Metaphysics Master (13) Qin Jingzhou might say let’s go and actually go, but he still had to consider the kids’ condition. Crossing half of Huaguo from north to south, plus “handling” a client along the way, had exhausted everyone—especially his cheap grandson, little Gu Chen, who was obediently nestled in his dad’s arms, his tiny head bobbing like a pecking chick from sheer sleepiness.
So he had his son-in-law Gu Yu find a hotel so they could rest.
Half an hour later, the whole family arrived at a local five-star hotel and smoothly checked into a presidential suite. Just as they were about to head out for a late-night meal, the Ancient Martial Association’s liaison also arrived.
This liaison was a Foundation Establishment cultivator trained by the authorities. Anything worth knowing, he already knew.
Sitting around just talking was boring—better to have late-night tea, eat while chatting.
After hearing the full truth from Ling Jing, the liaison couldn’t suppress his anger. “They… how dare they?”
Ling Jing exchanged a look with Qin Jingzhou that clearly said Big Boss, you handled the action earlier—now let me handle the talking. After receiving a fleeting smile in response, she turned back to the liaison.
“Why wouldn’t they dare? If my guess is right, the authorities control most of the distribution of cultivation resources, yes? Taixu Sect versus the authorities in high-end combat power is roughly four to six. It’s not an unwinnable fight. If Taixu Sect wins, they ascend in one leap. If they lose, won’t the authorities still prioritize the bigger picture? How many lives can really be taken? Taixu Sect just has to bow its head and work for the authorities for a hundred years. Either way, it’s a gamble with huge upside—and even losing doesn’t cost them that much.”
The liaison covered his forehead. “That… the cost of crime is way too low!”
“Exactly,” Ling Jing continued calmly. “Since Taixu Sect has decided to rebel, they naturally need ways to make up for their disadvantage in top-tier combat power. Cultivating and awakening fierce ghosts like me is one of their off-the-board moves. To reliably suppress someone like me, you’d need at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But sending half-baked exorcists instead? You already know the result…”
That was the crux of the problem. How many Foundation Establishment cultivators could the authorities dispatch everywhere to deal with ghosts? But if they ignored it, one fierce ghost after another awakening… the consequences were unimaginable.
Ling Jing sneered. “That’s Taixu Sect’s open scheme.”
Qin Jingzhou ate the shrimp dumpling his daughter had picked up for him and added casually, “Don’t forget that artificially implanted demon core in my son.”
A mature demon core could be used as an external pill, but not just any cultivator could use one to take a shortcut into the Golden Core stage.
Chairman Xie and the others knew full well that the demon core was inside Jin Yuansheng, yet they had no intention of reclaiming it. A demon core constantly produced demonic energy—an extremely hot potato for most cultivators, the life-threatening kind.
The liaison’s expression turned bitter, then he forced a smile. “Looks like we really have to unite every force we can…”
He wasn’t the type to burn with righteous fury, but he firmly believed that those not of our kind are bound to harbor different intentions. Only now did he truly understand why his superiors and the senior in front of him were both emphasizing the importance of recruiting fierce ghosts.
After the late-night meal, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Gu Yu and Jin Ziyun coaxed little Gu Chen to sleep, then the couple sat by the window, cultivating together using the Qi Guidance Primer Qin Jingzhou had taught them.
Jin Yuansheng also cultivated silently in his own room. The original him decisively chose the technique his father gave him, while the demon cultivator version continued to strengthen himself using demonic energy produced by the demon core.
In the dead of night, sensing the faint spiritual energy fluctuations from the two neighboring suites, Ling Jing finally couldn’t help commenting, “Before taking this mission, I was only crammed with some basic cultivation knowledge… but honestly, their talents really aren’t that great. Even the male lead Gu Yu isn’t an exception. This isn’t some male-power-fantasy novel—he’s probably not that reliable.”
Qin Jingzhou, who was compiling a basic cultivation textbook, set down his pen. “Gu Yu is still fairly agreeable.”
Ling Jing nodded. “He is a businessman, after all—he’s got good instincts. Jin Yuansheng, on the other hand, relies on the fact that you’re his dad. A bit spoiled.”
That was true. Jin Ziyun was openly affectionate; Jin Yuansheng was more tsundere. Qin Jingzhou smiled. “So I naturally play favorites. My cheap son accepts it just fine. Since both kids are good, it’s worth thinking more for their sake.”
Ling Jing thought for a moment. “So bringing them along under the excuse of ‘seeing the world,’ but actually personally… fishing. Makes sense. They’ve got decent character but weak strength. If you slipped up even once—and there’s no reload—”
Qin Jingzhou narrowed his eyes. “You really do understand me.”
Ling Jing seized the moment. “Then… can merit really purify a demon core?”
Qin Jingzhou nodded. “It can. In this world, I wouldn’t outright deceive people—at most, I selectively tell the truth.”
Ling Jing gave him a thumbs-up. “I know the path of merit… is incredibly, incredibly hard.”
Qin Jingzhou replied modestly, “I only understand a little.”
Ling Jing laughed softly, thinking: Yeah right, like I’d believe that. The next day, after breakfast, the whole family prepared to take Gu Yu’s private plane back to the capital. By noon they were back on familiar ground, naturally went to eat again, and in the afternoon returned home to open the shop.
