Ji Yuan's words made the old beggar stunned for a moment. He looked at the old emperor's body on the bed and then at Ji Yuan who had already left. A rare complex expression appeared on his face.
"Why… "
The old beggar sighed and turned away.
There were deafening cries inside and outside the bedroom. The news of the emperor's death spread out. Everyone in the palace, from the palace maids to the guards, knelt down facing the bedroom. The news of Emperor Yuande's death would soon be announced to the whole country.
The old beggar walked out of the palace wall and saw the ghost leaving from afar.
At this time, the old emperor's soul had just left his body. The shade umbrella blocked the sunlight, so his soul was not hurt. It was not yet blown by the night wind, and a sense of human aura had not dissipated. In essence, he was not yet a ghost.
With a determined heart, the old beggar simply used his magic power, and in a few steps he ran as fast as the wind and chased after him. When he passed by the ghost, he pulled out a long, thin red rope from the pocket of his rags and threw it towards the old emperor's soul.
Without the evil spirit and the old emperor noticing, the red rope was directly wrapped around the old emperor's waist.
After doing all this, the old beggar clapped his hands and left in another direction.
Ji Yuan, who left earlier, didn't bother with the old beggar anymore. Although he was the one who found the beggar, he couldn't control his freedom. He left the palace alone and walked along Yongning Street in the prosperous capital of Gyeonggi.
The streets were bustling with vendors and people, many of whom came from all over the world. Even if they knew the news of the old emperor's death, for these people it was just an "oops" or "oh" after dinner.
"Mr. Ji, please stay! Mr. Ji, please stay!"
The old beggar's voice came from behind. Ji Yuan stopped and looked back at him as he rushed to his side.
After the old beggar arrived, the two of them walked forward together.
"Mr. Ji is going back to Jizhou?"
"Let's go back first, and then go out for a walk after a while."
After hearing Ji Yuan’s answer, the old beggar said “Oh” and seemed to have nothing to say. The two of them walked towards the land temple.
Because the two of them were walking at the speed of an ordinary person, when they arrived outside the land temple, the old beggar suddenly asked another question.
"Mr. Ji, if the old emperor had grabbed your mooncake, would you have come out to give the old emperor some advice?"
Sometimes, Ji Yuan felt helpless. These people with great cultivation and profound Taoism always liked to think too much, but in his opinion, some things were actually just as simple as one and two.
The old beggar was probably wondering why Ji Yuan suddenly became interested in the old emperor. Or maybe he had always cared about him before, but Ji Yuan was just touched by some thoughts today and decided to do it on impulse.
"Mr. Lu, if he catches me, then he catches me. I haven't even thought about this kind of thing. It's just a pie in the sky."
"Didn't you give it to me on purpose?"
The old beggar asked again. Ji Yuan wanted to reply "You're overthinking it", but suddenly he lost interest in talking to him anymore.
"At this point, why should Mr. Lu think about this anymore?"
The old beggar also smiled.
"Mr. Ji, do you think it's boring to talk to an old beggar? Yes, in terms of cultivation and state of mind, the old beggar is far inferior to you. Before Yang Zong died, he was indeed worthy of being the old beggar's disciple. I have disappointed you, Mr. Ji."
"Whether or not I am a disciple with a few breaths to live, the difference between life and death is a matter of a thought. It has different meanings for Yang Zong and me. As the saying goes, death is like the extinguishing of a lamp. If the body and soul are not complete, then it is no longer a perfect person..."
Hearing the old beggar say this, Ji Yuan subconsciously turned his head to look at him. There seemed to be some deeper meaning behind his words
"Why? Mr. Lu wants to take in the Yang clan now? But you also said that death is like the extinguishing of a lamp. Since you cared about the integrity of the body and soul before, why do you change your mind now?"
By this time, the two had arrived at the land temple, and the little beggar in the temple also ran out, which put a temporary stop to their conversation.
Because Ji Yuan and the old beggar were both visible and did not use any tricks, the God of Land did not show up either.
"Grandpa Lu!"
Xiao You came running and jumping over. The pockets of his beggar's clothes were bulging, most likely from the offerings on the incense table. But considering the little beggar's character, it was definitely not stolen.
"Mr. Ji!"
When he arrived, the young beggar first bowed to Ji Yuan, then he approached the old beggar and showed him the food in his pocket as if he was presenting a treasure.
"Let's go. Even though it was given to you by the God of Land, if the temple keeper sees you, he will probably chase you out with a broom!"
Ji Yuan's joke made the little beggar's face change drastically, and he quickly pulled the old beggar away.
The three of them just bowed in the direction of the land temple and turned away. After leaving for a while, Ji Yuan and the old beggar continued the previous topic.
The old beggar finally told Ji Yuan the truth.
"Mr. Ji, you saw me beheading someone that day. Did you find it a little strange?"
How could I have forgotten that thing? Ji Yuan nodded and said frankly.
"The old gentleman was truly beheaded that day, not by trickery. The blood that splattered was real, and it was indeed miraculous. According to common sense, even if he was an immortal cultivator, he would have no special skills and a strong body to protect him, but if he was beheaded directly, it would be a matter of life and death."
"hey-hey… "
The old beggar couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself that finally you have found a chance and you admire me for not being able to see through me.
