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Chapter 153 The Tree Demon's Ambition: No One Can Remain Untainted by Mud! (Please Subscribe)

into the night!

The moon is bright and clear, its light as pure as water.

Niu Jun, Ning Caichen, and Yan Chixia sat down for a heart-to-heart talk under the eaves of the palace, introducing themselves.

"May I ask where Young Master Yan is from?"

After they introduced themselves, Ning Caichen asked with some curiosity.

Because he could tell from Yan Chixia's accent that he wasn't a local from Jinhua Prefecture,
Yan Chixia said sincerely and simply, "I'm from Shaanxi!"

Unlike the bearded version of Yan Chixia, the scholar version of Yan Chixia in front of us is not a talkative person, nor is he short-tempered. Instead, he is as polite as a scholar, yet he gives people a faint sense of distance.

obviously.

In Yan Chixia's eyes, neither Niu Jun nor Ning Caichen were strangers he had met by chance, and he had no intention of befriending them.

Ning Caichen seemed to have noticed this as well.

So after a brief conversation, they bowed and said goodbye, then went back to their rooms to sleep.

Because we've come to a new place.

Ning Caichen couldn't fall asleep for a long time, tossing and turning on the stone bed covered with dry grass.

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like two old women speaking in hushed tones to the north of the monks' quarters.

This aroused Ning Caichen's curiosity, so he got up and crouched under the stone window on the north wall, secretly looking in the direction from which the sound came, wondering how a woman could appear outside this deserted temple.

Outside the low wall was a small courtyard, where a woman in her forties and an old nanny were living. The old nanny was dressed in dark red clothes, with silver comb-shaped ornaments in her hair. She was hunched over and looked very old.

The two were talking under the moonlight.

"Why hasn't Xiaoqian come for so long?"

"They should be here soon!"

"Does she harbor resentment towards her maternal grandmother?"

"I haven't heard about it, but he seems a bit unwell."

"That girl isn't easy to get along with!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Caichen saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old enter the courtyard; she seemed quite pretty.

The old nanny laughed and said, "We don't talk about people behind their backs. We were just talking when you, you little devil, came quietly without a sound. Luckily, we didn't say anything bad about you."

Done.

The old nanny exclaimed, "Young lady, you are as beautiful as a painting. If I were a man, you would have bewitched me."

The girl smiled and said, "If Grandma doesn't praise me, who else will say I'm good?"

Ning Caichen assumed they were relatives of his neighbors and felt it was inappropriate for him to eavesdrop, so he lay down to sleep and stopped listening to their conversation.

After a while.

The area outside the courtyard was completely silent.

"very good!"

"Nie Xiaoqian and the Tree Demon Granny have already appeared. All the characters from the A Chinese Ghost Story have gathered. I want to see how this mythical power was born."

In the nearby monks' quarters, Niu Jun used his mirror light technique to take in everything inside and outside Lanruo Temple.

He wasn't very interested in Nie Xiaoqian.

After all, he was face-blind and couldn't see what was so beautiful about Nie Xiaoqian.

Or rather, compared to Nie Xiaoqian, the female ghost, he was more interested in knowing how the power of mythology was born.

"However, why is Nie Xiaoqian heading towards my monastery instead of going to find Ning Caichen?"

Niu Jun looked at the scene in the mirror where Nie Xiaoqian floated directly to his door without touching the ground, raising her hand as if to push the door open and enter. He felt a little speechless.

What do you mean?
Why did Nie Xiaoqian come to find me instead of Ning Caichen?
Is it because he is more handsome and dashing than Ning Caichen?
Or is it because this female ghost thinks she's easier to bully?

Niu Jun dispelled the mirror light spell in front of him and looked towards the doorway.

Then, he saw Nie Xiaoqian, dressed in flowing white robes, looking at him with deep affection, like a fairy on water.

"The desolate temple is overgrown with weeds, three feet high; the Buddha lies fallen, unsupported. I ask not where the recluse has come from, for his heart is pure as ice and jade, untouched by dust."

Before Nie Xiaoqian could speak, Niu Jun interrupted her with a poem.

He is a master!

When Nie Xiaoqian heard Niu Jun speak, she met his indifferent and ruthless eyes and was instantly stunned. It was only after a long time that she obediently bowed.

"Nie Xiaoqian, a disciple of Granny Tree at Lanruo Temple, greets you, young master."

Done.

Nie Xiaoqian seemed to have thought of something, and said with a forced smile, "Young master, this Lanruo Temple is my grandmother's territory. You are a guest, and we will not disturb you too much. But please do not meddle in other people's business, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Jun laughed and said, "I have long heard of the Tree Demon Granny's great name, but the question is, what constitutes a trivial matter?"

