Chapter 208

"Senior, does opening the Dragon Vein mean planting a seed for me?"

"No."

True Person Qixia sized up Xie Jinhuan, who showed not the slightest fear:

"Based on my Daoist experience, if you have this foundation, you'll have it upon leaving the mountain; if you don't, even if I open your spine for you, you still won't. Let me try first."

As the words fell, a wisp of golden light surged from True Person Qixia's brow, spreading thread by thread forward, gradually merging into her body.

Xie Jinhuan sensed something surging in; he initially expected a fierce impact within his body, followed by his limbs and bones being reshaped by overwhelming power, and so on.

But it was not so; he only felt the light flowing in, as if something within him had been awakened, and a vague throbbing pain appeared all over his body.

Then changes occurred in his limbs and bones; every fiber of muscle, every bone, even his meridians and internal organs, were awakened. The efficiency of his bodily functions visibly accelerated, and in an instant, it exceeded the limits of ordinary humans...

True Person Qixia looked into Xie Jinhuan's eyes, discovering faint threads of silver radiance hidden deep within those cold-as-frozen-spring pupils; her expression was even more surprised than Xie Jinhuan's:

"It seems it really is there! Then we might have been taught by the same reclusive old demon. However, you seem to have left the mountain too early. You have talent, but it hasn't been cultivated yet, so you cannot wield it."

Xie Jinhuan was initially quite delighted, but soon realized the efficiency of his body's operation was growing stronger and stronger; his current 'parts' simply couldn't hold up. Taking a slight breath created a whirlpool in his Qi Sea; if he were to use the Coiled Dragon Horizontal Ridge technique, he estimated it would burst his chest open, splashing Bai Mao the Daoist Nun with a body full of blood...

Sensing he was about to explode, Xie Jinhuan hurriedly said:

"Alright, alright, Senior, please withdraw your divine power..."

True Person Qixia merely moved her mind slightly, and the overwhelming pressure scattered with the wind; the mountain peak returned to normal. She stepped forward and pinched her arm with her hand:

"Muscles are loose, bones are brittle; indeed, it cannot withstand it. You must first cross the threshold of Heaven and Man before you can gradually master this talent. By rights, you should have left the mountain only after entering Super Rank. With your kung fu not yet in place, what use is coming out this early?"

Xie Jinhuan woke up in the Demon-Suppressing Tomb and didn't even know where he had left the mountain; he shrugged slightly:

"I'm not entirely clear either. Um... I'm already at First Rank now, not far from Super Rank. I'll work harder in the future and strive to raise my foundation as soon as possible."

True Person Qixia had come to test him so Xie Jinhuan could fight in the arena tomorrow, but with a foundation that crumbled at a mere touch, truly opening him up would cause Xie Jinhuan to die on the spot. She could only press her finger to his forehead:

"Within the range you can withstand, I will awaken a tiny bit of your talent. However, this is insufficient to let you defeat the Five Directions Divine Gifts that have been nurtured for years; at most, it will let you withstand the killing qi and explode with greater strength. To win, you must still find a way yourself."

As she spoke, Xie Jinhuan felt the Qi mechanism surge into his brow, traveling down the main meridians. First, it pried open certain hard-to-detect channels, then sealed them, locking seven major acupoints in front and back.

"Is this the Seven Stars Nail?"

"Yes. The Seven Stars Nail was originally for me to seal myself to prevent self-harm. Later, I modified it to seal the blood of evil demons and outsiders... blood for blood!"

"?"

Xie Jinhuan felt it was sealing a bunch of evil Daoists, throwing them together for a blood sacrifice and alchemical refinement!

After all, when normal people deal with evil Daoists, they either catch them and grind their bones to dust, or smash their shells and lock them away in Lei Chi.

Spending effort and energy to seal an evil Daoist's cultivation without damaging their physique—wasn't this exactly the method evil Daoists used to capture sacrificial offerings...

As True Person Qixia sequentially planted the Seven Stars Nails, Xie Jinhuan felt his physique return to normal, no different from the beginning. He asked:

"And then?"

True Person Qixia spoke with deep concern: "Planting the Seven Stars Nails is to prevent you from injuring yourself later by using too much force. I am sealing the channels for you in advance. When you open the Dragon Vein on your own and encounter a bottleneck during use, it means your physique cannot withstand it and you must stop squeezing. It also prevents you from exploding immediately if you take potent pills that cause a sudden surge in cultivation while your physique hasn't caught up.

