Chapter 292: I have never seen such a shameless person! (6k)

After Zhou Qing glanced at Jueming, he recalled the note that the Shibo had taken out when the various peaks were discussing together that day.

He then said, "The first question: Obsession is like a lock; how can it be unraveled?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Jueming immediately looked at Zhou Qing.

So that's how you're playing it? You clearly have a connection with my Buddha, so why must you use the questions I posed to test the Buddha Child?

Forget it, I am also very curious as to what answer the Buddha Child will give to this.

The gazes of the others also gathered over one after another.

The young child tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and said crisply, "There is no lock and no unraveling; obsession is inherently empty."

Everyone present, including Zhou Qing and Kong Chan, was completely bewildered, not quite understanding.

Jueming, however, had eyes that suddenly lit up; he was so excited that his whole body was trembling.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful! No lock and no unraveling, obsession is inherently empty! The Buddha Child uses 'no-thought' to break 'having-attachment,' and uses 'emptiness and clarity' to see the original heart. Such wisdom roots are truly unprecedented!"

Jueming said excitedly.

The Buddha Child looked to be only five or six years old, yet he possessed a thorough understanding of Buddhist Dharma that far exceeded his age.

After Zhou Qing heard Jueming's translation, he only then half-understood.

It seems the Buddha Child is indeed the Buddha Child; he is simply not someone a fake like him can compare to.

"It coincides perfectly with Big Daddy's thoughts!" Zhou Qing said with a smile, continuing to ask, "The second question: Where is the Other Shore?"

The young child answered crisply without a moment's hesitation: "This shore is the Other Shore; when lost, it is a thousand miles away; when enlightened, it is but one step."

Everyone immediately looked at Jueming in unison.

Everyone looked at Jueming in unison, only to see that this high monk was already streaming with tears, his hands pressed together, his voice choked with sobs.

"Amitabha! People of the world all seek the distance of the Other Shore, not knowing that if the heart is lost, mountains and seas separate us, but if the heart is enlightened, one can become a Buddha right where they stand. In just a few words, the Buddha Child has exhausted the true essence of Buddhist Dharma!"

Everyone wore expressions of contemplation.

Zhou Qing was even more filled with sighs; so there really are people with such heaven-sent talent.

Li Niang, those spiritual medicines you prepared were not wasted at all; look at how this intelligence has been developed.

"Not bad, not bad!" Zhou Qing praised repeatedly, throwing out the final question: "All living beings suffer; how can one ferry them across?"

The young child suddenly broke into a smile and said in a milky voice, "This one is the simplest: the sea of suffering has no shore; the one who ferries themselves is the boat."

Everyone once again cast their gazes toward Jueming.

Jueming wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and a sound that was half-sob and half-admiration came from his throat: "The *Mahaparinirvana Sutra* says, 'Take yourself as the island, take the Dharma as the island, do not take others as the island.'"

"With the four words 'the one who ferries themselves is the boat,' the Buddha Child has pierced through the root of all Dharmas! Living beings are obsessed with the thought of being ferried by others, not knowing that the true ferry boat was originally that long-burning lamp within their own hearts!"

Everyone looked at the young child, feeling admiration from the bottom of their hearts.

The entire core and true disciple body of the Taiqingmen had spent this month since returning from the Tianji Sect painstakingly studying these three questions.

Yet, facing the real Buddha Child, those repeatedly deliberated answers suddenly appeared so pale and powerless.

Zhou Qing's face was full of smiles as he patted the young child's shoulder and said, "Not bad, you didn't lose face for your Big Daddy."

He looked at the master and disciple Jueming, then turned his head to the young child and said, "I see you have an affinity with the Buddha. These two masters are my friends. Son, why don't you go and hang out with them... and cultivate diligently, how about that?"

The young child looked at the eager gazes of Jueming and Kong Chan and nodded obediently: "Whatever Big Daddy says, that is what it shall be."

