Chapter 273

Under normal circumstances, at this point Juéqíng Shītài's Buddha-heart should have been completely shattered.

As a member of the Fomen, knowing full well that breaking the precepts would have consequences, yet she ate Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, her Buddha-heart would certainly be affected.

It's like a sword cultivator: if one day he no longer trusts the sword in his hand, his sword-heart will undoubtedly shatter instantly.

But now, thanks to her flawless heart, Juéqíng Shītài's Buddha-heart was actually protected.

Hong Zun and the others stared, eyes wide open—this shouldn't be happening; how could Juéqíng Shītài have a flawless heart?

After all their calculations, they never imagined that Juéqíng Shītài actually possessed a flawless heart—truly catching everyone off guard.

Having somehow finished the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Juéqíng Shītài came to her senses, her expression complex, palms pressed together as she said.

"Namo Amitabha, my apologies, my apologies."

"I'm sorry, damn it, why hasn't your Buddha-heart broken?"

Hong Zun cursed inwardly, thinking, "Even Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is useless?" But after putting in so much effort, he didn't want to give up just like that, and he smiled at Juéqíng Shītài as he spoke.

"Juéqíng Shītài, you just broke the precepts, didn't you?"

"I don't believe it—today Juéqíng Shītài's Buddha-heart can still be preserved."

"Bringing up the sore spot," hearing Hong Zun's words, Juéqíng Shītài's expression changed, but she forced herself to stay calm as she said.

"Daoist friend Hong Zun, you are mistaken; as the saying goes, 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart.' Although I ate meat, my heart contains no meat, so it doesn't count as eating."

"Huh???"

Hearing this, Hong Zun blinked—there's such a saying?

"Bullshit about wine and meat passing through the intestines while the Buddha stays in the heart—does the Fomen even have such a saying?"

"Juéqíng Shītài, this Fomen forbids killing..."

"Yes, but I didn't kill it; what does it have to do with me?"

"What the hell, Hong Zun has completely lost his temper—can you really explain it like that? You damn well ate it."

His gaze unconsciously fell to his chest; the flawless heart still emitted a faint glow—could this also be an effect of the flawless heart?

As he spoke, Juéqíng Shītài's body suddenly burst forth with a thick Buddha-light, pure and gentle.

Seeing this, Hong Zun was utterly dumbfounded.

Not only him, but Ye Zhangqing, Qing Shi, Bai Hua Xianzi, Zhao Zhengping, Xu Jie, and even Xiu Ling all wore looks of shock.

Break...... breakthrough......

Shi Song even muttered, opening his mouth to chant.

This is clearly the commotion of a cultivation breakthrough—damn, it's freaking insane.

We asked Juéqíng Shītài to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall; even if her Buddha-heart hadn't broken, that would've been fine, but how the hell did her cultivation method break through as well?

You know, the Fomen's cultivation methods prioritize the mind; how could a breakthrough happen while breaking the precepts? What the hell does this mean?

Meanwhile, Juéqíng Shītài had her eyes tightly closed; bathed in the Buddha-light, she appeared noble and holy, truly like a living Buddha descending into the world.

Shi Song watched, his eyes bloodshot.

After a moment, under the incredulous gazes of everyone, the Buddha-light gradually receded; Juéqíng Shītài opened her eyes again, looked at Hong Zun and the others, and smiled as she thanked them.

"Thank you, fellow cultivators, for your help."

"Huh???"

Hearing this, Hong Zun's mouth twitched—"I helped you, damn it, I gave you meat to eat, and you're thanking me? Are you still a monastic?"

"What do you mean by that, Juéqíng Shītài?"

Hong Zun simply couldn't figure out how this could allow a breakthrough; Juéqíng Shītài smiled and explained.

"It's precisely because you, fellow cultivator, gave me meat to eat."

"Listen, listen—do you really think this old nun is speaking human words? It's precisely because I gave her meat that she broke through?"

