“Master, this is the mended Demon-slaying Bowl. See if it works,” Ning Tao handed the bowl to Master Fakong.

Master Fakong could not wait to take the Demon-slaying Bowl in his hands, scrutinizing it.

The cracks on the Demon-slaying Bowl were gone. Its spiritual energy was clearly more powerful than before.

Dong!

Suddenly, the Demon-slaying Bowl gave off the sound of metal being hit. An energy vortex immediately appeared. Suddenly, from within the thatched hut came a suction force. A few small items flew into the energy vortex of the Demon-slaying Bowl.

This was the outcome of Master Fakong activating the Demon-slaying Bowl.

The energy vortex of the Demon-slaying Bowl soon disappeared. The small items which had been sucked into its energy vortex also vanished. No one knew where they had gone.

“Master…” Master Fakong's tears welled up in his eyes, his voice turning hoa.r.s.e. “The Demon-slaying Bowl's mended. It is mended…”

Ning Tao also pa.s.sed Tang Zixian her Night Phantoms Umbrella. “Your magic tool has been mended too.”

Tang Zixian was also eager to take the Night Phantoms Umbrella in her hand. She injected spiritual power into it and unfurled the umbrella.

Instantly, the noises of ghosts wailing and wolves howling resounded from the Night Phantoms Umbrella. Plumes of black fumes appeared above its canopy. The scene looked extremely bizarre.

Both the Demon-slaying Bowl and the Night Phantoms Umbrella were functioning far better than before.

“You have indeed mended it. You are really quite capable,” Tang Zixian praised him.

Ning Tao only smiled quietly. He had the ability to repair magic tools, but not the ability to use them. He could only watch Master Fakong and Tang Zixian test their functions. Only when Master Fakong and Tang Zixian activated these magic tools could he see their true powers.

Of course, he was mostly concerned about their true powers. What he saw made him both happy and worried. The happy thing was that he no longer needed to worry over the bowl threatening Bai Jing and Qing Zhui. But he wondered to himself if this Demon-slaying Bowl could really subdue that 1,000-year-old demon, Bai Sheng.

No one knew how Fahai managed to subdue Bai Qingyi long ago. The demons were now very different from those in the past. Their overall abilities had improved. Some of their more powerful abilities in the past had degenerated into child's play. To give a simple a.n.a.logy: many untreatable illnesses in the past could now be easily treated with a few pills, or by vaccine injections. Things had improved for ordinary mortals, like for demons.

Master Fakong put his palms together. “Amitabha, Mr. Ning. Thank you for mending this magic tool inherited from my Master.”

Ning Tao said calmly, “Please don't stand on ceremony, Master. I have accepted your spiritual materials and this is what I should do. In the future, if the need arises among your or Miss Tang's friends, please look for me. As long as they provide me with spiritual materials, I will mend every kind of magic tool.”

Tang Zixian squinted at Ning Tao from the corners of her eyes. “You really know how to do business. I'm curious though, why do you need so many spiritual materials?”

Ning Tao replied, “A lot of them were used to mend these magic tools. I also kept some for future use. Is there anything wrong with this?”

Actually, he had only used the rotten broken tripod to mend these magic tools. He did not add any spiritual materials into the tripod. He also kept that whole box of spiritual materials Master Fakong gave him. These magic tools were not his. Why should he boost their powers like a fool? What he lacked most now were spiritual materials. Once he received a spiritual material, he was reluctant to use it.

Tang Zixian's lips moved but she said nothing. There was a saying, “If you receive help from someone, keep mum about their faults.” She did not give Ning Tao even one spiritual material, and yet Ning Tao had mended the Night Phantoms Umbrella for her. In other words, she owed Ning Tao a big favor.

It was the same with Master Fakong. Ning Tao had repaired his Demon-slaying Bowl left behind by Fahai. He would feel ashamed if he used it to subdue Qing Zhui and Bai Jing. Although he was an old fogey, he needed to consider Ning Tao's reaction and the favor he owed him today.

These were the reasons why Ning Tao had willingly mended their magic tools.

Master Fakong fondled his Demon-slaying Bowl lovingly and hesitated. In the end, he gave the Demon-slaying Bowl to Tang Zixian. “Zixian, use this Demon-slaying Bowl to deal with Bai Sheng. This magic tool left behind by my Master is very useful against demons. After subduing Bai Sheng, you and Mr. Ning can return it to me.”

Then he moved forward to Tang Zixian's ear and whispered to her.

Ning Tao did not need to think hard to know what he was doing. He must be telling her the incantation to activate the bowl.

This time, Master Fakong no longer lectured Ning Tao about “returning to the fold”. After whispering at Tang Zixian's ear, he lifted his tea cup and saw Ning Tao off.

They came out of Cold River Temple. Steering the oars, Tang Zixian ferried Ning Tao and his electric motorbike, G.o.d's Will, on her black-awning boat to Pier No. 17.

“What are your plans?” Tang Zixian suddenly asked.

Ning Tao answered, “I have indeed thought of a plan over the past three days. But I don't know if you are willing to cooperate.”

Tang Zixian asked curiously, “What plan? Tell me about it now.”

Ning Tao said, “You have the Yingu Soul-suppressing Talisman, don't you? You can change your looks and disguise yourself as a reporter to interview Bai Sheng. If he agrees, you can arrange a time to conduct the interview. Then we can act.”

