Chapter 145

The atmosphere in the small courtyard was somewhat strange for a moment.

In the end, Pang Tong broke the deadlock, saying: "Liaokong Dashi, why not speak plainly—how will you get Captain Qin to willingly return it?"

"Although the Longxiang Relic is the Buddha bone relic of the Longxiang Holy Monk, it is also Captain Qin's own opportunity—there is no reason for him to give it up for nothing."

"That is natural."

The old monk wore a smile, but simply would not state the specific terms.

Seeing this made Qin Shuo's teeth itch; he very much wanted to go up and punch him twice.

Unfortunately, the man is a Martial Arts Grandmaster—one hand could knock him and Pang Tong flat—so he could only endure it for now.

Seeing the old monk again joking without speaking, Qin Shuo gritted his teeth and finally could only say in a low voice: "General Pang, please step out for a moment—I need to have a proper talk with Liaokong Dashi."

Pang Tong glanced at the smiling, harmless long-browed old monk, then at Qin Shuo, and finally turned away with a sullen face.

He realized that this old monk simply did not want to speak in front of him, hence the constant circling.

Obviously, Qin Shuo had also noticed this, which was why he had asked himself to leave first.

This old monk...

Pang Tong felt his teeth ache a little, but immediately showed a hint of helplessness.

The man is a Martial Arts Grandmaster—even if he is displeased, what can he do? He can only endure it.

As for Qin Shuo's safety, the moment he saw this old monk, he knew the other would not use force; otherwise, there would be no need to go through all this trouble to send him away.

But this way of smiling without speaking, letting one deduce the meaning on their own, really makes people feel stifled.

In the courtyard.

After Pang Tong had completely walked away, Qin Shuo then said: "Master, the person has already gone far—what are your terms? You may speak now."

The old monk heard this, sat cross-legged on the ground, then gestured for Qin Shuo to sit as well, before laughing and saying:

"This question should be asked of me by Patron Qin—what does Patron Qin intend to offer in exchange for the Longxiang Relic from my Dalong Temple?"

Qin Shuo pondered slightly, lifted his gaze toward the old monk, and said:

"Earlier, Master sent a disciple to bring me a message, saying that no matter what conditions I propose, Master can decide for Dalong Temple and satisfy me—is this true?"

"Indeed it is."

The old monk twirled the snow-white long eyebrows hanging to his chest with his fingers, revealing a smile full of deep meaning:

"Except for one thing!"

"What?"

"The remaining relics of the Longxiang Holy Monk."

Qin Shuo's face darkened: "How does Master know I want to exchange for other holy monk's relics?"

The old monk smiled without speaking.

Qin Shuo: "..."

"Are you deceiving me?"

Qin Shuo's expression turned ugly.

This old monk, indeed slippery.

"Not exactly deceit!"

Seeing that he did not want to make the atmosphere too stiff, the old monk laughed for a while, then proactively spoke to explain: "Patron Qin, have you ever heard of the Six Supernatural Powers of Buddhism?"

"I have heard of them slightly."

Qin Shuo did not know what this old monk wanted to say, but still answered truthfully.

The Six Supernatural Powers of Buddhism are six kinds of Buddhist divine abilities that can be manifested after Buddhist meditative cultivation reaches a certain level, namely:

Heavenly Eye Power, Heavenly Ear Power, Other-Mind Power, Fate-Knowing Power, Divine Step Power, and Extinction of Outflows Power.

These six divine abilities are profound and endless—especially the last, Extinction of Outflows Power; it is said that if one comprehends this divine ability, one can transcend samsara and reach the Buddha's realm.

The barefoot monk nodded slightly, a smile full of meaning on his face as he said: "This old monk once used Fate-Knowing Power to calculate the destination of the Buddha bone relic in Patron Qin's hand, and in the dark sensed that Patron Qin would willingly return it."

"But when this old monk calculated the destination of the remaining two relics, he found that they both successively fell into Patron Qin's hands, yet ultimately returned to my Dalong Temple."

"Therefore, this old monk dares to guess that Patron Qin intends to exchange the Buddha bone relic in hand for the other two relics—am I right or not?"

