Jingxin took a deep breath to calm his turbulent heart and said, “Senior Uncle Du’nan, are you saying that he…”
Vajra Du’nan replied calmly, “Apart from not knowing why the Stupa tower left with him, I can basically confirm that it was this man.”
Jingyuan, the warrior monk, said in a deep voice, “How- how dare he still walk the jianghu? Countless people want to kill him, he is truly brazen beyond belief.”
The monks from the Western Regions were visibly stirred, and even a Zen master like Jingxin had barely managed to control his emotions just now.
The monks of Sanhua Temple were at a loss. Abbot Panlong glanced at Jingxin and Jingyuan, then at the Protector Vajra, and asked,
“Senior Brother Du’nan, you recognise this person?”
Vajra Du’nan did not answer directly, his tone deepened as he said, “Everyone, leave the room. Do not approach.”
The monks exchanged glances, rose in silence, pressed their palms together, bowed, and departed from the meditation room.
Once everyone had left, Vajra Du’nan took a bronze mirror from his robes, carved with the fierce visage of Vajra on its back, and placed it on the meditation cushion beside him.
He moved his lips, silently chanting an incantation. Soon, the bronze mirror emitted a gentle golden light that struck the beam above.
Within the golden light, a slightly indistinct Dharma Aspect sat cross-legged.
This Dharma Aspect was golden throughout, without beard, eyebrows, or visible features, as though forged from pure gold, with knotted muscles radiating strength.
As it appeared, the room filled with a pure, formidable aura, as massive and weighty as a mountain, as vast as the sea, not the manifestation of power, but the significance the Dharma Aspect represented.
“Agaruka Bodhisattva!”
Vajra Du’nan pressed his hands together, bowed his head slightly in salute.
Agaruka, the leader of the four great Bodhisattvas.
He wielded the Vajra Dharma Aspect and the Immovable Sage Dharma Aspect and was the number one combatant in the Buddhist sect.
The renowned, unrivalled defensive Vajra Divine Art was a simplified version of the Vajra Dharma Aspect.
“What is it?”
Though the Dharma Aspect did not open its mouth, an ethereal, majestic voice echoed in the void.
“The Buddha Son has appeared. How should this be handled?”
Vajra Du’nan recounted in detail the dispute over the Dragon Qi and the loss of the Stupa tower.
The Vajra Dharma Aspect furrowed its brows for a moment, then spoke slowly, “Summon me again in a quarter of an hour.”
After saying this, the Vajra Dharma Aspect vanished.
A quarter of an hour later… Vajra Du’nan realised that Agaruka Bodhisattva would be summoning the senior Buddhist clergy to discuss the matter.
On the sacred Mount Ananda, aside from the Dharmapara Bodhisattva who had been missing for over three hundred years, there were two Arhats, two Vajras, and three Bodhisattvas at present. Of these, the two Vajras and one Arhat firmly supported Agaruka Bodhisattva and the Hinayana doctrine.
Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and Arhat Du’e advocated for abandoning Hinayana and cultivating Mahayana.
Vaidurya Bodhisattva belonged to the neutral faction but leaned more towards Mahayana; otherwise, she would not have personally travelled to the Great Feng to try and bring the Buddha Son back to Ananda.
…
“Amitabha!”
Outside, Abbot Panlong asked in puzzlement, “Junior Nephew Jingxin, does this Xu Qian have yet another identity?”
He knew Xu Qian was unusual, but not what identity he was concealing. Judging from the conversation just now, it seemed that Jingxin and the others had already realised who Xu Qian truly was.
Panlong had witnessed the loss of composure from Jingxin and Jingyuan just now.
An ordinary person would hardly make two fourth-rank zen masters lose their composure like that, let alone make Vajra Du’nan dismiss everyone else.
Jingyuan snorted, “Who else could it be? Xu Qian is Xu Qi’an.”
Xu- Xu Qi’an… Abbot Panlong felt as if thunder had struck his forehead repeatedly, his expression changed several times, and only after a long moment did he recover, pressing his palms together and reciting the name of Buddha several times.
