Headless Immortal

Chapter 144 The Clay Bodhisattva Asks the Living Buddha
A torrential downpour washed away the sins, and the blood mist that filled the city vanished. This reminded Lu Xun of his childhood, when he lived in a tile-roofed house with red brick floors that easily accumulated yellow soil in the gaps.

Every midday, the sunlight slants through the gate, illuminating the rolling dust like beams of light. The dust in the bricks and stones almost flies up. At this time, Grandma always sprinkles water, and the dust disappears instantly, making it easier to clean.

A light drizzle was falling.

If you were in human form, you would first feel refreshed, followed by the annoyance of something sticking to your trouser legs and cuffs. But as a demon, you would only feel light and carefree.

The water droplets fell on him, wetting the scales hidden beneath his body; after all, he was now the Azure Scale Monster.

Without bothering the Shen family, they went directly to the county government post station as arranged by the captain.

quiet.

He instructed the little monsters not to cause trouble, that there was food at the inn if they were hungry, and not to run around to avoid causing a disturbance. He also instructed Shu Er to take good care of Gong Li.

Lu Xun closed the door, transformed into a black cat, and fell asleep immediately.

It slept until evening before stretching out its paw. With a whoosh, sharp claws shot out, and it twisted its body, making a cracking sound. It opened its mouth and let out a big yawn, transforming itself into a pale-faced scholar with a pair of bloodshot, sleepy eyes.

He got up and walked to the door, pushed it open, and the toothless man with the eagle head and human body guarding the door called out in a low voice, "Your Majesty," and said, "The academy has replied."

The scholar reached out and took a note from the toothless man.

The letter stated: The matter is not yet resolved.

The scholar turned the note over and over, half-jokingly saying, "Could it be written using some secret method, requiring fire and water to reveal the true message?"

He casually rubbed the powder into dust, letting it slip through his fingers. This was probably the headmaster's reply, leaving him with no other choice.

Why is it so noisy downstairs?

"Black Armor and the others..."

……

The black-armored crocodile rolled up its sleeves, its forehead almost drooping down to touch the servant's forehead, its black eyes staring intently.

He opened his mouth, revealing sticky saliva between his fangs: "What did you say? I only ate a few steamed buns. You're so ignorant, saying there are none left."

"Master Monster, it's really all gone. You've already eaten three baskets of food." The innkeeper's servant was not an official, not even a clerk; at most, he was just a lowly servant in the county government.

At this moment, his face was so frightened that he almost cried out, and his legs were trembling so badly that he was about to kneel on the ground. He was only prevented from falling because he was being held by the collar by the crocodile's claws.

"You said there wasn't any, so why did you serve them whole sheep and suckling pig?" The man in black pointed to several tables of heretics in the distance.

The servant quickly shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm being negligent, those are all things they brought themselves. Just ask the master chef to process them."

"They can't keep bringing their own steamed buns."

The servant stammered, "They paid money."

Well, the treatment of the rich and the poor is indeed different.

Not wanting to make things difficult for the servant, the man in black armor gently put him down, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "My king has plenty of money. You should have said you wanted money earlier."

He smiled, walked over to one of the tables, and asked, "How much does this table cost?"

The cold-faced warrior chuckled and said indifferently, "It's strange that a monster wants to eat pigs and sheep. Don't you usually eat people?" The warrior stretched his neck, pointed, and said, "Bite here. If you can bite my head off, I won't take a single coin."

At the same table as the martial artist were three other people: a thin, stick-like young man; a dashing woman in a tight-fitting outfit; and a middle-aged sorcerer in colorful clothes. The sorcerer had a goatee and three tufts of whiskers, and his piercing eyes were scrutinizing the pig dragon.

Black Armor's face suddenly darkened. How could he possibly eat people? But a fire was burning in his heart.

Everything was fine at first; the inn had plenty of flour, and he planned to eat his fill. But these heretics intercepted the steamed buns, refusing to give him a single one. It was clear they were there to cause trouble.

The brute said, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Then spit it out."

The man in black armor demanded, "What?"

"The heads you stole from us." The warrior looked at the heads hanging around the waist of the black-armored man.

There were iron-clad warriors, heretical monsters, and even some well-known martial artists, all strung together like gourds and hung on the waist and back of the pig dragon, each one already devoid of color.

Black Armor flew into a rage: "Nonsense! I found these while cleaning the county government office and the moat. What does it have to do with you?"

Last time, they were besieged by a large army and forced to flee in panic. When they returned, they found many corpses floating in the moat. He and Bai Pi dived into the river to retrieve them, trying to pick out the ones that looked the most formidable, and that's how they managed to collect two piles.

Before the king could even wake up, an unpleasant guest arrived at the door.

The white-skinned man, who was all smiles and ready to watch the black-armored man embarrass himself, suddenly stood up and grabbed two stools.

