Chapter 53 - Changed Plot, Old Master Ren, Do You Still Dare to Come Out?
"Crack!"
Before Awei could even get close, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down beside his foot, making him shudder in fright.
Embarrassed by the scare, Awei became somewhat angry out of shame. He had come here to teach a lesson to the pretty boy hanging around his cousin, but he had nearly been struck by lightning instead.
How could there be lightning on a clear sunny day?
Unable to understand it, and just as he was about to continue harassing Renji, several more bolts of lightning danced around him from above. Awei had never seen anything like this before. How could he dare to continue provoking Renji? He immediately screamed and ran dozens of meters away.
At this rate, he'd get struck by lightning before he even managed to pick a fight with Renji.
"This guy is really weird."
Awei touched his chin and glanced at Renji, secretly wondering if this guy actually knew magic or something.
"Fellow Daoist, you just..."
Uncle Jiu hesitated. He could tell from earlier that Renji had summoned the heavenly thunder.
So you actually know how to summon thunder?
Thinking back to when he'd warned Renji that a duel could injure someone, he felt rather embarrassed.
If they really had fought back then, wouldn't he have been the one to get hurt?
"It was just to save some trouble."
People like Awei—if you're too soft, they just push harder.
Though cultivators are supposed to avoid killing to preserve their merit and avoid karma, Renji wasn't like Uncle Jiu. A small punishment was nothing to fuss over.
If the lightning earlier hadn't scared Awei off, then he would've had to serve him a full electric combo meal.
"Alright then."
Uncle Jiu understood youthful pride, and besides, Renji hadn't done anything evil. In fact, he wasn't fond of Awei either. That arrogant attitude earlier had made even him want to smack the guy.
Of course, he only thought about it and wouldn't actually do it.
"Master Renji, you're amazing!"
Wencai's eyes lit up with admiration.
He knew that kind of lightning couldn't be due to luck. Coupled with what his master had just said, even if he wasn't the brightest, he could still tell Renji had summoned it.
To summon lightning at will—Qiusheng, who stood nearby, was also impressed.
He hadn't known Renji as long as Wencai, so he mostly relied on Wencai's stories to understand him. Back then, when Wencai praised Renji, Qiusheng hadn't fully believed it.
Younger than himself—how could he be that powerful?
But now... he actually did seem stronger.
If that lightning had hit him, he might've met his great-grandmother already.
"No way, how can a person control lightning?"
Ren Tingting pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced, and instead tried to steer the conversation back to foreign topics.
Although she had seen a bit of the world, she had never been to the West, so she remained curious about what Renji had mentioned earlier.
Old Master Ren, watching from the side, merely shook his head and left them alone, choosing instead to pull Uncle Jiu aside to discuss the coffin relocation plans.
"Do all Taoists speak like that?"
Ren Tingting glanced at Uncle Jiu as he explained things to her father with passion.
Terms like ritual burial, dragonfly touching water, concrete sealing—she didn't understand any of it. Listening to Uncle Jiu's explanations just left her more confused.
"Just some technical jargon. There's still a lot to learn."
"But even those who've studied for a long time still don't seem to get it. What if you die before you finish learning?"
At first, Ren Tingting had been repelled by these superstitions, but after thinking it over, it seemed like a form of tradition. And clearly, some things required professionals.
Not every Taoist was superstitious. Renji, for example, knew many odd and interesting stories.
She picked up a flower from the ground and held it up to the sunlight.
"I want to learn many, many things. But sometimes I feel like I can't. Sometimes I don't even know what I want, or what life is for."
'A literary type?'
Renji found her words a little puzzling.
Ren Tingting's mother had died early, and her father, being busy with business, rarely paid attention to her. Because of the family's business, Ren Tingting had to learn many things—some she liked, some she didn't.
Studying was the only time she felt she had meaning in life.
Like with makeup—after learning it, she would teach others. That gave her a sense of accomplishment and was why she kept learning.
