From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 334 True Dragon
Waves rise on the Qinglong River.

Dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the stars and moon.

Hua Suzhi stood on a blue stone on the riverbank, holding an umbrella in one hand, gazing into the direction of Wulou Mountain.

Xiangling lay there blankly on the shoulder of the flower branch, shading her eyes with one paw as she strained to look out, while the other paw ruffled her wet fur, busy as a bee.

"What is a dragon?" Xiangling was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and her knowledge was also limited. After looking at it for a long time, she still couldn't figure it out, and she didn't even get much out of the excitement. She stroked its fur while asking blankly.

"You've come out into the world and you don't even know what a dragon is? What do you do all day?" Hua Suzhi disapproved of Xiangling.

Xiangling didn't feel ashamed at all; instead, she sighed and said, "Sigh, all I've been thinking about is making money!"

Hua Suzhi asked disdainfully, "So, have you made it big yet?"

"Not nearly as good!" Xiangling was very self-aware. While setting up a sunshade to look at Wulou Mountain in the distance, she stroked her fur with her little paws and said, "These days, making money is not easy!"

The wind and rain intensified, and the distant scenery became increasingly blurred. Xiangling couldn't discern anything mysterious, but she felt as if there were intertwined blue and gold lights in the wind and rain.

Xiangling even had time to tuck Hua Suzhi's sideburns behind her ears, and stared intently at Hua Suzhi's profile, saying, "You're quite handsome!"

Hua Suzhi was too lazy to pay attention to Xiangling.

"You haven't said what a dragon is yet." Xiangling was the most eager to learn.

“Remember this.” Hua Suzhi said with a hint of helplessness, “Dragons can be big or small, can rise or hide; when they are big, they can stir up clouds and mist, when they are small, they can hide their form; when they rise, they can soar through the universe, when they hide, they can lurk within the waves.”

"That's pretty impressive!" Xiangling exclaimed, a rare exclamation from her. She then looked up at the distant Wulou Mountain.

All that could be seen was thunder and torrential rain, making it impossible to see clearly, and no one knew where the dragon was hiding.

"Seeing towering mountains and vast oceans, do you no longer have the will to strive? Compared to the dragons soaring in the heavens, do you know that you are but an ant?" Hua Suzhi said.

Xiangling made a good point, saying, "If someone has to be a dragon, then someone else has to be an ant. The little castrator said that he works as a guard in Jingyuan, and I work as the steward in Jingyuan, but there's no difference. We're both making money off Third Madam!"

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Hua Suzhi's tone was somewhat helpless. "You're getting more and more useless!"

"I'm very capable!" Xiangling retorted, not realizing it at all. "Third Grandmother also praised me for my abilities!"

Speaking of Ying Rushi, Xiangling quickly turned to look at the river, only to see the waves raging and the awning boat nowhere to be seen. Naturally, she had no idea where Ying Rushi had gone either.

"Third Grandmother! Third Grandmother!" Xiangling called out several times, but there was only wind and rain, and she did not see any response from Ying Rushi.

"Shut up!" Hua Suzhi could no longer bear it and said, "She went to Lanruo Temple, don't worry about her."

Xiangling nodded obediently. She knew her own limitations best, but she still stared intently at Hua Suzhi and asked, "Where did you find your godfather? What's your relationship with him?"

“My lover,” Hua Suzhi said.

Upon hearing this, Xiangling immediately widened her eyes, stood on Hua Suzhi's shoulder, and craned her neck to stare intently at Hua Suzhi.

Just as she was about to say something, Xiangling suddenly felt the ground shake and she lost her balance.

"They're here!" Hua Suzhi simply abandoned her umbrella, solemnly looked towards Lanruo Temple, and casually scooped up Xiangling who had fallen.

Xiangling was lifted by the back of her neck again. She stared blankly in the direction of Lanruo Temple, only to see a beam of blue light shoot into the sky, instantly breaking through the thousands of raindrops.

In an instant, a thunderous roar reverberated in all directions, and an extremely mysterious and domineering pressure descended from the sky.

"What is this?" Xiangling asked blankly.

"The transformation of dragon and snake," Hua Suzhi said softly. "Li Weizhen was born from wind and rain, and through this, he became a dragon."

Xiangling couldn't understand and was at a loss, but she held tightly to Hua Suzhi's fingers.

At this very moment, everyone on Wulou Mountain was bewildered, and those watching from the Zen Platform were all trembling.

