Burial Furnace

"Cultivators?" Zhang Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

With a thought, the true energy in the dantian surged, flowing along a specific route and gathering in the palm.

next moment--

"puff!"

A golden ball of light leaped from his palm!

Radiant with light.

The image reflected on the bald, burly man's face instantly turned ashen white, his pupils contracting sharply with fear.

"Illumination magic? A... a cultivator?!"

His voice trembled, his teeth chattered, and he felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe, leaving him feeling icy cold.

The tall, thin man also saw the ball of light. He was so frightened that he forgot the pain in his wrist and collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

The short, chubby guy who had just woken up saw the ball of light in Zhang Yuan's hand, rolled his eyes, and fainted again.

Zhang Yuan didn't say anything, but raised his right foot and slowly stepped on the bald man's crotch.

"What...what are you going to do?!" the bald, burly man screamed in terror, desperately trying to shrink back, but with his knees shattered, he couldn't move at all.

"You just said you wanted Cuihua to spend the night with you?" Zhang Yuan's voice was calm, but it contained a chilling undertone. "Someone like you, keeping that thing around will only harm more innocent women. I might as well help you get rid of it and end it all."

"No—no! Grandpa! I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please, please let me go!" The bald, burly man was terrified, tears streaming down his face, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Zhang Yuan remained unmoved and continued to slowly stomp down with his large foot.

"I'll never do it again! I'll never do it again! Please, have mercy on me and let me go!" The bald, burly man was so frightened that his voice trembled.

Zhang Yuan stopped and looked at him coldly: "Will you dare to bully Old Man Xia again?"

"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!" The bald, burly man shook his head repeatedly. "I swear! If I ever dare to step onto this street again, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

"Where are you two?" Zhang Yuan's gaze swept over the tall, thin man and the short, chubby man who had just woken up.

"We won't dare! We won't dare either!" The two men quickly kowtowed, their heads hitting the ground with loud thuds.

"Give Old Man Xia a thousand taels of silver as compensation for his medical treatment, then get out of here," Zhang Yuan said menacingly.

The three thugs were overjoyed. The bald man took out 10 low-grade spirit stones and gave them to Old Man Xia. Then, he had two of the thugs lift him up and they fled in a sorry state, not even bothering to pick up the iron rod and dagger that had fallen to the ground.

Only after they disappeared at the end of the street did the crowd finally erupt in discussion.

"My God, that old man Zhang is actually a cultivator?"

"No wonder he dared to open a crematorium!"

"Those thugs have really messed up this time!"

"Well done! These bastards should have been dealt with a long time ago!"

Old Man Xia staggered to Zhang Yuan, then knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "Old Man Zhang... no, Immortal Master Zhang! Thank you! Thank you for saving my family!"

"Brother, what are you doing? Get up quickly." Zhang Yuan quickly helped him up and patted the dust off his clothes.

"Master Zhang, I have no way to repay your great kindness..." Old Man Xia was so excited that he was incoherent and was about to kneel down again.

Zhang Yuan quickly grabbed him, smiling as he said, "Just call me Old Man Zhang, it sounds more friendly. As for being a celestial master or anything like that, I was just lucky to end up on this path."

Old Man Xia wiped away his tears and nodded repeatedly, but the awe and gratitude in his eyes could not be concealed.

Er Lengzi and Cuihua also came over and thanked Zhang Yuan.

Although Er Lengzi was injured, he still smiled憨厚ly, revealing his big white teeth: "Grandpa Zhang, you're really amazing! Those bastards are like chicks in front of you!"

With tears welling in her eyes, Cuihua said timidly, "Grandpa Zhang, thank you..."

Zhang Yuan waved his hand, gave them a few more instructions to take good care of their injuries, and then turned to leave.

He walked along the streets of Aoki Town, the sunlight shining on him, warm and comforting.

People around them turned their heads and looked at them with awe.

Those cultivators who had never given him a second glance before now began to scrutinize him, their eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny and curiosity.

Zhang Yuan straightened his back, his steps were steady, and an unprecedented sense of joy welled up in his heart.

In the past eighty years, when has he ever been so proud and triumphant?

In the past, he was just like Old Man Xia's family, bullied, beaten, and insulted by thugs. He could only swallow his anger, pay protection money, and keep his head down.

But now—

Not the same.

He was a monk.

He can protect the people he wants to protect.

He can make those who bully him pay the price.

……

As night fell, Aoki Town gradually quieted down.

Shops along the street closed one after another, lights went out one by one, and the whole town, like a tired old man, slowly drifted into a dream.

Zhang Yuan placed a bamboo recliner outside the door, lay down on his back with his hands behind his head, and gazed at the bright moon in the sky, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

The moonlight, like water, shone on his face, casting a silvery glow on his face, which had become much younger.

He recalled some things from his past life.

Those distant, hazy memories are like reflections on the bottom of water, sometimes clear, sometimes fragmented.

He recalled the skyscrapers, bustling traffic, and neon-lit cities that never sleep in that world.

Thinking back to those years, the overtime work, the sleepless nights, the drinks, and the people I loved.

He thought of the girl who always liked to text him late at night, and of her saying, "We'll get married after I graduate."

Later, she did not graduate.

He didn't live to see that day.

He came into this world in a car accident.

Eighty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Eighty years.

Sometimes he felt that he had forgotten everything about his past life, but whenever the night was quiet, those memories would quietly resurface and surge into his heart like a tide.

suddenly--

A streak of red light streaked across the night sky, like a shooting star, trailing a long tail of flame, as it sped toward Qingmu Town.

The red streak of light circled once above Qingmu Town, as if searching for something, before suddenly turning and swooping down towards Zhang Yuan's shop like a red lightning bolt!

It was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, the red light landed on the ground three zhang away from Zhang Yuan.

As the light faded, a slender figure was revealed.

It was a woman wearing a long red dress.

The dress was as red as fire, as red as blood, as vibrant as a blooming spider lily, so bright it was almost blinding.

Her skirt trailed on the ground, and a golden ribbon was tied around her waist, outlining her slender waist that could be encircled with one hand.

She was tall and graceful, with curvaceous breasts that seemed to burst through the thin fabric. Her neckline was low, revealing a dazzling expanse of snow-white skin and a delicate collarbone.

That figure alone is enough to make most men in the world's blood boil and their minds wander.