The years when I explored the fairyland.

Chapter 117: 114: Get rid of obsession and kill the inner demon
Smell the fragrance,
Zhenwu Hall.

When Chu Zhou arrived with the chief steward Hao Songqing, Zhou Wu was already there.

He stood in front of the statue of Zhenwu Emperor, with his hands behind his back and his head slightly raised. The last ray of light from the setting sun shone through the gate and onto his back, giving him a layer of golden glow, making him look even more sacred and solemn.

However, when Chu Zhou looked at the figure from outside the door, he seemed to see some sadness, loneliness, and determination in the figure's back.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, the chief steward Hao Songqing immediately bowed and saluted: "Master, Taoist Master Chu is here!"

"Okay, you go down first."

"Leader!"

Hao Songqing left, Zhou Wu turned around slowly, Chu Zhou paused, and in just a blink of an eye, it seemed that what he had just seen was all an illusion.

Zhou Wu looked at Chu Zhou and asked, "My friend, are you feeling better now?"

"The temple master gave me enough medicinal materials, so I'm well now."

Zhou Wu asked again: "Do you know about the matter of Tiger Demon Pavilion?"

Chu Zhou nodded: "It's such a big thing, I think it's hard not to know about it."

"Then, little friend, don't you have anything to ask?"

Chu Zhou asked back: "Master, what do you think I should ask?"

"For example, who hired Tingfenglou?"

"Well, Master, can you tell me who is so generous?"

"It was me and old man Yunlie. We negotiated the price with Tingfeng Tower and each of us paid half."

Such "shocking" news was said so lightly by Zhou Wu that Chu Zhou was not mentally prepared and his face changed again and again.

Zhou Wu slowly turned around and faced the statue of Zhenwu again. His voice was much deeper, yet extremely clear.

"Outsiders don't know that Kou Wulie and I have a close relationship. He needs my Wenxiang Temple to help share the pressure of the Yunya Sword Sect, and I also need the support of the Tiger Demon Pavilion, both overtly and covertly."

“He and I are connected because of the interests of our sect, but as we’ve been together for a long time, we’ve developed some genuine feelings for each other.

Especially, he had shown me the way forward in martial arts and taught me a lot, so he was like a teacher to me."

Chu Zhou's eyes narrowed, and his voice became more serious: "If that's the case, why do you do this?"

"Why? Why? Because he's blocking my way."

Zhou Wu turned his back to Chu Zhou, not allowing anyone to see his face, but his voice seemed to be getting more distant: "My friend, I remember talking to you about my past?"

Chu Zhou's eyes flickered and he nodded: "Yes, I know a little!"

"Then you should know that my life was not easy when I was a child. My family was too poor to support so many brothers and sisters. I worried about having enough food every day.

It was not until later that I entered the Wenxiang Temple, where my master and several uncles taught me how to practice Taoism, study literature, practice martial arts, and make incense.

At that time, Wenxiang Temple was just a small Taoist temple. Although it had the skill of making incense, it was often bullied by nearby gangs and had to pay tribute to the Yunya Sword Sect.

So, even though I had a skill, my master and uncles still lived a hard life, and I was also hungry and full. But that was the fastest time in my memory, no doubt about it.

Even after I became a natural genius, with countless people being submissive in front of me, with me being able to decide the life and death of countless people with just a wave of my hand, and with countless female confidantes, I still couldn’t find the happiness I had at the beginning.”

"So, when Master and Uncle were killed by the Yunya Sword Sect, I told myself that I would wipe out the Yunya Sword Sect even if I spent all my time."

Chu Zhou raised his head slightly and asked, "So, you want to tell me that all you did was for revenge?"

"No, or more than that!"

Zhou Wu finally turned around again and faced Chu Zhou. Their eyes met, and his expressions were unexpectedly frank.

He spoke again: “Actually, I can’t tell the difference myself.

It was the desire for power, it was wealth, it was necessary for the development of the sect, or maybe there were too many people following me and they wouldn't allow me to retreat, or maybe it was just for revenge...

In short, the Yunya Sword Sect has become my obsession, my inner demon."

"Only by destroying it, annihilating it, and making it completely a thing of the past, can I truly let it go."

Zhou Wu's words were sonorous and powerful, like the clash of swords.

After another pause, he said, "Master once taught me the true meaning of Taoism, which is to do nothing and follow one's heart. This 'doing nothing' may not be my destiny, but as for 'following one's heart', I think I have achieved it."

A box, about the width of a palm and two palms long, made of gold-painted wood, appeared in Zhou Wu's hand and was handed to Chu Zhou.

Chu Zhou raised his hand to take it and asked, "What is this?"

"The most valuable treasure in my Wenxiang Temple is the calming and soothing incense.

At the beginning, the reason why the Yunya Sword Sect wanted to destroy my Wenxiang Temple was because my master and his uncle developed the formula of this "Spirit Calming and Soul-Calming Incense", which brought about the disaster of killing me. "

"Here are three pillars to help you practice."

Zhou Wu paused, and then said: “However, you have innate combat power, but you are not an innate warrior after all, so it would be a bit of a waste to use it.

If necessary, you can use it as a price to ask for help. I think most innate warriors will not refuse as long as it does not involve life and death.

And this is one of the benefits I give you."

"What about the second one?"

“I will hand over Baisha County and the neighboring Xihe County to your Xuanzhen Temple. All matters concerning the martial arts world in these two counties will be decided by you.

