The Buddha is actually me

Chapter 177: The Turbulent Times, Changes in the Shen Family

On the long street, the two walked side by side.

The Yangzhou riot has been completely quelled, and the government officials are cleaning up the mess. Looking at the bodies covered with white cloth being carried away, Zhang Jiuyang frowned slightly.

He paused in his steps.

"wrong."

Yue Ling asked: "What's wrong?"

"Something isn't right."

Zhang Jiuyang has completely calmed down. He reviewed the bloody scene of tonight's Lantern Festival and finally found out what was wrong.

"Yue Ling, do you think that the Painted Skin Master's counterattack this time is a little too fierce?"

Yue Ling was slightly startled.

"Such a method can certainly frighten you temporarily and prevent the Imperial Observatory from taking action temporarily, but honestly, will you really give up?"

Yue Ling understood what he meant instantly, and her eyes narrowed.

"Absolutely not. If it was before the Lantern Festival tonight, the Imperial Observatory might give up considering the time and energy. After all, it is impossible for me to stay in Yangzhou forever, but..."

She said in a deep voice: "After tonight, the Imperial Observatory will not give up until the Painted Skin Master is dead!"

No force can allow such a terrible person as the Painted Skin Lord to exist. No matter how foolish the Emperor of Daqian is, he knows the horror of the Painted Skin's ability.

In the past, the Painted Skin Master acted very low-key and secretive, and even Yue Ling had never heard any news about him.

It was not until Zhang Jiuyang broke into Huangquan that the terrifying forces hidden in the darkness were gradually exposed.

Now that so many Painted Skins have exposed themselves and made such crazy and arrogant moves, it will surely shock the government and the public, and Daqian will no longer tolerate him.

Zhang Jiuyang knew that although Daqian’s strength seemed to be inferior to Huangquan on the surface and his highest was only the sixth realm, the Two-Faced Buddha once said something meaningful during the Huangquan Banquet.

"The Imperial Observatory is not as simple as it seems. Daqian has a lot of unknown background."

You know, the feeling that the Two-Faced Buddha gave him was even more mysterious and unpredictable than that of the Master of Painted Skin, but even he was so afraid of Daqian.

"The owner of Painted Skin is a gloomy and treacherous person. This Yangzhou riot seems crazy, but if you think about it carefully, it is not like his usual style."

"Once the Painted Skin is exposed to the eyes of the whole world, it will immediately become the target of public criticism. An old fox like him should not fail to think of this."

Zhang Jiuyang frowned, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Could it be that the embroiderer took the initiative and planned this action herself?"

Yue Ling speculated.

Zhang Jiuyang shook his head and said, "I don't rule out this possibility, but I think it's unlikely."

"why?"

"If the Painted Skin Master doesn't even have this ability to control his subordinates, he wouldn't be the Painted Skin Master."

As someone who had confronted the Master of Painted Skin many times, Zhang Jiuyang had a deep understanding of this enemy. It was impossible for the embroiderer to do such a big thing without the Master of Painted Skin's consent.

After all, this is equivalent to directly changing the policies and strategies previously formulated by the Painted Skin Master.

Would he be someone who was sidelined by his subordinates?

Zhang Jiuyang absolutely didn't believe it.

"So, the Yangzhou Rebellion must have his own intention, an intention we haven't thought of yet..."

Zhang Jiuyang's intuition told him that the secret here was very important, but he really couldn't figure it out for the time being.

"Yuetou!"

"Yue Jianhou!"

When the two returned to the Shen Mansion, they found that martial law had been imposed in the Shen Mansion, and the people from the Imperial Observatory who were secretly guarding around the Shen Mansion showed up one after another.

Zhang Jiuyang saw a familiar figure, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes.

That's Lao Gao.

He held a talisman in his hand and hurried forward when he saw the two. His chubby face was still so friendly and easy-going, but now he looked a little solemn. "Master Yue, someone tried to attack the Shen Mansion before, and some people in the mansion suddenly went crazy, but they have been subdued. I originally wanted to capture them alive, but I didn't expect those people to be so crazy that they actually committed suicide!"

"I tried to search their souls, but I found that there were restrictions hidden in their spirits, and they dissipated directly!"

Yue Ling looked at him deeply but remained calm on the surface.

"The enemy is desperate, it's not your fault, you did a great job."

Zhang Jiuyang's mouth moved slightly, but he still did not ask anything related to Shenju Mountain, nor did he show the slightest doubt.

But in fact, not asking is the biggest doubt.

Deep down he didn't want to doubt Lao Gao. The two of them knew each other when they were in humble circumstances, had experienced life and death, fought side by side, and had saved each other's lives.

Lao Gao cherishes every grain of food and lives every day as if it were his last. He seems lazy and casual, but he never backs down when faced with difficulties and often disregards his own safety.

Zhang Jiuyang learned a lot from him.

But reason told him that he couldn't act on his emotions now. Lao Gao, Li Yan and Shen Tu Xiong, the Painted Skin was hiding among them. He couldn't gamble before the truth came out.

"But Yuetou, Xiaojiu, there is something you need to be mentally prepared for..."

Lao Gao hesitated to speak.

Yue Ling's pupils trembled, and she asked, "Did something happen to my grandmother?"

"Just half an hour ago, the old lady suddenly fainted. The protective magic tools she was wearing exploded one by one. Even the spirit tablets in the Shen family's ancestral hall were cracked..."

Yue Ling's figure has disappeared.

Zhang Jiuyang hurriedly chased after her and saw her again when he arrived at the old lady's room.

Yue Ling stood quietly beside the old lady's bed, looking at her unconscious grandmother. Her once rosy complexion seemed a little dull, and her silver hair was no longer shiny and glossy, but withered and dying like weeds.

Fortunately, his breathing was still normal.

Grandpa Wang was crying on the side. He was a cultivator of the fourth realm, but his hand was shaking as he held the old lady's.

"I was guarding her at the time. I only felt a gloomy and foul smell suddenly descending. I didn't see anything else. Then Yu Shuang fainted..."

"It's all because of me. I'm useless. I'm just a waste!"

His voice was full of self-blame.

"You don't have to blame yourself, Yue Jianhou. At that time, Li Yan and I were practicing martial arts in the courtyard. Seeing how hard we worked, the old lady personally sent us wine and food. She also asked about your life in the Imperial Observatory over the years, but she suddenly fainted."

"As a prisoner, I didn't see the trick clearly. It's really weird!"

The one who spoke was Shentu Jianhou. He held a demon-subduing pestle in his hand and had extremely thick hair and beard. If it weren't for the armor, he would have looked like a giant ape walking upright from a distance.

It is said that he was born with supernatural powers and seemed to have returned to his ancestors, which is why he was valued by the Buddhists and was taught supernatural powers.

Li Yan also nodded and said, "Indeed, we have given the old lady various elixirs, but none of them worked."

Zhang Jiuyang's heart moved, and his eyes swept over the two of them, not missing any subtle expressions.

"Everyone get out first."

Yue Ling's voice rang out, but with a slight tremor in it. Zhang Jiuyang saw that this heroic woman who had always been fearless had tears in her eyes.

Although the old lady was still alive, she was barely breathing and her complexion was getting worse and worse, and it seemed that she would die at any moment.

Everyone could only leave first, but one person did not leave.

"Zhang Jiuyang, you too——"

Zhang Jiuyang stepped forward and held her hand tightly, as if he could convey some kind of strength to her in this way, his voice was gentle and firm.

"You forgot that we are engaged."

"The old lady is also my grandmother."

……

(End of this chapter)