Before the words had even faded, Jueming and Kong Chan breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Jueming was even so excited that he was streaming with tears, pressing his hands together and saying repeatedly, "Good! Good!"

Zhou Qing turned his gaze toward Li Niang, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Li Niang's eye sockets were red, yet she didn't know how to address Zhou Qing for a moment.

She could only bow deeply once more: "Thank you for giving my son this stroke of fortune. This kindness, Li Niang will forever keep in her heart."

"Get up quickly!" Zhou Qing hurriedly reached out to help her, his own face flushing red with embarrassment, "Since he recognizes me as Big Daddy, I naturally must take responsibility."

Everyone looked at Zhou Qing in unison.

How does that saying go—I have never seen such a shameless person!

Kong Chan couldn't help but say, "Master, this benefactor Zhou's skin is almost as thick as Elder Juechen's; the two of them would definitely be able to play together."

When Jueming heard this, he actually nodded in agreement.

But if Zhou Qing could go back to the Jiyuan Temple with him, that would be even better!

At this moment, Mo Mo Xingjian walked up with a chuckle and said loudly, "Today is truly a triple blessing; the two masters have finally found the Buddha Child, and my fourth child has also successfully become a father."

"Such a joyous occasion, we should celebrate it properly! How about we set up a banquet here in the Yushantang of our Taiqingmen?"

Lu Lu Yaoyao blinked her eyes and asked suspiciously, "Shishu, it should be a double blessing; where does the third blessing come from?"

Mo Mo Xingjian raised his hand to point vaguely at Zhou Qing, laughing heartily: "My fourth child has become a father, so wouldn't I have become a grandfather? Isn't this a triple blessing?"

Everyone: "..."

No wonder Zhou Qing's skin is thick; it turns out it's inherited!

"So eager to be a grandfather? Maybe Second Yuan Shijie has already brought you a big fat grandson on the way back!"

Yan Yan Xiaohu muttered.

As soon as the words fell, a cold gaze from Mo Mo Xingjian swept over, scaring him into shrinking his neck and quickly shutting his mouth.

Regarding Mo Mo Xingjian's proposal, everyone naturally agreed.

Such a joyous occasion is indeed worth celebrating properly.

Especially Zhou Qing, who not only successfully cleared his name of the suspicion regarding the *Fumo Jin Gu* but also unexpectedly became the Buddha Child's Big Daddy; where else could you find such a good thing to reason about?

Subsequently, the Yushantang side immediately became busy, while Mo Mo Xingjian hurriedly sought out Tong Min, the Peak Master of Yuqing Peak.

He told her to head to the Tianji Sect immediately and must invite the Sect Master and the others back.

After all, this time, in order to deal with Master Jueming, only the two of them had led the team back.

Upon learning that a Soul Severance realm expert was already in the sect's Yushantang, Tong Min didn't say a word and immediately rushed to the Tianji Sect at the fastest possible speed.

At the dining table, Venerable Jueming maintained the demeanor of a high monk, eating only vegetarian food.

In contrast, the little monk Kong Chan was already eating until his mouth was oily, occasionally letting out satisfied exclamations, clearly unable to put down the delicacies of the Yushantang.

"This child is in a stage of growth; it's better to eat more meat. Moreover, wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart! The Buddha is compassionate and will definitely not blame him!"

As Jueming said this, he didn't forget to pick up a piece of the fattest and most delicious spiritual pork for Kong Chan.

Regarding this, everyone naturally had no objections.

During the meal, Jueming looked again at the young child who was chewing slowly. When he learned of his past and that he had been born for only two or three months, his expression became shocked for the first time.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he put down his bowl and chopsticks, his expression solemn: "Benefactor Zhou, Benefactor Mo, after this meal is finished, I intend to take them and leave first."

"So urgent?" Zhou Qing frowned, and the others also cast suspicious gazes.

Jueming let out a long sigh, his face full of worry: "The Jiyuan Temple is not the only power in the Tianyun Holy Dynasty; the infighting between various forces is far more cruel than you imagine."

