Chapter 467: The Monk Longshu

Yanhui Pass is a solitary city located between Beimang and Liyang. It belongs to a gray area, unloved by either father or mother; both dynasties have tacitly agreed not to dispatch officials to station there. Through trade and exchange, it has instead become a bustling metropolis. When the two dynasties wage war and ignite flames of conflict, the common people scatter in all directions. When military affairs cease and the flames of war are extinguished, they gather back into the city, treating it as a common occurrence.

As a border between two countries, the folk customs are naturally fierce, and bandits run rampant.

Previously, a world-renowned great man of letters from Liyang even brought a pageboy to tour the border, wanting to write a magnificent and desolate frontier poem. As a result, before half a month had passed, someone took a severed finger to demand a huge ransom from his family.

The atmosphere here is very open, with women appearing in public dressed in revealing clothing. Due to different dietary habits, they are extremely well-developed; those undulating, trembling, and precarious curves are quite an eye-catching sight.

Yu Liancheng came to a tea stall and sat down. The water was simple well water, and the tea leaves were the cheapest tea dregs, yet a bowl of tea cost half a string of cash, which was ridiculously expensive.

Upon reflection, regardless of whether the tea was good or bad, being able to transport it thousands of miles from Jiangnan or Western Shu along the Chama Ancient Road to Yanhui Pass meant that even tea dregs that couldn't make it to the table couldn't be cheap.

Just at this moment, a poor old monk also broke into the city.

This monk immediately attracted many gazes; after all, Beimang was exterminating the Buddhist faith, and countless monks were fleeing toward Beiliang.

And the late princess of Beiliang believed in the Buddha, which led to the entire Beiliang having a very friendly relationship with the Buddhist faith. Relying on the identity of a bald head, it was more than enough to get by without worrying about food and drink.

It has always been monks going to Beiliang, while those from Beiliang heading to Beimang are few and far between.

It was fortunate that this border city did not belong to Beimang, otherwise someone would have long since dragged the old bald donkey to see an official and claim a reward.

The old monk's lips were cracked, and he also wanted to beg for a bowl of tea to drink. However, after the boss stated the price, the monk immediately had a bitter expression. He touched the copper coins in his pocket, estimating that it was only enough for two bowls of tea.

But his journey was long; if he spent his money here, the road ahead would be difficult to travel.

"That Master, please sit here; I will treat you to a pot of tea."

Yu Liancheng beckoned to the monk, then laughed heartily: "I've always treated people to wine before; this is the first time I've treated someone to tea."

"Amitabha, then this old monk will thank this young master." The old monk pressed his palms together, looking kind and benevolent. He did not stand on ceremony, sat down, and began to introduce himself.

"This old monk is traveling north from Liangchan Temple in the south to Qilin Guan to reason with an old friend from the Daoist sect. However, we have been talking to each other for decades, and neither can convince the other. I imagine this time will mostly be like playing the lute to a cow."

"Liangchan Temple? May I ask if you are the high monk Longshu?" Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow, his gaze burning.

"Young master has a discerning eye. I dare not claim to be a high monk; this old monk's dharma name is indeed Longshu." The old monk took a sip of tea, revealing a satisfied expression.

"Are you truly the monk Longshu?" Yu Liancheng asked again.

"I am indeed the monk Longshu that you have in mind, young master." The old monk chuckled, looking travel-worn and without a shred of the aura of a master.

But Yu Liancheng became solemn.

The person before him was someone with many titles.

Monk Longshu, the Release Jia of the Spring and Autumn Thirteen Jia. Abbot of Liangchan Temple, a Buddhist Saint, master of the white-clad Li Dangxin, who read only the Diamond Sutra in his life, achieving the Diamond Indestructible.