Once he was completely calm, he asked gravely, “How can you be certain? It is said that Xu Qi’an is already a third rank martial artist. If it is really him, inside the Stupa tower…”
Jingxin shook his head. “Abbot, you may not know. Xu Qi’an was struck with the Demon Sealing Nails, all his earth-shaking cultivation completely sealed. He should have been crippled. Unexpectedly, he turned to the shaman Gu arts.”
That would explain it… Panlong muttered, “No wonder, no wonder Vajra Du’nan said he had been crippled…”
He knew nothing about the Demon Sealing Nails.
After calming himself thoroughly, Abbot Panlong asked again, “Just now, Vajra Du’nan was…?”
Jingxin replied, “Abbot must have heard of the Ananda dispute.”
Abbot Panlong nodded, “That was the young man who first presented the Mahayana doctrine.”
The Buddhist sect differed from the Daoist sect; the Daoist ideas were deeply connected to methods of cultivation.
Buddhism was more idealistic.
In the eyes of some Buddhists, the Mahayana doctrine Xu Qi’an had proposed elevated the whole faith to a higher level.
Mahayana Buddhism was better suited to proselytising and was far more promising than Hinayana.
Jingxin said, “He was the founder of the Mahayana doctrine, bound to Buddhism by deep karma. If he joined the Buddhist sect, its prosperity would be destined by Heaven.”
All the more so because he bore half of the Great Feng’s fortune.
…
Inside the meditation room, the golden beam emitted by the bronze mirror once again condensed into the Vajra Dharma Aspect.
A majestic and dignified voice resounded in the meditation room:
“Arhat Duqing and Vajra Dufan will lead the faithful to the Central Plains and apprehend the Buddha Son, so that he may join the Buddhist sect. You are to assist them and must bring back the Buddha Son. Whether Buddhism spreads throughout Jiuzhou depends on whether the Buddha Son can join us.
“Anyone who stands in the way of you converting the Buddha Son, may be killed.”
As expected… Vajra Du’nan had already predicted this outcome. He pressed his hands together. “We shall follow your instructions.”
After a pause, he asked, “What about the Jianzheng…”
“There are others to deal with him. Do not concern yourselves.”
“Understood.”
“This matter must be kept secret. Do not leak any information.”
With that, the Vajra Dharma Aspect faded away.
Keep secret, do not leak… Xu Qian is still Xu Qian… Vajra Du’nan pressed his hands together and bowed in salute.
…
Inside the Stupa tower, Xu Qi’an sought out the Holy Son of Heaven Sect and said,
“The soul of the head monk of Sanhua Temple Hengyin is still here. Summon him. I need to question the spirit.”
“What do you need to summon him for? I finally managed to accumulate some soul power, it’d be a shame to waste it…” Li Lingsu, though reluctant, formed hand seals and began intoning a mantra.
Spirit summoning was an ability possessed by those of the sixth rank Yin Spirit stage. Although his cultivation was sealed, his rank remained: Li Lingsu was still fourth rank, just unable to exert any substantial power.
This was different from Xu Qi’an. After all, Dongfang Wanrong’s sealing technique could hardly compare to the Buddhist treasure, the Demon-sealing Nails.
As the spirit-summoning incantation was chanted, a sinister wind picked up on the third floor. An illusory figure appeared, with a vacant expression and a round, plump face, it was Hengyin.
Xu Qi’an nodded in satisfaction. “Step aside for now.”
Li Lingsu didn’t think much of it and made for the second floor. At the stairway, he realised no one else had moved and suddenly came to his senses.
“It’s only me that’s stepping aside?”
“Who else?” Xu Qi’an shot him a sidelong glance.
“You don’t treat me as one of your own at all.” Li Lingsu glared at him.
Tsk, men should never be partners-in-crime. I’m not the same as you, you scoundrel… Xu Qi’an waved his hand dismissively, making him go to the second floor.
When Li Lingsu’s footsteps had faded, Xu Qi’an turned to Hengyin and asked,
“Were Vajra Du’nan and the others here for the Dragon Qi?”
Hengyin replied in a wooden voice, “Yes.”
“How did they discover the Dragon Qi?”
“Many days ago, the abbot saw a dragon-shadow descend from afar and merge with the Stupa tower. Unable to learn more, he reported it to Mount Ananda.” Hengyin’s tone was hollow, matching his expression.
