Chapter 90: with translation of chapter title

Zhou Shuo once liked Yang Shen very much; aside from being drawn to the xianxia humanities and cultivation setting at the novel's start, he was also excited that everyone was like a dragon, longing for a gentleman's sincerity. But after experiencing life and returning to the latter half of Yang Shen, Hong Yi, from a certain angle, truly became Hong Xuanji; all talk of Yi Zi Ya Sheng is merely set off by that.

The transaction with Hong Yi brought up past petty troubles; Zhou Shuo unveiled a cruel fact to Hong Yi, striking him—his mother truly loved him, teaching him to endure and survive, while his father truly loathed him, the wife‑abusing, son‑coercing acts being genuine, and what should he do now?

The youth's heart was fiercely pricked, plunging him into confusion; he had always taken avenging his mother's injustice as his driving force, but that goal suddenly became utterly illusory—the kind mother's unfair treatment was entirely her own refusal to let go, so what meaning do his own efforts have?

Compared to the heart‑wracked, confused youth, Zhou Shuo had his thoughts clear; confronting the protagonist psychologically to suppress and seize the initiative felt far more satisfying than subduing him with strength, and he easily obtained the Past Amitabha Sutra—no matter how Hong Yi was, he was pleased.

"Come, let's look at that legendary Past Amitabha Sutra together." Zhou Shuo openly unfolded the sutra woven from black‑gold silk, folded to handkerchief size, inviting Chan Yin Sha beside him to view it; she naturally would not refuse such an opportunity.

The one‑meter‑square black‑gold silk felt like water, covered in tiny script, characters as if carved with a knife; beneath the faint lettering at the sutra's center sat a gold Buddha with large drooping ears, his image revealing infinite profundity—just a glance, Chan Yin Sha averted her eyes and turned away.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Shuo looked at the girl who suddenly glanced away, her shoulders faintly trembling.

"I'm not looking at this sutra now; my mind is in turmoil." Chan Yin Sha repressed her racing thoughts; upon seeing the image on the sutra for the first time, she felt her mind unsettled, her soul slightly restless, uncontrollably wanting to contemplate that Buddha.

"I'd forgotten that; since it's like this, I'll look first, then teach you the same after I'm done." Zhou Shuo looked at the girl's trembling shoulder, thinking it true—practicing different soul methods easily creates mental conflict, but he had no problem reading the sutra: first, he only read the text, ignoring the Buddha images on it; second, his main practice is the Quanzhen internal alchemy from Journey to the West.

Although Quanzhen Sect is a Daoist branch, its core doctrine holds the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism as equal; its teachings also blend native Lao‑Zhuang‑flavored Chan thought, advocating dual cultivation of life and nature, seeking transcendence of true nature, and the Yang Spirit's ascent—hence the sect enforces strict precepts, wholly unlike the Zhengyi School, giving rise to the saying "Southern Zhengyi, Northern Quanzhen."

Ignoring the images below the text used for contemplation, Zhou Shuo carefully studied the sutra's wording itself; this Past Amitabha Sutra resembles the Thoughts Unobstructed Sutra he once read, except that it centers on "self‑nature," explaining what self‑nature is and how to seek it differently; the sutra's content teaches how to cultivate the soul, releasing light from self‑nature.

"Isn't this just meditation?" Zhou Shuo, looking at the various cultivation methods in the Past Amitabha Sutra, unconsciously stroked his chin; if you replace the sutra with the Thoughts Unobstructed text on the kasaya robe, it is actually meditation—meditation reveals self‑nature, then emits innate light in the soul, making the soul pure, complete, unmoving, unborn and undying, able to produce all dharmas and immune to most soul‑illusion attacks.

"Finished?" Chan Yin Sha calmly settled her thoughts, hearing Zhou Shuo mutter beside her, and instinctively asked.

"Oh, I've seen it." Zhou Shuo came to, looking at Chan Yin Sha's back, nodded, and reached to take up the Past Amitabha Sutra; he had read the text completely, memorized it, and needed no second reading.

"How does it feel?" Chan Yin Sha turned as Zhou Shuo lifted the silk cloth, facing him directly—said to be the foremost sutra for soul cultivation—what feeling does it give?

"Nothing special, well, a bit different, I can't put it into words." Zhou Shuo shook his head instinctively, but felt saying the Past Amitabha Sutra was "nothing" was wrong, so he tried another phrasing—there was still something, yet he couldn't articulate it, for self‑nature is too illusory.

"Quite normal; the profundities of Daoist arts usually lack diagrams, being transmitted mind‑to‑mind, the deeper they are, the more so." Chan Yin Sha nodded calmly, wearing exactly that expression.

"Too profound, but when do you plan to look at it?" Zhou Shuo observed Chan Yin Sha's solemn expression, shook his head, then glanced at the Past Amitabha Sutra in his hand and lifted it.

"I can't look at it now." Chan Yin Sha watched the raised silk, feeling gloomy; after just one glance her soul was unsettled, and looking again would be useless.

"Then I'll return it to Hong Yi for now and tell you later." Zhou Shuo looked at the sullen girl and raised his eyebrows.

"Return it, but I'd rather you just destroy it outright." Chan Yin Sha glanced at the eyebrow‑raising fellow and lowered her gaze slightly.