The Arhat without birth had thick earlobes and stood in mid-air. His robe was filled with a deep yet gentle compassionate light. The image of the Wheel of Merit was turning behind him. He clasped his hands together and lowered his eyebrows slightly, as if he were a true Buddha who embodied all the sorrows and sufferings of the world.

All the Buddhas from the West who came from the west and sat cross-legged under the seat of the Arhat of No Birth, each with their palms together, and each murmured the Rebirth Mantra clearly.

The Nine Tribulations Monk lay prostrate on the ground, countless wounds on his body crawling with tiny fire ants. His flesh and lifespan were slowly fading away with the faint flames, but he was unaware of it, staring blankly at the disheveled Taoist priest holding a sword not far away.

The Taoist priest was not particularly tall, yet he possessed an air of being one with heaven and earth.

Soon, Monk Jiujie saw Li Weizhen's body trembling, with endless blue light flashing in his seven orifices and even his body, as if he wanted to grind himself into dust.

"Is this the path of opening the Heavenly Gate, stepping onto the path of a martial artist who faces death to live?" Monk Jiujie murmured, having long forgotten to look at his master, Arhat Wusheng, and only staring at Li Weizhen.

Sure enough, Monk Jiujie immediately sensed Li Weizhen's rising aura, as if it were about to part the dark clouds of the heavens and dispel the raging winds of ten thousand miles.

“This is still not comparable to the Master.” Monk Jiujie murmured, his body pressed hard to the ground by an invisible pressure. Although he could not move and was seriously injured and about to die, he still managed to force a smile and said, “You will all be converted by the Master.”

Forcibly turning his head, Monk Jiujie looked into the distance.

The bluestone floor of the Zen-Questioning Platform was already in a terrible state, and only a dozen or so people were left to watch the battle up close.

The monk Jiujie saw that the boy who had severely injured him was also in bad shape. He was kneeling on one knee, his hand on his sword, supporting himself on the ground. He looked at Li Weizhen with longing on his face.

"Watch closely." Wang Er's clothes fluttered, her hairpins were blown away, and her long black hair moved with the wind. She didn't care, but just squatted down to stand next to Meng Yuan.

Sure enough, as soon as Wang Er spoke, Li Weizhen moved.

"out!"

There was nothing particularly strange about it; Li Weizhen simply stepped off the ground and soared into the sky in an instant, his sword displaying little power.

Standing frozen in mid-air, Li Weizhen seemed to be walking on wind and rain, his back straight, his usual calm demeanor gone, replaced by an air of disdain.

Holding the sword horizontally in front of him, Li Weizhen lightly stroked the blade before looking at the Arhat Wusheng in the distance.

"Thank you for sharpening your sword, fellow Daoist."

After speaking, Li Weizhen, enveloped in a blue light, thrust forward her long sword.

The longsword instantly transformed into a dragon, its roar echoing throughout the heavens and earth. Master Li Wei followed the sword, instantly transforming into a blue dragon, and in the blink of an eye arrived before the Arhat Wusheng.

The Azure Dragon was majestic and immense, while the Arhat Wusheng seemed like a small boat in a towering wave, as insignificant as a speck of dust.

The Arhat Wusheng was not flustered. Instead, he sighed slightly and did not use any supernatural powers. He simply took a step forward in the void.

In an instant, the night, which was already deep with wind, rain and thunder, became even darker, as if the lightning and the starlight and moonlight hidden behind the rain had been obscured.

This place seemed to have changed completely, becoming an endless purgatory.

The sounds of ghosts wailing and gods howling rose and fell, and countless mournful cries echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

Those watching the battle from inside and outside Wulou Mountain immediately felt as if the world had turned upside down, and they were now in the Avici Hell, surrounded by agonizing hungry ghosts suffering endless torment.

“Killing is for the sake of protecting life.” The Arhat Wusheng murmured, clearly with endless compassion. “All beings suffer. They are born to be tormented by greed, anger and ignorance, and after death they are transformed into hungry ghosts who suffer endless punishments.”

He slowly extended his palm, and the enormous azure dragon, capable of obscuring the heavens and the earth, came before his palm, but could not penetrate even a fraction further.

"Amitabha Buddha, even a true dragon can be saved."

As the Arhat Wusheng spoke, countless worlds seemed to appear in his palm, as if he were releasing all the accumulated sorrow and suffering.

