Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 702: Deity Temple

Under the pressure from the constables, the two family heads were forced to annul the marriage engagement they had just set.

Gu Junye did not choose to escalate the matter. The offense of violent interference with another’s freedom of marriage would not be prosecuted unless a complaint was filed; with the involved party withdrawing the accusation, the matter was dropped.

After the constables left, Gu Junye’s brows were tightly furrowed as he pondered a question.

If my father gets imprisoned for violent interference with another’s freedom of marriage, will it affect my chances at the imperial examinations?

“It seems my grasp of the law is still not proficient enough.” Gu Junye reflected on himself. He decided to forgo absorbing moonlight power tonight in favor of continuing his legal studies.

Although he was the reincarnation of an ancient mighty expert, that was extremely long ago. The current environment differed from that of ancient times; the only proper path was to adapt in advance.

This was why he paid close attention in class and studied diligently afterward, resulting in his academic results far surpassing his peers. The teacher even praised him as a potential bangyan who would score the second highest in the imperial examinations.

“Why don’t you go find a pill-concocter who can concoct a pill to lift the curse?” Lu Yang suggested to Meng Jingzhou.

Through their observation, they concluded that Gu Junye was precisely the person Dai Bufan was looking for, so there was no need to continue assessing his character.

Of course, the main reason was that observing this kid felt too awkward; even Lu Yang’s and Meng Jingzhou’s thick skins couldn’t withstand it.

“Alright.” Meng Jingzhou took the pill formula that Lu Yang had written down based on the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s dictation.

Finding a pill-concocter was easy; the Luodi Merchant Guild offered pill-concocting services. Even if the merchant guild’s pill-concocter wasn’t the best in the city, they were still among the top five and more than capable to refine this kind of beginner-level pill.

“Xi’er, let’s go,” Mu Xi’s father said.

Mu Xi never imagined Gu Junye could be so heartless. To think that he had called the constables just to avoid marrying me!

“Junye, you will regret this! Your fate profile is flawed, and only I can mend it! Apart from me, anyone else you like will be harmed because of you!”

Gu Junye remained unmoved. He did not believe in the concept of fate profile. If I had believed in fate and predestination, I wouldn’t have defied the heavens and attained the Dao to become an immortal in my previous life.

Cultivation is about defying the heavens!

“My fate is mine to command, not Heaven’s.”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy instructed Lu Yang, “You mustn’t think like that. The Heaven Mandate Immortal is particularly fierce when striking down people like that.”

Lu Yang nodded repeatedly. The Heaven Mandate Immortal claimed to be born in accordance with the mandate of Heaven. If you suddenly declare “my fate is mine to command, not Heaven’s,’ isn’t that directly opposing him?

Even if one has such thoughts, they shouldn’t voice them aloud.

~~~

After Meng Jingzhou revealed his identity at the Luodi Merchant Guild, the person in charge promptly attended to Eldest Young Master Meng personally with utmost cordiality. Upon hearing that Eldest Young Master Meng needed a pill refined, he immediately summoned the merchant guild’s top pill-concocting master.

Logically, any pill-concocting apprentice with ten years of experience could refine the pill Meng Jingzhou needed, but that wouldn’t display the importance they placed on Meng Jingzhou.

Even without his status as the Meng Family’s eldest young master, being a Nascent Soul disciple of the Dao-Seeking Sect alone would warrant the same treatment. This was someone equivalent to a Divine Transfiguration cultivator, while the strongest in the city was only at the Nascent Soul Stage.

“By the way, the pill needs to be soluble in water, colorless, and odorless,” Meng Jingzhou reminded. He planned to administer the pill to Gu Junye secretly.

“Uh, Young Master Meng, a friendly reminder: poisoning is a crime.” The merchant guild manager was unaware of the pill’s effect and kindly reminded Meng Jingzhou.

Meng Jingzhou’s face darkened. “I know.”

Soon, a gray pill was presented on a tray.

Meng Jingzhou was slightly disappointed. If someone from the Pill Cauldron Peak had refined it, it should have had at least one pill mark.

But I can’t be too picky. Where am I supposed to find a senior brother from the Pill Cauldron Peak? It’s fine as long as this can lift the curse.

Meng Jingzhou accepted the pill and went to the Gu residence to reconvene with Lu Yang.

~~~

“How’s the observation going?”

“My shoes are almost worn out from me picking at them.”

Meng Jingzhou took out the pill. The Everlasting Immortal Fairy glanced at it and confirmed it was the type of pill she described. Only then did Meng Jingzhou feel reassured enough to dissolve the pill in the old duck soup for the Gu Family’s dinner.

