Day and night tour

Chapter 493 Soaring Giant Form
Upon hearing "a hundred aspects of human life," Zhou Xuan recalled the face of the celestial being in his dream.

He couldn't help but ask, "Elixir taker, why did you give me the Hundred Aspects of the Human World? Those are things from the Dream God."

"The Dream God descended from the Realm of Time to Mingjiang Prefecture by relying on the 'Hundred Aspects of the Human World.' Now that you have severed the avatar, its cultivation has also dissipated."

However, the myriad aspects of human life have returned to the realm of Heaven and Earth.

Seeing that Zhou Xuan was still puzzled, Hua Bao continued, "Besides mastering a complete law, the Celestial God level also possesses Celestial God characteristics."
Some deities possess many characteristics, while others possess fewer. "The myriad aspects of human existence" is one such characteristic of the dream deities.

"When celestial beings perish, their cultivation scatters across the earth and mountains, awaiting the next cycle of reincarnation. But their essence will return to 'Heaven and Earth.'"

At this point, Hua Bao said, "We offer the characteristics of a celestial being as a token of our sincerity. We hope that you will forgive our past grievances, sir."

It deliberately emphasized the phrase "the characteristics of the gods" to highlight the object's precious value.
But Zhou Xuan knew that this characteristic of the Dream God, like the stone temple in the "Mountain and Water View," was probably not well received by "Heaven and Earth."

However, these two items were exactly what Zhou Xuan wanted, so he took the opportunity to agree to the deal.

He feigned indignation and warned the flower bud, "If we continue doing business together, don't try to be cunning. I hate cheaters the most."

"That's natural...that's natural."

Hua Bao said, "The stone temple has been handed over to the master. I will remove the eyes inside for you later."

"Don't worry about plucking my eyes, I'll handle it myself," Zhou Xuan said, declining Hua Bao's offer.

It wasn't that he was afraid of causing trouble for the other party, but rather that he was afraid that the flower bud would remove the old eyes and replace them with some new eyes that were even harder to detect.

"It would be better if the eldest son did everything himself."

Hua Bao said, "As for Hu Muhua's life and all the human affairs, we will hand them over one by one tomorrow."

"I understand the most basic principle of doing business: cash on delivery. But if I wait until tomorrow... I'm afraid things might get complicated."

Zhou Xuan distrusted the flower bud.

Hua Bao smiled and said, "Sir, once the deal is struck, we will do our utmost and will not engage in any deception. You can rest assured."

It is only humankind that deceives Heaven and Earth; have you ever seen Heaven and Earth deceive humankind?

At this moment, the Taoist priest who had been silently observing Zhou Xuan's transaction finally spoke. He gently stroked his whisk and said to Zhou Xuan,

“Zhou Housheng, Hu Muhua’s life and the myriad aspects of human life will probably require time to prepare. Even if you ask the pill extractor to take it out immediately, it doesn’t have that ability.”

"However, it's understandable that you're worried about things going wrong if you delay. Here's what we'll do: I, the old sage, will act as your guarantor. If anything promised by 'Heaven and Earth' isn't fully delivered, I'm willing to take responsibility and help you recover it."

In the Kingdom of Jing, it was quite common practice to ask a middleman to act as guarantor for business transactions or loans.

"Old Incense Master, I trust your character. You're qualified to be my guarantor."

Since there was a Taoist priest guaranteeing the delivery, Zhou Xuan no longer insisted on a fixed delivery time and said, "Then let's do it your way and deliver it tomorrow."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

The vines trembled a few more times, guiding the flower bud to bow to Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan then tossed the severed palm pill in his hand to the flower bud.

The flower bud did not reach for it, but let the severed hand fall to the ground.

After lying prone on the ground, the man with the severed hand twisted his five fingers wildly, digging his fingertips into the cracks in the ground. With a sudden burst of strength, he managed to stand up, albeit shakily.

In Xiejia'ao, tens of thousands of green vines have grown, forming clumps of green shadows that resemble emerald reed beds.

Among the bushes, countless transparent flowers bloomed.

"Beautiful spring scenery~ like the spring river~ beautiful spring scenery~ cannot be retained."

Each flower, like a bewitching singer, sang a soft, sweet melody, drawing the severed hand to listen.

Finally, unable to resist the allure of the song, the man with the broken palm used his middle and index fingers as feet and walked towards the valley filled with clusters of flowers.

When it entered the flowerbed, all the flowers were in full bloom, and the stamens resembled fingers.

Fingers covered in black and white hairs.

Wherever the severed hand passed, those fingers viciously hooked at it, tearing off chunks of flesh, causing the severed hand to tremble in pain. But it then continued walking towards the direction of the song.
Like a moth drawn to a flame,

By the time the severed hand reached the depths of the flower bushes, it had become a skeleton. A large flower suddenly enveloped the severed hand, followed by a chilling sound of "gnawing and spitting bone."

