Chapter 13 - 12: Maternally Transmitted Evil God

Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Maternally Transmitted Evil God

Lu Jing’an originally just wanted to check on the Li Family’s movements to know both himself and his enemy. He hadn’t expected to uncover the matter of the Divine Oracle.

Although his own arrival was due to a Divine Oracle, Lu Jing’an didn’t think it was a good thing at all. This was obvious from the bloody and bizarre summoning ritual. Furthermore, the entity had spared him simply to plunge this place into greater bloodshed and chaos. Therefore, it couldn’t possibly be a righteous deity.

At the same time, Lu Jing’an reminded himself again that he must inspect any Memory Pearl before using it. If he had directly devoured it this time without checking, he likely would have been targeted by that unspeakable entity.

However, another question lingered in his mind. When did Nine-fingered Yama become a follower of the Evil God? This matter was absolutely far more important than the Li Family’s movements.

Enduring his psychological and physiological discomfort, Lu Jing’an finished watching Nine-fingered Yama’s life of sin and gore. Because he was searching with a clear purpose, he wasn’t completely overwhelmed by the backlash of those violent memories. Even so, when the final memory faded, his temples throbbed, and his blood felt as if it were boiling, threatening to burst from his veins.

"Prepare a bath. Make it cold," he called out to the door.

The white porcelain bathtub was filled with well water. The freshly drawn water exuded a chilling aura. Lu Jing’an submerged himself abruptly. The piercing cold instantly enveloped his body, barely suppressing the restless bloodlust and brutality within him.

Orchid walked softly behind him. Dabbing a bit of soothing peppermint ointment on her slender fingers, she gently massaged his temples. The pressure of her fingertips was just right. Her maidenly gentleness slightly eased his taut nerves, allowing Lu Jing’an to relax further.

Sitting in the tub, Lu Jing’an began to ponder with a solemn expression. "Although Nine-fingered Yama prayed multiple times, looking through his entire life, he never interacted with any Voider missionaries," he thought. "He never even had contact with Voiders at all. How on earth was he converted into a believer? Could it be transmitted maternally?"

As soon as the idea popped up, even he found it absurd. But on second thought, in a world where Demon Fiends and ghosts were real, why would it be impossible for an Evil Cult’s faith to be inherited from a mother?

Yet, just as the thought settled, he frowned again. Nine-fingered Yama’s memories of his parents were as blurry as if shrouded in fog. The only clear thing was that this bloodthirsty fiend had never laid a hand on his parents. The trail of clues went cold here; even if he wanted to deduce further, there was nowhere to start.

Being unable to deduce didn’t mean he had to give up on the matter. Lu Jing’an planned to hand this over to professionals to investigate. The Lu Family certainly didn’t fit that bill. At best, the Lu Family could be considered local Emperors. Once outside Yin Mountain County, many things were simply beyond their reach. He intended to hand the matter over to the Anping Bureau. That was the proper place to handle such things professionally.

However, the mere thought of Kui Shan gave Lu Jing’an a slight headache. Kui Shan despised wealthy young masters like him. It would take some effort to make the man believe his words. It would be much better if Chen Xuan could step in. After thinking for a while, Lu Jing’an actually came up with a good idea.

With the matter settled, Lu Jing’an stepped out of the cold water. Looking at Orchid, who was struggling to fight off sleep, he said, "Go to Steward Xu and collect five silver coins."

Orchid’s drooping eyelids shot up, her eyes gleaming brightly. "Thank you, Young Master!" Her voice was full of joy.

Lu Jing’an smiled. He had always been generous. Exchanging money for comfort and peace of mind was more than worth it. He dried off and lay down on his bed. The moonlight outside the window spilled through the carved wooden frames, casting mottled shadows on the floor. Closing his eyes, he fell into a deep sleep a moment later.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Lu Jing’an rose on time. On the stone slabs in the courtyard, he held a horse stance, throwing punches that generated a vigorous gust of wind. He planned to wait a few days before learning Nine-fingered Yama’s bizarre Body Skill. The mental impact of last night’s bloody memories on his Spirit was too severe. Even when he deliberately tried not to think about them, the images would involuntarily surface.

Morning Cultivation ended as the horizon turned pale grey. Lu Jing’an instructed a servant, "Go invite Master Chen over for breakfast."

He mainly wanted to ask about his subsequent Cultivation plan. But unexpectedly, as soon as Chen Xuan sat down, he didn’t mention Cultivation, but instead spoke first. "You took a cold bath for over half an hour last night?"

Lu Jing’an hadn’t planned to hide this matter, but he altered his story slightly. He claimed that the events from the Memory Pearl were just a nightmare he had. Sure enough, after hearing his detailed description, Chen Xuan’s expression instantly turned grim.

Chen Xuan grabbed Lu Jing’an’s wrist and carefully examined him. Lu Jing’an felt streams of heat circulating through his body several times. Only when he felt completely warmed up did the heat withdraw from his body. Glancing at Chen Xuan, Lu Jing’an could clearly see beads of sweat on the man’s forehead, proving this was no ordinary examination. This made Lu Jing’an feel a sudden pang of guilt, but some things truly couldn’t be explained.

