Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

She answered several couplets quickly and easily, showing that she is truly skilled.

The swordsman, unable to resist the urge any longer, took the erhu string from his back, placed it on the table, and asked Liu Mudan to appreciate it.

"Please tell me the origin of this erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument)."

Liu Mudan didn't come down to look; she merely glanced at it and then eloquently revealed the answer—

"This zither was originally a stringed drum, five feet and six inches long, with two strings, one odd and one even, and seven strings. It is tuned to the sun and moon above and to the yin and yang below. It is made of mammoth tusks as its bone and has two pythons with flowers as its drum. Its tone is desolate and has a lingering sound. It is the masterpiece of the famous craftsman of the western border, the old man with the bowed head, before his death. He named it the Twelve Bones of Yellow Sand."

The swordsman's expression changed upon hearing this: "You're right, the courtesan is indeed very learned."

"If I'm not mistaken, you are the hero that I admire most in my life, the one who returned the sword to Suzhou under the waning moon at dawn."

The swordsman, Gu Su, suddenly stood up: "Impressive! But how do you know so much?"

Liu Mudan smiled gently and then explained: "When the old man was alive, he was acquainted with me and we studied musical instruments and music together. He also told me a lot about your story."

Gu Su returned the sword with annoyance, saying, "If I had known this would happen, I would have changed the question to test you. But you are truly eloquent and insightful."

"You flatter me, hero."

What followed was another chaotic barrage of questions, but Liu Mudan, as always, skillfully deflected each one, turning the guests away with ease.

An hour later, the madam regretfully announced that the courtesan would be sleeping alone tonight.

Liu Mudan bowed to the guests in the building, then gave Luo Hou a meaningful look before retreating backstage.

Chapter 409 Buddha's Head, Sangharama

In the back garden of Youxiantai, exotic flowers and rare plants vie for attention, and the lakes and pavilions resemble those of Jiangnan.

She stands alone, under the bright moon.

The madam asked in a soft, seductive voice, "My dear daughter, who exactly do you want as your lover? You don't want the rich gentlemen, and you don't even fancy the young scholars."

"Mother, do you know the background of that strong man in the private room today?"

“Oh, my daughter, with my years of experience and keen eyes, I can tell that person is definitely not someone to be trifled with. He’s practically a demon descended to earth, and I don’t know how many lives he’s taken to earn that murderous aura.”

"Really? But my daughter can tell that the man is no ordinary person."

"Mom wants to warn you in advance that if you put your heart into him, it will most likely be all for naught."

"My daughter knows."

After giving some instructions, Mang Susu returned to her building to attend to social obligations, leaving Mudan to slowly walk to the pavilion and sit down, lost in her own thoughts.

If you look closely, her shadow under the moon is more sinister and eerie than that of an ordinary person, as if there is another shadow hidden within the shadow.

Luo Hou slept very well that night.

The next day, he got up at a leisurely pace, washed and dressed, ate breakfast, and then went to the town's crossroads to wait.

The sunlight gradually brightened.

Soon after, a person, bathed in the glow of the sunset, walked by with firm and composed steps, as if on a long journey.

Upon seeing Luo Hou, Emperor Rulai bowed and said, "Martial Lord, thank you for waiting so long."

"I stayed at a brothel last night, which was quite comfortable. My friend, how about I take you to see it again tonight?"

Luo Hou pointed to the Youxiantai behind him, and Emperor Rulai shook his head repeatedly: "This humble monk is not worthy of enjoying it."

"Hahaha!"

"What exactly is going on in the Western Buddhist Realm? Is it possible that even Yi Ye Shu can't uncover the truth?"

"Currently, the three religions—Daowuwang Valley, Defeng Ancient De, and Xihuang Buddhist Realm—have all entered a state of self-isolation. I am quite familiar with the situation of Confucianism and Taoism, and the details are as follows..."

As they walked and talked, Luo Hou first explained the situation of Daowu King Valley and Defeng Ancient Road so that Emperor Tathagata could make a judgment on the overall situation, and then he talked about the Western Huang Buddhist Realm.

"It is said that beneath this land lies the Yama's Ghost Prison. Because the Ghost Prison is close to the Western Buddhist Realm, the Buddhist Realm has taken on the heavy responsibility of guarding the Ghost Prison. Now that a thousand years have passed, the Ghost Prison must be ready to break free from its seal, which is why the Buddhist Realm dares not act rashly."

As one of the three major lineages of Buddhism, Emperor Tathagata had heard of the feud between the Western Buddhist Realm and the Yama's Ghost Prison.

"Just as I expected, before releasing the dragon head, I want to explore the Western Buddhist Realm."

"Are the Buddha Head and the Holy Balance Master old acquaintances?"

"Indeed, before I founded Yun Gu Lei Feng, I visited Buddhist temples all over the world and had a brief encounter with Master Shi Zhi Jia Lan."

"Am I confident I can persuade him? I don't want to have a conflict with Buddhism."

The situations of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism are different. Daowu King Valley has no leader and is internally divided, which is why Tiandu was able to advance unimpeded.

With the Imperial Confucian Scholar in charge of the Defeng Ancient Road, as long as we can win over the Imperial Confucian Scholar and make him fully realize the gap in strength between the Confucian School and the Heavenly Capital, the Imperial Confucian Scholar will have no choice but to submit in order to protect his disciples.

The Buddhist world in the Western Huang is different. The monks are rigid in their beliefs. They believe that the establishment of the Four Dhyana Heavens by the Buddha was to suppress the dragon head, and that this was their responsibility.

Driven by a sense of responsibility, both monks and nuns would fight tooth and nail.

