Chapter 169

Seeing Niu Dingtian's face show surprise, Yi Deng pressed his palms together, smiled broadly and said:

"These few worldly items are all that a poor monk possessed before ordination; please, Resident Niu, do not decline."

Having said that, he pointed again at the white‑clad woman standing calmly beside him, whose head was covered by a veil.

"She is the poor monk's disciple granddaughter, He Yuanjun; for the past two years she has been attending me, listening to the Dharma, and now I have brought her out to see the world."

As he spoke, Yi Deng's eyes were full of smile; evidently, he still remembered the words Niu Dingtian had specially said to him two years earlier upon parting.

He feared that "seeing the world" was a pretense; the real purpose was to bring her here to meet people.

Niu Dingtian understood this roughly, smiled as he took the gift scroll without opening it, and handed it to Fu Tian standing beside him.

"Then I shall decline without being rude."

After some polite exchange, Niu Dingtian bowed separately to Zhu Ziliu and He Yuanjun, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Zhu; pleased to meet Miss Yuan."

Regarding He Yuanjun, he couldn't help glancing at her a couple more times; although the girl's exact features were unseen, she stood gracefully there, giving others a sense of calm serenity.

In contrast, Miss Huang was the opposite extreme.

Niu Dingtian thought silently, and couldn't help looking to the other side where Miss Huang, idly twirling the hair hanging over her chest, stood beside Chen Jin'er.

Perhaps noticing his gaze, Miss Huang gave a slight glance, shifted her eyes back and forth between Niu Dingtian and He Yuanjun, then after sizing up the gift beside them, let out a light hum and turned away, no longer responding.

She was angry.

What kind of congratulatory gifts does a monk give? Giving so many, it's clearly a dowry! Hmph, someone as clever as her saw through it at a glance.

Of course, she was not the only one with that thought; He Yuanjun on the other side also shared it.

She had previously heard the master vaguely mention that an outside marriage had already been arranged for her.

Before departing, she again saw this master—always preaching emptiness—occasionally reminding her of certain matters, packing gifts box after box; inevitably, she felt some strange emotions, and therefore wore a veil on the way here.

At that moment, when He Yuanjun saw Niu Dingtian's gaze fall upon her, coinciding with an annoyed hum from who knows whom, she instantly became nervous.

This caused her to completely forget whether, after the meeting, she should bow with a fist or perform a grand salute.

It turned out that beneath her calm and serene exterior lay a young heart that had long been shy and uneasy.

Seeing He Yuanjun raise her hand but hesitate, Yi Deng couldn't help shaking his head with a wry smile, a hint of helplessness beneath his long eyebrows.

Indeed, she is Brother Yao's daughter.

After a light sigh, Yi Deng's expression softened as he looked at He Yuanjun and said warmly, "Resident Niu combines literature with martial arts; he is a rare talent who cultivates both. As for etiquette, you may act as you wish, Yuan."

Evidently, this disciple granddaughter's movements did not escape his eyes, and he took the opportunity to compliment her.

Hearing this, He Yuanjun felt a little steadier, then stepped forward and performed a grand salute, softly saying, "Pleased to meet Young Master Niu; if I have been impolite, please forgive me."

Having said that, she slowly retreated. From this it can be seen that she indeed respects the scholar's status even more.

"Miss Yuan, you are being modest."

Niu Dingtian smiled, then gave a brief introduction of Fu Tian, Qu Xiuer, and Doctor Yan.

Finally, after glancing at Miss Huang, who seemed to be sulking, Niu Dingtian turned, extended his hand to Yi Deng, and said with a smile:

"Master Yi Deng, please come up the mountain."

"In a moment, Uncle Huang will also arrive; you haven't seen each other for over ten years, so now you can catch up properly."

"Uncle Huang?"

Yi Deng was momentarily stunned, then it clicked—who else but that old friend from the Huashan sword contest could be addressed as Uncle Huang?

Afterwards.

As Niu Dingtian said, shortly after the party reached the summit, Huang Lao Xie's figure appeared.

Compared with earlier, he had now removed the human‑skin mask, restoring his previously majestic and austere appearance.

After arranging lodging, Yang Kang and Guo Jing each ran off—one to see his mother, the other to see his aunt.

