Chapter 63

"Is the Beggar Sect really getting worse with each generation? This new leader is too incompetent."

"Not knowing the 'Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms' and the 'Dog Beating Staff Technique' is one thing, but even his fist and foot skills are extremely mediocre."

"Such a mediocre person who can't even stand on the stage can actually become the leader of the Beggar Sect; it's just a laughingstock!"

Among the Beggar Sect elders, a middle-aged man with a refined appearance darkened his gaze. After a moment of thought, he took a few steps forward and said loudly:

"You reckless, evil Demon Monk, not only did you kill our Beggar Sect leader, but you also stole our sect's unique skills."

"What you just used was clearly the 'Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms'!"

These words suddenly awakened the other elders. The more they thought about it, the more they felt the young monk's moves were similar to 'Flying Dragon in the Sky,' except one used hands and the other used feet.

"Demon Monk, it seems you really are capable of all evil. Not only do you wantonly cripple people's martial arts and kill your own father and mother, but you are also a shameless villain who steals martial arts."

The refined-looking middle-aged man, Quan Guanqing, shouted to the surrounding heroes:

"This evil is a thousand times more vicious and ruthless than Xiao Feng. There is no need to talk about Jianghu morality with him; everyone, attack together and eliminate this harm for the martial arts world!"

"Amitabha, Mount Shaoshi is a quiet place for Buddhism; do not abuse killing." A gentle and heavy voice echoed outside the temple, and the profound internal energy it contained made most people's ears ring endlessly.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a thin, gaunt old monk appear on the field.

"Little monk, do you feel much more satisfied in your heart now?"

"Hahaha, does the old monk feel that the little monk's demonic thoughts are deep and that everything I have done is just acting on impulse?"

The young monk laughed out loud:

"My killing intent and thoughts—how are they not a form of letting go? Yet these foolish people only see the monk's unbridled killing."

"Little monk, do you understand? Saying you have let go is itself a form of attachment. You must know that letting go should not be done deliberately."

The gaunt old monk pointed to a tree in the distance:

"Look at this tree; the leaves sway with the wind. Have you ever seen a leaf deliberately throw itself off? They all wither and fall naturally when the time comes."

He then pointed to the white cranes soaring in the high sky:

"Look at that flock of white cranes; they seem to have no pattern when they fly, but in fact, they have their own rules."

"They neither deliberately chase anything nor deliberately avoid anything; everything follows nature. This is true letting go."

Seeing the young monk who remained silent, the gaunt old monk said sincerely:

"Letting go does not lie in how much you abandon, but in whether your heart is truly at ease. Just like the flower in your hand, you don't have to deliberately discard it; as long as you understand the truth that it will eventually wither, the attachment will naturally disappear. This is true letting go."

"The old monk is very good at explaining Zen principles; it's so clear and easy to understand." Zhuang Buran laughed:

"The letting go in the little monk's eyes is, of course, not about severing all fate, avoiding so-called responsibilities, or being negative and world-weary."

"True letting go is nothing more than a kind of thorough understanding after experiencing and realizing things."

"Just as we still have to wear clothes and eat, and still have to interact with people, but our hearts are no longer bound by these things—this is the true path of cultivation."

His internal energy shook slightly, and a leaf falling with the wind drifted onto his shoulder.

"This leaf does not feel pain because it is about to wither, nor does it feel anxious about where it is drifting."

"It is because it understands this is the law of nature that it can face it calmly."

A lazy smile appeared on the young monk's face:

"The little monk is just like this leaf; knowing the essence of all things in the world, I can naturally let go."

He paused and said leisurely:

"True letting go is a transcendence after experiencing and realizing."

"Like a lotus flower, although it grows in mud, it can transcend the world and remain unstained. The little monk has his own heart whether entering or leaving the world; I only feel that both body and mind are outside the world."

"I wonder where the old monk sees that the little monk has not let go and still cannot break my attachment to self?"

After hearing this, the gaunt old monk couldn't help but recall a scene where a monk boasted about having mastered various Buddhist scriptures, and seeing that the Zen principles he spoke could not move his heart, he had to say:

"Amitabha, the little monk has deep roots of wisdom. Since you have let go, why not come back with the old monk?"

"The old monk is very selfish. The world is full of worldly people who cannot let go of anything."

Zhuang Buran swept his gaze across the heroes:

"Look at them; everyone wants to kill the little monk and be done with it. Some are avenging their beloved sons, some are avenging their sweethearts, some are avenging their clansmen, and some are for fame and fortune."

"Like that Beggar Sect elder just now, he wanted to shift the fire onto the little monk."

"By doing so, he could become another 'leader' thirty years later, kill me with the combined strength of everyone, and then his prestige would increase greatly, allowing him to sit on the position of leader and reach the peak of his life."

He turned his gaze to the gaunt old monk and said:

"Old monk, the desires of all living beings are almost endless. On what grounds do you go to save them?"

"The old monk's Buddhist cultivation is shallow; saving one or two people is fine, but any more, and I am powerless." The gaunt old monk sighed.

"Then step aside and let the little monk teach you... how to save all living beings."

The young monk's internal energy surged, and that sudden, indestructible, fearless force instantly knocked the gaunt old monk back more than ten steps.

"The monk is crippled to this point; what are you still hesitating for? Cutting off the monk's head is a happy event for you all, isn't it?"

"Those who have grudges against me can take revenge, and those who have no grudges can not only vent their anger but also greatly increase their reputation."

Zhuang Buran smiled inexplicably:

"Who is the monk?"

"A Demon Monk who destroyed Tianlong, killed women and children, recognized no kin, and committed all evil. The two great pillars of the martial arts world, the Shaolin Abbot and the Beggar Sect Leader, both died at my hands."

"Come, kill the monk!"

The sudden, heroic momentum rising from his whole body made the heroes feel as if they were in the Avici Hell, suffering endless, inhuman pain, and they retreated in terror for two or three steps.

At this moment, a vine like a blue dragon, with the momentum of a thunderbolt, tightly bound an old man in a green robe standing on the edge, leaning on two crutches, his facial muscles completely stiff and his eyelids unable to close.

"Donor Duan, the monk will add some force for you. The head of the Four Great Evils, 'Evil-Doer,' whose real name is Duan Yanqing, was originally the Crown Prince of Dali. However, there was a change in the court, and he escaped the palace. Later, he was besieged by powerful enemies, suffered heavy injuries, his legs were broken, his face was ruined, and his throat was slashed by an enemy."

"He originally wanted to seek death, but he didn't expect to meet the Princess of the Prince of Zhennan, who had many 'unwanted romantic entanglements.' She was a member of the Baiyi tribe and naturally couldn't stand her husband's fickle nature."

"By coincidence, she met Duan Yanqing, who wanted to seek death and was disguised as a crippled beggar, and actually offered herself to him."

The young monk's eyes narrowed. Duan Yanqing, tightly entangled by the 'Snake Tooth Thorn,' was instantly netted by the 'Evil Ghost Thorn' and turned into a human hedgehog.

He had a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, looking at the bewildered Duan Yu:

"Donor Duan, now there is another blood feud between you and me. Do you want to come and avenge your many clansmen and your biological father?"

(End of chapter)