White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 44 Zen Method
After staying up all night on New Year's Eve, a new year begins.

Even though the mountains are isolated from the world, they are always inextricably linked to the area below.

This year marked the thirty-eighth year since the Southern Zhao Dynasty established its capital in Luoyang. The chaos in the world did not subside with the arrival of the new year; on the contrary, it seemed to have become even more chaotic.

Without anyone telling him, Bai Wuxiang could see various mixed energies floating in the sky above the human world when he stood on Skull Mountain and looked south.

There were dark, inky clouds filled with murderous and deathly aura, as well as a mix of purple and yellow royal fortune, and demonic energy that frequently appeared.

During the day, he would often climb to the top of the mountain to observe the surrounding scenery.

Bai Wuxiang has the talent to observe qi, but that doesn't mean he can observe all qi.

No sorcery or supernatural power is born in an instant; it is gradually perfected and deduced through countless contemplations.

And then there's the scorching sun. My strength is greatly reduced during the day, which is also a weakness. How to overcome and solve this problem may be the key to winning when I encounter a powerful enemy someday.

The snow on Skull Mountain gradually melted, and drops of meltwater flowed down the mountain, irrigating the land at its foot with several streams. It was a rare moment of leisure in the first month of the lunar calendar.

The villagers were much better off thanks to the rice, flour, and meat brought by the villagers from the foot of the mountain.

Some of the villagers who came down from the mountain saw how peaceful life was in the mountains, where they didn't have to worry about the imperial court's corvée labor and taxes, and there was no exploitation by landlords and wealthy families. They began to think about staying and living there.

You Junzi had this idea in mind when he took in these villagers. Most of them were young and strong in their twenties or thirties who could work in the fields. If he took in some of them, they could be fed after the land was cleared again this year.

In another two or three years, more grain will be grown on the reclaimed land, and who knows, he might even be able to pull out an army from these mountains!

Of course, he only thought about it. After all, You Junzi knew he wouldn't live much longer, his elder brother's health wasn't good, and the others in the village were only mediocre fighters—how could they withstand a war?

But we must leave something for the next generation! In such chaotic times, whoever has soldiers and food can gather people and rise up in rebellion.

He sat alone at the stone table, looking at the household register in front of him. Black Stone Village now had only 307 people, with only 40 children under the age of 15 and 213 young adults between the ages of 15 and 40.

The remaining group consisted of over fifty elderly people over forty years old, as well as the disabled and frail.

The fact that people from all walks of life could live together in Black Stone Village and survive in such a treacherous mountain environment, with the villagers being obedient and orderly in all aspects, is something that not everyone can do.

He glanced at them a few times and said to Zhao Lengxiang beside him, "Third Sister, how about we buy those villagers' mules and horses? We can keep them to plow the fields."

"Buy horses?" Zhao Lengxiang's eyes flashed. "Second Brother, you haven't given up yet?"

"Hehe, what's this talk of giving up or not?" You Junzi shook his head and laughed, "I just want to save the villagers some trouble."

“Second brother, you can decide.” Zhao Lengxiang did not refuse, but continued, “I don’t plan to leave the mountains again in this life. I’ll just live my life like this.”

“Sigh… Third Sister, you…” You Junzi wanted to speak to persuade her, but he didn’t know how to do so, so he could only sigh.

……

Inside the Wuxiang Temple, two people sat under the corridor.

Dinghe, dressed in a monk's robe, sat under the eaves, striking a wooden fish and softly chanting Buddhist scriptures.

Ah Liu carried a pot of tea out of the side door. Just as he was about to call out to the temple to have some tea, a cold wind blew in from inside, and Ah Liu shivered.

He saw the monk and walked up to him with a smile. "Master, have some tea to warm yourself up. It's still quite chilly up here in the first month of the lunar year."

"Thank you very much, benefactor!" Dinghe said politely. "I am very grateful for your hospitality these past few days. Otherwise, I would have starved to death in the mountains and become a skeleton long ago."

Ah Liu laughed and said, "Master, your reputation is widespread, and you have done good deeds for many years. How could Heaven treat you unfairly? Even if you hadn't come to my Black Stone Village, where wouldn't you have been willing to take me in?"

Dinghe looked up in surprise upon hearing this, "I wonder... which immortal has arrived?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Liu clasped his hands together and said, "Master, you do indeed possess some Buddhist knowledge. My surname is Bai, and my given name is Wuxiang."

"My apologies! My apologies! It turns out it's the temple abbot. I've been rude." Dinghe quickly stood up and bowed.

"Hehe, Master, you're too kind." Bai Wuxiang gestured for him to sit down, then picked up a pale yellow porcelain teacup and took a sip of the fragrant tea. "Master, do you still feel any discomfort in your skull?"

"Thanks to the temple abbot, my injuries have healed considerably," Dinghe replied with a smile.

"Master, could you please recount the events leading up to the incident at Yuanjue Temple?"

