Chapter 589: Two Faces (13)

"This disciple takes his leave."

"Mm, go."

Jiexing suppressed the thousand thoughts in his mind, slowly stood up, bowed once more to the Fozhu, and turned to leave.

The Fozhu did not care about the disciple's departure; he waved his hand, then turned back to continue tending to the Bodhi tree, carefully watering it.

"..." Just as he was about to walk out of the cave, Jiexing could not help but look back stealthily.

The young monk stood beneath the blood-stained Bodhi tree. In the shadow cast by the blood Bodhi, his face seemed both Buddha and Demon, his eyes deep, as if they could see through the human heart.

Within the soil beneath the Bodhi tree, a dark, bloody aura faintly circulated, giving one a feeling that was both sacred and evil.

Although no one was chanting, one could hear the sounds of countless monks chanting echoing in the cave. The young monk looked up at the blood Bodhi, those bottomless eyes seemingly able to discern all things in the world. The Bodhi tree behind him swayed gently in the wind, its leaves rustling as if accompanying him.

Under the dancing shadows of the tree, the young monk seemed to possess two faces.

One face was serene, peaceful, and tranquil, making one feel warm and comfortable.

The other was incomparably icy, like the dead of winter, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

Which side was real? Which side was fake?

Vaguely, Jiexing felt a gaze from beneath the Fozhu's shadow.

Jiexing immediately withdrew his gaze, hunched his back, lowered his head, and walked away quickly.

Even after returning completely to his usual standing position, Jiexing's emotions had not yet stabilized.

The shock of today was a bit too much for him.

The Fozhu was actually a member of the Butian Alliance, and furthermore, the Four Symbols Lord, second only to the Alliance Leader...

Ever since the Fozhu was completely resurrected a hundred years ago, everything had changed.

Everyone knew that he was no longer the original Fozhu; the one who walked out of that body was definitely not the kind old man of the past.

That was... a monster.

A cruel monster without tears or blood, hiding beneath a mask of feigned compassion.

He allowed the Western Desert to fall into chaos and let all of Shenzhou sink into suffering, but he never cared. All he needed was endless fresh blood to irrigate that withered Bodhi branch that had been dead for countless years.

Jiexing was an eyewitness to all of that back then, and even more so, he had been by the Fozhu's side for these hundred years; his understanding of this point was the most profound.

He had always wanted to know the Fozhu's origins and understand what kind of existence this was, but he had gained nothing.

Yet who would have thought that the secret he had searched for in vain would be obtained so effortlessly!

Today, he had actually obtained such precious information from the Fozhu's own mouth—he had another identity, as a member of the Butian Alliance!

Although the current information could not prove anything one hundred percent, it was a breakthrough point that could help him discover more once he found a line of reasoning.

"... I will definitely uncover your identity." Jiexing hid this thought in the bottom of his heart, not daring to reveal even a fraction. On the surface, he remained indifferent, watching the banquet taking place throughout Spirit Mountain.

After a moment, Zen Master Tunjin walked to his side and handed over a blood-colored crystal: "Lord Buddha's Son, this is today's essence blood. Should I hand it to you, or should I send it directly to the Buddha Lord?"

"... Hand it to me first. I just left the Fozhu's side; do not go and disturb him again. I will bring it when I go tomorrow."

"Understood."

Jiexing took the blood crystal. The moment he touched it, a flash of scarlet crossed his eyes, but it quickly vanished. With a normal expression, he put the blood crystal away and asked indifferently: "By the way, regarding the outsider mentioned last time, do you have any other news on your end?"

"Although there is some, it is still not enough, and most of the news is incorrect." Zen Master Tunjin sighed and shook his head, his expression looking very serious, but appearing somewhat comical due to his overly plump appearance. He then added: "Zen Master Qinghuai woke up from his state of severe injury and coma yesterday, but he refuses to speak a word about what happened. Lord Buddha's Son, why don't you go and ask him yourself?"

After receiving the news of the death of Venerable Qingzhan, Zen Master Qinghuai had gone to find the enemy, but in the end, not only did he fail to find the enemy, he fell into a severe injury, and only after struggling to reach a Lingyu Sect stronghold did he fall into a coma.

There were no signs of any struggle on his body, yet a powerhouse had fallen into a coma just like that... What exactly happened at that time?

This bizarre situation truly made everyone in the know feel confused and shocked, and it also made Zen Master Tunjin, who had originally looked down on the outsider, feel nervous.

However, the two did not get along, so even if Zen Master Tunjin went to ask, he wouldn't get anything out of him. It would be better for the Buddha's Son to go; at least for the sake of the Buddha Lord, he might say a little more.

"Mm, I understand." Jiexing did not refuse; he also wanted to figure out what had happened to Zen Master Qinghuai.

Was the other party's strength really that powerful?

If it really was, could it be utilized?

