EFB Chapter 98 comes from the entire lineage, from all the patriarchs of all generations!
Chapter 98 comes from the entire lineage, from all the patriarchs of all generations!
Chapter 98: The Response from the Entire Lineage and All the Ancestors of Past Generations!!! (First Update, 4200 words)
You don't need to answer me right now.
The old man looked at the screaming Crane Celestial Venerable in front of him and spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something ordinary.
"After we finish eating, we can go and ask the patriarch, and ask our master what he thinks."
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable did not respond to this. He frowned and his gaze swept back and forth between the old man and the sitting Gu Qingwan.
"What did they do to offend you this time?"
The old man thought for a moment, then slowly began, "That's a long story. Killing my disciple, raising an evil god, and—"
He glanced at Gu Qingwan, who was sitting quietly to the side and hadn't even touched a dumpling.
"What happened to her is inextricably linked to the Ghost-Controlling Liu family."
Upon hearing this, Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable turned his head in bewilderment, looking at Gu Qingwan who was staring at the dumplings but not eating them.
"What a load of bull!"
"If they have the ability to raise such people, then the area beyond the Great Wall is no longer under the control of our Taoist sect!"
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable shook his head like a rattle-drum, his face full of disbelief.
The old man immediately replied, "She wasn't raised by the Liu family, but as for how she ended up like this—"
The words were on the tip of his tongue when the old man felt a chill run down his spine, so he simply waved his hand.
"Anyway, don't worry about it. Just help me find the Ghost-Controlling Liu family."
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable let out a long sigh.
"It will probably take some effort."
"I know more about these ten families than you do. Don't be fooled by their impressive names or claims of being ancient families with hundreds of years of history."
"Actually, they are just some secretive sects with some strange tricks, not respectable at all."
"Among these ten families, the largest ones have no more than a few dozen people, while the smaller ones, which are single-son families, probably can't even gather three people."
"The area outside the pass is so vast, and they are all experts in how to hide and conceal themselves."
"There was no prior indication of anything, and now that we're suddenly looking for them, it's not going to be easy."
As soon as Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable finished speaking, the old man said directly, "I have a clue."
Ok?
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable was taken aback, and looked at the old man curiously, asking, "What clue?"
Then the old man said, "There are quite a few. I caught one of their juniors, killed him, and interrogated his three souls and seven spirits."
Upon hearing this, Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable blinked and said, "Tell me about it."
boom!
The door was kicked open, and Lu Yuan strode in carrying two large plates of steaming dumplings, hooking the door shut with his heel.
"What are you two doing standing there instead of eating your dumplings?"
At this point, the old man stopped talking and simply pulled Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable aside, saying, "We've eaten our fill, let's go out for a walk to digest our food."
So fast?
Lu Yuan didn't say anything, but as soon as he put down the two large plates of dumplings, he glanced at the table.
Seeing that the old man's table was spotless, Lu Yuan suddenly looked up at the old man who was about to leave and asked, "?!"
"wrong?!"
"How much did you spend? How many coins, how many coins, how many dates?"
The old man stiffened, then waved his hand dismissively.
"I didn't get to eat a single one."
Lu Yuan's eyes widened instantly.
"???"
Seeing Lu Yuan's puzzled look, the old man said, "Dumplings for the New Year aren't allowed to be dipped in garlic, they're too greasy, I didn't eat many."
After saying that, the old man tried to pull Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable away.
But just as he brushed past Lu Yuan, his collar was suddenly tightened, and he was abruptly pulled back!
"I spent ages huffing and puffing as I rolled out the dough!"
"Qingwan spent half the day painstakingly making dumplings!"
"How many are you going to give me to eat?"
"You didn't even get a single treat or a single date! Do you even want a good year anymore?!"
The next second, Lu Yuan pulled the old man down onto the prayer mat.
Amidst the old man's bewildered gaze, Lu Yuan grabbed two piping hot, steaming dumplings and shouted, "1!"
"Give it to me!"
Before he could finish speaking, two dumplings, still steaming hot, were stuffed straight into the old man's mouth.
Old man: "????"
"I—he—"
Lu Yuan covered the old man's mouth with one hand, his eyes wide like copper bells.
"Eat quickly!"
After the old man puffed out his cheeks twice, Lu Yuan finally let go and nervously brought his mouth close to his lips.
"What did you eat?"
Pooh!
The old man spat out a treasure made of chestnut.
Spit again!
He spat out another red date.
Hey! That's right!
Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then reached out and grabbed two more dumplings to stuff into the old man's mouth.
This terrified the old man so much that he started shouting incoherently.
"Damn it!"
"There's something cold! This freshly cooked food is scalding hot!!"
Lu Yuan was taken aback. Oh, I forgot!
He casually tossed aside the two scalding hot ones, grabbed two lukewarm ones from the plate from the first batch, and precisely stuffed them into the old man's mouth again.
"Eat quickly!!"
The Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable silently turned away, raised his hand to cover his eyes, unable to bear it, truly unable to bear it!
Outrageous!
That's outrageous!
