Day and night tour

Chapter 500 The Hearth Changes Hands
The white cricket has a round head and a broad back, with six legs, the hind legs of which are extremely male. It is held between Zhou Xuan's two fingers and is constantly and powerfully stomping.

Zhou Xuan turned the cricket over and saw that the white insect's mouthparts were a tube-like conical shape, like a mosquito's.

He found it extremely strange, and after a cold laugh at Ning Bukong, he said in a sarcastic tone,
"Ordinary families with small households are most afraid of insects and rats. There is a saying in pawnshops: 'If the clothes are eaten by insects and bitten by rats, they will be bare and tattered.'"

If a household has any valuables, they become worthless if they are eaten by insects, let alone the secret realm of a cultivator.

"What good would it be if such a wonderful secret realm were to be afflicted by an insect plague?"

Zhou Xuan squatted down, holding the white cricket between his fingers, and slowly slid it past Ning Bukong's nose.

Ning Bukong's rat-like eyes never left the insect.

Zhou Xuan asked, "Old Ning, tell me, how come there's an insect living in your secret realm?"

He had tried to remove other people's incense offerings before, but he had never managed to find a single insect in someone else's secret place.

"me……"

"Stop stammering and just say it."

Zhou Xuan asked again.

"Master, perhaps my cultivation is too weak, for an autumn insect entered the secret realm without my noticing?"

Crickets have many names, some call them fighting cocks, others call them autumn insects, but their most elegant name is "cuzhi," which means that their chirping sounds like a loom.

"Such a huge autumn insect entered the secret realm, and you didn't even notice?"

Zhou Xuan asked again.

"This... is just like an ordinary family's home. Under those dilapidated walls and broken tiles, there are always three or five autumn insects hiding. These things are small, and if they are well hidden, they are really hard to find."

"And what about your incense offerings?"

Zhou Xuan asked again.

"Perhaps...perhaps...it was devoured completely by those autumn insects...It's not surprising that these strange insects feed on my incense."

Ning Bukong's limbs were severed, and he was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat, but he still managed to spare some energy to talk to Zhou Xuan.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan immediately put on a pained expression, pretending to beat his chest and stamp his feet, and said, "Old Ning, when exactly did I offend you?"

"..." Ning Bukong.

"If you haven't offended me, why would a bastard chop off my hands and feet?"

Despite suffering such great hardship, Ning Bukong only dared to grumble in his heart and did not dare to resist openly. He respectfully said, "My master has never offended me."

"Since I haven't offended you, why are you treating me like a fool?"

Zhou Xuan's eyes suddenly turned cold. He grabbed Ning Bukong's ear and said,
"Incense is the foundation of a disciple's cultivation. Not to mention being eaten by insects or bitten by rats, even the slightest tremor can cause my internal organs to shift and my blood to flow backward!"

If your incense has been completely devoured by autumn insects, how could you not discover that those insects are hiding in your secret realm? Are you kidding me?

Zhou Xuan stood up, his face grim. He glanced at Ning Bukong out of the corner of his eye and said,

“Old Ning, I wasn’t originally that angry with you. After cutting off your hands and feet, I should have stopped there and shown you mercy. But you tricked me again… I told you, you only have one chance.”

“Master, Master, that insect is my incense, that insect is my incense.”

When Ning Bukong had his hands and feet cut off, he already knew of Zhou Xuan's terrifying power. Now, Zhou Xuan had inadvertently revealed that "this is the end of my temper," which meant a favor to him.

Even insects and ants struggle to survive, let alone someone like Ning Bukong.
Under a combination of kindness and severity, Ning Bukong immediately told the truth, saying, "My incense has been removed, and the incense I have now is a gift from the heavens."

"So, this white autumn insect is actually your offering?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"Yes."

Ning Bukong said, "Within the ancient hall, there are no fragrant spirits or fire worms. Ordinary disciples cannot use their supernatural powers unless they do what these people do, bringing a pig's head and filling it with 'fragrant worms.'"

"Insects are actually used for incense offerings."

Zhou Xuan stared at the white cricket in his hand and immediately realized that this autumn insect was no ordinary creature.

"It has certain research value."

Zhou Xuan immediately put the white cricket into his undergarments, then made a throat-slitting gesture towards Steward Liu, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Steward Liu was somewhat worried at this moment. After all, Ning Bukong was also a celestial being. If the Grand Master, relying on his superior status, abused him and cut off his hands and feet, the celestial beings probably wouldn't pursue the matter.
But... if Ning Bukong's life is taken, won't Tian Qiong really hold it against him?