It was also why she didn't completely reject Taoist things.
That encounter the other day had only escalated because of Wencai's rudeness, and she just wanted to give him a minor punishment.
"A finite life can't learn everything in the world. Tangible things will eventually be destroyed, but the intangible lasts forever. Maybe life doesn't have much meaning, but as long as you're alive, you can find interesting things. Just like how you found the flower, and I found you."
Renji glanced at Ren Tingting and continued, "You're a great talent. You shouldn't be buried in a small town."
So he wanted her to become a Taoist?
Ren Tingting had just thought Renji was about to confess something.
"Sorry, I'm my father's only daughter. It's unlikely I'll ever become a Taoist."
She declined Renji's offer politely. She was the only one in her family and honestly wasn't that interested in Taoism.
There was no way she'd give up everything just because of a few words and follow Renji into the mountains.
"I understand."
Renji nodded and didn't press further. If she didn't want to cultivate, he could always find someone else.
He had chosen her partly because of her talent, but also because he'd seen the movie and already knew her personality—someone who wouldn't betray her teacher or ancestors.
For a cultivator, the biggest fear was taking in a disciple with a wicked heart. Since he had some understanding of her from the film, Renji preferred choosing someone familiar.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Was he really that different from Orochimaru?
Why was Orochimaru able to lure Kimimaro with the same words, and he couldn't?
"Fellow Daoist, it looks like things are getting out of hand!"
Over by Uncle Jiu, the coffin had already been opened, and Old Master Ren inside was just one step away from becoming a jiangshi. After absorbing the surrounding life force today, it wouldn't take long.
Uncle Jiu had suggested burning the body earlier, but Old Master Ren had refused. Now the situation was past the point of return.
"A jiangshi, huh... I feel like maybe letting him come out would be better."
"...?"
Uncle Jiu stared at Renji in disbelief.
What?! You know it's a jiangshi and still want to let it out?
"Even if we bury him again, he's still a jiangshi. There's still a chance he'll emerge later. So I think it's better to just destroy him directly!"
He really didn't get it. If you already know it's going to become a jiangshi, why bury it?
Sure, with good feng shui and talismans around the coffin, the jiangshi's energy could eventually be dissolved and turn the body back into a normal corpse.
"That risk is too great, and Master Ren won't allow me to burn the body."
Although Uncle Jiu really wanted to burn it, Master Ren was his client.
Not to mention Master Ren's influence in Renjia Town—if he were to rashly burn the old man's corpse without consent, chances were no one in Renjia Town would ever ask him for help again.
"What I mean is we should just let Old Master Ren come out. The two of us can follow behind. The first thing he'll do is go to the Ren residence. Once Master Ren sees his own father turn into a jiangshi, he'll definitely ask us to eliminate him.
Besides, Fellow Daoist, haven't you thought about the possibility that the feng shui master from twenty years ago told Master Ren to exhume the coffin just to wipe out his entire family? What if you bury it and he digs it up again? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous?"
Renji's words instantly reminded Uncle Jiu.
That's right!
If the intent was just to bring misfortune to the Ren family, there was no need to tell them to dig up the coffin twenty years later.
Old Master Ren had died with resentment. That feng shui master couldn't have been unaware, and yet he still ensured the old man would lie unrested in the ground for twenty years.
In these twenty years, Old Master Ren's resentment would only grow stronger. With the yin-heavy location behind the mountain, it was clearly a plan to breed a jiangshi.
First let the Ren family suffer for twenty years, then wipe them out entirely after two decades.
Such a scheme…
Uncle Jiu broke into a cold sweat.
"You're right, Fellow Daoist. I truly overlooked that. If the feng shui master still seeks revenge, then it might actually be better to eliminate the jiangshi directly!"
Indeed, burying Old Master Ren would only leave a hidden danger. It was better to follow Renji's plan and cut it off for good!
"But we must make sure the jiangshi doesn't hurt anyone. Otherwise, the responsibility will fall on us!"
