Killing Monks

It wasn't until the two had completely left the territory of Dahuxia that they encountered a small caravan that was hesitating on the official road.

Hearing that shouts of battle had been heard from the direction of the canyon, the caravan manager was filled with fear and dared not proceed.

Guangyuan and Lufei then informed them that the canyon had calmed down. After waiting for a while, a brave guard from the caravan was ordered to cautiously go and scout ahead.

Any disturbance in the martial arts world could be a catastrophic disaster for these ordinary merchants carrying goods.

The two did not linger and continued north.

Halfway there, Guangyuan heard Lu Fei muttering to himself. Upon closer listening, he realized Lu Fei was repeatedly reciting the "Sutra of Life and Death in a Single Thought," and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're really planning to practice this technique?"

Lu Fei snapped out of his reverie and said matter-of-factly:

"Why not practice it? This might be a top-tier cultivation technique that touches upon the realm of formlessness!"

"This is far superior to the techniques passed down in my Lu family! With such an opportunity before me, how can I let it slip by?"

"Can you trust the person who can teach you this technique?" Guangyuan said, his steps unwavering.

"This..." Lu Fei was speechless for a moment.

That old bald monk, Xinchi, was witty and had an extraordinary air about him; talking to him was truly like basking in a spring breeze.

But in the blink of an eye, he could use Buddhist weapons to drive dozens of people to madness and kill each other, treating human life as worthless experimental grass, and almost causing his own mental breakdown and death from exhaustion.

How can anyone truly trust someone whose actions are unpredictable and whose nature is hard to fathom?

Guangyuan said, "If you can't even trust the person who teaches the techniques, would you dare to practice the techniques he teaches with peace of mind?"

"If you accept all of this without question, then with that level of intelligence, you might as well quit the game."

Lu Fei felt a warmth spread across his face from what he said. He was so dazzled by the top-level martial arts technique that he was completely unaware of the danger behind him.

"Then... what about that 'Mirror of Karma'?" Lu Fei asked, turning the question to, "What do you plan to do with it?"

"This mirror is indeed somewhat sinister," Guangyuan said. "I'll think about it first. If it's truly something that will bring endless harm, I'll find a place to melt it down later."

"It's melted?!" Lu Fei almost jumped up. "That's a Buddhist weapon! One of the eight most famous Buddhist weapons in the world!"

"A sacred artifact that countless heroes and prestigious sects in the martial arts world would fight tooth and nail for!"

"Here you go, do you want it?" Guangyuan asked in return.

Lu Fei immediately deflated and subconsciously shook his head.

The fear and inner demons emanating from that mirror were so real that he wanted to avoid it at all costs.

"So, it's a problem," Guangyuan concluded. "Even the old bald-headed believer himself admitted it."

"...It is indeed a big problem." Lu Fei nodded as well.

But we must find out exactly what's wrong.

That night, the two camped in the wilderness, finding a sheltered mountain hollow where they lit a campfire.

They dared not go to the town inns, fearing that something else might happen while they were studying the mirror.

Guangyuan took out the octagonal bronze mirror, which was wrapped in layers of thick cloth, from his bag.

Unwrapping the cloth, the bronze mirror revealed its true form in the flickering light of the campfire.

During the day, it reflects a mesmerizing, hazy golden light under the sunlight, but under the darkness and firelight, it appears quite serene and ancient.

The mirror surface was smooth, clearly reflecting Guangyuan's approaching face.

Lu Fei had already hidden behind a large rock several feet away, clearly still shaken.

Guangyuan held the bronze mirror in his hand and examined it carefully.

His image was clearly reflected in the mirror.

His handsome face, still bearing some youthful innocence, was slightly weathered from days of travel and battles. His brows were habitually furrowed, carrying a melancholy beyond his years.

He suddenly noticed that his hair had sprouted a short layer of stubble.

At Jinjia Temple, a fellow monk regularly shaved the heads of the monks, almost every three to five days, to keep their heads clean and shaved.

Having been away from the temple for some time now, I had completely forgotten about it.

Just as he was slightly distracted by this subtle discovery, his reflection in the mirror showed his furrowed brows slowly relaxing.

Immediately afterwards, the corners of the reflection's mouth curved upwards, outlining a clear, natural, and even slightly mischievous smile.

A voice, calm yet strangely penetrating, seemed to emanate directly from the mirror, or perhaps resonate deep within his heart:

Why aren't you smiling anymore?

"I remember... you used to laugh a lot."

Guangyuan stared at the reflection in the mirror—a figure identical to himself, but with a strange curve to his lips—and said calmly:

"Shouldn't it be 'us'? 'We' used to love to laugh."

The "Guangyuan" in the mirror seemed taken aback by the answer; her smile froze almost imperceptibly for a moment, then deepened.

"Do you think... 'I' am you?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Guangyuan's eyes: "I thought you really were the so-called 'demonic thought' in my mind. Now it seems that your logic is flawed."

"The intelligence is very low."

Now, the "Guangyuan" in the mirror stopped smiling. Because Guangyuan believed he was Guangyuan, but he didn't believe he was Guangyuan.

He lost in their first encounter.

"You've killed so many people, aren't you afraid of retribution?" the "Guangyuan" in the mirror said.

Guangyuan chuckled, "I'll send them to the Western Paradise as soon as possible, to meet the Buddha, and to enjoy pure blessings. This is meritorious; why should I be afraid?"

"But you know perfectly well that there is no Buddha or paradise in this world."

"Then I'm even less afraid," Guangyuan said matter-of-factly. "What's there to be afraid of in a dead person?"

"..." The "Guangyuan" in the mirror fell silent again.

He lost again.

"I thought you had some skills," Guangyuan shook his head, his tone slightly bored, "but it turns out you're nothing special."

"What Mirror of Illumination? It's nothing but a Mirror of Idiots."

Having said that, he stopped looking at the mirror, reached out and grabbed a handful of wet mud from the side, carefully smearing and covering the mirror surface to block out the unpleasant reflection.

Just then, a short, startled cry came from Lu Fei in the distance!

Guangyuan's eyes sharpened, and he moved swiftly toward the source of the sound.

Under the starlight, a figure dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with two swords at his waist was using a series of dense and ruthless palm techniques to force Lu Fei to retreat repeatedly, putting him in grave danger!

The palm strikes were fierce, each aimed straight for vital points. Blood was already visible at the corner of Lu Fei's mouth, indicating that he had suffered a considerable loss.

That person was none other than Lu Fei's strictest "father," the head constable of Tanhua County.

In fact, Lu Fei has never won against Qi Butou.

Besides the head constable, there were two other people providing support from behind.

One of them, whom Guangyuan knew, was none other than his grand-uncle Huiming from the Discipline Hall of Jinjia Temple.

Beside Huiming stood an unfamiliar monk, about forty years old, with fair skin, narrow eyes, also wearing a monk's robe, and with an extraordinary demeanor, clearly not someone to be trifled with.

These two were clearly here for Guangyuan, and their "chance" encounter with Lu Fei by Detective Qi was probably not accidental.

Huiming instantly locked onto Guangyuan, who was rushing towards him. His eyes flashed with cold light, and he roared, his voice booming like a bell:

"You wicked creature! You murdered your commander, betrayed the temple, and fled—you're here after all!"

"Let's see where you can run to today!"