From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Page 577

"Thank you!"

Jin Ge was extremely grateful.

"No need to thank me."

Jiang Liu shook his head – saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, what reason is needed?

Furthermore.

If it weren't for Jin Ge's method, which was based on the Twelve Meridians and resembled Qimen Dunjia, which inspired him, he wouldn't have been able to establish another formation based on his own Twelve Meridians: the Twelve Capital Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation, using the Twelve Labor Emotions Formation and the Fish-Dragon Talisman Seal.

"But if you really want to thank me—Jin Ge, how about taking me to Notre Dame Cathedral? I'm quite curious about the wisdom contained in that exhibit from my hometown." Seeing Jin Ge and Natasha's gratitude, Jiang Liu didn't try to dissuade them, but simply made his request.

"no problem!"

Before Jin Ge could speak, Natasha agreed, saying to him, "Husband, you must fulfill all of this young man's requests!"

"Of course I won't be negligent!"

Even without Natasha's instructions, Jin Ge had already decided to entrust his life to Jiang Liu; even if it meant assassinating the French President, he would do it without hesitation...

···

"It's really lively!"

It was already 9 p.m., but the area outside Notre Dame Cathedral was still packed with people. Residents who lived nearby did not want to miss the opportunity to be among the first to see the mysterious artifact from the East.

Sitting atop a building near Notre Dame Cathedral, Jiang Liu gazed at the throngs of people below, sighed, and then asked Jin Ge, "Do you know why the exhibits are displayed at Notre Dame? Shouldn't they be in Paris museums?"

"It is said that this collection is a painting that contains the ultimate mystery of the universe... The archbishop of Notre Dame is like us, and he has been applying to the French Library for a long time, spending a lot of money to finally get the opportunity to borrow it for viewing."

Jin Ge had previously gathered information from the crowd and learned the general outline of what had happened. "Because the archbishop was very concerned about that painting, the news spread and ordinary believers also learned about it. So the archbishop chose to publicly exhibit the painting at Notre Dame Cathedral so that he and all Christians could view it together."

This would not only uphold the archbishop's dignity but also demonstrate his selflessness to the world, proving that he was not using the believers' money for personal gain but rather to lead everyone in learning the profound wisdom of ancient Eastern monks.

of course.

Can you learn it?

That's a different matter altogether.

"Drip!"

At that moment, car horns blared through the night sky as a truck about 15 meters long with a cargo bed drove in from the south, escorted by a dozen police cars.

The truck stopped outside the crowd, and monks in monastic robes got out of the back of the truck. One of them, who was over eighty years old and wearing a red monastic robe, was the Archbishop of Notre Dame Cathedral, and also a cardinal!

Within the Catholic Church, the ranks of monks are strictly divided, including priests/deacons, priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and popes.

Among them, the cardinals are even eligible to run for pope.

of course.

Due to changing times, the Vatican now only allows non-practitioners to run for pope.

As a religious practitioner, the Cardinal of Notre Dame Cathedral was clearly not qualified to run for pope, so he devoted all his energy to his spiritual practice.

This is probably why he went to such great lengths to apply to the French library for an opportunity to exhibit an ancient painting from the East at Notre Dame Cathedral.

They wanted to achieve a further breakthrough in their spiritual realm by studying the techniques of other civilizations.

Although the cardinal was old, his eyes were bright. He held a sandalwood box about half a meter long and about twenty centimeters wide in his hands, and his face was solemn.

Accompanied by bishops and priests, the cardinal walked to the front of Notre Dame Cathedral and changed the way he held the wooden box from horizontal to vertical, just like the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus. With the lights in the room, it even seemed to have a bit of the Virgin Mary's benevolence.

The painting will be displayed in the area outside the Notre Dame Cathedral, in a glass case about four meters high and half a meter wide and long, carried out of the cathedral by the monks.

It is said to be carved from a piece of pure, natural, and incredibly transparent crystal—well, when crystal reaches the level of "incredibly transparent," its texture is actually similar to glass, and it looks rather "cheap."

Seeing that everything was ready, the cardinal opened the box, took out the rolled-up painting, and unfurled it, revealing—

It was completely blank inside!

When some speculated that the ancient painting from the East might only appear under specific lighting conditions or with some special potion, the cardinal's face twisted in agony, and he shouted, "A sinner has switched the ancient painting!"

In an instant.

"The painting was stolen?"

"How could this happen?"

"Damn thief!"

"Someone actually dared to steal right under the archbishop's nose? This world is insane!"

"..."

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

As the scroll unfurled, two adorable cartoon-like icons appeared at the end: a black cat and a ladybug.

"The thieves are the Miracle Warrior and her sidekick: Black Cat Boy!"

The cardinal stared at the two portraits on the scroll and gritted his teeth, saying, "They are not heroes of Paris, but despicable thieves!"

For a moment, the believers outside Notre Dame Cathedral were abuzz with discussion, unable to believe that the black cat boy and the miracle warrior, who had once maintained order and caught thieves, could actually be the thieves who stole the paintings.

The way things unfolded was beyond Jiang Liu's expectations, but he still summoned the black cat and ladybug with great interest and asked, "I smell a conspiracy. What do you two think?"

# Chapter 776 Hearing of the Black Demon Butterfly

"It can't be Manali!"

"It definitely won't be Ai Jun!"