"Old man, take this prescription I gave you to get the medicine. Drink one dose every day at noon for a week, and you will be fully recovered after that." Mingxin released the old man's wrist, quickly wrote out a prescription, handed it to him, and said softly: "These medicinal herbs are not expensive; you must drink them on time, understand?"

"Understood, understood! Many thanks, High Monk! Many thanks, High Monk!"

After receiving the prescription, the old man was so moved that he was about to kneel down to pay his respects to Mingxin, but he was supported by him and stopped after much persuasion.

"Take care on your way, old man. Rest well during this time, and you will be completely recovered soon."

"Thank you! Thank you, Master!"

After finally sending off the grateful old man, Mingxin breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned to look at Daoist Ren, who had been standing by and observing for a long time. "Is there something you need from me, Daoist?"

"No, nothing. Just bored, so I came to see what you were doing." Ren Yidao had been chewing on a dry blade of grass; at this moment, he spat it out, sending it flying like an arrow to pierce into the sand nearby.

"Come to think of it, you seem to start these free clinics every time you arrive at a place. Is it a hobby?"

This was not the first time he had watched Mingxin provide free clinics to others, but it was the first time he had appeared voluntarily.

Because he was certain at this moment that Mingxin was not putting on a show for him, but was truly and sincerely helping these people.

"No, it is my master's order. My master once required us disciples to do our best to help the mortal believers." Mingxin smiled and packed up the tattered blanket laid out on the ground.

A worn-out wool blanket placed on the sand allowed those seeking help to sit on it, while he himself sat on the ground, directly in the sand.

"Master's order, huh? Venerable Jinglian actually has such requirements for you all."

"Mm."

"However, you seem to have no requirements for these people seeking help? Anyone will do?"

Ren Yidao found it a bit strange, because in his observations, Mingxin treated everyone who came for help equally, without any differential treatment.

Whether those people were innocent believers or evil sand bandits, whether they were devout or not, he would accept their pleas for help and provide a certain amount of assistance.

This point actually made Ren Yidao feel a bit interested.

Because according to his impression, if it were a normal Buddhism monk, he would not extend a helping hand to evil people.

If saving them would cause them to harm more people, then it would instead cause this portion of Causality to backlash onto himself, so generally, not only would he not help, he might even take the initiative to act on behalf of Heaven.

"I guessed that the Daoist might want to ask this, so I would instead like to ask the Daoist, why do you think those people cannot be saved?" Mingxin packed up his things, carried his bundle on his back, and walked with Ren Yidao toward the place where everyone was staying.

"Hey, you guy, are you ever going to stop! I've said it so many times, don't answer a question with a question!" Ren Yidao glared at him irritably; this little Novice Monk was fine in every other way, but this point made people's heads ache a bit, as he always liked to speak in Zen riddles.

"Hehe, in any case, the Daoist doesn't care about such small matters, so let this little monk take this advantage."

Tch.

Ren Yidao curled his lips; he indeed, as Mingxin said, did not care much about such small matters, and in the end, he compromised again, saying: "Causality and retribution, isn't that what you Buddhism people like to emphasize? Good people doing good deeds get good fruits, evil people doing evil deeds get evil fruits; helping good people can also get good fruits, while helping evil people will result in receiving the evil fruits together."

"Not to mention anything far off, just take that group of sand bandits you saved today; since you are now helping these sand bandits, aren't you worried that they will go to rob merchant caravans tomorrow? Or kill innocent commoners?"

"Don't tell me they have already washed their hands of it; let's speak plainly, the murderous aura on them makes it impossible for them to just stop so honestly, and even if they wanted to, others wouldn't allow them to just quit like that."

Why is it that some people find it hard to turn back after falling into evil? Besides the fact that desires are hard to satisfy, it is even more because once you reach that environment and stage, it is not something you can easily stop just because you want to.

If that group of sand bandits were to quit, the people who suffered harm from them would take revenge, and their fellow sand bandits would also kick them while they were down; they would have no place to stay on either side.

Therefore, many so-called fallen ones have only one choice, and that is to walk one path until the end, eventually falling on this road, with no choice to withdraw.

"Yes, they will not be like what they promised me; they will absolutely plunder others again." Mingxin was very calm when speaking of these things; he had no intention of concealing them, and even less of a thought to deceive.

"Even, if it weren't for the fact that this little monk has sufficient strength, they even had the thought of kidnapping this little monk to the stronghold to be a dedicated physician, and if this little monk were a nun, the outcome would be even more miserable."

He understood; these things, he understood them all.

"Since you understand all of this, then why save them?"

Mingxin's reaction made Ren Yidao even more confused; he really felt a bit curious.

Since you understand it all, then why?

There must be a reason.

"Because..."

Mingxin stopped his steps, pressed his palms together, and said softly:

"All things and all matters have two sides."