Chapter 1781

Yuanmu slowly opened his eyes, the formerly gentle gaze suddenly became extremely sharp, like a sword shooting toward Hu Xiaotian's eyes, saying: "Where are Bu Wu and Mu Yuming now?"

Hu Xiaotian knew he could no longer deceive him; this affable old monk suddenly transformed from a hen to a duck, emanating an unprecedented aura of pressure, like a towering wave rushing toward Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian gave a faint smile; despite Yuanmu's overwhelming presence, he remained composed and smiled, saying: "As it turns out, Master still has something he cannot let go of."

The overwhelming pressure vanished instantly; Yuanmu's stern expression softened in a moment, and he smiled lightly, saying: "Letting go is easier said than done."

Hu Xiaotian said: "If I refuse to speak the truth, Master will not only be unable to let go, but perhaps will not let me off either."

Yuanmu smiled without speaking, but already understood in his heart that Hu Xiaotian's martial arts had reached perfection; even he himself dared not claim he could surely defeat him, and retreating unscathed from before him should pose no problem.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Bu Wu and his brother both died on the Ankang Grasslands; otherwise I wouldn't have obtained the lower volume of the Void Great Law, which had all along been hidden on Bu Wu's person."

Yuanmu nodded, not doubting Hu Xiaotian's words, and softly sighed: "Bu Wu's martial arts are not inferior to mine; as for his brother Mu Yuming, who stole two secret manuals from Tianlong Temple, his skills should be on par with Bu Wu's—yet it's unexpected that they both died."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Bu Wu was trapped in Tianlong Temple for over thirty years, blaming everything on Mu Yuming, naturally hating him intensely; he endured and tempered himself for many years, his deepest wish actually being revenge—Mu Yuming had been avoiding him, even going so far as to hide his name and enter the palace as a eunuch, evading detection for nearly forty years, but eventually his identity was exposed and reported to Bu Wu; for either of them to survive, they must place the other in a death grip, a feud unto death."

Upon hearing this, Yuanmu slowly closed his eyes, his expression showing great reluctance.

Hu Xiaotian naturally would not tell him everything; even if Yuanmu racked his brains, he probably couldn't guess why those two brothers became enemies, let alone that Li Yuncong still had a son.

Yuanmu asked: "Did you absorb Yuankong's internal energy?"

Hu Xiaotian did not deny it, nodding; in that situation, if he didn't absorb Yuankong's internal energy, Yuankong would have taken it all, likely costing him his life—what choice did he have?

Yuanmu said: "Yuankong is my senior brother; it was he who introduced me to the path—if not for him, I wouldn't be alive today."

Hu Xiaotian inwardly wary, calmly said: "Master Yuanmu, are you seeking revenge for him?"

Yuanmu shook his head and said: "Everything in this world has cause and effect; his predicament is not due to you, but entirely his own doing. Although he lost his martial arts, he thereby freed himself from his inner demons—in fact, it was you who shaped him."

Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian relaxed; this old monk seems reasonable, but I don't know what his purpose in seeking me is. Today, his appearance together with Mingjing in the pagoda grove is unlikely to be coincidental.

Yuanmu asked: "Benefactor, do you know why I destroyed that pagoda?"

This is exactly what has been troubling Hu Xiaotian; Yuanmu evidently knows some truth—the pagoda was destroyed by his palm, but his true intention was for Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi to see that it was empty inside, with no Buddhist relics beneath.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The last time I came to that pagoda, I was accompanied by the Yongyang Princess, who said her mother had collided and died in front of that pagoda."

Yuanmu smiled and nodded: "I have never heard of this; there is nothing at all beneath that pagoda."

Hu Xiaotian said: "But there are two characters?" He clearly saw the two characters Minghui.

Yuanmu said: "Minghui is one of my disciples; he has been deceased for many years."

Hu Xiaotian had never heard that name before, but since it was carved beneath the pagoda, linking it via the pagoda to Qiqi, he couldn't help but think of Ling Jiazi, wondering if there might be some unknown connection among these people; he whispered: "How exactly did he die?"

Yuanmu's expression filled with regret, he softly sighed: "Minghui was the most outstanding disciple since the founding of Tianlong Temple; we once entrusted him with the important mission of restoring Tianlong Temple and propagating the Dharma—" He trailed off.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: "I had heard before that Mingjing was the finest of the Ming generation; I didn't expect there to be such an outstanding monk before him—likely after Minghui's death, Mingjing became the focus of cultivation."

Yuanmu said: "He ultimately could not overcome the character for love, and in the end it was because of love that he lost his life."

