Chapter Twenty-Three: The Banshee and the Sorcerer (Part Two)

That night, Sun Meng brought Mei Li to Chen Xin’s home and explained the entire situation to him.

“Heavens! There really are female demons and curses in this world!” Junxiu exclaimed in astonishment, half-covering her mouth.

Mei Li nodded. “I still have that dream, the one with the female demon. But I can’t remember exactly what she says. I never imagined it would end like this. It’s because of me that my family died.”

As Mei Li spoke, tears welled in her eyes. The first drop fell to the ground and turned into a diamond.

Junxiu picked up the diamond and examined it. “It’s not all that impressive!” She handed the diamond back to Mei Li.

Mei Li said, “Even Wei Shan didn’t dare sell too many of these diamonds for fear of drawing attention. But since Brother Shao Tan handed them over to the authorities, all the money has been temporarily sealed away. If you need anything, Brother Chen Xin, I could wait a few days…”

Before Mei Li could finish, Chen Xin covered her mouth. “How could I let you suffer like this any longer?”

He wiped away her tears. “Tonight, right now, I, Chen Xin, swear to take Mei Li as my wife. For this life and the next, I will never leave nor abandon her!”

As Chen Xin declared this vow, a pale blue shadow appeared around Mei Li—a humanoid figure bearing a resemblance to a woman.

“I’ve been waiting for you!” Sun Meng, who had prepared talismans in advance, swiftly stuck them to the surrounding walls.

Sensing something amiss, the female demon shrieked and lunged at Sun Meng. “Hmph! You torment an innocent girl just to secure your own reincarnation. See if I don’t deal with you!”

He now held a wooden talisman in his hand—a powerful charm blessed by Abbot Sanzang himself.

Though this world did not display obvious Buddhist or Daoist magic, their cultivation of internal energy could produce effects akin to mystical powers.

According to Abbot Sanzang, this was a secret technique belonging to a discipline focused on cultivating the mind.

In any case, since Sun Meng entrusted it to Shaolin Temple, it would add to their legacy—a win-win for both parties.

The female demon screamed when she saw the talisman in Sun Meng’s hand, launching a psychic assault.

“Suppress!” Sun Meng unleashed his spiritual power as well. The talisman in his hand glowed, enveloping the demon.

Soon, he received an artifact recognized by the system:

“Charm of Beauty: The wearer gains unparalleled beauty and charm, which will always be maintained. However, lifespan is consumed at twice the normal rate. (Effective below Tier Three.)”

As the effect appeared on his screen, numerous exclamatory comments poured in, most of them from women. Some even hoped Sun Meng would exchange the item for something on Earth.

“Well,” Sun Meng replied, “setting aside the fact that some cultivation methods naturally preserve youth, simply breaking through in one’s training will improve appearance. There’s a saying: ‘No ugly cultivators.’ When you reach Tier Two, you’ll experience a baptism of spiritual energy, washing away flaws and imperfections.”

Despite his explanation, many still coveted the item. Sun Meng decided to ignore it. After bidding farewell to Chen Xin and the others, he returned to Shaolin Temple.

At that time, Xiaolong and his companions had just returned. Together with Elder Xuanfeng, they reported their latest encounter to Abbot Sanzang.

“So, once again, you foiled the Black Fox King’s scheme,” Sanzang said, glancing at the three.

Elder Xuanfeng interjected, “Abbot, don’t blame them. If not for these three, the Black Fox King might have found the clue to the second volume of the Tome of Authority.”

“Very well! You’ve earned merit this time. But do you know the identity of that sorcerer, or how he came to possess the Frog Spirit? And how did the Black Fox King find him?”

“Er… Abbot, we just stumbled across him by chance. After we drove the sorcerer away and rescued the Frog Spirit, the Black Fox King pursued us relentlessly. We didn’t have time to investigate.”

“Master, are you saying the Black Fox King is using the secrets in the first volume of the Tome of Authority to search for clues to the second volume?” Sun Meng asked—this time without prompting from the barrage of messages. After all he’d been through, he understood the Black Fox King’s motives.

“Exactly. The contents of the first volume are indeed extraordinary, but all have limitations. If the Black Fox King hopes to find the second volume relying solely on these, he’s wasting his effort,” Sanzang replied with a smile.

“Why is that, Abbot Sanzang?” the three asked in unison.

“Because the second volume was sealed away by the reclusive master who wrote the book, protected by an unusual power. No external means can accurately detect its true location. This is what the ancestral spirits of Shaolin told me. However, they also warned that the protection has its limits—but when those limits will be breached, no one knows.”

“So that’s how it is!” The three let out a sigh of relief.

“However, even if the Black Fox King cannot use these artifacts to find the Tome of Authority, he can still wreak havoc on the world. Thus, we must stop him,” Sanzang said.

“We will stop him, no matter what!” the three responded in unison. After receiving their fill of Sanzang’s encouragement, they went off to rest and eat, while Sun Meng continued his report.

“Master, do you think these sorcerers and female demons have always existed?” Sun Meng asked.

Sanzang nodded. “Ancient texts in the Sutra Pavilion record many such incidents. Most so-called sorcerers are simply practitioners of unusual martial arts. As for female demons and curses, lacking specific countermeasures, we’ve usually had to improvise—waiting until these creatures manifest physically before destroying them. However, the cultivation method you gave me is quite suited for dealing with such entities. I intend to select a group of warrior monks to specialize in learning this technique.”

Indeed, the core of Shaolin’s martial arts system was never purely focused on the martial hero tradition. They resolved such supernatural problems through direct combat. But Sun Meng’s intention in giving Sanzang the Daoist cultivation system was not merely to broaden his horizons; he wanted a detailed breakdown of tiers between the second and third levels.

“Master, do you think this cultivation method could be integrated with ours? I find it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to break through to the innate stage. Why not incorporate visualization, as Daoist arts do, from the very beginning? In the history of Shaolin, those who reached the grandmaster level did so during periods of martial prosperity—almost as if the times themselves produced them. Doesn’t this suggest that traditional martial cultivation is too difficult?”

After all, Xiaolong and his companions had only just begun activating their inner energy to modify themselves, yet already faced bottlenecks before reaching the innate stage. In the future glimpsed through the Wheel of Time, the three relied even more on that energy in combat, making it seem unfeasible for the general populace.

Abbot Sanzang pondered deeply. “Perhaps you are right. But you must realize that martial intent is the product of one’s understanding of martial arts and their own nature. If you introduce visualization from the start, it could easily lead to a misalignment.”

“But Master, look at Elder Xuanfeng and the others. After so many years of cultivation, they’re still a step away from forging martial intent. Among ordinary monks, few have even approached the threshold of the innate stage. Most can’t even reach the postnatal limit! If the Black Fox King truly decides to use special means to build an army, can Shaolin still resist?”

By steering the topic toward the Black Fox King, and recalling the future Sun Meng had seen, he pressed Sanzang to give the matter more serious thought.

“Go back for now. I will consult with the ancestral spirits. This matter is of great importance—it could alter the current order of the martial world, and cannot be enacted lightly.”

Seeing Sanzang’s reaction, the officials monitoring him surmised that he was indeed tempted. That was good enough. If he stayed another month, a complete training system from Tier One to Tier Three would be the greatest reward.