Bai Wuxiang possessed A Liu's body and came to inquire about the black dragon again. After all, such a great enemy was hiding near Yunze Mountain. Perhaps this black dragon had just transformed into a dragon and had not yet changed its hibernation habits as a snake. Now that the world was getting warmer in the first month of the lunar calendar, it was hard to say when this evil dragon would come out.

Dinghe nodded upon hearing this, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly said, "Then let me explain in more detail."

Originally, a family at the foot of the mountain had passed away that day and wanted to hold a memorial service. However, the donation they offered was too little, so several of the senior disciples were unwilling to go, and the other disciples did not have the qualifications to perform the service.

Seeing the benefactor's appearance, I couldn't bear his sorrow, so I stepped forward and said I was willing to go with him to perform a ritual to help the deceased's soul find peace.

I didn't think anything was wrong when I thought about it that day, but as I was leaving the temple, I suddenly felt dizzy and was helped up by a farmer from the countryside. The farmer's hands should have been rough and calloused, as poor people usually work hard for a long time.

The farmer who helped me had no calluses on his hands, only more hair than usual.

I followed him down the mountain to a very remote farmhouse, where, as usual, a ritual was performed to pray for the souls of the deceased.

I was supposed to return to the temple at sunset, but the farmer and his family insisted that I stay for a vegetarian meal. The farmer's family was also quite knowledgeable about Buddhism and discussed Zen etiquette with me. When it was late at night and I could no longer see the road, they kindly invited me to stay overnight.

The road was dark and far away, and I was really afraid of getting lost in this remote place, so I had no choice but to stay overnight.

Now it seems that family is no ordinary person. They even saved this poor monk's life!

Hearing this, Bai Wuxiang wasn't surprised; on the contrary, he found it reasonable. In the illusion, the black dragon hadn't left yet and was still in Yuanjue Temple.

Now that they had encountered Ding He, they should not have left a single survivor to increase the risk of their whereabouts being exposed.

"It seems the master has accumulated good deeds and accumulated merit, thus avoiding this calamity," Bai Wuxiang praised, then asked, "Your temple is renowned, so there must be highly virtuous monks there. How could such a thing happen?"

Dinghe sighed and said, "The temple master is unaware that the Buddhist practice of Dharma and meditation is different from that of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect). What we seek is the Buddha's heart relic."

Before attaining enlightenment and producing relics, one possesses no supernatural powers or magical abilities. Even those practicing the Vajrayana path are at most at the level of a lay martial arts master. Furthermore, our temple's only high-ranking monk on the verge of producing relics, Master Changhui, passed away a few months ago. Without Uncle Changhui to oversee things, the number of other practitioners of Buddhism in the temple has dwindled significantly.

"Buddhist relics?" Bai Wuxiang asked doubtfully. "It is said that relics are something that eminent monks can only realize upon their death. Does that mean that even a Buddhist monk can hardly understand the great Dharma even after a lifetime of cultivation?"

"No." Dinghe was quite generous and did not hide anything. "Although our Buddhist practice of cultivating and understanding Zen is not like the Xuanmen which can draw on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate and perform magic, we can still rely on Buddhist words and incantations to suppress demons and protect the path."

The time when one attains enlightenment and the Buddha's mind is condensed into relics is the time when the physical body passes away and the Buddha's mind attains enlightenment.

In the Xuanmen (Taoist school), this is the Realm of Primordial Truth.

"I see, thank you for your explanation, Master!" Bai Wuxiang asked with a smile, "What are your plans for the future, Master?"
"Why not stay in my temple? You can teach the Dharma and explain Zen to those children."

"Thank you for your kindness, benefactor!" Dinghe sighed, "However, my Yuanjue Temple was destroyed overnight. This humble monk must perform a ritual to help the souls of my fellow monks and teachers find peace."

Once the snow melts and the roads are clear in the mountains, this humble monk will travel to the Thousand Buddha Temple to invite a high-ranking Taoist monk to perform a ritual to help the souls of the deceased find peace.

If it truly was the work of that black dragon, our Buddhist monks would not stand idly by and allow such a demon to wreak havoc on the world.

On the day Bai Wuxiang entered his mental illusion, Dinghe also saw the true form of the black dragon, but he could only speculate, since he had not personally witnessed the dragon devouring the entire temple.

"In that case, I wish you a smooth journey in the future, Master!"

Dinghe smiled and said, "Thank you, Temple Master. You have a very compassionate heart. If you were to practice Buddhism, you would surely become a highly respected and virtuous monk in our Buddhist community."

"Oh?" Bai Wuxiang laughed upon hearing this. "Master, there's no need to flatter me."

"I'm no village god; you should know the rules of the villages in Yunze Mountain. In fact, I've killed quite a few people myself; it's a miracle I haven't been called a demon or monster."

Dinghe shook his head and smiled, saying, "Our Buddhist sect saves people with compassion in our hearts."

Even though the Bodhisattva lowers his brows, he still needs the Vajra's wrathful gaze to protect him.

Compassion is having pity on the good and evil of a single life or person.

