Minglong

Chapter 208 The Fool
"Does the senior's opening of the dragon vein mean he's helping me plant the seed?"

"No."

Master Qixia sized up Xie Jinhuan, who showed no fear whatsoever:
"According to our experience, if you have the foundation, you'll have it when you leave the mountain; if you don't, even if we open your spine, you still won't have it. I'll give it a try first."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of golden light emerged from between Master Qixia's brows, spreading forward and gradually merging into his body.

Xie Jinhuan sensed something surging in and expected a powerful impact within his body, followed by his limbs and bones being reshaped by a tremendous force.

But that wasn't actually the case. He only felt a stream of light flowing in, and something inside him seemed to be awakened, causing a dull throbbing pain all over his body.

Then, changes occurred throughout the body. Every muscle, every bone, and even the meridians and internal organs were awakened. The efficiency of bodily functions increased visibly, exceeding the limits of ordinary people in an instant...

……

Master Qixia looked into Xie Jinhuan's eyes and discovered that deep within those cold, clear eyes, faint strands of silver light were faintly emerging. His expression was even more surprised than Xie Jinhuan's.
“It seems so! Then we might have been taught by the same reclusive old demon. However, it seems you came out of the mountains too early. You have talent, but you haven’t mastered it yet and can’t control it.”

Xie Jinhuan was initially quite surprised, but he soon discovered that his body's operating efficiency was getting stronger and stronger, and his current body couldn't handle it at all. With just a slight inhale, his dantian was already swirling. If he used the Panlong Henggang technique, he estimated that he could burst open his chest and splatter the white-haired Daoist nun with blood...

Realizing he was about to explode, Xie Jinhuan quickly said:
"Alright, alright, senior, please stop your supernatural powers..."

With a mere thought, Master Qixia's overwhelming power dissipated in the wind, and the mountain peak returned to normal. She stepped forward and rubbed her arm.
"Your muscles are flabby and your bones are brittle; you simply can't withstand it. You need to cross the threshold of the Celestial Realm before you can gradually master this talent. Logically, you should only leave the mountain when you're already at the Super Grade level. What's the use of you coming out so early when your skills haven't even reached the required level?"

Xie Jinhuan woke up in the Demon Suppression Mausoleum, not even knowing where he came from. He shrugged slightly.

"I'm not entirely sure either... I'm already at the first rank now, not far from the super rank. I'll work harder and try to improve my foundation as soon as possible."

Master Qixia came to test Xie Jinhuan's skills, intending for him to fight in the arena tomorrow. However, given his fragile constitution, if Xie Jinhuan were to actually use this technique, he would die instantly. All Master Qixia could do was press his finger to his forehead.

"Within your limits, I will awaken a tiny bit of your talent, but it won't be enough for you to defeat the Five Divine Gifts that have been nurtured for many years. At most, it will allow you to withstand the murderous aura and unleash a little more power. If you want to win, you'll have to find your own way."

As he spoke, Xie Jinhuan felt the energy surge into his brow, flowing down the main meridian. It first opened up some barely perceptible meridians, and then sealed them off, locking down seven major acupoints.

"Is this the Seven Star Nail?"

"Yes, the Seven Star Nails were originally created by me to prevent self-harm and seal myself. Later, I modified them to seal the blood of evil and heretical people... Blood debts must be repaid with blood!"

"?"

Xie Jinhuan felt that he was sealing up a bunch of demonic cultivators and throwing them together for a blood sacrifice and refining!
After all, when normal people deal with demons, they either capture them and grind their bones to dust, or smash their bodies and imprison them in a lightning pool.

To go to such lengths to seal the demon's cultivation without harming their body—isn't this the demon's method of capturing sacrifices?

As Master Qixia planted the Seven Star Nails one by one, Xie Jinhuan felt his physique return to normal, no different from before. He asked:

"and then?"

Master Qixia said earnestly, "Planting the Seven Star Nails is to prevent you from injuring yourself by overexerting yourself in the future. I have sealed your meridians in advance. When you open up the dragon veins on your own and encounter a bottleneck when you use it, it means that your body cannot withstand it and cannot be pushed any further. It can also prevent your body from exploding if you take strong medicine and your cultivation increases too much, but your body cannot keep up."

"Fifty percent of its energy is sealed in Tian Shu. The remaining six stars each occupy eight parts. If you unseal Yao Guang now, the effect will be roughly the limit your body can withstand, but it consumes too much energy and won't last long. You'll have to seal it again after using it. Once you reach the Super Grade, you can unseal Kai Yang, and in the mid-stage, you can unseal Yu Heng, and so on. Once you fully master it, you'll be able to display a power comparable to a true dragon, but that's still a long way off..."

