Chapter 31: The Ghost Monk

The Yin-Yang Wandering Immortal Sword was one of the five great divine weapons of the Daoist tradition, and Lu Xin knew of its spiritual nature. Yet, for as long as he had possessed the sword, aside from witnessing strange phenomena at the ancestral tomb of the Niu family, it had behaved little differently from any ordinary weapon. Now, deep in the wild mountains and forests, with rain pouring down, the Wandering Immortal Sword suddenly flew out—what could it possibly be seeking?

Lu Xin had no time to dwell on it. Everything he carried could be discarded, except for this sword—it must not be lost.

Seeing Lu Xin suddenly dash toward the depths of the woods, Tu Chengli was startled. He called out twice, but received no answer, so he had no choice but to follow. The night was pitch dark; the wind at his ears howled like wolves and tigers, or whispered like ghosts, terrifying beyond measure. In merely half a quarter hour, the scholar’s clothing was reduced to tatters, his face and limbs covered in scratches. By then, Lu Xin had already vanished from sight.

“Amitabha, merciful Bodhisattva, protect me, protect me! That boy has no conscience—please, let there be no monsters here. I’m thin, poorly fed, all my flesh is sour. Kindly spirits passing by, spare me! If I survive this ordeal, I swear by the gods, I’ll not look at those indecent paintings for a month—no, a year!”

Tu Chengli ran blindly, muttering prayers to gods and Buddhas, paying no heed to direction. Another quarter hour passed, and ahead appeared a faint light—not bright, likely candlelight. Tu Chengli rejoiced: where there was candlelight, there must be people.

Drawing nearer, he saw a house, but it was not a common dwelling—it was a dilapidated temple. By the pale glow of lightning, he could make out its age: crumbling walls and broken tiles everywhere. Ancient walls were entwined with thick vines, like serpents coiled in the forest.

At that moment, a lamp burned within the temple. Lu Xin was crouched by the door, peering inside.

“Xin, what are you looking at? Why did you run so fast?”

“Quiet—speak and you may lose your life!”

“You’re fooling no one. If there were danger, you’d have fled already. Did you spot a maiden? You seem so eager—let me have a look. Perhaps she’s bathing?”

The scholar’s lascivious nature was laid bare; before Lu Xin could explain, he rushed forward to peer inside. Lu Xin, wary of making noise, dared not stop him, and let him be.

There were indeed people inside, but not beauties. Thirteen armored soldiers, each holding a yellow talisman, circled a man in white at the center. The white-robed man stood upon a ritual array, facing the temple’s Buddha statue, singing incantations in an eerie voice.

The scene was spine-chilling: deep mountains, a ruined temple, strange incantations, a ritual array drawn like blood. Lu Xin could not guess their true purpose, but everything before him resembled a summoning of spirits.

“Mother, it’s them! You chased after the Temple of Divine Spirits’ men—quick, let’s leave! I’m still a virgin; a night of spring is worth a thousand gold, I can’t die here!”

Tu Chengli trembled after only a few seconds of watching, barely able to speak. Lu Xin, following the Wandering Immortal Sword, was not about to leave, and grasped the scholar tightly to keep him from fleeing.

“What else? Did you really think there’d be women bathing in a ruined mountain temple for you to see? If there were, she’d be a murderous fox spirit.”

“Hmph, I don’t care—let me go, let’s run!”

“Shh!”

Lu Xin pressed the scholar’s head down and covered his mouth, stopping his protests. Together, they peered inside again. The white-robed man held a talisman in his left hand, conjured flames with his right, and suddenly pointed toward the Buddha statue. Instantly, the array beneath his feet erupted in blinding red light. Countless incantations appeared in the void, rushing swiftly into the statue.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz...

The Buddha statue shook violently, and the whole temple trembled. Dust poured from the rafters, mixed with bones—whether human or animal, none could tell.

The candle flames were snuffed out by the wind, yet the white-robed man remained calm, using Daoist arts to ignite eight talismans at the four corners of the temple, illuminating the space like daylight.

“Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill... What demon dares disturb a monk’s cultivation!”

A hoarse roar, and the Buddha statue suddenly shattered, revealing a humanoid corpse clad in monastic robes, dried and yellowed like cured meat, terrifying to behold. Yet a corpse could not speak; Lu Xin scanned the temple, seeing only the men from the Temple of Divine Spirits—no other force present.

The white-robed man, however, was unperturbed, lips curled in a cold smile, staring fixedly at the corpse.

“Cultivation? Ha, ha, ha, Shi Dao’an, you have been dead a hundred years. I awakened your spirit from the Buddha statue—only thus can you see the living world. Such temper—do Buddhist monks not refrain from killing?”

“I am dead?”

