Chapter 19 - Ten Aspects, Unreasonable Monkey.

The rain threads in the sky grew denser.

Li Shiwu stood under the eaves, looking towards the Earth God Temple outside the town, his eyes growing more eager.

His body was very shriveled at this moment, and coupled with the consumption from skinning faces last night, he could clearly perceive that there wasn't much 'nourishment' left in the soil.

Seven days at most.

He would become like a seedling on a dry riverbed under the scorching sun, eventually withering there and being burned to ashes.

"What should I do?"

"What exactly should I do?"

He questioned himself over and over in his heart.

Just then, the Faceless Man changed his face to that of a beauty, and his towering figure slowly shrank with it.

In the blink of an eye, a fair-skinned, beautiful woman in a red dress, exuding a worldly charm, appeared before him.

She even took out a pipa, and as she played and opened her mouth, it was that soft, Suzhou-style accent, so sweet it made one's teeth ache.

Li Shiwu frowned: "What are you doing?"

"Going out to sing, earn money, and repay your gold," the woman, transformed from the Faceless Man, bowed gracefully and added, "Of course, I also need to keep saving money to continue skinning other people's faces."

Li Shiwu asked again: "You keep repeating these actions?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Then what is the meaning of your existence?"

"Meaning? I don't know either. I've just been like this since I was born."

The Faceless Man, with a wave of his hand, walked out the door, holding the pipa.

Watching his retreating figure.

Li Shiwu's eyes were hazy.

"The Seed Immortal Temple, fictitious yet truly existing; the absurd and bizarre 'Sui'; the national religion that transforms humans into beasts; and that inexplicable Ten Forms Gate from last night..."

"This world is getting more and more ridiculous, huh?"

Just then, the sword-wielding youth walked in from outside.

He wore a straw cape and urged: "Li, come out quickly, this kind of excitement isn't common."

Hearing this, Li Shiwu put on his bamboo hat and went out with him.

The sky was desolate today, and there were few pedestrians on the street.

Standing on the bluestone slab, Li Shiwu gazed into the distance.

Through the distant misty rain, a group of figures, only as tall as a person's calf, marched in orderly steps, entering their line of sight and heading towards the town.

As they drew closer, Li Shiwu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

What appeared before him was actually a group of 'writing brushes'. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

That's right, writing brushes.

To be precise, they were bronze-colored writing brushes, as thick as a baby's arm.

At this moment, they were bouncing on the bluestone slab, step by step, jumping towards an unknown destination.

Furthermore, they could recite human speech, and their voices were loud and orderly, like diligent students in an academy.

Just like now.

"Books are like medicine, good reading can cure ignorance... Reading without realizing spring has deepened, an inch of time is an inch of gold..."

Listening to the clear sound of reading, Li Shiwu pointed and asked: "What are these things?"

The sword-wielding youth laughed: "They are 'Scholar Grandpas', a type of Sui Beast."

"These Scholar Grandpas, they love reading the most, so they earned the elegant name 'Scholar Grandpas'."

The basket-carrying woman beside him added: "Daoist Li, do you know what these Scholar Grandpas will become in the future?"

Li Shiwu turned his head: "Become what?"

The woman chuckled, looking at the bronze toad on Li Shiwu's left ear: "Naturally, they will become Coffin Masters."

"Of course, this proportion is very small, very small. Most Scholar Grandpas never get a chance to transform in their lifetime."

"As for the causal relationship, Daoist Li can ponder it slowly; I won't elaborate."

Hearing the explanation, Li Shiwu was thoughtful and couldn't help but be amazed.

So, his Coffin Master had such an origin.

Qianyuanzi was quite lucky to have obtained one by chance.

Indeed, this group of Scholar Grandpas arrived at a bookstore in town, walked in as if no one else was there, and began flipping through books and reciting.

Just as the group was engrossed in watching.

A startling change occurred.

A gaunt man, with long arms and legs, sunken cheeks, resembling a monkey, stepped through a puddle and silently stood before them.

Then, with a meaningful, smiling gaze, he stared at Li Shiwu.

"Tsk tsk, like a banished immortal, 'clothes unstained by dust' - that's you."

"I thought a truly exceptional talent had appeared, so I specially came to meet them. I didn't expect it to be someone like this."

The man shook his head, "However, to avoid a wasted trip, I might as well just kill you."

As his voice fell, his entire being gradually became distorted, like light.

Then he took a step.

When he reappeared, he was startlingly standing behind Li Shiwu, less than half a step away, as if his entire body was pressed against Li Shiwu's back.

"Friend, what does this mean?" Li Shiwu's eyes were cold, his tone devoid of warmth.

The man lightly exhaled on his neck, a playful smile on his face: "You're Li Shiwu, aren't you?" Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

"Don't worry, I have time today."

"And plenty of time to slowly torture you to death."

Li Shiwu said nothing, but a black iron chopper appeared in his hand, and he suddenly hacked backwards.

However, this strike, without surprise, missed.

"Get away from me!"

Li Shiwu roared, lunging forward, trying to shake off this inexplicable man.

But something terrifying happened.

The man was like a ghost; no matter what Li Shiwu did or where he went, the other remained tightly pressed against his back, impossible to shake off.

The old monk and the other two were also stunned and at a loss by this sudden scene.

Just then, the basket-carrying woman seemed to recall something, her eyes showing terror.

She said to Li Shiwu: "Daoist Li... Daoist Li, I remember now, this person also seems to be from the Ten Forms Gate."

"Monkey Aspect, Unreasonable Monkey."

"Their cultivation is extremely bizarre; the person is like a monkey, clinging tightly to people from behind, and they will make all sorts of unreasonable demands."

"Until they torment people to the point of wishing for death, and they agree to their demands."

The woman took a deep breath: "I know now, this Monkey Aspect man was probably drawn here by that Pen Aspect woman from last night."

Hearing this, the Ten Forms Gate man's eyes flared with murderous intent.

"Too talkative, seeking death."

His figure vanished, and then his entire being was pressed against the back of the basket-carrying woman.

Blowing on her neck, he smiled wickedly: "Good girl, let me crawl into your belly and see if your heart is well?"

"Since you know about the Monkey Aspect, you should know that with your cultivation, once I've latched onto you, you're destined not to escape."

"So be obedient, don't struggle."

At this moment, despair appeared in the woman's eyes.

She only heard her trembling voice: "Alright... alright, I agree."

In an instant, the man's hands ripped open the woman's abdomen, and a pulsating heart was plucked out alive by him.

It was casually thrown onto the ground, rolling into the muddy water.

Then the man's figure dispersed, and when he reappeared, he was once again pressed against Li Shiwu's back.

Like a sticky plaster, he spoke: "Li Shiwu, whose clothes are unstained by dust."

"Our game begins now."