Chapter 51: Master Liaoru

Wang Ping's face turned cold, and Tie Lanshan also put on a cold face and spoke:

"Master Liaoru! Why are you cursing my friend?"

Tie Lanshan is certainly no kind-hearted soul; for the sake of a Foundation Establishment opportunity, he killed thirty-five cultivators in a single night—truly ruthless and vicious.

However, he merely restrains himself a bit in front of Wang Ping.

But in front of others, he's not so easy to talk to,

The several other cultivators who had likewise been invited by Tie Lanshan also spoke up, puzzled.

An elderly cultivator dressed in Alchemist robes said: "Indeed! Master Liaoru, this fellow cultivator's spiritual power is pure and refined; even we feel ashamed to be inferior! Where does this demonic obstacle come from?"

Another tall, burly male cultivator also asked: "Master Liaoru, the friend of Blue Array Master has clear eyes, with inner divine light, and his vital energy and blood are robust; how could such a cultivator be entangled by a heart demon?"

The two cultivators' remarks drew general agreement; only Wang Ping glanced at Tie Lanshan, Blue Array Master, and indeed you have a talent for naming.

Actually, as soon as those words left his mouth, Master Liaoru regretted it deeply.

How can this foul-mouthed habit not be corrected?

He also sensed everyone's displeasure and quickly uttered a Buddhist chant:

"Amitabha!"

He then continued to explain:

"Esteemed fellow cultivators, and this fellow cultivator as well, monastics do not tell falsehoods."

At this moment, Wang Ping instead calmed down, a faint smile playing on his lips as he asked:

"I don't know how Master Liaoru could see that I am entangled by a heart demon."

Master Liaoru's lips first uttered an apology, then he countered: "Fellow cultivator, do you often engage in solitary austere practice?"

Wang Ping nodded, and Master Liaoru then asked again:

"This humble monk dares to ask again: Is your place of austere practice nothing but a meditation cushion, with nothing else?"

Wang Ping nodded again, curious to see what medicine the monk's gourd contained.

The remaining cultivators present exchanged bewildered glances; Master Liaoru's questions left everyone puzzled.

Master Liaoru, hearing this, his face flushed with a reddish glow, gave a faint smile, turned slightly, pointed to the surrounding rare flowers and exotic grasses, the rockeries and flowing water, and asked again:

"Do you know why this place is arranged into such a pleasing scenery? Do you also know why immortal abodes are magnificent and splendid, brimming with immortal qi, and mostly lie atop spirit veins?"

Wang Ping's face showed a thoughtful expression; after pondering, he came up with a line of classical literature he still remembered:

"Living long in an orchid room, one no longer smells its fragrance; living long in a fish market, one no longer notices its stench,

"

Upon hearing this, several cultivators beside Tie Lanshan's eyes lit up, and the elderly cultivator in Alchemist attire exclaimed:

"Excellent line!"

Master Liaoru also nodded in agreement, uttered another Buddhist chant, and continued:

"Cultivation for a cultivator is not merely inhaling and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; refining one's nature and one's life, only when the two unite is it true cultivation."

"Fellow cultivator, your long-term secluded practice in a stone cavern shows admirable perseverance, but this method cannot be sustained long-term!"

"Over time, this will give rise to heart demons. Do you fellow cultivators know how, in mundane prisons, those who refuse to obey the guards are punished?"

Several cultivators glanced at each other and all shook their heads.

Wang Ping felt a stir in his heart and said:

"As far as I know, it seems they are thrown into a solitary confinement cell."

Master Liaoru glanced slightly surprised at the young cultivator before him, not expecting him to know these things. Then he nodded and said:

"Exactly! This cruel punishment inflicts torment on the body and spirit beyond ordinary imagination; those locked in solitary confinement often develop mental illness."

"What does Master mean?"

Master Liaoru nodded and said:

"Your cultivation environment probably only seeks fresh air, right? Fellow cultivator, imagine this: in that dim mountain cave, sitting motionless in cross-legged meditation, what consequences would such an environment yield after one year, two years, ten years? In other words, only because you also practice body-refining methods, making your physique extraordinarily strong, have you remained unharmed thus far."

