Chapter 40: Wind's Tip

Qin Mu's eyes widened. Could this inconspicuous Zen staff really buy Dragonmount City?

"This Zen staff is called Xiqiluo. It has four prongs and twelve rings, and was forged by the Tathagata of Great Thunderclap Temple. It can even be used as a weapon, and its value should be comparable to Dragonmount City."

Grandpa Ma explained, "However, this staff is primarily for cultivation. When you hold it, if your mind stirs, the rings will move. Once they move, your distracting thoughts will vanish. It's a treasure for dispelling inner demons. The twelve rings can eliminate twelve types of distracting thoughts and remove twelve kinds of inner demons. When an inner demon arises, the rings will chime, ensnare the demon, and refine it into ash. The staff's four prongs represent cutting off the four births, contemplating the four noble truths, cultivating the four dhyanas, and entering the four meditations. Cultivating with this staff yields twice the results with half the effort."

Grandma Si's eyes immediately lit up, gleaming as she stared at the Zen staff in Qin Mu's hand. She chuckled, "Mu'er, let Granny borrow this staff for a moment. I have a major inner demon that has plagued me for a long time!"

Qin Mu handed the Xiqiluo Zen staff to Grandma Si and asked curiously, "Granny, what kind of inner demon lives in your heart?"

"An old geezer."

Grandma Si sighed, her brow furrowed. "An old geezer who can't be refined to death no matter what I do. I've killed him a thousand times, but he's still alive, constantly causing trouble in my mind! If I can use this staff to refine him to dust this time, I'll finally have some peace."

Qin Mu still didn't understand what kind of ancient demon plagued her mind, and Grandma Si offered no further explanation. As the Zen staff fell into her hands, it immediately rattled loudly, all twelve rings clattering together in a deafening din.

Grandma Si's demonic nature surged, emanating a terrifying, heart-pounding aura. This presence was utterly unlike her; it was as if another person had taken over!

Qin Mu felt a chill run down his spine. Another person actually resided within Grandma Si!

Blind Man, Grandpa Ma, Cripple, Apothecary, and Mute also felt their hair stand on end, instinctively taking a step back. That terrifying aura made them feel incredibly vulnerable!

After a moment, Grandma Si slumped, returning the Zen staff to Qin Mu. "This thing is useless," she said. "It can't do anything to that old demon. Damn it, why can't I just get rid of him!"

Qin Mu took the Zen staff, intending to tuck it behind his back with his bamboo staff. However, the Zen staff was too long to be carried that way, so he had to hold it in his hand.

"Throw that thing onto the ox cart; you're not a monk anyway."

Grandpa Ma said, "You've passed today's market day; you've completed the trial. There's no need to fight anymore. Defeating a Great Thunderclap Temple disciple is a huge achievement in itself. However, that Mingxin isn't a disciple of the Tathagata; he's still far from being one, do you understand?"

Qin Mu casually tossed the incredibly valuable Zen staff onto the ox cart and asked curiously, "How strong are the Tathagata's disciples?"

Grandpa Ma said calmly, "I was a disciple of the Tathagata in my younger days. Only when you can defeat me will you truly be a Hegemon Body."

Qin Mu's heart trembled slightly. During their daily boxing practice, Grandpa Ma only used his Spirit Embryo Realm cultivation, yet even then, Qin Mu was still beaten black and blue.

Considering Grandpa Ma only had one arm, how terrifying would his strength be if he had both?

Qin Mu realized he still had a long way to go in the Spirit Embryo Realm.

The market at Granny Temple was scheduled to end in two days. As evening approached, many began packing their goods and moving into the temple. This spacious temple, guarded by stone statues, was quite extraordinary. It offered a safe haven where darkness could not encroach.

Qin Mu drove the ox cart into Granny Temple. Looking up, he saw the setting sun hanging over the mountain, illuminating what was known as the Heavenly Wolf Palace.

Upon entering the temple, he understood why the map referred to the Heavenly Wolf Palace as Granny Temple: the main hall enshrined a kind and amiable old woman.

The old woman had kind eyes and a benevolent face, resembling a friendly elderly woman from a neighboring village, yet with a hint of slyness in her gaze. The carving was remarkably vivid and lifelike.

Qin Mu was surprised by her resemblance to Grandma Si and took a closer look. However, when he used his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye, he was greatly startled.

This benevolent-looking old woman was actually emanating an overwhelming aura. Her divine light formed an impossibly tall and colossal giant wolf, roaring towards the sky, as if it intended to devour the heavens themselves!

