Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 116 An Unusual Resurrection

"Is the Taoist priest leaving?"

Ren Pingsheng watched as Master Li hurriedly packed his things. After learning about the White Lotus Sect's actions from Shuangxiu, Master Li sent a message to his sect. After traveling with Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao for a while, he turned around and said he was leaving to go elsewhere.

After learning about the White Lotus Sect, given Master Li's righteous character, they assumed he would pursue and attack the sect. However, he didn't. He simply followed them for a while, received a letter, and then said he was leaving.

“A fellow disciple has encountered trouble, and I am the closest to him, so I should go and help him.”

The incident happened suddenly, and the distress call from his fellow disciples came urgently. Master Li connected this to the White Lotus Sect's recent activities and suspected it was related to these matters. He had to go and investigate.

Wandering Taoist priests like them rarely encounter fellow disciples from the same lineage, and even when they are in trouble, they rarely receive help. Since they have received a letter from the other party asking for help, they should lend a hand.

"Do you need any help?"

Jian Feidao asked, neither of them had anything urgent to do. They had also become acquainted with Master Li in recent days, and they wouldn't mind helping his fellow disciples if they were in trouble.

"Thank you both for your kind offer, but this matter is more than enough for me. If we were to go together, it would probably disrupt your schedule."

The place that Master Li is going to next is very different from the route they originally planned to take. Once they find the location of their fellow disciples, the original route will be completely disrupted, and there is no guarantee that they can return the way they came.

Although this matter was easy to resolve for the two people in front of him, since they could fly over the obstacle directly, Master Li didn't want to trouble others; this was an internal matter for their sect.

He had a lot of contact with the group of innate people, so he didn't have any problems with them. But his fellow disciple probably didn't even know these people existed. Just looking at the various rumors circulating among the people, not many people took them seriously, and they couldn't even imagine some of the rather abstract descriptions.

If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, Master Li would probably have been one of the many skeptics. Folk tales are always exaggerated, and after hearing so many of them while traveling, one gradually stops believing in these things.

If I really bring these two people over, I don't know what my fellow disciple will think. It's better not to bring them. If my fellow disciple sees that I'm bringing two people who look quite formidable, it will scare him, and I'll have to spend a lot of time explaining.

"The White Lotus Sect is acting strangely these days. If you two continue on your way, you should be able to do more than I can. I'm really sorry to have troubled you two these past few days."

Knowing that naturally gifted people can fly and travel a thousand miles a day is not a problem, the three of them have been walking at a slightly faster pace than normal people these days. Master Li has always suspected that the two of them are taking special care of him.

While he could use spells like Shrinking the Earth to an Inch to travel, he couldn't spend the whole day on it. Although using magic to travel consumed his magical power when there was no urgent matter, it would be more troublesome if he encountered an accident along the way.

Since the parties involved felt there was no problem, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao would not insist on following along. Master Li's cultivation was already quite good, and the chances of something going wrong were very small.

After tidying up, Master Li took out the letter he had received earlier. Inside the letter was a neatly folded piece of paper, which unfolded to reveal a paper-cut donkey.

Master Li recited an incantation, and the paper-cut donkey grew larger and flew to the ground. With a "whoosh," it stood up and transformed into a real donkey, complete with a bell around its neck.

"See you later, you two."

Master Li rode his donkey and bid farewell to the two men. He didn't know how long it would be before he finished helping his fellow disciples, and he knew he wouldn't be able to find them when he returned. Therefore, his reunion with these innate beings was left to fate.

"See you later."

Watching the donkey carrying the man walk a few steps and then disappear into a mysteriously rising mist, this paper-cut donkey might be like a navigation system, helping Master Li quickly find his fellow disciples who needed help.

Although they were one person less than their companions, it did not affect their speed. This was because the White Lotus Sect was mainly active in the south, while Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao were located further north. So far, they had not encountered any members of the White Lotus Sect who were indiscriminately capturing monsters.

But upon closer reflection, it was clear that the enemy couldn't possibly be targeting only one place. It was only a matter of time before they heard the news in the north. With this in mind, the two of them kept moving forward. However, due to some reasons, their journey only had direction, not a specific destination, and they didn't even know which region the land they were on belonged to.

