Coming Tomorrow

Huazhen Hall.

Xie Lingyu walked briskly into the hall, which was exceptionally bustling at the moment.

A large, incredibly detailed painting of an old monk hung to the side. Wukong stood nearby, observing the painting and then looking over at Yuan Kong.

Yuan Kong was currently immobilized by magic. Several cultivators were taking out substances of unknown materials—some resembling mud, others like stones—and smearing them onto Yuan Kong's face. The smell couldn't exactly be called tolerable; in fact, it was quite unpleasant.

Daoist Yuyang's face was brimming with a broad smile.

Lin Luoyu stood in place, her expression showing a hint of pity.

Among so many people, Xie Lingyu's eyes immediately locked onto the person she was looking for.

Chu Xingchen stood in front of Yuan Kong, pinching a pill between his fingers, looking as if he were offering earnest advice.

However, considering he was holding a pill, no matter what his expression was, his words were definitely not advice, but a naked threat.

"Xingchen." Xie Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Hearing her voice, Chu Xingchen turned around. The moment he saw Xie Lingyu and Cui Hao following beside her, the very first thing he did was put the pill back into his spatial ring.

It was better not to let Lingyu see this scene.

Chu Xingchen smiled and said, "You're back?"

Xie Lingyu gave a slight nod. There were many people here, and she had originally wanted to walk a bit slower and more gracefully. But clearly, compared to being reserved and elegant, she wanted to be by Chu Xingchen's side as soon as possible.

Chu Xingchen's actions this time were still too risky in Xie Lingyu's eyes.

Although everyone said the Buddhist sect wouldn't make a move against Chu Xingchen out of apprehension, those were just predictions. No one could guarantee that some crazy Buddha wouldn't just attack him.

Whether Runan would choose to fight to the bitter end over this matter was still an unknown.

Xie Lingyu looked Chu Xingchen up and down for a moment and said,

"Mhm, are you alright?"

Chu Xingchen smiled and replied, "Lady Lingyu asking such a question is underestimating me a little."

Xie Lingyu said with a serious expression, "You always love doing things that make people worry."

"Does Lady Lingyu prefer a quiet me?"

Xie Lingyu's tone softened significantly,

"I just prefer a safe and sound you."

Cui Hao obediently followed beside Xie Lingyu. At a moment like this, he naturally had to yield the floor to his master's wife, and then listen to these somewhat sappy words.

Ah! How satisfying!

The sweet words his master's wife was saying right now could be used to tease his master in the future.

Maybe one day, he, Cui Hao, would get the chance to say it once—I just prefer a safe and sound master!

His master would probably die from the cheesiness on the spot.

A smile hung on Chu Xingchen's lips, and he lowered his head,

"In that case, me too."

Xie Lingyu said briskly, "You're the only one who doesn't give people peace of mind."

Daoist Yuyang crossed his arms and watched the two whispering to each other. Everyone here was a cultivator, so who couldn't hear their conversation clearly? He looked sideways at Lin Luoyu, raising an eyebrow slightly as if to ask—Has your master been like this lately?

Lin Luoyu returned a somewhat gentle smile.

"Intimate words are better said in private," Daoist Yuyang pointed at Yuan Kong, who had a rather grimacing expression. "This one seems a bit more important right now."

Xie Lingyu's expression returned to its usual calmness. She took a half step back, standing behind Chu Xingchen, and looked at Yuan Kong, asking,

"What happened to him?"

"Naturally, he has some resistance to wearing makeup. I just told him to think about my pills and compare which one is harder to accept."

Xie Lingyu glanced at the grimacing Yuan Kong and said,

"It's just putting on makeup, how could he look so agonized?"

"Because formations might not completely block the divine sense of a Tribulation Transcendence expert. So we had to add some extra measures. At the very least, he shouldn't be exposed as a fake with just a single sweep," Chu Xingchen replied. "Some of the materials are a bit irritating, but I can guarantee they are safe."

Xie Lingyu asked in confusion, "What kind of irritation?"

"Naturally, the smell isn't very pleasant."

"Just that?"

"If we really have to get into the details, the only problem is that this irritation lasts for a rather long time."

"How long?"