Yu Liancheng had always respected the people of the Buddhist faith, so he immediately rolled up his sleeves, revealing fists the size of sandbags: "I was wondering why your Qi and Blood were so strong; you couldn't be a nobody. I have long wanted to exchange blows with a Buddhist expert, to see the Buddhist Golden Body, the true First Grade Diamond Indestructible. Make your move; you let me have three strikes."

The old monk hurriedly waved his hands: "Young Master Murong is joking, Young Master Murong is joking. The world knows Murong Wudi, first in the Martial Evaluation, peerless under heaven; these old bones of mine cannot withstand being dismantled."

Regarding the monk Longshu seeing through his identity, Yu Liancheng did not care, pulling on the monk's sleeve: "No, today you must fight me no matter what."

The monk Longshu said with a bitter face: "Must we really fight?"

Yu Liancheng nodded: "We must really fight. I want to see whether the Buddhist Vajra is stronger, or if my physique is more formidable."

Among the Wang First Grade Sijing, the Buddhist path enters through the Vajra, the Diamond Indestructible. And the monk Longshu's disciple, the white-clad Li Dangxin, is the number one person in the Vajra Realm, sharing the elegance of the First Grade with the First of Finger Profound Deng Taie and the First of Heavenly Phenomenon Cao Guanzi. Since the disciple is so powerful, the master naturally cannot be weak.

The monk Longshu pressed his palms together, his brows furrowed, and a grand aura immediately emerged: "Fine, since it has come to this, this poor monk admits defeat on the spot."

"Huh?" Yu Liancheng was stunned.

The monk Longshu's face immediately collapsed: "Young Master Murong is the number one person in the world; these old bones of mine still need to make a trip to Qilin Guan. If you really want to strike, this old monk can only kneel down on the spot and beg you not to fight. And please don't hit my face, otherwise I won't be able to face anyone. Alright, this old monk has finished speaking, young master, please strike."

Having said that, he covered his bald head, looking like he was ready to be beaten or scolded.

Yu Liancheng helplessly rubbed his forehead and sat back down: "Monk, you win. This trip to Beimang, is it for the sake of the Buddhist extermination?"

The old monk poked his head out again and smiled slightly: "This old monk's trip is not to convert the Emperor of Beimang, but simply to prove a heart of Buddha for the people of the world."

He sighed again: "The Buddha is in the heart. Beimang wants to exterminate the Buddha; no temples, no incense, no Buddhist scriptures, no believers... in my view, all of that is fine. But if hundreds of thousands of monks lose their heart of Buddha and lose their faith, that is not quite right. In a person's heart, there must always be something; otherwise, it is empty and desolate, how uncomfortable that is."

"So you are telling all the monks in Beimang that there is still a Buddha in this world, and what they are persisting in is not meaningless." Yu Liancheng glanced at this old monk draped in a monk's robe.

The monk Longshu smiled slightly: "I only listen to the will of Heaven and do my human duty."

Yu Liancheng and this well-deserved Buddhist Saint began to converse, all related to the Buddhist extermination in Beimang.

Before long, the monk Longshu stood up and smiled, pressing his palms together in a salute: "It is time for this old monk to go. Your cultivation, young master, can be called that of a Saint or a Divine Human, but I only hope you kill less and do more good deeds. There is a vast and righteous Qi between Heaven and Earth; in the path of cultivation, while one does not reject killing intent, if it is mixed with baleful and resentful Qi, it is ultimately impure and easy to go astray."

Yu Liancheng put down his teacup and shook his head: "So the old monk came here just to say such a speech; it really is boring enough."

I fear this monk only saw the corpses on the road and stepped into this small city, all for the sake of delivering this cliché nonsense to Yu Liancheng.

"Whether to listen or not is up to the young master; whether to speak or not is up to this old monk."

The monk Longshu smiled slightly: "Young master treated me to tea, so this old monk should also show something."

He lightly sliced his finger across his wrist, and golden-yellow blood dripped into the teacup, shining brilliantly.

"This old monk is leaving; I wish the young master prosperity in his Martial Dao."