Chapter 596: Sophistry (23)

"Since you, Fozi, have already tacitly allowed his existence, why is it that your Protector still does not appear?"

"I saw him make a move before, and even I could not recognize his aura; this is truly astonishing!"

Nun Qixing smiled, like a woman chatting with a younger generation, and asked incessantly: "This poor nun is very curious, I wonder who exactly this friend is? Why are they unwilling to come out and meet us?"

"Or could it be that your Protector has some unspeakable secret that makes it inconvenient for them to show themselves? If that is the case, then consider it this poor nun being meddlesome."

Nun Qixing appeared warm, but in reality, every sentence contained coercion; the implication between the lines was that Mingxin's Protector was problematic.

As if remembering something, she mentioned intentionally or unintentionally: "By the way, I heard that outsiders have recently entered the Western Desert. You young disciples should still be more careful; you must not make a mistake at such a time and become associated with them."

The nun seemed to have said nothing, merely advising a younger generation not to make mistakes, yet she also seemed to have said everything; everyone could understand the hidden meaning in her words.

This caused others who had been silently observing the scene to have a question mark in their hearts.

Yes, why does that mysterious Protector behind Mingxin never appear?

Who is he?

Is he unwilling to appear? Or does he not dare to appear?

For an existence like this, possessing such powerful strength, why has there been no reputation of him in the Western Desert before?

Especially in these troubled times, it is hard not to let one's thoughts wander.

But a portion of people also understood that Nun Qixing was deliberately guiding the crowd's thinking to smear Mingxin, wanting to create a stain on him.

And Mingxin, as the person involved, was naturally even clearer—this was not a smear or mud-slinging, but a bloody reality.

Yet he appeared very calm, smiled, did not interrupt halfway, and waited until Nun Qixing had finished speaking before slowly opening his mouth.

"Many thanks for Master Qixing's concern; this disciple has been instructed."

He first performed a salute, then asked: "I have one matter I wish to ask Master Qixing."

Mingxin did not answer directly, but chose the method Ren Yidao despised most, yet was also most skilled at: "using a question to answer a question."

With a sincere expression, he asked Qixing very respectfully:

"I wonder what cultivation technique Master Qixing practices? Does it have any fatal weaknesses?"

"This disciple is truly very curious; could I ask Master Qixing to clear up this disciple's confusion?"

After Mingxin finished speaking, he smiled sincerely, but that smile became so detestable in the eyes of Nun Qixing.

"This..." Nun Qixing's expression changed; she understood what Mingxin was about to do. Her complexion turned somewhat ugly, and she said in a deep voice: "This is not the same thing!"

"No, you are wrong; this is exactly the same thing."

Mingxin smiled, shook his head, and said: "Master Qixing also knows the meaning of a Protector. If a Protector cannot protect their disciple, or if their weaknesses are known to outsiders, it will pose a great threat to the disciple's safety."

"Likewise, if Master Qixing's fatal weaknesses are known to others, you would also be in the same position."

"Therefore, these two matters are actually the same."

You are sophistry!

Nun Qixing wanted to retort loudly, but Mingxin did not give her the chance, continuing: "If Master Qixing insists on knowing the identity of this disciple's Protector, this disciple can inform you. But after informing you, if this disciple meets with trouble on Spirit Mountain, or if any accident occurs on Spirit Mountain, then this disciple can only suspect that it was done by you, or that you instigated others to do it."

"Regarding this matter, everyone present can bear witness. I wonder what you think of this?"

!!!

Qixing had originally wanted to agree, but upon second thought, if she knew, and this guy then staged a play on Spirit Mountain, wouldn't she be unable to explain herself and automatically become the prime suspect?

"You!?" Nun Qixing realized the other party was setting a trap for her. Her expression turned gloomy, she completely tore off the mask on her face, and said coldly: "You dare to provoke me? Your master would have to call me Senior Sister when he saw me back then!"

"This disciple naturally would not dare." Mingxin calmly shook his head and said gently: "It is just that since Master Qixing has already participated in this Fozi competition, we are competitors. Is it not a bit excessive for you to want me to reveal my secret based on just one sentence?"

"Furthermore, if Master Qixing has any evidence to prove that this disciple's Protector is an outsider, please inform Spirit Mountain so that Spirit Mountain may punish this disciple."

"But if there is no evidence, then can this disciple also suspect that Master Qixing is colluding with outsiders and is here to divert their attention?"

From beginning to end, Mingxin did not fall into the trap of self-justification; he did not try hard to explain his innocence—even though he was not innocent.

Instead, he raised a question that was equally fatal.

It is simple: whoever makes the claim must provide the proof.

You can smear me, and I can smear you.

Nun Qixing's complexion was ugly; she naturally had no evidence. Her previous words were merely an attempt to use momentum to force out the Protector behind Mingxin.

It did not matter whether the other party's Protector was truly an outsider; once a Protector is exposed, they lose their mystery, and the threat is greatly reduced.

Furthermore, this experience of compromising under pressure would also affect Mingxin's Dao Heart—this was Nun Qixing's true goal.

The next stage tests Buddhism.

This stage requires clarifying one's own Buddhism and has very high requirements for the Dao Heart. If Mingxin is affected at this stage, even if it is only a tiny bit, it will cause a great difference in the results of the subsequent competition.

Nun Qixing had originally been certain of victory in the Fozi competition, feeling that with her strength, no one could be her opponent, and she would steadily become the next Fozi.

But who knew that in the very first stage, she would be suppressed by an unknown kid relying on someone else's help!

