Chapter 624: Meeting Bi Yao Again

Bi Yao snapped back from her memories and looked up at the White-Clad Wonderful Monk on the high platform.

His moon-white monk's robes fluttered, spotless and pure; the sunlight cast a golden rim around him, adding to his divine aura. He smiled slightly, and even the falling heavenly flowers and golden lotuses seemed dim in comparison.

Bi Yao had always held strong opinions about the monks of Tianyin Temple, and she tried to look at the divine white-clad figure with a critical eye, yet she still could not find a single flaw; he was perfect and flawless, even causing a trace of jealousy to arise within her.

From this White-robed Divine Monk, she saw the shadow of Uncle Yu.

Of course, it could absolutely not be Uncle Yu.

Firstly, there was a gap in their appearances. Even Bi Yao had to admit that, purely in terms of looks, Uncle Yu could not compare to this White-robed Divine Monk.

Secondly, Uncle Yu was accustomed to wearing black and had almost never worn clothing of any other color.

Thirdly, Uncle Yu indulged in wine, women, wealth, and temper, observing no taboos; asking him to be a monk who kept the precepts and rules was simply harder than ascending to heaven.

Could this fellow be a junior of Uncle Yu?

While Bi Yao was thinking, a change occurred on the high platform. Nine high monks appeared together to seek instruction on Zen mysteries from the White-robed Divine Monk.

Bi Yao did not recognize these nine high monks; she only felt that her eyes were filled with bright bald heads, dazzling under the sunlight, and they spoke of things like "Namo" and "form is emptiness," making her head spin.

However, Youji was knowledgeable and whispered an explanation to Bi Yao. These nine high monks were all figures of great importance in the contemporary Buddhist world. Although their cultivation might not be exceptionally high, they were all well-versed in Buddhist teachings. The reason they had come to challenge him was likely because of the incident where their disciples had been left speechless by the White-robed Divine Monk, who was only thirteen or fourteen at the time, during the Ullambana Festival.

Simply put, they were there to stir up trouble.

Bi Yao sneered: "These people of the Buddhist faith talk about the four elements being empty, but in the end, they still cannot escape the two words 'fame and profit'."

Yet, her beautiful eyes looked toward the platform with even greater focus, and a trace of curiosity arose in her heart. She wondered if those nine old bald heads were more formidable, or if that young bald head was.

Of course, in her heart, she was more partial to the "White-robed Divine Monk" Puzhen.

Although this Puzhen was a member of Tianyin Temple, he bore a slight resemblance to Uncle Yu.

Moreover, judging by his current appearance, it was unlikely that many women would feel any aversion toward him.

The White-robed Divine Monk was seen wearing moon-white Buddhist robe, his face carrying a smile as he sat quietly on the high platform. The nine high monks took turns asking questions, clearly having prepared well.

But often, the White-robed Divine Monk would only need a moment of thought before he could calmly respond, answering the difficult questions of the high monks one by one with composure.

And when the White-robed Divine Monk spoke of the Dharma, once he opened his mouth, he would often leave the group of high monks speechless; even if they could answer, they would have to ponder for a long time.

In this way, even someone like Bi Yao, who did not understand Buddhist teachings, could see who had the upper hand.

Sure enough, after about half an hour, the nine high monks glanced at each other, looking like wilted eggplants, and one after another bowed their heads to admit defeat to the White-robed Divine Monk.

There was no more room for debate.

The White-robed Divine Monk was truly a genius of the Buddhist faith, appearing once in a millennium.

The crowd of pilgrims below cheered, the atmosphere was fervent, and some even showed expressions of piety, bowing and prostrating to the White-robed Divine Monk, offering the most solemn rites.

Bi Yao was also influenced by the atmosphere, and a sweet smile appeared on her pretty face.

The White-robed Divine Monk seemed to sense something; he turned his head to look in Bi Yao's direction and smiled slightly. The smile was like a spring breeze brushing across everyone's soul, causing many female pilgrims to be particularly excited, almost fainting.

Bi Yao first blushed slightly, her lovely face glowing, then her eyebrows knitted slightly. That glance from the White-robed Divine Monk always made her feel as if her identity had been seen through by him.

But this was clearly impossible.

The Strange Trick Path was mysterious and unfathomable; even her father, the Ghost King, could not see through it.

Looking back at the platform, the White-Clad Wonderful Monk had already turned his head away and begun the true lecture on the Dharma.

With a smile on his lips, he uttered mysterious Zen sounds. Fragrant flowers of various colors fell from the sky onto the ground, and the ground rippled like a lake, with golden lotuses blooming within the ripples—holy and bright—making one doubt that this place was in the human world, further inciting a wave of pious worship.