Hong Zun indicated he couldn't understand, while Juéqíng Shītài continued speaking.

"The so-called precepts should not be clung to superficially, nor exist only outwardly; they must come from the heart, from deep within one's acknowledgment and observance of the precepts—only then is it the true intent of our Fomen precepts."

"You, fellow cultivator, asked me to eat meat; I refused because of the precepts, but that isn't true observance. On the contrary, even if I ate this meat yet my heart contained no meat, that is true observance of the precepts."

Hong Zun was genuinely convinced—the turn of events was completely unlike what he had imagined.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was eaten, yet Juéqíng Shītài was completely unaffected, and moreover it actually helped someone else break through, deepening her understanding of the Buddhist Dharma yet again.

Just listen to Juéqíng Shītài's words now—it's simply unheard-of.

In the end, after the meal, the original purpose was not achieved at all; Juéqíng Shītài and Xiu Ling left, satisfied.

Even as they were about to leave, Juéqíng Shītài still smiled at Hong Zun and said.

"The Dao Yi Sect truly lives up to being the leader of Dongzhou; even the food is this delicious—I wonder if I may often come to your sect for meals in the future."

"Listen, listen—you've gotten addicted to eating, and you couldn't care less about the Fomen precepts."

Fuming inside to the extreme, yet on the surface Hong Zun still smiled and said.

"That's perfectly fine."

"Then thank you, fellow cultivator."

Juéqíng Shītài left, while Shi Song felt as if he had lost his soul; his attempt to return to secular life failed, his Buddha-heart remained unbroken, and this only spurred Juéqíng Shītài to strive even higher.

Dejected and listless, he returned to the cookhouse, where Shi Song sat alone in Yuàn zhōng, not knowing what he was thinking.

Seeing this, Hong Zun and the others stepped forward to console him.

"Shī xiōng, it's nothing; at worst we'll... next time..."

As he was speaking, Shi Song suddenly opened his mouth and cut him off directly.

"I've decided."

"Decided what?"

Utterly bewildered, Shi Song then abruptly lifted his head, eyes bloodshot, wearing an expression of readiness to die, and said.

「Since there's no way to make the nun return to secular life, I can only go with her. 」

「Huh??? 」

「Tonight we'll take action. 」

「Huh??? 」

「First kill her, then I'll kill myself. 」

「Huh??? 」

「Junior Brother, trouble you, after I and the nun die, we will be buried in the same coffin; since we cannot be together in life, then let us sleep together in death. 」

「Huh??? 」

The more they spoke, the more ridiculous it became, especially as they spoke, Shi Song even suddenly stood up, looking as if he were about to act immediately.

Seeing this, Hong Zun reacted swiftly and grabbed Shi Song in one motion.

「Shī xiōng, calm down, calm down a bit—things haven't come to this point yet. 」

「Junior Brother, let go, I must be with the nun. 」

「Yes, yes, yes, together, definitely together, but there's no need to die together. 」

「The nun can only be mine. 」

Everyone tried to console, desperately holding onto Shi Song; Ye Zhangqing, Zhao Zhengping, and the others nearby, seeing this, were also speechless.

「This nun is also talented—she actually managed to keep her Buddhist heart. 」

Xu Jie added admiringly.

「Not only did she preserve her Buddhist heart—look, she directly broke the precepts, yet suffered no effect, and her Buddhist practice even made a breakthrough. 」

Lu Youyou took up the conversation.

Yeah, judging from Juéqíng Shītài's condition when she left, she probably can eat meat and drink alcohol without issue from now on.

I don't know how she convinced herself—she broke the precepts yet suffered no effect, and her Buddhist practice even made a breakthrough.

Really absurd, to still have such an operation—it truly leaves everyone amazed.

「Sigh, I think trying to make the nun return to secular life is probably impossible. 」

Zhao Rou sighed, looking with some pity at Shi Song, who wanted to die together with the nun—Èr Zhǎnglǎo, this is tough.