Mutated Tao

Hearing Chun Xiaoman bring up Lu Xiucai, Lu Zhuangyuan could no longer continue puffing his pipe. He looked very indignant.

“Don't even mention that trouble-maker! He actually dared to steal money! If you meet him on the road, then remember to bring him back for me. We'll see if I can break his legs then!” spat out Lu Zhuangyuan.

As the two carriages passed each other, Chun Xiaoman continued toward the village.

Once they arrived at the Bai family's courtyard, Bai Lingmiao got down and walked toward the ancestral hall. “Sister Xiaoman, go and take a rest. I'll go and light some incense in the ancestral hall.”

Hearing this, Chun Xiaoman anxiously looked around, and then said to the passing Puppy, “Take this carriage to the stable.”

“Why should I? Is 'stableman' written on my face? My wife is pregnant! I need to go and cook egg soup for her!” said Puppy.

However, Chun Xiaoman completely ignored his protest and directly handed him the reins before rushing toward the Bai family ancestral hall.

Chun Xiaoman’s breathing slowed down considerably when she stepped through the entrance and saw the rows of black ancestral tablets. She looked around at this unfamiliar place with both curiosity and fear.

Aside from Bai Lingmiao, the others would rarely come near this area. There were even rumors circulating that this was an eerie place.

Chun Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Bai Lingmiao was just kneeling in front of the ancestral tablets.

There wasn't much else to see here; the hall was rather empty. Aside from the few objects placed against the wall, there wasn't even a chair to sit on.

She glanced again at Bai Lingmiao, who was whispering something, and then her gaze swept over the objects placed on those tables. As someone from a humble family, Chun Xiaoman couldn't understand the significance of these peculiar decorations.

There were stones placed on strange plates, and some bright-colored ceramics. Why were these things placed inside the house?

After inspecting everything, a palm-sized bronze ornament caught Xiaoman’s attention. It depicted three monkeys squatting side by side. One covered its ears, another covered its eyes, and the last covered its mouth.

What does this trio of monkeys represent? Why do wealthy people like to have things that are so difficult to understand? But these monkeys are quite interesting. They are rather delicately made.

Chun Xiaoman walked over and wanted to pick them up for a closer look. But just as she touched it, she found that they wouldn't budge.

Huh? What's going on? Is it stuck by its base?

Just as she tried to move it left and right a couple of times, the monkeys suddenly shifted to the left.

At the same time, a rumbling sound rang out, and a large piece of the wall, holding the ancestral tablets, beside her collapsed. A chilly black hole was revealed before them.

“Dad!”

Bai Lingmiao rushed in emotionally, picking up the fallen ancestral tablets tenderly. However, she soon paused, and then looked toward the black hole, astonished just like Chun Xiaoman.

As she stared at the entrance, Bai Lingmiao felt like something inside was attracting her. Soon, she started walking toward the entrance, almost as though she was in a trance.

However, at that moment, a figure walked past her, stepping into the black hole before her. “Wait here. I'll go in and take a look first.”

Not long after, Chun Xiaoman emerged from the hole. “There are a lot of words written on the walls inside. Go and get Gao Zhijian!”

In a short while, Gao Zhijian walked into the Bai family ancestral hall. He was in a fully-armed state—dressed in half-armor with a stone slab on his chest and wielding a heavy wolf-toothed club.

“There's no need for all this. Since it's the Bai family's ancestral hall, there shouldn't be any danger inside.”

“Just in c… case!” Gao Zhijian stood before the two and stepped in first.

The dark room was spacious, and the words on the wall stumped Gao Zhijian temporarily.

“Mud originates from chaos! White lotus emerges, ushering in a flourishing era!”

As he read, he looked toward the top, where some white flags imprinted with lotuses were hung.

“Isn't this the Bai family ancestral hall? Why would there be such things in this secret room?” Gao Zhijian was puzzled. Although he didn't know what these things were, he had a feeling that something was amiss.

“Don't stand in the middle of the path. Continue walking forward.”

Hearing this, Gao Zhijian gripped his weapon tightly as he slowly walked onward. Based on the fact that they were going down a flight of stairs, it could be seen that they were descending.

The secret room was quite large, and the phrases that appeared on the walls from time to time deepened Gao Zhijian’s sense of unease.

“White lotus descends! The people rise!”

“Heavenly Mater! Hometown of true void!”

Whenever Chun Xiaoman asked about what was written on the walls, he just shook his head in response.

After circling for a few times, the stairs finally stopped, and a pitch-black expanse appeared in front of them. The green glow of their glowing stones could only illuminate a small part of their surroundings.

“Stick… to the walls! Be… be… be careful!”

Gao Zhijian led the way while leaning against the walls. As he felt around, he found a book, then began reading it in the light from the glowing stones.

The words did not seem contemporary, but he could understand them. However, the content was much more difficult for him to grasp.

“Gao Zhijian, what do you see? Don't just read silently, say something! You're killing me with suspense!”

Prompted by his companion's urging, Gao Zhijian stammered as he translated the content into understandable words.

“The Heavenly Mater is an ancient Buddha who transcends birth and death! She can save us from the worldly realm and return us to the true void, avoiding all calamities!”

“In the beginning, everything was supposed to be the Heavenly Mater! Every inch of the earth and sky was originally the true void.”

“We were born, grew, and aged under the care of the Heavenly Mater, until someone betrayed her! It was someone amongst the most trusted Tian Huang nobles!”

“When those armies of unspeakable origin grew out of the Heavenly Mater's dantian, a group of Tian Huang nobles betrayed her.”

“They conspired with the unspeakable armies to betray the Heavenly Mater! They killed the Tian Huang nobles who refused to defect and stripped the Heavenly Mater of everything!”

“They threw away what they didn’t want and swallowed what they needed. In the end, they shamelessly stood in the position where the Heavenly Mater should have been!”

“These treacherous rebels feared that their shame would be discovered, and so they modified the history books, altering everything in people’s hearts.”

“But we didn’t. Our history books will always belong to the Heavenly Mater. We will always remember, waiting for the moment when the Heavenly Mater returns!”

“The Heavenly Mater is neither born nor dies; while she has been deprived of everything, it also means that she can no longer lose anything.”

“When a person is covered in wounds, they will never have new wounds. When an existence has been stripped of everything, it will no longer be possible to deprive it of anything!”

“The Heavenly Mater is always trying, whether it’s day or night, whether it’s a man or a woman, whether it’s yin or yang.”

“Those unfaithful rebels are watching. They are afraid, and they are constantly obstructing the return of the Heavenly Mater, who is with us.”

“They can always send their lackeys to stop us, but it doesn’t matter. As long as we succeed even once, the Heavenly Mater will return on the six ceramic horses, and openly occupy the spot that is hers!”

“I will wait, no matter how long it takes. As the only surviving Tian Huang noble, even if I am killed, my son crawling out of my body will continue waiting. When my son dies, he will be replaced by my grandson. Generation after generation, we will wait forever!! Heavenly Mater, hometown of the true void!”

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