Chapter 148 Just Wanting to Be Angry

"Suona? What is that?"

Had this world really been devoid of the suona until now?

Wen Jin'ge paused for a moment.

However, such minor details were hardly worth dwelling upon.

The longer she stayed in this world, the better she could understand her pre-amnesiac self.

When she had first awakened, she still harbored taboos against the color white, feeling that full mourning attire was inauspicious. But ever since the hearse was crafted, her mind had been entirely consumed by thoughts of how to assemble a funeral procession.

The flying fish robes were a bit too formal, and the uniformity they brought was imposing; by comparison, charging forth in mourning attire possessed a far greater deterrent effect, fitting much better with the persona of someone who became a demon overnight.

"Come, I've prepared everything for you. Study hard!" A benign smile hung on Wen Jin'ge's face. "Don't worry about the future. Before I die, I guarantee the people of the Esoteric Sect won't be able to harm you."

As for after her death—well, once she was dead, how could she possibly care about him?

Wen Jin'ge's mental abacus clicked away brightly.

Zhiyin had known Wen Jin'ge before, though it was a very long time ago. Back then, the monk beneath the moon had not yet been expelled by the Esoteric Sect, and Wen Jin'ge was merely a somewhat mischievous yet sensible child, nothing like the shameless entity she was now.

And Zhiyin, the young monk known widely as the Buddha of Benevolence and Retribution, remained completely unaware of the changes Wen Jin'ge had undergone over the years. Therefore, he believed her.

In fact, before encountering Wen Jin'ge, the only person he trusted was her; otherwise, he never would have instructed his junior martial brother to seek refuge under her protection.

"How is this musical instrument used?"

"It can only be comprehended intuitively, not transmitted through words." Wen Jin'ge patted his shoulder, assuming the demeanor of an elder. "I can only tell you that this is a newly refined magical artifact of mine, possessing immense power. If used properly, it has the potential to split the heavens and shatter the earth. Aren't you a sound cultivator? If you master this, it will serve as a supreme shortcut to the heavens."

"Master..." Zhiyin looked thoughtfully into the empty air, then paid a solemn and earnest bow to Wen Jin'ge. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Ancestor, since the matters here are settled, we shall take our leave."

"Mmm." Wen Jin'ge nodded, indicating she understood.

Just as they were about to step down, as if remembering something, she offered a word of caution: "Lately, all the orthodox sects have been rushing toward this area. You and Ji Jing should be careful when catching pups on the road; don't let yourselves get dragged back."

"With Master around, I certainly won't get caught." Ji Jing stuck out her tongue. Having experienced so much, she remained as naive as the former Wang Xi. "On the other hand, won't this old demon cause trouble for the Immortal Master?"

"Naturally—there will be trouble."

"Then..." Ji Jing scratched her head, failing to understand why she looked so happy.

Could being targeted for trouble possibly be something worth celebrating?

"Trouble is precisely what I want."

"But, but..." Ji Jing still didn't understand.

Wen Jin'ge hummed a little tune and ignored her further. Ji Jing glanced back at her own master, let out a lingering sigh, and ultimately let the matter drop.

Even if this person were truly courting death, wouldn't she still be far more capable than herself?

Grumpily, Ji Jing sat back down beside her master. At that moment, Wen Jin'ge tapped against the carriage wall. The exploited old demon had long since grown accustomed to this routine of hers, and though reluctant, he still pushed open the door, allowing Ji Jing and Wen Xueshan to leap down.

This was the feeding ground of the old demon.

The messengers descending from the skies had gathered a cluster of lingering death energy here.

"Master..." Liang Si wore a conflicted expression, though not because of the old demon, but rather because his master's attitude toward life and death made him anxious. "Knowing that kind of ending awaits, why does Master still want to—"

"Some things, you see!" Wen Jin'ge squatted down before the two coffins, "are far more interesting precisely because they are unknown. Besides, the conditions have changed."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no longer any need to preserve my life." Wen Jin'ge smiled with an air of profound inscrutability. "Now, the initiative rests entirely in my hands. Leaving things unaltered is the greatest protection for me."

The two of them were never quite on the same wavelength. Liang Si assumed Wen Jin'ge was referring to the leverage she held over him. "Understood. This disciple will certainly protect Master well in the future."

"Pfft—"

"Cough, cough, cough. Apologies, this monk—this monk failed to control his strength properly."

"It's fine, take your time learning. The profound subtleties can only be comprehended through personal experience." Wen Jin'ge twitched the corners of her mouth. Taking advantage of the young monk's dazed fixation on the suona, she stuffed a ball of cotton into her ears and encouraged him, "Keep going, don't be discouraged, take it slow."

"This..." The young monk looked strangely at the suona in his hand. Despite its thoroughly ordinary appearance, no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't manage to blow a sound out of it.

" Blowing this requires immense physical strength." Wen Jin'ge pulled out another one and blasted the call-to-arms bugle. The old demon, currently in the middle of devouring death energy, trembled violently and almost bolted away in fright.

"Little girl, I've been reduced to this state already, what more do you want?"

"Nothing much, nothing much." Wen Jin'ge waved her hand, speaking unhurriedly. "I just felt like making some noise."

"I haven't finished eating yet!" he roared in irritation.

"Oh." Wen Jin'ge draped herself over A-Cai's coffin, holding a copy of the *General Treatise on Martial Practitioners*. This book had been plundered from the estate of the old man and old woman who had been eradicated previously.

The Profound Cloud Sect, the Esoteric Sect, and Qinghe Mountain—these three sects could be considered the backbone of the orthodox cultivation world.

The Profound Cloud Sect excelled primarily in sword cultivation and spell cultivation, having been established with the sole purpose of sealing the souls of ancient demons who had perished on ancient battlefields.

The Buddhist cultivators of the Esoteric Sect possessed minds untethered by external distractions. Long before the demons were hunted to extinction, they had already exterminated the soul clan in the vicinity of Qingqiu Lake. Beneath the old site of the Esoteric Sect still lay the buried bones of many members of the former soul clan.

Qinghe Mountain was renowned for its mastery of martial cultivation and medicine cultivation. The Pingchuan Valley, which connected to the heavenly road, was formerly known as the Pingchuan Miasma, a breeding ground for venomous creatures. Countless escaped fierce beasts and divine demons wreaked havoc near Qinghe Mountain, leaving the mountain with no choice but to cultivate robust martial practitioners alongside medicine practitioners skilled in healing.

When she had first arrived in this world, Wen Jin'ge was entirely clueless, and the script she received was titled *The Heavenly Vein Sword God*. Back then, she had assumed that sword cultivation was the only path in this world worth pursuing.

As she walked this path step by step, the more she learned, the more her understanding of this gradually expanding world evolved.

She had no other hobbies; she simply loved unearthing her own potential.

And so, upon unearthing these two martial arts manuals while ransacking someone's estate, she became utterly enchanted.

"Liang Si, I rarely see you use a sword in front of me anymore. Did you lose your former talent?"

"It's... gone." That was the price she had paid.

"I think this book suits you," Wen Jin'ge said earnestly. "Look at you—you've got such thick skin, you're a strapping young man with a sturdy build. There's no problem at all with practicing this."

"Master, but after all, I am a member of the Profound Cloud Sect! People on our side rarely take up martial cultivation, because..."

"There are no 'becauses'." Wen Jin'ge cut him off, resorting straight to moral blackmail. "Just tell me: are you going to practice it or not!"

"I... will practice it!"

What harm was there in trying? Even if he died, it would at least count as repaying his master for saving his life, wouldn't it?

"Good boy, Master believes in you. Look, I've already learned it myself."

Liang Si: "..."