Chapter 257 – The Unruly Monk

Mu Lin had mixed feelings about his grandfather.

He had been very fond of the original host and had spared no effort in helping him, but Mu Lin was not entirely the original host.

Fortunately, he was not the one who had caused the original host’s death—he had crossed over only after the original host had passed away—so Mu Lin carried no psychological burden.

“Forget it, I won’t dwell on it. I’ll just treat him normally and provide him with a good cultivation environment and abundant resources as repayment. That should also count as repaying the original host.”

“As for my sudden surge in strength, I’ll say that after experiencing a life-and-death crisis, I suddenly gained enlightenment and caught the attention of some sages from the Yin Eight Gates.”

In an extremely short time, Mu Lin had already thought of several explanations.

However, upon meeting his grandfather, Mu Lin realized he didn’t need to use any of his prepared reasons at all.

His grandfather, looking travel-worn, arrived in a hurry and immediately pulled Mu Lin outside.

“Lin’er, hurry up. Grandpa has found a Secret Realm, one related to our Yin Eight Gates…”

This made Mu Lin raise an eyebrow.

“Yin Eight Gates, a Secret Realm… Ping’an Ancient Town?”

“Ah, so you already know.”

After expressing surprise, Mu Lin’s grandfather seemed to remember something and nodded with some satisfaction. “Your Dao Academy is indeed better informed than us rogue cultivators. It was the right decision to have you join the Dao Academy.”

“Since you already know, I won’t explain further. Let’s go.”

With that, the anxious old man continued to pull Mu Lin along.

Seeing this, Mu Lin narrowed his eyes.

But in the end, he said nothing and simply followed his grandfather outside.

However, as they walked, another Mu Lin silently appeared in the original spot, his hands swiftly folding a Paper Figure.

Soon, the appearance of Mu Lin’s grandfather was replicated by the later-arriving Mu Lin through the folded Paper Figure.

At the same time, an ethereal yet beautiful flower emerged from the Paper Figure and began to grow rapidly.

Mu Lin had cast a curse on his grandfather.

Of course, it wasn’t a fatal curse like Nailing Seven Po, but rather planting a Manjusaka within his Divine Soul.

Moreover, when planting it, Mu Lin did not consume his grandfather’s life force or Divine Soul energy. Instead, he used his own power to nourish the Other Shore Flower.

Soon, the Other Shore Flower fully matured and wove an Illusion Realm that felt utterly real for Mu Lin’s grandfather. Throughout this process, his grandfather, who had spent years wandering the martial world, noticed nothing unusual.

—Mu Lin’s Other Shore Flower had already fused with Joy and Desire Divinity, making it a Divine Flower with a terrifyingly lofty status.

Even Dongfang Ya would struggle against an invasion by the Other Shore Flower, let alone Mu Lin’s grandfather.

Once everything was woven, Mu Lin performed a series of intricate actions. After completing them, he was confident in ensuring both his own and his grandfather’s safety.

However, after finishing all this, Mu Lin showed no joy. Instead, his expression turned frighteningly grim.

“Coming here and immediately taking me to Ping’an Ancient Town—is this truly Grandpa’s ‘good luck,’ having learned the news from someone else? Or is someone plotting a trap, preparing to make a move against me?”

It was no wonder Mu Lin thought this way. After all, he had offended many people and was deeply resented by many. It was only natural for someone to target him.

Using his grandfather to plot against him was even more plausible.

As Mu Lin pondered, Yan Yunyu approached.

Worried about Mu Lin’s safety, she couldn’t help but offer a word of advice:

“Brother Mu, since there might be traps, why don’t we just skip Ping’an Ancient Town?”

“After all, you can still improve your strength at Jade Lake Dao Academy.”

The suggestion made some sense, but Mu Lin firmly rejected it.

“Why not go? Now, I’m even more interested in that place.”

After speaking, seeing Yan Yunyu’s worried expression, Mu Lin smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I understand the principle that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. I won’t be in danger going to Ping’an Ancient Town, and neither will my grandfather.”

As he spoke, Mu Lin first glanced at his grandfather’s Paper Figure, then checked the proficiency of his Substitute Paper Figure in the Attribute Panel.

When he saw that the proficiency was just a small step away from reaching the 5th realm Grandmaster level, Mu Lin had no more doubts about his own safety.

“I won’t die, never!”

…

After leaving Yuzhou City and heading out on the road, Mu Lin’s grandfather behaved quite normally, just like any other elderly person who dotes on their grandson. He chattered incessantly, asking after Mu Lin’s well-being and showing concern for his cultivation progress.

—To give him some psychological preparation, Mu Lin had met his grandfather in Yuzhou City without displaying any of his extraordinary abilities.