"Of the channels, fifty percent are sealed at Tiantou. The remaining six stars each occupy eight percent. If you unlock Yaoguang now, the effect will be roughly the limit your physique can currently withstand, but the consumption is too great; it won't last long, and you must seal it again after use. When you enter Super Rank, you can unlock Yang; in the mid-stage, you unlock Yuheng, and so on. Once you fully master it, you can display power comparable to a True Dragon, but that is quite far off..."

Eight percent is eight percent; Xie Jinhuan had just tried it and felt it was already terrifying. If it were one hundred percent, he would probably take off right then and there.

However, according to Bai Mao the Daoist Nun's words, if he went all out, his cultivation would have to rival Wei Wu Yi's, which was indeed quite distant. He nodded and bowed respectfully:

"Understood. It's getting late; why don't I escort Senior back to rest?"

True Person Qixia knew Xie Jinhuan had a fate with her grand-disciple whom he had never met, but looking at the cultivation records, that grand-disciple was having trouble keeping up with Xie Jinhuan.

As the grand-mother, now that she had awakened, how could she only help Xie Jinhuan and neglect her own cub?

"No rush. I will go meet a few old friends; I will return shortly."

"Uh, Senior's body is not yet fully healed. If..."

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, he looked up, only to find the mountain peak empty; where was Bai Mao the Daoist Nun?

?

Xie Jinhuan looked around, shrugged slightly, and was almost used to it. He could only return to Mount Zihui on his own, but scanning the endless mountains of 'a thousand mountains, no birds flying; ten thousand paths, no human traces,' he paused his steps slightly:

"Where has this sent me again? Meiqiu?... Ghost Wife?"

The wilds were silent; there was no response...

—

On the other side, Liangzhou.

A dilapidated yellow earth courtyard sat on the Gobi Desert; the old well in the yard had long dried up, and the original houses were reduced to waist-high, cracked earth walls.

The night wind swept across the Gobi Desert, kicking up dust and dryness, carrying the faint sound of a monk's robe fluttering:

Pfft-pfft~

Monk Master Fa Chen lay in the cracked courtyard. His consciousness had awakened at some unknown time. He squinted at the vast starry sky, a look of confusion in his eyes, rose, looked around left and right, and then fixed his gaze on the broken wall.

Before the wall, an old monk draped in a kasaya stood in the wind and sand, leaning on a Nine-Dragon Zen Staff. The kasaya fluttered in the wind, just like the very first moment they met.

The only difference was that both of their faces now bore many more traces of time...

Monk Master Fa Chen's eyes were somewhat dazed as he stood up:

"Why didn't you kill me? Preparing to be compassionate once again?"

Monk Wuxin spun his prayer beads in his hand, his tone as fatherly and master-like as in days past:

"Your master only wanted to know: you have wisdom roots, so why did you commit such great evil?"

Monk Master Fa Chen was already beyond redemption and no longer suppressed the words buried in his heart for many years; he sneered:

"Master, you were cautious and timid, thinking that by 'abiding by the right path, not fighting or grabbing, and urging people toward goodness,' others would thank you, the imperial court would revere you, and all sects could coexist peacefully. But what was the result? Leaving aside what state the Zen Meditation Sect ended up in, you couldn't even persuade me.

"Forty years ago, my father practiced the evil Dao to refine the 'Human Origin Pill' to extend my mother's life. He killed dozens of people. Before you caught him and executed him, he begged you to take care of his wife and child.

"Master, with your compassionate heart, knowing we were enemies with irreconcilable hatred, you still took my mother and me back to Tiantai Temple. You didn't cut the roots and remove the grass, and you even treated me, this 'innocent little child,' as your own, raising and teaching me deeply.

"But I was only six years old at the time. I watched helplessly as my father turned to ash behind that wall, and I watched my mother, with no medicine to treat her, wither away like a dried branch and pass away."

"Master, you believe treating others kindly can transform them, causing them to lay down their knives and instantly become enlightened."

"But my father killed to save my mother—no matter how many sins he committed, how can I, his son, regard him as evil? My mother never forgot making me several pairs of cloth shoes before she died; how can I renounce the past and claim pure detachment?"

The Monk Wuxin listened in silence, then softly sighed as he turned his prayer beads.

"Then do you think your master has erred?"

"You haven't erred!"

The Monk Master Fa Chen's expression was calm.

"You treated me as both disciple and son; I respect you, and I've strained every fiber of my being to learn the Buddha's teachings. But I have talent, not wisdom's root, and certainly not your noble heart. Even if my parents committed a thousand wrongs, I must avenge their blood feud!"

