Chapter 154 - 143 Tattooed Guest

Chapter 154: Chapter 143 Tattooed GuestYuan Buyu felt the world was unjust, He merely wanted to witness High Monk Moon Gaze’s tattoo, yet Zhou Lingyi had already begun her visualization. Desperate, Yuan Buyu sat and waited on the spot; even though he could not see, it would be good if Zhou Lingyi could share her insights and experiences after she had an epiphany, He waited and waited until he became restless and agitated; finally, Zhou Lingyi emerged from her meditative state with eyes wide open. "What have you realized?" "The space-time within the Blood Well is not chaotic," Zhou Lingyi said. "Is it not?" "At least from the tattoo, it isn’t chaotic," Zhou Lingyi continued, "Yun Ziliang, that Old Mountain Man, seems to have issues with his incense level, but his perspective, I must say, is brilliant!" After Yun Ziliang visualized High Monk Moon Gaze’s tattoo, he concluded that low-level incense individuals could benefit from visualizing the tattoo, but its true elegance is only revealed to those with high-level incense. Zhou Lingyi’s incense level was high enough. From the tattoo, she had a profound understanding. "Elder Yuan, when I first visualized the tattoo, I thought the space-time in the Blood Well was chaotic; it depicted life and death, but without any discernible pattern -- today alive, tomorrow dead, or alive one second and inexplicably dead the next. This applied to High Monk Moon Gaze as well as the trees and flowers, But with prolonged visualization, one can begin to notice there is a law governing life and death." "What law?" "The Blood Well dictates life, so one lives; the Blood Well dictates death, and one dies, all at the whim of the Blood Well’s will. From this rule, one can glimpse the fluctuations of the Blood Well’s will, which is the Blood Well Law." Zhou Lingyi told Yuan Buyu, "The Blood Well Law, unlike the laws of the earth and sky, has its own rules, governing this microcosm. Whether it’s your storyteller dream or my sea of Red Spider Lilies, they are all microcosms. If we could integrate the Blood Well Law into our microcosms..." "Then we would become the supreme will of that microcosm. Even a speck of dust falling would be under our control." Yuan Buyu looked up at the moonlight, sensing a new direction for the path of incense in the future. Zhou Lingyi, however, closed her eyes and continued to visualize the Blood Well Law within High Monk Moon Gaze. "No, I must buy a ticket to go to Mingjiang Prefecture!" Yuan Buyu could no longer hold back and stood up. "It’s no use going there now." "Why not?" "The tattoo of High Monk Moon Gaze contains a hint of the Blood Well Law, but it is just a part of it, the tip of the iceberg. Let’s wait a bit longer, wait for brother to realize something even better," Zhou Lingyi said. "Is he able to unravel even more?" Yuan Buyu sat back down in the bamboo chair, for the first time doubting his own apprentice. "He definitely can!" Zhou Lingyi got up and walked towards the inner court, "The Blood Well Secret Realm is merging with his Divine Revelation, and as the fusion deepens, brother will uncover more secrets of the Blood Well." ... In the Yunluo Mountain Range, within the Sacrificial site, The Copper Coin Priest had issued an order among the Ancient Clan: no tribe member may approach the Sacrificial site until the Nuo God is successfully drawn back. The Ancient Clan revered the Priesthood, and despite this unreasonable request causing some doubt, they could only comply. No tribe member dared to challenge the authority of the Copper Coin Priest, except for the "Hundred-Eyed High Priest," who held a higher status. Since the emergence of the Nuo God, the Hundred-Eyed High Priest had been in seclusion within a cave, indifferent to the outside world. Following the connection between the Human Skin Temple and Zhou Xuanzhi, the Copper Coin Priest witnessed Zhou Xuan performing the tattoo of "High Monk Moon Gaze." The more he observed, the more alarmed he became, Zhou Xuan’s tattoos were indeed different from those of the Ancient Tattoo Clan, a divergence stemming from their different heritages, like the "sensing" and "acupoint" within