Junior brother!!
You've suffered so much!!!
In the end, under Lu Yuan's "careful" feeding, the old man successfully ate seven treasures, five dates, and three pieces of rock sugar.
Lu Yuan looked at the old man next to him, who was so full of energy that his eyes were glazed over and he was slumped on the futon, unable to move. He grinned with satisfaction.
"Alas!!"
"Master, your good fortune this year is simply beyond measure!"
"After eating so many dates and candies, I guarantee this whole year will be sweet and joyful~"
"Most importantly, we didn't spend a single penny on food! Old man, you're guaranteed to have a happy and joyful year ahead of you!"
The old man was so overwhelmed by Lu Yuan's words that he couldn't utter a single word.
The Heavenly Venerable Crane, standing nearby, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
nonsense!
It would be a miracle if he could actually make money from it!
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable clearly saw that just now, at one point, after Lu Yuan stuffed a dumpling in, he pinched it with his fingers, as if he felt something was wrong.
They actually managed to pry it out of the old man's mouth again!
The broken dumpling was tossed onto the table, revealing a small silver coin inside.
Good heavens, they handle the dumplings before feeding them, stuffing the baby, dates, and candies into their mouths, and throwing away any money.
If you could make money from this, that would be an incredibly strange and incredible event!
However, Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable remained silent and did not stop it throughout the entire process.
He just felt—
Compared to the empty table just now, the table now full of "good fortune" seems to be better.
Finally, with Lu Yuan and Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable supporting him on either side, the old man shakily stood up.
He was hiccuping and pointing at Lu Yuan, too angry to speak.
Supported by the Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable, he staggered outwards.
The two old men disappeared outside the door.
Lu Yuan wiped the dumpling crumbs off his hands, turned around and looked at the quiet Gu Qingwan beside him, grinning.
"Those two lids are ready now, I'll go get them, then we can start eating!!"
The night air was chilly on the stone path leading to the main hall of Zhenlong Temple.
"belch"
"6~
""
"Damn it!"
"I'll—hiccup—I'm going to teach this brat a lesson!"
The old man, supported by the Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable, burped as he cursed through gritted teeth.
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable glanced at him, his face showing a look of utter disdain that seemed to see through everything.
"Alas!!"
"Keep pretending!"
"If you really don't want to eat, do you think he can stop you?"
These words were like stepping on a cat's tail; the old man stiffened his neck and retorted angrily, "What do you know?!"
"That young woman next to him is helping him!!!"
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable: "————"
He was somewhat taken aback.
"Are they that close?"
The old man rolled his eyes resentfully, but his tone carried an indescribable undertone.
"What do you think!"
"That means she can't have children right now!"
"Otherwise, I'd be holding my grandson by now!!"
Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable: "————"
After putting the last two lids of dumplings into the pot, Lu Yuan carried the two large, steaming plates of freshly cooked dumplings back home.
There's no need to come back for the last two stacks of dumplings.
Once it's cooked, ask the junior monks in the dining hall to help take it out and leave it there; we can't finish it all anyway.
-
Back in the side hall, Lu Yuan grinned at the quiet Gu Qingwan and said, "It's just the two of us now~"
"Come on, let's eat dumplings, it's Chinese New Year!"
Meanwhile, inside the Ancestral Hall of Zhenlong Temple.
The old man finally stopped hiccuping, and now he was deep in thought, preparing to pay homage to his ancestors.
"No need to ask."
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable suddenly spoke up, his tone calm: "If Junior Brother is in trouble, Senior Brother has no reason not to help."
The old man shook his head immediately: "No way!"
"Regardless of the ancestral master, since you helped me, I must repay your kindness!"
"Having consulted the patriarch and received the decree, I am not asking you for anything, but acting in accordance with the lineage's command. I need not owe you any favors!"
The warmth and hustle and bustle of the New Year's Eve dinner were completely shut out by the heavy palace doors.
Inside the hall, only the faint glow of the ever-burning lamps illuminated the rows of solemnly standing ancestral tablets.
The air was thick with the scents of aged incense, decaying wood, and ink, creating a heavy stillness that seemed to slow down even the flow of time.
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable was speechless and stared wide-eyed at the old man's words, "I don't care about the Ancestral Master, you helped me, so I have to be indebted to you."
In the end, he could only helplessly flick his sleeves, retreat to the shadows of the hall, and cross his arms.
I'd like to see what kind of result my stubborn junior brother can get out of this question.
The old man stood solemnly in the hall, facing alone the layers upon layers of memorial tablets.
His gaze finally settled on the central memorial tablet of the [Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of the Law, Heavenly Venerable of Thunder, Golden Thunder Breaker, Zhang Jiuting].
At this moment, there was no trace of the previous laziness and annoyance on his face.
His eyes were deep and still, like a frozen pool.
His entire aura merged with the ancient and solemn ancestral hall, becoming indistinguishable from it.
The old man walked to the copper basin on the left, which contained the rootless water he had collected at midnight the previous night.
