Chapter 119: The Blood-Hand Treasure Ginseng; Chen Changsheng You Truly Make Me Sick
Chapter 119 The Blood-Hand Treasure Ginseng; Chen Changsheng You Truly Make Me Sick
He arrived at the encampment of the Hateless Pavilion.
Abbess Miejue, the master of the pavilion, had already been waiting for quite some time.
Seeing her, Chen Changsheng offered a lazy grin. “My deepest apologies for keeping the Abbess waiting. I hope you can forgive this junior’s slight.”
“Your arrival is sufficient. A fraction of time earlier or later makes no difference,” she replied, her voice entirely devoid of warmth.
“Be seated.”
Gesturing for him to take a chair, Abbess Miejue poured him a cup of clear, steaming tea.
Chen Changsheng stared at the pale liquid for a moment before speaking.
“The hour grows late. Abbess, if you have something to discuss, it would be best to speak plainly.”
“As far as I am aware, the successive inheritors of the Hateless Pavilion have always been women.”
“Given such traditions, the likelihood of your pavilion attempting to recruit me must be incredibly slim.”
Abbess Miejue swept her cold gaze over him.
“Naturally, the inheritor of the Hateless Pavilion cannot be a man. I summoned you here because there is another matter requiring your assistance.”
“Oh?”
“I wonder what matter the Abbess needs this Junior’s help with? If it is but a minor task, this Junior naturally will not refuse.”
Abbess Miejue remained silent, simply sliding a box carved from warm jade across the table.
“This is your compensation. Inspect it before we continue.”
Intrigued, Chen Changsheng casually flipped open the lid of the jade box.
The moment the contents were revealed, a faint ripple finally disturbed the ancient calmness in his eyes.
Lying upon the velvet lining was a severed “hand,” colored entirely in a gruesome, glistening crimson.
Upon closer inspection, however, the disturbing, fleshy mass revealed the fibrous veins and root-like textures of a twisted plant, faintly pulsing as if alive.
Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue, examining the sinister herb.
“The Blood Hand Treasure Ginseng. Consuming it will elevate the user’s vitality and blood Qi by an entire realm, entirely devoid of any hidden flaws or side effects.”
“Furthermore, it serves as the primary catalyst for countless ancient Pills.”
“If my memory serves me well, this is one of the three great treasures guarding the foundation of your Hateless Pavilion.”
“For the Abbess to bring out such a divine relic… the task you require must be quite monumental.”
“The cultivation method upon Gongsun Huaiyu’s body is unprecedented, an absolute marvel across the ages,” Abbess Miejue stated, her voice like cracking ice.
“Though I do not possess the core incantations, my Divine Sense has peeled back enough layers to discern the truth.”
“Essence, Qi, and Spirit unified into a single, flawless whole—impeccable both internally and externally. Such a path indeed seals the mortal body’s myriad flaws.”
“However, walking this path increases the requisite resources by an astronomical margin.”
“Spiritual power can easily be supplemented by Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Qi and God Sources, but vital blood Qi is a far more treacherous hurdle.”
“The human race is born physically frail. To forge an imperishable body and boil one’s blood Qi into a vast ocean, primordial nourishing substances are absolutely indispensable.”
“The higher your cultivation realm climbs, the scarcer the heavenly treasures capable of sustaining you become.”
“This Blood Hand Treasure Ginseng can fuel your ascent to the next level.”
“You may take this item, but in exchange, you must sever Xuan Xin from the mortal coil.”
Chen Changsheng’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits at the demand.
“Abbess, while the Blood Hand Treasure Ginseng is indeed a peerless relic, I, Chen Changsheng, am hardly a street beggar.”
“To offer merely this in exchange for the head of the Buddha Son of the Northern Desert Buddhist Kingdom… aren’t you indulging in wishful thinking?”
“This single item alone is naturally insufficient,” she replied with frozen pragmatism.
“Once Xuan Xin is dead, I will arrange for Yao Yingying to leave behind a bloodline for you.”
“Yao Yingying possesses a supreme constitution seen but once in ten millennia. An offspring birthed between her and yourself will undeniably rise as the era’s most dazzling Heavenly Talent.”
Chen Changsheng leaned back, his cynical amusement faltering into genuine surprise. “That is an exceptionally poor joke.”
“While I am indeed quite handsome, I have not reached the point of delusion to believe every maiden beneath the heavens desires my favor.”
“The union of Dao companions requires the willing alignment of two hearts. You couldn’t possibly be suggesting…”
The words died in his throat. His gaze sharpened, sweeping over Abbess Miejue with absolute, unvarnished contempt.
