Hua Jingchun stared at Wu Huai's head in a daze.
Shi Jingzhi studied the head thoroughly and gave it to Chi Gou. Hua Jingchun got the head of an old friend and didn't know what to do with it.
Wu Huai and his father had known each other since childhood and had great admiration for the Chi Gou Sect. Wu Huai, with his talent, followed the members of the Yinxian Society when he was young, and never returned to Chao Yi. At first, he would write some letters for him, but gradually, even the letters disappeared.
The hot blood often turns cold, and the youth is fleeting. Perhaps Wu Huai saw the vast world and had no interest in the barren northwest and the tomb-grabbing sect.
Yidu is a glamorous world, Wu Huai didn't want to go back to Shafu, so he didn't go back. Hua Jingchun was not surprised and didn't investigate further.
He was always decisive in his work and never obsessed with love affairs. It was not until Wuxue Po was killed and the "Young Master" appeared that he saw Wu Huai's familiar yet strange face again.
He was already over 40 years old, and his time seemed to have stopped. The only thing that could prove that they had known each other was Wu Huai's remaining trace of "mercy" - he did not kill him on the spot, but had someone throw him off the Sansheng Cliff.
Apart from that, I only saw an arrogant and cold stranger.
The Yinxian Society has a rather tepid image to the outside world, and Wu Huai is not a reckless person who follows the crowd. More than 20 years have passed, and the changes in the other party have made Hua Jingchun tremble with fear. Being targeted by such an organization, has Chi Gou really escaped
In the end, he agreed to the proposal of Kushan Sect and requested to hold a martial arts conference in the name of Chigou. Anyway, Chigou Sect is a real demon sect, so there is no need to get involved. According to Yin Ci, the martial arts conference can distract the attention of Yinxianhui and seek peace in Chigou for the time being.
The Kushan Sect still held their young leader hostage, so Hua Jingchun couldn't find a reason to refuse. Anyway, according to the agreement, Chi Gou only needed to talk...
…No way!
"Master Shi, we proposed the martial arts conference, and the response was good."
Hua Jingchun endured the pain and his neck became sore from tilting his head back.
"This series of disasters came strangely, and all the sects suffered heavy losses. Seeing that Tai Heng wanted to get his flesh, everyone would always want to fight back. If this situation continues, Tai Heng will have to give a response in two days. So..."
Shi Jingzhi slowly poked his head out: "So?"
"So I've cleared the favor I owe you! Even if I teach you how to dig graves, there's still a limit!" Hua Jingchun held the corpse in his hands, wanting to cry but unable to. "You can't do that!"
Shi Jingzhi smiled brightly, and his head slowly shrank back into the shadows.
This is not Kushan Sect, it is clearly a den of foxes. The master and the disciple are both more wicked than each other, Hua Jingchun regrets it and thinks that the title of Demon Sect should be handed over to others.
Two or three days ago, the news of the martial arts conference was released, and Xu Jingming was sent away. Hua Jingchun was about to discuss the matter of Su Si, but Shi Jingzhi made another request.
Sister Hua, I want to see the shrine in Shafu City. The head of the sect looked very sincere and harmless at that time. Don't you have a good relationship with the officials of Shafu? Can you find a way to ask for the shrine to be sealed on the day of the festival? Just say that Chi Gou wants to worship the God of the Diwu
The Chi Gou Sect often wanders around tombs and is particularly concerned with ghosts and gods. They have worshipped gods in temples before, and now that they have suffered a great disaster, they should worship them. The Kushan Sect is just adding something, so it doesn't matter if they bring it along.
Then he agreed readily and regretted it thoroughly.
Chi Gou gave Kushan Sect three hours to clear the way, but at that time he thought Kushan Sect might have got some clues and wanted to search for some hidden objects in the shrine. But who knew that these two beasts came in with two bags of tools, rushed straight to the statue, and tinkered behind it.
The clanging sound made Hua Jingchun's teeth ache. Fortunately, the Chi Gou Sect was a demon sect, so she could not resist the urge to expose the two people. She held her head in her hands and wanted to cry but could not cry.
