From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Leaving the church, Lu Jin asked, "Brother Jiang, after the bat nest is destroyed, the water quality in the streams and rivers near Renjia Town will purify itself after a while, right?"

"Nature's purification ability is very strong, especially flowing water, which has an unparalleled purification ability! You've heard stories of poisoning wells, but you've never heard of anyone poisoning a river, have you?"

Jiang Liu smiled, then his expression turned serious. "The nuns in that church are all ordinary people, and they only arrived recently. They probably don't know anything about superhumans."

"You mean, Franz Zuhaz is really still alive?" Li Muxuan sneered. "How powerful can Western superhumans be? Don't they all rely on guns and cannons?"

Western superhumans are a known unknown to the superhumans native to China.

It is known because it is understood that extraordinary people do exist in the West.

The unknown means that the Eastern supernatural beings do not know much about the methods of the Western supernatural beings. Even in the Jianghu Xiaozhan, Jiang Liu guesses that they only know concepts such as alchemy and magic.

People like Li Muxuan believed that Westerners relied on guns and cannons and focused on inventing and creating these weapons, so the strength of Western aliens must not be strong.

"Junior brother, there are always higher heavens beyond the heavens."

Lu Jin had never met any Westerners, but being from the Lu family, he was ultimately more knowledgeable than Li Muxuan.

In the East there are Taoism and Buddhism, and in the West there are Catholicism, Islam, and other religions.

"cut!"

Li Muxuan scoffed and corrected him, "Buddhism is actually from abroad, isn't it?"

"It is indeed from abroad, but our land has a unique characteristic: no matter where a foreign religion originates, once it comes to this land, it will be assimilated into the way it adapts to this land and the people living on it."

According to Jiang Liu's previous life, Christianity, which was introduced to China, had to adapt to local conditions a century later and started distributing eggs to the elderly.

"However, enough of this small talk. What are your thoughts on that Franzuhas?" Jiang Liu steered the conversation back to the current issue.

"It is indeed possible that the other party is still alive."

Hong said, "If that meditation room really hasn't been opened for more than ten years, then there's only Father Arthur's body and that swarm of bats inside. Judging by the number of bats, the priest's body would be completely devoured in at most six months."

"Their vitality is truly remarkable; how could they go so many years without eating or drinking?"

Lu Jin was surprised, then recalled the group of bats she had found on the riverbank. "Speaking of which, the bats on the riverbank had shriveled internal organs, but there were no signs of decay, as if they had not eaten for many years."

"Bats aren't trees, how could they go so long without eating?" Li Muxuan was also puzzled and asked Jiang Liu, "Do you know why?"

"Could they be a type of bat with characteristics of flowers, plants, and trees?"

Thinking back to his previous attempts to secretly study the biological structure of vampires from a biological perspective, Jiang Liu suspected that these bats might be in a similar situation. "Didn't Uncle Jiu say before that these bats are similar to the methods of beast masters and also have traces similar to weapon crafting? Perhaps Franzuhas's method is to use living animals as magical artifacts to craft them."

"hiss--"

Lu Jin couldn't help but rub her arms, a chill running down her spine. "This is too bizarre! Is it really made by using animals as magical artifacts?"

"So, it's possible they also used people as magical artifacts?" Li Muxuan pondered the cultivation methods of the Western supernatural beings.

"Actually, we're pretty much the same."

Jiang Liu shrugged. "Refining weapons is about opening up the three gates and nine orifices, and the eight extraordinary meridians within the weapon that correspond to the human body, so that the Qi can circulate and one can use supernatural abilities. Strictly speaking, when we supernatural beings cultivate our lives, we are also using Qi to cultivate the human body as a 'weapon'."

Using the physical body as a raft, cross the sea of ​​suffering and reach the other shore.

Nothing could be more true!

However, judging from the situation with those bats, the cultivation methods of Western supernatural beings may be different from ours. They don't focus on the circulation of Qi (vital energy) but rather on the supernatural abilities themselves, thereby gaining powerful combat strength.

The practice of Eastern hermits is primarily aimed at enhancing one's life force; its main purpose is spiritual cultivation.

Westerners, on the other hand, should focus more on effectiveness.

Just like those bats, which, in the perception of the river flow, are constantly hiding their vitality rather than focusing on the circulation of Qi.

Speaking of Arthur, there's something Jiang Liu can't understand—why didn't he get rid of the bats in the house before he committed suicide?

Logically speaking, he was capable of committing suicide, and eliminating the swarm of bats before his death would have been no problem. Why leave one bat with the possibility of escaping if someone opens the door to the meditation room?

He should have known very well how long those bats could survive if they weren't killed...

When they returned to the mortuary, it was already dark.

“Uncle Jiu, I have successfully eliminated the bat nest, but there is still something I need to report to you.” Jiang Liu recounted the events involving the church, the two priests, and the Western supernatural beings.

"Arthur and Franzohas?"

Upon learning of the church's existence, Lin Jiu suddenly realized, "They're two strange people!"

It turns out that Lin Jiu was a witness to the construction of that church back then—

Adhering to the principle that guests are always welcome, Lin Jiu chose a "feng shui treasure land" for them... well, it was only two miles away from Renjia Town, but because there was no farmland nearby and many barren slopes, there were few birds and many insects, so very few people would go there to visit.

No matter what, the fact that the land of China has become like this is inextricably linked to Westerners; even if they are Westerners, they are still practitioners of cultivation.

But Lin Jiu was no saint, and naturally he had a discriminating mind. He could accept some good things from the West, but he was unwilling for them to take root in the land of China.