Tang Zixian said, “It's a good plan. But which TV station's reporter should I disguise myself as?”

Ning Tao said, “Right now, Bai Sheng's reputation is skyrocketing. I've watched a few of his interviews. They were all conducted by major TV stations. He won't receive you if you disguise yourself as a reporter from an ordinary TV station. You should pretend to be one from a premium news medium. How about Time Magazine?”

“That will do, of course. But what if Bai Sheng checks on me? He's so crafty and has connections in the U.S. If he or his men call them up, they will see through my disguise,” Tang Zixian said.

Ning Tao gave a smile. “I have a friend who can deal with this. Leave it to me.”

Tang Zixian jerked the corner of her lips. “Why act so mysteriously? The friend you mentioned must be Joanna, right?”

Ning Tao only smiled, without bothering to bicker with her. He was actually trying to understand her. Knowing her and himself would allow him to be more proactive when they turned enemies again. Her words confirmed to him that she was a very bold and meticulous woman, even though she appeared to be somewhat careless. She was very good at disguising her strengths.

When the boat reached the pier, Ning Tao lifted G.o.d's Will up the sh.o.r.e.

Tang Zixian moored the boat to a wooden pillar with a rope. “Take me to your clinic. I am curious to know how it looks.”

Ning Tao smiled. “I'll take you there some other time. I have to look for Joanna now. I need her to find me a woman in her 30s, and come up with a file and some doc.u.ments. After that, you can turn yourself into that woman. Okay?”

Tang Zixian kept quiet for a while before nodding in agreement.

There was still the same bland smile on Ning Tao's face. He said nothing but his heart was thinking, “So you can take on the looks of anyone. I must be careful next time.”

As he thought, his nose quivered. He had caught Tang Zixian's scent and remembered her odor. In the future, no matter how she changed her looks using the Yingu Soul-suppressing Talisman, he could identify her through this odor “inscribed on his heart”.

“I want to end this affair soon. How long will it take over on your side?” Tang Zixian asked.

Ning Tao said, “It should be a simple matter. I should be able to fix it up today. Tomorrow we can act. A reporter from Time Magazine— I'm sure Bai Sheng will be happy to accept your interview.”

“Okay, it's settled then. I will visit you tomorrow morning. Where are you staying?” Tang Zixian asked again.

Ning Tao was silent for a while before replying, “At Hakka Alley. Wait for me at the alley entrance.”

“Okay then, see you tomorrow.” Tang Zixian unmoored and leaped lightly back onto her black-awning ferry.

Ning Tao also mounted his electric motorbike, G.o.d's Will. He rode it slowly, his heart pondering. “She kept asking me about my clinic and residential address. Is she thinking of dealing with me after we eliminate Bai Sheng?” His eyes gradually turned cold. “She had better not. Or else…”

When he was back in Sky Clinic, Ning Tao dialed a number. “Joanna, I need your help with something.”

Joanna's voice rang out from his cell phone. “My friend, don't be so polite. What do you want me to help?”

Ning Tao said, “I would like you to recommend someone to Time Magazine.”

“Who do you wish to recommend?” There was not a tinge of hesitation in Joanna's response.

Ning Tao said, “Anyone. So long as she's an Asian woman in her 30s.”

“Oh? What do you mean, Tao? I don't get you.”

Ning Tao said, “What I mean is, you must find me someone who fits the bill. Turn her into a reporter from Time Magazine. Create a nice, presentable file for her. Then pa.s.s me her work permit.”

“I'm now in Gang Island. I will do it and take the permit to you. Where should I go?”

Ning Tao said, “To Hakka Alley in Guan City.”

“Okay, see you later.” Joanna hung up her phone.

Ning Tao kept his cell phone and rode G.o.d's Will directly into a forest. One minute later, he appeared at the House of Sword Pavilion Cave in Shan City.

Qing Zhui, Bai Jing and Yin Molan came forward to greet him.

Ning Tao came straight to the point. “We will probably act tomorrow. Be prepared, everyone.”

Bai Jing's eyes were very cold. “We must kill him. Only then can my sister and I live in peace.”

Qing Zhui said coldly, “This time, I will surely not let him escape.”

Yin Molan said, “My Blade of Brotherhood is already yearning for snake demon blood.”

Bai Jing and Qing Zhui's eyes converged on Yin Molan at the same time.

Yin Molan started a little and added, “I mean Bai Sheng's, not you two's.”

Ning Tao took out his cell phone and opened his photos folder. He selected a photo.

The three demons all craned their heads to look.

“Who is this monk?” Bai Jing asked curiously.

Ning Tao answered, “A personal disciple of Fahai. He possesses a Demon-slaying Bowl. This monk is an old fogey. You people had better be wary of him.”

“Was there really a Fahai? Did Xiaoqing exist too?” Qing Zhui asked curiously.

Ning Tao replied, “Fahai existed but not Xiaoqing. There was also a white snake demon, but her name wasn't Bai Suzhen but Bai Qingyi. The Xu Xian in history was killed by her. And Fahai did subdue Bai Qingyi, but he did not imprison her in Thunderbolt Tower. He destroyed her instead. The Demon-slaying Bowl was the magic tool which destroyed her.”

The expressions on Qing Zhui and Bai Jing's faces immediately changed.