Chapter 20: I Have Taken in a New Disciple

"It's over, it's over."
The brass oil lamp widened its eyes, speaking with a hint of fear, "Another evil Daoist has appeared. I really can't stay in these Hundred Thousand Mountains for even a single day!"
The master of the temple may be mad, but at least Chen Huangpi is able to restrain him.
As long as Chen Huangpi is alive, Huang Er at most will earn a few bite marks, but won't be badly hurt.
But that evil Daoist...
This being was actually a fragment of memory about the temple master, turned into something else.
Moreover, while guarding the moment Chen Huangpi's consciousness entered the Fox Mountain God's memories, it truly hadn't detected the evil Daoist.
Chen Huangpi corrected with seriousness, "It's the evil Daoist. He's not my master; he's a malevolence. He even took a drop of my blood—I must get it back."
"If you want to snatch it, go ahead. I'm not going,"
The brass oil lamp shook its head vigorously. "Anyway, with your current strength, you can handle some Golden Core cultivators, but this one is a malevolence. I'm afraid you can't win against it."
Chen Huangpi said, "It's badly wounded—if we join forces..."
"No, no, no. Do it yourself if you want something done."
The brass oil lamp covered its head. "Besides, that evil Daoist wears the temple master's face. Just seeing it makes me feel weak. If I go with you, I'll only slow you down."
Hearing this, Chen Huangpi was furious.
"Huang Er, how can you be so cowardly! So useless!"
"I am just like this. Those other gods were neither cowardly nor useless, but the temple master turned them all to dust."
The brass oil lamp pleaded, "Besides, I can't even sense its whereabouts. How am I supposed to find it to get revenge?"
"But..."
Chen Huangpi frowned. That evil Daoist carried a drop of his blood.
He could sense it.
The evil Daoist was still in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
But he couldn't tell where, nor which direction it had gone.
Clearly, the evil Daoist used some method to leave Pure Immortal Temple, and along the way concealed the blood, preventing Chen Huangpi from pinpointing its location.
"No more buts."
The brass oil lamp cut in. "You haven't forged your Kidney Temple, nor cultivated the Six Yin Gods. Altogether you've trained for barely a day or two. Though you're extraordinary and Golden Core cultivators are like pigs and dogs to you, you still lack enough methods. Better to wait a while longer before seeking revenge."
'Revenge is never too late for a gentleman, and you're only nine years old.'
"Damn it!"
Chen Huangpi clenched his fist and punched the air, as if to smash the kindly face of the evil Daoist.
If only he were ten years old.
No longer a childish nine-year-old, but a youth of the world.
Could kill whomever he wished!
"Huang Er, I'll endure for now. But if you won't help me deal with the evil Daoist, will you at least come with me to the Sutra Library tonight?"
Chen Huangpi hadn't forgotten the matter of curing his master.
He needed to step into the areas of Pure Immortal Temple that only appear at night.
"Ah... well... that's not such a good idea..."
"If that's no good, and that's no good, what do you want?"
Chen Huangpi hadn't yet lifted the Dog-Taming Sutra.
If the brass oil lamp refused, he'd have to exercise his rights as a master!
"Fine, I'll go with you this time."
The brass oil lamp put on a bitter face. Having just refused to help with the evil Daoist, it couldn't well refuse again. Only, the nighttime areas of Pure Immortal Temple were far more terrifying than those in daylight.
If they really entered, it could only hope the malevolence inside would have the insight not to harm the master's precious disciple.
At this moment, Chen Huangpi suddenly noticed something strange about the Fox Mountain God.
"Huang Er, what's wrong with it?"
"No idea. Maybe it's dead."
The brass oil lamp answered offhandedly.
It only cared about Chen Huangpi, and about leaving these Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Whether the Fox Mountain God lived or died meant nothing to it.
Chen Huangpi approached the Fox Mountain God and poked it with his finger.
That poke...
Created a hole.
With a crack, the statue of the Fox Mountain God was covered in fractures.
One must know, despite being made of decayed wood and clay, a god's statue was essentially indestructible.

