Chapter 168 - 127: Leg-Eating Monk

Chapter 168: Chapter 127: Leg-Eating Monk

The night faded away to the pitter-patter of rain. Dawn was hidden by dark clouds, and the small mountain village would not be greeting the sun anytime soon, making it feel all the more cold and gloomy.

The village’s big yellow dog barked twice, then hid under the eaves, shaking the rainwater from its fur.

Lu Changyuan’s eyes snapped open.

"Someone’s here."

The slender leg resting on Lu Changyuan slowly lifted. Qiu Yuehan had also opened her eyes.

’It was rare for her junior sister to be away, and she was busy absorbing his warmth. Which blind fool had to come and disturb this precious peace?’

After dressing, the Fairy radiated killing intent.

BANG! BANG!

There was an urgent knocking at the door.

"Open up, Physician Lu! Hurry, open the door!"

Lu Changyuan nodded at Qiu Yuehan, gesturing for the Fairy to open the door.

CREAK.

When the door opened, what stood outside was, to their surprise, a little girl holding a small umbrella.

It was Bai Wei. She was much fairer and no longer as thin and frail as the Bitter Girl in Lu Changyuan’s memory.

’But why is Bai Wei here? Xue Yanluo clearly said she had been drenched by the rain on the first night and vanished.’

Qiu Yuehan was stunned.

Bai Wei took a few quick steps into the house and said urgently, "This is bad, Physician Lu! Young Master Brother just fought the Painting Demon and is seriously injured! He sent me to find you!"

Lu Changyuan’s expression remained unchanged. "How did you escape the heavy rain?"

"I didn’t escape on my own! It was Young Master Brother! He forced his way into the rain to save me, but now he’s badly hurt! Physician Lu, please, you have to go save Young Master Brother!"

’Xue Yanluo went into the rain?’

"Physician Lu, please, save Young Master Brother!"

Bai Wei moved to grab Lu Changyuan’s hand and pull him outside to save Xue Yanluo, but before her hand could touch him, a sword blade blocked her path.

Lu Changyuan, however, remained perfectly composed. "So you’re saying that Xue Yanluo, who has been cautious for months, suddenly decided to act recklessly the moment we arrived? That he would force his way into the rain, dragging his already severely injured body, just to save you? And he wouldn’t tell us before going into the rain, but chose to send you after the fact?"

Bai Wei froze.

A flash of sword light, a sharp SLASH—Bai Wei’s hand was severed. But no blood flowed from the wound; the cut was smooth and white.

It turned out to be a paper puppet.

Struck by the sword, the paper Bai Wei seemed to deflate, collapsing limply to the ground.

Lu Changyuan said, "It seems this Painting Demon is much more powerful than the Ink Race you remember. Perhaps it learned some new tricks after being sealed for so many years."

Back then, many Ink-Wash People had appeared in Ancestor Red Simurgh’s scroll. Lu Changyuan had guessed that Ancestor Red Simurgh couldn’t create realistic people due to a lack of power.

But this time, they were facing a genuine Painting Demon, not some Ancestor Red Simurgh. Besides, the Ink-Wash bear from yesterday was already incredibly lifelike, so it wasn’t surprising that it could paint a fake person today.

Qiu Yuehan stared at the puppet. "What is it trying to do?"

"Probably trying to lure me into the rain. Once I get wet, I might be pulled into a painting, just like at Miao Yu Palace... Someone else is coming?" Lu Changyuan frowned, standing up to look into the distance.

A curse suddenly rang out from within the curtain of drizzling rain.

"Amitabha, what in the hell is this damn rain."

’Judging by the voice, is that a monk?’

Accompanied by splashing footsteps, a monk appeared at the village entrance, his path a mix of mud and rainwater.

The monk wore a tattered red patchwork robe. His body was as withered as a gnarled old pine, his shoulders hunched as if carrying a thousand-pound burden. Yet, the joints of his limbs were abnormally large, and they creaked like rubbing bamboo as he walked.

Not only that, but he was holding a Skeleton Human Skin Umbrella, which was why the rain hadn’t touched him.

Because Lu Changyuan’s house was right at the village entrance, it was the first one the monk saw. Just as Lu Changyuan and Qiu Yuehan saw him, the monk naturally saw them too.

"Esteemed benefactors, this humble monk offers his greetings."

The monk bared his white teeth in a ghastly smile.

’A monk in the Fifth Realm?’

Lu Changyuan spoke calmly, "May I ask which Buddhist Sect Master is from, and what brings you here?"

The monk bowed with extreme politeness. "This humble monk is the Leg-Eating Monk, of the Eating Buddha Sect."

After speaking, the Leg-Eating Monk walked toward the pair. Lu Changyuan and Qiu Yuehan exchanged a look, recalling their first meeting.

