Chapter 883

"Lord Yu Kong, I am not a person of the celestial vessel, I do not know what happened in the past, and I cannot dictate your decisions. As Master Shan Shi said, even if the petition is not ultimately accepted, we should not deprive them of the right to express themselves."

"……" Lord Yu Kong fell silent for a moment, then also agreed with Lu Ka's words, "Master Shan Shi has already conveyed his voice to the hearts of all of us." Lord Yu Kong looked toward the fox-woman beside him, "But I still want to see another person's resolve."

"……As long as the petition can be fulfilled, I can offer everything." She Mo lowered his head.

Lord Yu Kong: "She Mo, on the lower arena of the Warship of the Competitive Edge, I will arrange a rematch for you and Lu Ka. Unlike what you expect, this duel will have no spectators or cheers, no applause, and no one on the Luofu Immortal Vessel will know the result of this match. If you can win, the Luofu Immortal Vessel will reconsider the petition of the Red Wheel Temple."

"She Mo… thank you, Lord Yu Kong."

After a brief rest, Lord Yu Kong soon sent people to clean the arena; on the empty platform, only a thumping heartbeat could be heard.

Although She Mo displayed the ferocity of the Bu Li people before Lu Ka, she still restrained her claws and fangs. The outcome of the battle goes without saying—She Mo was defeated in fewer than three rounds.

"The match ends here!"

She Mo stumbled to her feet from the ground: "Wait… I haven't won yet! The poor monk can still continue fighting! Only by winning can the celestial vessel hear the voice of the Red Wheel Temple……"

Lord Yu Kong comforted her: "She Mo, you have already done your best. The celestial vessel is not the arena of the Star Heaven Martial Rites; we listen not only to the victor's voice. On behalf of the Luofu Immortal Vessel, I acknowledge your resolve."

"Will the petition of the Red Wheel Temple succeed?"

Lord Yu Kong: "I will have General Jing Yuan speak with She Mo once. At the same time, I will earnestly advocate for the Red Wheel Temple during the Six Yu Rites. Regarding the petition of the Red Wheel Temple, I cannot give a definite affirmative or negative answer."

"As long as there is a sliver of hope, I can keep waiting." Tears blurred She Mo's vision, "Although Master Tu Na, Protector Pi Li, and Master Shan Shi are no longer visible…… I hope I can witness this day in their place, witness the monks and children of the Red Wheel Temple no longer living in fear, and find a place of peace in this corner of the universe."

——

Genshin Impact.

"Not bad…… alas, the hall master can finally eat this meal in peace."

Hu Tao poked up a steaming golden-thread shrimp ball with her chopsticks, unafraid of the heat, and took a big bite, her cheeks immediately puffing out like a thieving squirrel.

"Mmm! Fragrant! Crispy! Xiangling's cooking has improved again!" She looked at Zhongli across the table, who had been silently sipping tea without moving his chopsticks, "What's wrong, guest official? Is this dish not to your taste? Let me first say, the golden-thread shrimp balls must be eaten hot; once cold, they lose that 'crack' crunch."

【19" Zhongli set down the porcelain cup, smiled faintly: "The hall master jokes; Xiangling's culinary skill is among the best in all of Liyue, I was merely pondering the matter of Master Shan Shi."

Zhongli set down the celadon cup, gave a slight smile: "Hall Master, you jest; Xiangling's skill is counted among the best in all of Liyue, I was merely thinking about the departed."

"Tsk~ I thought the guest official was feeling guilty for having just spent the entire year's budget of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor at the recent exhibition, unable to eat." Hu Tao snorted disapprovingly, "As for Master Shan Shi, the hall master also feels it a pity—machines too can attain nirvana…… truly unheard of. Oh! By the way, guest official, you said his name, one 'kind' and one 'passing'—does 'passing' mean 'to pass away'? Kindly passing away, does that not exactly match his ending?"

"Indeed, the hall master is meticulous; the name Master Shan Shi already foreshadowed his future."

"Alas, I still do not know what he realized before he severed his own circuit." Hu Tao again picked up a piece of tenderly stewed bamboo shoot, mumbled in her mouth: "It feels he carried infinite wisdom and just left…… guest official, why does the Red Wheel Temple impose precepts upon itself and then observe them?"

"Because people have many desires." Zhongli picked up his chopsticks, lifted a piece of pickled mustard greens from the bowl, "Desire for meat, desire for contention, desire for Mora, desire for power…… desires are endless, ultimately becoming people's obsessions."

Hu Tao tilted her head: "So observing the precepts is to rid oneself of these obsessions?"

"The precept is a means, not an end; when one can flexibly command body and mind, controlling obsession, then observing the precept becomes irrelevant. But flexibly controlling desire is difficult, requiring years of arduous cultivation; most people remain under the sway of their desires."

"Hard…… but I feel you, guest official, can control your obsessions." Hu Tao narrowed her eyes, began to scrutinize this guest official she knows so well, "I always feel you have no obsessions; if forced to name one…… perhaps it's the obsession with spending money? Guest official, are you not also a high master of precept observance?"

"The hall master jokes; I am merely an ordinary guest official of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

"How could there be an 'ordinary' guest official who spent the entire year's budget of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor at a single exhibition?!" Hu Tao waved her hand, "Never mind, never mind; even if you are some great master, as your superior I must be even greater!"

——

"Lu Ka's points are already sufficient; he will soon face the mysterious 'Iron Arm' competitor."

"In the competitor's resting room, Lu Ka finds his current state utterly unbelievable—he is only one step away from challenging Yan Qing, yet his heart is unexpectedly calm."

"I understand! When I participated in the seventy-fifth round of interviews for Star Peace Company, I felt the same way!" Ka Mei Li empathized.

"Seventy-fifth round…… look, fortunately we did not join the company's system, otherwise we would still be suffering this."

"Several people discussed this 'Iron Arm' competitor; Ka Mei Li checked the previous recordings and discovered that in his earlier matches he always wore a thick cloak, making his appearance indiscernible…… perhaps he had requested the organizers to conceal his true identity?"

"All this mystery only made Lu Ka more curious. When the match time came, he stepped onto the arena, only to find the figure on the stage was something he could never have imagined."

"Is it you, Hu Ke???"

"Is the hole-punch machine her【Iron Arm】?"

Lu Ka slapped his forehead: "How did I not think of that!"

"What… what are you talking about! The hole-punch machine is certainly not a【Iron Arm】! Lu Ka brother, you're so silly!"

"A tall, burly figure stepped onto the arena, he threw off the cloak draped over him, and the first thing that caught the eye was the familiar steel arm, the heavy steel plate armor on his upper body——it was the great lord Siwa Luo!"

"I must apologize to you, Lu Ka——I concealed my identity and anonymously participated in the Star Heaven Martial Rites."