Back to the point.

After the church was repaired, the two priests didn't care. They didn't usually go to Renjia Town to preach, and spent most of their time practicing in the church.

At the time, Lin Jiu felt somewhat guilty, feeling that they were different from other Western missionaries, being ascetics, and had intended to have some exchanges with them.

Unfortunately, they couldn't communicate, and the two men's aura was also strange... Therefore, after being turned away twice, he never had anything to do with them again.

I never imagined he would die!

"Uncle Jiu, do you know about the cultivation methods of Western supernatural beings?" Jiang Liu asked.

How would I know?

Lin Jiu shook his head, "But no matter how things change, the essence remains the same: Qi. However, since the bats appeared in that priest's meditation room, it seems they were the ones who created them!"

After learning that the meditation room was sealed, Lin Jiu suspected that the two had practiced some kind of evil magic. However, Arthur later had a change of heart and trapped himself inside, but he couldn't bear to kill the bats he had raised, so they were left until Jiang Liu killed them with the Reversal of Eight Directions technique. Finally, Ren Wei's men burned them down, which finally resolved the problem.

The other priest, Franzohas, escaped.

This conclusion was drawn from the bat carcasses found on the riverbank!

# Chapter 178 Split into Two Groups

"Oh, right, I just remembered something. Mr. Ren valued Western culture quite a bit. Before the church was abandoned, he would visit the two priests there every seven days."

Lin Jiu added, "I'll go to the Ren family tomorrow to ask Tingting about the situation."

"Perfect timing, we also need to tell them about Luo Laowai's death." Jiang Liu also planned to visit the Ren family tomorrow to reassure Ren Jiating and Ren Tingting.

He then inquired about Lin Jiu's progress in digging the new water source.

"After I located the new water source, I marked it and then had Qiusheng find someone to dig it. We should be able to get water tomorrow," Lin Jiu said.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu didn't ask any further questions.

The bats found along the riverbank have been burned, and the bats in the church meditation room have also been removed. It's unlikely any bats would change the coordinates...

But the very next morning, just as Jiang Liu got up for his morning exercise, Qiu Sheng led several men who were digging wells to the mortuary.

"Master, something terrible has happened! They've dug up a corpse!"

Qiu Sheng looked anxious and vividly described the appearance of the corpse.

Shriveled! Red eyes! Fangs!

A silver cross was stuck in his chest, with a red gemstone set on top!

Apart from the fact that the color of the gemstone was different from the plot of "The One-Eyebrowed Taoist" in Jiang Liu's memory, everything else matched. However, what puzzled Jiang Liu was that even though the bats had been burned to ashes, why was the "vampire's" corpse still dug up?

"We dug up a mummified corpse? That doesn't make sense. If there were a corpse down there, how could I not have noticed?" Lin Jiu was also puzzled and went with Jiang Liu to check the well site.

The group split into two: Lu Jin and Li Muxuan went to the Ren family to inform Ren Jiating and Ren Tingting that Luo Laowai had died and to inquire about the relationship between the two priests and Master Ren.

And Red Girl—

Although she was also a cultivator, she got up later than Jiang Liu and the others, so they didn't intend to disturb her.

The site Lin Jiu chose for digging the well was on a patch of white sand. However, when the two arrived, the others said that the body had already been taken away by Ren Wei, who had arrived earlier.

"That kid!"

Ren Wei's greed and lust were well-known in Renjia Town. The fact that he took the body away in advance must have been because he wanted the silver cross and the red gem on it.

Lin Jiu cursed under his breath, then examined the nearby sandy area. Although the place was barren, with only weeds and no particularly distinctive landmarks or trees, he still realized the problem:

The location where the body was dug up was not at the coordinates he had set yesterday!

The coordinates have been changed!

Sensing a conspiracy once again, Lin Jiu's expression turned grave as he asked Qiu Sheng, "After I set the location yesterday, did anyone tamper with it?"

"That shouldn't be the case."

Qiu Sheng picked up a white wooden stake from beside the hole where the mummified corpse had been unearthed. It was about a meter long, as thick as an adult's arm, and weighed thirteen pounds. "I went to call someone to dig a well, and it only took about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. It's impossible for an ordinary person to pull out the wooden stake that you drove into the ground and find a new place to drive it in in such a short time..."

"Uncle Nine!"

After arriving at this white sandy area, Jiang Liu wandered around and found another hole, beckoning to Lin Jiu who was not far away.

Lin Jiu, Qiu Sheng, and the other men who were digging the well came over together and found a hole. Qiu Sheng inserted the wooden stake he was holding, and it fit perfectly.

"This is the location I chose!"

Lin Jiu clenched his fist and smacked Qiu Sheng on the head. "You brat, I told you to look carefully when I found the location, but now you don't even realize the location has been changed. Really—"

That's enough!

Having said that, Lin Jiu said to the other men, “Gentlemen, this concerns the drinking water of the town’s residents, so I will trouble you to start digging from here.”

"Uncle Jiu, don't worry, we know what's important."

"You absolutely must find out who changed the location!"

"That person definitely doesn't want our Renjia Village to have an easy time!"

"..."

The workers chattered amongst themselves, not minding the hard work, and picked up hoes and shovels to dig in the correct spot that Lin Jiu had determined the day before.

"Qiusheng, you stay here and keep watch in case anyone else comes. I'm going to find Ren Wei. There's definitely something wrong with that body. We have to burn it as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen problems," Lin Jiu instructed. "Jiang Liu, I'd like to trouble you to go to the church again and see if you can get any more information from the nuns."

"no problem."