Originally, I wanted to make some wishes in front of the gods, so that Wu Huai could leave peacefully and avoid returning to Chi Gou to cause trouble. Now it seems that the Diwu God did not punish him personally, which is really kind to the core. I just hope that when the master and disciple are struck by the five thunders, the nine heavenly thunders will strike on time and not implicate the Chi Gou Divine Sect.
If the flower guardian could see the scene behind the statue, he probably wouldn't even be able to stay in the temple.
Yin Ci looked at Hua Jingchun, who was in a dilemma, and patted Shi Jing on the back: "Be careful, don't really scare people."
"No problem, I can't see it." Shi Jingzhi squatted lower, the silver knife in his hand gleaming. "Three hours is still a bit tight, we have to hurry up."
According to the plan, after the martial arts conference, they will eventually fall out with the Yinxian Society. Then they will have no chance to get close to the Flesh God Statue, so it is better to borrow Chi Gou's face and study it.
The two of them removed a large piece of the outer shell according to the texture, and suddenly saw the meat statue wrapped in the shell. This statue was obviously fresher than the one in Yongsheng Temple. The meat statue's eyes moved quickly, and as soon as it saw the two of them, it immediately shed tears.
Shi Jingzhi gently peeled off the layers of flesh paste, taking out some from time to time to put them on. The statue slowly healed, and Yin Ci controlled the shape with sword energy to ensure that Shi Jingzhi could peel deeper and deeper. The statue was huge, and as Shi Jingzhi went deeper and deeper, it became more and more difficult to separate the flesh paste. Shi Jingzhi had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and he didn't have time to wipe it off. Many beads of sweat passed over his eyelashes and seeped into his hands.
Just as Shi Jingzhi was about to blink hard to relieve the pain, Yin Ci freed his hand and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Thank you." Shi Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief. "How long is left?"
"Half an hour."
"I've almost gotten to the bottom of it. Do you still have that weird feeling?"
Yin Ci was silent for a moment, then murmured firmly: "It's stronger than before."
"I roughly memorized the way the meat paste was stacked. Do you remember the giant tree root statue in the forbidden area? The structure of the meat statue is exactly the same as the direction of the tree roots. That must have been the 'manufacturing diagram' used to show the sculptor."
Shi Jingzhi locked the incision of the Meat Statue with his hands and continued to cut towards the top with both hands.
Yin Zizhu is a mortal, and these flesh pastes were also originally mortals. Both were stained with "Chang'an", but their situations were very different. Yin Ci had an inexplicable familiarity with these flesh statues, and it was not without reason. The flesh statues were made by mortals, and since they were man-made, he would definitely be able to find flaws -
hiss.
There was a slight sound, and Shi Jingzhi's blade touched something.
A piece of white cloth with bloody words appeared among the layers of flesh paste. The white cloth was soaked with blood and was not too piercing in the dark red flesh paste. One could only vaguely make out its old color. It was located in the center of the flesh statue, wrapping a relatively solid object. Thick flesh paste and bones were intertwined on it, firmly protecting the object behind the white cloth in the center.
That is most likely the "core" of the meat statue.
Shi Jingzhi felt around and chose a protrusion that was not covered by too much bone. He endured the soreness in his wrist and carefully picked up the white cloth, as if he was tending to a fragile flower bud.
The body behind the cloth seems a little stiff, perhaps hiding the secret of the immortality of the flesh statue.
With the answer in front of him, Shi Jingzhi felt a little sad. Thinking back to when they were in the forbidden area, they were busy watching out for each other, and their minds were full of flesh. It was a pity that they let the flesh statue burn beyond recognition.
… There’s still time for everything.
Shi Jingzhi did not destroy the cloth with the bloody words written on it. He took a deep breath, and the silver knife deftly found the gap, and finally turned the cloth over completely.
Half of a pale hand was revealed.
The hand was slender and beautiful, with an extremely fair complexion, without any signs of decay. The slowly wriggling flesh paste made his spine shiver.