In an instant, the Azure Dragon seemed to lose some of its power, then its scales fell off one by one, its long whiskers turned white, and its eyes suddenly exploded.

The Azure Dragon was covered in blood and had lost all its power. Then, in an instant, the Azure Dragon image dissipated, and Li Weizhen appeared.

Li Weizhen was covered in blood, unrecognizable, yet she still gripped her sword tightly. "Please!" Li Weizhen's Taoist robe billowed, washing away the countless drops of blood, only for more to gush forth from her body.

The blood was not crimson, but a striking turquoise.

A sky full of azure blood seemed to find its anchor amidst the wind and rain. Then, a thunderbolt struck from the heavens, and the azure blood surged and converged instantly. Li Weizhen, still in mid-air, took another step forward.

"The dragon, as a creature, can be large or small, can rise or hide; when large, it stirs up clouds and mists, when small, it conceals its form; when rising, it soars through the universe, when hiding, it lurks within the waves." The compassion on the face of the Arhat Wusheng faded considerably, replaced by solemnity, as he asked, "What do you think of the true dragon, fellow Daoist?"

Li Weizhen held her sword and said, "Ascend the Dragon Gate, witness the wind and rain, and all things can become dragons."

He was bathed in the azure blood cleansed by the lightning tribulation. "Knowing the height and danger of the Dragon Gate, yet having a fearless heart, there is a time when he will transform into a true dragon!"

As she spoke, Li Weizhen suddenly disappeared into the wind and rain. The rain grew heavier, and as thunder rumbled, only a few traces of her could be seen.

The Arhat Wusheng raised his head and left, his face becoming increasingly solemn. Then he stopped being arrogant, no longer making the gesture of joining his hands together, and his body was immediately filled with great Buddhist light.

In an instant, the Buddha's light shone in all directions, and the dark rain and strong winds could no longer obscure the view.

Those inside and outside Wulou Mountain, who were already under the pressure of the true dragon, suddenly felt warmth all over their bodies and had the intention to turn to the true Buddha.

Rumble!
Meng Yuan could no longer feel any pressure, so he stood up.

"This is..." Lin Yan also got up, using Meng Yuan as a crutch, and looked up at the sky in astonishment.

The Arhat Wusheng stepped forward, seemingly taking a hundred feet, a thousand feet, or ten thousand miles with each step, or even a cycle of reincarnation with each step.

In the blink of an eye, the Buddha's light on the Arhat of No Birth dimmed again, but his figure grew even larger.

“Follow the laws of heaven and earth.” Wang Er was no longer calm.

In less than three breaths, the Arhat Wusheng was already far away. He stood tall and upright, like a giant. Under his robe, there seemed to be three thousand worlds. In his eyes, there seemed to be the path of reincarnation. In his palms, there seemed to be the power to sever countless sins.

With a thunderous roar, it marched forward, causing the earth to tremble and the rain and wind to dissipate instantly.

High in the sky, the Azure Dragon roared and howled, neither dodging nor avoiding, and headed towards the Dharma form of the Arhat of No Birth.

The Buddhas who came from the West completely forgot to recite the Rebirth Mantra, and everyone inside and outside Mount Wulou trembled.

"It's Senior Brother! It's Senior Brother!" At the foot of Wulou Mountain, by the Qinglong River, Zhao Jingsheng, soaked to the bone by the wind and rain, was kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with tears.

"No wonder Master always said we brothers are useless. When our eldest brother makes a move, even the four of us combined are not enough!" Yuan Jingfeng sighed.

"Let alone the four of us combined, how many people in the world could withstand a single sword strike from Senior Brother?" Jing Chen raised his head. "That old thief Wusheng is utterly pathetic!"

"Once our senior brother achieves his goal, he can raise his arm and command the heavens and earth!" Jing Shan also made a lot of sense.

"You can't stand under a tree when it's thundering and raining!" Xiangling saw the four disciples of Chongxu Temple in the distance and waved to them vigorously, clearly very worried.

The four disciples of Chongxu Temple had no time to chat with Xiangling about these things; they simply looked up.

The Dharma image was incredibly tall, as if all things in the world had become ants.

Although the Azure Dragon is tall and imposing, it appears extremely fragile under the true Buddha's image.

"The Arhat of No Birth has witnessed all reincarnations and guided countless hungry ghosts through purgatory. His path to rebirth is the most difficult to succumb to. Countless reincarnations are like countless Dharma forms." Just outside Ping'an Prefecture, Juesheng, wearing a bamboo hat, murmured, "Li Weizhen is powerful enough to possibly kill all the Arhats of No Birth?"