Rahu did not want to kill anyone, so he invited the Buddha to come.

Emperor Tathagata said in a deep voice, "I am not confident."

Along this desert, you will soon see the huge Buddha statue lying high on the mountain.

Because Yi Ye Shu had used the Buddhist Shackles when he last came here, the two of them traveled in complete silence, and the sand worms that were flying around everywhere had disappeared.

There are three lines of defense from the desert to Jinwofo Mountain, with the outermost line defended by dozens of monks.

"Stop right there, or the Great Mandala Formation will be waiting for you."

The Buddha stopped and put his palms together, saying, "This humble monk, Emperor Tathagata, has come to pay respects to my Buddhist friend, Shakyamuni Garan."

"Are you the head Buddha of Leifeng Temple in the Central Plains?"

"It is this poor monk."

"Please wait a moment, we will inform the Holy Balance immediately."

The monks put away their monastic staffs and hurried back to report.

Soon, a Buddhist monk dressed in blue and white robes with an extremely serene face arrived, accompanied by four eminent monks.

"It really is you, Buddha-headed Emperor Tathagata."

"It's been a long time, Holy Balance Master Shizhi has come to the temple."

"Having heard that you left Yun Gu Lei Feng and entered the intermediate realm to cultivate, Garan is deeply saddened."

"Thank you for your concern, fellow Buddhist. This is Tiandu Wujun."

Rahu greatly respected this Buddhist who chose to sacrifice himself to complete the plan to honor the Buddha, and immediately bowed and said, "Rahu is fortunate to meet the holy monk."

Shi Shengjialan was slightly taken aback when he saw the famous Tiandu Wujun, who was not only the Buddha, but also the Buddha. He then put his palms together in return.

"The Martial Lord has come with important business. Please follow the monks to the Ganlu Grotto."

"Thank you."

Wearing the Buddha head as an identity token proved to be very effective.

Luo Hou guessed that when Yi Ye Shu came last time, he must have gone straight to the Dragon Head, which is why he was turned away by the monks.

Garan then introduced the Four Dhyana Heavens: the Blue-following Buddha, the Dharma-fearing Vajra, the Moon-approaching Avalokiteshvara, and the Eternal Goddess.

Everyone greeted each other.

The Buddha truly knows how to choose his disciples. Among the two saints, one is an undercover agent in the Ghost Prison. In the Four Dhyana Heavens, apart from Vajra of Dharma Fear, the other three are an undercover agent, a counter-undercover agent, and a supporter of the undercover agent.

Of the six high-ranking officials, half were villains, and the number of ordinary monks below them was unknown.

It would be strange if such an organization didn't get wiped out.

Upon arriving at Ganlu Cave, Luo Hou briefly examined the entire cave. It was a cave that had been directly carved out, with no decorations except for a huge rock that could be used for meditation.

Outside the cave, there is another stone trough, half full of rainwater, which should be the so-called nectar.

Everyone sat on the ground in the cave. Buddha was perfectly fine, and Rahu was no exception.

Once everyone was seated, Garan asked softly, "What brings you two from so far?"

Emperor Tathagata replied with his palms together: "Amitabha, I wish to release the evil leader Orochi, who is sealed beneath Jinwo Buddha Mountain. I hope my fellow Buddhas will grant my request."

"what!"

This was a request that neither Garan nor the Four Dhyana Heavens had ever anticipated. The Western Buddhist Realm had suppressed the Dragon Head for a thousand years, and the responsibility had seeped into their very bones. In their hearts, releasing the Dragon Head was tantamount to joining forces with the Eight-Headed Demon God.

If it weren't for the majestic appearance of the Buddha, radiating Buddhist light and exuding a pure and holy aura from within, the monks would surely have thought that the Buddha had been corrupted by evil.

"Six of the eight dragon heads have already returned. Please allow the remaining one from the Western Buddhist Realm to pass."

Fawei Jingang, being the most straightforward, immediately rebuked, "Buddha, do you know that with the return of the Dragon Head and the resurrection of the evil god, China will be plunged into doomsday!"

Garan raised his hand to stop Dharmakṣaṇīṣa's rebuke and asked gently, "Buddha, please give Garan a reason to release the dragon head."

"Let me tell you."

Luo Hou recounted in detail the internal strife in Daowu King Valley, as well as the death of Master Ming due to corruption, and many other events.

He added, "Rather than waiting to die, we should fight back and wipe the Eight-Headed Evil God out of this world completely."

Chapter 410 The Terrifying Cultivation of Emperor Tathagata

Even with the Buddha's endorsement, Shakyamuni Buddha hesitated.

Just then, a decree flew out from the Void Treasury: "The thousand-year responsibility has been fulfilled, all things return to their original state. Garan, release the evil leader and restore peace to our realm."

Upon hearing the sacred decree from Vulture Peak, Sakyamuni Buddha and the Four Dhyana Heavens all clasped their hands in acceptance of the order.

"I will obey the imperial decree."

Emperor Tathagata looked in the direction of Akasagarbha and said in thanks: "The Venerable Buddha is merciful, Amitabha."

After the passing of the Venerable Buddha, he left behind the Vulture Relic, which was enshrined in the Akasagarbha Pagoda, becoming an existence above the ruling class in the Western Buddhist realm.

The self-proclaimed authority of the Western Buddhist community for so long originated from the sacred edict of Vulture Peak.

Having received the imperial decree, the group went to Jinwo Buddha Mountain again, where the evil leader was located below the mountain.

"The seal here is called the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Seals. It was jointly applied by me and the Four Dhyana Heavens, and it will be jointly removed by me and them."

"Thank you for your help, Your Excellency."