He had seen this hand. He had kissed this hand. This hand had protected him when he was young and had given him a safe hug.
… He would never make a mistake, this was Yin Ci’s hand.
Before he realized it, the malicious truth had penetrated his chest. Shi Jingzhi's hands finally trembled, and the silver knife almost fell to the ground with a clang.
Yin Ci was standing beside him and could not see the narrow incision. He thought Shi Jingzhi was exhausted and was about to say something to comfort him when he saw the man turn around, his eyes full of fear.
"I know..."
Shi Jingzhi licked his cracked lips, his voice a little weak. He tried to find a gentle and harmless way to say something, but he couldn't find a clean place in the bloody place.
"I know why He Cheng'an wanted to chop your flesh over and over again. This meat statue is not of the same kind as you. Its core is made of 'you'."
He blurted out almost in despair.
Yin Ci didn't react immediately. He looked at Shi Jingzhi blankly for a while, and was about to go closer to see it himself, but was stopped by Shi Jingzhi's hand.
Shi Jingzhi's voice was dry: "The one in front is your body. You... you have been mentally unstable recently, don't take it seriously."
After saying that, Master Shi restored the meat paste on the white cloth layer by layer. Then he stood in front of the meat paste, waiting for the incision to heal slowly. Yin Ci did not force him to move, but just stood there silently, obviously waiting for him to continue.
Shi Jingzhi stood there as if he had lost his soul, countless fragments swirling in his mind, and the fragmented discoveries gradually made sense.
The earliest Emperor's House shrine was in Yidu, and was built by the first generation of masters. In the following hundred years, only a dozen shrines were added.
The flesh statue was so complicated that it was impossible to make it in one go. The original shrine was probably built with Yin Ci's body as a test site. Yin Ci's body was limited, so the masters did not dare to waste it too much, and the statue was built conservatively.
Two hundred years ago, imperial shrines began to appear on a large scale like mushrooms after a rain.
That was the era of Queen Milan, and similar things happened in that era, and they even saw it with their own eyes. Queen Milan's secret book of magic was based on a single human being as the core, and everyone as flesh and blood. Although the "ingredients" were impure, it could also absorb essence and ensure its own immortality.
However, the secret book contained some intact ancient corpses. At the beginning, Shi Jingzhi just thought that the two were very similar and did not continue to investigate. Now, looking back, they have never been far away from the truth.
The corpse is completely dead, and the meridians are not connected. How can the vital energy flow? If you really want to dredge the vital energy, you need to connect the whole living flesh.
Chen Qianfan's voice sounded in my mind again.
Shi Jingzhi wiped the sweat from his forehead and said bitterly: "I have a guess..."
"The Yinxian Society, inspired by Queen Milan's secret book, has begun to manufacture flesh statues on a large scale." Yin Ci spoke first, his voice still calm. "Using my bodyless corpse as the 'core', raising ordinary demon materials to make meat paste, they can make thousands of statues."
"Well, there's one more thing. The structure of the Flesh Statue is the same as that of the Tree Root Colossus, and the structure of the Tree Root Colossus is exactly the same as your 'real body'. They are made exactly like you, they are your..." Shi Jingzhi couldn't go on.
Yin Ci placed one hand on the flesh statue, staring at the tearful eyes of the flesh paste. He didn't know if there was any consciousness behind these eyes, nor did he know if his voice could be heard.
After a long sigh, Yin Ci finally said the words that none of them wanted to say.
"They are my 'imitations'."
When he said this, Yin Ci's heart almost stopped beating.
When he first discovered that the Flesh God Statue was immortal, he had guessed it, but in his guess, he must be one of them, or perhaps an exceptionally successful "finished product".
In the end, he is the first one, he is the original "meat statue".
This was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Some people knew his "real body" and used it to create a giant tree root statue, and had people copy the outer shell. Some people studied the magic of Mi Lan and used the secret book to use his body as the "core". Some people even created villages like "Yuanxian Village" to obtain meat and labor.
