Day and night tour

Chapter 423 Does the Elixir Have Human Touch?
What is a raven?

As Zhou Xuan asked, he knocked the steamed buns out of Li Changxun and Yun Ziliang's hands, saying, "You've already eaten several baskets of steamed buns, are you still eating? Don't overeat and get sick later."

The kind old man standing nearby said to Zhou Xuan, "The raven is the soul of a person."

Fearing Zhou Xuan might not understand, he explained further, saying, "Young man, in the Maha Temple, there are Buddhist scriptures that record that in the Kingdom of Well, there is a Western Paradise."
In the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is a golden statue of an ancient Buddha who governs all the Buddhist energy in the world.
When a person dies, they become a spirit and are reincarnated in Shepherd City. However, if the spirit is blessed by Buddhist energy, it will transform into a raven and fly into the Western Paradise.
From then on, the raven, nourished by the golden energy of the ancient Buddha, was reborn after 360 years.

Hearing this, Zhou Xuan understood somewhat and asked, "There must be some benefits to being reincarnated as a raven, right?"

"That's natural."

The old man grabbed a meat bun in front of him, stuffed it into his mouth, and said while chewing, "Ordinary spirits, reincarnated in Shepherd City, enter the six realms of existence. They might be reborn as beggars, or they might be reborn as animals."

But the reincarnation of ravens is different. They are filled with Buddhist aura, and their nobility is beyond description. At the very least, they will be born into wealthy and powerful families, and then into official families. If they are reborn even higher, they could be extremely talented disciples or people with great affinity for Buddhism.

Upon reaching adulthood, he entered various renowned temples and became a famous monk.

Spreading rumors and misleading the public!

Zhou Xuan's anger flared, and though he had a bellyful of thoughts, he could only condense them into these four words.

"Every month, for ten days, the high monks of Maha Temple would come to this inn, sew the recently deceased infants into sheep's stomachs, and cook them. After cooking, the human and the sheep would be separated."

The sheep meat is said to be imbued with human essence, and consuming it offers numerous benefits—not only is the meat delicious, but it is also believed to prolong life and even enlighten the mind to Buddhist and Taoist truths.
As for the doll, its soul naturally condensed into a raven. As long as it is properly buried, its soul will be able to fly to the Western Paradise seven days later.

Upon hearing this, the old man said, "All people are greedy. The child died to repay the world. This is the way of Buddhism. Only such a person can become a raven."

Zhou Xuan was greatly "shocked" by what he heard. He thought that cooking people and sheep together was a clandestine and unethical business practiced in any prefecture or state in the world.

He never expected that this deal would be done in broad daylight in Yunlu Town.

An old man eating breakfast could casually explain the intricacies of "humans and sheep cooking together," and he could say it so openly and frankly. It seems that everyone in Yunlu Town knows about this matter.

What does "humans and sheep cooked together" mean?

Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun also realized what was happening and swept the remaining mutton buns off the table onto the ground.

Seeing that something was wrong, the waiter trotted over and hurriedly asked, "Oh dear, sir, what's going on?"

Yun Ziliang grabbed the waiter by the collar and said, "Still yelling? You're feeding us buns with solid meat filling. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"This is not solid meat at all. At most, it is the essence of a person that has been boiled out of the soup. Moreover, it is really harmless to eat. Pilgrims and lay Buddhists from other places are all waiting for this taste."

The waiter begged for mercy, and the inn's cook and the three disciples of the local religious sect also stepped forward.

Zhou Xuan had long anticipated that things would develop this way, so he crossed his legs and waited to watch the show.

The innkeeper also came out. Seeing Yun Ziliang getting angry over "Raven Lamb Soup", he immediately advised, "Guest, it's not a big deal. Drinking Raven Soup is a tradition in our Yunlu Town. If you are not willing to follow local customs, our shop will just lose money... The lamb soup and buns are free. Let's make money peacefully."

"Peace brings wealth. I'll give birth to your grandmother, serve you solid meat soup, disgust your Master Yun, and you think I'll just leave without charging you?"

Yun Ziliang called himself a Taoist priest. Although he didn't usually watch his diet and ate three meat dishes and five vegetable dishes as he pleased, he couldn't be too unrestrained. Soup made with solid meat really crossed his bottom line.

"I'm going to tear your shop down!"

Yun Ziliang was angry, but he didn't take it out on the waiter. After releasing the waiter, he went up and gave the shop owner a series of kicks, making the man curl up like a shrimp.

“This bastard from out of town dares to run wild.”

The three disciples who were in charge of the inn immediately touched the ground with their toes, lit a talisman in their hands, and the sound of a baby crying came from inside the inn.

Wow, wow, wow!