"Do you have any other discomfort?" Chen Xuan asked seriously.

Lu Jing’an quickly shook his head. "I’ve been fine since last night." He paused for a moment before asking, "Master, is there some significance to this?"

Chen Xuan hesitated, then nodded. "This matter is highly likely connected to those Void Evil Gods."

Since Chen Xuan had brought it up, Lu Jing’an took the opportunity to ask about the Void Evil Gods. However, Chen Xuan didn’t know much about them either. He only knew that these Void Evil Gods were extremely bizarre and could descend with some power or control people to do things through certain rituals.

After a brief explanation, Chen Xuan told him, "After breakfast, come with me to the Anping Bureau. We’ll tell their people about this."

Lu Jing’an had planned to do so anyway, so he readily nodded in agreement.

After breakfast, Chen Xuan took Lu Jing’an to the Anping Bureau. Upon arriving, Lu Jing’an was taken aback. The Anping Bureau was far more dilapidated than he had imagined.

He had been to the Public Security Bureau before. That was a highly imposing area with two-story buildings, a front courtyard parked with four or five Voider cars, a rear drill ground, and dormitories for the officers. However, the Anping Bureau before him was truly destitute. It was a cluster of low-slung courtyard houses with walls covered in vines. If it weren’t for the smoke rising from the chimneys, Lu Jing’an would have thought it was an abandoned compound. The paint on the wooden sign reading "Anping Bureau" at the entrance had peeled off, revealing the wood grain beneath.

"Master, shouldn’t the Anping Bureau be wealthier than this?" Lu Jing’an asked. He had seen the home of that Lamp Cultivator, which could definitely be considered luxurious. If even a Lamp Cultivator lived like that, the sheer poverty of the Anping Bureau was truly something Lu Jing’an hadn’t expected.

Chen Xuan, on the other hand, was used to this. "The real Anping Bureau is very poor. Although the higher-ups don’t dare embezzle the Anping Bureau’s pay silver, the pay silver has been decreasing year by year. Furthermore, the Anping Bureau has rules against getting too close to local factions. Because of this, the true members of the Anping Bureau aren’t wealthy. That Lamp Cultivator you saw before was merely affiliated with the Anping Bureau. He couldn’t be considered a true Cultivator of the Anping Bureau at all."

Lu Jing’an could hear the admiration in Chen Xuan’s voice for the people in the Anping Bureau. In truth, after hearing this, Lu Jing’an also felt deep respect for these genuine Anping Bureau Cultivators. Their skills were undoubtedly greater than that Lamp Cultivator’s. If they wanted to, they could live ten times better than him. Yet, they still willingly held their ground in the Anping Bureau, risking their lives to fight Demons and evil entities that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. Such people were worthy of admiration in any era.

Lu Jing’an and Chen Xuan entered the courtyard and found the atmosphere of daily life to be even stronger. It was apparent that these people even had to cook their own meals.

Because Chen Xuan led the way, Lu Jing’an easily met Kui Shan. This was the advantage of bringing Chen Xuan along. If Lu Jing’an had come alone, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to see him.

Chen Xuan briefly explained the situation to Kui Shan. Unable to hide the disgust in his tone, Kui Shan said, "Truly a rich young master. You saw a murderer and immediately had a nightmare.

"And because of a nightmare, you had a Great Martial Cultivator bring you to our Anping Bureau for help."

Before Lu Jing’an could speak, Chen Xuan interjected, "The Young Master has already reached Qi Blood First Transformation. He wouldn’t be startled by seeing a dead person."

Hearing Chen Xuan’s words, the remark on the tip of Kui Shan’s tongue was instantly swallowed back. "You... you... you’ve reached Qi Blood First Transformation." Kui Shan gulped before finishing his sentence.

Lu Jing’an nodded and said modestly, "It’s all thanks to Master’s excellent teaching."

After his humble reply, Lu Jing’an steered the topic back to Nine-fingered Yama. This was the real reason they had come. "In my dream, I saw a very detailed summoning ritual," he said. "I can draw it."

He then took out the self-filling fountain pen he carried with him and drew the ritual from the Memory Pearl on a piece of paper.

At first, Kui Shan seemed dismissive. But as Lu Jing’an continued to draw, his expression grew increasingly grave. Finally, he stood up, staring intently at the drawing with a stern look on his face.

Once Lu Jing’an finished, Kui Shan picked it up, examining it over and over again. He repeatedly muttered to himself, "This is it, this is it.

"It has finally appeared again!"

Then, losing his composure, Kui Shan reached out and gripped Lu Jing’an’s shoulders tightly. "Where did you say you saw this?"

Chen Xuan stepped forward, about to strike Kui Shan.

"Master, I’m fine," Lu Jing’an said.

Realizing his loss of composure, Kui Shan released Lu Jing’an’s shoulders.

"This is what I saw in my dream—the ritual that Nine-fingered Yama was performing," Lu Jing’an repeated the origin of the image.

"Nine-fingered Yama?" Clearly, Kui Shan hadn’t been listening carefully to Lu Jing’an earlier. Only now did he truly take it seriously.

Lu Jing’an recounted the matter to him once more. After hearing it, Kui Shan said fiercely, "I’ve finally found it again."