Besides the main hall, there was also a front hall, two side halls, and a vast garden with a pond. However, the garden was now devoid of plants, and the pond was dry, revealing several bones beneath.

Qin Mu leaned in for a look. They appeared to be fish bones, but they were enormous, about six or seven zhang long. Strangely, these fish bones had dragon-like skulls!

Apothecary called him back and applied medicine to his wounds. Meanwhile, Blind Man and Mute were frying an egg that the chicken-dragon had laid – a coconut-sized egg, and the chicken-dragon was clucking contentedly.

Inside Granny Temple, other villagers also began to light fires and prepare dinner. The sun was setting, and they would soon retire for the night after their meal.

Just then, a young man suddenly ran from outside the temple, his face contorted with anxiety, shouting, "Midwife! Is there a midwife here? My wife is about to give birth!"

Everyone in the temple stood up and looked at him, but no one uttered a word.

Grandma Si stood up, her voice trembling slightly. "I've delivered babies in my time; my hands are skilled. Can your wife wait? It's getting dark. If she can hold on until tomorrow, I can come over…"

The young man dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly as he cried, "We can't wait! Please, wise midwife, help us! The child is having a difficult birth, and the village midwife couldn't deliver it!"

Grandma Si glanced at the setting sun, a troubled expression on her face.

"Help! Help!"

The young man's forehead was bleeding from kowtowing, and he cried, "My wife has conceived several children in recent years, but they all died during childbirth, born lifeless! If this one also dies, my family line will end!"

Grandma Si was surprised. "They all died during childbirth?"

The young man nodded repeatedly. Grandma Si said suspiciously, "If she can get pregnant and go into labor, it's impossible for the babies to die at birth. There must be something unusual happening. Is your village far from here?"

"Not far! It's less than twenty li from Granny Temple!"

Grandma Si glanced at the setting sun, then let out a breath. "Less than twenty li? You're from Zhang Village, which isn't far. We can make it before dark. Blind Man, Mu'er, come with me; there's something strange going on."

Qin Mu was surprised. Grandma Si usually had such an eccentric temper; he hadn't expected her to be so eager to help.

The man quickly scrambled to his feet and sprinted towards Zhang Village. He was likely a martial artist, moving very fast, fearing they wouldn't make it in time. Just as he was about to turn back and urge Grandma Si and the others to hurry, he saw that Grandma Si and Blind Man were still steadily keeping pace behind him, and even the eleven or twelve-year-old boy had caught up.

"Your pace is too slow."

Blind Man said calmly, "Mu'er, carry him on your back and speed up, before the sun sets."

Qin Mu immediately rushed forward, and without a word, lifted the man onto his back. "Be careful," he said, "I have a knife on my back; don't get cut."

The man quickly replied, "Put me down; you won't be able to run fast with me on your back…"

Before he finished speaking, a strong wind suddenly whistled past his ears. Qin Mu leaped up, burst out of the forest, and sped away, bounding over tree leaves with the man on his back!

The man was terrified. The wind rushing past his ears grew stronger, and he felt the boy carrying him accelerate rapidly. He was utterly bewildered. "How did this young man cultivate?" he thought. "He's far stronger than me!"

As Qin Mu ran, he felt as if he was treading on the wind, and his heart stirred. "Cripple Grandpa said that when he tempered his body, he was in the Spirit Embryo Realm, walking on the 'wind's edge'," he mused. "If I can find the 'wind's edge,' couldn't I also walk on the wind? But what exactly is the 'wind's edge'?"

He had no time to ponder further as he ran. The man on his back was still worrying if Grandma Si and Blind Man could keep up. Suddenly, he saw the two elders sitting cross-legged directly behind Qin Mu, effortlessly carried along by the whirlwind generated from Qin Mu's furious sprint, their speed no less than his!

"What kind of movement technique is this?"

His mind went blank. The sun finally set behind the western mountains, and darkness rolled in from the west, overwhelming everything and devouring all in its path.

Qin Mu moved incredibly fast. Spotting Zhang Village in the distance, he immediately sprinted towards it, finally bursting into the village just before the encroaching darkness could reach him!

Whoosh—

Though he stopped, the strong wind he generated continued to whistle forward. Grandma Si and Blind Man, serene in the wind, drifted forward for over a dozen zhang before finally extending their legs and landing steadily on the ground.

Qin Mu paused, then his heart surged with wild joy. "The 'wind's edge'! So this is what it is!"