Whether they ate the steamed buns or not didn't really matter, but the matter of heads wasn't between the two brothers, but between the king. He certainly couldn't stand idly by while someone was plotting to take heads.

The warrior stood up, spread his arms, and said, “We brothers were summoned by the Imperial Court’s local government and fought bravely against the enemy when the army attacked the city. Where were you then? When it was time to reap the rewards, you came out and cut off our heads. Even monsters shouldn’t be so shameless.”

“We’re not saying we have to keep it all for ourselves. You can take one or two small ones and exchange them for some merit points. Why steal from us?”

Black Armor shouted, "I didn't steal it!"

His black scales creaked as they covered his iron fist, which he raised high. The seven-foot-four-five-foot-tall black boar dragon was like a boulder, and his swinging fist resembled an iron pot.

This punch won't just cause serious injury.

"You think you can fight? Why didn't you fight when we were besieging the city?"

The brute pointed to his head and slapped it repeatedly: "Shoot here, aim!"

"Black Armor, don't make a move."

Shuer called out to Zhupolong, then stepped forward with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "We are new here and do not know the rules. I am Shuer, may I ask for your guidance?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in the martial artist's eyes as he replied, "Niu Datong."

The officer said, "The senior officer led us to the post station..."

Niu Datong laughed and said, "The Senior Lieutenant really uses all sorts of petty thieves and monsters. Is he really just grasping at straws in desperation?"

Shu Er frowned slightly, a surge of anger rising within him. He was extremely impatient and wanted to smash the head of the warrior in front of him. His claws trembled, but he couldn't pull out the steel fork. His large eyes stared directly at the sorcerer in colorful clothes, suspecting that the other party had cast a mind-controlling spell.

Then you absolutely must not fall for it.

“If the Captain is short of money, we brothers can provide it, but we’ll have to wait until the brothers have received their bounty.” Niu Datong’s gaze fell on the heads on the back of the black-armored, white-skinned man. Among them were many renowned figures, and he vaguely recognized a few as cultivators from Zhangzhou. The government’s bounty was at least… Niu Datong clenched his fists and then turned them over. After thinking for a moment, the officer said, “My king has plenty of money and doesn’t need to steal. We’re just collecting heads. Since you’re all so strapped for cash…” Yellow Rat looked at the black-armored man: “We’ve all come here on call, so we should help each other. Black-armored man, give it to them.”

Black Armor was stunned at first, then flew into a rage. He hadn't stolen anything, so why should he hand it over? He thought the old rat had some good ideas, but it turned out he was just told to put up with it.

He was about to make a move when, fortunately, the white-skinned man quickly stopped the black-armored man and advised, "It's alright, let's wait until the king wakes up before we talk about it."

Bang.

The table next to him was smashed to pieces by the black-armored man.

Reluctantly, he dismembered the skewered heads and tossed them onto the ground. He stood there motionless, just watching. Whitey also disassembled his own head and piled it up in front of him.

Niu Datong was overjoyed and was about to pick up the string of heads from the ground.

The combined value of these heads is at least several thousand taels of silver. If they were exchanged for merit, it would be a huge profit, making the trip worthwhile. Even though they were taken from the mouths of monsters, it is still a testament to one's own skill.

Thinking of this, he looked at the Black and White Duo and the Yellow Rat, his eyes swirling with turbidity before landing on the girl beside the Yellow Rat. As if possessed, he said, "I see that you three thieves are also involved in plundering and stealing branches. I'm afraid this girl was also stolen by you. You should hand her over to the authorities."

boom.

Niu Datong suddenly tensed up, pressing his face tightly against the rough tabletop. The damp tabletop emitted a strange smell of rotting wood, which kept seeping into his nose.

He tried to get up, but the hand holding him down was like an iron clamp, and he couldn't move an inch.

The woman, dressed in a smart and dashing outfit, suddenly stood up and drew a long sword.

The thin young man coughed softly, his figure blurring. The sorcerer, who had been sitting calmly, still didn't move. He seemed to be waiting for something, his eyes fixed on the scholar who was holding Niu Datong down, a small seal in his hand turning over.

"Your Majesty!"

Black-armored and white-skinned soldiers immediately lined up on both sides, wary of heretics, other local officials, Confucian scholars, and mechanical engineers.

What caught Niu Datong's eye was a pair of pale red eyes.

The pale-faced scholar grinned, leaned closer, and asked, "What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly. Please say it again."

Niu Datong roared, his muscles bulging like dragons as he tried to stand up, but his pale hand suddenly changed, becoming a size larger than a winnowing basket in a commoner's home.

No matter how much Niu Datong struggled, his legs were curled up, almost touching the edge of the octagonal table, and his head was still firmly held down.