Chu Xingchen pondered for a moment and answered truthfully,

"If it's short, it will only take a month to fade."

Xie Lingyu asked again, "And if it's long?"

"Half a year," Chu Xingchen shrugged. "Bright Buddha is, after all, Yuan Kong's master who initiated him into the Dao. Saving his life in exchange for this isn't too much to ask, right?"

Xie Lingyu was slightly speechless, "If it's just a smell, his reaction shouldn't be this intense, right?"

Chu Xingchen could only continue to answer truthfully, "Thanks to our spells, we've isolated at least more than half of the odor. The brunt of the smell can only be sensed by Yuan Kong himself, and he seems to be having a hard time accepting it."

"Furthermore, the materials have a spiritual energy-isolating effect, so trying to block the smell with spiritual power won't work either."

"But I promise, I only just found out about this myself."

"However, Runan could arrive at any given moment, so we don't have that much time left to prepare."

The cultivators in charge of applying Yuan Kong's makeup were all elites. After multiple comparisons and adjustments, their movements had become much faster.

In the span of their conversation, Yuan Kong was pretty much done.

The cultivators responsible for the disguise finished their work and stepped aside.

At this moment, Yuan Kong's face looked aged. Fortunately, Yuan Kong's figure was already quite thin. Although the materials made him look a bit fleshier, it wouldn't be noticeable once covered by a robe.

As long as the face looked similar enough, it would do.

Wukong stood opposite Yuan Kong, scrutinizing him carefully. After confirming that he looked almost identical to the Bright Buddha in his memory, he slowly nodded in approval.

Seeing this, Chu Xingchen raised his hand and dispelled the spell holding Yuan Kong.

Yuan Kong's feet touched the ground, his expression quite troubled,

"This smell feels like it's on par with your pills."

Hearing this, Chu Xingchen straightforwardly offered him a pill,

"Care to compare them closely before you say that?"

Yuan Kong turned his head away, speaking in a rather grieved and indignant tone,

"Consider me wrong. Thinking about it carefully, your pill wins even without being eaten."

Chu Xingchen retracted the pill with a look of pity—Yuan Kong's words probably counted as a lose-lose situation.

"Sorry for the trouble this time," Chu Xingchen said sincerely.

Yuan Kong slowly stood up, "Just cut the spirit stones I owe you by half, and we're good."

"You're still thinking about the spirit stones you owe me?"

"As a monk, there is no reason for me to owe others money."

"It's not like I actually made you pay it back."

Yuan Kong revealed a smile, "I know, but I always keep it in mind. Whenever I see you, I feel like I'm looking at a debt collector. I don't even dare to speak loudly around you."

Chu Xingchen was taken aback by his words. He looked at Yuan Kong smiling while wearing the face of the Bright Buddha,

"You really don't look good smiling with that face."

Yuan Kong withdrew his smile and said with displeasure,

"So what? It's not my real face anyway. I'm helping you out, and you're complaining that I'm ugly."

Chu Xingchen smiled and shook his head.

Yuan Kong had grown up, yet one could still see the temperament of the Yuan Kong from his childhood.

With the makeup finished, even though they had said all he needed to do was stand there, there were still many precautions to go over.

At the very least, he needed to recognize all the people from the Buddhist sect opposite him.

After all, Yuan Kong had never been to the Great Thunderclap Temple, nor did he know exactly who occupied all those Buddha seats.

Chu Xingchen had also asked Yuan Kong about this. The Great Thunderclap Temple was, after all, a sacred ground of Buddhism, and Runan was a revered Buddha.

How could a monk like Yuan Kong trust him so much, to the point of going against Runan and the Great Thunderclap Temple?

Yuan Kong's answer was—Senior Brother once taught me that in everything, one must first look at the essence, then the actions. For any matter, one must first have their own thoughts, rather than blindly trusting what others say is right or wrong.

Chu Xingchen could only feel a sense of relief—Yuan Jing was indeed a good monk.

While Wukong was teaching Yuan Kong how to identify the people around them, a message token shot through the air.

Chu Xingchen raised his hand to catch it and sent his spiritual sense inside. Under the watchful gazes of the crowd, he slowly spoke:

"Runan will arrive tomorrow."