Chapter 304 Be Xu Xian in Your Next Life (1/2)

Ning Tao was not interested in either the Gold Raiders Sect or the Hill Moving Sect. But this concerned a secret, so he could only ask patiently, “Who is this Liu Jinyin? What happened that day?”

Zeng Xunlong seemed to be recollecting. He continued, “Liu Jinyin is highly esteemed in our Gold Raiders Sect. We are all his disciples or grand-disciples. He is already over 90. The older he gets, the less he wants to die. Recently, he started hobnobbing with some cultivators, looking for a way to live forever…”

“Go on,” Ning Tao said. He knew that these cultivators Zeng Xunlong had mentioned were really practitioners of the Way.

Zeng Xunlong continued. “That day, I was delivering a few precious medicinal herbs and a 1,000-year-old ginseng to him. There were two youths visiting him that day. I have never seen such good-looking youths. Liu Jinyin took the herbs and made me wait. He started talking with those two youths in his study. I don’t know what they said. But after the two youths emerged from the study, Liu Jinyin asked me in. He gave me a map and we started talking about an immortal’s tomb. He told me that someone was offering a commission of 100 million. He would not take any of it— all of it would be mine. He only wanted the Picture of the Six Samsara Realms from the tomb. I have never been offered such a large sum, so I left for this place with my five disciples without much thought.”

Ning Tao had already recalled two persons. He asked, “Those two youths you mentioned, were they around 16 to 17? There was a small mole on the girl’s chin, right?”

Zeng Xunlong thought for a while before replying, “Yes, yes. There was a small mole on the girl’s chin.” Then he suddenly asked, “You know who they are?”

Ning Tao did not answer Zeng Xunlong’s question. He said, “You were duped by those two youths. Even if you lay your hands on that Picture of the Six Samsara Realms, you would still die. The 100 million commission is indeed tempting. But it’s only a deadly bait to entice you. You won’t live to spend it.”

Zeng Xunlong bowed his head, his expression dull and lifeless. Indeed, given his present predicament, what good would it do to know the youths’ identities?

“How did you know this tomb needs five lives to be sacrificed? Did Liu Jinyin tell you this, or was it your own deduction?” Ning Tao continued to ask.

Zeng Xunlong raised his head. “Liu Jinyin told me this. He said to open an immortal’s tomb, you need to sacrifice five lives. Even the last two lines of the Dragon-Searching Mnemonic was from him, after I agreed to accept this deal. He said that five ghosts must show the way. To get hold of the Picture of the Six Samsara Realms, you need to sacrifice five lives.” “But I don’t know if he knew this through his own experience, or from those two youths.”

“Where is Liu Jinyin residing now?”

“In Beidu, in a courtyard house just north of Panjiayuan Market. There’s a black board above its door which says ‘The Divinely Blessed Mansion’. It’s easy to find. He’s a very old man and seldom leaves his house.”

Ning Tao committed all these to his memory. He had no more questions to ask. What followed would be taking Zeng Xunlong to the clinic to earn a treatment fee. But just when he was about to unlock the blood lock and take Zeng Xunlong to Sky Clinic, he suddenly recalled something. “Five Ghosts Showing the Way? I have heard of ‘Five Ghosts Moving a Mountain’ but not ‘Five Ghosts Showing the Way’. That Liu Jinyin made Zeng Xunlong prepare five lives. There will be a dead body at each pass, in order for him to lay hands on the Painting of the Six Samsara Realms. Five, six…”

Ning Tao shifted his eyes to gaze at the stone coffin. He changed his mind. “I have no more questions. Open the stone coffin and I will heal you and spare your life.”

Zeng Xunlong raised up his handless arms. Fury and grief were etched on his face. “Your dog bit off my hand, and your woman hacked away my other hand. I have no hands now, so how can I open this coffin? This coffin is already unsealed. All you need is a slight push to open it. There isn’t any trap. If there had been any, it would have already been triggered. You don’t need to be so cautious.”

Ning Tao did not feel the least bit of compassion in his heart. “You have no hands but still have your arms. You can still open the stone coffin.”

The Howling Celestial Dog came to Zeng Xunlong’s left and stared straight at Zeng Xunlong’s other ear.

Zeng Xunlong felt his hair stand on end as the Howling Celestial Dog stared at him with a strange expression. He struggled up from the ground and walked to the stone coffin. He staggered, putting his handless arms on the coffin lid.

Ning Tao said, “Don’t worry. My silver needles have sealed your nerves. You won’t feel any pain. Just push the lid off forcefully.”

Zeng Xunlong placed his handless arms on the stone coffin lid. Indeed, he did not feel any pain. He gritted his teeth, summoned his energy and pushed the coffin lid.

At that instant, Ning Tao had already pulled Qing Zhui and the Howling Celestial Dog and retreated swiftly.

Creak, creak, creak…

The lid of the stone coffin slowly opened.

Suddenly, a green light surged out of the stone coffin, resembling the aurora borealis!

The green light shone on his face. Zeng Xunlong seemed to have received some superhuman strength. He pushed with both arms and the coffin lid, several hundred kilograms in weight, flew away with a thud.

But at the same moment, Zeng Xunlong’s body suddenly exploded into a mangled mess.

Qing Zhui and the Howling Celestial Dog stared, totally stupefied.

Ning Tao still felt some tremors in his heart. His hunch about the “five” and “six” was proved correct. If he had taken Zeng Xunlong to the clinic, Zeng Xunlong would surely have to die to atone for his sins. If he had died in the clinic, Ning Tao would have to open the coffin himself. What ensued would be difficult to predict!