He immersed his hands in the water and washed them carefully, leaving no part unwashed, between his fingers and on his palms, while silently reciting the "Hand Cleansing Mantra".
"Mercury in the Milky Way, cleansing away the dust and grime."
"Clean your hands and offer them to the true God."
After the ceremony, he took out a specially made set of "incense burners for divination" from the cabinet of ritual implements used exclusively for sacrificial rites.
It was a palm-sized bronze octagonal incense burner with a thick patina, used specifically to consult the patriarch on important matters.
Three dark red, evenly thick "blood-patterned agarwood" incense sticks with hidden gold threads are the finest of the finest, and should not be used except for major decisions.
He placed the bronze incense burner on the ground directly in front of the memorial tablet of Patriarch Zhang Jiuting, rather than on the offering table.
Centered on the incense burner, stepping on the "Seven Stars Yu Step," a small Big Dipper diagram is drawn on the ground.
His footwork was precise, his breath was deep and focused, and with each step he took, the blue bricks beneath his feet seemed to gleam slightly.
Finally, stand at the "Tian Shu" position, facing the incense burner and the ancestral master's tablet.
The old man held three sticks of blood-patterned incense but did not rush to light them. Instead, he held them in his hands between his eyebrows, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
It was as if they were communicating with the thoughts of the patriarch in the void.
About ten breaths later, he opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning.
"Li Xiuye, an unworthy disciple of Zhenlong Temple, has important business to attend to."
"It concerns the inheritance of the orthodox tradition, the life and death of disciples, and the grievances of deceased friends. I have doubts in my heart and find it difficult to decide whether to kill or punish."
"I specially burn this blood-patterned incense to communicate with the true masters," I humbly beseech you, my esteemed ancestors, to reveal a glimpse of heavenly secrets and illuminate the path for your disciples!
The voice was not loud, but every word was clear, carrying a resolute force that echoed in the silent hall.
After the report was completed, he did not use ordinary fire, but instead formed the "Fire Seal" with his left hand.
With a rub of his thumb and middle finger, a wisp of pure true flame ignited from his fingertip, gently lighting three incense sticks.
The incense stick instantly lit up with three warm and concentrated red lights. The fragrance was not strong and diffused, but rather condensed into three straight wisps of blue smoke that rose gently upwards.
The old man carefully inserted the three incense sticks into the ash in the center of the bronze incense burner.
He did not step back, but instead sat down cross-legged, raised his right hand, and his five fingers trembled slightly at a strange frequency.
This is precisely the starting posture of the "Supporting Chaos and Asking Questions" technique.
At the same time, his eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at the three wisps of rising smoke and the burning incense sticks.
When the three wisps of green smoke rose to eyebrow level, they did not disperse as expected, but instead suddenly gathered inward!
They were forcibly twisted into one by an invisible force!
The color of the smoke also changed from blue to pale gold!
Golden smoke soared upwards, rushing straight to the palace beams, swirling beneath them and gradually transforming into a constantly rotating cloud vortex.
"Golden smoke condenses into vortexes—the Patriarch descends upon the altar!"
The Crane-Patrolling Celestial Venerable, who was in the shadows by the entrance, suddenly stopped breathing. This was a sign of the highest level of "Patriarch's Manifestation"!
At that very moment, the burning speed of the three blood-patterned incense sticks in the incense burner suddenly changed dramatically!
The incense stick in the middle burned extremely fast, with the ash falling inch by inch, yet it always maintained a straight column of ash, without bending or breaking!
The two incense sticks on the left and right burned extremely slowly, and the accumulated ash gradually curved outward, its shape resembling a blade, its sharpness exposed!
What... what is this?!
The old man and Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable were deeply shaken, and instantly understood the Dharma form presented by the incense!
The central pillar represents the master in charge, Zhang Jiuting, the patriarch! Burning rapidly and straight, it signifies a fiery nature and an urgent and clear attitude!
The two figures on the left and right are the ancestral masters who assist him, their gray hairs curved like blades, representing "killing" and "warfare"—the intention is clear!
At the very moment that the "sign of war" appeared!
All the ancestral tablets enshrined in the hall, regardless of their age or material (wood or stone), emitted a clearly audible "buzzing" vibration at the same time!
That wasn't a sound, but a resonance that reached right to the soul!
The most violent tremor was felt, especially at the memorial tablet of Grandmaster Zhang Jiuting!
On the surface of the memorial tablet, a tiny wisp of purple lightning flashed and disappeared, so fast it seemed like an illusion!
Crane Patrol Celestial Venerable felt a chill rush from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, his hair stood on end, and his scalp tingled!
Are all the ancestral tablets resonating?
This is an extremely rare phenomenon in any Taoist temple, signifying that the will of the entire lineage is highly unified at this moment!
Inside the bronze incense burner, the fallen incense ash was not scattered and piled up.
After the middle incense stick burned out rapidly, the last ash on the bottom of the burner formed a crooked and illegible character.
This character also represents the entire lineage of Zhenlong Temple, and the joint response of all the patriarchs throughout the ages.
This character is ————
kill! ! !
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