"I am ready to take Yang Zong as my disciple. When he is punished by the underworld, I will go to the underworld of Jingji Prefecture to ask for him. You don't need to trouble Mr. Ji to go with me, but please leave a decree. Jingji Prefecture will give you more face."
"It's not that difficult, but I'm very curious now. From what you said, can Yang Zong's body and soul be intact?"
It is difficult for ghosts to practice cultivation, and even walking the path of gods is fraught with difficulties, because their bodies are imperfect. Ghosts and gods cultivate their Dharma bodies and golden bodies, which is also a step towards perfection. The old beggar does not seem to want his disciples to walk the path of gods.
It was rare to see Ji Yuan looking so serious and curious, and the old beggar suddenly felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"Old beggar, I have a special skill that I have studied for a long time. The beheading that year was just the manifestation of one of the skills. A hundred years ago, I raised a few sections of Jade Lotus. Now there are three or five flowers and more than ten sections of lotus roots. This thing is extremely precious. Like several kinds of fairy bamboo in the world, it is the best at storing and nurturing souls that have left the body. First, I can prevent Yang Zongxin's soul from falling into the ghost path. After that, Mr. Ji, guess what the old beggar wants to do?"
When the old beggar talked about the Jade Lotus, a picture popped up in Ji Yuan's mind: a chubby child wearing a red bellyband, holding a red silk and stepping on a ring of fire.
"Mr. Lu, are you trying to tell me that you want to use the lotus root of the Jade Moon Lotus to rebuild a real body for Yang Zong?"
The old beggar was waiting for Ji Yuan to say "I really don't know" and then tell the other party an unexpected answer. But when he heard Ji Yuan's words, he was dumbfounded and blurted out.
"You can guess this too!?"
Do I need to guess
Ji Yuan's mouth twitched involuntarily, and another picture emerged in his mind. It was the old emperor Yang Zong, who looked withered and covered with spots, but was majestic without even getting angry. The image of the old emperor and Nezha next to him were gradually overlapping.
"Hiss..."
This scene is hard to imagine.
"Uh, Mr. Ji, what's wrong with you?"
"Mr. Lu, you are going to reshape Yang Zong's body. Are you going to make him a child or keep his original appearance?"
The old beggar was even more confused. Ji Yuan was not surprised at all. Not only did he not say anything strange, but he was concerned about some strange questions.
"Of course it should be kept as it is. Is there any other benefit in making a child?"
Seeing Ji Yuan’s reaction, the old beggar couldn’t help but think in this direction.
"No, no, no, just keep it as it is. Children are no good!"
Ji Yuan waved his hands, which made the old beggar look at him suspiciously. To the old beggar, Ji Yuan was always a mysterious person and he didn't know what he was thinking. He could only ask for the book and then take Xiao You to the underworld.
It’s a pity that Ji Yuan couldn’t see anything for a while. Yang Zong’s punishment in the underworld would last for a while, and watching people being punished was probably not his hobby.
The old beggar's Bi Yue Lian was kept somewhere else. Besides, the old beggar was always reluctant to reveal his true background. After all, it was a special magic method and would definitely not be seen by outsiders.
After several indirect attempts, the old beggar just played dumb. Ji Yuan guessed that he would not be able to see the process of shaping people in the future, so he finally said goodbye and left.
. . .
The death of the old emperor was indeed a major event in Dazhen, but it didn’t seem to be a big deal, at least it had no impact on ordinary people.
Apart from the first few days when we heard the news and some heated discussions after dinner, people continued to live their lives as usual.
In the blink of an eye, it is already the last day of the Ding Hai Year.
On New Year's Eve, every household in Jizhou has pasted up window decorations and red couplets, and those who have the means have also hung up big red lanterns. The wealthy families have even prepared firecrackers and other items early, not to mention the New Year's Eve dinner that every family must prepare carefully.
In the Wei family residence in Desheng Prefecture, a woman was sitting in the house, staring blankly outside the door.
"It's New Year's Eve again..."
After a while, it started snowing outside.
"Ma'am, it's cold, would you like me to close the door?"
The maidservant on the side saw that it was snowing a bit and asked a question.
"No need, it's nice to look at the snow."
At this moment, outside the gate of Wei Mansion, four people were walking towards the door. The two leading them were walking hurriedly, looking impatient.
"Stop, who are you? What brings you to the gate of my Wei Mansion?"
Wei Wuwei took off the hood of his cloak, revealing a chubby face.
"What do you think?"
"Master!" "Master!"
Several doormen and servants nearby suddenly became excited and shouted. Wei Yuansheng had long been impatient and ran directly into the mansion, shouting all the way.
"Mother... I'm back... Mother, Yuansheng is back...!"
The sound was not only loud but also penetrating, and it could be heard far away in the inner palace.
The woman sitting in the room stood up suddenly.
"Xiao Cui, did you hear that?"
"It seems that the young master is back?"
As he was speaking, Wei Yuansheng, with his footsteps as fast as the wind, had already run to his mother's house relying on his memory.
"Mother!"
Mu looked at the child in front of her, who was about seven or eight years old. Although he was much older, she recognized him as Wei Yuansheng at a glance.
"Yuansheng!" "Mother!"
Wei Yuansheng threw himself directly into Mu's arms, but he also restrained his strength so as not to knock her down.
"Why haven't you come back to see me for so long? Why haven't you come home for so long... I thought I would never see you again..."
The five years of waiting seemed too long, and Mu couldn't hold back her tears and burst into tears.