CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 109 GOLDEN SKELETON

Lu Ren’s expression changed, this skeleton was very mystical and could likely be the remains of an ancient High Monk of great virtue.

As for the golden bones...

Initially, Lu Ren suspected that the bones might have been gilded after death by monks. The gilding technique was very good, giving it a metallic texture.

What intrigued him more was the peaceful and compassionate aura emanating from the skeleton. If not for the absence of flesh, Lu Ren would have believed he was facing a High Monk proficient in Buddhist Dharma.

He slowly moved forward, reached out to gently touch it, confirmed there was no issue, then grabbed the skeleton’s ribs, attempting to pry them apart.

Not a single bit of movement...

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow; the hardness of this skeleton was astounding and far exceeded his expectations. However, he wasn’t overly surprised, as top Martial Path practitioners could continuously temper their bones through secret medicine and special cultivation methods, eventually making them as hard as steel.

He was curious about how the skeleton was golden, so he tried to scrape it with his finger but couldn’t even remove a single speck of imagined gold powder.

Is it real?!

Lu Ren was full of surprise and was just about to conduct further research when a magnetic voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Hey, my friend, do we know each other that well for you to be touching me all over?"

Lu Ren felt a chill, his hair standing on end, and without thinking, he threw a punch, fist like a Phoenix Beak, accompanied by a sharp bird cry, pecking toward the skull of the spirit skeleton before him.

Clang!!

A bell-like sound rang out, echoing through the deserted temple.

Lu Ren felt as though his finger had struck an ultra-alloy steel plate, almost fracturing his finger into pieces.

The intense pain brought a trace of ferocity to Lu Ren’s face, but there were faint, almost imperceptible cracks at the point of impact.

The attack was effective!

Lu Ren felt a surge in his heart, and was about to launch another punch when the golden skeleton hurriedly spoke.

"Hey, hey, hey!!! Stop, stop, stop! Weren’t you taught that hitting someone in their home is very rude?"

Lu Ren remained silent, the only thought in his mind was to break this golden skeleton into pieces.

This is so damn terrifying!

To prevent further widening of his own fractures, he eased off slightly with a few more punches, causing the cracks at the attack point on the skeleton’s head to grow.

The golden skeleton could no longer endure and said, "Don’t you want to get out? This Secret Realm is about to shatter. Once my Golden Body is broken, you will never be able to leave, and will vanish along with the Secret Realm."

Lu Ren’s fist finally stopped, but he still held it raised, speaking coldly, "Who exactly are you?"

This skeleton’s voice hadn’t come from the mouth, but was directly produced by vibrating the air near Lu Ren’s ear through some method.

A magnetic field vibrating the air?

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a gap to speak so much amidst Lu Ren’s fast punches.

The golden skeleton responded in a soft voice, "My friend, can’t you see I’m a monk?"

Lu Ren looked at the other with their golden skeleton, and replied in a deep voice, "You’re just a pile of bones now, of course, I can’t see that!"

"Ah ya?" The golden skeleton finally exclaimed: "My physical body has completely perished, what should I do!!"

Lu Ren stood up and backed away and was about to exit the perimeter of three meters around the golden skeleton when it quickly spoke: "Hey, hey, don’t go, if you leave, I won’t be able to speak to you."

Lu Ren finally calmed down and repeated coldly, "Who, are, you?"

The golden skeleton fell silent for a moment, then replied, "I have forgotten who I am. Most of my memories were in my physical body, but now, with only a skeleton, I have long lost them. I need to think. I’ve just awakened, after all, and need to sort things out."

Confirming that the other party posed no threat to him, Lu Ren finally lowered his hands.

"How did you... revive?"

"Revive?" The golden skeleton chuckled: "Strictly speaking, I am already dead. There is no such thing as resurrection. Even if one talks about samsara, reincarnation between past and present lives, it’s all... well, it’s a matter of perception."

What the hell, riddling around!

Speaking half-spoken words.

Lu Ren, still visibly shaken, was cursing in his heart.

Lu Ren’s expression remained calm and inscrutable, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Is there something about me that made you suddenly wake up?"

"Everyone has Qi, and your Qi is particularly strong. Young man, your abilities seem quite potent."

Qi?

Regarding the words of the golden skeleton, which remained motionless and only spoke, Lu Ren was somewhat at a loss.

The so-called Qi, what exactly does it refer to? Is it really inner Qi, or the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of a person, or perhaps a person’s state of health?

In ancient times, the Buddhist and Taoist teachings, for their own transmission, often wrote potent fist techniques in a very obscure manner, involving a lot of Taoist terminology, Buddhist verses. Without having read extensively on the related scriptures of both teachings, even a simple fist technique would leave one baffled.

Lu Ren frowned and said, "Speak plainly, something straightforward that people can understand, don’t carry on with that convoluted stuff."

The golden skeleton was somewhat helpless: "Qi is innate to the human body. How can I explain it to you? You need to reach a certain realm to personally comprehend what Qi is. It is not something tangible but a gift from heaven and earth."

"Nonsense." Lu Ren snorted coldly. He was most annoyed by this cryptic stuff, why can’t people just speak clearly instead of putting on airs.

But he didn’t say much more. In ancient times, with low productivity, knowledge was mostly disseminated among the upper echelons of society, and to appear refined and elegant, many would use obscure terminologies.

The Buddhist and Taoist lineages were especially like this.

"What do I need to do to get out?"

"It’s simple, I know the way, but you have to do me a favor and take me out with you." The golden skeleton said.

"This skeleton of yours weighs at least a few hundred pounds, I’m afraid I might not be able to manage."

Lu Ren folded his arms, his muscles so pronounced they looked extremely exaggerated, as he casually bluffed.

Without confirming what state the other party was actually in, and whether or not it was trustworthy, he had to keep talking to them. The more they communicated, the more useful information would be revealed by both parties.

The golden skeleton chuckled, "Friend, don’t joke with me, your Qi is more than ten times that of ordinary people. I’m afraid you are about to step into the Realm of Perfection. A hundred-pound thing in your hand is like a feather."

Poor Taoist.

Lu Ren recalled that monks referred to themselves as ’Poor Taoist’ during the Eastern Han Dynasty when Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains for proselytization. At the time, it was no different from Taoism, all using the ’Poor Taoist’ self-reference.

At that time, Buddhism was considered a kind of Huang-Lao Taoist Skill, eventually evolving into the Buddhist Zen Sect that we know today.

This means this golden skeleton is at least fifteen hundred years old, and to maintain its consciousness in slumber for such a long time without dissipating—how exactly was that achieved!