Bi Yao's mind, however, was not on the Dharma; her cunning and lively eyes rolled, and she pulled on Youji's slender arm: "Aunt You, let's go."

Youji was listening intently and, being pulled by Bi Yao, finally came to her senses: "Go where?"

"Hee hee, just follow me." Bi Yao giggled. Her experiences at Fox Qi Mountain had not been as tragic as in the original path, so her personality was more lively and cunning.

……

The Dharma assembly had ended.

This assembly had been held very successfully.

At least for Tianyin Temple, it was very successful.

The demeanor of the White-robed Divine Monk was far superior to what it had been three years ago.

As for those nine virtuous high monks, they could not help but look a bit crestfallen. They were no longer young; any one of them was old enough to be Yu Liancheng's grandfather. Yet, the nine of them combined could not out-argue a single junior.

At this time, the White-robed Divine Monk had already arrived at the back courtyard of Tianyin Temple with the abbot, Puhong Shangren.

"Senior Brother, after this assembly, I intend to go out for a while," Yu Liancheng said calmly, his white robes fluttering.

"Go out?" Puhong Shangren was startled, but as the head of Tianyin Temple, he was no fool, and he sighed: "Is it because of Junior Brother Puzhi?"

Yu Liancheng's expression tightened: "Senior Brother Puzhi spent his life doing good and accumulating merit, saving countless people; it is no exaggeration to call him a living Buddha. He should not have met such an end."

Puhong frowned: "Junior Brother Puzhi was injured by the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, I am worried..."

"Senior Brother, rest assured, I have my own measures," Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "Now that my Thirty-Two Appearances have reached completion, with the Medicine Master Appearance and the Glazed Appearance, very few poisons in the world can harm me."

Puhong nodded, revealing a trace of a smile: "The Thirty-Two Appearances are profound and vast, encompassing everything. Junior Brother, you are the founder of the Thirty-Two Appearances and the only person to possess them. Among today's practitioners, those who can truly be your opponents can be counted on one hand; just be careful of schemes and tricks."

"I understand, Senior Brother."

Just as the two brothers were about to part ways, Yu Liancheng suddenly spoke: "Senior Brother!"

"Junior Brother, is there anything else?" Puhong Shangren turned and asked.

Yu Liancheng was silent for a moment, then said: "I was brought into the sect by Senior Brother Puzhi, and it was he who taught me the Great Brahma Prajna. It can be said that Senior Brother Puzhi is the person closest to me in this world. Therefore... I will not only avenge him, perhaps... perhaps I will also try to fulfill his wish."

Puhong Shangren said: "His wish, immortality? Life and death, reincarnation—how could it be so easy to break?"

"In the past, his wish was immortality, but I know that after his trip to the Northwest wilderness, he had one more wish..."

"What wish?"

Yu Liancheng did not answer directly; he lowered his head, his voice low and devoid of any emotion: "This wish might bring turmoil to the entire cultivation world, and Tianyin Temple will also be swept into it. I do not know if it is right or wrong, so I wanted to ask for your guidance, Senior Brother..."

Puhong was silent. He thought of Puzhi's last words and sighed: "Junior Brother, your wisdom is like the sea; you are a peerless genius of the Buddhist faith, appearing once in a millennium. If even you cannot distinguish right from wrong, how could I, a dull old monk, do so? That idea might bring a thousand years of peace, or it might be a catastrophe of slaughter. But as the abbot of Tianyin Temple, Senior Brother will try his best to stop you."

Yu Liancheng was silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up and chuckled: "Then Senior Brother, you must have the brothers and nephews in the temple practice the Thirty-Two Appearances well."

"That goes without saying."

This slightly inexplicable conversation ended, and Yu Liancheng returned to his room.

Tianyin Temple is divided into Great Tianyin Temple and Small Tianyin Temple.

Most of the high monks of the Puzhi generation are in Small Tianyin Temple, because they can stay far away from the hustle and bustle of the mundane world.

Yu Liancheng, however, has living quarters in both Great Tianyin Temple and Small Tianyin Temple.

As the most famous monk of Tianyin Temple, he sometimes needs to hold Dharma assemblies and receive pilgrims, so he keeps a room for rest.

Turning through the long corridor, there is an exquisite room, spotless and emitting a faint scent of sandalwood, giving one a feeling of peace and tranquility.

The White-Clad Wonderful Monk had just stepped into the room when he suddenly stopped his feet.

In this room, there is a bed, a stool, Buddhist scriptures, and a bronze mirror, appearing simple and plain. Perhaps some would be surprised that the room of the legendary White-robed Divine Monk is actually so simple.

Yet they would not be too surprised, because ninety percent of the monks in the world live in such rooms.