"Blame me? I still need to get an explanation from Tianqiong. Just kill him." Zhou Xuan urged impatiently.

Ning Bukong turned even paler with fright and roared, "Master, you just said you would show me mercy, and you also said you never lie."

"correct."

Zhou Xuan treated Ning Bukong's severed hand like a soccer ball, kicking it powerfully into the stove outside the hall, and calmly smiled.
“Ning Bukong, you are a person without hands or feet. The only things a person does in this world are to eat, drink, excrete, and sleep.”

"I've taken your incense sticks. Without incense offerings, you'll have no means of survival. How will you hire someone to take care of you?"

“With no one to take care of you, and no hands or feet, eating, drinking, and using the toilet are very inconvenient. I, Zhou Xuan, am also thinking of you and don’t want you to live in pain for the rest of your life.”

"A short pain is worse than a long one."

“Zhou Xuan…you are the king…” Ning Bukong was about to start cursing when Steward Liu raised his knife and brought it down.

With a muffled "thud," blood gushed out, and Ning Bukong's head rolled several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

“Look, Ning Bukong even thanked me and praised me as a king.”

Zhou Xuan said with a chuckle.

After his actions, Steward Liu and his four fellow disciples were very impressed with Zhou Xuan. They felt that this successor of Wuwen Mountain had killed Ning Bukong with ease and even managed to extract information about Qiu Chong'er. This clearly showed that he not only had the ability to spread the incense offerings but also the skill to get things done.

With such a talented person in Wuwen Mountain, how could the temple not flourish in the future?
Steward Liu then suggested to Zhou Xuan, "Master, Ning Bukong is a celestial being. If you kill him, you will still bear some guilt. Why don't we five senior brothers commit suicide, and you borrow our 'Fragrance-Gathering Insects' to chop the Palace Master here in half with one strike!"

“If the temple master dies, we will die too, and your secret can be kept.”

His suggestion gave Zhou Xuan a headache.

Zhou Xuan reached out and tapped Steward Liu's pig-like head, saying, "Old Liu, let's talk less about suicide in the future."
It's not exactly a glorious thing for a person to end their own life with a knife.

Zhou Xuan pointed to the hundreds of dead people again and said, "Besides, I can't just kill them all to keep a secret, can I? Don't worry, as I said, the people of Tianqiong are in the wrong today."

"When have those people in the Sky Dome ever been reasonable?" Manager Liu said.

Zhou Xuan smiled brightly again, then showed the jade token in his hand and said, "The principle I speak of is not the principle of sages in the human world, nor is it the principle of non-action of the Daoist. The principle I speak of is the principle of 'whoever has the most power is right.'"

Manager Liu was immediately shaken. He clasped his hands in a fist and said to Zhou Xuan, "Master, you are truly talented. We five fellow disciples are convinced."

"We'll talk about whether you accept it or not later."

Zhou Xuan said, "But now I have to teach you a lesson—you can't just rely on swords and fists to fight."

He then spoke loudly to the temple master inside the ancient hall: "Temple Master, this little plot of land of yours is quite nice; it would be a pity to ruin it. From now on, I'll rent it out."
Release all these dead people. I won't need them for making human elixirs later.

As for that fire tower, I might need it. You'd better keep it safe for me; don't destroy or smash it.

Inside the Guihun Ancient Hall, a voice, indistinguishable between male and female, rang out: "Master is the Jade Capital Master, I cannot afford to offend him. I will do as you command."

"You're just saying that out of anger. From now on, I'll be using your precious land to refine pills. I can't speak like that; I have to convince you from the bottom of my heart."

Zhou Xuan said, "When I go back this time, I will prepare a deposit for you. It will be delivered to you in one or two days, or three to five days at most. I guarantee you will be satisfied."

"As for what I said about releasing people, these hundreds of dead people will not be released immediately. You can release them after you receive the deposit, so that you don't lose both your body and your elixir."

Zhou Xuan concluded, "As for the cost of renting your venue, I'll give you half a percent of the cost of any pills refined in this ancient palace."

"Only half a percent? Master, Ning Bukong used to give me a full sixty percent."

The palace master said.

"What are the medicinal properties of the pills he refines? What are the medicinal properties of the pills I refine? It's like a trickle of water compared to a great river... Don't underestimate the fact that I'm only giving you half a percent of the medicinal properties; compared to the previous sixty percent, it's no less than that."