A mere thousand-year-old tree demon, nothing but an ant, easily destroyed with a flick of the finger. What right does it have to speak to me like that?
Nie Xiaoqian said calmly, "My grandmother never takes lives without reason, nor does she use force against anyone. If someone can escape the temptation of our beauty and money, it means that he is not destined to die, and we will naturally let him go."

"On the contrary, if he is blinded by lust and greed, he will have to leave his life behind as the price."

"I wonder if the young master agrees?"

Niu Jun thought for a moment.

It turns out that this is indeed the case.

Whether in "Nie Xiaoqian" from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" or in the various film and television series of "A Chinese Ghost Story", there is a villain named Granny Tree.

Although this thousand-year-old tree spirit was highly skilled and fed on human blood, it was still quite restrained in its actions, only killing those who stayed overnight at Lanruo Temple and made love with female ghosts inside, or those who secretly picked up gold and silver, without causing trouble outside.

For example, in the first part of A Chinese Ghost Story.

The Tree Demon Granny once said to Yan Chixia, "I only kill those who deserve to die. I haven't killed a single one who doesn't deserve to die. We've been neighbors for so long, keeping to ourselves. Why do you have to make trouble for me?"

Yan Chixia replied, "Those people are greedy by nature. I don't care if you kill them, but this scholar is penniless and has accomplished nothing. If you want to kill him, I can't ignore it."

This is how we can know.

If you can resist the temptations of the female ghost in Lanruo Temple, as well as the allure of gold and silver, you still have a chance to escape this calamity.

But the key question is, how many people throughout history have been able to resist the temptations of women and money?

So while the Tree Demon Granny's words made sense, they only made a tiny bit of sense. Ordinary people who come to Lanruo Temple will ultimately find it difficult to leave alive.

"To take beforehand, one must first give."

"Your grandma has quite the ambition!"

Niu Jun sighed, praising the tree demon's methods.

The Tree Demon Granny's method is very simple: she kills people through karma. Anyone who stays overnight at Lanruo Temple and has relations with one of her female ghosts or picks up the gold and silver left behind by the female ghost will establish a karmic connection with the Tree Demon Granny.

This is similar to how Niu Jun dealt with the fortune teller.

With cause and effect in mind, it's not just indiscriminate killing, and there won't be too much karmic burden to bear.

obviously.

The Tree Demon Granny was a clever person. Before killing someone, she would establish a karmic connection with the person she killed, which would greatly weaken her own karmic burden. Unlike other demons, she would not be unable to ascend due to her heavy sins.

This also shows that the Tree Demon Granny is not a monster who knows nothing, and her methods of passing on her knowledge are not like those depicted in novels and TV dramas.

But what does this have to do with Niu Jun?

He didn't care about the tree demon grandma at all. She was a little demon who wasn't even at the level of a terrestrial immortal. If she were in the Journey to the West world, she probably wouldn't even be as good as Little Drill Wind on Black Wind Mountain.

What Niu Jun truly cared about was the condensation of mythical power.

As long as the tree spirit didn't block Niu Jun's path, Niu Jun wouldn't bother with her. Faced with Niu Jun's firm reply...

Nie Xiaoqian didn't dare to say anything more, bowed slightly, and left his room.

Before leaving, he made sure to politely close the door again.

Of course, although Nie Xiaoqian left Niu Jun's room, she did not go back directly, but went to the monk's quarters next door where Ning Caichen lived.

Ning Caichen was still awake when he saw Nie Xiaoqian and asked her in surprise what she was doing.

Nie Xiaoqian blushed and said, "I can't sleep on this moonlit night. I wish to share the joys of marriage with you, sir."

Ning Caichen said with a serious expression, "You should be wary of what others will say. I am also afraid of gossip. If I make the slightest mistake, I will lose my morals and my reputation."

No one would know at night.

Nie Xiaoqian said somewhat unwillingly.

After all, as a female ghost under the command of the Tree Demon Granny, she had performance targets to meet. If she couldn't entice people to kill and collect their blood, she wouldn't be able to explain herself to the Tree Demon Granny and would be punished.

Upon seeing this, Ning Caichen once again loudly rebuked him.

Seeing that Nie Xiaoqian was still hesitant and unwilling to leave, he immediately shouted, "Hurry up and leave, or I'll call my two friends in the next room and the south room!"

Hear this.

Nie Xiaoqian pretended to be scared and left, but after walking out the door, she suddenly returned and placed a gold ingot on the mattress.

Ning Caichen picked up the gold and threw it onto the steps outside the courtyard, shouting, "Ill-gotten gains have dirtied my pockets!"

See this scene.

Nie Xiaoqian picked up the gold with a look of shame and left alone.

however.

Not everyone can have Yan Chixia's skills.

Not everyone can stay true to themselves like Ning Caichen.

The next morning.

Ning Caichen had just gotten up when he heard something.