After the noise subsided, all the vines retreated underground, and Xiejia'ao returned to tranquility.

……

"Zhou Housheng, this night is finally over."

The Taoist priest who had been burning incense was completely relaxed.

Mingjiang Prefecture is far from peaceful tonight.

The Supreme Master of the Hidden Arts seeks revenge, the Five Styles of the Buddhist Kingdom plot to plunder elixirs, the Celestial God of Dreams fears exposure, and the Jade Capital of the Heavenly Vault assesses alchemists…

The place was fraught with danger, making Mingjiang Prefecture the most dangerous place, but Zhou Xuan resolved them one by one.

A play, a furnace of alchemy

"Tonight, Zhou Xuan, you have shone brightly in the Jing Kingdom. After tomorrow, I'm afraid all the disciples of the nine prefectures in the Jing Kingdom will know you, the great master of Mingjiang Prefecture."

The butcher said the same thing.

However, he had some concerns. As the saying goes, "Man fears becoming famous, just as pigs fear growing fat"—once a pig is fattened up, it's the perfect time to slaughter it and divide the meat.

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "After tomorrow, that great master of Mingjiang Prefecture will disappear from the Jing Kingdom. He also has hundreds of different faces."

"……"Butcher.

“I’ll have all the aspects of human life tomorrow,” Zhou Xuan said.

The butcher then realized what was happening, gently patting Zhou Xuan's shoulder and saying, "You're like a seasoned veteran. On the day you gained fame, instead of expanding your territory, you chose to conceal your identity, exchanging elixirs for the 'Mountain and Water Encounters' stone temple and the myriad aspects of human life."

"What is the first step in expanding territory?" Zhou Xuan asked the butcher.

"what?"

"Alive."

Zhou Xuan said, "Right now, the most important thing for me is to stay alive. With the Stone Temple and the Hundred Images, living is no longer a challenge for me."
Otherwise, someone like me who refines pills every day would easily become the envy of others.

As soon as Zhou Xuan finished speaking, the butcher and the Taoist priest burst into laughter.

It is said that all good things must come to an end.

With the successful transaction of Zhou Xuan's elixir, it was time for the event to come to an end.

The Longevity Cult Leader and the Crippled Monk walked over side by side from a distance and bowed deeply to Zhou Xuan.

“Master Zhou, if there is an opportunity in the future, let’s meet in the Heavenly Vault. It’s getting late today, so let’s return to the Longevity Palace to report back.”

Zhou Xuan waved his hand, indicating that Changsheng and Tiancan should do as they pleased.

However, the two did not leave immediately. Instead, they bowed to the King of Xishan again and said,

"Old Master, the matter in the mountain cave today was also a misunderstanding. I was just hungry and greedy, so I did something wrong. Please forgive me."

"King Xishan, the Fox Clan is fortunate to have you. From now on, the Fox Clan will no longer need to pay tribute to my followers. I will also issue a divine decree that the 'Shaman' shrine will form a harmonious alliance with your 'Hu Clan' and join hands against external threats."

The leader of the Longevity Cult spoke with utmost sincerity.

He had just discussed it privately with the monk Tiancan—Zhou Xuan is now a popular alchemist in Baiyujing, and the King of Xishan has a deep friendship with Zhou Xuan. It would be unwise to provoke the King of Xishan again.

So, taking advantage of their departure to say goodbye, they reconciled with the King of Hisan and also made their positions clear.

King Xishan, a fox king who had crawled out of bloodshed, was well aware of the thoughts of these two gods, but he did not expose them. He cupped his hands and said, "We are all gods of the heavens, and can be considered colleagues. From now on, let's help each other."

"Natural, natural."

After returning the greeting with clasped hands, the leader of the Longevity Cult shook a rattle drum, and with each beat of the drum, his figure vanished into nothingness.

"Farewell, everyone."

The crippled monk also threw his tattered cassock into the sky and disappeared.

After they returned to the heavens,
The incense-offering Taoist priest also bid farewell, saying, "Zhou Housheng, today I watched two great shows, one in Mingjiang and one in the capital. Thanks to you, I did not waste this day."

"Old sir, are you leaving? Stay and have a drink?"

"No more drinking. No more drinking."

The Taoist priest flicked his whisk, urging the black donkey forward, while singing an old song: "The past cannot be retrieved, it is fate; the future can be changed, it is impermanence..."

After the black donkey took a few steps, its figure completely disappeared.

The butcher waved to Zhou Xuan and said, "Zhou Xuan, my knife is yours. You'd better treat it well from now on."

"Butcher, I'm afraid you can't leave."

"I have important business to attend to." The butcher took out a red rose from his sleeve, pointed at the flower and said, "I'm a womanizer by nature, and I'm going to go and seduce some of the most beautiful women in the world."

