Killing Monks

"Indeed, the most profitable business is the one that requires no initial investment!"

Guangyuan, riding on a captured steed, turned to Lu Fei beside him and spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"No wonder you were so quick to spend money at the inn."

After dealing with the Moro Gang pursuers, they looted loose gold and silver, dry rations and medicine from the burly men, along with three well-fed and strong packhorses.

This allowed the two of them to make a fortune out of thin air.

All of these combined are enough for ordinary people to settle down and start a business.

Upon hearing this, Lu Fei scoffed, "My money isn't something you, a heartless monk, made by killing and robbing without any investment."

"That's my own money, I can spend it however I want, is that not allowed?"

He raised his chin: "What, do I need to report to you because I'm wealthy?"

"...I see," Guangyuan said with a sudden realization, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I never imagined that Young Master Lu was a wealthy young man who had come to experience the hardships of the martial world."

"So, now that you're wanted by the authorities, shouldn't you return to your residence to lay low for a while?"

"Go home?" Lu Fei raised an eyebrow. "Go home for what?"

"You're wanted by the Image Guardians, aren't you going back to hide?"

"Ha, and what about you? Aren't you also laying low?"

Guangyuan nodded frankly: "That's right, isn't that why I'm heading north to avoid the limelight for now?"

"I thought you, Baldy Thief, were a fearless, ruthless, and lawless scoundrel!" Lu Fei teased.

"Temporary retreat does not mean fear," Guangyuan said. "When the situation calms down, I will return to what I should do and where I should go."

Some debts always need to be settled.

"Good, good, good!" Lu Fei clapped his hands and laughed, "What a vengeful bald thief!"

He thought Guangyuan was referring to Qi Butou, but he didn't know that Guangyuan was referring to Jinjia Temple.

He then said, "What a coincidence, I'm also heading north. Why don't we travel together and look out for each other on the way?"

"Are you really not afraid of running into Detective Qi again?" Guangyuan looked at him with a half-smile.

"Afraid of him?" Lu Fei chuckled. "Why would I be afraid of him? I'm just temporarily outmatched!"

"It's not that I'm afraid, but that I can't beat them!" he emphasized again.

Guangyuan remained silent.

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The clatter of hooves and the light dust rising from the ground make the journey through the martial world, accompanied by companions, seem less harsh, even in the wind.

They traveled north in this manner for about five days.

They sold two packhorses along the way, because raising horses was too much work and effort, and their agility and speed on long journeys were not necessarily comparable to that of their light-footed skills.

That afternoon, the two arrived at a precipitous canyon.

The mountain cliffs on both sides are steep and the rocks are jagged, with a narrow path winding deep into the middle.

This place is called "Dahu Gorge", named after a wide lake hidden deep in the gorge. It is also a natural boundary marker between the Southern Tang and Northern Zhou dynasties.

In the past, this place was bustling with merchants and travelers, and the sounds of camel bells and horses' hooves were endless. Today, however, it is strangely quiet.

Not only were there few people, but even the sounds of birds and beasts seemed to be suppressed by something.

The tranquility of the mountains was shattered by the faint clanging of weapons clashing, along with short shouts and screams, emanating from the depths of the canyon ahead.

Guangyuan and Lufei exchanged a glance and tacitly concealed their presence. They each used their movement techniques, silently darting forward like two wisps of smoke.

After rounding a protruding boulder, the valley scenery suddenly came into view.

In the narrow valley, dozens of people were engaged in a chaotic battle.

Swords flashed, fists clashed, and the scene was chaotic.

Strangely, although these people were ruthless, their moves were somewhat sluggish and stiff.

Their eyes were all bloodshot, red as blood, their gazes unfocused and chaotic, long since lost their clarity.

As they fought, they uttered incoherent murmurs, which mingled with the clanging of weapons, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"...You forced me to this...It's all your fault..."

"...I'm wrong...but you're not wrong?! Kill!"

"...Die! You all deserve to die! I'll kill you all..."

He was like a madman, completely out of his mind, and would kill anyone he saw.

In the very center of this chaotic battle, an object was floating in mid-air!

It was an octagonal bronze mirror, about the size of a washbasin, with a simple and antique design.

The mirror is neither gold nor jade, but has a dark bronze color, with fine Sanskrit characters engraved on its edges.

It was afternoon, and sunlight streamed obliquely through the cracks in the canyon.

The bronze mirror seemed to possess a spirit, precisely focusing and reflecting the light, transforming it into a blazing yet not dazzling hazy golden light, like mercury spilling onto the ground, enveloping the fighting crowd below.

"It's... a Buddhist weapon!" Lu Fei, hiding behind a rock, gasped and whispered in surprise when he saw the bronze mirror.

"Buddha weapon?" Guangyuan frowned slightly. Only after Lu Fei mentioned it did he remember that there was indeed such a legend in the martial arts world.

The Buddhist path is the Eightfold Path, namely "Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration," which are eight methods of practice leading to enlightenment and Nirvana.

Legend has it that each of these eight righteous paths has a Buddhist treasure that has been passed down through the ages, collectively known as the "Eight Great Buddhist Weapons".

The ethereal octagonal bronze mirror before us is a Buddhist weapon corresponding to the path of "mindfulness".

[Mindfulness Mirror]

This mirror is often referred to in the martial arts world as the "Buddha's Treasure of Illuminating Karma," and it is said to be able to reflect the karmic entanglements in the hearts of living beings.

If viewed by those with pure minds and light karmic obstacles, it can help them to see their own afflictions, generate repentance and right mindfulness, and align with the essential practice of "being aware of the present moment and correcting one's thoughts." It is revered by Buddhism as a sacred object to help people cleanse their karmic obstacles.

However, if the person looking in the mirror has heavy karma and is entangled in obsessions, not only will they be unable to use the mirror to understand their own mind, but they will also trigger a backlash from their own karma.

Without the timely intervention and guidance of profound Buddhist teachings, one will be taken advantage of by inner demons, fall into madness, and eventually die from exhaustion of mind and spirit!

Looking at the scene of dozens of people fighting like madmen, isn't this a terrifying situation of karma backfiring and the heart burning with fire?

The gentle golden light emanating from the "Mindfulness Mirror" now appears not as a light of salvation, but rather as a death warrant!

"What... what should we do now?" Lu Fei frowned as he looked at the frenzied fighting in the valley and said in a low voice.

Guangyuan's gaze locked onto the octagonal bronze mirror that was suspended in mid-air and emitted an eerie golden light.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and began to unfasten the buttons of his worn gray monk's robe.

"I'll go cover the mirror." He held the monk's robe he had taken off in his hand.

"You..." Upon hearing this, Lu Fei abruptly turned to look at him, grabbing Guangyuan's wrist: "Let me do it!"

He knew that although Guangyuan was a monk, he had committed many killings, and his obsessions and karmic obstacles were probably far greater than those of ordinary people. This "Buddha Treasure of Illumination" was already a death warrant for ordinary people, and for Guangyuan, it was probably even more dangerous.

Before he could finish speaking and before Guangyuan could react, Lu Fei had already taken a deep breath and suddenly sprang up!

His movements were swift and decisive, like a hawk taking flight. With a few light turns in mid-air, he swiftly and gracefully swept towards the center of the battle. In mid-air, he quickly tore open his outer robe with one hand, intending to use it to cover the troublesome bronze mirror.

But, just as his figure burst into the area enveloped by that hazy golden light!

The mirror light, which had been quietly reflecting below, gently but irresistibly brushed against Lu Fei's body, causing him to pause and his eyes to become confused.