Chapter 990: Emotion-Forgetting Pill

Dai Bufan drew a sheet of parchment from his robes. Referencing the texts inscribed upon it, he meticulously cross-examined the messages conveyed by the flickering and extinguishing of the soul lamp. As he finally deciphered the intelligence Lu Yang had transmitted at the cost of his own life, a muscle in the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.

For years, Dai Bufan had presided over the Mission Hall, coordinating intelligence and analyzing which reports harbored the hidden shadows of the Unfeeling Sect. Regrettably, even when he deduced their movements, the sect operated with such absolute discretion and caution that any forces dispatched would invariably find only an empty nest upon arrival.

"He has only been in the Buddhist Kingdom for a few days. How on earth did he manage to catch the tail of the Unfeeling Sect so quickly?"

Why was it that despite all his own painstaking efforts to analyze intelligence, the Unfeeling Sect remained completely untraceable?

"Senior Brother, what is written on the paper?" Gu Junye inquired out of sheer curiosity.

Folding the parchment neatly, Dai Bufan explained, "This is a method of transmitting intelligence invented by your Senior Brother Lu Yang. By measuring the varying intervals between the lighting and extinguishing of the soul lamp, one can form a system called 'Pinyin.' When these sounds are linked together, they form complete sentences."

"The matter of the Unfeeling Sect is of grave importance, and now that it involves the Buddhist Kingdom, we must leave the final decision to the Eldest Senior Sister." Dai Bufan prepared to pay the Eldest Senior Sister a visit.

"Junior Brother Gu, you shall remain on guard here in the Soul Lamp Chamber. Notify me immediately if there are any further changes."

Dai Bufan had stationed Gu Junye in the Soul Lamp Chamber precisely in the hope that the youth would behave himself and cease his daily antics. Several individuals within the imperial court had already utilized their connections to inquire with him, desperately trying to ascertain exactly which ancient, mighty cultivator Gu Junye truly was.

Despite Dai Bufan's repeated explanations that Gu Junye was not some ancient soul possessing a youth's body, those individuals only became more convinced of their own theories, to the point where quite a few had already come knocking on the door to propose marriage alliances.

...

Within a guest room at the Emperor-Founding Monastery in the Buddhist Kingdom.

Lu Yang resurrected, feeling a distinct grogginess in his mind; the repeated execution of the Death-Feigning Art had exacted no small toll on his mental energy.

"Has the message reached the sect?" Meng Jingzhou inquired. "What kind of spell is that, anyway?"

Lu Yang smiled triumphantly. "This was bestowed by an immortal—a supreme ancient divine ability that coalesces the Daos of Karma and of Life and Death: the Art of Deceiving Heaven and Disregarding Fate."

"That powerful?" Meng Jingzhou was inwardly shaken. Though he had never heard of such a divine ability existing in antiquity, he could deduce from the name alone that this technique was terrifyingly formidable.

Perhaps it was precisely because the spell was too powerful that it had been deemed a forbidden art, leading to its eventual loss to history.

The two of them then made their way to the Abbot's quarters to find Master Duanchen.

"Master, we have already informed our sect of the matter."

"Ah? So quickly?" Master Duanchen glanced down at the letter he had only just written halfway.

His letter was not even finished, and even if he sent someone to deliver it to the Western Heaven Monastery, it would still take at least ten days or so.

"We possess a secret method of communication."

Master Duanchen thought to himself that they truly deserved their status as disciples of an immortal sect; a small, modest establishment like his own simply could not compare.

"What brings the two of you to seek this poor monk?"

"Just now, Master mentioned that the Three-Eyed Ghost Monk and the Hollow Shadow were drugging people with the Pill of Forgotten Emotions. The two of us would like to see this pill."

Having heard of a medicine that could strip a person of their emotions for the first time, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were intensely curious.

"This poor monk has already dispatched people to the stronghold of the two ghosts. There should still be some Pills of Forgotten Emotions left there. Why don't the two of you accompany me to the stronghold once I finish this letter?"

"Then we shall trouble you, Master."

...

"The Three-Eyed Ghost Monk and the Hollow Shadow are both exceptionally cautious ghosts. They feared that the tasks assigned to them by the Unfeeling Sect might be leaked, so they never recruited any subordinates, choosing instead to execute every mission personally."

Along the path to the stronghold, Master Duanchen shared further intelligence regarding the two ghosts with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

"We have arrived." Master Duanchen led the pair to the banks of a river. This was the Canal, a waterway that cut directly through Emperor-Founding City and provided water for its entire population.