Qin Shuo fell silent.

He had not expected that Dalong Temple actually possessed such a divine ability for calculating fate, exposing his plan early to this old monk's eyes.

"It seems this old monk guessed correctly."

The barefoot monk's fingers, twirling his long eyebrows, paused; he raised his hand and emitted a surge of gang energy, forming a huge golden bell that enveloped the two, cutting off all external surveillance.

Even Qin Shuo's Heavenly Wolf Divine Sense, at the moment the golden bell appeared, instantly lost all perception of anything outside the bell.

After doing all this, the old monk then solemnly said: "Patron Qin, the Longxiang Relic concerns the foundation of my Dalong Temple for hundreds of years—it cannot be lost."

"But since Patron Qin has encountered the Longxiang disciple, inherited his robe and bowl, and cultivated the Longxiang Divine Ability, he is thus fated with the Buddha."

"Therefore, this old monk wishes to ask solemnly: Patron Qin, are you willing to shave your head and leave home, becoming a true disciple of my Dalong Temple?"

"Unwilling!"

Qin Shuo refused outright without even thinking.

To have him become a monk—what is this old monk thinking?

Do I look like someone who is pure-hearted and desireless, having severed the six senses?

"Alas!"

The barefoot monk's face darkened, then he spoke in a manner that would shock people to death if not startled: "If this old monk has not guessed wrong, when Patron Qin displays the Longxiang Divine Ability, he should not need to rely on the Buddha bone relic as a medium, right?"

"If the old monk isn't mistaken, when Patron Qin employs the Longxiang Divine Ability, he should not need to rely on the Buddha Bone Relic as a medium, should he?"

Qin Shuo's heart jumped, but his face showed not the slightest flicker of expression.

Qin Shuo's heart skipped a beat, but his face showed no flicker of expression.

However, the old monk opposite had already shown a look of sudden realization, "Indeed, it is so!"

Qin Shuo's heart jolted.

This old monk is somewhat uncanny, actually able to see through his thoughts, capturing his mental fluctuations.

He clearly had no leakage in his gaze or expression, not even a ripple in his emotions, merely a fleeting thought, yet it was captured by the other's Other-Mind Power.

Such an ability is truly uncanny and troublesome.

"So, Master, are you exchanging or not?" Qin Shuo's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

At this moment, he did not want to stay another minute with this old monk, too frightening.

This ability to both divine fortunes and capture others' thoughts is truly too uncanny, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Exchanging naturally is to exchange."

The old monk resumed his standard smile, as if wearing a mask,

"Only, it's still that condition: besides the Buddha Bone Relic, other conditions, benefactor, you may propose."

Qin Shuo's face darkened further.

You bastard, knowing I just want the Buddha Bone Relic, yet insisting on excluding it—this isn't openly playing me?

The Buddhist Six Supernatural Powers are indeed miraculous; Qin Shuo's thought just stirred, and this old monk captured it again, smiling:

It's not that this old monk is unwilling to exchange the remaining Buddha Bone Relics, but those two relics, one is within this old monk's body, the other within his master's body.

Unless this old monk and his master pass into nirvana, otherwise, these two relics cannot be taken out."

Qin Shuo lowered his eyes, obviously unable to believe the old monk's words.

If it weren't for the Golden Bell Shield enveloping the surroundings, he would have already flicked his sleeves and left.

"Ah, never mind!"

Seeing Qin Shuo silent, the old monk put on an expression of sacrificing himself, sighing:

"Since Benefactor Qin insists on exchanging only for the Buddha Bone Relic, this old monk can only sacrifice himself."

He fixed his gaze on Qin Shuo, as if wanting to see through all his thoughts, his face bearing a standard smile like a painted mask, continuing:

"The Buddha Bone Relic is the fundamental foundation of my Dalong Temple's centuries-old legacy, truly not to be lost."

"Benefactor Qin, how about this?"

"You hand over the Buddha Bone Relic in your possession to this old monk; after you return to Yunzhou, you may come to my Dalong Temple to contemplate the remaining two Longxiang Relics."

"However, after benefactor's contemplation, all Buddha Bone Relics must remain in Dalong Temple."

