Sifang Favorability: Negative one heart (Disgust)】
【Rao Yun Favorability: Half a heart】
【Caiyi Sect faction favorability unlocked】
【Caiyi Sect (Rao Tianci, Rao Ehun, Rao Jiuxiang, Rao Liuhu, Rao Sifang, Rao Yun...) Favorability: Negative half heart
(This faction seems somewhat unwelcoming toward you)】
System notifications popped up one after another, nearly filling Nan Zhi's field of vision, but she didn't have the time to count her favorability gains—
【Miaoyun Prayer Beads (Gold Quality): A Buddhist artifact refined from the bodhi seeds of the Huasheng Temple bodhi tree. Wearing it keeps the mind clear and prevents being deluded by illusions.
Sanity +99, Buddha Affinity +99, Constitution +99
Trait: No Witnessing of Slaughter.
(The Eight Precepts of Buddhism: The wearer of this treasure must not witness bloodshed, must not lie, must not kill, must not indulge in wine or lust, and must not harm the harmony of heaven... Only with a truly free heart can one attain liberation.)】
The string of red prayer beads lay quietly in her palm, emitting a warm, lustrous glow. She didn't even need to bring them close to smell the faint scent of sandalwood.
The fragrance felt warm. After holding it for just a short while, Nan Zhi felt as though the hem of her clothes and her collar had been infused with the scent.
Gold quality equipment!
It just landed in her lap like that?
Nan Zhi quickly looked up at the sky, fearing a meat pie might fall and hit her in the head.
—Even if Nun Miaoyun said the beads were only a temporary loan, it was still an incredible windfall.
Though she wasn't sure of Nun Miaoyun's cultivation level, how could a dharma treasure the nun carried personally be ordinary?
Just the ability to see through illusions and keep the wearer's mind clear made the Miaoyun Prayer Beads a genuine life saving artifact.
Nan Zhi fell into deep thought again.
Was she actually the destined heroine of some xianxia power fantasy novel?
Otherwise, how could she explain why a powerhouse like Nun Miaoyun, whom she had just met, would inexplicably lend her such personal equipment?
It couldn't be that Nun Miaoyun was planning to break her precepts, so she left the treasure here for safekeeping, could it?
She hadn't even reached Foundation Establishment yet. Walking around with these beads was practically like writing “rob me” on her face.
“This thing is too hot to handle. I'd better put it away and only bring it out when I need to run away from a fight.”
Nan Zhi wiped her face haphazardly and stored the beads.
Beside her, the oil paper umbrella that had been silent for a long time finally shook, and a beautiful female ghost drifted out.
“Good heavens! It is a relief you put those prayer beads away, Sister Zhi. Otherwise, I would have been delivered to the other side by that Buddhist light!
When Lord Jiao grew angry earlier, I hid inside the umbrella, too terrified to make a sound. I was so afraid the nun would discover 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, the little ghosts suffer.’ Sister Zhi, do you know who that nun really is? She actually dared to talk back to Lord Jiao.
I saw it clearly from inside the umbrella. Lord Jiao truly had killing intent. If the nun hadn't protected them, that fellow from the Caiyi Sect would have lost his head!”
“Lord Jiao was trapped here in Shouzhou for decades because of a child. His obsession was hard to erase, yet before he left, he still wanted the pear seller to acknowledge him as a true dragon.
It was a coincidence that we all met here today. Lord Jiao is of the demon race and was already suppressing his anger. Those Rao family men spoke ill of him and happened to run right into the man himself.”
Nan Zhi shook her head.
“If I were Lord Jiao and had been trapped in this water for so long, my temper would be even worse than his. However, this Lord Jiao is fickle, a character who is neither purely good nor purely evil.
If I encounter him in the future, I must treat him with respect but keep my distance.”
After saying that, she suddenly realized she had forgotten something.
“Honored guests, the two mortals you brought are still upstairs. Please take them and leave quickly.”
