Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 379 Joyful Zen Method: Who is the Inner Demon?
"Haha, I've succeeded!"

Da Zhao, Southern Zhili, one of the twenty-four Grand Justices of Guishan [Qingming], deep in the secluded courtyard of Fengzhou Shanren.

A burst of hearty laughter suddenly erupted from a beautiful little courtyard nestled among exotic flowers and strange rocks.

The ever-flowing fragrance of ink and paper surged from the entire Great Zhao territory, and a golden divine decree in the sky breathed out Dao energy, propelling the master of the courtyard to become even stronger.

When Wu Cheng'en's first batch of "Journey to the West: The Tale of Exorcising Calamities" was published some time ago, Fengzhou Shanren, who lived in the Shidetang headquarters in southern Zhili, naturally could not miss this feast for the novelist.

Looking at other people's work might inspire you and give you a sudden realization.

After all, how can you call a novelist's work plagiarism, right?

Perhaps it was a matter of fate that Fengzhou Shanren was so fortunate, and his accumulated knowledge was sufficient to glean some wisdom from this novel of gods and demons.

He republished his representative work, "The Loyal and Righteous Water Margin," a fan fiction titled "Jin Ping Mei," after making slight modifications.

Even though this was a "semi-banned book" that only circulated in a small circle and whose dissemination was restricted by the imperial court, it finally helped him to successfully attain enlightenment in one fell swoop!
The many versions of *Jin Ping Mei* circulating in the world resonate with praise, with countless readers collectively bestowing upon Fengzhou Shanren the title of a legendary figure:
"【Master of the Wind and Moon Hermitage】Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng!"

The world depicted in "Jin Ping Mei" was also elevated to a higher level.

A moment later, the courtyard gate was pushed open by a hand.

Just as a group of disciples, celebrating their victory, were about to pay their respects, they were astonished to see a stunningly beautiful woman in a golden lotus-patterned dress emerge.

"hiss!"

The disciples were momentarily speechless.

Looking closely at her, her eyebrows resembled willow leaves in early spring, often carrying a hint of sorrow and melancholy; her face was like peach blossoms in March, subtly conveying a romantic and alluring charm. Her slender waist swayed gracefully, exuding a restrained languidness; her delicate lips were so alluring that they could entice bees and butterflies into a frenzy.

"Gulp," "Gulp."
The sound of people swallowing their saliva could be heard constantly at the scene.

Even though this place is full of literary figures who have wandered through fragrant flower gardens seven times over, where have they ever seen such a peerless beauty with "a jade-like face that is enchanting and flowers that seem to understand words, a graceful figure that exudes fragrance"?

It's so perfect it's unreal.

Compared to them, even the nun Miaojing, who was staying here, paled in comparison.

Gao Ren and Gao Jingzhong, as the only adopted sons of Fengzhou Shanren, were naturally among them.

Although he was just as amazed as his fellow disciples, he felt that the woman looked somewhat familiar because of his "Official Star Attacking Body" personality type, and he didn't reveal his lecherous nature.

This is not over yet.

Behind the woman in the golden dress emerged two more stunning beauties, each with her own unique charm: one with "plump skin and a fair complexion," and the other with "a proud and aloof demeanor and an alluring figure."

For a moment, the three women were vying for attention, each more beautiful than the last.

However, just as all the disciples were staring intently at the three beauties, two large hands suddenly reached out from behind them and grabbed the three women's slender waists.

This elicited a burst of melodious, bell-like laughter:
"Hehehe, my lord, there are still people watching."

The disciples looked up and discovered that the last person to emerge was a monk.

He was around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with a striking and handsome appearance, but he also had a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes, making him look like no respectable person.

Behind the man and three women was Fengzhou Shanren, dressed in a scholar's robe with eyes that revealed a divine might.

He glanced at his disciples, most of whom wore foolish expressions, and snorted coldly. He only nodded to his adopted son, Gao Ren, who had performed the best.

"No one is more suitable to be the successor to my Qingming lineage than this young man."

Although he is currently only a sixth-rank scholar and novelist, once he obtains my title, he will immediately become a fourth-rank expert.