The cries came from all directions, but the exact origin of the sounds was unclear.

However, this was no challenge for Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan released his senses and immediately detected the skeletons of three infants in the main beams, stairwell, and fish pond of the inn.

The three baby skeletons were extremely fierce and looked like they were about to attack at any moment.

"These three disciples are controlling three skeletal infants."

Zhou Xuan reminded Yun Ziliang.

Old Yun sneered and said, "Just look at their summoning talismans. I know exactly what's going on. These three brats are disciples of the 'Ghost Raising' sect. They've raised a few little ghosts. Their pathetic skills dare to show off in front of Master Yun?"

He moved with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, his body light and agile when he leaped up, but powerful and heavy when he landed, stepping on the shadows of three disciples with one foot.

"Boom!"

After several loud explosions, the three skeletal infants disintegrated. As for the three disciples who dared to use their methods, they were all crippled, their bones broken, and they lay limp on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Little did they know that one of the two troublemakers was a high-ranking dragon-seeking master, nearing the age of nine, and the other was even above the age of nine incense sticks.

"Oh dear, Taoist priest, stop hitting me, stop hitting me! If you want any compensation, just say the word. Don't ruin the harmony."

After recovering from the thud, the shop owner realized that the Taoist priest had only "rewarded" him with one kick, showing him mercy.

"Who dares to cause trouble here?"

A lantern, meant for wandering spirits, floated in through the inn's door and hung above everyone's heads.

On the lantern is an eye, representing the sun-walking deity of Huangyuan Prefecture.

To be honest, Li Changxun was somewhat timid when facing Bifang, but when facing this little patrolling sun god, he attacked with full force.

He pinched his middle finger and thumb together, gathering a gust of wind, and flicked it towards the lantern of the wandering god.

The wind swept away rapidly, and after locking the lanterns, they swayed back and forth, causing the day-wandering deity who was controlling the lanterns to fall off.

This man was wearing a straw raincoat and hat, with a fishing rod strapped to his back.

"Your clothes and appearance suggest you're from the Shui family, yet you're a disciple of the Bitter Ghost Sect. How come you don't recognize the three of us?"

Li Changxun stared at the man in the straw raincoat and said.

Knowing that Li Changxun was of extremely high caliber and not wanting to offend him, the man asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"We have some connections with the Bitter Ghost Hall. We won't make things difficult for you. Just send a secret letter from the hall, and they'll find out who we are."

Li Changxun immediately spoke up.

The man in the straw raincoat dared not delay, and quickly stirred up the water to send out the secret message from the guild.

Not long after, a reply arrived. After reading the letter, he hurriedly bowed to Li Changxun and said, "It is we junior disciples who do not recognize the gods of the heavens. We, the bitter ghost Ye Feiyu, greet Li Shanzu, Yunshanren, and the Great Master."

When the wandering spirits arrived, the innkeeper's heart was in his throat. He hesitated, wondering if the ruthless wandering spirits could subdue these three fierce outsiders.

Now,
His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died; he truly could not be subdued.

After bowing to Zhou Xuan and the other two, Ye Feiyu cautiously inquired, "I wonder where the innkeeper, Mr. Xu, offended you all?"

"He gave me a bun with solid meat filling, which disgusted me."

Yun Ziliang's anger had not yet subsided.

Ye Feiyu's eyes sharpened as he looked at Boss Xu and asked, "You make solid steamed buns?"

"Oh dear, Third Master Ye, how could I have the guts? Even if there are ten thousand solid steamed bun shops in Huangyuan Prefecture, I certainly wouldn't be one of them."

Mr. Xu complained, "I make Raven Lamb Soup, Raven Lamb Buns... those are all good stuff, but these discerning out-of-town gentlemen really don't know how to appreciate them?"

"You fucking make solid buns and you blame me for not appreciating them?" Yun Ziliang got angry again.

Ye Feiyu, with a friendly expression, said to Yun Ziliang, "Master Yun, this Raven Sheep Bun is indeed a specialty of Yunlu Buddha Town. In the past, pilgrims and tourists from other places came specifically for this dish."

"Is serving solid meat to guests a specialty of your Yunlu Town?" Yun Ziliang questioned.

"It's a bad custom in this remote area, Master Yun. There is indeed some misunderstanding here. How about this, let this Boss Xu compensate you with some money, and then hold a banquet to apologize. That would settle the matter. What do you say?"

Ye Feiyu should take the initiative to quell the incident.
Yun Ziliang paid no heed to any of this. He immediately flicked his sleeves, and a strong gust of wind rushed into the inner kitchen, overturning the large pot and scattering the mutton all over the floor.