If the jiangshi sucked blood or hurt innocent people—and they had planned for it to happen—the blame would absolutely land on them.
"Don't worry, Daoist brother. I'll follow the jiangshi closely and watch him all the way to Master Ren's house. But if we could get Master Ren to come to the mortuary instead, that would be even better."
Compared to the Ren residence, Renji preferred to have Master Ren directly visit the mortuary, watch with his own eyes as his father emerged, and at that point, he probably wouldn't object anymore.
"That's unlikely. Why would Master Ren visit the mortuary in the middle of the night?"
"To eat, of course. Tonight Old Master Ren will become a jiangshi. Having Master Ren at the mortuary would only speed up the process. Just use meat dishes to lure him—Master Ren has never tried this. Why not invite him over?"
That would eliminate all uncertainty. With his relatives nearby, Old Master Ren would definitely show up. At this stage, he had no intellect—he only acted on instinct.
"Forget it, I'll talk to him myself. Otherwise, Master Ren might think we're practicing dark arts!"
Renji figured it was best to be direct with Master Ren.
There was nothing to hide—they weren't the ones who turned Old Master Ren into a jiangshi, after all.
"Daoist friend… Wait for me!"
Uncle Jiu quickly caught up with Renji.
Once they caught up to Master Ren, Renji glanced at the surrounding pallbearers and said, "Master Ren, may I have a word?"
"Alright."
Master Ren thought for a moment and agreed. He still had a decent impression of the young man in front of him.
After dismissing the others, Master Ren looked at Renji and said, "Daoist Renji, you may speak freely."
"Very well, I'll get straight to the point. Master Ren, you just saw Old Master Ren's corpse, didn't you?"
"Yes, what about it?"
A strange look flashed in Master Ren's eyes. Then he glanced at Uncle Jiu. Was this going to be another attempt to convince him to burn his father's body?
He definitely wouldn't agree to that.
"Master Ren, tonight Old Master Ren will become a jiangshi. I know that sounds absurd to you right now, but please come with us to the mortuary tonight and observe for yourself. Just one night. If nothing happens, I'll personally apologize and compensate you for any trouble. How about that?"
As soon as Renji finished speaking, a trace of anger appeared on Master Ren's face. Who would be happy to hear someone cursing their father as turning into a jiangshi?
He wanted to curse back, but held it in.
"Daoist Renji, I respect you, but isn't this a bit too much? That's basically a curse."
"Master Ren, whether it's a curse or not—you know the truth in your heart. The matter with the feng shui master isn't over. Tonight, we invite you to dine at the mortuary. Just one night. We'll eat while we keep watch. What do you say?
Also, I must remind you—if the jiangshi awakens, the first thing it does is seek out its family to suck their blood."
Renji's words hit their mark.
No way Master Ren wasn't worried now!
"Fine. But if nothing happens, Daoist Renji, you must give me a formal apology!"
Truth be told, Master Ren was beginning to believe. These past twenty years had been full of bad luck.
After Uncle Jiu's explanation earlier, he was already half-convinced. The fact that his father's body hadn't decayed after twenty years was also frightening.
And it was just one night—he'd be eating and watching.
If nothing happened, he could relax, and Renji would owe him an apology.
If something did happen—Uncle Jiu and Renji would be there.
And that thing about jiangshi seeking out family for blood—there was such a belief among the people.
"Really?"
Ren Tingting thought about seeing her grandfather's face—if he turned into a jiangshi…
"Tingting, come with me. We'll be relying on Uncle Jiu tonight."
"No problem!"
Hearing Master Ren agree, Uncle Jiu clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
Having Master Ren present would definitely minimize the danger.
"Uncle, I'll bring the security team with us to protect you. I don't buy into any of this. I bet some people are just using spooky nonsense to take advantage of my cousin!"
This kid Awei—sharp as ever.
He thought Renji was being sly again, but clever Captain Awei wouldn't let him succeed!
(End of Chapter)
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