Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"The waxing and waning of the moon."

The waxing and waning of the moon?

He doesn't recognize who this is.

"The waxing and waning of the moon—"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"--Ouch!"

Suddenly, Zheng Jing was knocked three times. In his dazed state, his body went limp and he fell backward to the ground.

"The moon is in its phases, just as we are beginning our morning practice. Why are you so distracted and not listening to me?"

Upon hearing his master's words, Zheng Jing quickly sat up straight again.

He entered his master's school, which had twelve characters: vast wisdom, true nature, ocean of enlightenment, perfect awakening. The school assigned names according to generation, and he was the eleventh generation disciple, which corresponded to the character "Yuan" (圆). Therefore, his master gave him the Dharma name "Yuanque" (圆缺).

"Master, this disciple...this disciple is not being lazy or willful, but rather, upon hearing something wonderful, I couldn't contain my fighting spirit. I beg Master's forgiveness!"

"Hmm... let me ask you, how long have you been a disciple of mine?"

"Master, it has been seven years."

"Seven years have passed. Okay, what skills do you want to learn?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing's spirits lifted.

"I'll rely on my master's teachings!"

"Well, I'll teach you the arts of divination, exorcising evil spirits, and warding off misfortune, shall I?"

Zheng Jing rolled his eyes.

"Hmm, Master, is it possible to achieve immortality and invincibility through this method?"

"Um......"

The master gently shook his head.

"No, no."

Zheng Jing shook his head vigorously.

"Seeking divine intervention is not as good as making your own decisions. This disciple will not learn such things!"

"Then... I'll teach you the art of chanting scriptures, reciting Buddha's name, and making pilgrimages to the divine, how about that?"

"Is it possible to achieve immortality and invincibility?"

"It's like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water; it will all come to nothing."

"Sigh, chanting Buddha's name and reciting scriptures is not as good as having real skills. I won't learn, I won't learn!"

"How about I teach you Zen meditation, celibacy, and fasting?"

"Is it possible to achieve immortality and invincibility?"

"It's like looking at a flower in a mirror; you want to pick it, but you can't."

"Oh dear, meditation is no match for martial arts and boxing. I won't learn it!"

"Ok?"

The master frowned.

"You brat—"

A burst of golden light, like a blazing fire, struck Zheng Jing on the top of his head, making him see stars.

"I've told you countless times, I've long since transcended the Three Realms and the Five Elements. I don't accept disciples who fight, much less teach them fighting skills!"

Feeling dizzy, Zheng Jing plopped down on the ground, shook his head, and looked at his master on the stage.

The golden monkey is draped in a robe and bathed in Buddha's light.

The light was so bright that he could barely see his master's face.

After recovering, Zheng Jing scratched his head, wondering if his master was really angry. But then he had a sudden thought—oh dear!

"Master, but what I'm asking you to teach me isn't fighting skills!"

"Ok?"

"What I ask you to teach me is the skill of reasoning."

"Oh?"

“I know that you, Master, have attained enlightenment and seen through the illusions of the world, but other Buddhas can ignore the injustices, unfairness, and inequalities in this world, so how can you, Master, ignore them?”

"Hmm? Why is that?"

"Because Master, you are not an ordinary Buddha, you are the Victorious Fighting Buddha!"

"Oh! Right."

"As your chief disciple, I cannot stand idly by when I witness such injustice, unfairness, and inequality!"

"Hmm? That makes sense!"

"But we're reasonable! Look, I'm asking you to teach me the skill of immortality so that I can address more injustices and unfairness. I'm asking you to teach me the skill of invincibility so that I can manage every injustice and unfairness. Learning the true skill of immortality and invincibility is just learning the skill of reasoning!"

"Haha! All correct! You're a smart kid! Old Sun didn't spoil you for nothing!!"

With a loud laugh, the golden monkey shook off his tightly wrapped cassock and leaped up from the lotus platform!

In an instant, golden light shone brightly!

-

The young man stood in front of the mountain gate, looking flustered.

As far as he knew, this dream had an end, and what he had to do was walk to the end of the dream, use the special awl in his hand to tear open the "veil" at the end, and go to the outer realm that represented the dreamer's subconscious.

There, lies the spiritual core of the dreamer.

If he destroys the core of the spirit with this awl, the dreamer will become a complete cripple.

So, after glancing at the mountain gate a few times, he turned around and started walking down the steps in front of the gate.

He not only had to find the boundaries of the dream, but also had to avoid meeting the dreamer in the dream as much as possible.