Eight points is eight percent. Xie Jinhuan just tried it and felt it was already terrifying. If it were one hundred percent, he would probably take off on the spot.

However, according to the white-haired Taoist nun, if he were to unleash his full power, his cultivation would be comparable to Wei Wuyi's, which is indeed quite a distance away. Therefore, she still nodded in homage.
"Understood. It's getting late. Shall I escort you back to rest, senior?"

Master Qixia knew that Xie Jinhuan was destined to marry her grand-disciple whom she had never met, but according to the cultivation records, the grand-disciple was not quite keeping up with Xie Jinhuan.

As the grandmaster, now that she has awakened, what kind of talk is it if she only helps Xie Jinhuan and doesn't take care of her own child?

"No rush, I'm going to see some old friends, I'll be back soon."

"Uh, senior, you haven't fully recovered yet, so if... eh?"

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, he looked up and saw that the mountaintop was empty, with no trace of the white-haired Taoist nun.

?

Xie Jinhuan looked around, shrugged slightly, and said he was almost used to it. He could only turn back to Zihui Mountain on his own, but when he looked at the endless mountains where "birds have vanished from a thousand hills and human tracks have disappeared from ten thousand paths," he paused for a moment.

"Where did I get this from again? Coal briquettes?...A ghost wife?"

The mountains and fields were silent, offering no response...
-
On the other side, Liangzhou.

The dilapidated loess courtyard sits on the Gobi Desert. The old well in the courtyard has long since dried up, and all that remains of the original houses are waist-high, cracked earthen mounds.

The night wind swept across the Gobi Desert, stirring up sand and dryness, and carrying the soft rustling of monks' robes:
puff~
Monk Fachen lay in the cracked courtyard, his consciousness returning at some point. He squinted at the vast starry sky, a look of bewilderment in his eyes. He got up, looked around, and then his gaze fell on the broken wall.

Before the wall, an old monk wearing a kasaya stood in the wind and sand, leaning on a nine-dragon staff. The kasaya fluttered in the wind, just like the first time they met.

The only difference is that both of them have more traces of time on their faces...

Monk Fachen, his eyes somewhat dazed, stood up:
Why don't you kill me? Are you planning to show mercy one more time?

The monk Wuxin twirled his prayer beads, his tone as always, like that of a teacher and a father:
"I just want to know, you have the potential for wisdom, so why did you commit such a heinous crime?"

Having already suffered eternal damnation, Fa Chen no longer suppressed the words buried deep within his heart for so many years, and sneered:

“Master is cautious and prudent, thinking that by ‘adhering to the right path, not fighting or grabbing, and persuading people to do good,’ others will be grateful to you, the court will respect you, and all religions will be able to coexist peacefully. But what is the result? Let’s not even talk about what state the Zen sect has ended up in, you can’t even persuade me.”

"Forty years ago, my father practiced demonic cultivation to refine 'Human Essence Pills' to prolong my mother's life. He killed dozens of people in the process. Before being executed by you, Master, I beg you to take care of my wife and children."

“Master, you are compassionate. Even though you knew we were mortal enemies, you still took my mother and me back to Tiantai Temple. You didn’t eliminate the root of the problem, and you treated this ‘innocent child’ as your own son, nurturing and educating him deeply.”

"But I was only six years old at the time. I watched helplessly as my father turned to ashes behind that wall, and as my mother passed away without any medicine to treat her.

“Master, do you think that treating people with kindness can influence them, allowing them to lay down their butcher's knife and become Buddhas on the spot?”

“But my father killed someone to save my mother. Even if he committed a thousand sins, how can I, his son, consider him an evil person? My mother never forgot to make me more pairs of cloth shoes until her death. How can I abandon my past and seek purity?”

After listening quietly, the monk Wuxin turned his prayer beads and sighed softly:
"Then you think I did something wrong?"

"you are right!"

Monk Fachen appeared calm and composed.

“You treat me like a disciple and a son, and I respect you and am doing my best to learn Buddhism. But I have talent, but no wisdom, and I don’t have your good character. Even if my parents have made a thousand mistakes, I must avenge the blood feud!”
"I am like this, and so are all the people outside the temple! You treat people with kindness, but the Taoist sect takes advantage of your kindness; the imperial court sees your kind heart and summons you at will, then dismisses you at will. I treat you like my adoptive father, and even though I know you've done nothing wrong, I haven't remembered any of your kindness. Do you think outsiders can let go of it? In this world, only you are unilaterally practicing Buddhism, while everyone else is walking the path of cultivation where the strong prey on the weak!"

The monk Wuxin nodded slightly.

