Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 150 The Truth
Master Puhong was visibly shaken upon hearing this, his aged eyes fixed intently on Zhang Xiaofan.

Looking at the complex expression in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes, Master Puhong couldn't help but close his eyes, slowly chant a Buddhist mantra, and softly reply.

“Amitabha, well said, thank you for your understanding, Benefactor Zhang.”

"Brother!"

Seeing that Venerable Puhong seemed to have no intention of making a fuss, Monk Pukong became anxious. If it weren't for Venerable Puhong's high prestige, Monk Pukong would have even questioned Venerable Puhong on the spot.

This is a closely guarded secret of their Tianyin Temple. The Great Brahma Prajna has been leaked out. Are they going to turn a blind eye to such a thing?

Master Puhong looked up and saw that not only the monk Pukong, but also the other righteous cultivators were staring at him, as if they were all waiting for an explanation.

After pondering for a moment, Master Puhong suddenly sighed softly and said.

"Alright, Faxiang, tell them what happened."

"Master?"

Faxiang's expression also changed. If such a thing were said in public, the lifelong good reputation of the monk Puzhi would be ruined, and he would even be despised by the righteous path.

In contrast, Faxiang preferred to explain things privately to the Qingyun Sect members. This would preserve the reputation of the monk Puzhi, and with both sects speaking out together, Zhang Xiaofan could be spared punishment.

"Say it!"

Master Puhong spoke again. Seeing Master Puhong's resolute expression, Faxiang was about to speak when the young man kneeling before the hall suddenly spoke up.

"I said!"

Everyone was stunned again. Even Tian Buyi, Dao Xuan Zhenren, and the others stared at Zhang Xiaofan in astonishment. The two had been questioning him for so long, but Zhang Xiaofan hadn't said a word.

However, at this moment, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly chose to speak.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Zhang Xiaofan slowly closed his eyes, and the kind and gentle face reappeared in his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xiaofan slowly opened his eyes, but lowered his head, making it impossible to see the complex expression in his eyes.

The sight of the boy's usually upright and proud figure bending over at this moment startled everyone.

At this moment, everyone seemed to see a sorrowful and helpless young man, no longer the righteous immortal who once drew his sword without hesitation when facing that peerless demon.

"That day, the sky was very dark, and I was playing with my friends from the village."

Zhang Xiaofan spoke softly, his deep voice carrying a hint of reminiscence, but more so of sorrow and desolation.

Standing behind the Taoist Cangsong, Lin Jingyu couldn't help but shed two lines of tears after hearing Zhang Xiaofan's words, and subconsciously called out softly.

"Xiaofan!"

However, Zhang Xiaofan seemed not to hear him at all and continued to talk to himself.

"When I was playing around with my companions, I was almost strangled to death by one of them, but I was saved by an old monk."

These two simple sentences startled everyone, who stared in astonishment at the young man. No one had expected such a thing to happen.

Lin Jingyu, upon hearing this, involuntarily lowered his head, feeling a pang of guilt. "It was very late then. The old monk came down from the mountain and happened to pass through the village, so he stayed to rest in that simple thatched temple in the village."

Tears welled up in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes. He wanted to hate, he wanted to be angry, but in the end he realized that whether he hated or was angry, it was all in vain.

With death comes death, and the village of Caomiao is gone. Puzhi has also passed away.

Everything is in the past. Since that's the case, let bygones be bygones, fulfill his wishes, and fulfill your own wishes. Let go of the past and let go of your obsessions.

"When I returned, I saw that the old monk was alone in the grass temple. I was worried about him. In addition, it was windy that day and it looked like it was going to rain. In the middle of the night, I was worried that the old monk would not make it through the night, so I took some food and ran to the grass temple to deliver it to him."

Hearing Zhang Xiaofan's words, Master Puhong gently closed his eyes, a look of sorrow and lament on his face.

Hearing the same thing again, even someone as composed as Master Puhong couldn't help but feel complicated, and he softly recited a line.

"Amitabha! What a karmic entanglement! What a karmic entanglement!"

Even Master Puhong was like this, and the other righteous cultivators were even more shocked upon hearing this.

At that time, Zhang Xiaofan was probably just a child. Yet, at such a young age, he already possessed such a compassionate heart, which is truly admirable.

You have to understand that in the middle of the night, in a remote mountain village, you are completely blind and can only move forward in the dark. It is a dark and windy night, so you can't see anything at all.

However, a child of only about ten years old was able to endure his fear, just because he was worried that an old monk he had only met once might not be able to endure the cold night, so he went out in the dark to bring him some food. Who could not be moved by such a pure heart?
"However, when I arrived at the grass temple, I saw that the old monk was like a god, fighting with another person."

Upon hearing Zhang Xiaofan's words, the expressions of the righteous cultivators changed once again, and even the members of the Qingyun Sect showed a drastic change in expression.

Master Shuiyue, Zeng Shuchang, and the others couldn't help but recall the tragedy of Caomiao Village five years ago, which happened right under the noses of the Qingyun Sect at the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

Daoist Cangsong's expression changed slightly, his eyes fixed on Zhang Xiaofan, as if he was hesitating about something.

As for the righteous cultivators, they were even more surprised. No one expected that things would be so dramatic, with each turn of events being unexpected.

"When the two were fighting, I was also knocked unconscious. When I woke up again, I found myself under a big tree. I only saw the old monk, but not the other one. My companion was also unconscious to the side."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Cangsong breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Zhang Xiaofan knew nothing, there wouldn't be a big problem.

But the next moment, Daoist Cangsong was startled by a sword aura. It was Lin Jingyu, who was standing behind him. After hearing Zhang Xiaofan's words, his pupils suddenly shrank, and a sword aura burst out from the Dragon Slayer Sword on his back.

"Jingyu, calm down!"

Seeing this, Qi Hao, who was standing nearby, quickly gave a soft shout, waking Lin Jingyu up.

As Lin Jingyu withdrew his sword energy, everyone's attention turned to Zhang Xiaofan again, who then spoke slowly.

“After I woke up, the old monk asked me why I went out late at night. After I answered, he asked me if I was willing to practice the Dharma. I was ignorant at the time, so I agreed.”

"After that, the old monk passed on to me a set of mental techniques called Great Brahma Prajna, and told me that he was a monk from Tianyin Temple named Puzhi."

As soon as Zhang Xiaofan revealed the truth, the Jade Purity Hall erupted in an uproar.

(End of this chapter)