The three notorious brothers of Ke Town, without noticing, gathered with the four scholars of fishing, logging, farming, and reading, and began chatting, bragging, and fooling around.

As for Chen Jin'er, perhaps having sensed the unexpected at the mountain gate, she had already become a caring big sister, one hand firmly holding Miss Huang, the other gently escorting He Yuanjun, and together with Yan Huaixi and others went to Murong Miao‑zhen's place to foster relationships.

This family still cannot do without her.

Without her, it's either chaos or dissolution!

Only Fu Tian, that diligent mother‑donkey, after giving Niu Dingtian a dissatisfied glance, continued to keep the Divine Sect's operations running smoothly, preparing to welcome the remaining guests.

Douma Palace, main hall.

After the crowd dispersed, Niu Dingtian, Huang Lao Xie, and Yi Deng sat together in a circle to discuss their martial insights.

During this, Niu Dingtian's remarks were concise and incisive, a sudden revelation; it was a direct

crushing; therefore, Huang Lao Xie and Yi Deng each naturally gained considerable benefit.

In Niu Dingtian's view, although Huang Lao Xie was reluctant, he had already tacitly accepted his daughter following him; Yi Deng, though treating him like an investment to seek a higher, farther Dao, was also sincere toward him.

Thus,

He naturally would not be stingy.

Half an hour later, Niu Dingtian led Huang Lao Xie and Yi Deng into a side hall.

"Is this the sword and blade forged by the young friend?"

Yi Deng looked at the sword and blade before him, which in Niu Dingtian's hand emitted a faint tremor, his face unable to hide shock and excitement.

Niu Dingtian heard the words, gave a slight nod, and then briefly recounted the affair between him and Zhang Quezi, of course omitting a good deal of the parts that should have been left out.

Hearing this, Niu Dingtian lightly nodded, then briefly recounted the matter of him and Zhang the Lame, of course omitting many of the parts that should be concealed.

After finishing, Niu Dingtian slowly set the sword and blade down; under Yi Deng's and Huang Lao Xie's astonished gazes, the Heaven‑Relying Sword and the Dragon‑Slaying Blade instantly emitted a fierce resonant hum.

"Like…"

"Two children abandoned by their parents."

"Divine artifact! Truly a divine artifact!"

"In the Buddhist world there is talk of sacred implements and treasures; this sword and blade of yours has already become spirit‑linked, and within the Buddhist realm it is unquestionably a true treasure!"

Amitabha, this poor monk has, in his lifetime, gotten to see such a divine artifact; dying would leave no regrets.

Yi Deng pressed his palms together, his face solemn, and performed a respectful bow before the Yitian Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre.

"Dharma treasure?"

Niu Dingtian furrowed his brows, thinking, "No wonder that guy Juexing has suddenly taken an interest in this sword and saber pair, as if he'd become a different person."

"Are Dharma treasures that important in Buddhism?" Niu Dingtian asked Yi Deng, pondering.

He naturally knew they were important, but upon reflection he realized he had no concrete concept of them.

"Very important!" Yi Deng said solemnly, his words firm and unyielding.

Afterwards, as if something had occurred to him, his expression suddenly grew grave; he looked at Niu Dingtian and Huang Lao Xie and spoke in a low voice:

"To us, such a divine artifact is merely an indestructible weapon, but to some people it is different; in their eyes, its value might outweigh everything else!"

"What do you mean by that, Brother Duan?" Before Niu Dingtian could ask, Huang Lao Xie voiced his doubt.

Yi Deng did not answer immediately; he furrowed his long brows, pondered a moment, then looked at Niu Dingtian and asked, "Little friend, do you still remember the division of martial realms I mentioned earlier?"

Then he turned to Huang Lao Xie and said, "Just now, when we exchanged our insights, I also mentioned it to Medicine Brother."

Huang Lao Xie gave a slight nod.

Niu Dingtian also nodded silently, and at the same time a troubling thought arose in his mind.

Sure enough, the next moment Yi Deng slowly said, "A numinous treasure, in Buddhism, is an object that only a legendary great adept may possess."

"I, a poor monk, have been in the monastic life for over ten years; from a few scattered lines in Buddhist scriptures I learned that Buddhism has great adepts whose cultivation penetrates heaven and earth, rarely seen in a thousand years—this is remarkably similar to the legendary realm above that of Heavenly Man."

