After speaking, Yan Qing walked out of An Guo Temple without looking back, took off the Yellow Dog mask, and walked openly on Vermilion Bird Avenue.
The Pharmacist's Wish followed closely behind.
Ying Rushi glanced at An Wu, with something on his mind, and walked out.
Shang Xinlei, however, waved to An Wu, carrying a big bag, bouncing along after them.
Once they left, the dignitaries naturally rushed to open the doors and escape. They fled from this most renowned temple in Chang'an as if they were refugees, out into the sunshine, gazing at the bustling streets and the boundless sky. It was unclear who started crying first, but the cries began to spread, and these nobles who were usually so high and mighty fell to their knees, wailing in despair.
The monks who escaped with them had faces of terror, each one scurrying away like cockroaches exposed to sunlight, disappearing into alleys and lanes.
Xue Yan, after stepping out, saw An Wu still counting down and asked, "An Wu, will you leave after you finish counting?"
An Wu ignored him and continued the countdown, "Nine, eight, seven..."
"You saved us, I'd like to invite you to my home as a guest. Don't worry, even if your injury can't be healed, I can support you for a lifetime!" Xue Yan said, "Besides, it might be cured, I heard some messengers can bring the dead back to life, flesh and bones..."
"Five, four, three, two, one."
When An Wu counted the last number, for some reason, Xue Yan suddenly felt very panicked. He grabbed An Wu's shoulder, "You've finished, you can leave, go!"
Yet, no matter how much force Xue Yan used, An Wu's body didn't move an inch. He didn't pay attention to Xue Yan but lowered his head to look at the candle at his feet.
He carefully protected the candle, ensuring it never went out.
"You're crazy, do you want to die?"
At this moment, Xue Yan was suddenly dragged away. He turned to find it was Third Miss Yang, and hastily said, "Let go of me, I want to carry him, he—An Wu, An Liu saved us—"
"So don't follow them to martyrdom!" Third Miss Yang scolded, "Haven't you realized? They never intended to leave alive from the beginning!"
"But you can't... how can you be so reckless..." Xue Yan was beside himself, speaking in a frenzy, suddenly snot and tears burst forth: "Do they not value their own lives at all!?"
"I don't know either..." Third Miss Yang's eyes were slightly red, "But don't you find it strange? They don't need to sleep, eat, aren't afraid of pain… he also said, he just hopes the world runs according to his will..."
"If there truly is a Celestial God in this world, perhaps the Celestial God… would be like this?"
People who managed to escape but hadn't gone far all turned their heads toward the figure in An Guo Temple's doorway.
They saw An Wu sitting down cross-legged, facing the gods and Buddhas of the heavens, turning his back on the mundane beings.
The red candle fallen over, igniting the kerosene on his body, turned him into a torch brighter than the sun.
At the same time, An Liu, An Qi, An Ba, An Jiu all sat down as well, using the candle to ignite the kerosene on their bodies, and then the flaming kerosene on the ground was ignited by their flames. In just a short moment, the entire An Guo Temple was ablaze, with thick smoke billowing up like flames consuming sin.
In the noodle shop less than a hundred meters from An Guo Temple, Yan Qing, satisfied, finished drinking the broth of wonton noodles, gestured for a staff member to come over, and then took out a Spiritual Jade: "Is this enough to pay the bill?"
"Enough, far more than enough!" The staff swallowed, not daring to reach out: "This jade is worth a hundred bowls of noodles, we can't make change."
"No need for change." Yan Qing said, "If someone asks if you've seen us later, just say—"
"Understood, today there are so many people I can't remember clearly!"
"No, just tell them," Yan Qing stood up carrying Bingzi Pepper Forest and the sack, "we are from the Thief's House."
Thief's House?
The staff was stunned and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
He gave so much money, so he'll just comply.
Yan Qing wasn't doing this to show off, simply didn't want to involve others in his deeds. He didn't like others causing him trouble, and he didn't like causing trouble for others either, this is his game rule.
"Fire's broken out!"