Fengzhou Shanren walked to the disciples, sat cross-legged on the ground, and a golden lotus platform automatically appeared beneath him, supporting him. He spoke calmly:

"During my seclusion, I comprehended the Great Dao of Yin and Yang. While the Daoist aura is not yet favorable, I invite all my disciples to listen to my exposition of the Great Dharma, which is: The Joyful Zen Method of Using Desire to Control Desire."

Melodious music filled the air, and flowers fell from the sky.

The man and three women beside him suddenly became solemn and dignified. They leaped and each landed on a lotus platform that had grown from the head of the Phoenix Mountain Man.

With hands forming hand seals, divine light merged into one, and auras instantly became one, indistinguishable from one another.

"This is."

Everyone instinctively shrank back, as if stung by a scorpion.

"These four people are actually Master's ghost and spirit manifestations?"
I recognized them! Their prototypes were Jin, Ping, and Mei from Master's book, along with Ximen Qing, only even more perfect than before!

No wonder he looked familiar.

Master used the five elements of [Pan], [Donkey], [Deng], [Xiao], and [Xian] to fill his body with filth, thus attaining the position of the Ghost God Abbot of Fengyue Nunnery.

Her power was unfathomable; she controlled Ximen Qing's "romance," Pan Jinlian's "desire," Li Ping'er's "wealth," and Pang Chunmei's "power."

Gao Ren possessed the highest talent and was able to "rely on his adoptive father for his livelihood" by leveraging the "official and killing attacking the self" structure, thus gaining the deepest understanding:
“Each of the three ranks of living ghosts and gods has two aspects: a ‘divine title’ and a ‘ghost title’. One is compassionate, and the other is fierce. One is yang, and the other is yin.”

It can secretly manipulate water and fire, and bring together dragon and tiger.

The godfather has clearly transformed his divine body into that of Ximen Qing.

The reason the new version of the story has the image of a monk is because, in the end, the posthumous son Xiaoge'er is the reincarnation of Ximen Qing, who eventually becomes a monk with the Dharma name Mingwu.

He then transformed his ghostly form into three female protagonists: Pan Jinlian, Li Ping'er, and Pang Chunmei.

And then, uh, practicing joyful meditation alone? Is that right?

[Novelists] may not be academic giants themselves, but they are generally knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects, including Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. This time, Fengzhou Shanren has clearly grasped something extremely remarkable.

"The technique of harmonious samadhi in the Joyful Meditation method is the key to the Great Method of the Union of Bliss and Emptiness."

At this moment, Yang remained as still as a diamond, focusing all his mind on the 'Great Bliss,' leaving everything else to Mingfei.

Mingfei continuously changed the movements of 'Great Meditation of Harmony between Man and Woman', allowing the male body to enter a state of 'Great Bliss', and contemplating the Great Sun Tathagata to comprehend 'Great Emptiness'.

A qualified Yin-body Mingfei needs to master thirty-six kinds of "Harmony and Great Samadhi" movements to help the Yang-body enter a deeper state of "Great Bliss".

This is a superior practice method that has the potential to refine a "Joyful Relic".

Moreover, there is another wonderful point that I have come to understand.”

Some disciples, unaware of the problem, recklessly asked:
"Master, what's so wonderful about it?"

Fengzhou Shanren nodded approvingly at the straight man:
"Do you know that in this world, all superior methods of dual cultivation require mutual understanding and affection? Force cannot be used, otherwise it will be harmful and not beneficial."

But ask yourself, who in this world can understand and resonate with us better than ourselves?

Therefore, I, as your teacher, have set an unprecedented precedent by using the divine forms of ghosts and gods to differentiate the yin and yang bodies of men and women.

However, you can rest assured that I am well aware of the risks involved.

The three beauties are all manifestations of my desires, possessing independent consciousness; they are both me and yet not me. In Buddhist terms, they could be called: inner demons!

Seeing that his disciples' expressions had changed, he kindly comforted them:

"My Joyful Zen practice originates from the Dragon-Tiger Yin-Yang Elixir Method created by one of the two patriarchs of alchemy in the book. Due to limitations, it only has the part on cultivating the nature, but not the part on cultivating life force."

Those who cultivate the divine path can only improve their spiritual cultivation and attain a series of powers, condense corresponding magical artifacts, realize their true nature, and see the Tathagata in the state of harmonious samadhi.