"You've ruined Master Yun's appetite, so I'll smash your pot of mutton soup and, while I'm at it, burn down your kitchen."

Fueled by the wind, the fire in the kitchen stove, aided by the wind, ignited the kitchen like a fiery serpent, and soon the house was engulfed in flames.

Yun Ziliang then left the inn with Zhou Xuan and Li Changxun, while Boss Xu was already jumping up and down organizing people to put out the fire.

The three of them went out onto the street and walked along the bluestone street. They hadn't walked far when Ye Feiyu called them back.

"Gentlemen, please wait a moment."

Ye Feiyu rushed over.

"What, is this still not over?" Yun Ziliang asked. "By the way, isn't it true that after I dealt with those three 'ghost-raising' disciples, your Wandering God Division hasn't settled the matter yet?" Ye Feiyu smiled wryly, "Master Yun, you flatter me. The methods those three ghost-raising disciples displayed to you first were a matter of martial arts conflict, and since it happened on the outskirts of the prefectural city, it's none of our business."

"In this kind of fight, it all depends on the skill level of each person; death is no object."

"Then what do you want with us?" Zhou Xuan interjected.

“Master, I’m just giving you a little reminder. Huangyuan Prefecture is quite different from other prefectures, especially Yunlu Buddha Town. I don’t dare to advise you to follow local customs, but there are some details I need to mention in advance to avoid causing any disputes and spoiling the enjoyment of the three gentlemen.”

Ye Feiyu said this.

Zhou Xuan then asked, "Then tell me, what's the difference between Huangyuan Prefecture and the other prefectures?"

"Concepts".

Ye Feiyu said, "When a person dies, they become a corpse. As for the views on corpses, in other prefectures, they all believe that a corpse is also part of a person, and they want to have a grand funeral with drums and gongs."
But in the eyes of us Huangyuan people, it's not like that at all.

He pointed to the pork stall not far away and said, "Do you all see that half-pig? In the eyes of the people of Huangyuan Prefecture, a corpse is no different from pork or donkey meat. The only difference is that a human corpse is expensive, while pork is cheap."

"There are many corpse-driving masters and corpse-raising masters in Huangyuan. There are many objects on the corpses, all of which have strange uses. The corpses are just goods circulating in the market of Huangyuan Prefecture."

Zhou Xuan frowned deeply upon hearing this. The sale of corpses was actually a legitimate business in Huangyuan Prefecture?

He immediately asked Ye Feiyu, "Has your Huangyuan Prefecture ever produced any kidnappers?"

"It has never happened."

“Because everyone in your Huangyuan Prefecture is a kidnapper,” Zhou Xuan said coldly.

"It's still a difference in perspectives."

Ye Feiyu continued, "However, the people of Huangyuan Prefecture do not pay much attention to the 'corpse,' but they do pay great attention to the 'soul.' The legend of the raven is about finding a good home for the soul of the dead. That's why there is a custom of 'people and sheep cooking together, and raven flapping its wings' in Yunlu Buddha Town."

To put it bluntly, Ye Feiyu was afraid of these three old men, lest they start fighting again because of differences in local customs and traditions.

He couldn't beat any of those three old men.

Zhou Xuan asked Ye Feiyu, "Do you believe in the legend of the raven?"

"Who is 'Master'?"

"After the raven flies into the Western Paradise, it stays there for 360 years, and then it is reincarnated with incredible luck," Zhou Xuan said.

"I don't really believe it."

Ye Feiyu said very honestly.

Zhou Xuan asked, "Since you don't believe it, why don't you manage your household properly? Kill these charlatans and swindlers who spread heresy?"

"Cannot be killed."

Ye Feiyu pointed to the "Maha Temple" on the mountainside of Yunlu Mountain and said, "That temple is the most famous Buddhist temple in Huangyuan Prefecture. The legend of the ravens originated from that temple. The common people all believe in it, and the other temples dare not touch that temple."

"Then we should go to the temple and see what strange things are hidden there."

Zhou Xuan said this.

Ye Feiyu was a little scared, fearing that Zhou Xuan and the others would cause some big trouble again. He hurriedly said, "Master, it's alright that you caused some trouble in the inn, but please don't cause any trouble in the Maha Temple, otherwise it will be difficult to handle."

At this point, he pointed to the spire of the temple pagoda and said, “Do you see that spire? That is the place where the essence of heaven and earth in Huangyuan Prefecture is most abundant. Every 180 years, a relic will condense at that spire. This relic is something sent to heaven.”

"Sent to the heavens? I've been in the heavens for so long, and I've never heard of your Huangyuan Prefecture sending anything to the heavens."

Li Changxun shared his personal experience.