If they hadn't bumped into a group of people on the official road, they wouldn't have known that they were in a place called Changqing County.

When traveling on official roads, people usually don't look to the side. Apart from robbers, few people pay attention to other travelers passing by when they are on their way.

But today is special. First of all, there are the very distinctive appearances of Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao. People like them walking on the street will attract attention from anyone who isn't blind, and they will keep their eyes on them.

Furthermore, among the people traveling today, there was one who had been observing the surrounding environment. She was of high status in the group, a young master from an official family. It was she who suggested coming to Changqing County today, so the others naturally listened to their young master.

Upon seeing the two men with extraordinary appearances, the young master, who had been merely admiring the scenery, changed his expression and immediately ordered his servant to invite them over.

Born into an official family, he was extremely wealthy and powerful. With such a privileged background, his procession was naturally grand, with luxurious carriages and countless attendants. However, the young master who possessed all of this was dressed in simple clothes, his hair was casually tied up, and there was not a single valuable item on him. If it weren't for someone respectfully addressing him as "young master," others would probably mistake him for one of the many servants.

The other person's attire was completely out of place with the outing party, utterly incongruous with his status as a young master from a prominent family. Even the servant who had been sent to invite them was dressed better than this young master.

Looking at this young man again, apart from his attire, his entire demeanor is also so contradictory. His eyes are too calm, his expression too indifferent. He may only be in his thirties, in the prime of his life, but his eyes and temperament make him seem like an old man in his twilight years.

Such a stark contrast in appearance and demeanor made the two realize at a glance that this young master's inner self must have been replaced long ago.

After sending the servants away, the young master put his hands together in a Buddhist gesture of respect to the two men and chanted "Amitabha Buddha" in the air.

"I was originally a monk from Changqing County, and I have spent more than eighty years in this mortal world..."

The other party had no intention of hiding anything and explained their situation frankly.

The young master in question is not the original soul. He was originally a monk from Changqing County, who was over eighty years old. One day, he suddenly fell down, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in another place, as someone else's young master and nobleman.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he asked the people around him and immediately explained that he was a monk, but no one believed him. Instead, they tried to convince him that he was the young master himself.

Before he opened his eyes, the original owner of this body, a young master, went out hunting with his entourage. The horse got spooked and threw the young master off, killing him instantly.

The old monk opened his eyes in this body, which, in other people's eyes, meant that their young master had survived a great calamity and come back to life after dying. It was normal for his mind to be unclear after just waking up.

In short, nobody believed him. The body's family members thought his words were absurd and wished they could drag the old monk by the ear and tell him about the original owner's experiences, hoping to make him realize the truth.

When it comes to enlightenment, the old monk knew better than anyone else. He realized that he had been given a new body, but he didn't want to live the life of the body's original owner. Having been a monk for over eighty years, he had long been accustomed to a life of vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures, and he couldn't adapt to the original body's life as a spoiled young master.

Once his injuries had mostly healed, he returned to Changqing County under the pretext of traveling, intending to visit the temple to check on his disciples and assess his physical condition.

He wants to switch back if possible.

"Switch back?"

Jian Feidao was somewhat surprised. There were so many cases of possession and resurrection, but this was the first time he had seen someone wanting to return the body.

“His parents are longing for their son’s return. I don’t belong in this body. Everything should get back on track.”

He didn't want to stay in someone else's body in this ambiguous way. He wanted to switch back, return the body to its original owner, and continue being a monk, living a life of vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

While observing whether the scenery of Changqing County differed from his memory, he saw Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao, who had encountered the convoy. At first glance, he knew that the two were not ordinary people, and that he might be able to consult them about the matter of soul swapping.

"If it were really possible to change it, Master, you would be back to being over eighty years old..."

Ren Pingsheng didn't say what came next, but the three people present all understood. There were two bodies, one belonging to an old man in his eighties and the other to a man in his thirties in his prime. The old monk's soul had entered this young man's body, so he could live for at least several more decades.

