Zhou Huan stroked the beggar’s small head, smiling faintly as he said, "They're gone. Come with me!"

That incident with the meat-filled buns was over. That day, after Old Zhang drove Zhou Huan and the little beggar back to Fushou Hall, Zhou Huan went to the hospital to pick up several injured brothers. After understanding their entanglement with Yu Qiu, the reason they were force-fed the meat-filled buns was that these beggars had once stolen the manhole cover after Yu Qiu crawled into the sewer. However, out of cowardice, they had replaced the cover later, forcing Yu Qiu to crawl back and forth in the dark, eventually dying there without rescue.

As for Li Tianxiong and Li Zhi, they were fellow disciples from the same sect. Because their master had a past-life connection with Zhou Huan, they were well aware of Zhou Huan's abilities. They originally had no intention of causing trouble for Zhou Huan, but Dongzi’s brick struck a nerve with Li Tianxiong, leading them to arrange the scare tactic against Dongzi. Unexpectedly, this provoked Yu Qiu, who, in his rage, fed them the meat-filled buns. This was the consequence of a lingering resentment right before death; thus, one must always maintain a calm heart to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble upon oneself and others.

After being discharged from the hospital, Li Tianxiong was taken in by Zhou Huan at his Fushou Hall to recuperate. Zhou Huan handed him a letter left behind by Li Tianxiong’s senior brother: "This is the letter your senior brother left for you. Read it carefully. If you wish, you can stay here until you are fully recovered."

When Li Tianxiong tore open the envelope, the letter read: "My junior brother Tianxiong, your worldly ties are not yet severed, but your relationship with our master as student and teacher has reached its end. Your next master is Zhou Huan. With your talent, it is best suited for you to study under him. His character and virtue are profound; I hope you will apply yourself wholeheartedly."

After reading the letter, Li Tianxiong frowned slightly, then quickly folded it and knelt before Zhou Huan with a thud. "Master Zhou, please accept me as your disciple. I willingly follow you to learn the art of the Life Keeper."

Zhou Huan was utterly bewildered by this sudden action. "What is this? Your master is still waiting for you on Mount Wutai. How can you just decide to become my disciple?"

Li Tianxiong handed the folded letter back to Zhou Huan. "Master Zhou, please look at the letter my senior brother left me. I am not betraying my sect."

Zhou Huan took Tianxiong’s letter, glanced at it carefully, and then shook his head. "My old friend, alas. Well, alright then. Since my reincarnation, I haven't taken a disciple. This..." Zhou Huan hesitated, unable to articulate his reservations clearly.

Dongzi rushed out from the inner room and grabbed Li Tianxiong. "You bastard, get up! I’ve been with my brother for so long, and I haven't even formally asked to become his disciple, and he hasn't accepted me either! You just show up and immediately want to apprentice?"

"I've already done it! Do you want to apprentice too? I bowed first. If you join, you'll be my junior martial brother." Li Tianxiong acted as if he and Dongzi had an old score to settle, confronting each other the moment they met.

Dongzi put his hands on his hips and circled the kneeling Li Tianxiong. "Look at you still kneeling. Even if you’ve bowed, I should be your senior martial brother. You want to be my senior? What makes you better than me?"

As these two bickered, Zhou Huan grabbed Dongzi. "Enough, stop fooling around here! With your meager skills, you want to challenge him?" In truth, Zhou Huan wanted to gauge Dongzi's recent learning progress and assess Li Tianxiong's natural talent and skill level.

Indeed, Dongzi had never been convinced by Li Tianxiong. Provoked by Zhou Huan's remark, Dongzi immediately demanded, "Brother, I’ve decided to formally apprentice under you. Given our relationship, shouldn't I be the senior martial brother?"

"That’s not certain. Li Tianxiong is a lay disciple from Mount Wutai, at least from a prestigious sect. His methods should be far superior to yours," Zhou Huan said, eyeing Dongzi with a hint of mockery.

This finally angered Dongzi. "What? Even you don't believe in my ability, Brother? Fine, then you set a challenge and let’s see which of us is better."

"Alright, Master Zhou, please give us a challenge and see which of us performs better," Li Tianxiong readily agreed to the contest.

Zhou Huan smiled. "Very well. Here is the challenge: A while ago, I mentioned I was going to summon the soul of the green-faced old woman. Her spirit hasn't fully returned yet; only one po (soul aspect) out of the three hun and seven po is missing. The soul summoning begins tonight at ten. Whoever finds that missing po before morning will be the senior martial brother."

"Agreed!" Dongzi and Li Tianxiong accepted almost simultaneously. They then separated to prepare their respective summoning altars. By nightfall, both altars were erected, awaiting the arrival of ten o'clock. They began the summoning rituals.

Dongzi’s altar was virtually identical to the ones Zhou Huan usually used. Li Tianxiong’s, however, was an authentic Mount Wutai Soul Summoning Altar, draped with golden-yellow soul-guiding banners on both sides, inscribed with mantras. Li Tianxiong held a copy of the Ksitigarbha Sutra in his hand.