Ye Feiyu shook his head and said, "It is recorded in both the town annals and the county annals that every 180 years, five-colored relics gather on the top of the temple, and clouds grow all over the sky. A giant hand emerges from the clouds and takes away the relics."

"That temple is quite interesting."

Zhou Xuan murmured.

The legend of the raven bird originated from the Maha Temple.

The resurrection of relatives twenty years later originated from the work of Master Luyun of Maha Temple.

Every 180 years, the spire of Maha Temple produces a "sarira" that even the heavens envy.

All these strange tales combined made the temple even more enigmatic.

"Go up the mountain, pay respects to the Buddha, and perhaps meet the spirit of the mountain."

Zhou Xuan had not forgotten the purpose of his trip to Huangyuan Prefecture—to use the sixth level of the magician's technique to deceive the spirits of Yunlu Mountain and recreate the miracle of Master Luyun resurrecting his family.

……

Zhou Xuan, Yun Ziliang, and Li Changxun went up the mountain together.

"Old Yun, was Huangyuan Prefecture this vicious three hundred years ago? People treated corpses as commodities and sold them as commonplace."

"It was alright before, but over the past three hundred years, Huangyuan Prefecture has indeed become increasingly infamous, with everyone now considering it a bandit's mansion."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ziliang immediately thought of those human flesh buns and said, "Those buns were truly disgusting. I'm a Taoist priest, after all."

"Those steamed buns are disgusting, but strangely enough, they taste like elixir."

Li Changxun still fondly remembers the taste of "mutton buns".

"Because the broth in that pot of mutton soup contained ingredients like bezoar, cinnabar, and minerals used in alchemy."

Zhou Xuan said.

Li Changxun shook his head and said, "Bezoar smells foul, and cinnabar is bitter and astringent. I can tell the difference just by tasting them. How could they possibly taste like elixirs?"

Zhou Xuan said, "If the mutton filling doesn't taste like bezoar, cinnabar, or minerals, then what else could it be? Oh, right... the mutton filling... tastes like human flesh."

He suddenly turned his head and asked Li Changxun, "Don't tell me, Li Shanzu, is it possible that the elixirs in your heavens were made from humans?"

"Nonsense! Although most of us at the Celestial God level have lost our morals, we still have a bottom line. Using people to refine pills? What kind of behavior is this?"

Li Changxun spoke, but he wasn't very confident.
Leaving aside the other deities, just consider "Ghost Hand," "Heavenly Official," and "Lord Peng," who, at the level of three deities, are capable of stirring up a great wave and attempting to murder millions of people in Mingjiang Prefecture.

A person like that might actually be capable of using people to make elixirs.

"These are all guesses, just guesses, don't take them seriously." Li Changxun shook his head.

Zhou Xuan said, "Actually, it's simple to verify. Li Shanzu, try some solid meat without any cinnabar or bezoar. See if it tastes like an elixir. If it does, then those divine pills in the sky really were made by humans."

Where can I find solid meat if I want to eat it?

"Buy it! Mountain Ancestor has probably forgotten that this is Huangyuan Prefecture, a place where human flesh is sold by the pound."

"..."

Li Changxun couldn't bring himself to do it and was unwilling to "sacrifice himself." The three of them chatted and strolled along the way and eventually arrived at the Maha Temple.

The square in front of the temple was magnificent. A monk dressed in a kasaya bowed to Zhou Xuan and the other two in front of the square.

"Are you perhaps the great scholar of Mingjiang Prefecture?"

“Exactly,” Zhou Xuan asked.

"This humble monk has been waiting for you for a long time. Just now, Senior Brother Ye Feiyu sent me a secret message from the temple, saying that the Master is about to enter the Maha Temple to worship Buddha."

After the monk finished speaking, he introduced himself: "My name is Chisheng. I have had a strange illness since I was a child. My head is covered with dense red scars. My fellow monks in the temple all call me the Red-Headed Monk."

The red-headed monk, fearing Zhou Xuan wouldn't believe him, removed his monk's hat, revealing a head full of red scars that nearly triggered Zhou Xuan's trypophobia.

"Why go through all the trouble of verifying something like this? Just know it in your heart."

Zhou Xuan smiled wryly and said, "Red Monk, you are a monk, why do you call Ye Feiyu 'Senior Brother'?"

"Oh, before I became a monk, I was also a disciple of the Bitter Ghost Hall."

The monk Chi led Zhou Xuan and the others into the temple.

As soon as he entered the temple gate, Li Changxun's nose twitched like a hunting dog's, sniffing left and right, seemingly trying to sniff out something.

"What are you smelling?" Zhou Xuan asked.

Li Changxun whispered in Zhou Xuan's ear, "Master, I can smell the scent of elixir again."

(End of this chapter)