"Now that the Buddha Child has appeared, once the news spreads, it will definitely attract countless covetous eyes. If we delay any longer, I fear it will implicate your sect."

The expressions of Mo Mo Xingjian and the others changed drastically.

At this time, Shen Shen Yunzhou also put down his chopsticks and sighed: "Shen has the most right to speak on this point. Not to mention a behemoth like the Jiyuan Temple, even my small Shen family... forget it, better not to say."

Zhou Qing didn't speak again. As a late-stage Soul Severance expert, Shen Shen Hanyi still had to be cautious, which showed the complexity within the Shen family.

"By the way, Benefactor Zhou, before we leave, I have a suggestion. I wonder if you might agree?"

Soon, Jueming seemed to have thought of something, and his gaze looked meaningfully at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing asked suspiciously: "Master, please speak!"

After Jueming nodded slightly, he looked at Lu Lu Yaoyao, who was sitting opposite.

Lu Lu Yaoyao's expression changed immediately, and she hurriedly said: "I have too many obsessions; I don't want to become a nun for the time being! Neither monks nor nuns will do!"

Jueming couldn't help but smile, pressing his hands together: "Benefactor, you have misunderstood. I am talking about that chicken in your arms."

Everyone looked in unison at the plump, oily-feathered old hen in Lu Lu Yaoyao's arms.

Zhou Qing's heart tightened, and he asked: "Master, what do you mean by that?"

Jueming pressed his hands together and said solemnly: "To tell you the truth, this chicken has great spiritual nature. If it can follow me to the Jiyuan Temple, it will definitely be able to obtain a great stroke of fortune."

"But if it is delayed, such a unique mutation will likely be wasted in vain."

Zhou Qing was secretly shocked, not expecting the other party to be able to see that the old hen was evolving.

Seeing Zhou Qing's strange expression, Jueming hurriedly explained: "Benefactor Zhou, please do not misunderstand. I have absolutely no intention of taking what you love; I just want to foster it for you temporarily."

"Of course, if you are unwilling, just pretend this poor monk never said anything."

Everyone remained silent. Except for Shen Shen Yunzhou, everyone present knew that the old hen could purify the impurities in spirit stones and lay them in the form of eggs.

But this was only the first stage of mutation. Now it had long entered the second stage, no longer laying eggs, but it could ignore ordinary formations and could even easily deal with first-level formations.

The specific choice depended on Zhou Qing, after all, the old hen was bought by him at the Five Sects Treasure Exchange.

Looking at the old hen's not-so-bright eyes, Zhou Qing was also a bit hesitant for a moment.

If the old hen really had a better stroke of fortune, he couldn't hinder its development just because of his own selfishness.

After all, when it first started, the old hen helped him get through a difficult time by refining spiritual eggs.

"Big Daddy, isn't the child going to that Jiyuan Temple? If you are worried, just hand it to me; I will definitely take care of it like a relative!"

The Buddha Child saw Zhou Qing's dilemma and spoke up.

When Zhou Qing heard this, his eyes couldn't help but light up.

"Since that's the case, I'll entrust it to you; it can also be considered leaving you a memento!" Zhou Qing had made his decision in his heart.

The young child nodded repeatedly.

Subsequently, everyone chatted for a while longer, and Jueming stood up to bid farewell.

"Regarding the matter of the Buddha Child, please help keep it secret. Afterward, we will pretend to continue searching in other places to avoid bringing unnecessary trouble to your sect."

Mo Mo Xingjian felt a wave of gratitude.

As for Li Niang, she was clearly going to follow them to the Jiyuan Temple.

After the previous Seven Stars Sect's overall strength in the Eastern Region weakened due to the Battle of Canglan Mountain, it had long been annexed and destroyed by other forces.

Moreover, after Li Niang gave birth to her son, the time her mind was clear was much longer than before. Following them to the Jiyuan Temple might be able to completely cure her condition.