But if he were to return to his eighty-year-old body, it's uncertain how many more years he could live.

Moreover, according to his own recollection, he lost consciousness after falling, and when he woke up, he was a different person. An octogenarian falling is no small matter; he might have already died.

Assuming they could retrieve the young master's original soul and switch the two souls back together, the young master might be fine, but the old monk would probably go straight back to his death.

"If the original owner of this body really died from a fall from a horse, this young master should have gone to the underworld long ago and probably won't be coming back."

Both died from falls, but the old monk had practiced vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures for over eighty years. Although he had not entered the true path of spiritual cultivation, his soul was stronger and more solid than that of ordinary people, and even after death, it remained intact.

That young master is probably not an option. The principle of resurrection is still unclear, but most cases of resurrection have one thing in common: the original body owner is indeed dead, and the soul cannot be found or retrieved in the underworld.

Even if they have connections in the underworld, they cannot disregard the rules of life and death to demand someone's return.

"As for matters of reincarnation, Master, you can ask the City God."

"I went there early this morning, but the City God didn't respond."

The original young master was a typical playboy, with many wives and concubines and living a life of extravagance. The old monk could not adapt to this lifestyle. Even though he repeatedly emphasized his needs, eating only coarse food, wearing only coarse clothes, and locking himself in his room, the people around him would still keep reminding and advising him to live as before.

But what he's trying to maintain now is his former life. The old monk couldn't understand matters of the soul; he had already visited the City God Temple, but ultimately gained nothing.

This stalemate continued until the old monk's injuries healed. He rushed over immediately, his heart set on the Buddhist temple, wanting to return and continue his practice no matter what.

"The City God did not respond, which means he tacitly approved."

Ren Pingsheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. Because of his previous experience with the headless zombie, he and Jian Feidao had dealt with the City God and helped find the ghosts that had not been brought to justice hundreds of years ago. The City God Luo was very kind and revealed a lot of things.

Take the old monk's case as an example. Normally, it is not allowed for a person to be resurrected through possession of another's body. A dead person returning to the mortal world on their own would disrupt the order of yin and yang.

But these kinds of things always happen unexpectedly. If a ghost can be resurrected by borrowing someone else's body, it means that the soul and the body are very compatible. Once resurrected, this compatibility doesn't reveal much from the outside.

By the time it's confirmed that the person has been resurrected, they may have already lived for several years, making the situation much more difficult to handle.

So often, we turn a blind eye to these kinds of things. If we discover it in time, and it's a ghost taking over, we take the ghost away. If it's a coincidence, and it's a good person possessing the body of an evil person, we don't need to do anything about it. It's good for the good person to live a few more years.

Based on current information, the old monk appears to be the latter case. The City God likely saw that the resurrected being was a high-ranking monk and, considering it a good thing, acquiesced. However, the high-ranking monk himself seems unwilling to acquiesce.

"Although my friend and I know some unusual methods, the matter of soul swapping is really beyond our capabilities."

They couldn't help with this matter; the old monk's idea was based on the premise that both souls were still alive and their bodies were unharmed. However, injuries from falling from a horse are difficult to treat, and the fall itself would have been fatal. By now, his body has probably already been laid to rest.

"That original young master..."

"They can't come back either."

"……Amitabha."

Upon hearing this answer, the old monk sighed. The original young master was indeed dead, and the whole family would never see him return.

The situation of being reborn into another body had already been decided. The old monk had no interest in the wealth and glory of this body, but if he were to truly leave this body, the original owner's family would have to experience separation and death once again.

"Now, we can only go back to the temple to take a look."

If there's truly no other way, he can only use this new body to become a monk again, thus returning to the life of a monastic. In the eyes of others, this would appear as if the noble young master had suddenly renounced worldly life, which, while still unclear, is better than simply dying.

However, he didn't want to do it unless necessary. Using someone else's body, the old monk felt like he was stealing someone else's life. He taught his disciple that the cycle of life and death should be natural, but he never expected to break it himself.

Because of this incident, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao changed their course once again and went to the old monk's temple together.