"How about it?"

"Agreed." Qin Shuo immediately agreed.

This old monk is slippery, but given his status and cultivation, there is utterly no need to deceive himself.

Most importantly, the Longxiang Relic, after being refined by the Taotie Cauldron, is of little use to him.

Earlier, he had considered exchanging it for the Buddha Bone Relic with Dalong Temple; he did not expect the Chijiao Heshang to come to his door himself, which also suits his intention.

"Master, I have one matter unclear."

The transaction settled, Qin Shuo also lowered his guard.

Mainly because his vigilance is useless, this old monk's power is unfathomable; if he truly wished to strike, Qin Shuo would have no room to retaliate.

"Benefactor, are you wondering how this old monk knew you displayed divine ability without needing to borrow the Buddha Bone Relic?"

The old monk's smile was full, but in Qin Shuo's eyes, it was not kind and benevolent, only describable as old sly and crafty.

"Exactly." Qin Shuo nodded.

Martial Saint Divine Ability requires the aid of Martial Saint bloodline or relics to manifest—this is already consensus.

Logically, this old monk should not suspect himself.

"Because once the Buddha Bone Relic is refined, to detach it from oneself is extremely difficult; lightly, one's cultivation is ruined; heavily, there is danger of death."

"But Benefactor Qin wishes to exchange it with my Dalong Temple."

"From this, it can be seen that Benefactor Qin's refinement of the Buddha Bone Relic is not like ours, refining it into part of the body, but rather can be taken out at any time."

"Thus, this old monk boldly guessed that even if Benefactor Qin lost the Buddha Bone Relic, it would not affect the use of divine ability."

Qin Shuo said nothing.

This old monk is indeed terrifyingly meticulous in thought.

From mere fragments of information, he inferred the secret that Benefactor Qin can display Buddhist Supernatural Power without needing the Buddha Bone Relic.

And he suffered from information asymmetry, utterly unaware that after refining the Buddha Bone Relic, it cannot be easily taken out.

"Benefactor Qin need not worry about this."

The old monk seemed to have seen through Qin Shuo's thoughts, comforting:

"Martial Saint Divine Ability requires the aid of Martial Saint bloodline or its relics to manifest—this is true, but there are exceptions."

"Oh? What exception?" Qin Shuo pressed.

"In the Divine Ability Secret Realm, obtaining the complete Martial Saint inheritance allows one to be free from external objects, freely manifesting Martial Saint Divine Ability."

"However, divine ability is the embodiment of Martial Saint Will; to obtain complete inheritance is exceedingly difficult."

The old monk shook his head, continuing: "Therefore, Benefactor Qin need not worry at all; after losing the Buddha Bone Relic, his secret will be exposed."

"After Benefactor arrives at Dalong Temple, this old monk will announce to the world that Benefactor Qin is the inheritor of the Martial Dao Will of the Longxiang Holy Monk."

"Then, all who harbor designs on Benefactor Qin because of the Longxiang Relic will disperse on their own, no longer troubling Benefactor Qin."

"Thank you very much, Master!" Qin Shuo bowed in gratitude.

He naturally understands the principle that the innocent suffer for carrying jade.

If Dalong Temple truly can announce to the world that he has fully inherited the Martial Dao Will of the Longxiang Holy Monk, it would indeed save him much trouble.

"Benefactor need not be overly polite!"

Laoheshang was like Maitreya Buddha, his face wearing a smile that never ceased for a moment, praising:

"For a benefactor such as yourself, relying solely on a fragment of Saint Relic Bone to comprehend a saint's divine ability—such a person is rare even under heaven."

"I only hope that after you master this divine ability, you will perform more good deeds, which can also be considered accumulating merit for my Dalong Temple."

"That is natural." Qin Shuo readily agreed.

"Since that is the case, then Benefactor Qin, please return for now; we shall meet again at Dalong Temple another day."

Saying this, Laoheshang rose to his feet, intending to see the guest off.

Suddenly, he frowned, lifted his head to gaze at the sky, and shouted in a deep voice: "What demon dares to spy upon this old monk from the heavens!"