Living Buddha Lu Xun held the turtle-shaped mark on his forehead, which glowed with a golden-red light, as if he were holding a chick. His deep, resonant voice echoed throughout the room.

Six passages.

Sky Eye!

Lu Xun's black and gold eyes instantly scanned the entire inn. He saw a pink mist floating in the air, like silk threads or a large net.

All of this stemmed from the sorcerer dressed in colorful robes, whose face looked as if it had been made of ceramic.

Living Buddha Lu Xun sneered.

Baoguang.

Golden light burst forth from the turtle-shaped mark on his forehead. The sorcerer threw his seal to block it, but the white jade seal exploded on the spot, scattering across his body.

Many of the heretics in the post station stood up. The two Confucian scholars had different expressions. One was surprised by the power of the "Great King" mentioned by the little monster, and the other was that they did not expect the monster to make a move so ruthlessly. They should know that this was a government post station, and there were heavy troops outside. Even if they knew the high school captain, they could not escape the involvement.

The spirited female swordsman hurriedly inquired about the warlock: "Brother, how are you?"

"Big brother."

"It's alright." The sorcerer in colorful robes brushed the debris off his body and wiped his face. He turned his head and saw the female swordsman's eyes widen. He then saw the blurry figure of the thin young man beside him take a half step back. Only then did he belatedly realize that his hand had become a puddle of mud.

Mud rolled and dripped onto the table.

"he!"

Everyone was horrified. The sorcerer's face was pockmarked and unrecognizable, as if his eyes, nose and mouth had been mixed together. Yellow mud dripped from the exposed parts, and his entire body had completely collapsed into a puddle, but he showed no signs of breaking down.

Suddenly, it materialized into a large monk standing on a lotus flower, who said with a smile, "How did you figure that out?"

"A clay Buddha!"

Someone called out his name.

The Living Buddha Lu Xun said calmly, "No one will care about a girl who associates with monsters."

He withdrew his hand, and Niu Datong, who was pressed down on the table, turned his head to look at him. All the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. It was because of his elder brother's words that he felt that he should snatch the head from the monster.

"You used the Buddhist Six Supernatural Powers, specifically the ability to read minds, in a truly despicable way." Lu Xun shook his head slightly. First, he provoked the nerves of everyone at the post station, then he framed Hei Jia, hoping to get Hei Jia to take action so that he, the clay bodhisattva, could take advantage of the chaos to abduct the mermaid girl. He just didn't expect Shu Er to restrain himself from provoking them and even back down.

It was this step that allowed Lu Xun to see the flaw.

Anyone who interferes with the mermaid girl's affairs is now in trouble. So, the first thing he did after leaping down was to pin Niu Datong down, but Niu Datong was too weak.

As soon as he used his divine eye, he indeed discovered the problem: the entire post station was shrouded in a light pink mist.

The large monk, formed from clay figures, showed no annoyance. With a flick of his wrist, two eyes appeared on his face, and he said with a smile, "I've heard that there's a Peach Blossom Village in Meilan County, Jiujiang, a paradise on earth. It's said that there's a living Buddha there. I suppose you are the King of Jiangzhou Water Palace, the Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Village?"

Shu Er suddenly spoke up: "There is a mud pool in Xiaoshan, Zhangzhou. It is said that the Bodhisattva once washed himself there, and the mud on his body became a spirit, calling himself 'Mud Bodhisattva'. Is that you?"

"good."

The Mud Bodhisattva smiled and said, "The White Sect asked me to retrieve their things. Actually, I am not interested in fighting. However, I am called a Bodhisattva and you are called a Buddha. We must settle this score. Let me, the 'Bodhisattva,' test you, the 'Living Buddha,' to see if you truly have Buddhist teachings."

Vajra Palm!
With a single slap, the clay bodhisattva unleashed a massive handprint of yellow clay, which seemed to cover the entire post station. The muddy water surged like a burst dam, rushing towards the Living Buddha Lu Xun, who was standing in the main hall.

Lu Xun was about ten feet tall, with an oval tortoise shell on his back, and his arms, as thick as boulders, were drawn into a full-moon stance.

Cannon Fist.

Palm and fist collided, suddenly exploding and spreading in all directions. Instead of retreating, Living Buddha Lu Xun advanced, his giant palm like a battering ram, crushing the incoming palm shadows like a machine gun. In just a few steps, he rushed to the Mud Bodhisattva. His hard body was not afraid of being swept up by the mud, and he stepped on the mud waves to unleash a heavy punch.

"A place of great purity".

The yellow mud beneath the clay bodhisattva suddenly expanded like a dammed lake, surging and flooding the surrounding area, and the turbulent mud quickly submerged the eight-immortal table.

The already robust and tall clay bodhisattva was instantly transformed into clay sculptures and deities in the temple.

(End of this chapter)