Hair had already grown on his head, his face was dirty, and his clothes were tattered and filthy. He looked up at the Dharma image in the distance and said, "If you don't succeed, you die. Isn't that how it is for martial artists?"

The two murmured to each other, as if they were old friends.

At this moment, the Azure Dragon descended from the sky, and the True Buddha's image immediately extended a palm.

It seemed as if a myriad of worlds were contained within his palm. He pressed down on the dragon's head and then tried to swallow it whole.

But the azure dragon suddenly grew countless times larger, its imagery blotting out the sky.

The rain intensified, and the gale seemed poised to shatter mountains and rivers. Amidst the thunder, the Azure Dragon instantly pierced the arm of the True Buddha's image, then severed its body downwards.

In the blink of an eye, a mournful wail could be heard.

The Azure Dragon's momentum was unstoppable and seemed destined to destroy the world.

Under such power, the true Buddha's image vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The wind and rain intensified, as if the Milky Way had collapsed. Then the Azure Dragon vanished, its Dharma form disappeared, the wind and rain subsided, and the sound of thunder was no more.

"He died just like that?" Xuanjizi suddenly asked in surprise.

“He is indeed dead.” Wang Er immediately felt as if a wisp of great power had been drawn from the world. He felt a deep sorrow for the passing of a powerful being, as well as a profound sense of awe at the birth of a powerful being.

Meng Yuan was still in a daze. He only felt the unparalleled power of Li Weizhen and Wusheng Luohan's battle just now, but before he could figure out more, it was already over.

The tremor that arises in one's heart is a mixture of reverence and fear for those in positions of power.

“Let’s go find him.” Ying Rushi came to Meng Yuan’s side.

"Yes!" Meng Yuan was also eager to see Li Weizhen.

The two descended the mountain and arrived at the Qinglong River, where they saw a small, covered boat.

There was a Taoist priest in a green robe and a woman in gray.

"Little gelding!" Xiangling was studying the umbrella ribs when she saw Meng Yuan board the boat, and happily jumped onto him.

"Brother Li, Elder Hua." Meng Yuan bowed and sat down in response.

The bright moon in the sky is temporarily hidden, and only the endless stars are reflected on the river.

The small boat drifted along, swaying gently. Xiangling nestled in Meng Yuan's arms, untied her small bundle, took out dried fruit and distributed it to everyone, and then opened the damp poetry collection and placed it on the deck.

The poetry collection contains works by the three founders of the Laobiekeng Poetry Society. After being wet with rain, the ink has spread slightly and is no longer easily distinguishable.

"Luckily, I still remember!" Xiangling flipped through a few pages, blew on them a few times, and after seeing Dugu Kang's poem about the great river, she looked at Meng Yuan and said, "I really miss my classmate Dugu!"

Li Weizhen flipped through a few pages of the poetry collection and praised, "I haven't seen you for three days, but you've changed so much. My little friend Xiangling is becoming more and more like a poet."

Xiangling is easily flattered and doesn't feel shy. Instead, she puts her short arms on her hips, but actually under her armpits, stares with wide eyes, and says seriously, "Actually, writing poetry is very simple. As long as you put your heart into it, you can learn it."

At this point, Xiangling looked at Li Weizhen nodding and accepting her instruction, and couldn't help but recall the past, sighing, "If my godmother knew how successful I am, I don't know how happy she would be!"

"Xiangling, I heard you've entered the academy and become a poet?" Hua Suzhi glanced at Xiangling and said, "The night is just right, sing me a poem."

Xiangling was used to composing poems, so it was no problem for her. She immediately said, "Give me a topic!"

Hua Suzhi looked up at the sky and said, "The long night is coming to an end, so let's take the night as our theme."

"What's so difficult about that!"

Xiangling immediately jumped onto the gunwale and looked into the distance. She saw stars reflected on the river, and there seemed to be a commotion on Wulou Mountain. Then, the sound of bells came from across the river.

After a moment's hesitation, displaying the air of a poet, Xiangling began to sing: "The moon sets, crows caw, I can't sleep on the boat. Outside Ping'an City, at the Buddhist temple, the bell still tolls in the middle of the night."

After reciting the poem, Xiangling looked expectantly at Hua Suzhi.

Hana Suzuki smiled slightly, but offered no comment.

(End of this chapter)