"I am like this—and so are all beings beyond the temple walls! You treat others with kindness, yet the Daoist sects step on your face; the imperial court sees your gentleness and summons you when needed, dismisses you when done. I regard you as my foster father; even knowing you're blameless, I still hold no gratitude. How can you expect outsiders to let go? Only you cling to the delusion of Buddhist cultivation—the world outside walks the path of the strong devouring the weak!"

The Monk Wuxin nodded gently.

"You're urging your master to turn back from his folly?" The Monk Master Fa Chen replied: "I dragged the entire Chan Ding Sect into eternal ruin to avenge my parents—and in doing so, I truly urge you to abandon your unrealistic ideals. The world is not as you imagine it."

The Monk Wuxin turned his prayer beads, silent for a long while, then leaned on his staff and stepped closer; his drowsy eyes now held a trace of sorrow.

"Foolish child, I have lived over a hundred years, been taught by countless elders of the orthodox path, and slain innumerable cunning demons. How could you think you must teach me what cultivation truly is?"

The Monk Master Fa Chen laughed bitterly.

"If you know this, why still cling to unrealistic ideals—believing kindness toward others can redeem the world?"

Crack~

The Monk Wuxin planted his staff into the ground, sat cross-legged before it, and sighed softly.

"You're too young, seeing only black or white, oversimplifying things. The He family case involved all sects and schools. He Tianqi and Lu Wu Zhen were merely surface figures."

"Behind He Tianqi stand not only the demonic Daoists, but also the Wu Sect, the Buddhist order, and possibly even martial sects. And you—you are the one who brought the Buddhist order into this."

"The demonic Daoists seek to incite conflict among the sects and unearth the Corpse Ancestor's tomb; the Wu Sect aims to enter the Central Plains; your goal is revenge against your master."

"These three seem unrelated, but if one controls the monarch, all three goals can be achieved simultaneously—hence the fabricated 'He family' emerged from the Wu-Demonic alliance."

"Had things proceeded smoothly, the Crown Prince would ascend, the He family seize power; the Wu Sect would return to the Central Plains under the new emperor; the demonic Daoists would revive by unearthing the Corpse Ancestor's tomb; you would enter the scheme, shoulder the guilt, and drag the entire Chan Ding Sect into eternal ruin."

"Though afterward the Wu Sect and demonic Daoists would inevitably clash, all three would have achieved their initial aims. Am I not correct?"

As Altar Master, Master Fa Chen knew only the broad outline—but this reconstruction, analyzing from each side's interests, was indeed reasonable.

The Monk Wuxin continued:

"But unfortunately, Xie Jinhuan became an 'unknown variable' in Jingcheng, uprooting the He family's external relatives and hidden agents. The He family lost many wings and can no longer control the imperial court."

Moreover, after the incident, the late Emperor's actions—rigorously investigating his beloved wife and children, and secretly meeting the Pill King before his death—made the shadowy master realize the late Emperor was unyielding. Even if he left only one heir, the Crown Prince might not ascend, and even if he did, he'd be closely watched by all sects.

"Thus, the plan to control Daqian became unfeasible. Mingshen Sect retreated, settling instead for unearthing the Corpse Ancestor's tomb and spying on the Qilin Cave and other secrets."

Even if your master and Fan Li had both read the 'Imperial Secret Scripture,' the shadowy master would never have unearthed the Corpse Ancestor's tomb solely for your sake.

"They must first use the new monarch to let the Wu Sect enter the Central Plains, incite conflict among the sects, then strike. Unearthing it prematurely would only 'alert the snake.'"

"The Crown Prince did see the Imperial Secret Scripture—but Mingshen Sect doesn't know if it's real or fake, nor the defenses of the Corpse Ancestor's tomb. So they needed someone to test it. The tomb won't run; once its location is confirmed, digging later is just as good."

"Since it was a test, Mingshen Sect couldn't risk its own strength—so you stepped in."

At this point, the Monk Wuxin looked earnestly at his disciple.

"That day in the underground palace, I did not read the Imperial Secret Scripture. Whether He Tianqi knew this, I'm unsure—but you certainly did not."

"If you had known, you wouldn't have obeyed He Tianqi's orders, for that would only help the demonic Daoists verify the forgery—it wouldn't destroy me or the Chan Ding Sect."

The Monk Master Fa Chen trembled.

"You didn't read it?"

The Monk Wuxin silently shook his head and continued:

"You didn't care about life or death—you only wanted to enter the scheme, make me speechless. Upon receiving the order, you led a band of followers straight to Mount Zihui."