“You intend to force her hand?”
“I do.” Abbess Miejue took a measured sip of her tea, her tone utterly detached. “To cultivate the Heartless Heavenly Scripture to its absolute zenith, one must sever the seven strings of emotion and shatter all mortal desires.”
“Yet, she allowed herself to harbor affection for that Buddha Son of the Northern Desert Buddhist Kingdom.”
“Though she obeyed my decree and severed physical ties with Xuan Xin, the roots of her obsession still cling desperately to his memory.”
“If Xuan Xin dies, and she is forced to bear a child, her mortal heart will turn to absolute ash. Only from those ashes can she push the Heartless Heavenly Scripture to its grand perfection.”
Listening to this woman calculate the systematic destruction of her own disciple’s soul, Chen Changsheng felt a visceral churn of revulsion deep in his gut.
“No wonder Xuan Xin crumbled so swiftly during the Dharma debates at the Heavenly Talent Assembly. His Dao heart was chained by his obsession for her!”
“A Buddha Son is strictly forbidden from taking a Dao companion. To attend this Heavenly Talent Assembly, he must have carved a path out of his sect with his own flesh and blood.”
“Correct. Xuan Xin shattered the Buddhist Kingdom’s Arhat Grand Formation, tearing his way out at the sheer cost of succumbing to his inner demons.”
“Because of this transgression, the Northern Desert has already forsaken him. Only a handful of stubborn old monks still harbor delusions of his repentance, which is the sole reason his name has not been purged from their holy rosters.”
“Strike him down, and the Northern Desert Buddhist Kingdom will turn a blind eye.”
“With Yao Yingying’s body as your compensation, you suffer no loss.”
Chen Changsheng sat in silence for a moment before firmly pushing the pulsating, veined ginseng back across the table.
“Frankly speaking, you sicken me to my core.”
“Yao Yingying brutally severed the love of her life simply to honor your authority, and you repay her loyalty by orchestrating the darkest of treasons against her very soul.”
“If I were in her position, I would butcher you myself.”
Meeting Chen Changsheng’s blazing revulsion, Abbess Miejue’s expression remained as immutable as an ancient glacier.
“She is the most flawlessly compatible inheritor for the Heartless Heavenly Scripture the Hateless Pavilion has seen in ten thousand years.”
“Since our founding Ancestor, no one has ever cultivated the Heartless Heavenly Scripture to Perfection. She possesses that divine destiny, and I refuse to let her wander astray on the treacherous path of mortal affection.”
“Whether she directs hatred or eternal resentment toward me is irrelevant. As long as she masters the scripture and forges the Immaculate Body…”
“…offering up my own life in return is but a trivial price.”
“Hahaha!”
“What an Abbess Miejue! What a Hateless Pavilion! Truly, I, Chen Changsheng, have broadened my horizons today.”
“I will not soil my hands with this transaction. Seek out another butcher, Abbess.”
With those words, Chen Changsheng rose to his feet, intent on departing.
“If you decline, others will easily accept the mandate!”
Chen Changsheng halted in his tracks. He slowly turned his head back.
“The sins of others belong to them alone. But I, Chen Changsheng, refuse to stoop to such grotesque depths.”
“Scheme against your own disciple, and I shall not interfere. Assassinate Xuan Xin, and I will not raise a blade to stop you. But I warn you, do not let such filth transpire within my line of sight.”
“If I bear witness to it, I just might be forced to intervene.”
“Because your very existence has profoundly disgusted me.”
With a flick of his sleeves, Chen Changsheng strode out of the Hateless Pavilion’s encampment, leaving the frigid master behind.
Abbess Miejue merely watched his retreating figure, her features forever frozen in austere apathy.
……
“Sigh.”
Now far from the encampment, Chen Changsheng reached into his robes and withdrew a small, intricate wooden carving, letting out a weary breath.
“Little girl…”
“When you first stepped onto the Dao of Cultivation, I constantly fretted that the sheer ugliness of this world would taint you.”
“Time has proven my worries unfounded. You carved an entirely different path for yourself.”
“Your path may be fraught with endless loneliness, but at least it spares you from choking on the filth I witness every day.”
“My stroll through the mortal dust is certainly dazzling, but heavens above… it pierces right through the heart!”
Shaking his head, Chen Changsheng tucked the wooden carving away, adjusting his robes before leisurely strolling toward his rendezvous point with Jiang Bufan.