Chapter 29: The Buddhist Path

"How's the viewing?"

"Very good, very good!"

The fat Daoist feigned great satisfaction with his praise, and his eyes were quickly drawn to the prayer beads in Yang Zhu's hand.

"Fellow Daoist, I see these prayer beads are transformed from a demonic creature; they will bring you disaster later. It would be better to hand them over to me so I can refine them for you."

The fat Daoist's expression was solemn, looking utterly righteous and impartial, truly as if he meant what he said.

"It's fine, I can suppress it; there's no need for you to trouble yourself, Daoist." Yang Zhu laughed and refused.

"Wuliang Tianzun, subduing demons and eliminating evil is my duty as a Daoist; where is there any trouble?"

The fat Daoist's face glowed red, his smile bright, and his chubby big hand reached out as he spoke.

"No need, I can handle it myself."

Yang Zhu continued shaking his head, not loosening his stance in the slightest; he knew the other's character all too well, and he got along with that black dog like peas in a pod.

Seeing this, the fat Daoist paused, realizing the soft approach wouldn't work, so he had to go hard!

But the fat Daoist glanced at Yang Zhu, immediately abandoned the idea, and muttered softly: "This kid looks anything but simple; as a Daoist I'll surely get no good out of him..."

Yang Zhu wore a spotless white robe, unstained by dust, floating like an immortal; at first glance he was a 'tough character', lest he end up losing the rice while trying to steal a chicken.

Given the fat Daoist's shrewdness, he would certainly not make a reckless attempt.

"Then we'll meet again later."

Having said that, Yang Zhu turned to leave, and Duan De, seeing this, immediately chased after him.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment; I sincerely wish to help you refine the demonic object, with absolutely no ulterior motive!"

Yang Zhu didn't want to keep pretending any longer, laying his cards on the table: "I say, Daoist Duan De, do you think I'd believe your words?"

"You... you actually know me, the humble Daoist."

His identity exposed, Duan De lost his composure at once; after all, his 'fame far-reaching' made him unpopular, and many people hated him to the core.

"Someone dug up your ancestral grave—who wouldn't be angry? 'Actually, it's not that I can't give it to you.'"

Saying this, Yang Zhu sat down in the chair, idly playing with the prayer beads, and spoke casually.

"Hehe, I knew you, young friend, have an extraordinary bearing and would never be so heartless."

Seeing there was still hope, Duan De immediately changed his form of address, beaming as he sat down opposite Yang Zhu.

"I've taken a liking to this string of prayer beads as well, but it's not that I can't part with them; however, Daoist, you need to tell me some things as an exchange."

"Please speak, I, the humble Daoist, have nothing I won't say!"

"I know you wouldn't go to such trouble for something so trivial; you must have another motive."

While Yang Zhu spoke, he kept watching the other's expression; sure enough, after hearing him, Duan De's expression clearly fluctuated.

"There's no way such a thing could happen..."

Although he tried hard to conceal it, it couldn't escape Yang Zhu's eyes.

"Then let's not discuss it."

Yang Zhu rose to leave, and as he approached the stone gate, Duan De finally couldn't hold back and called out to stop him.

"Young friend, stay your steps!"

Finally hooked! Yang Zhu stopped his steps, didn't turn around, and waited for the other to speak first.

"Cough!" Duan De cleared his throat, then said: "Through the observation of Daoist Master, there should still be a secret chamber here."

"Where?" Yang Zhu turned, asking indifferently.

"Right beneath the dry bones!"

Duan De said as he pushed over the skeleton; with a clatter it fell apart, scattering on the ground and revealing the full form of the stone bed.

Yang Zhu was speechless; you've already dug them up, couldn't you show a little respect?

Only then did he notice that beneath where the dry bones had been, there was a hidden groove whose shape matched the prayer beads exactly.

No wonder Duan De insisted on getting the prayer beads at any cost; they are actually the key to opening the secret chamber.

"Wait a moment!"

Just as Yang Zhu was about to open it, Duan De hastily stopped him, wearing a wicked grin.

"Since you, fellow Daoist, know about this, we need to decide how to split the treasures inside; there must be an agreement."

"What do you have in mind?"

Upon hearing this, Duan De straightened his Daoist robe: "Wuliang Tianzun, why not let each rely on their own ability—how much one gets depends entirely on the individual, how about that?"

"Sure." Yang Zhu readily agreed.

"Hehe, then we can open it."

Duan De looked as if his scheme had succeeded, his smile growing brighter, his fat hand constantly rubbing, ready to act at any moment.

Yang Zhu placed the prayer beads into the groove, and they fit perfectly.

The next moment, the prayer beads emitted waves of golden Buddhist light, shining on the wall behind the stone bed; after a short while, a Buddhist figure pattern gradually emerged.

The Buddha figure was outlined by the golden lines, its light radiant; every stroke was naturally perfect, lifelike, as if it would come alive any moment.

As the Buddha figure appeared, a vast heavenly sound descended from the heavens, like Buddhist chanting or ancient sacrificial music, thunderous to the ears, echoing in the mind.

At that moment, Yang Zhu seemed to see an eminent monk, before entering final nirvana, chanting his sutras with Buddhist sounds.

All the eminent monk's teachings and realizations were contained within, possessing an unfathomably profound meaning.

Yang Zhu momentarily sank into that Buddhist sound, his mind gradually calming as he carefully contemplated the profundity of the Buddhist Dharma.

Amitabha Buddha possessed great wisdom; by his own power he established Buddhism in the Western Desert, leading the trend, so that the entire region was filled with Buddhist temples, making it hard for other forces to survive there.

A phantom of an eminent monk appeared before Yang Zhu, continuously reciting sutras, his face full of the compassion to save all beings.

Yang Zhu felt no particular affinity for the Buddhist path, but since Dao and Buddhist principles interconnect, he could gain a different insight through Buddhist Dharma, and thus he immersed himself in it.

"Yo~ this kid has some talent; even opening a door gave him insight."

Duan De saw Yang Zhu standing motionless on the spot; from his experience he had already guessed the reason, and couldn't help feeling surprised.

"In that case, don't blame me, Daoist Sir, for being heartless..."

Seeing this, Duan De smiled even more brightly, thinking this was a great opportunity, so the treasures would all be his! Just as he was about to enter the stone gate, that Buddha statue shot out a beam of Buddhist light, fixing him in place, unable to move an inch.

"Damn it, Daoist Sir, I can't move!"

Duan De struggled violently, but the Buddhist light was like a divine needle anchoring the sea, impossible to shake.

He could only stay fixed in place, watching helplessly as the various treasures inside the secret chamber lay just a few steps away, yet he could not obtain them, feeling extreme anguish.

"You bald donkey, dare to toy with Daoist Sir? If I don't recover, I'll tear this place apart!"

Fortunately his mouth could still move; this guy was furious and kept cursing, never having suffered such frustration before.

Yang Zhu's mind was tranquil and detached, blocking out all external sounds as he listened to the profound chanting of the Buddhist Dharma.

The doctrine chanted by the high monk, similar to the Pure Heart Sutra, can calm the mind and emotions, and dispel and refine all yin evil.

Finally, Yang Zhu gained insight from that state, firmly memorizing a passage of the scripture in his mind.

By the time he recovered, half an hour had passed.

ps: I don't know if there are any free-riders; if there are, I hope you stop, as the new book needs more readers, thank you! (End of chapter)