Zhou Hu explained the details of these small collaborations clearly and thoroughly, and he didn't use his status as "Divine Pill Master" to pressure the Palace Master.

The temple master pondered for only a moment or two before joyfully replying, "From now on, I will diligently follow the Guru's instructions."

He was completely convinced of Zhou Xuan's abilities—he didn't care about anything else; as long as he could eat pills, he was happy.

Seeing that the cooperation with the Palace Master had been finalized, Zhou Xuan said to Steward Liu, "Old Liu, you used to help the Zoroastrian sect refine pills, from now on, you'll help me refine pills."

"That goes without saying."

Manager Liu couldn't have been more eager for this opportunity.

“The pig heads you’re wearing are too ugly. When I got back to the shop, I was thinking about how to get rid of them.” “Thank you very much, sir.” Manager Liu and his five fellow apprentices said with heartfelt admiration.

"It's settled then. My time has come, so I must head back now."

After Zhou Xuan finished speaking, he said to the Palace Master, "You can keep the rest of the dead and treat them well, but Hua Zi, let him go first."

“He is a friend of the master, how dare I, the junior temple master, force him to stay?”

"Okay, I'll go first."

Zhou Xuan's figure grew increasingly dim, as the medicinal properties of the other pills had been almost completely exhausted.

"Respectfully seeing off the Master of Yujing."

"Take care, sir."

……

After the effects of the elixir completely wore off, Zhou Xuan appeared at the Jingyi Shop.

At this moment, he was in a great mood.
He first threw the "white cricket" into his secret realm, and then walked happily toward Sister Cui's restaurant.

"I've finally managed to set up my first alchemy site, along with five skilled alchemists and a completed fire tower. It's been a very fruitful year."

Zhou Xuan finally understood why the Zoroastrian fire pits were spread across nine prefectures.

Alchemy is not only a big business, but also a huge project, requiring alchemists, alchemists, fire towers, and even a "site".

If one were to refine elixirs in the real world, it would be equivalent to steaming and cooking delicious food in front of so many powerful figures in the Kingdom of Jing, including those who are at the level of nine incense sticks, gods, and celestial beings.

Those powerful people can endure it once or twice, but if they endure it too many times, they will inevitably have designs on the pills in the alchemy furnace. If a large-scale pill-grabbing event were organized, Zhou Xuan wouldn't have to do anything but guard the pills every day.

"But those strange spaces are different. For so many years, even the Taoist priests have not been able to find the Zoroastrian hearth, so their safety is not a concern."

"Business will open soon."

At this moment, Zhou Xuan had already entered the restaurant. As soon as Sister Cui saw Zhou Xuan, she immediately stood up and asked, "Brother Zhou, Hua Zi... no matter what... I can handle it."

She has prepared for the worst.

Zhou Xuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Sister Cui, wipe away your tears. Hua Zi is coming back."

"Is it really done?" King Xishan was also very curious.

Zhou Xuan patted his chest and said in a serious tone, "The Palace Master of the Ancient Palace listens to me very much. If I tell him to release the people, he will release them."

"So obedient?"

"This is nothing," Zhou Xuan said confidently. "If I refine pills in the ancient hall in the future, he will probably treat me like a god."

With Danzi and Bailu Fangshi leading the way, and Zhou Xuan also possessing the Starry Sky Scroll and the Azure and Red Fish, the pills he refines are so powerful that even the Palace Master would never have seen them before.

"Sister Cui, don't worry, Hua Zi will be back soon."

After delivering the good news, Zhou Xuan returned to the shop—he was going to find Danzi to ask for some of the "human pill" recipes.

……

Deep within the Zoroastrian church's human court, there were only a dozen or so tiny lamps.

"Until the Zoroastrian fire arrives, the world remains in perpetual night."

Darkness and bloodshed are the main themes of Zoroastrianism.

A woman, hidden in the shadows and covered in incantations, was chanting Zoroastrian scriptures.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man, who looked like a scholar who had just been executed, walked step by step, then knelt on the lowest step and reported to the woman on the thousandth step above: "Your Majesty, Ning Bukong, the alchemist of the Fire Pit in Mingjiang Prefecture, has died today."

"Who killed Ning Bukong?" the Zoroastrian asked coldly.

"Zhou Xuan of Mingjiang Prefecture, the alchemical fire in that ancient hall has brought news of Ning Bukong's death."

"It's him again?"

This wasn't the first time the woman had heard of Zhou Xuan's name.

"The Zoroastrian alchemist is the most precious humanoid treasure in the sect. Please, Zoroastrian lady, decide how to deal with Zhou Xuan?" the dwarf asked.