"The outcome was obvious: you fell into an ambush. He Tianqi knew the Imperial Secret Scripture was forged; the Crown Prince had lost all value and walked away. The Wu Sect's puppeteer behind the false Crown Prince never showed his face. Only you—the Buddhist outcast—remained here."

Master Fa Chen knew this reconstruction matched reality closely. He had been betrayed by He Tianqi. He spoke low and heavy:

So what if I was cast aside? My goal was to overthrow you and the Chan Ding Sect. I am your rightful heir. After committing such monstrous evil, whether or not you read the Imperial Secret Scripture, you cannot escape blame…

The Monk Wuxin raised his hand slightly and continued:

"I tell you this only to show I understand your notion of 'the cultivation path.'"

"Now let me tell you why I treat others kindly, why I seek no conflict."

"The Chan Ding Sect's doctrine is 'stillness': first, the mind remains unmoved; second, one remains unmoved by circumstances. Whoever moves is disturbed."

"Lu Wu Zhen sought Daoist supremacy, forcing other sects into remote corners; Wei Wu Yi, oppressed and resentful, schemed to root himself in Jingcheng; you sought to restore the Chan Ding Sect, launched the 'Golden Sutra Transformation,' and even resented me for ignoring you."

"But what was the result? Everyone was busy fighting among themselves, giving the demonic Daoists and Wu Sect openings. Lu Wu Zhen wasn't incapable of monitoring demons and devils—but with all sects stirring, he was busy watching the Buddhists, guarding against Confucians, and boosting the Danding Sect's prestige. How much energy did he have left for real matters?"

"I merely cultivated the Buddha's way at TianTai Temple. There was no need to fight. I advised Lu Wu Zhen, but he wouldn't listen. A single tree cannot hold back a storm; he'd inevitably slip. Then he'd 'awaken' himself—and the imperial court would summon the Buddhist order. Your years of effort achieve less than one mistake by Lu Wu Zhen."

Master Fa Chen stared at the old monk before him, brow furrowed.

"If Xie Jinhuan hadn't been this variable—if the He family had truly seized the Emperor and sparked conflict among the sects, unearthed the Corpse Ancestor's tomb—wouldn't you, as Zhang Sect, have committed a great evil by standing idle?"

The Monk Wuxin shook his head.

"That day, I didn't read the Imperial Secret Scripture because I believed the sect elders wouldn't be so foolish as to entrust the Corpse Ancestor's tomb to the Emperor and the Imperial Censor. The Emperor and Censor should know everything—but what can they do once they know? Only leak it."

"To me, the Emperor and Censor are bait. The He family plotted for decades to control Daqian, yet what they unearthed might be nothing but another recluse in seclusion—or an empty coffin. The situation wouldn't differ from now. As for provoking conflict among the sects—if I remain still, how can he stir it?"

?

Master Fa Chen had never considered the possibility that even the true Imperial Secret Scripture was fake. His brow tightened.

"Master, aren't you afraid the elders weren't so wise—that the demonic Daoists might truly unearth the Corpse Ancestor?"

The Monk Wuxin shook his head, his gaze like that of one looking at a foolish child.

"Even if the elders were foolish and already ascended, even if Mingshen Sect unearthed the Corpse Ancestor—do you think my two decades of silent cultivation cannot suppress a spirit stripped of its body, drained of a hundred years of Nascent Soul energy?"

Your 'cultivation path' is merely the martial world's struggle for dominance, deceit, and betrayal—it is not 'cultivation' at all.

"True cultivation means you urge others toward goodness—even if they refuse. But when they suffer, you must still have the power to save them."

「……」

Fa Chen fell utterly silent.

Wuxin Monk rose slowly, leaning on his knees, and walked toward the Gobi Desert:

"Life is but a dream passed, worldly affairs like clouds abound. Lay down the butcher's knife, cultivate Buddha-nature's peace. A clear heart keeps dust afar, a still mind polishes wisdom's root. Henceforth I return to meditative stillness, idly watching time slip away…"

Tap, tap…

Clad in a cassock, leaning on the Nine-Dragon Chan Staff, he chanted a Chan Sect poem, fading into the Gobi's wind and sand.

Fa Chen sat where he was, staring blankly at the retreating figure.

The last time he heard this poem, he had walked beside the old monk, holding his hand, while the old monk carried his gravely ill mother on his back—he only knew this was a revered monk.

But only now did he truly understand why this kind-hearted monk could lead the Great Qian Buddhist Order…

……

Boom—

Not long after, a muffled thud echoed from the ruined courtyard.

This karmic thread ended, gradually buried beneath the sands of time…

——

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