"Brother, why is his altar different from ours?" Dongzi asked Zhou Huan curiously.

Zhou Huan smiled. "I haven't taught you much about this, despite how long you’ve been with me. The world of Life Keepers, just like the martial arts world, is divided into many sects. The methods they use differ, but the ultimate pursuit is the same. What he is using is a genuine Buddhist altar."

"Oh. Well, I still think our altar is the best!" Dongzi was clearly confident in his own setup.

"Alright, prepare for the summoning. You need to win against Li Tianxiong first," Zhou Huan said, hands behind his back, pulling up a chair to sit nearby and watch the two perform the rituals.

Dongzi theatrically put on his Life Keeper robes. These robes were largely similar to common Taoist robes, except Taoist robes were usually yellow and grey, while Life Keeper robes were a stark black and white pattern. Instead of the Bagua symbol on the hat, there was a large character for 'Shou' (Longevity).

At exactly ten o’clock, Dongzi and Li Tianxiong lit incense and candles, ignited talismans, and began chanting the incantations to summon the soul.

Zhou Huan sat below the platform, a teapot on a small table beside him, a teacup in hand, slowly savoring his drink.

Li Tianxiong placed the Ksitigarbha Sutra on the offering table, clutching prayer beads in his left hand and striking a wooden fish with his right. He slowly opened the sutra, chanting the verses aloud. The rhythm of the wooden fish was fast, and the prayer beads spun ceaselessly in his hand, creating a special resonant hum—a testament to the power of a genuine scripture reciter.

Dongzi followed the methods he learned from Zhou Huan. First, he drew symbols on the summoning platform, then chanted the Rebirth Mantra, burned the talisman paper, and scattered the ashes around. Next, Dongzi brought out the soul-summoning gong that Zhou Huan rarely used—it was as large as a washbasin. Dongzi lit a thick candle, then smeared another layer of talisman paper over it, using the resulting ash to draw symbols in the air. While drawing, Dongzi occasionally tapped the bronze gong with the base of the candle. The resulting sound was earth-shattering and pierced one’s lungs.

Watching the techniques his two juniors were employing, Zhou Huan felt a genuine sense of satisfaction. How many young people today could sit down and diligently learn the specialized techniques for dealing with the deceased? He suspected that eighty percent would flee at the sight of a corpse.

Dongzi and Li Tianxiong worked diligently for nearly two hours, both sweating profusely yet showing no signs of fatigue. At precisely midnight, Zhou Huan refilled his teapot and placed a fresh, unused teacup next to his seat, pouring steaming hot water into it. The fragrance of the tea slowly drifted out.

"Midnight, the stroke of twelve! All spirits and deities, open a shortcut for me to welcome the green-faced old woman back to her soul! I dedicate all the merit of the Ksitigarbha Sutra to you all now!" Upon finishing his declaration, the smoke from the three thick sticks of incense in Li Tianxiong's censer did not drift lazily but rose straight up like pillars into the night sky.

Dongzi struck a pose, holding a talisman in each hand, and shouted, "Talismans rise in both hands, lost soul return to native land! One stick of incense burns, fragrant clouds drift, ghosts climb the wall!"

Hearing this, Zhou Huan shook his head and let out a long sigh, feeling angry in his heart: When did I teach this brat to say something like that? Where did 'ghosts climb the wall' come from?

Because of this, Zhou Huan found himself genuinely admiring Li Tianxiong’s skill, while he couldn't utter a single word regarding Dongzi’s comprehension.

"Ghosts climb the wall, ghosts climb the wall, ghosts climb the wall!" Dongzi moved the talismans in his hands while hopping back and forth like a shaman, swinging his arms up and down—he looked exactly like a giant toad.

"Nonsense! What kind of propriety is this? When did I ever teach you to summon a soul like this?" Zhou Huan slammed his teacup down onto the table, nearly shattering it.

Dongzi was stunned into silence by Zhou Huan's shout, staring blankly. In his heart, he genuinely didn't understand what he had done wrong; being reprimanded by Zhou Huan made him feel wronged.

Li Tianxiong’s chanting was already nearing its climax; the effect would likely manifest soon. Meanwhile, Dongzi was still vigorously repeating 'ghosts climb the wall.' And strange as it was, his 'ghost climbing the wall' technique actually seemed effective. As Dongzi stood there feeling wronged and shouting, a green light behind him grew brighter and brighter. Dongzi felt a cool chill blow across his back.

Zhou Huan clearly saw it: that was the missing po of the green-faced old woman. The green light crawled slowly up Dongzi’s back, reached the top of his head, and then, like a spring, it suddenly shot up, flying from Dongzi's summoning platform straight to Li Tianxiong’s altar, landing before him. It did not disturb Li Tianxiong, who continued chanting his incantations relentlessly. Soon, the green light gradually took shape, transforming into the form of the green-faced old woman, who sat cross-legged on the ground, joining Li Tianxiong in reciting the scriptures.