The beautiful face of the Zoroastrian woman flickered in the firelight as she said, "Times have changed. Zhou Xuan has gained Bai Yujing's favor, making it even more difficult to deal with him."

"Yin Nu, send a secret letter to Tian Qiong, reporting Zhou Xuan's killing of Ning Bukong. This will allow us to gauge Tian Qiong's attitude towards our Zoroastrian sect."

After giving her instructions, the Zoroastrian woman recited the "Zoroastrian Fire Scripture" again.

……

Mingjiang Prefecture, West Gate.

This city gate was the widest, and even though it was already morning, people were streaming into the city.

Mr. Yan, however, carried a lantern and swaggered into the city gate.

Lighting lamps and candles in broad daylight was clearly an extremely strange thing, yet despite this strangeness, not a single passerby in the bustling city gates glanced at Mr. Yan.

—They can't see Mr. Yan.

Not only could they not see him, but the ancient tree and golden bell that oversee Mingjiang Prefecture also did not find any trace of Mr. Yan.

Mr. Yan and the other peddlers and merchants entering the city entered the same Mingjiang Prefecture, but they did not use the same passage.

"Zhou Xuan is truly capable, managing to restore the once dilapidated Mingjiang Prefecture to its former glory."

"However, on the other hand, if he weren't a capable person, how would he dare to embezzle the human pill?"

Mr. Yan carried a lantern to light his way, entered the prefectural city, and perfectly avoided the ancient trees and golden bells...

……

In the South Cliff Cave of the Time Realm,
The Dream God sat motionless on the ground, waving his hands continuously, and scenes of ever-changing winds and clouds appeared in the cave.

However, these scenes, whether they depict ancestral sacrifices or simply natural landscapes, always contain a large amount of shamanistic writing.

Each shamanic character is like a sinner's mark stamped on the forehead of the dream god.

With these words in place, the gods of dreams cannot escape.

"Duh, duh, duh."

A series of powerful footsteps sounded, and the Dream God knew who it was without even looking or sensing.

"Witch God, I lost, and I'm quite unwilling to accept it."

The Dream God said to himself, "If I had been more resolute last night and hadn't been afraid of those so-called Five Forms of the Buddhist Kingdom revealing what I've done over the years, perhaps I wouldn't have lost."

"Liu Huasheng, the moment you brought the Buddhist people to the Well Kingdom, your defeat was already destined."

The words of the shaman were powerful and resounding.

Liu Huasheng was the name of the Dream God before he became a god.

"Witch God, there's something I've thought about for many years, but I still can't figure it out. Back then, it was we, the gods, who stopped the celestial demons; it was we, the gods, who quelled one calamity after another in the human world."

The fame of "Supreme Will" and "Blood God's Will" was earned by us gods, but in the end, what have we gained?
They don't even have the most basic freedom.

The Dream God turned his head and looked at the Witch God—at this time, the Dream God's body was covered with purple marks, and his clothes were tattered.

Zhou Xuan's "Seventeen Forms" slash severed his most powerful clone and also reduced his strength by more than half, making him appear old and frail.

What kind of freedom do you want?

The Witch God said, "The freedom you want was given to you by the Supreme Will before, and by the Blood God's Will before—what have you done about it?"
You have treated the people of this world as your playthings; you have given them four hands; you have combined men and women into one, with two people sharing one body.
You caused those people to grow deformed tumors, and within those tumors lay the corpses of their deceased loved ones.
The Bones Society still has specimens of these strange people.

"Isn't this romantic?" asked the God of Dreams. "Men and women are born to be together, to drink and eat together, to be inseparable from those they love and cherish, for all eternity."

"Aren't those mortals constantly yearning for their deceased loved ones? Wouldn't it be better if I let their deceased loved ones reside within their bodies?"

The Witch God sneered, "If it's that good, then why don't you grow together with Die Wenyan's body?"
Why doesn't a single tumor grow on your body, inside which lies the corpse of Butterfly Smelling Smoke?

"Isn't Die Wenyan your most cherished lover and the family member you miss the most?"

"There's a saying by a sage: 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.' If you had heeded that advice, how could you have been so bizarre and eccentric, to the point that the 'Will of the Blood God' and the 'Supreme Will' had taken back your freedom?"

The Witch God, unwilling to dwell on the past with the Dream God, asked instead, "Liu Huasheng, how many Buddhists have you guided into the Well Kingdom over the years?"

(End of this chapter)