"Why?" Zhou Shuo glanced askance, wondering why it should be destroyed.

"Dao and law are mind‑seals transmitted orally; recording them on physical objects invites heavenly envy." Chan Yin Sha lifted her eyes, adding that the Great Chan Temple's destruction likely relates to the Great Qian Court's coveting of these three supreme scriptures.

"Going with the flow makes one mundane, going against it makes one immortal—just a reversal within; whether this thing is destroyed or not, the choice isn't mine either." Zhou Shuo looked at the solemnly speaking demon‑immortal woman, couldn't help a faint smile—he didn't believe such things—but the fate of this Past Sutra's destruction isn't up to him.

"Then go tell Hong Yi; I need to calm my mind, and in a few days we should head to the Vast Wilds." Chan Yin Sha gave a slight nod, meanwhile bringing up the matter of the Cosmos Pouch.

"Well, I'll ask—see if Hong Yi will go; he's not like us, having already cultivated the Past Sutra, making him an excellent meat shield in person, I just hope his cultivation doesn't regress." Zhou Shuo curled his lip, thinking that to successfully seize the Cosmos Pouch, bringing the protagonist along might be more assured, though he'd enjoyed himself earlier and hoped Hong Yi wouldn't suffer a major cultivation loss.

"……" Chan Yin Sha heard Zhou Shuo's words, her mouth twitching; such a cruel exposure of the truth made even her, an onlooker, overthink—let alone that child, may his Dao heart stay unbroken, thank heaven.

The blow was somewhat large, but not as severe as Chan Yin Sha's; when Zhou Shuo found Hong Yi again, the youth's eyes were red, his expression weary and forlorn, his maid Xiao Mu comforting him—since his talk with Zhou Shuo left him thus, Xiao Mu harbored some hostility toward Zhou Shuo.

"Brother Hong, here's yours." Zhou Shuo, under Xiao Mu's angry gaze, handed the folded black‑handkerchief‑sized Past Sutra to the weary youth.

"I have no use for this sutra, Brother Zhou…" Hong Yi looked at the sutra offered before him, his thoughts drifting.

"The book is yours, not mine—decide what to do yourself; also, I plan to invite you to the Vast Wilds to seek a treasure left by the Great Chan Temple—will you go?" Zhou Shuo looked at the youth's wandering thoughts, raised his eyebrows, thinking that if the boy continued like this, he'd likely end up like his mother, his cultivation utterly ruined.

"Brother Zhou, with me like this, can I still go?" Hong Yi lifted his eyes to Zhou Shuo, showing a bitter smile—this person told him his mother's treatment wasn't unjust, yet now invites him to the Vast Wilds for treasure; what does he mean?

"In this world nothing is impossible, only unwilling." Zhou Shuo felt he needed to dispense some chicken soup; the future Yi Zi must not kneel here.

"Then Brother Zhou, tell me what I can do there?" Hong Yi's face eased slightly.

"You could serve as a meat shield; your soul can endure much harm, unlike us." Zhou Shuo felt he should speak plainly.

"……" Hong Yi's face instantly flushed upon hearing that, though he dared not speak due to Zhou Shuo's strength, but Xiao Mu beside him had no such restraint and screamed outright.

"You mean letting my elder brother Hong Yi be your arrow shield!"

"Well, that's not how to put it—I didn't mean to scheme against your elder brother Hong Yi; it's all voluntary." Zhou Shuo looked at the pretty little girl stretching her neck to scream, and blinked.

"Then you…" Xiao Mu looked at the innocent‑blinking fellow, feeling a surge of anger, but before she could finish, Hong Yi reached out to stop her.

"Brother Zhou, what kind of person do you think Hong Yi is?" Hong Yi stopped Xiao Mu, his gaze sharp as he stared at Zhou Shuo.

"A scholar." Zhou Shuo lifted his eyes, thought briefly, then answered.

"A scholar, that's not wrong either; then Brother Zhou, what do you consider the greatest in this world?" Hong Yi watched the earnestly pondering fellow, reflected a moment, straightened his spine, and asked with keen eyes.

"The Dao." Zhou Shuo looked at the keen‑eyed youth and straightened his shoulders.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao." Zhou Shuo locked eyes with Hong Yi—Hong Yi was questioning him correctly.

【45】

"Good, excellent—'the Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.' Hong Yi has been taught; though he is a scholar, he believes the greatest thing in this world should be reason. Brother Zhou's lesson today will be richly repaid in the future." Hong Yi lifted his gaze, nodded, and gave heartfelt praise; his dejected air vanished instantly, indicating future recompense, his tone pausing slightly before he cautiously asked.

Good, good, 'the Dao that can be spoken is not the constant Dao,' Hong Yi has been taught; however, Hong Yi, a scholar, believes that the greatest thing in this world ought to be reason, Brother Zhou's teaching today will surely be repaid in the future. Hong Yi lifted his gaze, nodded, expressing heartfelt admiration; the dejected spirit on his body instantly dissipated, indicating that there would be repayment in the future, his tone paused slightly, then he cautiously asked.

May I ask, Brother Zhou, what treasure are you going to seek in the wilderness?