BXBX NOVEL Chapter 89 - 89: Are You As Clever as Our Ancestor?
Three days later.
“A Demon Emperor City?” Lu Xuan pondered as he emerged from the crystal skull.
Nangong Xuan had contacted him, revealing the assassination plan discussed in the Immortal Tomb space.
Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu had initially planned to visit Tianchong Temple for a vegetarian feast. Although Tianchong Temple was a second-tier powerful sect and not particularly outstanding among Buddhist sects, its vegetarian cuisine was renowned.
The founder of Tianchong Temple, Tianchong Buddha, wasn’t an ascended being but a Mahayana Buddhist cultivator. He had a unique enlightenment journey; he used to be a kitchen worker who found enlightenment in the daily routine of watching the fire in the stove, and he eventually achieved a golden body. In plain terms, he was a cook who had an epiphany while staring at the bottom of a pot—a true genius.
Therefore, Tianchong Buddha was an excellent cook. After becoming a Buddhist cultivator, he continued to pursue culinary arts, focusing on vegetarian dishes.
Tianchong Temple not only inherited his Buddhist teachings but also his culinary legacy. On the annual birthday of Tianchong Buddha, temples within the temple’s territory prepared vegetarian banquets. Locals and visiting cultivators could enjoy these feasts for free.
The most premium feast was, of course, at Tianchong Temple itself. For commoners, it brought peace of mind, joy, and health. For cultivators, it helped clear the mind and enhance spiritual awareness. It was said that once a high-ranking elder from the Spirit Charm Sect, disguised, dined there and, moved to tears, confessed her sins and chose to become a nun, spending three thousand years in penance. The food was so good it could break the resolve of a demoness.
Tianchong Buddha’s birthday fell on the third day of June each year, and it was currently May. The plan was to set off leisurely, experiencing the mortal world along the way, and arrive at Tianchong Temple by the end of May. There, they would join the monks for a free vegetarian feast.
However, this plan was disrupted by the Immortal Tomb organization. To cooperate with their scheme, Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu had to visit the Demon Emperor City first.
Lu Xuan hoped these people would act quickly and not delay his opportunity to enjoy the feast.
Five days later.
In the Abyssal City, a gathering place for the demon race, a blind old man in a grey robe set up a fortune-telling stall at a corner near the city gate. Instead of standing his fortune-telling banner beside him, it was spread directly on the ground, bearing the words:
“The Road Guides a Mortal to Immortality”.
Passersby near the city gate hurried along, with few paying attention to him. Those who came to have their fortunes told wondered whether the words on the banner should be read normally or in reverse.
Just then, a young nobleman in brocade approached and kicked the banner on the ground, saying, “Old man, you’ve got your banner upside down.” The fortune-teller raised his head, his eyes cloudy: “How so?”
“You’re truly blind,” the young nobleman said arrogantly. “The words should clearly be read as ‘The Immortal Guides the Way.’ You’ve put it as ‘The Road Guides a Mortal to Immortality,’ quite a bold claim.”
“If the young master dares, let this old man read your fortune. How about it?” the old man said coldly.
“That’s fine with me,” the nobleman nodded and extended his hand. “Where’s the fee?”
The fortune-teller pulled out a small wooden token and handed it to the nobleman.
The nobleman caught the token, tossed it in the air, then snapped it into pieces and dropped them on the ground. Seeing this, the old man nodded slightly and transmitted his voice, “Shebi Shi.”
The nobleman didn’t use voice transmission but spoke directly in a lowered voice: “Gong Gong.”
They bowed to each other: “Greetings, fellow Daoist.”
After completing the formalities and confirming each other’s identities through a code, the old man transmitted, “I didn’t expect Gong Gong to be so young.”
“Meeting a senior, I dare not be presumptuous,” Nangong Xuan replied.
“You’re new here, so I must lead this operation. Do you have any objections?” Shebi Shi looked at the young nobleman before him.
“Your orders are my command,” Nangong Xuan complied readily.
“Rest assured, I’m here only for the thousand years of longevity. I won’t trouble a junior like you,” Shebishi said, eyes narrowed. “If you obey my commands and help me complete the task, not only will I not trouble you, but I’ll also gift you a rare medicinal herb, the kind not even top immortal sects may possess.”
“…I thank the senior in advance,” Nangong Xuan replied, growing suspicious. As a disciple from a top eastern immortal sect and a renowned figure, she was well aware of the resources available to major sects. She speculated that the “rare herb” Shebi Shi mentioned might be cultivated through malevolent methods, like the Burial Soul Grass nurtured by sacrificing a million souls.
“Have you seen Lu Xuan and Cheng Lingzhu around here in the past few days?” Nangong Xuan inquired.
“If I had, they would already be dead,” Shebi Shi replied.
“Is your disguise as a fortune-teller part of your skills in divination?”
“Divination is just an auxiliary tool for my cultivation,” Shebi Shi replied, eyes lifting. “Don’t test me, young one. You’ll know who I am once I make my move.” “I look forward to it,” Nangong Xuan said.
“Let me be clear,” Shebi Shi’s tone turned cold. “I don’t like entangling with others. If you assist me, I’ll reward you generously and promptly. But if you hinder me and jeopardize the mission, not only will you lose any rewards, but even your life will be in my hands.”
Shebi Shi, whose longevity was nearing its end, was determined to secure the reward of this mission at all costs.
“Don’t worry, senior, I understand,” Nangong Xuan replied respectfully, though inwardly she didn’t take Shebi Shi’s threats seriously.
After all, she was under the protection of the Heavenly Lord, who had already declared that the assassination of Lu Xuan would fail. Although she didn’t know what trump card Lu Xuan possessed, she unconditionally trusted the Heavenly Lord.
Are you really smarter than your ancestor?!
Nangong Xuan looked at Shebi Shi’s confident and determined demeanor with sympathy, already foreseeing the tragic outcome that awaited this old man, who appeared to be a great demon cultivator..