These are not something that can be accomplished in a moment or with the efforts of one person. It takes at least a hundred years of accumulation to achieve. The masters spent so much hard work, not just for the sake of curiosity. Why put these poor imitations everywhere
... Maybe he knew why.
Yin Ci approached respectfully, holding his cheeks with both hands to steady the man's head.
Shi Jingzhi's face was still covered with sweat, and Yin Ci could even feel the hot air coming out of him. Without saying a word, Shi Jingzhi seemed to realize something, and his panic gradually turned into sadness.
However, Yin Ci still spoke.
"In order to maintain its activity, the secret book can continuously absorb essence. The northern land is desolate, and it can still survive for a hundred years by preying on a few monsters."
The flesh statue is considered half a living creature, its form is more perfect than it, and its ability is only stronger.
"Aci..."
"Meat statues don't need to fight, and they don't need to move. They are placed in prosperous cities, and there is an endless stream of worshippers. They have obviously absorbed too much essence, and the excess must have a place to go."
Those with more essence in their bodies are called demon materials, which occasionally appear in the world. The demon materials in Yuanxian Village are not outstanding, but their number is unusually large. If you deliberately increase the essence, you can artificially create demon materials...
What can be accomplished by gathering all the energy of the people
"Zizhu, stop talking." Shi Jingzhi tried to step back, but Yin Ci held his head firmly.
"Why didn't I think of it earlier? I've seen Xu Li's only child, and that kid is definitely not a Lustful Child. The Lustful Children of previous generations were not good at all, so much so that Queen Mi Lan 200 years ago only left her name in history. It wasn't until the shrines were everywhere that the Lustful Children gradually became popular - interestingly enough, I killed one of them myself."
He said something like "the saint sacrificed himself to heaven, and heaven bestowed such a blessing." In the end, the master did not tell Queen Milan the truth.
Yin Ci's voice became softer and softer.
"That makes sense. How can a person generate so many desires out of thin air? It's just that when you worship before the gods, your spirit is already full of desires. You are infused with such spirit, so you will naturally look like this."
“…” Shi Jingzhi remained silent. He stared at Yin Ci, his amber eyes a little moist.
The two stood behind the statue. The space was narrow, as if they were the only two people between heaven and earth. The air in their noses was filled with the scent of solemn incense, and around them were the ugly, squirming flesh. The surroundings seemed like a dream.
How wonderful it would be if this situation and scene were really a dream.
Shi Jingzhi racked his brains and tried his best to find a few words to refute Yin Ci and deny this horrible conjecture. Unfortunately, Yin Ci's magic was very powerful and he could not find any flaws.
Yin Ci's inference is 99% correct.
He flows with the blood of this man's enemy and is the flower that grows on this man's corpse.
Even if he was the great general Yin Zizhu, there should be a limit to his resentment. Shi Jingzhi was not guilty, but his heart still hurt. With a strong sense of pity, he had no time to think about this conspiracy, and his heart was wavering - was it better to beg "don't take your anger out on me" or just let Yin Ci vent his anger
Shi Jingzhi couldn't get an answer. He simply closed his eyes and pretended to be at your mercy.
Unexpectedly, he didn't wait for Yin Ci's anger, not even a suppressed gasp of anger. It was quiet for a moment, and then something warm and soft pressed against his lips, and the slightly hot tip of the tongue pried open his teeth.
It was a kiss, passionate but short. After a moment of intimacy, Yin Ci finally let go of Master Shi's head.
"I win," he announced quietly.
Shi Jingzhi: “… ?”
"Let's go back to the bet on Lianshan Mountain. If I can solve the cause of your illness first, you will agree to one of my requests."
"Ah?" After experiencing both ice and fire, Sect Leader Shi was still a little dazed.
There was no trace of resentment on Yin Ci's face, and he still looked his usual bad boy: "What? Everything is excessive, and Yu Zi is still a mortal son after all. How can he live long with so much essence infused into him? Your meridians are probably torn by the excessive essence."
"... I won, and I want to pay on credit first." After saying this, the man even emphasized it again.
Shi Jingzhi touched his chest, and before he could come to his senses, he asked, "Are you not disgusted by me?"