It had been in a downpour, at the Compassionate Temple not far from this very village, that they had met another monk from the Eating Buddha Sect.

And now, it was happening all over again.

Qiu Yuehan whispered in a voice only Lu Changyuan could hear, "Why not just kill him? No one from the Eating Buddha Sect is any good."

Lu Changyuan shook his head at the Fairy, then said in a clear voice, "Master, is there anything I can help you with?"

The Leg-Eating Monk was taken aback.

’So eager?’

’This was the first time he’d ever met a Cultivator who heard the name of the Eating Buddha Sect and actively offered to help.’

’Usually, when people heard of the Eating Buddha Sect, they’d either turn and flee in terror or attack on sight. But this one was actually offering to help. Did he not know of the Eating Buddha Sect’s reputation?’

The Leg-Eating Monk said loudly, "It is wonderful that you are so kind-hearted, Benefactor. This humble monk has come here in search of someone."

"Who are you looking for, Master?"

"A very handsome man who likes to dress as a woman. His name is Xue Yanluo. I wonder if you have seen him, Benefactor?"

’He’s looking for Xue Yanluo?’

Lu Changyuan pointed into the distance. "Follow the path all the way to the end. He’s in the only house with a light on."

"In that case, I won’t disturb you any further, Benefactor. This humble monk will be on his way."

Soon, the Leg-Eating Monk walked out into the rain, heading toward Bai Wei’s house.

Qiu Yuehan asked, confused, "Why didn’t you let me just kill him?"

Lu Changyuan shook his head, his gaze fixed on the path the Leg-Eating Monk had come from. "Can you tell if he’s a real person or a fake one?"

’She really couldn’t tell.’

The people drawn by the Painting Demon were incredibly lifelike. The Bai Wei from just now was a perfect example. If her words hadn’t revealed a flaw, she would have been difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

Qiu Yuehan was more direct. "Real or fake, can’t we just kill it and be done?"

"Let’s see what this Painting Demon is up to. We have to give it a chance to make its move."

’I’d better hold back a little,’ Lu Changyuan thought. ’It would be bad if we scared the Painting Demon away.’

~~~~~~~~~~~

Xue Yanluo coughed again.

His health had been getting worse and worse lately. He was even starting to fear the wind and water, and his memories were becoming hazy.

Xue Yanluo clearly remembered taking Bai Wei and leaving the village when this strange rain started. He, Xue Yanluo, was a heaven-defying genius and the former Young Master; how could he possibly fail to notice something was wrong with the rain?

But that seemed to be a powerless fantasy. He also remembered personally witnessing Bai Wei vanish into the inky rain.

"They say people get confused before they die. Perhaps my days are numbered as well."

Xue Yanluo gave a deflated laugh. Maybe it was because he wanted to save her so badly that he had constructed a false, escapist memory for himself.

’Perhaps this is the punishment for severing my Blood Dao to cultivate Yin and Yang.’

’How on earth can I save Bai Wei?’

Xue Yanluo did indeed consider forcing his way into the rain, but it was too risky to do it alone. ’That man, Lu Changyuan, seems incredibly strong,’ he thought. ’What if I go talk to him? I could ask him to observe my condition after I enter the rain.’

’It would be beneficial for his own escape, too, right?’

With this in mind, Xue Yanluo resolved to find Lu Changyuan at dawn.

"Xue Yanluo?" A voice suddenly called out.

Xue Yanluo looked up and saw a monk standing in the doorway.

"The Eating Buddha Sect?"

The Leg-Eating Monk smiled and nodded. "Amitabha. Those two benefactors didn’t lie to me after all. You really do live here."

Xue Yanluo frowned. The Blood Demon Palace was not on good terms with the Eating Buddha Sect... No one was on good terms with the Eating Buddha Sect.

"What do you want with me?"

"The Evil Buddha has given an order. He hopes that Young Master Xue Yanluo will accompany me on a trip."

Xue Yanluo sneered. "Don’t you know I’m no longer the Young Master of the Blood Demon Palace?"

The Leg-Eating Monk swayed as he walked forward. "That’s where you’re wrong. Young Master Xue has always been the Blood Demon Lord’s most favored heir. There is no doubt about that. Which is why the Evil Buddha would like to invite you to be a guest of our sect."

"Why bother with such high-sounding words? Does the Evil Buddha also want to meddle in the matter of the Dragon Transformation Bone?"

The Leg-Eating Monk put his palms together in a gesture of praise. "Precisely."

Xue Yanluo’s face was filled with contempt. "It seems you still don’t understand what kind of place you’ve walked into."

"What kind of place?"

Before Xue Yanluo could speak again, the world suddenly began to shake.

From within the heavy rain, Ink-Wash Demons emerged, covering the mountains and fields.