But now it shattered at a touch, clearly close to death.
Chen Huangpi understood, "The evil Daoist was a mutated memory fragment of it. When the evil Daoist escaped, it lost that fragment of memory, becoming so pitiful."
Moreover, the evil Daoist seemed to have used some technique at the end,
Blowing up the entire memory scene.
It seemed the Fox Mountain God was nearing its end.
In fact, Chen Huangpi was correct. The Fox Mountain God had indeed lost that memory fragment.
But what truly brought it to this state wasn't just the evil Daoist.
More accurately, it wasn't only the evil Daoist.
First, the white-robed old Daoist drained its incense power; then, the mutation in Chen Huangpi's sea of consciousness devoured half its divine soul, and finally, the evil Daoist broke free from the memory to become independent.
Of course...
Not to mention Chen Huangpi poking it with his finger.
"Huang Er, it seems it's dying."
Chen Huangpi could no longer sense the Fox Mountain God's presence, and said, "Why don't you give it a drop of lamp oil? Maybe prolong its life?"
"Useless."
The brass oil lamp replied listlessly, "My lamp oil can help gods transform, but can't save them."
Chen Huangpi said, "Alright then. I thought since you look just like the Golden Summit Sky Lamp, your oil might have similar wonders."
"Golden Summit Sky Lamp? How do you know the name of Huang Yi?"
The brass oil lamp was astonished. "Did you see it in the memory?"
Chen Huangpi said, "So it's called Huang Yi. I saw it hanging in the world behind the Immortal Ascension Scroll. It enlightened ten thousand gods—it seems much stronger than you!"
"Nonsense!"
The brass oil lamp cursed, "Huang Yi's road has ended, mine has just begun. How can it compare to me?"
"Huang Yi is brainless, only knows to be used by others."
"It's rigid, lacks humanity! Where am I inferior?"
"Do you know, when the temple master made it, he used a huge block of Shadowless Gold from all directions. By my turn, only scraps were left, mixed with Shou Mountain copper to muddle through, saying it was enough."
"Even my name comes after it!"
"Tell me, isn't the temple master biased?"
"Yes, master has always been biased."
Chen Huangpi wondered why Huang Er reacted so strongly.
Was Huang Er mad too?
The brass oil lamp became more agitated, and at the height of its emotion, it sobbed and grabbed Chen Huangpi's hand. "It just had better luck. If it were me, I'd be ten thousand times stronger!"
"Chen Huangpi, you're the best liar—am I right?"
Chen Huangpi comforted, "Huang Er, you are stronger and better. In my heart, you and master are both family."
He spoke with genuine feeling.
"You are good—even when you lie, you do it so sincerely."
The brass oil lamp was deeply moved. "As long as you don't ask me to fight the evil Daoist, even if you go to hell, I'll follow you."
"Okay, I know."
Chen Huangpi comforted the brass oil lamp, but in his heart wondered, wasn't master just picking scallions? Why hasn't he returned yet?
...
Elsewhere,
At the gate of Pure Immortal Temple,
The purple-robed old Daoist Chen Huangpi had been thinking of was now holding a scallion as tall as a man, standing there for a quarter of an hour.
Opposite him stood Granny Tang, pale-faced, weak in her limbs.
The two gazed at each other.
More precisely, the purple-robed old Daoist stared at Granny Tang,
While Granny Tang was terrified, not daring to move.
She had come to accompany the Mountain God, ready to die.
But upon entering the gate, she ran into the purple-robed old Daoist, and became utterly at a loss.
And now, the Mountain God's connection was completely severed.
No matter how she called out, she could not sense its presence.
For the moment, she was stuck here with the purple-robed old Daoist.

Just then,
A shrill voice rang out.
"Temple master, you pulled me from the earth, surely to eat me. Now you're just standing here with this old hag—what are you waiting for? Let me die already!"
It was the towering scallion speaking.
Granny Tang was shocked.
She now noticed, at some point a human face had appeared on the scallion,
Its mouth opening and closing, the voice coming from it.
"Even scallions can talk?"
"You old hag, you came to this wretched temple at the right time. Watch out—Chen Huangpi sees you're old enough, tough enough, he might chop you up for soup for the temple master. When I die, I can still neutralize your gamey taste!"
The scallion taunted.
Granny Tang was even more frightened, blurting out, "Chen Huangpi is here too?"
What kind of place was Pure Immortal Temple?
There was the white-robed old Daoist, who devoured gods, and now another purple-robed old Daoist who looked just like him. Even a scallion was a malevolence, able to speak.
And apparently Chen Huangpi was also here.
Judging by the scallion's words, Chen Huangpi was no longer so innocent, but more like a murderous demon.
"Hahaha, scared now, old hag!"
The scallion continued, but the next second, the purple-robed old Daoist snapped off its head in a bite.
Juice flowed like blood.
The remaining stalk twitched, then went limp.
If it hadn't looked like a scallion,
Granny Tang would have thought the old Daoist was eating a human.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The purple-robed old Daoist chewed the crisp, juicy scallion, gazing oddly at Granny Tang.
His eyes did not see a living person,
But a scallion.
He muttered as he watched, "Huangpi said he wanted clear broth noodles, but there's clearly a person here, and people taste good. Still, Huangpi's noodles are better. Should I eat her or not?"
"If I eat her, Huangpi will surely nag me."
"He's grown up, already talks back to me."
No sooner had he finished speaking,
Than he appeared before Granny Tang in an instant.
"Tell me, should I eat you or not?"
Granny Tang retreated in terror,
But no matter how she backed away, the purple-robed old Daoist always stood before her, as if the distance between them was fixed.
"Since you don't answer, I'll take it as consent."
...
"Enough, Huang Er, stop crying."
Chen Huangpi helplessly comforted the brass oil lamp, holding it in his arms.
The latter wept bitterly, as if venting years of grievance.
"The temple master is biased—he was like this before he went mad, and still is after."
"He has many disciples, but he favors you most. Even when mad, he thinks you smell best, taste best."
"But how did he treat me? Why didn't he split Huang Yi into thousands of pieces too?"
"If ever I get the chance, I'll... I'll enshrine the temple master!"
The brass oil lamp abruptly changed tone, jumping from Chen Huangpi's arms.
Feigning servility, it called toward the doorway,
"Temple master, you've returned?"
"Master's back?"
Chen Huangpi looked to the door and saw the purple-robed old Daoist dragging Granny Tang in excitedly.
"Huangpi, today is truly odd. While picking a scallion at the gate, I found a person. Sharpen the knife, stoke the fire, let's cook some meat!"