"..."

Zhou Xuan pointed to his secret realm and said, "I've mastered the Swordsman's Fragrance of Wuwen Mountain, and you're just going to leave without giving me a few pointers? A complete hands-off manager?"

"I can't teach you your moves—these days, go to Huangyuan Prefecture and find an old man named Nangong Wang. He will guide you to comprehend the Daoist Fragrance."

"Didn't your Wuwen Mountain lineage break down? Besides you, you actually have other swordsman masters?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"Hey, go ahead and you'll see."

The butcher didn't elaborate, and turned to leave.

For a time, only Zhou Xuan and his old friends remained in Xiejia'ao. Zhou Xuan went to the mountain-like alchemy furnace and collected the blue and red fish and the Starry Sky Scroll.

The blue and red fish transformed into a dragon in the furnace, and the Starry Sky Scroll was enormous. The sheer scale of collecting these two items was truly magnificent.

Taking advantage of the grand occasion, Zhou Xuan secretly stored the corpse of the Pill Demon in the secret realm.

The stone temple and the demon were Zhou Xuan's biggest gains tonight.

Besides that, there was also the brightly lit Mingjiang Mansion...

"Master, an extraordinary phenomenon! An extraordinary phenomenon has descended from Heaven and Earth!"

The White Deer Taoist pointed to the sky above Mingjiang Prefecture. Zhou Xuan looked over and saw countless shimmering fireflies rising from within the city.
Fireflies gathered in the sky above the city and formed a giant image of Zhou Xuan.

The colossal statues alone were one thing, but in the sky, a rumbling sound came from above—it was Zhou Xuan's storytelling voice, reciting the "Mingjiang Zoroastrian Records".

The painter smiled and said, "Master, this time, 'Heaven and Earth' has consumed the elixir and is overjoyed and satisfied. It's using these extraordinary phenomena across the sky to help you gain fame."

"I don't want to gain such a big reputation," Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

The musician then suggested, "I was originally planning to go home and rest early, but now that I see the Mingjiang River brightly lit and the Great Master's giant statue soaring in the sky, I think we should go for a stroll in the prefectural city and enjoy the precious night view of the Mingjiang River?"

His suggestion was immediately approved by everyone.

"You guys go first, I'm going home."

Zhou Xuan felt a strange awkwardness about entering the city while his giant form was suspended in mid-air, but the crowd wouldn't let him go. They pushed and pulled, forcibly dragging Zhou Xuan towards Mingjiang Prefecture.

"Hey, hey, don't pull, don't pull, your robe is torn."

"By the way, Old White Deer, you said that Origin Power Pill, is it a Human Pill or a Qi Pill?"

"It's a Qi Pill, Master."

As Zhou Xuan made his way towards the prefectural city, he thought to himself, "The Origin Power Pill is a Qi Pill, doesn't that mean the Pill Demon is a Human Pill?"

……

"There must be someone who has elixir."

Inside the Sky Dome Stone House, Mr. Yan paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

He always felt that Zhou Xuan's large alchemy furnace couldn't possibly only produce Qi pills.

"The Source Energy Pill is an extremely rich and pure Qi Pill, absolutely devoid of any emotions or desires—so, where did the enormous amount of passion and desire that Zhou Xuan threw into the pill furnace go?"

Mr. Yan kept pondering, and just then, the leader of the Longevity Cult and the Crippled Monk returned to the stone house.

"Mr. Yan."

The leader of the Longevity Cult greeted him with a smile and a cupped-hand salute.

He was in a great mood. Although he had been to the mortal realm and suffered setbacks everywhere, and had not even been able to eat any blood food, Zhou Xuan had successfully become a pill official, and was even granted the title of "Jade Capital Divine Pill Master" by imperial decree from the Jade Capital. As one of the recommenders, he would surely be rewarded in the future.

"The result was still pretty good overall."

The leader of the Longevity Cult thought to himself.

Upon meeting the leader of the Longevity Cult, Mr. Yan disregarded the prejudice that he was "a person from a sick village, afflicted with a festering disease," and took the initiative to approach him, saying, "Master, you personally witnessed Zhou Xuan refining elixirs in the mortal realm..."

“Master Zhou,” the crippled monk reminded him.

"Yes...yes...you saw Master Zhou refine pills with your own eyes, did he only refine one pill?"

Mr. Yan asked.

"Yes," said the Longevity Cult Leader. "Bai Yujing saw this elixir, the Palace Master saw it, and I saw it too. In the end, it was sold to 'Heaven and Earth' in exchange for the Stone Temple and the myriad aspects of human life."

"And Hu Muhua's life too," the disabled monk added.

Mr. Yan shook his head and said, "That's not what I meant. I wanted to ask, Master Zhou, did you refine two pills and hide one?"

"That's not true."