But in a monk's room, there should absolutely not be a woman.

Especially not a young girl with stunning beauty and a compelling aura.

The young girl, in a green dress, was sitting on the chair Yu Liancheng usually sat on, supporting her chin with her slender hand, flipping through a Buddhist scripture in boredom.

Sunlight shone through the window onto her face; she was truly as beautiful as spring flowers and as lovely as the morning glow.

Yu Liancheng first looked the girl up and down from head to toe, then his gaze swept back and forth across the room, and he muttered to himself, "I don't seem to have entered the wrong door."

Bi Yao raised her head, her beautiful eyes bright, and said, "Of course you didn't enter the wrong one; this is your place."

Yu Liancheng smiled and said, "Since I didn't enter the wrong one, then why are you sitting here?"

Bi Yao smiled sweetly and stretched her long legs: "Because I felt like it, can you do anything about it? Or are you, a Buddhist Divine Monk, unable to even tolerate a young girl?"

Yu Liancheng walked slowly into the room, sat opposite Bi Yao, and smiled: "That is a very good reason. The Buddhist path saves all living beings and welcomes guests from all over the world with a smile; naturally, I welcome you, young lady."

Bi Yao gave a delicate snort: "You're sensible enough."

Yu Liancheng smiled: "It's just that this monk doesn't understand; only a gentleman on the beam or a puppy would enter someone else's room uninvited. I wonder if the young lady is a gentleman on the beam or a puppy."

He knew that after saying this, the woman opposite him would be angry.

Sure enough, Bi Yao's pretty face turned red with anger, and her slender hands were trembling slightly.

Yu Liancheng hurriedly took the volume of Buddhist scriptures from her hand and smiled: "This volume of Vajra Realm was copied by Brother Puzhi himself, so please, young lady, show some mercy."

"Go to hell!" Bi Yao let out a coquettish cry and grabbed the teapot to throw at Yu Liancheng, but it was easily caught by the latter. Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "Tearing the book is absolutely forbidden, but if you want to smash a teapot, I can change it to an iron one."

"Hmph, so the so-called White-robed Divine Monk is nothing but a hypocrite who only knows how to tease young girls." Bi Yao's willow eyebrows stood up, and her pair of pitch-black, shining eyes glared fiercely at Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng still wore a smile: "I think that besides tearing books and smashing teapots, you should have other business."

Bi Yao's expression gradually became serious: "I do indeed have something I want to ask you."

Yu Liancheng said: "Please speak."

Bi Yao said word by word: "Do you know Yu Liancheng?" After speaking, she stared fixedly at the White-robed Divine Monk's face, hoping to find some clues on it.

However, this handsome face still carried a faint smile, and his tone was no different from before: "I know him."

Bi Yao stood up abruptly and said excitedly: "Really?"

Yu Liancheng nodded: "Really."

Light flickered in Bi Yao's beautiful eyes, and her tone carried excitement and a trace of trembling: "Where, where is he?"

"He is here." This time Yu Liancheng did not keep her in suspense; he looked at Bi Yao with a smile, his gaze filled with a trace of nostalgia, and pointed to himself: "I am Yu Liancheng."

He had already recovered most of his memories, so he naturally knew that the girl before him was Bi Yao.

If not for this, he would not have teased her earlier.

Years ago, in the Wind and Cloud world, after he wiped out the Great Demon God and the Great Master, he considered entering the next world. Now that he had a certain degree of control over the Stone Gate, he came to the "Zhu Xian" world in advance to take a look. At that time, he was transported to Six Fox Cave, saved Bi Yao and her mother, and taught Bi Yao the embryonic form of the Strange and Treacherous Dao.

And after obtaining Heavenly Book Volume Two from the Ghost King, he returned to the Wind and Cloud world.

Seeing Bi Yao again now, the little girl from back then had become an adult, making one unable to help but feel that time passes like a fleeting horse.

Bi Yao's pretty face sank slightly, clouds gathering; anyone could see she was angry. But in the next moment, she suddenly beamed with a smile, revealing a pure and brilliant little face: "I finally found you, Uncle Yu, I missed you so much."

As she spoke, appearing emotionally moved, she opened her slender arms, her green sleeves fluttering slightly, and was about to give Yu Liancheng a hug. Her smile was like a flower, and the faint, orchid-like fragrance on the young girl's body already rushed to his nose.

However, when the two were extremely close, the young girl's slender hands formed a seal, and a faint radiance first appeared, shrouding the entire room. Immediately after, two wisps of black Qi emerged from the void and darted over like snakes.

At the same time, a sheet of silver-gray light fell behind Yu Liancheng, shrouding his entire person.

……

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