The little hedgehog on the ground shook itself, scattering wood chips everywhere. Its wet nose twitched as it spoke in a thin, squeaky voice:
“My master is a reckless character. If he sees this place destroyed, he will certainly take his anger out on you.
You saved me just now, so I cannot let things be difficult for you. Twenty li south of here is Shouzhou city. It is a place of mixed crowds where all sorts of people gather. You can hide your tracks there.
The sun is fully up now, and my master should be returning soon. You two should leave quickly to avoid any unnecessary trouble.”
Wang Chen and Manager Wang.
Nan Zhi looked up, her gaze meeting the large hole in the roof. From the precarious beams, broken tiles fell from time to time.
Oh no, I almost forgot about them.
They couldn't be buried under there, could they?
...
...
“Mmph! Mmph mmph!”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Inside the carriage, Wang Chen and Manager Wang were tied up securely with rags stuffed in their mouths. The look in their eyes as they watched Nan Zhi was full of terror and the lingering fear of having narrowly escaped death.
The two were in a pathetic state, covered in dust and grime. Wang Chen even had a new bloody gash on his face.
“Alright, alright. So I forgot you two were still upstairs for a moment. Being pinned by a beam for a bit won't kill you.”
Nan Zhi clapped her hands and pushed the two people, who were squirming like maggots, further into the carriage.
“Besides, who could have guessed Lord Jiao would tear such a huge hole in the roof? It was just a coincidence that the roof collapsed and pinned you both.”
—These two were even unluckier than she was.
They were just eating noodles in their room when the roof inexplicably collapsed, burying them. One got a cut on his face, and the other broke a leg.
“Miserable” was the only word for it.
Looking at the wretched state of the young man and the old man, Nan Zhi scratched her face uncertainly.
This shouldn't have anything to do with her “bad luck” debuff, right?
...
...
The sky cleared after the rain, the landscape fresh and bright.
A heavy silence hung around the foot-shop, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the grass.
Drip...
The grass had been washed into a vibrant green by the rain. A hedgehog the size of a grinding stone suddenly poked half its head out from the greenery.
On the muddy dirt road, a Taoist holding a whip was passing by, driving five sheep and three sturdy grey donkeys.
“Baaaa! Baaaa!”
“Baaaa! Baaaa!”
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
“Baaaa!”
When they reached the entrance of the foot-shop, the sheep huddled together timidly, refusing to go any further. The three donkeys also stopped anxiously, braying incessantly.
“You damned wretched ghosts! Mao San! White 49! Where have you lazy, wretched beasts born of womb and filth gone off to hide?”
The Taoist stopped at the foot-shop entrance. Ignoring the animals, he shouted loudly for someone to open the door.
“I have found another batch of good stock! The buyer is in a hurry, so I will be leaving soon. Hurry up and bring out some good wine and meat so I can have a proper meal!”
Seeing no response, the Taoist grew suspicious. He pushed the door open and entered, only to see the main hall smashed to pieces and the place in total disarray.
“Mao San! Mao San!!”
The Taoist's expression changed instantly as he cursed aloud.
“Which son of a bitch dared to wreck my shop?! Do they have a death wish?!”
“Squeak! Squeak squeak!”
A plump hedgehog crawled in from outside. Seeing the Taoist, it let out a series of squeaks, sounding as if it were aggrievedly reporting what had happened.
“Squeak squeak! Squeak! Squeak squeak!”
“Truly? That old loach in the river finally decided to leave? Even that old nun Miaoyun isn't in Shouzhou city?”
Hearing this, the Taoist's face suddenly broke into a wide grin.
“Excellent! This is truly heaven helping me! Quick, quick, slaughter a chicken and make plenty of pancakes. I'm going to pull off a big job this time. I'll catch more wild donkeys and sheep and sell them all to Kaifeng!”
“Baaaa! Baaaa!”
“Baaaa!”
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
“Baaaa!”
As he spoke, the sheep and donkeys in the corner all cried out in unison. Large tears rolled from the corners of their eyes, which were filled with a very human sorrow.
Rate on N.U.
