The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 493 Abbot Kua'e, I feel I have an affinity with Buddhism (Third Update)
Guicang stared intently at Zhou Qing, his entire body immediately on high alert, his spiritual energy surging wildly within him, as if he were about to strike at any moment.

What alarmed him even more was that, even though his purpose had been exposed, he felt no urge to kill Zhou Qing to silence him.

On the contrary, that inexplicable feeling of goodwill was still subtly at work, causing his guard to gradually loosen.

Outside the formation, Second Uncle hid in the shadows, quietly watching the changes within the formation, his brows furrowed.

He could sense that Guicang's aura had suddenly become chaotic, but he didn't know exactly what had happened. He could only suppress his urge to attack and wait for Zhou Qing's signal.

The old hen, still perched by the fence not far away, heard Guicang's words and a hint of human-like disdain, like "idiot," flashed in her beady eyes.

Then he lazily closed his eyes and continued to doze off, looking completely indifferent.

For a moment, the atmosphere within the entire five-colored array became somewhat eerily awkward, with only the faint light of the array patterns flickering in the air.

Zhou Qing stared intently at Guicang, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly burst into laughter.

A hearty laugh broke the silence within the formation.

After laughing, he looked at Guicang and said with a hint of certainty, "You shouldn't hide it anymore. I've known who you are for a long time."

Guicang froze, falling silent, his gaze growing increasingly unfathomable as if he were weighing something.

"Don't believe me?" Zhou Qing raised an eyebrow, then his mind stirred, and he slowly put his hands together, uttering four words in a low voice: "Amitabha."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling golden Buddhist light suddenly burst forth from behind him.

A towering phantom of a Buddha, several meters tall, slowly materialized.

The Buddha has a compassionate face, wears a golden robe, and is surrounded by countless tiny Buddhist patterns, each exuding the majesty to purify evil spirits.

More importantly, faint golden patterns could be seen flowing on the bones of the Buddha's phantom, a feature that only appears when the "Subduing Demons Golden Bone" technique is cultivated to its fullest extent!

Although this phantom of Buddha was merely formed from spiritual energy, it possessed a terrifying Buddhist aura that made the air within the entire formation seem heavy.

Seeing this, Guicang (Ku'e) frowned deeply, but he was not too surprised.

Looking at his calm expression, Zhou Qing slowly said, "As far as I know, there are only four people who have mastered the 'Subduing Demon Golden Bone' technique to the highest level: myself, Master Kudi, Buddhist disciple Guicang, and you."

"You agree, don't you, Abbot Ku'e!"

Upon hearing this, Guicang's originally clear eyes suddenly became weathered and murky, and his aura underwent a dramatic change.

The youthful naiveté that once belonged to him has vanished, replaced by a seasoned wisdom and majesty that has been accumulated over millennia.

Even his face, illuminated by the Buddha's light, faintly revealed a hint of age.

"I suppose Venerable Jueming must have told you about my cultivation of the 'Subduing Demon Golden Bone' when he brought the Guicang Buddhist disciple back to Jiyuan Temple?" Zhou Qing continued.

"Just because of this?" Guicang's (Ku'e's) voice changed completely at this moment.

No longer the youthful innocence, but a weathered and hoarse voice bearing the marks of time, clearly indicating that he has completely abandoned pretense.

“Of course, it’s not just that.” Zhou Qing shook his head, his tone tinged with sarcasm. “But since you chose to possess Gui Cang, you should have seen it in his memories.”

"I only met him once, so there was no deep affection between us. You had already possessed him by the time we met again at Jiyuan Temple, right?"

"You deliberately used the title 'Big Daddy' to get closer to me, simply to exploit this false affection and lower my guard so that I can use my 'Great Luo Demon Sealing Seal' to help you absorb the energy of obsession and restore your Supreme Realm strength." Ku'e remained silent, only looking at Zhou Qing with complicated eyes, clearly having been exposed.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming respectful, with a hint of deliberate flattery: "Therefore, my feelings for Guicang were never deep."

"On the contrary, given your high status at Jiyuan Temple, I would actually love to establish some kind of relationship with you."

"After all, I am currently being hunted down by various forces in the entire Nanhuang Prefecture, and this is precisely the time when I need a powerful backer."

Zhou Qing's unspoken meaning was quite clear: as long as you, Ku'e, are willing to protect me, why not help you absorb the energy of obsession and restore your strength?

I can even help you achieve your goal faster with the "Great Luo Sealing Demon Seal," so we can achieve a win-win situation.

Upon hearing Zhou Qing's words, the wariness in Ku'e's eyes gradually dissipated.

Perhaps the effects of the "Goodwill Post" were still building, or perhaps Zhou Qing's "pragmatism" pleased him, but the more he looked at Zhou Qing, the more pleasing he became.

Not only did I not develop any other sense of wariness, but that inexplicable goodwill continued to grow.

I felt that this young man in front of me was not only quite capable, but also knew how to assess the situation, and was a promising talent.

After a moment of silence, Ku'e slowly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of admiration: "You are very good, and also very smart."

Zhou Qing followed up with a tone of emotion and sincerity: "Actually, when I unexpectedly mastered the 'Subduing Demon Golden Bone' at the Nascent Soul Realm, Venerable Jueming initially mistook me for a Buddhist disciple."

"They said that my Buddhist nature far surpasses that of ordinary people. At that time, I felt that I might really have a connection with the Buddha of our Jiyuan Temple."

He changed the subject, his eyes showing just the right amount of earnestness: "Now, you are being hunted down everywhere, and you don't even have a safe place to stay."

"After helping you resolve the troubles of the Tower of Obsession, I wonder if I could accompany you to the Silent Abyss Temple for refuge?"

"With the protection of a Buddhist holy site like Jiyuan Temple, I can cultivate in peace. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay the temple's kindness."

Zhou Qing's apparent show of weakness here actually further dispelled Ku'e's doubts.

A person who only wants to find a place to take refuge and repay a debt of gratitude will obviously not pose a threat to his suffering.

Sure enough, upon hearing Zhou Qing's words, the last trace of wariness in Ku'e's eyes completely vanished.

He looked at Zhou Qing, his tone tinged with a hint of probing: "Aren't you afraid that we, the old monk and the others, will plot against your inscription-level divine power?"

Zhou Qing was prepared, and a helpless smile appeared on his face as he shrugged and said, "Senior is overthinking it."

"As I mentioned before, I have already exhausted the number of times I can cultivate these two inscription-level divine abilities. Even if I wanted to give them to you, you wouldn't be able to cultivate them, would you?"

"Hahaha~" Upon hearing this, Ku'e immediately threw his head back and burst into laughter, his laughter full of relief, clearly believing Zhou Qing's words completely.

After laughing, he looked at Zhou Qing with clear approval in his eyes: "Good! You are not only smart, but also honest."

"If you can help this old monk successfully absorb the energy in this Tower of Obsession and restore his Supreme Realm strength, my Jiyuan Temple is willing to open its gates to protect you from outside attacks and ensure your safety within the temple."

"Thank you, senior!" Zhou Qing immediately bowed, his face full of gratitude, as if he had truly been relieved of all his burdens.

(End of this chapter)