Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 655: Self-Reliant

It was Shi Chan’s first time encountering a benefactor requesting protection. Compassion was the quintessence of monastic life. As a monk, protecting others was his duty. Thus, he agreed. However, he didn’t know what preparations or precautions were necessary to protect others.

Given his two senior brothers had roamed the jianghu for many years, Shi Chan figured they must be more experienced than himself, who had spent all his time slaughtering pigs. Hence, he decided to come and consult them.

Lu Yang looked down at the assassin. Originally, he had planned to check the opposite room for a lady named Kongque, in case the assassin was lying. Now, there’s no need.

Meng Jingzhou looked at Lu Yang on his left—the hero who saved the beauty—then at Shi Chan on his right—someone capable of protecting a beauty.

Why am I the only one who gets a plundering cultivator?

Plundering cultivator, why did you have to hide in my room for no reason? Go rob someone! If you don’t rob, how can I get my turn to be the hero saving the beauty?

The plundering cultivator hadn’t gone into the wrong room. He simply thought no new guests would arrive so late at night and hid in an empty room, intending to steal the three-hundred-year-old Lightning Tribulation Lingzhi after Fuling fell asleep.

Who would have thought three people would check in so late?

One could only say that he was unlucky like Meng Jingzhou.

Shi Chan finally noticed Fuling and was bewildered. “Benefactor Kongque, why are you here?”

“Master, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. My name is Fuling.”

“Senior Brother Shi Chan, what’s going on?”

“Benefactor Fuling and Benefactor Kongque look exactly alike.”

Lu Yang was astonished. “Miss, do you have a sister?”

“No...” Fuling started to deny it, but a layer of blurry memories suddenly surfaced. “Yes, I have a twin sister, but she went missing when I was very young.” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Lu Yang mentally sorted through the events and felt that he had pieced things together. He turned to Shi Chan. “Go and bring Miss Kongque over. Tell her the assassin has been caught.”

Shi Chan was taken aback. Could the person lying on the floor be the assassin?

Right, this black attire doesn’t look like it belongs to a good person.

Kongque was hiding in Shi Chan’s room, clutching the prayer beads he had left. Upon learning the assassin had been caught, she was overjoyed. She had even considered sharing Shi Chan’s room for the night.

As expected of a master, catching him so quickly.

“Thank you, Master!”

Shi Chan chanted “Amitabha” before saying, “Benefactress, you need not thank me. This was the effort of my two senior brothers. This poor monk didn’t contribute to this matter.”

Kongque assumed he was being modest and handed Shi Chan a storage ring. “Here are some spirit stones. Please accept them, Master.”

Shi Chan shook his head gently. “Compassion is the quintessence of monks; saving people is this poor monk’s duty. How can I accept money?”

“This isn’t for you, Master, but a donation for incense offered to Buddha.”

Shi Chan continued to refuse. “This poor monk is Buddha.”

“Ah?” Kongque was floored.

Without further explanation, Shi Chan followed Lu Yang’s instructions and brought Kongque to Fuling’s room.

As soon as the two young girls saw each other, they were momentarily stunned speechless.

The air seemed to congeal.

Fuling broke the silence first, her lips quivering, tears flowing uncontrollably. “Elder Sister?”

“Y-you’re my younger sister?”

“Elder Sister!”

“Younger Sister!”

The two girls embraced, weeping bitterly. Despite being separated at the age of two, they were reunited eighteen years later; it was a touching scene.

“Elder Sister, where did you go then? Why are you called Kongque now?”

Kongque wiped her tears, still sobbing. “After I got lost, my shifu found me. He searched everywhere nearby but couldn’t find you, so he took me back to his Daoist abbey and raised me. I was young and couldn’t remember my name, so my shifu named me Kongque.”

Lu Yang thought, I knew a professional assassin shouldn’t have mistaken the target. As I thought, there’s a reason behind it.

Fuling’s room was suddenly crowded: Lu Yang’s trio, Fuling, Kongque, the assassin, and the plundering cultivator Meng Jingzhou had dragged over.

Seven people gathered together.

Lu Yang silently scanned the crowd: reunited sisters, a visually challenged assassin, and a plundering cultivator intent on theft.

My initial plan was just to check into an inn. I simply entered the wrong room. How did so many things happen in the blink of an eye?

Now that the whole story was clear, Lu Yang was embarrassed to suggest that Fuling take the assassin to the authorities herself.

Two reunited sisters—one dragging an assassin and the other dragging a plundering cultivator as they cheerfully head to the yamen to report the crime—this scene feels wrong no matter how I imagine it.

“Let’s go, we’ll take them to the yamen.” Lu Yang sighed, deciding to see the good deed through. Besides, he couldn’t escape. Even if they didn’t go to the yamen, the constables would come to take his statement as a witness.

The seven of them noisily walked down, startling the inn owner.

I don’t remember there being so many people upstairs.

Lu Yang explained the situation to the innkeeper, who broke out in a cold sweat.

Thank goodness these three young heroes were here; otherwise, a murder would have occurred at my inn. The consequences are unthinkable—who would dare stay here afterward?

The innkeeper thanked them profusely and waived the lodging fees for Lu Yang’s trio, even promising they could stay as long as they wished.

Since the sisters had nearly been harmed in his inn, the owner also waived their fees and made the same promise as an apology.

The five of them carrying the two captives went out and soon encountered constables patrolling the streets. After hearing the story, the constables quickly brought all seven of them back to the yamen to understand the details.

The follow-up unfolded as Lu Yang expected—the assassin and plundering cultivator were handed over to the yamen, the three of them gave witness statements, and at the end, each received a brocade banner commending their courageous act for justice and spirit stones as a reward.

This time, Shi Chan did not refuse.

After all that hassle, the three were physically and mentally exhausted and could finally return to the inn to rest. Only the two sisters were still full of energy, having just reunited.

After a night’s rest, Lu Yang stretched lazily, feeling comfortable all over and rejuvenated.

“Old Meng, wake up!” Lu Yang was kind enough to knock on the door to wake Meng Jingzhou.

Meng Jingzhou opened the door with an unfriendly expression, staring resentfully at Lu Yang.

Lu Yang ignored his gaze.

Shi Chan emerged from his room in glowing spirits, completely different from his state last night. Clearly, he had also rested well. “Senior Brother Lu Yang, good morning.”

“Where are we going today? To perform a ritual?”

“It is so.”

Lu Yang teased, “I thought you’d use the spirit stones from the yamen rewarded to you last night to go to the brothel and temper your mental state.”

“Senior Brother, you jest. One shouldn’t receive rewards without corresponding merit. This poor monk did nothing yesterday. It was all thanks to you two senior brothers that I gained a reputation for acting courageously for justice. It was hard to refuse the imperial court’s spirit stones, so I’ll treat them as a donation to the sect. How could they be used for my personal purposes?”

“Want me to give you some spirit stones?” Meng Jingzhou suggested with a chuckle.

Shi Chan shook his head. “If this poor monk uses spirit stones given by Senior Brother Meng to go to the brothel, it wouldn’t be me going, but Senior Brother Meng going. It wouldn’t achieve the tempering effect.

“When Shifu could still speak, he often taught me to be self-reliant. The spirit stones for going to the brothel must be earned with my own ability.”