"An Guo Temple is on fire!"
Screams sounded around the noodle shop. The staff looked up and saw that An Guo Temple was indeed ablaze.
He suddenly remembered that the table of guests earlier seemed to have just come out with goods from An Guo Temple. Moreover, each person was carrying a big sack, rather than retrieving things, it's more like…
However, scanning Vermilion Bird Avenue, the staff couldn't find the trace of those guests.
That's strange, those four guests were quite conspicuous, how did they disappear with just a turn of the head?
…
…
Thief's House.
When Chang'an City's messengers rushed to An Guo Temple to extinguish the fire and investigate, Yan Qing and his three companions had already returned to their seats at the Thief's House. Just like when they first arrived, they were unable to leave their seats, just waiting for the Thief's House to complete its process.
The sand table on the stone table had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a weapon floating in mid-air, it was—
Bingzi Pepper Forest!
Orange-red streams of light like little fish flowed and leaped around it, myriad rays of light poured into its body as the Creator reshaped this long slumbering weapon. Pharmacist's Wish and others widened their eyes watching Bingzi Pepper Forest's transformation, it was the first time in their lives they witnessed a piece of evidence being created!
When the streams of light faded, the rays of light withdrew, Bingzi Pepper Forest stood slowly in the air.
Clang!
Bingzi Pepper Forest suddenly unsheathed, the stunning blade light made everyone close their eyes, as if an almighty presence was delivering its baptism, completing the weapon's final transformation!
As the brilliance dissipated, everyone opened their eyes, seeing the Buddhist Mantra Inscription on the blade glowing with orange fire-like light, with the phrase 'All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, illusion, bubble, shadow' on the left, 'Like dewdrops or a lightning flash, this is how you should see them' on the right.
Simultaneously, the Thief's House listed information about Bingzi Pepper Forest on the light screen in the air, so the four people knew detailed information about this weapon:
"Bingzi Pepper Forest"
"Grade: First-Turned Legendary"
"Durability: 100/100"
"Basic Attack Power: 15~25 points"
"Equipment Condition: Qi Blood 10 points, Soul 10 points"
"Equipment Condition: Basic Saber Technique MAX"
"Weight: Two jin three liang"
"Length: Three chi two cun"
"Effect · Enfeoffment: You can share Bingzi Pepper Forest's power with your allies. The enfeoffed weapon will receive a 50-point damage bonus, lasting for 10 attacks (whether ordinary or evidential attacks) then expires. If the enfeoffed weapon is a knife and not evidence, this knife will transform into Bingzi Pepper Forest's appearance and the enfeoffment effect is doubled. Enfeoffing a weapon continuously consumes 100 Spiritual Power points."
"Effect · Pillar of the Country: An ally's strength is your strength. Within fifty meters, each ally equipped with an enfeoffed weapon grants Bingzi Pepper Forest an enhancement, increasing its basic attack by 30 points, can get up to eight enhancements. You can consume 20 Spiritual Power points to activate Pillar of the Country, allowing within fifty meters previously enfeoffed weapons to re-attain enfeoffment effect, cooldown time 60 minutes."
"Effect · Heaven-Covering: Even alone, you can overturn heaven and earth!
You need to consume all current Spiritual Power to activate Heaven-Covering, upon activation, all enfeoffed weapons within fifty meters will be directly destroyed. Your injuries instantly heal, you will burst a shockwave pushing back surrounding enemies and flying items.
Your attacks can unleash Heaven-Covering Blade Aura from three to thirty meters long, damage is one to seven times base damage, the farther the distance the lower the damage can adjust the length of Heaven-Covering Blade Aura.
Heaven-Covering lasts for ten seconds.
Each destroyed enfeoffed weapon additionally boosts your basic attack by 50 points, and Heaven-Covering's duration extends 3 seconds.
Before Heaven-Covering ends, you will be in 'unshakeable' status, any displacements, stuns, and interrupting effects will hardly affect you."
"Review: The thunder and rain are all your grace!"