The waters of the Canal ran crystal clear, a direct result of the meticulous maintenance provided by the Emperor-Founding Monastery.

Shortly after Master Duanchen had excavated the river, problems had quickly arisen. People frequently dumped refuse and other filth into the waters, leaving the river so foul and polluted that a single sip could cause illness. Consequently, Master Duanchen had no choice but to assign personnel to protect the water.

"Their stronghold is situated right at the bottom of the Canal."

The three plunged into the river and swam down to the riverbed, where a cavernous hollow awaited them. Swimming through, they discovered that the monks of the Emperor-Founding Monastery had cleared away the sand and silt from this section and excavated several meters deeper, revealing the hidden stronghold beneath.

A thin, transparent membrane of water separated the Canal from the stronghold, preventing the river from flooding the sanctuary.

The trio stepped through the water membrane and entered the stronghold.

Inside, monks were busily cataloging the seized provisions. Chests upon chests of spirit stones were being registered into ledgers before being stored away into storage rings.

Master Duanchen summoned the leading monk and spoke a few brief words to him, whereupon the monk promptly brought over several medicine bottles.

"These are the Pills of Forgotten Emotions." Master Duanchen poured out a few white pills, which appeared thoroughly unexceptional to the eye.

"According to the soul-searching performed on the two ghosts, consuming a single pill can strip a mortal of their emotions for three to five years. This is the efficacy for ordinary mortals; if a cultivator consumes it, the higher their cultivation realm, the shorter the duration of their emotional loss."

"How fascinating."

Lu Yang nodded, analyzing the situation. "When we previously captured and searched the souls of the Unfeeling Sect's high-ranking members, we found nothing resembling this pill. It seems the Pill of Forgotten Emotions was only developed within the last few years, which explains why they are conducting experiments everywhere."

With those words, Lu Yang directly swallowed a Pill of Forgotten Emotions.

Upon ingestion, Lu Yang felt as though everything in the world had suddenly lost all meaning, yet his mind became clearer than it had ever been before.

After a few breaths, the medicinal effects faded, and his emotions surged back like a rising tide, returning Lu Yang to normal.

"No wonder so many people chose to enter the monkhood after taking this pill. This really is rather interesting."

Meng Jingzhou also consumed one. His pupils contracted instantly, his body shuddering violently as a profound serenity washed over his heart, bringing him into an unprecedented state of absolute focus.

A few breaths later, the medicinal effect dissolved.

"Why was your reaction so dramatic?" Lu Yang asked, perplexed.

The corners of Meng Jingzhou's mouth curled into an unstoppable grin as he stared at the Pill of Forgotten Emotions as if it were a priceless treasure. "Magnificent stuff! Ever since the first layer of the Sun Seal was undone and the power of the sun increased, my Celibate Spiritual Root has been growing restless. I've constantly had to divert a portion of my energy just to suppress the wicked fires within me."

The more Meng Jingzhou spoke, the more excited he became. "Just now, after taking that pill, the wicked fires completely vanished. My mental concentration reached its absolute peak, and my body feels utterly flawless!"

He felt that after consuming the Pill of Forgotten Emotions, his combat prowess had ascended by an entire tier.

Lu Yang pondered for a moment, realizing that Old Meng's state just now was actually quite easy to comprehend. "So... you went limp?"

Meng Jingzhou flew into a rage. "You're the one who went limp! ...Wait a moment, from what I recall of the descriptions in books, isn't this the exact state one experiences after a night of passion?"

"Regardless of the details, this is indisputably an extraordinary item."

Meng Jingzhou inspected his physical condition and found no adverse side effects whatsoever.

"It seems the Unfeeling Sect is capable of doing something proper after all."

"This Pill of Forgotten Emotions is indeed a fine thing," Lu Yang agreed. Leaving aside the unique benefits it provided to Old Meng, its practical value alone was immense.

"Since a single pill can cause a mortal to forget their emotions for three to five years, if we were to scrape off just a bit of its powder, wouldn't it allow a mortal to enter a state of forgotten emotions for just a few hours?"

"In a state of forgotten emotions, one's mental focus is heightened to its absolute limit, and one's thinking becomes far more agile than usual. If applied to examinations like the imperial civil service exams, candidates wouldn't suffer from anxiety even if they encounter questions they cannot answer. Their efficiency and performance would drastically improve."

"It should also yield excellent results in treating ailments such as a broken heart."