Even I would not interfere.”

"Besides that, you still have the rights and benefits that a worshipper of Wenxiang Temple should have."

If Zhou Wu was just making big promises during the meeting in Baisha City, then now he was really negotiating conditions and offering benefits. Chu Zhou's breathing stagnated, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "What price do I need to pay?"

Zhou Wu took a step back, saluted, and said, "The Tiger Demon Pavilion is no longer as powerful as before, and the conflict between the Yunya Sword Sect and the Wenxiang Temple has completely ceased to be an obstacle.

I just hope that in this battle, you can do your best to help me get rid of my obsession and slay my inner demons!"

Chu Zhou held the gold-painted box in his hand and said, "I dare not disobey your orders!"

……

After a while, Chu Zhou left. He walked out of the hall, turned two corners, and let out a long sigh after making sure that Zhou Wu would never see his back again.

Looking at the gold-painted wooden box in his hand, he opened it slightly and saw three gray sandalwood sticks about the thickness of a baby's thumb.

It looked inconspicuous, but as soon as a crack was opened, a strange fragrance filled the air, making Chu Zhou's mind a little clearer.

The thing is a good thing, but looking at the purpose of Zhou Wu calling him here this time, he really used all the means of "threat, coercion, benefit and inducement".

Even at this moment, Chu Zhou was still alert in his heart, but he already knew that in the next battle, he really had to do his best.

After Chu Zhou left, Zhou Wu looked at the statue again in the Zhenwu Hall.

The light of day had completely faded, and the hall was plunged into darkness, just as Zhou Wu was also plunged into darkness.

After a while, a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum was heard: "After complaining for a while, I really feel much better."

"Song Qing, where is Song Qing?"

"Master, I'm here!" The chief steward Hao Songqing flashed out:

"Has the people over there been arranged?"

"Okay, just waiting for the master to see it."

"Then let's go tonight and meet them."

……

Although he was beaten, Chu Zhou was still in a good mood. At least, he was in a good mood before returning to Zhuyuan.

When he returned to Zhuyuan and saw the charred corpse on a stretcher, the smile on his face disappeared completely.

He saw the distraught Wei Jinkui, the sobbing Wei Fangjie who collapsed on the ground, and the grim-looking Yi Huai.

He walked slowly forward to Wei Jinkui's side, opened his mouth, and after a long while he only said one sentence: "Uncle, I'm so sad!"

Wei Jinkui looked up in confusion, his tense expression seemed like he was trying hard to suppress his emotions, but his tiger eyes were already filled with tears.

When he saw Chu Zhou, he opened his mouth to say something, but after opening and closing it many times, he finally uttered a hoarse voice: "Master, Master, my eldest son, my eldest son is gone!

How can I explain to his mother and my wife that an old man sent his young son away? "

Chu Zhou pressed his shoulder and asked, "Do you know how Lian Cheng died?"

"I heard from the people at the Tiger Demon Pavilion that Lian Cheng, Lian Cheng had a life-and-death battle with the black-clad assassin from the Tingfeng Tower. He killed three people with his spear and was wounded 28 times before dying from exhaustion."

Chu Zhou asked again: "Is he brave? Is he heroic?"

"Of course he is brave and heroic!"

"Then explain this to your wife, his mother!"

"Well, well, at least there is some consolation."

Chu Zhou's eyes turned slightly: "Fang Jie, Wei! Fang! Jie!"

"Ahhh, Big Brother, Big Brother, you're back, my brother, I..."

"Help your father go to the back to rest. I'm here."

"Okay, okay!"

Wei Fangjie supported his father and carried him to the back regardless of Wei Jinkui's wishes. After both of them left, Chu Zhou circled around Wei Liancheng's body again.

He saw bodies covered with knife and sword wounds, and corpses burned by flames, and there seemed to be lingering fear in those eyes.

After letting out a sigh of relief again, Chu Zhou called Yi Huai over and asked him about the details of the trip.

Then, through Yi Huai's explanation, he realized how tragic the battle at Husha Pavilion was.
As for the news, what Chu Zhou knew was almost the same as what Yi Huai said.

Only at the end, when Kou Wulie, the leader of the Tiger Demon Pavilion, was fighting to the death, a group of disciples were also inspired to fight.

It was really a life-and-death fight with the killers from Tingfeng Tower, using killing to stop killing, which caused Tingfeng Tower to suffer heavy losses, no less than that of Husha Pavilion.

As for the innate warriors, two people died in Husha Pavilion, not to mention Kou Wulie, but three people also died in Tingfeng Tower.

It's not that Wen Renjie didn't want to continue fighting. After all, if the Husha Pavilion was defeated, the benefits of plundering this huge sect would be absolutely staggering.

But when he saw that the situation was about to turn around, he had no choice but to retreat.

When Wei Jinkui and his men arrived today, many people had already gathered, but the Tiger Demon Pavilion did not dare to let them in.
Only after the surviving disciples had cleaned up the battlefield did they let people line up and enter one by one to claim the bodies.

That's why they came back so late.

After listening to the story, Chu Zhou was speechless for a long time, especially when he thought that the masterminds behind this matter were Wenxiang Temple and Yunya Sword Sect, he didn't know how to tell Wei Jinkui.

This night is destined to be sleepless!

　I don’t want to ask for it anymore, since the readers won’t give it to me anyway!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)