the Dragon Seeking Lineage may worship the same ancestor, yet in reality, they are two distinct branches. "Nuo God, you are destroying the tattoo, shattering the hope of our Ancient Tattoo Clan!" Furious and struggling internally, the Copper Coin Priest was torn, his spirit splintered into two thoughts. One was comprehending the Blood Well Law within Zhou Xuan’s tattoos, while the other was trying to stop himself from understanding the Law. Eventually, under extreme struggle and contortion, the Copper Coin Priest went mad. He raised his cane high, and all the copper coin tattoos detached from his body, swiftly revolving around him, Like a bronze tornado. "Alien Race, you are an Alien Race! Nuo God, you cannot destroy my will." "Tattoos are tattoos, they should only bear the mark of our Ancient Clan, any other laws are forbidden, even if it is the Blood Well, or even the laws of the nine Heavenly Gods are not allowed on tattoos!" "Sever him, sever him!" The Human Skin Temple constantly transmitted Zhou Xuan’s observations to the Copper Coin Priest, but in his frenzied state, he persistently used the spinning coins to sever these connections. He was determined to completely forget the tattoo of "High Monk Moon Gaze,", to uphold his own will, and not be ’bewitched’ by Zhou Xuan! ... Zhou Xuan’s Jingyi Shop was open for business. The shop was small, and Zhou Xuan did not intend to make it a grand affair, he just hung up the signboard, set off some fireworks, and then quickly wrapped things up. Sister Cui and Lao Yang both came to offer their congratulations. Sister Cui, short on money, brought a basket of bright red joy eggs and another of sugar cakes; she handed them out to the neighbors, both to share the joy and as a small advertisement. "Lao Ma, remember to refer some Jingyi work to Brother Zhou next time, eh?" "Mr. Tian, if you’re thinking of Jingyi work, consider my Brother Zhou, guarantee the work is beautifully done." Lao Yang surreptitiously handed Zhou Xuan a gold bar, chuckling, "Went to assess the gold price yesterday, Old Painting Pavilion’s worth just over three gold bars, and the extra bit is my gift for your grand opening today." "Thank you, Lao Yang, please come inside and sit, Sister Cui, you too, I’ve prepared some snacks and tea." Zhou Xuan invited Lao Yang and Sister Cui into the house. Sister Cui gently placed the remaining half basket of joy eggs and sugar cakes in Zhou Xuan’s shop and smiled, "The shop is still busy, I need to take care of it. Brother Zhou, may your business thrive." "Thank you, Sister Cui." Zhou Xuan smiled and clasped fists with Sister Cui, striking up a sporadic conversation with Lao Yang. ... Sister Cui’s snack stand was still bustling with business, and Mu Hua couldn’t keep up with the dishwashing. Sister Cui was so busy she was on her toes; besides serving the meals, she had to help clean up since Mu Hua alone couldn’t manage everything. But she was happy in her heart, not only because the business was good, but also because of Mu Hua’s stiff smile. Just as a table of customers left, Sister Cui went to clean the tableware and wipe down the tables, when two middle-aged men approached from a distance. Sister Cui, by professional habit, saw their shadows and was about to attract business, but when she looked up and saw their attire clearly, she dared not greet them. The two middle-aged men, one wearing a long robe that looked expensive, and the other even more extravagant, donned in "Henry" suits. Sister Cui was busy with the snack business every day, without time to pay attention to suit brands, but she happened to know about the "Henry" handcrafted suit brand. The year before last, Sister Cui had finally gone shopping at the department store, where she wished to buy Mu Hua a new suit. The price made her balk, and afterwards, she saw a "handcrafted suit shop." She thought the suits would follow the usual rule—that ready-made ones were expensive and tailor-made ones were cheaper, so she went to the "Henry" store, where the tailor, judging by her attire, gave her a cold reception, only indicating that there was a price list on the table for her to look at by herself. Sister Cui