The Grand-Master’s Wife Sect and the Five Corpse Heart Sutra

These past two days, the Lei Martial Arts Academy had been quite deserted. Most of the disciples had taken leave, leaving only a handful of those with particularly ‘thick health bars’.

After their daily training, they would gather around the stone blocks in the courtyard, animatedly discussing the unfolding plot of ‘The Sky-Stealing Thief’s Thousand-Mile Pursuit of His Wife,’ spittle flying.

At the same time, they purged dissenters, silencing any ‘heretics’ who dared to not support their Grand-Master’s Wife. The number of those carried off to be ‘purified’ in the water pool had already reached double digits in just two days.

Originally, even at its quietest, the martial arts academy had two magnificent stone lions gracing its entrance, lending an air of grandeur.

However, during the last visit, the Young Hero Master had rushed in and, without a second thought, hoisted them away.

Lei Ling watched, utterly convinced he was still dreaming. He immediately waved his large hand, summoning several disciples.

“I think I just saw the Young Hero Master casually carry off two stone lions with his bare hands,” he declared. “Old Lei here must be sleepwalking, damn it. Quick, carry your master to the backyard pool and dunk me until I’m awake!”

The disciples, ever obedient, complied readily. They carried their master and submerged him in the pool, letting him gurgle a few times.

Lei Ling, having involuntarily swallowed a bellyful of water, lifted his head, shaking his dripping hair. He saw several disciples with solemn, sacred expressions, their hands pressed together in reverence.

“Master, you have been cleansed and purified by the holy water,” they intoned. “You are now worthy to convert to our ‘Grand-Master’s Wife Sect.’ Our Grand-Master’s Wife is benevolent.”

Lei Ling didn’t quite grasp it. Yet, seeing the disciples’ solemn expressions and dignified demeanor, he was infected by the atmosphere and nodded along.

“Our Grand-Master’s Wife is benevolent,” he echoed.

****

Xu Niantang hadn’t visited the martial arts academy these past two days. Unable to endure the agony of a halted story, the disciples began to act in shifts.

Some engaged in fan fiction. The plot had currently advanced to ‘The Grand-Master’s Wife Uproots the Weeping Willow.’

Others started proselytizing on the streets, though they found few living souls. They reluctantly recruited a stray dog that barked whenever it heard the words ‘Grand-Master’s Wife’ as a new follower.

Still others prepared to transcribe scriptures like the Diamond Sutra and Lankavatara Sutra, adapting them into the ‘Grand-Master’s Wife Sutra’.

Even Lei Ling had been somewhat brainwashed. ‘This is a forbidden love between a master and a master’s aunt, damn it, blood siblings no less! It’s bound to be fraught with peril,’ he thought.

‘The last time Old Lei encountered such a difficult love story,’ he mused, ‘it was back in his younger days, whenever he tried to talk to that girl Miss Xiaohong from the next village, and she would simply stand up and say, “No more chatting, I’m going to bathe now, see you later!”‘

Just as everything was progressing with fervent enthusiasm, the Grand-Master and his companions arrived at the martial arts academy once more.

Ye Di carried a dazed Xu Niantang on his back, her small face flushed crimson like a monkey’s bottom. Upon entering the courtyard, he turned his head and spoke.

“Xu Niantang, get down.”

Xu Niantang quickly let out a docile ‘Ang,’ and like a kitten that had done something wrong, she swiftly tumbled off the bad guy.

Ye Di was a little surprised. “Xu Niantang, why do I feel like your complexion has improved?”

Xu Niantang was also a little astonished by her own agility. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “Hmm, is it because you can heal illnesses?”

“I can heal illnesses?” Ye Di was momentarily bewildered.

“Healing is about bringing people back from the dead; my expertise lies solely in turning the living into the dead. The difference between the two isn’t just vast; it’s like heaven and earth.”

After being contradicted by the bad guy, Xu Niantang didn’t argue. She merely stole a glance at his mouth.

Ye Di sensed the girl’s gaze. He instantly realized, and his anger flared.

“So that’s it! Xu Niantang, you hooligan!”

In a corner, a female disciple was nervously munching on sunflower seeds. Her eyes darted back and forth between Ye Di and Xu Niantang.

“Oh, I’m so excited! The moment they appear, they start flirting and bickering. I feel like I’m going to die!”

A male disciple quickly jotted down two strokes. He circled the last key point in ‘Invincible: The Grand-Master’s Wife’s Ultimate Love Secret Manual’ before clearing his throat.

“According to the book, in situations like this, you must do the opposite. If the Grand-Master says it is, then it isn’t. If the Grand-Master says it isn’t, then it is. So…”

“So, the Grand-Master is actually the hooligan?” Another female disciple grew even more excited, popping her head out with a *’whoosh!’*

She had bitten down too hard on a sunflower seed and almost cracked a tooth with a loud *’crunch!’* The male disciple’s face was lined with exasperation.