Qin Jingzhou was teaching his children how to tend the spiritually infused plants when Chairman Xie arrived again—this time with yesterday’s client and two assistants, hauling a large suitcase.
Before Qin Jingzhou could say anything, Ling Jing—sitting by the window reading cultivation notes—glanced at the huge suitcase and exclaimed, “This is… inspired!”
Chairman Xie didn’t waste words. He opened the suitcase on the spot and released Mr. Li, the fierce ghost from the previous night.
Because he had died unjustly, his parents feared their youngest son would harbor resentment, so they hadn’t cremated him. Instead, they buried him and, following a master’s advice, spent a great sum to set up a soul-sealing array beside the coffin—both to prevent him from causing trouble and to ensure his “early deliverance,” meaning soul dispersal.
Last night, when Qin Jingzhou slapped Mr. Li’s head off, he’d also slapped his sanity back into place. That morning, cultivators from the Southern Branch of the Ancient Martial Association, guided by Mr. Li himself, found the remaining bones, allowing him to achieve “body-soul unity” and stabilize his state.
As for being “recruited,” Mr. Li had only one request: he wanted to see his girlfriend and daughter. As long as he existed, he would protect them.
A fierce ghost whose obsession wasn’t revenge but wholehearted devotion to wife and child was practically a freak among fierce ghosts—and exactly the kind of special talent the authorities loved to recruit.
As the first fierce ghost in the authorities’ “setting an example with lavish rewards” program, Chairman Xie personally participated via video call.
But when they took Mr. Li to see his girlfriend and daughter, a major problem arose: no matter what they tried, neither of them could see him—despite every known method of opening the celestial eye being used in turn.
Worse still, not only did the cultivators fail to let the mother and daughter see the man they missed so dearly, the two women instead collapsed one after the other from mental exhaustion, losing consciousness.
Mr. Li nearly went berserk on the spot. Even his elder brother, Mr. Li the eldest, kneeling to beg him, was useless.
Fortunately, the Southern Branch liaison who had met Qin Jingzhou the day before had a flash of inspiration. “We can go find that senior!”
Mr. Li immediately said, “Gather my remains. Let’s go!”
Despite the fact that Qin Jingzhou had slapped his head off and mercilessly stepped on it… Mr. Li trusted him completely.
After hearing the whole story, Qin Jingzhou said to Mr. Li, “You’re pretty smart.” Then he pointed at the glass door. “At least look at yourself in the mirror. You really want to appear before your wife and daughter like this?”
Mr. Li currently looked like a floating pile of bones with scraps of rotten flesh and blackened blood clinging to them. After years of erosion by the soul-sealing array, the remaining bones couldn’t even form a complete human shape.
Qin Jingzhou added, “My kids have seen a lot lately and are a bit numb. Otherwise, with your current ‘appearance,’ you’d be more than enough to shock them senseless.”
Chairman Xie: …As expected of a senior!
Everyone present—whether it was Mr. Li’s brother, who could see ghosts, or the official cultivators—wasn’t blind. They just hadn’t dared to say it outright, for fear of provoking the fierce ghost into doing something irreversible.
Mr. Li stood before the floor-to-ceiling window for a long time before slowly turning back. “Save me. Please.”
Qin Jingzhou looked at Mr. Li, then at the hopeful expression on Mr. Li the eldest. He replied calmly, “I can. But it’ll cost extra.”
Mr. Li the eldest instantly relaxed. “Master, you’re straightforward!”
Qin Jingzhou wrote up a list and handed it to him. “Go buy these. They’re part of your brother’s… reconstruction materials.”
In under an hour, Mr. Li the eldest gathered everything.
Qin Jingzhou placed a large stainless-steel pot on the stove, added the materials in precise proportions, then had his son-in-law Gu Yu watch it. “When it boils, call me.”
Soon, the herbal broth began to boil. Qin Jingzhou said to Mr. Li, “Please enter the pot.”
Mr. Li didn’t hesitate. Using his soul, he drove all his bones into the stainless-steel pot.
In less than ten minutes, the large kitchen filled with the aroma of bone broth.
Aside from Qin Jingzhou—who calmly continued compiling his textbook—everyone else was bursting with things to complain about, yet had no idea where to start. They could only exchange looks in silence.
Two hours later, Qin Jingzhou finally spoke. “You can come out now.”
Since Mr. Li himself seemed to have fainted, they had to use a skimmer to fish him out of the pot… only to discover that bone fragments and medicinal residue were mixed together, nearly indistinguishable.
Jin Yuansheng, the others, and Mr. Li the eldest could only stand guard by the pot, painstakingly sorting everything by hand. By the time they finished, it was already dinner.
Ling Jing suddenly appeared at the doorway. “Let’s go eat.”
With aching backs, sore necks, and dizzy heads, Jin Yuansheng and the others filed out of the small sitting room connected to the kitchen—only to see Mr. Li in the living room, not only his head fully restored, but flesh already beginning to grow on the rest of his bones.
They were completely dumbfounded.
Jin Ziyun was a bit indignant. “Even if you’re super handsome, you can’t just use us for free!”
Mr. Li could already speak naturally. “I can pay more.”
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