Gu Junye finished the old duck soup and wiped his mouth, but showed no abnormalities.

“No reaction?”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy rolled her eyes. “What reaction were you hoping for? Although the curse is placed on him, the curse’s effect is on those around him. After the curse is removed, this kid will naturally not feel anything.”

“Come on, let’s go check the Mu residence,” Lu Yang called out to Meng Jingzhou. Mu Xi’s reaction after the annulment of the engagement had been very abnormal.

The two made their way to the Mu residence under the cover of darkness and spied on Mu Xi’s boudoir.

In the boudoir, Mu Xi gritted her teeth as she clutched a red paper doll. Its back was written with Gu Junye’s birth bazi information.[1]

“Gu Junye, you will regret this!”

The red paper doll was a treasure she had obtained from the Deity Temple outside the city. It could cause anyone who stayed near Gu Junye for a long time to develop heart problems.

This way, Gu Junye will have no choice but to marry me!

Suddenly, the paper doll spontaneously combusted and burned her fingers, causing her to shriek in pain.

Not only did her hand hurt, but her heart also ached terribly!

“Ah!

“Why did the paper doll burn?”

To maintain the paper doll’s potency, she had to drip a drop of blood onto it daily, gradually dyeing the white paper doll red.

This was actually a method for refining a life-bound magical treasure. Now that her life-bound magical treasure was destroyed, she suffered a backlash, and the heart pain was one of the symptoms.

“To the Deity temple!”

Instantly sensing something was wrong, she fled to the Deity Temple outside the city in a panic.

“Follow her!” Lu Yang transmitted an auditory message to Meng Jingzhou.

They had been in Lintian City for less than two days and hadn’t heard of any Deity Temple. No one knew when the temple was built; it had appeared overnight. Its location was hidden, and hardly anyone knew of it.

Mu Xi had learned of it by chance from a classmate, who said praying at the Deity Temple before exams could lead to good results.

~~~

The Deity Temple had no incense acolyte and received no incense offerings. It housed only a clay statue of an old man with a benign face. The interior was neat and clean, as if the place was protected by some deity.

“Deity, my paper doll burned!”

A voice reverberated within the temple. “Someone has broken the curse. You suffered from the backlash.

“And the one who broke it has already secretly followed you here.”

Lu Yang was startled. We’ve been discovered!

The other party’s cultivation is higher than mine and Old Meng’s!

An overwhelmingly powerful force surged toward Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Lu Yang hastily drew his Qingfeng Sword to block it, while Meng Jingzhou roared, bulging his muscles to withstand the blow with his body.

The disparity in cultivation realm was too vast. The two were directly swept out of the temple and slammed into a tree outside!

The colossal clay statue seemed to have come alive. Opening its eyes, it stepped down from the altar and leaned on the temple’s doorframe with one hand before bending and walking out of the temple.

The three-meter-tall clay statue stared at the two coldly.

“Immortal Fairy, what is this?”

“This is a method using faith and worship. His true body can no longer be used for some unknown reason, leaving only his soul. To obtain a physical body, he built this temple here, granting followers’ wishes to gain their faith!”

“This is a method from the Great Qian era,” Lu Yang said through clenched teeth. If the Great Yu Dynasty’s characteristic was the “Imperial Preceptor system,” then the Great Qian Dynasty’s characteristic was “Deity Dao” and “faith.”

“What about his cultivation realm?”

“Fusion Stage.”

The clay statue looked at the two icily, a human-like sneer curling its lips.

“Two reckless juniors who don’t know their place. Judging by your appearance, you must be prodigies from some major sect. I originally had no intention to bring about slaughter, but you just had to discover my existence. In that case, I cannot let you live!”

The oppressive aura of the Fusion Stage enveloped them, rendering them immobile.

Suddenly, a neighing sound came from the sky, resembling the legendary roar of a dragon.

A pure white horse without a single stray hair arrived, treading on the air. It kicked the clay statue over with one hoof, its eyes arrogant and domineering!

A few dragon scales on the white horse’s forehead emitted a faint glow in the darkness.

After the clay statue was sent tumbling, it stared fixedly at the white horse.

“Great Demon King!”

Why would a Great Demon King of the Dragon-Horse Tribe appear here?

1. The birth bazi, or just bazi, are eight characters that are often used for fortune-telling. The “ba” means eight, and “zi” means character/word. It states information such as the year, month, day, hour, heavenly stem, and earthly branch. There are 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches. ☜