He wanted to explain things himself, to avoid shocking his grandfather.

And don’t think it’s unscientific that Mu Lin is so famous yet his grandfather doesn’t know about it.

Information cocoons truly exist in this world.

In his previous life, even with the internet so developed, unless one deliberately searched for it, many people wouldn’t know who the outstanding young talents of each year were, what they looked like, or what their names were.

Nor would anyone know who the youngest officials in China were.

Even the names of some national leaders went unremembered, and their faces remained unfamiliar—those individuals had far greater fame, status, and public exposure than Mu Lin.

In his previous life, with information flowing freely, few people knew these details. In this world without telephones or the internet, people’s ability to gather information from various sources is even more rudimentary.

So, it’s perfectly normal that Mu Lin’s grandfather doesn’t know about his strength.

In the past, faced with such a situation, Mu Lin would have told his grandfather about his abilities to reassure him and let him cultivate peacefully at home.

But now, uncertain whether his grandfather has been controlled by someone, Mu Lin naturally said nothing.

He acted like a shy grandson, conversing normally with his grandfather.

And so, the two traveled and chatted along the way.

Soon, seven days passed, and they arrived at Ping’an Ancient Town, entering a peculiar street.

This street was filled with Paper Figures, Coffins, funeral wreaths… like a funeral services street, giving off an eerie and ominous feeling as soon as one entered.

At the same time, Mu Lin noticed that Paper Artisans and coffin makers, rarely seen elsewhere, were everywhere here.

“A stronghold of the Yin Eight Gates?”

While Mu Lin looked around curiously, his grandfather led him to a small Courtyard, where they met up with a group of people.

Among them were monks, Daoists, elderly women, a seductive young woman, and a drunken butcher.

As soon as Mu Lin’s grandfather entered, someone snorted coldly and said, “Paper Figure Mu, you’re too late.”

“You all arrived too early…”

Through their conversation, Mu Lin quickly learned that the people here were essentially his grandfather’s ‘teammates,’ often working together on various tasks.

This time, entering the Secret Realm, they also planned to look out for one another.

At the same time, through this exchange, Mu Lin understood why his grandfather had learned about the Secret Realm in Ping’an Ancient Town.

As he had just observed, this place served as a base for the Yin Eight Gates.

Normally, Mu Lin’s grandfather and his teammates would rest and resupply here.

Since they were already stationed in this area, it made perfect sense that they would be the first to discover the emergence of the Grave Lord Inheritance.

In fact, it was also logical for the Yin Eight Gates to establish a base here—knowing about the Grave Lord Inheritance, it was only natural for them to intentionally maintain a presence in this location.

“Could it be that I was mistaken? Was this truly just a coincidence, with no conspiracy involved?”

Standing to the side, Mu Lin remained silent, lost in thought like a mere bystander.

However, before he could ponder further, his thoughts were interrupted by some of the others.

Mu Lin’s grandfather had brought him along, and others in the courtyard had also brought their disciples or direct descendants.

Thus, there were indeed peers of Mu Lin’s age in this small courtyard.

At that moment, a slick-haired, cunning-looking monk approached Mu Lin, winking and gesturing for them to head outside to have some fun.

Seeing this, Mu Lin agreed.

As they walked, Mu Lin observed the group and noticed there were five people around his age.

Among them were the slick-haired monk, a sneaky-looking Daoist Novice, and a swordsman with a fierce glint in his eyes.

The remaining two were girls.

One appeared quite charming, while the other had an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

What amused Mu Lin was that the young monk, the Daoist Novice, and the swordsman all seemed quite taken with the ethereal girl, frequently glancing her way, while the other girl was largely ignored.

Although, in Mu Lin’s eyes, the latter girl was rather pretty and quite lively.

In contrast, the ethereal girl seemed somewhat disgusted and disdainful of the others.

“There’s a story here,” Mu Lin thought, amused.

Just as he was pondering this, the young monk was the first to speak to him.

However, what he said left Mu Lin utterly speechless.

“You must be Mu Lin, right? I’ve heard Elder Mu mention you many times. Since you’re here, we’re brothers now. Come on, my treat—I’ll take you to the Flower Pavilion to broaden your horizons, hehe…”

Seeing his lecherous grin and sensing the ethereal girl’s growing disgust beside them, Mu Lin didn’t need to think too hard to figure out what kind of place the Flower Pavilion was.

But because of this, he rolled his eyes and said, “You’re a monk, right? Is it really appropriate for you to take me to a brothel?”

Mu Lin was speechless, and the monk was even more so.

“Brother Mu, do you think my master and I, mingling with Paper Artisans, butchers, and spirit mediums like you, could possibly be proper monks?”

“…”

This statement was so logical that Mu Lin had no idea how to refute it.

(End of Chapter)