At this moment, he even forgot the cause of his illness.
Considering that Hua Jingchun was still in the shrine, Yin Ci held back his laughter and said, "What nonsense! If you were still holding a grudge for such a reason, I would have slaughtered all the royal family of Yun Dynasty long ago. I am so happy to meet you."
Otherwise he might never know the truth.
"The 'achievements' accumulated by the Yinxian Society for a hundred years are mine, and the most promising descendants of the Xu and Sun families are mine. Is there anything more wonderful than this in the world?"
Hearing this familiar question, Shi Jingzhi was stunned for a long time. Yin Ci looked at him with a smile, just like before knowing the truth.
Sect Leader Shi sobered up for a while, and finally smiled a less twisted smile. He stretched out his hands, wanting to hug Yin Ci in front of him. Really, Shi Jingzhi thought. The cause of the disease he had been looking for for many years has been found. Although there are still countless mysteries to be solved, he has never been so relieved...
Wait, something's wrong.
Yin Ci watched as Shi Jingzhi's hugging posture slowly changed, then he hugged his head and slowly squatted down.
"Let's not talk about what they created the Desire Child for, nor what the Vision Meat is all about." Shi Jingzhi said with a smile, "If the cause of the disease is really like that, if I want to continue to live, shouldn't I destroy all the statues of the Meat God?"
… There were thousands of shrines, and even if he and Yin Ci were to move together, they would not be able to destroy all of them in time.
Isn't he dead?!
Outside the shrine.
Su Si and Yan Qing were wearing ragged refugee clothes, hiding in a dark alley, bored and guarding a few bags of kerosene. Yan Qing checked the time from time to time, and Su Si nodded his head, looking like he was about to fall asleep.
"Time is almost up." Yan Qing reminded considerately.
Su Si wiped his face, his eyes a little scattered: "Three hours, my waist is stiff... Sanzi, have you set a fire before? Are you really okay?"
"I didn't let him go." Yan Qing said calmly, "But if you and I were to play the role of refugees who 'bear a grudge against Chi Gou and intend to take revenge', wouldn't it arouse suspicion if we become proficient in it?"
"Your thoughts are really scary sometimes." Su Si patted his face, and the last bit of sleepiness disappeared. "You said those two were weird, they sneaked in perfectly this time, and brought everything with them. If they had been more careful, it would have been over, but they set a fire after that, aren't they just looking for trouble?"
Yan Qing tightly grasped the kerosene bag and was stunned for a moment, which was unusual for him: "The master may have other considerations."
"What are you thinking about? I've never seen you lose focus while working."
"Thinking about you." Yan Qing's face was serious. "Chi Gou wants you to take over as the young leader. Do you plan to stay?"
Su Si was stunned. He was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Third son, do you want me to stay? If I stay here, won't it be very hard for you?"
Who would have thought that Yan Qing would not buy into this at all: "I know you, you don't look hesitant, the headmaster even came to discuss something with you yesterday. If you have any ideas, tell me..."
"No idea." Su Si raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you say that people like me won't even say goodbye when they leave? Oh, yes, you also said that if I ask you, you will believe me."
Yan Qing was completely choked by his own words. He looked at Su Si helplessly for a while, then picked up the kerosene and set the fire at the agreed time.
The fire started to touch the kerosene, and the flames shot up eight feet. Shafu was dry and water-scarce, and within half an incense stick of time, the shrine was already filled with thick smoke and flames.
The next day, the news of Yueshui Pavilion spread all over the country.
The young leader of Chigou was extremely evil and had a great influence. Wu Huai died, and the people were furious. The Chigou people took Wu Huai's head to worship the gods to get rid of the evil, but were set on fire by desperate criminals. The Chigou believers were not killed, but the Shafu Temple was destroyed in the morning due to the uncontrolled fire.
According to rumors from onlookers, a young child passed by the place where the statue was burned and heard many sighs of relief. How can there be sighs of relief when disaster is ahead? I'm afraid this is just a rumor spread among the people, so please don't believe it.