"Did Master Zhou do anything strange after refining the elixir?" Mr. Yan asked again.

"No." The Longevity Cult Leader said impatiently, "When you were refining pills, your eyes swept across the land of Mingjiang. You saw much more carefully than we did. If you didn't see it, how could we?"

"Yes, yes."

Seeing that the Changsheng Cult Leader's words were already unfriendly, Mr. Yan stopped asking questions and gave each of them a lantern with the word "Divine Palace" written on it, saying, "Please, you two deities, go back to your own divine palaces."

"Ah."

The leader of the Longevity Cult and the crippled monk, each holding a lantern, left the stone house and stepped into the sky.

"There must be two pills."

After Changsheng and Tiancan left, Mr. Yan continued to mutter to himself.

He had doubts in his heart, and these doubts drove him to gouge out his eyes and throw them into Xiejia'ao.
He wanted to use his own eyes to search carefully again...

……

Inside Mingjiang Mansion, the lights were dim.
None of the people went to sleep. Dressed in their finest clothes, some carrying fireworks and others lanterns, they celebrated the reconstruction of Mingjiang Prefecture in the streets.

Every restaurant, cinema, and nightclub was wide open.
Meanwhile, many people stopped on the street—because Zhou Xuan was lecturing in the sky.

Zhou Xuan was already an excellent storyteller, but the giant image hovering in the air added a touch of mystery to his storytelling, which naturally attracted many people to look up and watch.

Tonight, Zhou Xuan used the power of human vows to rebuild two-thirds of Mingjiang Prefecture.

In other words, tonight, nearly two-thirds of the dead from Mingjiang will be brought back to life.

Two-thirds of the dead originally did not know Zhou Xuan... but now that the Giant Image is in the air, they all know him.

"Third Aunt, look, it's that great gentleman from heaven. He put in a tremendous amount of effort to rebuild our Mingjiang Prefecture."

"He rebuilt it all by himself?"

"He possesses great supernatural powers."

"How much good karma must he have accumulated?"

"Accumulating good deeds? He was a living Pssa. After the Zoroastrian fire disaster, Mingjiang Prefecture was a ruin. He gave away all his wealth to buy food, which allowed us survivors of the Zoroastrian fire era to live."

"Is it just food? There's also alcohol, soda, medicine, and even chocolate. I've lived half my life and this is the first time I've ever eaten something so expensive."

"The Great Master also used divine power to make the nights in Mingjiang Prefecture no longer so cold. I remember all of those things, I remember them all."

In every corner of Mingjiang Prefecture, there are survivors who tell the newly resurrected dead the stories of Zhou Xuan's past deeds.

In no time, "Zhou Xuan" became the hottest word in every street and alley, on every inch of land, and was frequently mentioned by the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.

As soon as Zhou Xuan entered the city, he was recognized.

“Master, that’s Master.”

"The Master has arrived."

"Sir, my God."

The shouts of the crowd rose up one after another.

More and more people flocked over.

Zhou Xuan was quite troubled. There were just too many enthusiastic people, so many that even someone as socially indifferent as him felt an urge to bow his head and leave.

"Old Hua, let's hurry up and leave, there are too many people, Old Hua... Old Hua...?"

When Zhou Xuan turned around, he found that the painter, musician, Peng Sheng, Yun Ziliang and the others had already hidden in the crowd and were secretly waving at him.

The painter cupped his hands around his mouth and exclaimed, "Great Master, accept the people's love and respect; it is what you deserve!"

"..." Zhou Xuan.

The crowd grew increasingly dense, and some of the more enthusiastic people lifted Zhou Xuan up with their bare hands and feet and then threw him into the air.

"Long live the Great Master!"

"Mingjiang Prefecture has returned."

Zhou Xuan felt his body being tossed up and down, then tossed up again.
He saw his colossal form, towering into the sky, sometimes growing larger, sometimes shrinking.
A strange sense of shame spread through Zhou Xuan's body.

"How could I not be aware of the myriad aspects of human life at this moment?"

“I told you I didn’t want to come, but you insisted I come.”

Zhou Xuan said, feeling extremely ashamed.

The common people, however, simply used human waves to toss Zhou Xuan high into the air, their eyes filled with tears, as if they were worshipping the gods of Mingjiang Prefecture in their own way…

……

Xiejia'ao remained as desolate as before.

The dark valley was deserted, with only the mountain-like alchemy furnace remaining.

Now, the alchemy furnace no longer has the starry sky scroll, it is no longer transparent, and it has returned to its original blue-gray color.
A snow-white eye flew over the alchemy furnace and then disappeared inside.

His eyes swept over the inside of the alchemy furnace.
Mr. Yan discovered—he was gone.

"The corpse of that demon pill is gone," he thought to himself, while at the same time, he sensed something was amiss...

(End of this chapter)