But then again, Li Niang entered the realm of understanding with the obsession of waiting. If she wakes up, the obsession will slowly dissipate.

How can one talk about slowly making up for it to break through?

As a late-stage Divine Transformation expert, she had already spent a thousand years in a daze.

The reason she could still maintain a youthful appearance was merely by relying on countless spiritual medicines for nourishment.

Her true lifespan likely didn't have a few hundred years left.

Of course, how things develop in the future has nothing to do with him.

Subsequently, Zhou Qing touched the Buddha Child's bald head again.

He had to admit, the feel was truly not bad.

He didn't know what this child would look like when they met next time; if he touched it again, it would really be breaking ground on the head of Tai Sui.

"Don't worry about me, cultivate well with your Big Brother Jueming. Only when you become strong can you protect your Big Daddy and your mother!" Zhou Qing exhorted.

Everyone: "..."

No, how can a person be so shameless.

Still worrying about you?

It sounds as if your relationship is very deep, but today was only the first time you met.

Adding it all up, it hasn't even been two hours.

Really good at gilding his own face.

However—

It is truly enviable!

The previous Buddha Child, that is, Master Ku'e, the abbot who passed away not long ago, was rumored to not only master an inscription-level divine ability but his own strength had long surpassed the Soul Severance realm.

The current Buddha Child's talent seems even more heaven-defying; if there are no accidents, he should also become the new abbot of the Jiyuan Temple in the future.

Zhou Qing is still young now; once Li Niang passes away from old age, he will become the only relative the Buddha Child has in this world.

At this moment, Jueming let out a light sigh.

Not long ago, he had muddled-headedly become Zhou Qing's good friend, and after a meal, he became his big brother.

This relationship climbing actually left him not knowing how to refute it.

"Big Daddy, the child understands!" The young child promised.

Zhou Qing nodded, then looked at Jueming and bowed solemnly.

"Big Brother Jueming, I entrust this mother and son to you. When there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely go to the Jiyuan Temple to thank you, Big Brother!"

Jueming: "..."

"Benefactor Zhou, rest assured, I will definitely protect this mother and son," Jueming pressed his hands together and said with a serious face.

After speaking, a majestic Buddhist power surged from his fingertips, and the void was torn open into a huge crack.

After the few of them made their final farewells, he took Li Niang, the young child, and Kong Chan and stepped into it, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Qing looked at the gradually closing space crack, his heart full of envy; after all, the means of a Soul Severance realm expert to tear the void was simply too shocking.

Not until the crack completely disappeared did he come back to his senses, turn his head to look at Shen Shen Yunzhou beside him, and ask: "Aren't you going back with them?"

Shen Shen Yunzhou shook his striking yellow hair, raised his eyebrows, and looked disdainful.

"I'm not unable to find the way back, why should I follow them? Is Zhou Shixiong chasing me away?"

"No, absolutely not! Just asking casually." Zhou Qing hurriedly waved his hands.

With a Soul Severance expert accompanying you, wouldn't you be safer?

Shen Shen Yunzhou crossed his arms and said: "I previously entrusted you to discuss with the Jin Leizong side to let me have more contact with those dried corpses; I'll leave when my realm of understanding is more complete."

Zhou Qing nodded and said: "I don't mean that, please don't misunderstand; I will talk to Shibo and the others about the Jin Leizong matter."

"Oh, then I'll have to rely on you, Big Daddy Zhou," Shen Shen Yunzhou said sarcastically.

Zhou Qing looked at Shen Shen Yunzhou's unhappy expression and was speechless, but he understood.

After all, the supreme-grade wood-attribute spirit stone was given by Shen Shen Yunzhou, but the Buddha Child recognized him as Big Daddy; anyone would feel a bit unhappy if it were them.

But can this be blamed on me? If you had taken out a decent gift, maybe the Buddha Child would have called you Second Daddy.

You had to take out a pile of shit and put it in a box.