Ladybug and black cat trust their partners, saying, "Although they are impulsive and sometimes act recklessly because of their strength, they are kind at heart."

“Then let’s talk about their past experiences and their enemies in this city.”

Jiang Liu pondered for a moment, then asked the two little elves.

The black cat revealed the timing of Ejun and Manali's acquisition of them, while the ladybug suggested a possibility: "Perhaps it was the Black Demon Butterfly who did it."

There are nineteen spirits in total, representing Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Twelve Zodiac Animals. Among them, the spirit representing the "Five Elements" disappeared a thousand years ago. It was not until Manali and Ejun appeared that the spirits of the Five Elements reappeared and were controlled by a person called "Black Demon Butterfly".

That person's ability is to release a black butterfly. Once the black butterfly touches someone who also has strong negative emotions, that person will be "darkened." That is, under that special dark five elements power, the three gates and nine orifices and the eight extraordinary meridians will be temporarily opened, thus awakening the "innate ability" unique to that person.

Only the power of Yin and Yang can remove the "darkening" and make that person an ordinary person.

"Black Demon Butterfly? Blackened Butterfly?"

Jiang Liu stroked his chin, secretly deducing that the five elements of the human body are the five internal organs. If the Black Butterfly awakens a corresponding "innate ability" based on the five internal organs and five qi, combined with its own physical talents, it would be like creating a peculiar spirit. Moreover, the abilities that this spirit brings to others are determined by the possessed person's own physical talents.

If we consider that the Black Butterfly can only affect people with strong negative emotions, then this ability may also be affected by these negative emotions.

"It must be the Black Demon Butterfly."

Black Cat chimed in, "He's a real villain. He uses the Black Butterfly to find people who are having a negative emotional outburst, corrupts them, and makes them wreak havoc on the streets. He also tries to steal us from Manali and Ejun."

Jiang Liu wasn't surprised that the Black Demon Butterfly wanted to take away the Black Cat, the Ladybug, and the other twelve zodiac animals.

After all, considering that the other party was able to release the "Darkened Butterfly," which can sense and possess people with negative emotions and temporarily help them awaken their innate talents, it is clear that the other party has figured out the true function of these spirits—to absorb spirits into the body, refine oneself, and unite with the five internal organs.

He must want even greater power.

However, according to Black Cat and Ejun's descriptions, the Black Demon Butterfly seems to have quite a few principles. He only uses the corruption of others to fight against the Miracle Warrior and Black Cat Boy, and makes those "warriors" he corrupts steal and rob. He himself does not steal or rob, and has quite the gentlemanly demeanor.

Therefore, the theft of the ancient painting may be related to the Black Demon Butterfly, but based on the descriptions of the two little elves, that creature would not do something so "undignified"—so, there are two possibilities for the Black Demon Butterfly's true identity.

First, he is an elegant and sophisticated gentleman, an upper-class figure. His pride prevents him from committing despicable crimes such as theft, robbery, and arson, even if he becomes a "villain".

Secondly, he was a commoner who longed to become a gentleman and a refined person!

The more something a person doesn't have, the more they want to have it!

When an ordinary person suddenly gains power, their personality will inevitably change drastically. They will flaunt their power and crave respect! If they cannot become a righteous person, then they will become a villain!

how to say?

Having power but not acquired through cultivation means that one's mindset is not in sync with that power, making it very easy to go to extremes.

Based on the superhero movies Jiang Liu had seen in his previous life, his first impression was that the superheroes and supervillains' behavior and ways of doing things were quite "extreme".

"Jiang Liu, let's go and find the Black Demon Butterfly!" the black cat suggested, wanting to possess Jiang Liu and "transform" so they could go and cause trouble for the Black Demon Butterfly together.

“An ancient painting from my hometown has been stolen, and I really can’t just sit idly by. But do you know where the Black Demon Butterfly lives?” Jiang Liu didn’t want to wear that superhero costume that made him feel ashamed, so he grabbed the black cat and ladybug that were about to rush at him.

The black cat was stunned: "This..."

Ladybug was also stunned: "We really don't know where Black Demon Butterfly lives, or even his true identity. He fights us by corrupting others, at most observing from the sidelines. He never fights Ejun or Manali in person, making him extremely mysterious."

"In that case, let's not waste our energy. I'll try to confirm it using my own method..."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Liu looked to his left and saw Aijun and Manali leap onto the roof. Aijun was dressed in gray and yellow, with a pug's tail swishing behind his waist, embodying the spirit power of the dog in the Chinese zodiac; Manali was dressed in white with black stripes, and the mask covering the upper half of her face had the character "王" (king) written on it, utilizing the spirit power of the tiger in the Chinese zodiac.

In addition, ten other palm-sized sprites hovered beside the two, clearly intending to fight together and reclaim the ladybug and the black cat.

"You thief! Hand over the stolen ancient Chinese painting right now!" Manali scolded.

"And a black cat and a ladybug!"

Ejun added.

"It's Miracle Warrior and Black Cat Boy!" someone noticed the situation on the roof and shouted.

Suddenly, blinding beams of light shone down, forcing Aijun and Manali to shield their eyes.

"Now they're a dog boy and a white tiger girl!"

"They're all the same!"

"They're thieves!"

"No, perhaps someone deliberately set a trap for us!"

"..."

Some people are eager to stir up trouble, while others remain clear-headed.