Chapter 23: Immortal Lord White Crane, Love Me Once More

Li Xuan was completely stunned.

When the mask of the White Crane Boy was attached to Ah Ying’s face, using the jade ruyi artifact to strike the Great Black Mother Buddha only managed to shatter eight of its brass arms. Yet, when the mask was on his own face, a single strike with the Fengdu Treasure Seal in hand had pierced straight through the Great Black Mother Buddha’s skull, seal and all!

It was too brutal.

At that moment, Li Xuan felt like a spectator watching a first-person game, observing "himself" acting autonomously. After "he" shattered the creature's skull, "he" clearly paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that something that looked so sturdy could break at a mere touch.

Ah Ying, lying on the ground clutching his abdomen, was too shocked to speak. As a spirit medium, he understood better than anyone that not just anyone could embody a deity; it required a lifetime of faith, daily incense and prayers, and strict purification rituals. Li Xuan didn't look like the type capable of such devotion, yet the mask painted on his face had peeled off and adhered perfectly to his own skin.

Ah Ying’s shock was no less intense than if his master at the Yuanshi Palace had suddenly tossed away his cane in the middle of the night to livestream a dance routine while wearing overalls. Good grief, the mere sight of it felt like it might make his own mind explode.

Whether the Great Black Mother Buddha could speak was unknown, but having suffered such a blow, it clearly had not expected to be destroyed in this manner. Its brass body seemed to age a thousand years in those few seconds, its surface oxidising rapidly and crumbling into dust. The atmosphere remained heavy with a chilling, murderous intent.

"Li Xuan’s" eyes were deep and unfathomable. He turned to look at Ah Ying, snatched the purple-red gourd from his waist, and with a light flick of his index finger, uncorked it. With a casual motion, he pulled the dagger from Ah Ying’s abdomen.

Blood immediately began to flow.

Ah Ying was terrified, stammering, "White Crane... White Crane Immortal, I’m going to bleed to death!"

"Li Xuan" remained silent, his lips pressed tight, and tilted the gourd over the wound as if pouring something out. A miracle occurred: the blood gushing from Ah Ying’s abdomen gradually ceased. The flesh at the wound intertwined, forming new granulation tissue, and within seconds, it had healed into a scar that looked like a post-cesarean incision.

"Wow, this... it doesn't hurt anymore, it’s just a little itchy."

Ah Ying had chosen that gourd from a patch when he was a child, hollowed it out, lacquered it, and offered it to the statue of the White Crane Boy for years. He knew the object inside and out, yet he had no idea it possessed such incredible power.

"Li Xuan" then raised the gourd above his head and poured out "air." Although Li Xuan could not control his body, he could feel a warmth spreading through it. His back began to itch, and he was even able to "turn" his head to look at his own back. The dark, gaping wound left by the Great Black Mother Buddha’s arm was now purging black blood and dead insects.

The wound turned from black to red, flesh churning and knitting together until only a flat, reddish-black scab remained. With the slightest movement, the scab flaked off, revealing smooth, unblemished skin beneath.

Ah Ying looked at Li Xuan’s pristine back, then back at the "cesarean" scar on his own stomach, feeling like crying. Just as he thought the White Crane Boy would depart after finishing these tasks, "Li Xuan" placed the gourd on the altar table. With a few swift, mystical gestures, he pointed into the air, and the seal in his hand, the celestial ruler hanging at his waist, and even the crooked suona all vanished into the gourd with a soft *whoosh*.

Ah Ying: "..."

He felt as though the "White Crane Boy" he had served for years had become a complete stranger. It was as if a cold, stern father had suddenly started smiling at a visiting child, showering them with trips to the park and gifts.

Father... no, Immortal, please, love me again!

The air in the cave vibrated. "Li Xuan" traced two crimson talismans in the air, pressing one onto the front of the purple-red gourd and the other onto the back. With that done, he hung the gourd at Li Xuan’s waist and looked at Ah Ying. The mask peeled away silently and *slap*—it adhered back onto Ah Ying’s face.

Li Xuan instantly regained control of his body, a wave of exhaustion washing over him that nearly brought him to his knees. The White Crane Boy certainly had many tricks up his sleeve.

He looked at the corpse of Li Ruonan lying on the ground, her decaying eye sockets and wide-open mouth appearing to silently lament her fate. In death, all debts are cleared. Although Li Ruonan had betrayed him regarding Chen Letong, she was dead now, and he chose to forgive her.

After resting for a moment and regaining some strength, Li Xuan helped Ah Ying up. "How are you? Can you walk normally?"

"I'm fine, it's just that the scar is so itchy, I really want to scratch it."

Ah Ying gestured to his abdomen. Li Xuan laughed, "Don't scratch it, or you'll interfere with the healing."

Ah Ying gave a wry smile. "The White Crane Immortal is too biased. You had a huge hole in your back, oozing black blood and maggots, and it healed as if you’d had professional cosmetic surgery. As for me, anyone who sees this would think I had a secret sex-change and gave birth!"

Li Xuan didn't know what to make of it either. He untied the gourd and held it out. "This is yours; I shouldn't keep it. When we get back to the Yuanshi Palace, let's ask your master if he can help me retrieve the artifacts inside. They are very important."

Ah Ying instinctively reached for the gourd, but the next second he yelped and dropped it. He looked at his hand in astonishment, then at the gourd on the ground, which looked exactly as it always had. "This... this gourd feels like it’s pricking me!"

Li Xuan picked it up, running his palm over the surface. It felt smooth and pleasant to him. "Where are the prickles?"

Ah Ying reached out a finger, touched it gingerly, and retracted it with another yelp. His finger was perfectly fine, yet he felt an unbearable stinging sensation, as if he had been pricked by an invisible bee.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and he exclaimed in realization, "I know! The White Crane Immortal has 'refined' this gourd into one of those bags from mythology that can store anything. Using the terminology from those cultivation novels on the mainland, it’s a storage bag. Oh my god, things from stories are appearing in reality..."

After the shock, Ah Ying looked mournful. "The White Crane Immortal doesn't love me anymore; he gave this to you."

If Li Xuan could touch the gourd but others couldn't, wasn't that just an "anti-theft measure"? He gazed at the gourd with longing, finally swallowing his pride and saying, "Since the White Crane Immortal gave it to you, how could I, his disciple, go against his will? Let’s head back to the Yuanshi Palace."

His master had sent a wooden box containing spells. Since the White Crane Immortal had left his face to possess Li Xuan’s, his master must know exactly what was going on! Perhaps his master had been hiding his true power all along, and was actually one of those semi-immortal figures capable of projecting his soul, traveling thousands of miles in a day, and coming and going as he pleased...

The two helped each other out of the tunnel. As they passed through the Chen Village, the corpses they had seen earlier had all turned to bone, and the evil aura had dissipated entirely. It was past four in the afternoon, and the village actually seemed brighter than it had at three o'clock. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting a hint of warmth upon the ground and the houses of Chen Village.