novelapdf Chapter 65 The Clown Was Actually Me
Chapter 65 The Clown Was Actually Me
Inside the quiet room of the high-rise building, upon hearing the old ape boast that "all forces are nothing special," Mei Qianqian looked helpless, raised her hand to rub her temples, and muttered to herself, "This old ape, he certainly knows how to take advantage of situations... He's usually stingy and cautious, but now he's putting on airs like the Four Seas Pavilion."
"Hehehe..." Beside her, the fox girl Ah Li was already laughing so hard she was doubled over, clutching her stomach, her tail tip trembling wildly, almost rolling to the ground. "Sister Qian, I really didn't expect you to think that way. If these words were to reach the ears of the Four Seas Ancestor, he would probably be so happy that he would immediately put you in charge of a pavilion."
Mei Qianqian rolled her eyes at Ali with annoyance, then flicked her finger, sending a barely perceptible wisp of moisture onto Ali's smooth forehead, causing her to stop laughing with a "ouch".
"Don't be ridiculous." Mei Qianqian's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. "Old Ape is just speaking with courage because he's on my orders. However..."
She suddenly chuckled, her voice carrying a hint of arrogance rarely seen in her voice. "Do you really think that my [Four Seas Pavilion] is inferior to the [Desire Immortal Sect] and the Zhen family, which claims to be able to measure the heavens, because it is not ranked high among the unorthodox sects? Besides, the Zhen family has now lost all its dragon energy and is merely clinging to the legacy of its ancestors."
She casually stroked the shards in her hand and murmured, "In the end, in this cultivation world... money can move gods and also grind ghosts. The Four Seas Pavilion may lack other things, but what it has in abundance is the financial means to move gods and grind ghosts."
Turning her head, Mei Qianqian looked at the strange Taoist priest who had suddenly appeared in the jade mirror and murmured to herself.
"Sister Qian, what rumors have you heard? Is the cabinet... plotting something big lately?"
Upon hearing this, the fox woman immediately stood up and then asked in a low voice.
......
"Hey, I thought this old ape was running a shady business, ripping off customers and driving down prices. But I didn't expect this 'Honest Business' sign to actually be quite authentic."
Meanwhile, in the quiet little house, Xu Changqing weighed the heavy storage pouch embroidered with the Four Seas Pavilion mark in his hand and smiled.
However, he also knew that the old ape was so fair for two reasons: first, he was wary of the cultivation level he had revealed, and second, it was because of the instruction from his master.
"However," Xu Changqing put away the brocade pouch, his mind racing, "this old ape's cultivation method is quite peculiar... Just now, when he was appraising those objects, his cultivation level subtly increased with each item he identified... Appraising and hoarding treasures can improve one's cultivation level? The cultivation paths in this world are truly bizarre and unpredictable."
"Go go go, spend some money! If you have money but don't spend it, it's like you have nothing."
He patted his stomach, and a thought suddenly occurred to him: having money but not spending it is a waste. So he walked toward the street where precious scriptures and spiritual materials were sold.
The market became increasingly lively and bustling, with various shouts of vendors, discussions, and bargaining filling the air.
Xu Changqing broadened his horizons while enjoying the local delicacies, roasted meat, and spiritual fruits in the market.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, staggering out of a winery with a banner that read "Aged Spirit Wine".
It was that Taoist Qi Qinzi.
At this moment, he was holding a large, glossy, vermilion gourd that was almost half his height. The gourd stopper was nowhere to be seen, and the strong aroma of wine mixed with the fragrance of some kind of refreshing spiritual fruit filled the air.
His face was flushed, his topknot was completely loose, and his gray hair was disheveled. As he walked, he took several big gulps into the gourd and then let out a satisfied "ha-ha" sound, which made the surrounding pedestrians turn their heads and make way for him.
"Hiccup... Good wine, really good wine... Qianjinfang's 'Monkey's Drunkenness' lives up to its reputation..." Qi Qinzi mumbled indistinctly, his body swaying.
"That's right, this is the result of my careful selection of hundreds of fruits and three years of brewing, it's the real deal!" A hearty and somewhat rough voice came from inside the winery.