Seeming to understand what Zhou Qing was thinking, Shen Shen Yunzhou looked at the place where the crack had disappeared with a frustrated face and let out a long sigh.

"That was the night-shining sand of the Demon Emperor Xuan Yin Bat Emperor; I crouched and waited for three whole years to get it. Who could have thought..."

Zhou Qing patted his shoulder lightly to show understanding.

The old hen suddenly left, and he also felt a bit empty inside.

"Since this matter has been concluded, I intend to take the core and true disciples back to the Tianji Sect to listen to your Sect Master Shibo's arrangements."

After Mo Mo Xingjian greeted Zhou Qing, he took everyone and rushed toward the Tianji Sect at the fastest speed.

He was mainly worried that the Sect Master had made a wasted trip because of Jueming's matter; if he had known earlier, he wouldn't have let Tong Min go to inform them.

"Don't run around randomly recently; stay in the sect."

"If Ling Ling Xuzi and Tian Shu Zi can really control Senior Sikong Yan's actions through their heart blood, now that the two of them are imprisoned, Senior Sikong Yan will definitely take action."

"This is also the reason why the eight Supreme Elders returned together to guard; the fact that your Sect Master Shibo and the others didn't return is actually a form of probing."

"Even, we can take this opportunity to sneak into the Cangyan Dao Palace to see what exactly is going on with Nannan."

Mo Mo Xingjian specially exhorted Zhou Qing before leaving; now, it has reached a critical moment of mutual maneuvering between the two sides.

Zhou Qing indicated he understood; after refining the fragments of the Ultimate Weapon this time, he had originally intended to rest for two days and then start comprehending the fourth strand of the Phoenix Dao Pattern.

Just like that, three days later, Zhou Qing returned to the quiet room, activated the barrier, hugged the Dao-Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree in his arms, and began to absorb it greedily.

This feeling... is too intoxicating!

Just like that, one month and ten days later, Zhou Qing opened his eyes with lingering interest.

At this time, the dazzling feathers on the chest of the blood phoenix in his sea of consciousness had already become four.

"Sure enough, just as I guessed, the further back you go with these three thousand Phoenix Dao Patterns, the harder it is to comprehend." Zhou Qing frowned.

"Compared to before, this time it took ten full days longer, and the ethereal aura produced by the Dao-Enlightenment Ancient Tea is already faintly becoming insufficient."

That is to say, at most he can barely condense the fifth strand of the Phoenix Dao Pattern; the time and supreme-grade wood-attribute spirit stones required afterward will not be what he calculated before.

"This thing is really not just generally money-burning!" Zhou Qing smacked his lips.

Afterward, he looked at his storage bag; now he was still five spirit stones short of being able to gather spiritual energy for the Dao-Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree again.

He stretched his sore body, and after leaving the courtyard, he felt that the atmosphere of the entire Small Spirit Peak seemed much livelier than before.

"Could it be that everyone is back?" Zhou Qing tapped his feet and arrived at the foot of the mountain in the blink of an eye.

Sure enough, many true, inner, and outer disciples had already invested themselves in normal cultivation.

When everyone saw Zhou Qing, their eyes were full of worship, and they hurriedly bowed.

This trip to the Tianji Sect, everyone had a bountiful harvest, and all of this was thanks to Zhou Shixiong.

Especially the Tianji Sect's Supreme Elder Yu Yu Hengzi, who was actually solved by Zhou Shixiong single-handedly; he is simply a model for our generation.

Facing everyone's eager gazes, Zhou Qing nodded slightly.

At this time, a stream of light flashed in the air, and Yan Yan Xiaohu flew down on his sword with a smile on his face: "Fourth, your seclusion is like playing around; one month in, one month out."

Zhou Qing asked: "When did everyone come back?"

Yan Yan Xiaohu answered: "Most people have already returned; it's been about ten days."

"The Tianji Sect side needs people to guard it, and the various mines also need people to take care of them, but generally speaking, it is already under our control."