was shocked when she saw the prices; this "Henry" brand was outrageous, not to mention full suits, just half a sleeve cost as much as her entire stall. Now seeing a middle-aged man wearing a "Henry" suit, Sister Cui was reminded of her embarrassing memory and naturally did not dare to attract business. To her surprise, the two middle-aged men took the initiative and sat at an outdoor table of the shop. The "Henry" middle-aged man asked Sister Cui, "A bowl of scallion oil noodles, please. Lao Bai, what will you have?" The long robe middle-aged man smiled and said, "I’ll have whatever the master eats." "Two bowls," said Si Ming, holding up two fingers to Sister Cui. "Alright, alright," Sister Cui carefully wiped their table again before going to cook the noodles. "Sister Cui, I want a bowl of soup noodles," Lao Ma, who was familiar with Sister Cui, also ordered food. "Take a seat, I’ll bring you a steamer of pan-fried buns," Sister Cui said with a smile: "Don’t forget to help advertise Brother Zhou’s new shop." "Don’t worry." Lao Ma found a seat and sat down. Sister Cui had already cooked the noodles, poured the scallion oil sauce on them, added a spoonful of fragrant sesame oil and previously cooked dried shrimps and skin, and served them to Si Ming and Housekeeper Bai. "Enjoy your meal, sirs." Si Ming picked up his chopsticks, stirred the noodles, took a hearty slurp, and said, "Lao Bai, do you smell that?" "Delicious, very delicious, I haven’t eaten at a snack stand in a long time, it’s the taste of my childhood." "I’m not talking about the noodles; I’m talking about the tattoo." Housekeeper Bai shook his head and said, "No, I haven’t noticed. But this place isn’t far from Penglai Inn. Master Liu said that the two youngsters at Tangkou encountered the Tattoo Evil Ghost’s handiwork at Penglai Inn." He and Si Ming came to East Market Street just for the tattoo, after hearing from Liu Qingguang that the Tattoo Evil Ghost had appeared in Mingjiang Prefecture, Si Ming reignited his hope for his daughter’s illness. "No need to go to Penglai Inn, look over there," Si Ming pointed to the wall inside the shop. A copper coin tattoo was gently moving, with an incense burner placed at the bottom, the burner’s feet pressing a torn Mao ticket. "Is that left by the Tattoo Evil Ghost?" Housekeeper Bai inquired of Si Ming. "Do you feel hungry?" Si Ming suddenly asked. "I do," said Housekeeper Bai. "It’s the influence of the tattoo." Si Ming’s Incense Fire Level was high, unaffected by the tattoo, but he could sense that—the tattoo was trying hard to influence him. "Shall we ask the shop owner?" asked Housekeeper Bai. "Let’s eat the noodles first." Si Ming took another bite and kept eating. ... After finishing the noodles, Si Ming called out, "Shop owner, check please." He took out a green hundred-dollar bill and placed it on the table. "Sorry, sir, we’re a small business; I can’t break such a large bill," Sister Cui said cautiously. "It’s alright, I know how much the noodles cost. The rest is for asking you about the tattoo in your shop—where did it come from?" Si Ming said. "Oh, it was given to me by a traveling Taoist," Sister Cui was cautious, knowing tattoos were mysterious and one shouldn’t speak carelessly to others. At least she had to ask Zhou Xuan first. "Traveling Taoist? Good answer." Si Ming withdrew the hundred-dollar bill and handed two Mao tickets to Sister Cui before getting up. "It was made by Boss Zhou of Jingyi Shop." The shop’s Lao Ma was not simply motivated by money; he was just too quick to speak. Eating his noodles with his head down, he heard someone outside asking about a tattoo and spoke up while pointing the way. Sister Cui was angry. She quickly ran up to Lao Ma, took away his unfinished bowl of soup, and stuffed a pan-fried bun into his mouth: "Even the bun can’t shut you up." Si Ming and Housekeeper Bai had already followed the direction pointed out by Lao Ma. Worried that Zhou Xuan might get into trouble, Sister Cui rushed out of the back door, circled around an alley, and entered Jingyi Shop. Zhou Xuan and Lao Yang were still chatting when they saw Sister Cui come in and asked, "What’s wrong, Sister Cui?"