“The Grand-Master’s Wife is dignified and virtuous; she’s definitely not a hooligan!”

Ye Di overheard this and immediately let out a cold laugh. “Xu Niantang, why don’t you tell them what you just did?”

Xu Niantang stiffened. Her entire body jolted, and the hair on her head seemed to stand on end.

Ye Di didn’t press her, merely sighing. “I’m entrusting you to their care for two days while I go search for clues about this ‘Five Corpse Heart Sutra’.”

When Xu Niantang had a fever, her emotions were even more undisguised, remarkably direct and fervent. She immediately wanted to say that she couldn’t bear to part with him.

However, she saw the bad guy repeat his earlier gesture, glaring at her mouth in a threatening manner. She lowered her head, a little intimidated.

‘Just one kiss and I won’t see him for days? That seems like a huge loss…’ she thought.

Several disciples quickly crowded around her. “Grand-Master’s Wife, Grand-Master’s Wife, you’re finally here! The last installment, chapter five, ended at such a crucial point! Please, quickly tell us how the Grand-Master sold straw sandals to pay for your schooling…”

Xu Niantang was listless, and her answers were perfunctory. A female disciple, munching on sunflower seeds, looked up at Ye Di.

“Grand-Master, are you bullying the Grand-Master’s Wife? I’m telling you, even if you’re handsome, you can’t just bully women…”

Ye Di quickly waved his hand to interrupt her. “She’s stammering now because she’s had some ‘practical experience’,” Ye Di explained, a smirk playing on his lips. “She’s just embarrassed. All her previous eloquent tales were pure fabrication, meant to fool you young lads and lasses!”

The disciples of the martial arts academy were stunned. Seeing the Grand-Master’s Wife’s crimson face, they immediately believed him to some extent.

Suddenly, the sunflower seeds lost their flavor, the pool was forgotten, and ‘Invincible: The Grand-Master’s Wife’s Ultimate Love Secret Manual’ found itself tucked under someone’s backside.

****

Outside the martial arts academy, Ye Di imparted his final instructions to Lei Ling.

“Master Lei, I’ll be gone for a short while, perhaps one or two days, or as long as three to five. I’m entrusting her care to you.”

Lei Ling felt that safeguarding their love story was akin to protecting his own youthful infatuation with Miss Xiaohong. He immediately thumped his chest, guaranteeing,

“Master, rest assured! Even if Old Lei’s martial arts academy is torn down, I will ensure the Grand-Master’s Wife’s safety, not letting a single strand of her hair be harmed!”

Ye Di smiled and said, “There’s no need for such extremes. Oh, and Master Lei, if any of your disciples go into the city to procure medicine, please ensure they don’t consume any qi-tonifying or blood-enriching herbs.”

Lei Ling’s bell-like eyes blinked in confusion. “May I ask, Young Hero Master, why is that…?”

Ye Di replied, “For this particular ailment, consuming too much of such medicine will do more harm than good. The explanation is a bit complicated, but rest assured, I wouldn’t mislead you.”

Lei Ling puffed out his chest upon hearing this, declaring loudly, “Of course! How could the Young Hero Master deceive Old Lei? Whatever the Young Hero Master says, that’s what it is. Old Lei won’t let them get those medicines then!”

Ye Di smiled, seemingly recalling something else. “By the way, Master Lei, since you’re acquainted with Doctor Luo, do the names ‘Kong Xiuwen’ or ‘Five Corpse Heart Sutra’ ring any bells?”

Lei Ling’s face was a mask of confusion. “What ‘Xiumei’? Heart Sutra?”

“Never mind then.” With that, Ye Di turned to leave, waving his hand as he went.

“For the next few days, it’s best not to venture out unnecessarily. There might be some ‘dead things’ roaming the streets.”

He was, of course, referring to the mindless Corpse Puppets that emerged after the ‘Five Corpse Heart Sutra’ took effect.

Murong Qihuang had now rented out all the pharmacies, large and small, within Quzhou City to provide relief to the common people.

However, according to Luo Yifang, these physicians lacked the necessary skill and couldn’t diagnose anything properly.

Previously, they had possessed a shred of medical ethics, hesitant to treat people casually. But with substantial wealth now within reach, they were all risking it.

Such reckless prescribing would undoubtedly accelerate the process of corpse puppet refinement. Ye Di couldn’t persuade these people, nor did he particularly want to.

If even Luo Yifang refused to get involved, there was even less chance for him. Ultimately, the only thing he could do now was to quickly find the whereabouts of Kong Xiuwen or the ‘Five Corpse Heart Sutra’.

Once Luo Yifang had seen it, he might be able to devise an antidote. He hoped there was still enough time, lest Quzhou become a city of the dead.

With these thoughts, Ye Di cast a final glance back at the girl within the walls. She was looking back at him.

Ye Di smiled faintly, waved to her, and then turned and departed.