"Are you trying to persuade your master to turn over a new leaf?" Monk Fachen replied, "I dragged the entire Chan Meditation Sect into an abyss of no return to avenge my parents; and this action is indeed trying to persuade you, Master, to stop thinking unrealistically. This world is not what you think it is."

The monk Wuxin twirled his prayer beads, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, leaning on his staff, he approached, a sigh appearing in his drowsy eyes.
“Foolish child, I have lived for over a hundred years, been taught by countless righteous elders, and slain countless cunning demons. How could you possibly think that the path of cultivation needs to be taught by you?”

Even the monk Fachen was so angry he laughed:
"Since you know this, why do you still have such unrealistic ideas, thinking that being kind to others can save the world?"

chah~
The monk Wuxin planted his staff in the ground, sat cross-legged facing forward, and sighed softly.

"You are too young, you see things in black and white, and you oversimplify things. In the He family case, all kinds of sects and schools of thought were involved. He Tianqi and Lu Wuzhen were just the people on the surface."

"Behind He Tianqi, there are not only demonic cultivators, but also witchcraft cults, Buddhism, and even martial arts practitioners. And you are one of the people who fell into the hands of Buddhism."

"What the evil cult seeks is to incite conflict among various religions and to excavate the tomb of the Corpse Ancestor; the witch cult aims to enter the Central Plains; and your aim is to take revenge on your master."

"The three parties may seem unrelated, but as long as they control the monarch of a country, all three parties can achieve their goals simultaneously. That's why the 'He Clan' was created through the conspiracy of the witches and demons."

"If things go smoothly, the result will be that the Crown Prince ascends the throne and the He family takes power; the Witchcraft Cult returns to the Central Plains with the help of the new emperor; the heretical Taoists dig up the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb and rise again; you will be caught in the trap and bear the sins, dragging the entire Zen Meditation Sect to eternal damnation."

"Although the witchcraft and sorcery will inevitably clash afterward, all three parties have achieved their initial objectives. Don't you agree?"

As the altar master, Abbot Fachen only knew the general plan, but this review and deduction was based on the interests of all parties, and it was indeed reasonable.

The monk Wuxin continued:
"But unfortunately, the addition of Xie Jinhuan as a 'variable' in the capital led to the complete uprooting of the He family's relatives and even the hidden agents they had planted. The He family lost a lot of support and would find it difficult to control the court in the future."

"Furthermore, after the incident, the late emperor's actions of 'strictly investigating his beloved wife and children and secretly meeting with the King of Dan before his death' made those behind the scenes realize that the late emperor was heartless. Even if he only left one heir for the late emperor, the crown prince might not be able to ascend the throne, and if he did, he would certainly be secretly guarded against by various sects."

"Therefore, the plan to take control of the Great Qian Dynasty could no longer be realized. The Underworld God Sect had to settle for second best and instead focused on top secrets such as digging up the Corpse Ancestor and spying on the Qilin Cave."

"Otherwise, even if your master and Fan Li had read the entire 'Secret Scripture of the State,' the person behind the scenes wouldn't have dug up the ancestral tomb for your own purposes."

"They need to use the new emperor to let the witchcraft religion enter the Central Plains and provoke conflicts among the various religions before they can make their move. Trying to dig up the enemy in advance would only 'stir up trouble'."

"The Crown Prince did see the Imperial Secret Manual, but the Underworld God Sect is unsure of its authenticity or how well the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb is protected. Therefore, they need someone to probe it. The Corpse Ancestor's Tomb won't move; once its location is confirmed, they can continue digging."

“Since this is a test, the Underworld Cult cannot afford to suffer serious damage, so you will step in.”

At this point, the monk Wuxin looked earnestly at his disciple:
"That day in the underground palace, I didn't read the Imperial Secret Manual. I don't know if He Tianqi knows about this, but you certainly don't."

"If you had known, you wouldn't have obeyed He Tianqi's orders. After all, this would only help the demonic cultivators test the truth, but it wouldn't be able to completely overthrow your master and the Chan Ding Sect."

Monk Fachen was startled:
"You didn't see it?"

The monk Wuxin shook his head secretly and continued:

"You don't care about life or death, you just want to get involved so that your master can't defend himself. After receiving the transfer order, you took a bunch of lackeys to Zihui Mountain."

"The result is obvious. You fell into an ambush. He Tianqi knew that the Imperial Secret Scripture was a forgery, and the Crown Prince had no further use, so he turned around and left. The person behind the witchcraft sect who created the puppet Crown Prince never showed his face from beginning to end. Only you, the abandoned son of Buddhism, remained here."