Hu Xiaotian secretly speculated: Could it be that Monk Minghui had some involvement with Ling Jiazi? He had long suspected that Qiqi's biological father might not be Long Yelin, for Long Yelin is merely an ordinary mortal; according to the earlier words of the Ghost Doctor Fu Zhuo, the bloodline of a Heaven's Chosen is extremely pure, so her parents might both possess extremely pure bloodlines—Ling Jiazi is undoubtedly a Heaven's Chosen—how could a Heaven's Chosen take a liking to such a listless figure as Long Yelin? Even if Long Yelin holds the title of crown prince.

After some consideration, Hu Xiaotian whispered: "Master, have you heard the name Ling Jiazi?"

Yuanmu slowly nodded and said: "She is the birth mother of the Yongyang Princess, formerly the crown princess." He pursed his lips and added: "Minghui met his end at her hands." His compassionate, tranquil visage suddenly flashed a hint of vengeful hatred; that the name Ling Jiazi could evoke such resentment in this deeply cultivated old monk shows how deep his hatred runs—even such a high monk cannot let go of his grudge—just what sort of person is Ling Jiazi, after all?

Yuanmu said: "Ling Jiazi is the most ruthless woman I have ever seen……She stops at nothing to achieve her goals, swearing not to rest until she succeeds."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows; from the first time he saw Ling Jiazi's portrait, he had imagined her as a gentle, kind yet ill-fated woman, never considering her ruthless; now hearing such an evaluation from Yuanmu feels like a complete overturning of his perception—yet Master Yuanmu's character should not lie, or perhaps because he mourns the death of his beloved disciple, he attributes all blame to Ling Jiazi, which is why he hates her so.

Hu Xiaotian said: "What exactly happened back then?"

Yuanmu shook his head, closed his eyes again, and silently calmed his emotions.

Hu Xiaotian still wanted to press further, but Yuanmu said: "Today I sought you out for another matter." He took from his sleeve an object wrapped in yellow cloth and handed it over.

Hu Xiaotian took it; just from the feel and weight he already knew what it was. He hastily opened the wrapping to find a light sword's hilt inside—he immediately identified it as the light sword he had given to Ji Feihua, whose importance to her goes without saying; normally she would never part with it, yet the sword ending up in Master Yuanmu's hands indicates that Ji Feihua is very likely in trouble.

Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of tension; his gaze fell on Yuanmu's face: "Master, what do you mean?"

Yuanmu's expression was calm and undisturbed: "Who is the owner of this sword? You ought to know."

Hu Xiaotian sneered: "Master, are you trying to threaten me? How dare you, an enlightened high monk, a Buddhist disciple, act without scruples."

Yuanmu said: "Benefactor, why get agitated? Overthinking leads to chaos; the sword's owner is now safe and sound, a welcomed guest in Tianlong Temple—you need not worry about his safety."

Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian felt inwardly ashamed—why had he suddenly lost his composure? Ji Feihua's place in his heart is immensely important; given her martial prowess, how could she be trapped by Tianlong Temple, and even have her light sword taken? Unless the most mysterious space monks of Tianlong Temple intervene, no one could detain her. Yuanmu's producing this light sword must have another motive; for now he steadied himself to see what Yuanmu truly wanted.

Hu Xiaotian said: "If so, I need to make a trip to Tianlong Temple to meet this friend of mine."

Yuanmu said: "Benefactor, seeing him is not difficult; just bring the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing, and we can let you reunite with your old friend."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What exactly is this Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing? How can we know whether it even exists?"

Yuanmu said: "Since you have already found the Lingxi Buddha relic, the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing naturally lies in the same place."

Hu Xiaotian blinked in surprise; he had never heard of a Lingxi Buddha relic before, but on second thought, could the Lingxi Buddha relic refer to that azure translucent skull of the foreign visitor? If so, it would indeed be possible—Long Ling Shengjing, which he has not fully explored, surely still hides many secrets; yet why do these monks value that sutra so highly, and what secrets do they keep?

Hu Xiaotian said: "And how am I to know whether that friend of mine is in your hands?"

"Monks do not tell lies!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed loudly: "Monk! Save that line to deceive those good men and women!" He rose to his feet, his gaze burning as he locked onto Yuanmu: "Master, you had better treat my friend well; if she suffers even the slightest harm, I will erase Tianlong Temple from Dakang!"

Even Yuanmu's steady composure couldn't help but ripple; Hu Xiaotian's words truly revealed his domineering side, yet this also proves how important the person trapped in Tianlong Temple is to him. Yuanmu smiled: "Benefactor, why such great hostility? Our Buddha is rooted in compassion—how could we indiscriminately slaughter the innocent?"

Today there is only one update; I have some social engagements tonight, so I'll just take it easy for the weekend—please keep following the Zhangyu public account stonesquid(~^~)