After Zhang Shisan finished recounting the story of Zhang Liusun from years past, he seemed somewhat dispirited and said lightly, “You must already understand the concept of karma. Ever since the leader of the Xuanjiao sect passed away, the cultivation world has regarded those who do not involve themselves in karmic retribution as deviating from the proper path. Many believed that Zhang Liusun had acted recklessly precisely because he was free from karmic entanglements, which ultimately proved detrimental to true cultivation. However, as the number of cultivators ascending to immortality gradually ceased, some began to suggest that perhaps we should try once again to avoid karmic involvement and return to old practices. Yet, the cultivation world has been bound by the concept of karma for a thousand years, and people have come to accept it as an unchangeable heavenly law. Even if one does not wish to be involved, how can one possibly break free?”
Ku Dashi, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up, “From what this old monk knows, several sects have indeed tried selecting young disciples to cultivate without involving karmic retribution, but this approach ruined several promising talents. Not that this old monk is biased toward Buddhism, but although the karmic path has its constraints, it remains the orthodox cultivation path. Mei Qing, what the old Taoist has said is largely accurate. However, in this old monk’s view, even if no one has ascended, the root cause lies not in the karmic path itself, but rather in human nature. Entering or avoiding karma is your choice, but never allow your heart to develop prejudice, or it will only bring harm.”
Zhang Shisan sighed and nodded, saying, “Indeed, this cannot be forced; it must come from your own heart. Coincidentally, in these few days, you should slow down your cultivation and think carefully about this matter. If you decide to follow the karmic path, both your Taoist master and your monk master will protect you. Accepting the karmic restrictions won’t be difficult, but you must prepare thoroughly beforehand, so you won’t unknowingly violate taboos and suffer losses later.”
Mei Qing pondered for a moment and asked, “If I choose to follow the karmic path or not, is there any ritual or formal procedure required?”
Zhang Shisan replied, “If you choose not to follow it, naturally you can just ignore it. But if you decide to follow it, there are indeed some small formalities involved. In fact, most sects incorporate these elements when a disciple joins. Many young cultivators today are not even aware of these distinctions. You must have come entirely from an unconventional background, which is why you’ve never entered such a path.”
Mei Qing nodded without further comment.
Just as the three finished their conversation, suddenly footsteps were heard outside the door. Hou Shen entered, accompanied by Shi Mengzhu. Hou Shen wore an angry expression, while Shi Mengzhu remained calm.
“Master, how could you hold yourself back? Why not let me just chop that bastard up directly!” Hou Shen exclaimed, clearly furious.
“Hou Shen, what happened?” Mei Qing asked quickly upon seeing their expressions.
Shi Mengzhu smiled but did not immediately speak, while Hou Shen, still fuming, began recounting the events to the three.
It turned out that in these past few days, Mei Qing had been deeply immersed in his cultivation, so much so that he had forgotten to eat or sleep. Hou Shen, seeing this, grew extremely worried and wanted to go in and persuade him.
Shi Mengzhu stopped him, saying, “Since Mei Qing has guidance from his masters, there must be a proper method involved. Mr. Hou, there’s no need to be so anxious.”
Hou Shen replied with concern, “Mr. Shi, you don’t know the whole story. We came here for an important mission. If he keeps getting lost in his cultivation like this, what are we supposed to do?”
Shi Mengzhu smiled and said, “Even though the house is closed, you can hear thunder and lightning from inside. This electric shock method is something the professors specialize in—it prevents one from falling into obsession. You can rest assured.”
Hou Shen only then understood that electric shocks could prevent obsession and thus remained silent.
In the meantime, Shi Mengzhu had been quite troubled over Sweetie’s matter. Clearly, something sinister lay behind it. However, currently, Zhang Shisan and others were too preoccupied with teaching Mei Qing to pay attention to anything else. Therefore, they could only temporarily comfort Sweetie’s father and the Dashan family, proceeding to arrange Sweetie’s funeral first.
Unexpectedly, only yesterday the seventh day had passed, and this morning, the Dashan family suddenly followed someone’s suggestion, going through various connections to approach the Incense Sect. Their intention was simply to ask one of the sect’s followers to come and perform a ritual to dispel evil spirits.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the leader of the Incense Sect himself came, claiming the evil spirits were extremely strong and could only be subdued by great magical power. Accompanied by many followers, he began performing a grand ritual in the village, creating chaos and disorder.
Upon hearing this, Shi Mengzhu was furious and immediately confronted them. But to his surprise, the sect leader, who had always been evasive before, now stood his ground defiantly, with his followers speaking rudely.
Shi Mengzhu’s attendants were enraged, and Hou Shen, without a word, knocked down two of them. Just as the situation was turning chaotic and about to escalate, Shi Mengzhu stopped them. Hou Shen, still furious, was pulled back by Shi Mengzhu, who returned to discuss the matter with Mei Qing and the others, finally calming him down. “That fake spirit medium, if he falls into my hands, I’ll make sure he dies with one slash—no chance to cause any more trouble!” Hou Shen grumbled.
Mei Qing listened silently. He and Hou Shen had originally come to investigate the Incense Sect. At their first meeting, he had asked Shi Mengzhu about it, but back then, their relationship had been too shallow for Shi to speak openly, so he had evaded the topic. Now, Hou Shen’s intention to escalate the matter was clearly meant to pressure Shi Mengzhu into revealing more.