Monk Fachen knew that this reconstructive analysis was almost identical to the truth; he had likely been betrayed by He Tianqi. Thinking it over, he said in a deep voice:
"So what if I'm being used as a pawn? My goal is to bring down you and the Zen School. I am the direct disciple, and I have committed such a heinous crime. Whether you have read the secret scriptures of the state or not, you cannot escape blame..."

The monk Wuxin slightly raised his hand and continued:

“I’m telling you all this so that I can show you that I understand what you mean by ‘the path of cultivation’.”

"Now I will tell you why I am kind to others and do not compete or fight."

The teachings of the Zen school emphasize "immobility," which means two things: first, the mind remains still; second, one remains unmoved in the face of circumstances. Any movement will inevitably lead to disturbance.

"Lu Wuzhen wanted the Daoist sect to dominate and gradually force other sects to remote and impoverished areas; Wei Wuyi was suppressed and resentful, so he tried every means to establish himself in the capital; you wanted to restore the Chan Ding sect, launched the 'Golden Scripture Change' to counterattack the Daoist sect, and even harbored resentment towards your teacher for ignoring you."

"But what was the result? Everyone was busy fighting amongst themselves, which gave the evil sects and witchcraft sects an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. It's not that Lu Wuzhen is incapable of monitoring evil spirits, but with all the sects eager to make a move, he was busy keeping an eye on Buddhism, guarding against Confucianism, and enhancing the prestige of the Dan Ding Sect. How much energy did he have left to put into important matters?"
“I am only practicing Buddhism at Tiantai Temple. There is no need to argue. I advise Lu Wuzhen, but he will not listen. He cannot stand alone. Sooner or later, he will make a mistake. When that time comes, he will ‘realize’ it himself, and the court will summon Buddhist monks to the capital. Your progress over the years is not as good as Lu Wuzhen’s one mistake.”

Fa Chen looked at the old monk in front of him, his brows furrowed:

"If Xie Jinhuan hadn't been such a variable this time, and the He family had truly controlled the emperor, instigated conflict among the various sects, and excavated the Corpse Ancestor's Tomb, wouldn't you, as the sect leader, have committed an unforgivable crime by standing idly by?"

The monk Wuxin shook his head and said:
"The reason I didn't read the Imperial Secrets that day was because I felt that the ancestors of the various sects wouldn't be foolish enough to entrust a place like the Ancestral Corpse Mausoleum to the emperor and the supervisor. The emperor and the supervisor should indeed know everything, but what could they do besides leak secrets after they knew?"

"In my view, the Emperor's supervisor is just bait. The He family has been plotting for decades, controlling the entire Great Qian Dynasty. In the end, they may only dig up another reclusive old man, or an empty coffin. The situation will be no different from what we have now. As for instigating conflict among the various sects, I will not interfere. How can they possibly stir things up?"

?

Monk Fachen truly hadn't considered that the authentic national secret manual was also fake; his brow furrowed.
"Master, aren't you afraid? Our ancestors weren't that clever either. Did the demonic cultivator really dig up the Corpse Ancestor?"

The monk Wuxin shook his head, his gaze fixed on what seemed like a foolish child:

"Even if our ancestors were foolish, they have all passed away. The Underworld God Sect has unearthed the Corpse Ancestor. Do you think that I, your master, have been cultivating diligently for two hundred years and still cannot subdue an old ghost who has lost his physical body and depleted a hundred years of vital energy?"

"The 'path of cultivation' you speak of is nothing but the struggle and deceit of the martial world, not true cultivation."

"So-called spiritual practice means that you persuade people to do good, and they may not listen; but when people are in trouble, you still have to have the ability to help them."

"..."

Fa Chen fell completely silent.

The monk Wuxin slowly rose, supporting himself on his knees, and walked towards the Gobi Desert:
Life passes like a dream, worldly affairs are as numerous as clouds. Lay down the butcher's knife and cultivate Buddha-nature. With a pure heart far removed from worldly defilement, with a tranquil mind sharpened by wisdom. From this day forward, return to meditation, and leisurely watch the years slip by...

Step, step...

Wearing a kasaya and carrying a nine-dragon Zen staff, he chanted Buddhist poems of the 'Zen School' as he walked further and further away in the Gobi Desert sandstorm.

Monk Fachen sat there, staring blankly at the departing figure.

The last time he heard this Buddhist poem, he was walking in front of an old monk holding his hand, while his seriously ill mother was being carried on the monk's back. He only knew that the monk was a high-ranking monk.

But only now did he realize why this kind-hearted monk was able to take charge of the Buddhist sect of the Great Qian Dynasty...

……

bang——

A muffled thud came from the dilapidated courtyard shortly afterward.

And so, a cause and effect came to an end, gradually buried by the yellow sands in the long river of time...
-
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(End of this chapter)