But if your Uncle Yu Shui, who went to Southeast Asia, can accompany the treasure ship's naval commander to successfully retrieve the elixir of immortality for my Guishan Bookstore...

Then I can use the power of the elixir to perfect this great technique.

Not only can he slay three female figures, but he can also use his life force to slay three more physical bodies, achieving a state of perfect harmony between form and spirit.

I have the ability to help you awaken your inner demons in advance, and also to create physical bodies, so that you can have both male and female forms like your master, and cultivate my great method, which has endless wonders!
By then, even if I only grasp the superficial aspects of the alchemical methods in the book, my cultivation results will surely far surpass those of the alchemical ancestor who created it, hahahaha.”

In the end, he was full of pride and laughed heartily.

However, none of the disciples laughed; instead, they were all drenched in sweat.

Even these dissolute young men, who had frequented brothels and experienced many thrills, felt that this method was a bit too evil.

Many people cried out in their hearts:
“Master, you said that the three yin-body beauties were transformed from desires and inner demons, while the yang-body Ximen Qing was still yourself.”

But look at you now! We think that Ximen Qing, who's in charge, is more like a demon in his heart. Those three beauties are probably just a reflection of yourself!

In fact, when the treasure ship's crew encountered the "Stone Man Pointing the Way," many of the evil gods that Jiang Jichun mentioned, who came out to stir up trouble during the chaos of the world, came from this.

Whether they go astray or do it intentionally, most of the ghosts and spirits who take the wrong path are mentally unstable, and quite a few of them go insane during their cultivation.

Fortunately, this unconventional and modified version of the Joyful Meditation method will not harm others, but only harm oneself. How wonderful!
Seeing the lack of joy on his disciples' faces, Fengzhou Shanren's expression immediately hardened:
"What? Are you unhappy?"

As they spoke, the eerie and malevolent avatar above their heads looked at them with four pairs of eyes, and immense pressure descended upon them.

The moment the crowd glanced at the image, their hearts were filled with boundless lust, and their ears were filled with enchanting sounds. The group of people displayed all sorts of shameful behavior and could not control themselves.

Seeing the holes in the Taihu stone rockery by chance can easily spark many bold ideas.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the four pairs of eyes of the ghostly deity were darting around in their respective sockets, looking up, down, left, right, and even inside the skull, a truly terrifying sight.

His whole being exuded a kind of restlessness that was terrifying to contemplate.

This is clearly a case of insufficient aptitude and lack of foundation in life cultivation, forcibly attempting to comprehend the "Dragon-Tiger Yin-Yang Elixir Method" which involves cultivating both body and mind, resulting in serious problems with the mind and spirit.

Seeing their master go mad, the disciples dared not disobey his orders and all knelt down to beg for mercy.

“Master, I dare not, I beg you to bestow upon me the Dharma.”

Fengzhou Shanren then danced with joy:

"Ruzi can be taught."

Just as he was about to reiterate the modified essence of "Joyful Zen," he suddenly fell silent and pretended to listen attentively.

His complexion seemed to have returned to normal, and he nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, I have just been promoted to the upper third rank."
What? The rain is being swarmed by Francophiles? I'm being sent to Southeast Asia?
Alright, I understand. I'll take my disciple and go there myself. We're related by marriage, so why stand on ceremony?

I happen to have a disciple who is fluent in four languages: Da Zhao, Japanese, Frankish, and Dutch. He would be the perfect person to serve as an envoy.”

"Oh, the new generation of [Rainwater] has already gone to Manila to collect Fellow Daoist Jiang's body. Shall we go directly to meet him? No problem."

"We'll set off now. Tell Chief Lichun that I'm determined to obtain the elixir of immortality. Await my good news."

At this moment, Gao Ren, who was lying on the ground, noticed that his godfather was looking at him expressionlessly, and a very bad premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

“Jingzhong, among all my disciples, you are the one I have the most faith in. Come with me to Southeast Asia.”

The latter gave an embarrassed smile.

Subconsciously, he activated the treasure of the mansion, the Yang Yixiao Stele (Chapter 256), which had once been used by Wang Cheng and Yan Yunxiao to kill the Immortal Scum Rejuvenator.

(End of this chapter)