Thinking this through, Mei Qing stood up and bowed deeply to Shi Mengzhu, saying, “My brother’s actions were inappropriate and must have caused you great inconvenience.”
Then, glancing at Zhang Shisan and Ku Dashi, he continued, “To be honest, I am actually a thousand-household commander in the Jinyiwei secret police of the imperial court. I came to Yongping to investigate the Incense Sect. I didn’t reveal this earlier, and I beg your forgiveness, Master.”
In his mind, the Jinyiwei had a terrible reputation, so he had been reluctant to reveal his identity. But now, if he kept it hidden, there might be further misunderstandings. Besides, he had become quite familiar with the three elders, so he didn’t think it would cause too much trouble.
Unexpectedly, none of the three showed any surprise. Zhang Shisan chuckled, “You’ve been carrying that badge for days—do you think we’re blind? Do whatever you want, investigate all you like. If you run into trouble, naturally your masters will back you up.”
“Ahhh…” Mei Qing finally realized his master had known all along. He laughed sheepishly, “So that’s how it is. I didn’t expect you to have such sharp eyes. You could even spot the badge hidden under my clothes—must be from your days scouting around as a rogue.”
“You cheeky brat!” Zhang Shisan laughed, “To be honest, you don’t really look like an official. More like a clean-cut scholar. Talking about scouting, this monkey boy’s eyes are sharp as thieves, not very trustworthy. If you two weren’t carrying genuine badges, I’d have thought you were impostors trying to steal something from Master Shi’s estate.”
Mei Qing chuckled, then turned serious, “To be honest, Mr. Shi, Master, I did ask Master Shi about this before. But no one knew anything about the ‘Golden Boy,’ and no one was willing to talk about the Incense Sect either, which caused me great difficulty.” He then recounted in detail how, back in the capital, Hou Shen had been asked to steal an inkstone from the Jinyiwei warehouse, which led him to discover Yang Jin, and eventually trace everything back to the Incense Sect.
After listening to Mei Qing’s account, Shi Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, “As for this ‘Golden Boy’ you mentioned, although this old man prides himself on knowing the local geography and history well, I’ve never heard of such a person or place. As for the Incense Sect, it has existed here for a long time, entangled in many affairs. There are even some disturbing matters I’ve observed for quite some time. Unfortunately, the sect’s rules are extremely strict, making it difficult to obtain any inside information.”
Just as he was speaking, suddenly a voice from outside called out—it was San. “That sect leader has ordered his followers to build an altar in the village to perform rituals. Our people tried to stop them, but the sect members actually attempted to attack them. A fight is about to break out!”
Upon hearing this, Shi Mengzhu let out a low “Hmm,” and stood up. Hou Shen, already on edge, jumped up immediately, “Rebellion! These suicidal bastards dare to provoke us! Let me go and deal with them!”
Mei Qing quickly stopped Hou Shen. After all, Shi Mengzhu was the host here, and everything should be decided by him.
“This matter might turn out to be interesting,” Shi Mengzhu said. “Why don’t we all go and take a look together?”
Mei Qing glanced at Zhang Shisan and Ku Dashi. Seeing that neither objected, he nodded and followed Shi Mengzhu outside.
“Mr. Shi, what did you mean just now? Could it be that the Incense Sect’s actions this time are suspicious?” Mei Qing asked as they walked.
“Hmph,” Shi Mengzhu replied calmly, “Previously, the Incense Sect had also attempted to build altars and perform rituals in the village, but I always had them stopped. No offense meant, Mei Qing, but I have lived here for generations and do carry some local influence—even the county magistrate shows me some respect. Therefore, although the sect was angry, they never dared to provoke me directly. Their leader always kept himself hidden, maintaining an air of mystery. This time, however, their actions are quite different. Not only has the leader appeared openly without hesitation, but he has come directly to our village to provoke us. Unless they have some hidden backing, they wouldn’t dare act so boldly.”
Mei Qing, now curious, asked, “Then why does the Incense Sect insist on setting up an altar in the village? Is there something special about our village?”
Shi Mengzhu shook his head, “I’m not entirely sure either. But I can say for certain that the Incense Sect has long had ulterior motives regarding this place. After the miracles on Xiangyun Island, when they failed to perform rituals here, they even sent various intermediaries to negotiate. However, I have always disliked these superstitious practices and despised the sect’s methods, so I refused.”
“Oh? So the Incense Sect has committed many evils here?” Mei Qing asked, now more interested.
Shi Mengzhu shook his head again, “I haven’t heard of anything like that. That’s precisely what makes it strange. Unlike other heretical sects such as the White Lotus, the Incense Sect doesn’t appear to oppress the local people, nor do they incite rebellion against the imperial court. There is no record of them seizing property or engaging in forced litigation. It’s hard to find any fault with them.”
Mei Qing looked puzzled, “Then why do you dislike them? It seems they haven’t done anything particularly bad.”
“This sect behaves with unusual secrecy. Normally, any religious group would strive to spread its teachings and gain followers. Once they gain power, they inevitably commit various crimes. But this sect is different. They operate quietly, do not break the law, and maintain an extremely tight organization—completely unlike any typical religious group. Their every action contradicts the norm, which means there must be some hidden conspiracy. Although I have no concrete evidence, I firmly believe their true intentions are not good,” Shi Mengzhu said solemnly.
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