"Although great adepts and those above the Heavenly Man realm do not manifest in the human world, making it hard to ascertain whether they truly exist, there are records of traces having been revealed by those at the Heavenly Man level."

"Such mighty beings seclude themselves from the world solely to seek higher breakthroughs, which is their lifelong pursuit; once they learn of the existence of such divine artifacts, they would surely be moved."

"Thus, if word gets out to those with ulterior motives, this sword and saber pair in your hands, little friend, would likely become a tremendous source of calamity."

Having said that, Yi Deng paused.

But then, amidst Niu Dingtian's somewhat gloomy gaze, he uttered the sentence that made Niu Dingtian feel most vexed.

"Not only that, but how the sword and saber came into being, how they were forged—these are also likely things the other side desperately wants to know." Yi Deng looked at Niu Dingtian, his face grave, and continued.

As soon as these words were spoken, the side hall fell instantly silent.

The next moment—

Huang Lao Xie suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze shooting toward Niu Dingtian like lightning.

Seeing this, Niu Dingtian glanced at the Dragon Slaying Sabre and Yitian Sword on the table, his face somewhat embarrassed.

He hadn't expected that, unintentionally, he would have dragged everyone around him into a great crisis.

As Yi Deng said, if the sword and saber were not made by his own hand, it would still be fine; at worst, he could toss them away to save his life.

But the fact that they were made by his own hands is something that would soon be known to everyone under heaven.

If word reached those reclusive immortals through someone with ill intent, he, the Grand Master of the Niu Sect, would likely be seized and torn apart for study.

He never originally intended to forge a sword and saber for Lao Senzi's pursuit of immortality and Dao.

Damn it!

Niu Dingtian cursed under his breath, then waved his hand and forced a laugh:

"They're just legendary figures; no one has shown their traces in hundreds of years, so why bother worrying about these illusory beings?"

Having said that, seeing Huang Lao Xie's unchanged gaze and Yi Deng still worried, Niu Dingtian finally let out a soft sigh.

Afterward, he fixed his eyes on the trembling sword and saber on the table and said:

"Seniors, rest assured, the people I truly care about are all here; at a critical moment, it's merely a matter of baring my neck and giving a casual swipe—I'll naturally not implicate them."

"If you're worried this affair might affect you, just head back down the mountain separately. But I, Niu, could never be frightened into fleeing like a bereaved dog just because of a few strangers I've never even met."

"I can't do this! I'll be even less able to do it in the future! Humph—if that day ever comes, it's still unknown who will slaughter whom!"

At the end of his words, Niu Dingtian gave a cold snort; a mighty yet illusory mysterious aura suddenly flickered from his body, causing the sword and saber beside him to vibrate intensely with a loud hum.

A bereaved dog fleeing in panic?

Hearing this, Huang Lao Xie's breath stalled; "You brat can't do it, but I, old man, can?" He then snorted coldly:

"If I want to leave, no one can keep me; if I don't want to leave, what can the Heavenly Man realm do to me?"

What else can be done?

Just die.

Of course, such defeatist talk is something the stern Huang Lao Xie would never utter.

His earlier reaction, too, stemmed from panic over his daughter's safety; upon reflection, it indeed caused him some loss of face.

At this moment, Yi Deng beside them seemed to have an epiphany; he pressed his palms together and said, "The Buddha says all things have cause and effect; my karmic bond with you, little friend, is already deep—so why speak of parting?"

"However, what you said is not without reason; the heavenly way has its principles and order—having remained unseen for hundreds of years, there must be a reason for staying hidden. To us mortals, such beings are indeed somewhat illusory and vague."

Niu Dingtian smiled at the words; if the two of them truly had even a shred of timidity and the idea of staying clear of trouble, he would not force them in the slightest.

Even if that day truly arrives, my taking the initiative to leave and the other side taking the initiative to leave are two different matters.

Taking the initiative to leave, he feels, is his responsibility—a helpless recourse when there is no alternative.

But no one wants to be cast aside like a bereaved dog; if the other side takes the initiative to leave, there will inevitably be two more strangers in the future. (End of chapter)