This caused alarm bells to ring in her heart, her sense of crisis surged, and she wanted to use all her strength to curb his momentum.

But she did not expect that the other party would not be affected in the slightest, would not step into the trap she set, and in the end, even turned the tables, forcing her into an awkward position instead.

At this moment, her own Dao Heart was actually the one affected!

After Mingxin finished asking his question, he waited for a while. Seeing Nun Qixing's face turn black and white, and seeing she did not intend to answer, he finally shook his head, performed a salute, and said: "Since Master Qixing is unwilling to clear up this disciple's confusion, then please forgive this disciple for being unable to disclose the details of my Protector."

"This disciple will take his leave."

After Mingxin finished speaking, he no longer looked at Nun Qixing's expression, nodded to the guide who had been waiting for a long time, and followed him toward Spirit Mountain.

Only Nun Qixing was left standing in place; it took her a long time to calm her mood, and she let out an angry snort.

"Hmph!"

She did not need anyone to lead the way; she knew where to go herself.

She now had to hurry to her residence on the mountainside; she needed to properly adjust her Dao Heart.

……

……

On the other side, led by the dharma protector, Mingxin traveled all the way up, eventually passing through a doorway alone and arriving at the summit of Spirit Mountain.

The scenery at the summit was different from the extravagance at the foot of the mountain and the heaviness at the waist; it was very quiet here.

The summit seemed to retain the original style of Spirit Mountain; although the buildings were equally magnificent, one could clearly feel an atmosphere of silence.

Mingxin looked back and down, feeling as if he had arrived in another world.

After passing through that door, he could no longer hear the noisy banquets at the foot of the mountain, nor the chanting rising and falling at the waist; there was nothing at the summit, only the sound of a light breeze brushing past his ears.

"..."

Mingxin bowed toward the higher reaches of the summit, then, without needing anyone to lead the way, naturally found the cave abode with the open door.

After entering the cave abode, Mingxin sealed it, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, and quickly entered deep meditation.

After waiting for a while, Mingxin was told that everything was safe and confirmed that no one was secretly monitoring him, so he let out a sigh of relief.

Thinking of the thrill of his confrontation with the nun Qixing just now, he felt a lingering fear, shook his head, and muttered to himself: "Daoist, thanks to you being there, you really are... well, eloquent."

The Bell hanging from Mingxin's waist swayed gently, and a divine sense emanated from within, ringing faintly in the depths of his heart: 【"Wait a moment, you were just about to say 'sharp-tongued', weren't you?"】

Mingxin was silent for a moment, then shook his head in denial: "... No, you are overthinking it."

Admitting it was out of the question; it was absolutely impossible to admit it.

"Thanks to your secret guidance, Daoist, otherwise, this monk would have really been led by the nose by Master Qixing." Mingxin felt a bit emotional; even if he wouldn't necessarily have been exposed on his own, he wouldn't have been able to come up with so many counterattacks and would have fallen into a disadvantageous position.

"This is normal. After all, you aren't someone who specializes in playing with schemes and tricks; it is perfectly normal to be unskilled at this."

Ren Yidao's figure appeared in the cave abode, sitting casually on a pure gold desk, and then he couldn't help but sigh at the ostentatiousness of these bald monks.

Even the desk is pure gold; you guys are truly rich!

Watching Ren Yidao's figure, Mingxin couldn't help but shake his head slightly; the way he said that... it was as if he were the one who played with schemes and tricks.

In his view, someone with a kind heart like Ren Yidao could never be that kind of evil person.

"So we have already entered Spirit Mountain, and in one step, we arrived directly at the highest point." Ren Yidao observed the cave abode for a circle, then developed a strong interest in the outside world, "Which means we can now easily explore the secret grounds of Spirit Mountain."

This saved quite a bit of trouble, not having to cross checkpoints layer by layer, though it lacked a bit of the fun of being a thief, which was a slight imperfection.

"Daoist, you want to go out? This is the summit of Spirit Mountain; aren't you worried about being exposed?" Mingxin was a bit worried; after all, this was Spirit Mountain, a holy land among holy lands for someone on the monastic path like him, and he knew it had extremely tight defenses.

"It's fine~"

But Ren Yidao waved his hand, not caring at all; he didn't think he would be caught, because it wasn't his first time doing this kind of thing.

He had strolled through the Imperial Palace of the Northern Qian Dynasty and walked unimpeded through the forbidden grounds of Demon Emperor City; was this Spirit Mountain any different?

Heh, Huhu simply doesn't believe it!

"I'm going to find some oranges; you stand here and don't move, wait for me to come back." Ren Yidao dropped this sentence and flashed out, leaving Mingxin alone in the cave abode, bewildered.

"This... are there oranges on Spirit Mountain?" Mingxin pondered in confusion for a while, then stopped dwelling on it and settled his entire body and mind.

Regarding the Buddhist teachings of the next stage, he had confidence, but he still couldn't be careless and had to adjust his state to the best.

Furthermore, after learning about the Buddhist teachings of that Demon Buddha a few days ago, Mingxin had gained new insights into his own Buddhist teachings, and he had been trying to incorporate them into his own philosophy these days.

He had already made some progress before, but it was interrupted because the first stage ended; if he had one more night, perhaps he could completely digest it.

"Hmm-hm~"

After leaving the cave abode, Ren Yidao did not head straight for the forbidden grounds, but chose to hide his figure, pass through the doorway, and return to the waist of the mountain.

His instincts told him that a presence that could not be easily touched was hidden deep within Spirit Mountain; there was no need to take that risk when he wasn't sure.

"Can't afford to provoke the big shots, but besides the big shots... hehe."