Blessing all living beings and bringing peace and nourishment to the earth is the essence of great compassion.

Compassionate people are gentlemen, noble people, and people of high moral character and prestige.

Those with great compassion are gods or Buddhas.

"I have only ever heard of such a profound and spiritually gifted person as the temple abbot from the Buddhist scriptures as told by my uncle."

"Hehe, I am ashamed to accept this title. I only hope that in the future, the Buddhist masters will not be eager to kill me." Bai Wuxiang laughed.

Dinghe shook his head upon hearing this and said, "The temple master is overthinking it. Neither our Buddhist sect nor our Xuanmen sect are people who only care about killing demons and eliminating evil. If everyone were like the demon slayers, how would we have the demons and monsters of the Three Mountains and Six Caves?"
If one's eyes are filled with attachments, one's mind becomes trapped in a single leaf, unable to grasp the wondrous Dharma for all beings, nor comprehend the profound principles of heaven and earth. Therefore, those in the world who exorcise demons often find it difficult to attain the Great Dao, frequently trapped in their primordial essence and unable to grasp the true Dharma.

"I see, I have learned a lot! Thank you for your guidance today, Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Liu's body trembled violently. His blank eyes glazed over for a moment before he came to his senses. Looking at Ding He sitting next to him, he finally reacted and said, "Hey, Master, have some tea."

Upon hearing this, Dinghe smiled and picked up his teacup, saying, "This mountain tea has a unique flavor."

"Haha, that's something only a master like you can tell from," Ah Liu said with a smile, "I'm just a rough guy, I can't tell anything from it."

……

Inside the White Bone Cave, Bai Wuxiang, having withdrawn his divine sense, pondered for a while.
Although Dinghe didn't possess any supernatural powers or magical abilities, he was indeed a beginner in the study of Buddhism. In terms of knowledge and understanding, he far surpassed my own.

It turned out that cultivators in this world weren't as hostile to demons and ghosts as he had imagined, which was a good thing. However, the matter of the black dragon still weighed heavily on his mind.

The dragon is already considered a being from half of mythology. The moment they locked eyes in the illusion, Bai Wuxiang knew that this black dragon was definitely not someone he could defeat.

Whether the human race in Zhangyang, located on the northern slope of the mountain, can suppress and kill the Black Dragon is still uncertain; it seems they still need to improve their own strength.

Over the course of nearly a month, many of the more than one hundred villagers came to the temple to worship the formless god, which added to his faith and divine power.

Bai Wuxiang carefully calculated that if he were to expend his divine power and resentment to unleash the great technique he had comprehended from the Resentment Spirit Pearl, he might be able to barely escape from the clutches of a being at the Yuanzhen Realm.

The reference point for this Yuanzhen realm was estimated based on the strength of the only sword demon from Sanqing Mountain he had ever seen.

As for the Mountain Lord, Bai Wuxiang still feels shocked when he thinks about it, and he simply cannot estimate its combat power.

It seems that I still need to accumulate resentment and divine power in order to have the means to protect myself.

As for one's own demonic power, it can only be slowly increased through one's own cultivation and accumulation over the years.

Every powerful demon spirit accumulates its power little by little over a long period of time. In the end, he was just a skeleton demon, and his demonic power was no match for those ancient demons who had lived for many years.

As night deepens, the yin energy of the earth gradually rises in the mountains, but it is much thinner than usual. Once the first month of the lunar calendar is over, the new life energy brought about by the changing of the year gradually dissipates, and the yin energy of the earth will return to its normal state.

Bai Wuxiang in the cave gently blew a breath and rolled up the three Xuanjiao spirit whiskers in the brocade box. This item had obviously been stored for some years, and its spiritual energy and spirituality had been greatly depleted.

But it was, after all, a piece that fell from a dragon. Judging by its long whiskers, it was probably taken from a dragon that was even more powerful than the Black Dragon.

This object is incredibly hard, like a needle, and could be refined into a type of throwing needle or hidden weapon.

With a thought, Bai Wuxiang opened his mouth and wrapped the three spiritual tendrils in yin energy to temper them. Refining artifacts is no simple task. Usually, it takes years of tempering to complete a magic weapon.

Demons and monsters, on the other hand, do not have such patience to persevere. Even if they cultivate, they rely solely on instinct. Therefore, it is rare for a demon spirit with weak demonic power to possess a magical artifact that it has personally crafted.

This spirit, with its inner power concealed and its outer darkness concealed, is most suitable as a flying needle. Bai Wuxiang doesn't really have anything that can be considered a magic weapon; the bone flute at his waist is merely a spiritual object tainted by demonic power.

Having a magical artifact can indeed significantly boost one's strength.

Bai Wuxiang shed his human skin, reached out, and gathered three spiritual whiskers between his palms. A terrifying skull spewed out eerie blue flames that tempered the dragon whiskers, and demonic power gradually permeated and refined them, injecting ghostly and evil intent into the three slender dragon whiskers.

(End of this chapter)