"But your spirit and body have likely unconsciously developed an aversion; fellow cultivator, recall whether after each seclusion you feel a urge to retaliate and vent, such as cravings for beautiful women, fine food, and scenery."

Wang Ping asked strangely: "Isn't that to be expected?"

Master Liaoru shook his head and said:

"This humble monk wishes to ask you fellow cultivators: after your closed-door cultivation, do you ever have such thoughts?"

Tie Lanshan thought for a moment and replied:

"No, even the longest single five-year seclusion never produced such a situation."

The other cultivators also nodded.

Master Liaoru replied with deep significance:

"After leaving seclusion, what one most wants to do is often our repressed instincts!"

Wang Ping fell silent; each time he left seclusion he wanted to eat delicious food, previously he didn't think much of it, but now it seems to be the aftereffect of long-term consumption of Bigu Pills.

Through Master Liaoru's explanation, Wang Ping finally realized his problem.

If there truly is a heart demon, the greatest likelihood lies in that ten-year seclusion, where each day was spent sitting in meditation, occasionally reading books, basically never stepping out of the abode.

He had taken Bigu Pills for a full ten years.

This time Wang Ping finally took Master Liaoru's words to heart, clasped his hands in salute, and asked again:

"I don't know if Master Liaoru knows what this heart demon is."

Master Liaoru remained silent for a full ten breaths, then said: "According to what this humble monk knows, there are the following conditions: greed, slaughter, madness, and persecutory delusion! These are the most common."

Upon hearing the first few, Wang Ping's expression remained calm; but when he heard the last one, his expression changed slightly.

Master Liaoru continued: "For a heart demon to flare up, it needs a trigger. Just now, when this fellow cultivator entered, I sensed a faint trace of heart demon lingering on him, almost dissipated—evidently, the heart demon on him has already flared once."

"The heart demon has already flared once?" Wang Ping immediately closed his eyes, recalling recent abnormalities.

Suddenly, he recalled that on that small boat, due to a string of coincidences, he had felt that his fate had been arranged.

At the time he didn't think anything was wrong, but now, upon reflection, it seems rather mysteriously odd.

Shouldn't an ordinary person feel that their fate is heaven-defying?

How could he think of being arranged by fate, and why would the heart demon do this? To plant a seed of doubt in himself?

Whoosh!

Wang Ping suddenly opened his eyes, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master! I don't know how you could tell that I have been invaded by a heart demon."

Master Ruru lowered his head, intoned a Buddhist proclamation, and smiled, saying, "This is related to the Buddhist cultivation I practice. Fellow Daoist, your qi and blood are vigorous, your spiritual power is pure, and combined with your firm will—rare among peers—that is why the heart demon has not invaded."

But what puzzles this humble monk is that normally, when a heart demon's invasion fails, it retreats; yet the heart demon on you seems to have been scattered by some mysterious force, lingering feebly within you.

He paused, then continued:

Therefore, it lingers longer, which is why this humble monk could detect a trace of it; however, Fellow Daoist, rest assured, it has already dissipated—now it is merely a faint demonic aura remaining, which will fade in a few days.

Master Ruru's abilities impressed Wang Ping, who couldn't help but send a mental transmission to Tie Lanshan, asking, "Fellow Daoist, do you know where Master Ruru comes from?"

Tie Lanshan replied:

"I don't know either; I only heard that he came from the Western Drooping Lands, accompanying the Gathering Treasure Pavilion, passed its examination, and has always been somewhat mysterious and cryptic."

Wang Ping nodded inwardly, thinking that the Master said the heart demon needed a trigger to manifest, yet was shattered by some mysterious force, and he also formed a few suspicions.

The Reverse Fire Curse and the aura of Transformation Spirit—those must be the two.

After this incident, not only Wang Ping, but also Tie Lanshan and the other few cultivators looked upon Master Ruru with new eyes.

Under Tie Lanshan's guidance, the cultivators headed toward the Meeting Immortals Pavilion; along the way, Master Ruru proactively said to Wang Ping:

"Fellow Daoist, no need to worry; since the heart demon has been broken, it won't return in the short term, as long as you pay attention to the environment of your closed-door cultivation, such incidents won't happen again."

Wang Ping smiled, nodded his thanks, but a strange color flashed in his eyes.

Master Ruru seemed to be very concerned about him.