Chapter 282: The Heavens Have Eyes

　　Night fell, and the sky grew dark.

　　Several faint lights flickered in Lingyun Temple, dim and silent.

　　The young Taoists finished their dinner according to their master's schedule and then returned to their rooms to sleep.

　　"The braised pig's trotters today were so delicious! I've never eaten so much that I felt stuffed before."

　　"Look at you, making a big deal out of a little food! What's so special about this? Master gives us medicinal tonics made with rare herbs; those are the most precious. Even money can't always buy them."

　　"The medicinal tonics are a bit bitter, but Master says that as long as we adjust our bodies well, we can stay here permanently."

　　"Master is so kind to us! I must train hard and repay him someday..."

　　The new young Taoist smacked his lips, savoring the delicious dinner. Whenever he mentioned Master, his face was filled with admiration and gratitude.

　　The other three young Taoists remained silent, looking at each other's innocent expressions with complicated expressions in their eyes.

　　One of them wanted to say something but was stopped by his companion.

　　Tonight is not a good time for any changes.

　　However, before entering the room, the newly arrived young Taoist hesitantly called out to them, with a ingratiating smile on his face.

　　"Senior brothers, can we stay in the same room with you tonight?"

　　"It gets really dark at night in the temple, and sometimes there are strange noises outside; we're a bit scared..."

　　The three exchanged glances and coldly refused.

　　"No way!"

　　"If you're scared, just close your door properly!"

　　The three slammed the door shut, listening to the muffled footsteps walking away, and sighed helplessly.

　　"I noticed that the weather doesn't seem good tonight, and it doesn't look like the moon will come out. Do you think Master will go up to meditate?"

　　"According to Master's habit, in a couple of days, it will be time to eat another one..."

　　"The two elder brothers can't possibly wait for us here forever..."

　　The three of them were filled with worry.

　　The youngest, Xiao Liu, thumped to his knees by the window, and sincerely kowtowed towards the gloomy sky outside.

　　"Heavenly Father, please take pity on us."

　　The night deepened.

　　Whether or not Heavenly Father truly took notice, no one knew.

　　The pitch-black sky brightened slightly, with a faint moonlight piercing through the clouds and spilling down.

　　Creak—

　　The door of the meditation room opened.

　　The Master of Lingyun Temple walked out from the room, looked up at the moon in the sky, squinted his aged eyes, and then walked into the main hall.

　　He climbed the stairs all the way to the highest point of the rooftop and sat cross-legged.

　　With both hands forming a seal, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

　　The faint moonlight fell on his rather youthful face, and beneath the skin which bore no wrinkles, something seemed to be moving slightly.

　　In the pitch-black room.

　　The three young disciples opened their eyes in unison.

　　"Master has gone up!"

　　"Great!"

　　The three of them quietly pushed open the door, peeked outside, then slipped out cautiously, following the wall to the storage shed.

　　They called 'bu gu, bu gu' (cuckoo, cuckoo) twice into it.

　　The door of the storeroom opened, and first a small, black, fluffy head poked out, followed by Lu Fei and Hu Zi.

　　"Master has gone to meditate on the roof."

　　The young Taoist priests' voices quivered slightly, whether from excitement or nervousness, it was unclear.

　　"You all keep watch. We'll go to his room. If anything unusual happens, the signal will be a whistle," Lu Fei whispered.

　　"Mm!"

　　The three young Taoist priests nodded vigorously.

　　The group split up and went their separate ways.

　　The young Taoist priests stood guard outside the main hall, constantly watching for any movement from their master.

　　Meanwhile, Lu Fei and Hu Zi crept along the wall to the meditation room.

　　Hu Zi fiddled with the lock for a moment, then opened it and pushed the door.

　　The two entered the room, closed the door, and first checked the water vat to make sure the Rou Lingzhi was not inside, before walking over to the ancestral master's altar.

　　Following the young Taoist's instructions, Lu Fei felt around on the table and found that one of the candle holders was fixed. He twisted it forcefully, and it turned with a click.

　　Beneath the altar, the floor slowly opened up on both sides, revealing a dark entrance.

　　"To carry out such deeds right under the Ancestral Master's nose, how audacious this evil Taoist is!"

　　Lu Fei snorted coldly, gripping his lightning-struck jujube wood stick tightly, and led the way into the entrance.

　　An old, narrow staircase spiraled downward.

　　There were several candle holders on both sides of the walls, but Lu Fei did not touch them; instead, he shone his flashlight down the stairs.

　　Below, there was a dim and eerie space.

　　As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, a chill, damp air hit them in the face.

　　The cellar was very large, divided into several spaces, some big and some small, with simple furniture made of stone arranged inside.

　　Two white candles were lit on the wall, and the dim yellow light made the place seem even more eerie.

　　"It's actually a tomb down here!"

　　As everyone knows.

　　The living reside in houses, while the dead rest in tombs.

　　"Could there be dead people down here?"

　　Lu Fei cautiously observed the surroundings, slightly surprised. After confirming there was no unusual movement, he had the small black dog keep watch at the stairs, while he and Hu Zi proceeded inside.

　　It was very damp here, with the ground and walls wet, and the air filled with cold moisture.

　　As they gradually entered the tomb, they found chairs and cabinets, as if arranged according to the normal habits of the living.

　　The more normal it appeared, the more spine-chilling it felt.

　　As they moved further in, they also saw a bed.

　　However, this bed was actually a pool about one meter high, filled to the brim with water.

　　The surface of the water was pitch black and still, with a cold mist rising from it.

　　"The flesh ganoderma should be inside."

　　Lu Fei and Hu Zi exchanged glances and were about to approach the pool.

　　Splash—

　　Suddenly, the water's surface began to ripple, and an odd, indistinct shadow wriggled in the water, as if it was about to emerge.

　　"Wait! Let's observe the situation first!"

　　Lu Fei pulled Hu Zi and hid behind the cabinet, just peeking out with their eyes to quietly observe.

　　Splish splash—

　　In the dim light.

　　Water splashed in all directions, and two arm-like, grayish-white fleshy masses emerged from the water.

　　It seemed to stretch as if a person was waking up from a nap. Then, a large mass of grayish-white flesh surfaced.

　　A round head, a bloated body, and two thick legs.

　　It looked like a huge, mangled clay doll, wriggling its body and clumsily crawling out of the pool.

　　"This is the true appearance of the flesh-reishi?!"

　　Lu Fei and Hu Zi, who were behind the cabinet, opened their eyes in shock.

　　The actual size of this wicked creature was beyond imagination. Could it have grown into a human form because it had devoured too many people?

　　The humanoid flesh-reishi moved as if a baby was taking its first steps, swaying unsteadily, awkwardly and laboriously stepping out of the bedroom and into what could be called the living room, performing various tasks.

　　It was as if it was learning to live like a human.

　　Lu Fei had already collected many wicked creatures and had seen his share of shocking scenes, but the next scene still made him feel a chill down his spine.

　　As the flesh spirit moved, the meat on its body kept flowing, and its bodily outline became increasingly clear, more and more like a human.

　　Even, facial features began to grow on its face.

　　"Boss, look at its face, it looks exactly like that strange Taoist!" Hu Zi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

　　The dim, yellowish light of the candle flickered slightly.

　　At this moment, the face of the flesh spirit was highly similar to that of the head of Lingyun Temple, except that its two eyes were hollow, without pupils and luster.

　　Its neck stiffly turned, as if it had seen something.

　　The corners of its mouth slowly curled upwards, revealing an extremely horrifying smile, as its ashen fingers picked up a pair of chopsticks.