Chapter 320: Taoist Priest Xuanqing

Jun Wushang and the Female Pilgrim were both startled.

"The... the Seven Deadly Sins!?" Jun Wushang's face paled. He was just about to attack when Taoist Priest Xuanqing, wearing the Lust Mask, snapped at him.

"You rebellious disciple! Is this how you watch the place when your Master is away?"

"Old... Master!? It's you?" Jun Wushang gaped. What was going on? Lust of the Seven Deadly Sins was actually his own Master?

"Ah!!" The Female Pilgrim clearly recognized the globally wanted Seven Deadly Sins as well. She opened her mouth to scream, but a crystalline blue light flashed through Su Mu's eyes.

The next moment, her mouth snapped shut. Staring blankly as if her soul had been snatched away, the Female Pilgrim stood expressionless and walked robotically out of Longevity Daoist Temple.

"Hey, don't leave! Do you still want me to dispel that bad omen or not?" Jun Wushang stamped his feet in frustration. Then he looked at his Master, finally remembering the more pressing matter.

"Master, what is going on here?"

"Shut up, you rebellious disciple. Hurry and pay your respects to the Divine Envoy."

Jun Wushang grew even more bewildered. He looked at Su Mu. The... Divine Envoy?

"Leader Pride is the Divine Envoy personally appointed by the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. Hurry and pay your respects!"

"Oh, right. My respects to the Divine Envoy."

"Mm. I'll leave the rest of the time to you two." With that, Su Mu vanished.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing was the last person Su Mu brought back, as his injuries were simply too severe. Not only was his physical body heavily wounded, but his soul had suffered just as badly. It was as if his very soul had been dismembered and haphazardly stitched back together.

Su Mu had spent this entire time in the Dream World helping Taoist Priest Xuanqing stabilize his condition, delaying his return until now.

Once Su Mu left, Taoist Priest Xuanqing grimaced in pain as he took off the Lust Mask, revealing a face so gaunt it resembled a skull.

Jun Wushang paled instantly. "Master, what... what happened to you?"

"Hurry up and give your Master a hand."

Supported by Jun Wushang, Taoist Priest Xuanqing slowly sat down and sighed. "Ah, I miscalculated. I specifically cast a hexagram before leaving, and the reading showed that I wouldn't die on this mission. I just didn't expect that while I wouldn't die during the mission itself, surviving the return trip wasn't guaranteed."

"What!?" Jun Wushang's face turned completely white. "Master, what's wrong?"

"Disciple, my time is running out, so I'll keep it short."

"Don't speak yet, Master! Heal your injuries first. I'll share my lifespan with you!"

Taoist Priest Xuanqing waved his hand weakly. "It's no use. I was hurt too badly this time. The damage reached my soul. I'm afraid there's no saving me. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Jun Wushang asked anxiously.

"Unless you make me a Roast Chicken right now, buy a jug of Osmanthus Wine, and give me your entire hidden stash of savings while you're at it..."

"Damn it! I'd be a fool to believe a word you say, old geezer!" Jun Wushang stood up angrily and ignored Taoist Priest Xuanqing, turning on his heel to storm off to the kitchen to make the Roast Chicken.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing watched Jun Wushang's departing back for a long time, his gaze soft and serene.

Over ten minutes later, Jun Wushang returned looking deeply reluctant. He carried a plate of Roast Chicken and a jug of Osmanthus Wine. Seeing Taoist Priest Xuanqing lying on the prayer mat with his eyes closed, he felt a fresh surge of annoyance.

He nudged Taoist Priest Xuanqing's leg with his foot and said impatiently, "Stop playing dead, old geezer. Get up and eat your Roast Chicken."

Taoist Priest Xuanqing didn't react. He lay completely motionless.

"Hey, are you trying to trick me again? Do you think I'll fall for it a second time? Suit yourself. If you don't want it, I'm eating the whole thing."

Jun Wushang grabbed a chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth, deliberately smacking his lips loudly. "So delicious!"

He finished the entire chicken leg, yet Taoist Priest Xuanqing still lay there without a single sound or movement.

Jun Wushang's heart gave a sudden lurch. He set down the Roast Chicken and the wine and walked over to Taoist Priest Xuanqing. "I'm warning you, old geezer, if you're messing with me again, I'll..."

The moment he touched Taoist Priest Xuanqing's ice-cold body, he froze. All the color drained instantly from his face.

With trembling fingers, he reached out to check Taoist Priest Xuanqing's breath, only to find that the old man had stopped breathing altogether.

"Master!! Don't scare me like this! You're pretending, right? Get up! The Roast Chicken is going to get cold! Master!" Jun Wushang shook Taoist Priest Xuanqing's body in a panic, but the old priest remained completely unresponsive.

Plop!

A small crumpled ball of paper fell from Taoist Priest Xuanqing's robes.

Trembling, Jun Wushang picked up the paper ball and smoothed it out. It was a wrinkled scrap of paper with the ink still wet—clearly written just moments ago. Wrapped inside it was a small golden sphere that looked just like a Golden Core.

When he read the very first sentence, tears surged from his eyes.

"Silly Disciple, your Master really is dying this time. I'm not tricking you.

"You must be thrilled that I'm dying. Are you secretly laughing to yourself? Be happy if you want, but you have to make sure my funeral is a grand affair. Give me a glorious burial and make sure to burn a few extra female paper figures for me. Otherwise, I won't let you off, even as a ghost.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Remember: do not try to avenge me. Do not try to avenge me. Do not try to avenge me! Important things must be said three times.

"Living to such a ripe old age was already a blessing, and I finally found the one the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity asked me to search for—the Divine Envoy you just saw. After I die, you will become the second generation's Lust. Remember, you must listen to the Divine Envoy. Do not blame him for this. My death is just my own rotten luck.

"Even without the Divine Envoy, I wouldn't have had many years left to live anyway. If anything, the Divine Envoy granted me a great deal of lifespan and allowed me to enjoy a glorious run right before the end. I am satisfied.

"This Golden Core was bestowed upon me by the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity many years ago. It contains the Celestial Sovereign's blessing, and now, I am passing it on to you. Go on and enjoy your secret laughs!"

"Master!!" Jun Wushang broke down in tears, falling to his knees before Taoist Priest Xuanqing's corpse. "I don't want the Golden Core! I don't want the blessing! Please, just get up! I'll make Roast Chicken for you every single day! I'll give you all my savings..."

...

...

Star City, District 13, Seven Deadly Sins Underground Base.

Sloth, Duanmu Qing, stared dumbfounded at the transcendent materials packed into the entire warehouse, her head spinning.

"Mr... Mr. Su, did you ransack an Empire's treasury?"

"How long has it been since you last left the base?" Su Mu asked.

Duanmu Qing's eyes darted away, and she lowered her head in slight embarrassment. "Not... not too long."

Su Mu pulled out a newspaper and handed it to her.

Duanmu Qing took the newspaper in confusion and began reading. A moment later—

"Ah!? Is... is this real? But I've been here refining Transcendent Potions the entire time! How come I was involved in attacking the Blood Moon Empire? I'm only at Silver 2, so why does the newspaper say I'm a Gold-tier powerhouse?

"And the Sloth in the newspaper seems to be a man! Mr. Su, does our organization have two Sloths?"

Duanmu Qing's mind was reeling as she fired off a barrage of questions.

"That isn't important." Su Mu smiled gently. "What matters is that to me, there is only one Sloth, and that is you."