The hoarse voice fell quiet, seemingly lost in thought. The white-robed man laughed all the louder, producing another talisman. As his fingers shifted, the talisman hovered and split into four, radiating golden light.

“True Fire Split Spirit—mind divided four ways. For your age, reaching this realm is impressive. Yet you possess only the fourth tier of the Observing Void Realm—how dare you oppose me?”

“Hmph, do you think you are still the Buddhist leader, the holy monk of Eastern Jin? Shi Dao’an, now you are but a wandering ghost. Enough talk—I am here by order of the Tang court to summon you to Chang’an. Obey, and all is well. Resist, and your spirit will be scattered.”

“The Tang court? Chang’an city? So the world has ended its century of war. Though united and divided again, all my old friends are gone. Yet for the people, it is a good thing. But you, to command me so arrogantly, do not know your place!”

Suddenly, the hoarse voice turned vicious, and wild winds whipped through the temple. The white-robed man stood amid the gale, long hair streaming, yet remained composed.

“Shi Dao’an, it is you who does not know your place! You speak of the people, yet when you turned from Buddha to demon, how many innocents did you slaughter? The blood on your hands surely surpasses that of the Demon Sect. Today’s world is not that of the past. Today’s court is not the court of old. The Emperor Taizong’s civil and martial prowess shakes the nine provinces. Under Tang rule, all monsters and ghosts flee. Choose now: return to Chang’an with me, or be scattered here!”

“You impudent child—seeking death!”

Boom!

The corpse’s eyes snapped open; an apparition appeared atop the altar—blurred, but its features discernible. It was an old monk, half his face decayed, grasping a vajra scepter, his body wreathed in blood-red light.

As soon as the ghost monk manifested, he lunged at the white-robed man. Their clash filled the temple with dust. Tu Chengli, peering through the door crack, was so frightened by the ghost monk’s visage that he cried out. Lu Xin, unable to stop him, watched as the white-robed man turned his head.

“Who dares spy on the Temple of Divine Spirits? Kill him!”

At the white-robed man’s command, the thirteen soldiers inside the temple instantly charged out. Lu Xin cursed inwardly, but his hand moved quickly. The soldiers wielded broadswords; thirteen blades crashed through the temple doors, striking almost simultaneously. The force was immense—the gust alone could flatten a tiger.

Lu Xin knew he was outmatched. After parrying a blow with his sword, he dodged away. The soldiers had clearly undergone special training—not only were they strong, but their swordplay was perfectly coordinated.

“I am but a traveler passing through these mountains, with no quarrel with you. The Temple of Divine Spirits serves the court by catching ghosts—why slay me?”

“Hmph, you heard what you shouldn’t, saw what you shouldn’t, and dare claim no quarrel? This is a state secret—if a wandering martial artist spreads word, all under heaven will know.”

“I won’t speak of it—who would willingly offend the Tang court?”

“Only the dead keep silent.”

The white-robed man had no intention of sparing Lu Xin, and the soldiers spoke not a word—only obeyed orders. Thirteen men, thirteen blades, encircled him from all sides. Fortunately, Lu Xin’s movements were agile; with the Wandering Immortal Sword’s sharpness, he severed several swords and changed direction, charging into the ruined temple. He had no wish to oppose the court, but the Temple of Divine Spirits pressed him too hard—if he didn’t resist, death awaited. He didn’t want to kill, but if he captured the leader, escape would be possible.

Lu Xin moved swiftly, but as he entered the temple, talismans flew from each corner. Two erupted into blazing flames, rushing toward his head. The other two transformed into daggers, stabbing for his chest and throat. The array showed their resolve to kill him and silence him.

“Hmph, with such men in the court, the world is truly unfortunate.”

He struck down the two daggers with his sword, then rolled behind a pillar, barely avoiding the flames. Yet this brief delay allowed the thirteen soldiers to reach him. With nowhere to run, Lu Xin rose to fight.

“Lift the brush! Dot the eyes! Gather from all directions! Break, break, break, break, break!”

The youth spun rapidly, seeming to melt into the scene, flickering in and out of sight. His sword, reflecting the firelight, split into thirteen shadows. Each shadow struck precisely upon a soldier’s blade. Next, the sound of clattering as all the broadswords shattered, rendered useless.

This sight finally made the thirteen impassive soldiers pause, shock showing in their eyes.

“The Yin-Yang Wandering Immortal Sword! The relic of the Immortal Lord, how could it appear here?”

Suddenly, the ghost monk, locked in combat with the white-robed man, cried out. His voice was confused; as he finished speaking, he charged into the crowd. With one spinning blow of his vajra scepter, he smashed the heads of all the soldiers, blood and flesh flying everywhere.