That voice rang out behind him like a ghost, scaring Lu Yuan so much that his whole body stiffened.
He nearly dropped the cinnabar brush and floor tile in his hands.
He whipped around sharply, only to see the old man leaning casually against a massive rosewood pillar in the hall, leisurely holding a wine gourd in his hand.
"What... what?"
Lu Yuan's brain spun rapidly. He instinctively hid the things behind his back and started playing dumb.
"You old codger, drunk again? What nonsense are you spouting!"
The old man tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine. The liquor dripped down his stubble, but he didn't care at all. His eyes slanted over.
"You think I'm blind?"
"What you're drawing in the side hall, you think I don't know?"
"Boy, don't forget who taught you all your skills!"
"Trying to steal faith power to give to that female ghost, is that it!"
Lu Yuan blinked.
Well... the talismans in the side hall... actually weren't taught by the old man. They came from the mental cultivation technique “The Dao” that the system gave.
He thought the old man didn't understand them, which was why he dared so brazenly to draw those talismans in the side hall.
But... just as Lu Yuan's thoughts were racing, the old man furrowed his brow first, muttering with a strange expression.
"But speaking of which, I don't think I've taught you that level of talisman..."
"When did I get drunk and... casually teach you that?"
"How strange, I have no recollection at all..."
"Forget it, doesn't matter. I'd have to teach you sooner or later anyway..."
Lu Yuan blinked.
The old man knew it too?!
He knew his old man was extraordinary, but he didn't expect him to be extraordinary to this extent!
That was something from the top-level mental cultivation technique in the system rewards!
This old man...
Lu Yuan thought it over, then suddenly had a shock. Wait!!
The next second, he had an epiphany. He pointed back with his hand, executed a Grand Desolation Heaven-Imprisoning Finger, directly pointing at the old man, and glared, saying, "Hey!!!"
"Didn't you say you couldn't do it!"
"Didn't you say there was no way under heaven to save her!"
"You clearly know the method! You were deliberately lying to me just now, weren't you!"
The old man took another gulp of wine and lazily glanced at Lu Yuan.
"You think just by drawing an Aspiration-Intercepting Array and building a bridge to steal faith power over, it can be used?"
"Do you know that this stolen faith power is mixed and impure, containing a large amount of believers' selfish thoughts and distractions?"
"If this faith power isn't filtered and is directly poured into that female ghost's body, do you know what will happen?"
Hearing the old man's words, Lu Yuan blinked and swallowed.
What would happen... Lu Yuan didn't know.
But... hearing the meaning in the old man's words, Lu Yuan said with a strange expression, "From what you're saying, you can filter this faith power?"
The old man didn't respond or take up this topic. Instead, he frowned again and looked at Lu Yuan, saying, "Also, if this thing is done and other people find out..."
"You've worked hard for a year to get True Dragon Temple's incense offerings going. At that time, I'm afraid it'll all go back to how it was before."
"No pilgrim would trust a temple that steals the Three Pure Ones' faith power to raise ghosts."
"A year of your hard work would all be wasted."
As the old man's words fell, Lu Yuan extended his index finger and shook it.
"Wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong!"
"I'm not stealing the Three Pure Ones' faith power to raise an evil spirit."
"I'm borrowing the Three Pure Ones' aspiration power to deliver a pitiable wronged soul who was persecuted."
"This is a good deed, great merit! If people knew, they'd all praise True Dragon Temple for having a kind heart!"
Hearing Lu Yuan's twisted logic, the old man was amused to anger. He pointed at him and said, "Hey!! You boy really have a silver tongue!!"
He was about to say more when the junior brother on night watch was startled awake. Groping his way toward the back of the Three Pure Ones statue, he called out in a low voice, "Who!"
"Who's there!"
Lu Yuan quickly poked out half his body with a look of disgust.
"Ugh!"
"I told you to guard the hall and you're sleeping! Master and I have been in here for ages, just to see how long you could sleep!"
Seeing it was Lu Yuan and the old man, the junior brother's face immediately flushed red as he lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Master... Brother Lu..."
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I'll note this down for now and punish you tomorrow!"
"Go back to sleep for now. You don't need to guard tonight, and don't call anyone else either."
The junior brother nodded repeatedly, then stole a glance at the old man beside him.
The old man let out an alcoholic belch and glared.
"Still not leaving?"
"Your Brother Lu's words don't work?!"
The junior brother was scared into a shudder. He quickly nodded and bowed as he turned and scurried away.
The Three Pure Ones Hall fell silent once more.
The candlelight flickered with soft crackling sounds.
"Must you do it?" the old man asked.
"No choice." Lu Yuan's voice lowered. "She saved my life once. Without her I'd be dead. Repaying kindness, isn't that what you taught me..."
"..."
After a long silence.
"Do it!"
The old man only uttered two words.
Lu Yuan's heart eased, but immediately after, the hand holding the cinnabar brush and floor tile grew heavy again.
Lu Yuan pondered for a few seconds then Lu Yuan raised his head to look at the old man, but soon, Lu Yuan guiltily lowered his head to look to the side and said in a low voice, "If... I'm saying if..."
"If by some chance that situation you mentioned really happens, and people discover it, and we can't explain it clearly..."
"At that time True Dragon Temple really becomes deserted again with no visitors..."
"You..."
Before he finished speaking, the cinnabar brush and floor tile in his hands were snatched away by the old man in one motion.
"Doesn't matter."
The old man said indifferently.
"Before you came, this True Dragon Temple was already nearly defunct."
"If it weren't for you being so energetic back then, insisting on making True Dragon Temple become the number one great temple beyond the pass or whatever."
"This old man wouldn't bother managing such a big operation."
"Anyway, this True Dragon Temple was just to make you happy. If you feel uncomfortable not saving this female ghost, if it makes you unhappy..."
Speaking to this point, the old man grinned and exhaled a breath of alcoholic air, saying, "Then to hell with it!"
"At that time, we grandfather and grandson will go back to how it was before, traveling around every day. Isn't that more comfortable than being cooped up in this little broken temple every day?"
"Say no more. Do it!"
...
Early morning.
When the junior brother on duty pushed open the door to the Three Pure Ones Hall, Lu Yuan and the old man had long since climbed out through the back window.
Everything in the hall was as before, as if nothing had happened last night.
"Ugh!"
"I don't know what's so good about this broken stuff, drinking it all day long!"
Lu Yuan looked at the old man who came out and immediately clutched his wine gourd and chugged, his face full of disgust.
The old man was even more disgusted with him.
"Stop yapping!"
"Originally I had nothing to do, drinking all day and sleeping, sleeping and drinking. You don't know how carefree that was!"
"Now look what happened, I still have to watch over a female ghost for you every day!"
"Hurry up and eat the pink spirit meat and advance to Celestial Master!"
"Resolve Zhao Qiao'er's matter, then come back and watch over her yourself!!"
Regarding this, Lu Yuan didn't argue. He was going to the storeroom to get the pink spirit meat anyway.
It's just that... Lu Yuan suddenly turned his head, his eyes burning as he stared at the old man.
"Last night you were so bold..."
"Can you really cure Gu Qingwan?"
The old man didn't have the system and didn't know Gu Qingwan's true details but Lu Yuan knew that she was a twenty-star super fierce entity!
And as far as he knew, the old man was at most a Three or Four-Star Celestial Master in cultivation yet last night, the old man wasn't afraid at all!
And moreover, he even knew the top-level techniques from “The Dao” that the system gave.
This old man... what exactly was his cultivation level?
[NEXT CHAPTER]