Then, another old ape appeared.
It nimbly stepped forward, steadied the staggering Qi Qinzi, and laughed, "Taoist, slow down. This monkey is quite strong when drunk. At this rate, he'll probably be passed out drunk in the street."
Qi Qinzi patted the old ape's hairy shoulder and slurred, "Oh...it's you...hiccup...you're more honest, your wine is really good, unlike that...money-grubbing younger brother who's full of scheming..."
"That's right, I'm not like my cunning brother. I'm going to be a Monkey King." The old ape laughed heartily.
Xu Changqing watched from a distance, a sense of doubt rising in his heart.
Just then, Qi Qinzi, with his drunken eyes, happened to see Xu Changqing standing not far away.
He squinted, as if trying to make a recognition, then grinned, broke free from Ape Warrior's support, and staggered over.
"Hey? Baldy...uh, monk, you're here! Come, come, have a couple more drinks with this Taoist priest. This wine brewed by the Monkey King is much more interesting than his money-grubbing brother!"
As he spoke, he grabbed Xu Changqing's monk's sleeve with tremendous force and tried to pull him into the winery without saying a word.
The old ape known as "Ape Warrior" also looked over, nodded amicably to Xu Changqing, and had clear eyes.
Xu Changqing looked at Qi Qinzi's drunken face, then glanced at the ape-like man with a mellow aura, wanting to find out what was going on, and said with a smile: "Amitabha, how can this humble monk refuse the invitation from the Daoist? Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart. Today, I will make an exception and accompany the Daoist to enjoy himself to the fullest."
With a thought, he quietly sent a wisp of his divine consciousness into his sea of consciousness to communicate with the eerie altar shrouded in black mist.
"Old Ghost, quickly help me see what this thing in front of me is. Damn it, if I had known this trip would be so unlucky, I should have consulted the Celestial Venerable before I left home to avoid this calamity."
The altar fell silent for a moment, its surface shimmering with a faint light. A moment later, a message slowly entered Xu Changqing's mind.
【Ape Warrior】
[Cultivation Level: Fifth Realm Dharma Aspect (Sealed/Interference)]
[Status: Formless Clone]
There was a monkey that often listened to sutras in front of the sandalwood Buddha. The monkey gradually became intelligent, but its wild nature remained untamed.
One day, the Buddha sighed, "Your nature contains great evil, but also great enlightenment. The two have the same origin. How can you explain this?" The ape was puzzled.
That night, the demon transformed into the form of the sandalwood Buddha, bestowed upon the monkey the "Sandalwood Sutra of Formlessness," and whispered, "The Buddha speaks of formlessness, which means there is no good or evil. Why not liberate your mind?"
The ape cultivated into a demon, and the Buddha, awakened, suppressed it beneath the cliff, banishing all forms to attain enlightenment of non-form.
The treasure-hunting ape demon embodies the desire for "greedy collecting," while this ape embodies the obsession with "lavish travel and indulging in wine." All the apes are one, together practicing the wondrous Dharma of formlessness.
Xu Changqing's face stiffened upon seeing the information provided by the old ghost.
I thought this old ape was just a small karami, but you're telling me it's a demonic ape with unfathomable depths from head to toe.
Just now, in that "ape den," I was still holding the other party in my grasp, even considering whether I could buy their walking stick. I even thought they dared to accept my "dirty goods" because they were relying on their owner's power?
So, the Joker is actually myself?
......
Looking at the image of the three meeting in the jade mirror, Ah Li's eyes darted around: "Sister Qian, did you arrange this on purpose?"
"Of course." Mei Qianqian readily admitted, lightly tapping her fingertips on the window frame. "We can't open the ruins of the True Person, the [Ziyang Temple]. Even if we ask the elders in the temple to help, the credit won't go to us. In the end, we'll probably just have to watch helplessly."
Looking at Xu Changqing's plump monk reflection in the mirror, a hint of anticipation and a sly calculation appeared on her face: "This time, Xu Ming, wearing the monk's skin that the Master usually despises, has actually been able to be approached and travel with the Master, which is already an anomaly. Perhaps... this time we can really use this bit of luck to pry open the door to Ziyang Temple."