The appearance of an unfamiliar face in a dream may trigger a reaction in some sensitive individuals, allowing them to break free from the constraints of the dream.

—But this was the fifth time he had returned to this mountain gate!

Whether he goes up or down the mountain steps, he will eventually return to this mountain gate.

Every single time, he was walking in the opposite direction from where the mountain gate was!

(What... what on earth is going on?!)

Just as the young man stood there panting, bewildered, trying to calm himself down and figure out where he had gone wrong, the tightly closed mountain gate suddenly opened.

Then, from that door, a dazzling golden light burst forth!

The oncoming golden light gave the young man no chance to react, engulfing him completely in an instant.

"what!!"

The young man woke up with a scream.

"You're awake."

Upon meeting Zheng Jing's eyes, the young man's breath caught in his throat, and half of his shout was stuck in his throat. He was slumped in his seat, as if he would suffocate and go into shock at any moment.

"The surgery was a success, congratulations."

Zheng Jing patted him on the shoulder.

(Hand, surgery?!)

The young man subconsciously looked down at his own body.

He was surprised to find that even such sudden deep breaths no longer caused him pain. He could see a warm, healthy color on his pale skin, and even his instinctively clenched fist was filled with a sense of power that he could not have imagined in the past.

He, he is—

"Tuberculosis, in this era, no, I should say even in my time, is a disease that cannot be underestimated."

Zheng Jing muttered to himself as he untied the straw rope from his wrist.

"You're really lucky. If it had been more serious, I don't know if I could have cured you with internal energy. Hmm... maybe it's because you still have a good conscience and have accumulated some good deeds?"

Noticing that the young man still looked dazed, Zheng Jing poked his chest.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything about how shameful it is to run away, but there's one thing you have to remember. I've saved your life, so if you ever have the evil thought of hurting someone for your own selfish reasons again, don't cry foul when I take your life, okay?"

"Well!"

"Hey, don't worry, don't worry, your brother is about to wake up."

When the miniature Nezuko tugged at his pants in dissatisfaction, Zheng Jing quickly pushed the young man aside, squatted down, and coaxed the little one a couple of times.

"Don't worry, I gave them a hint before they went in. With Charcoal and Peach's intelligence, they'll definitely—look! See! That's it—"

"Ahhhhh!!"

Before Zheng Jing could finish speaking, Tanjiro's shout, uttered in a start, suddenly rang out in the carriage.

Chapter Thirty-Two: I, Old Zheng, am the real Hundred-Ton King!

"Stop howling, Charcoal Boy. If you're awake, come over and help wake the others up too."

With his hands supporting Nezuko under her armpits, Zheng Jing lifted the little guy up in front of Tanjiro, who was drenched in sweat.

"We need to use Little Bean's Blood Demon Art to burn those straw ropes; pulling them directly might kill people."

"Uh? Okay, okay! Nezuko—"

Although he was still a little dizzy, Tanjiro did as Zheng Jing said without hesitation.

As flames ignited one after another on Kyojuro and the others, the straw ropes tied to their wrists were burned off.

However, those who were first to awaken were those who had been tempted by the ghost and intended to harm Zheng Jing and his companions.

But when they opened their eyes, they found that their bodies were completely out of their control.

"Old Zheng? They..."

Tanjiro noticed this.

"Hey, what nonsense are you thinking? It has nothing to do with Little Bean's Blood Demon Art. They can't move because I cast a freezing spell."

Zheng Jing patted Tanjiro on the shoulder and then rubbed Nezuko's little head.

What? Ripple-style acupressure isn't considered a freeze-inducing technique?

"We'll deal with these people later. Right now, we need to deal with the ghosts that are popping up on the train. Peach, come help when you wake up."

"Ha, I never thought I would fall into the devil's trap so easily. I'm ashamed."

Kyojuro opened his eyes, stood up, and looked at Zheng Jing.

"Tell me, Lao Zheng, what do you want me to do?"

-

"Ok?"

Standing atop the first carriage, Nightmare turned around upon hearing the commotion behind her.

Tanjiro, all alone, wielding his Nichirin Blade, ran solemnly along the bumpy road formed by the rooftops of the carriages, heading straight for him.

"Oh, you're awake! Good morning!"

Before the somewhat surprised Enmu could even speak, Tanjiro lowered his center of gravity.

—Then, the boy, knife in hand, stepped into the raging waves!

The breath of water, the tenth form, flows endlessly!

Seeing the Nichirin Blade, carrying waves, approaching him, Enmu instinctively leaned his upper body back, and at the same time, his hand with eyes and mouth suddenly made a sound.