A scholar from Lanxi came with his servant to prepare for the exam. He stayed in the east wing of the temple and suddenly died at night. There was a small hole in the sole of his foot, like a needle piercing it, from which blood flowed out thinly.

The scholar's servant also died, exhibiting the same symptoms as the scholar.

"Brother Niu, how do you think these two died?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Caichen couldn't help but ask Niu Jun about it.

Niu Jun smiled and said, "Didn't you already guess? After all, a beautiful woman wanted to serve you last night."

"In addition, I told Young Master Ning before that Lanruo Temple is not a good place. It is a deserted temple with a dark and eerie atmosphere, and ghosts and monsters may appear. If Young Master Ning is afraid, you can leave during the day."

Although Niu Jun wanted to collect mythological power through the story of A Chinese Ghost Story, he would not force Ning Caichen to stay in Lanruo Temple.

If the other person is afraid of ghosts or monsters, they can simply leave.

Niu Jun will not stop him.

the reason is simple.

According to Niu Jun's calculations, the world where Bai Suzhen lived was filled with many ghost stories and supernatural tales.

Even without the story of A Chinese Ghost Story, there will be other stories.

Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian were not his only options.

"Brother Niu is too kind!"

"We scholars respect ghosts and gods, but we are not afraid of them."

"I haven't done anything wrong, so why would I be afraid of ghosts?"

Ning Sheng was upright and incorruptible, and he didn't take the ghosts and monsters in Lanruo Temple to heart.

Never thought.

Wait until evening.

Nie Xiaoqian came to Ning Caichen's room again and said urgently, "I have met many people, but I have never met anyone as upright as you. You are a true gentleman, and I do not want to hurt you."

“My name is Xiaoqian, my surname is Nie. I died at the age of eighteen and was buried next to the temple. Now I am being coerced by Granny Tree to do some lowly things and shamelessly serve her. This is really not something I want to do.”

"Now that there's no one left to kill in the temple, I'm afraid Granny will send a demon to harm you!"

Ning Caichen was also frightened upon hearing this and didn't know what to do.

Nie Xiaoqian then offered him advice, saying, "If you live with Yan Sheng in the south room, you can avoid trouble."

Upon hearing this suggestion...

Ning Caichen asked with some curiosity, "Why didn't you seduce Brother Niu in the next room, or Yan Sheng in the south room?"

Nie Xiaoqian shook her head: "Yan Chixia is an extraordinary person. I dare not get close to him. The young master in the room next to you is probably also a master. Tonight, Grandma will test him. So you must not get close to him, lest you be implicated by him."

"What methods do you use to deceive people?"

“If someone is close to me, I will secretly prick their foot with an awl. Once they are unconscious, I will take their blood to feed the demons; or I will lure them with gold, but it is not gold, it is the bone of a Rakshasa demon. If a person keeps it, their heart and liver will be cut out. Both of these methods are to please people.”

Nie Xiaoqian's voice was low and she sighed softly.

There is no such thing as emerging from the mud unsullied.

During her years under the control of the Tree Demon Granny, Nie Xiaoqian killed many people through the art of lovemaking, feeding them to the Tree Demon Granny.

Almost at the same time.

An uninvited guest also arrived in Niu Jun's room.

"Xiaoqian said that a noble young man has come to the temple."

"As the hostess of Lanruo Temple, I have come here today to pay my respects!"

Accompanied by a voice that was both male and female, a heavily made-up person dressed in black, neither male nor female, appeared uninvited before Niu Jun.

What bad luck!

Niu Jun glanced at the heavily made-up, androgynous tree spirit in front of him and frowned slightly.

This tree demon grandmother.

It's not your fault if you're ugly, but it is your fault if you're ugly and still go out and scare people.

If it weren't for the fear that killing the tree demon directly would cause the story of A Chinese Ghost Story to collapse, making it impossible to recreate the ghost stories and attract the favor of mythological power.

Niu Jun had already killed the guy in front of him.

Of course, while we can't kill the tree demon directly, the overall situation can't be changed, but the minor aspects can.

In both "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Nie Xiaoqian" and "A Chinese Ghost Story," Yan Chixia injured the tree demon Granny, which led to the subsequent story.

Therefore, Niu Jun ignored the androgynous tree demon and simply uttered a single word.

"roll!"

He uttered the word "get lost".

When the words reached the ears of the Tree Demon Granny, they were like a thunderclap exploding deep within her soul.

In a mere instant, his spirit tree clone vanished into thin air, and through the connection between the clone and the main body, it acted upon the primordial spirit of his main body, nearly shattering it.

Terrified, the tree demon grandmother abandoned her true form and her family business without saying a word. She used her spirit to leave her body and hide in a withered branch deep underground, where she fell into a state of suspended animation.

I'm playing dead, please have mercy!
(End of this chapter)