"By the way, your time of leaving seclusion is really coincidental; Fu Kui, Old Fu from the Wan Xiang Auction, has come and even brought you something!"

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up.

Could it be that the Wan Bao brothers finally collected other supreme-grade wood-attribute spirit stones and entrusted Old Fu to send them to him?

This is too embarrassing.

Yan Yan Xiaohu continued: "But you might have to wait two days; although we occupied the Tianji Sect, the road is long, and this stage is particularly sensitive."

"So, Sect Master Shibo spent a heavy price to buy two teleportation arrays from the Wan Xiang Auction, just like when the three sects were allied, to watch over and help each other."

Zhou Qing nodded; after all, according to the rules of the Wan Xiang Auction, when a customer's purchase reaches a certain amount, someone will be specially sent to escort it.

Especially for important items like teleportation arrays, it is even more necessary to ensure installation and after-sales service.

During the Five Sects War, Fu Kui escorted the teleportation array all the way here.

Even Zhang Wan Bao once pretended to be drugged to reveal to them the location of the hidden teleportation array that the Cangyan Dao Palace used to transport black-clothed puppets.

Thinking about it now, it is both heartwarming and funny.

"Old Fu said that Zhang Wan Bao did entrust him to bring something, but because the teleportation array is two-way, he first settled the teleportation array in the back mountain and then went to the Tianji Sect."

"It is estimated that he will be back soon; once the teleportation array is properly installed, it can be used directly," Yan Yan Xiaohu said.

Zhou Qing was quite expectant after hearing this; he didn't know how many supreme-grade wood-attribute spirit stones Zhang Wan Bao had managed to get for him.

Just like that, about two days later, the light of the teleportation array in the back mountain lit up, and immediately afterward, Cao Cao Zhengyang walked out of the teleportation array with Fu Kui.

After confirming repeatedly that the teleportation array was running normally, Cao Cao Zhengyang hurriedly wanted to set up a banquet for Old Fu to wash away the dust of the journey, so as to express his gratitude.

But Fu Kui shook his head.

Since the Fifth Prince died in the Lingyun Prefecture territory, the Prefecture Governor Zhong Yao and the Prefecture Master Xiao Ji had long been worried sick.

But they couldn't find a trace of the murderer at all, and the Grand Eunuch Gao Gao Xianzhong had also returned to the Imperial Capital not long ago.

I don't know how he added oil and vinegar to his report, but in short, it was that the two of them were incompetent.

The President and the Prefecture Master are old friends of many years and are about to become in-laws, so he has been helping out.

As an old man of the Wan Xiang Auction, he is also busy and cannot be delayed.

"Alright, I'll see if Zhou Qing has left seclusion; if it really doesn't work, you can hand the things to me, and I will pass them to him when the time comes!" Cao Cao Zhengyang said.

Fu Kui thought about it and agreed.

Only when Cao Cao Zhengyang inquired did he know that Zhou Qing had already left seclusion.

That saves trouble!

"Only one; the Five Elements Spirit Stones are hard currency to begin with, and among them, wood-attribute spirit stones are extremely scarce, so they are really hard to get!"

Fu Kui handed over a jade-green spirit stone.

Zhou Qing looked at the spirit stone with burning eyes, his heart full of gratitude, and said repeatedly: "Many thanks to Senior Fu for your trouble, and please convey my thanks to Brother Wan Bao; Zhou Qing will remember this friendship!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly took out twelve ordinary supreme-grade spirit stones and handed them forward.

Fu Kui waved his hand and only took ten.

A gratified smile appeared on his aged face: "Wan Bao really didn't misjudge the person; you value friendship and righteousness, which is exactly the reason why we are willing to have deep contact with you. If you have difficulties in the future, just speak up."

"I still have official business to attend to, so I will take my leave here. When you have leisure time, remember to come to Lingyun Prefecture to sit for a while."

After Fu Kui finished speaking, he didn't drag his feet and left just like that.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 293 =====