Xu Qi’an nodded and asked, “Does Buddhism seek to seize the Dragon Qi as well?”
Hengyin stared ahead and muttered,
“Vajra Du’nan said that after obtaining the Dragon Qi, the host would be converted and brought into the Buddhist sect.”
Converting the host of Dragon Qi into Buddhism… these bald donkeys are certainly up to something… Xu Qi’an’s heart sank. After probing a few more details, he called Li Lingsu back and dismissed Hengyin’s soul.
The Jianzheng once said, whoever controls the Dragon Qi gains the qualification to contend for the Central Plains. Xu Pingfeng wants the Dragon Qi, so does the Church of the Warlock God, and now Buddhism as well. It seems I have quite a few rivals. Perhaps I should look at it differently, they’re all competitors.
They can’t actually extract the Dragon Qi themselves, but they can ‘recruit’ its host to their camp. The effect is the same. The only problem is, when I face off against them, I can use all sorts of cunning tricks to snatch people, catching them off guard.
I need not worry about the scattered Dragon Qi, but the nine most vital Dragon Qi must be in my hands. I’ve already collected one.
Xu Qi’an immediately made a plan, deciding to postpone unlocking Shenshu for now and focus on securing the Dragon Qi first.
After all, there were far too few clues about Shenshu’s remains. Searching one by one was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Now, he urgently needed power to deal with his enemies; raising Gu was far easier and more feasible than hunting for Shenshu’s remains.
Thinking of this, he glanced at the tower spirit, the old monk, and couldn’t help remembering Dharmapara Bodhisattva, missing for over three centuries. Could the Buddhist plaque have simply fallen into my hands by chance?
I refuse to believe Dharmapara Bodhisattva predicted everything.
No, I shouldn’t think that way. I also thought the Jianzheng couldn’t foresee everything, but in the end, I was proven wrong.
The Jianzheng managed it by relying on the unique skills of the Master of Heaven’s Mandate.
But that Dharmapara Bodhisattva wielded the Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect… Until I fully understand the Great Wisdom Dharma Aspect’s abilities, I cannot jump to conclusions.
I wonder if the tower spirit can remove the Demon-sealing Nails? Hm, I shouldn’t ask outright, best to test him first.
He looked at Sun Xuanji and said, “Second Senior Brother, take them to the second floor.”
“Right!”
Sun Xuanji stamped his foot, and a teleportation array swept up Mu Nanzhi and Li Lingsu, making them vanish from the third floor.
Xu Qi’an pressed his palms together and bowed to the tower spirit monk. “Master, do you know who I am?”
The old monk smiled. “When I was at Sanhua Temple, I often heard tales about you.”
So you’re not entirely ignorant of the outside world… Xu Qi’an asked, “What did you hear?”
Li Shaoyun said this monk possessed unfathomable skill in arithmetic, and was highly intelligent. Xu Qi’an was wary of being deceived, so he double-checked.
The old monk replied frankly, “Benefactor, you and your party were the first to reach the Buddha’s seat. Presumably, this was due to Mahayana teachings.”
So he does know who I am… Xu Qi’an smiled, “Master, have you ever heard of the Demon-sealing Nails?”
“It’s said that, back in the day, when the Buddha preached in the Western Regions, he encountered resistance from the Asura tribe. Later, most of the Asuras were moved by the Buddha and converted to Buddhism.”
Moved, or brainwashed? Xu Qi’an sneered inwardly.
“But the Asura King was stubborn. Even the Buddha couldn’t handle him, so he used the Demon-sealing Nails to imprison him, suppressing him beneath Mount Ananda for forty-nine years, before finally refining him.” The tower spirit explained.
Xu Qi’an exclaimed inwardly at his expertise and asked,
“So, have you ever seen the Demon-sealing Nails? Do you know how to use them?”
The old monk shook his head. “Benefactor, this humble monk is only a tower spirit.”
What’s that supposed to mean… Xu Qi’an’s expression stiffened slightly.
“The tower spirit cannot cultivate. I am, in essence, the consciousness born from this very Stupa tower, different from ordinary living beings. My abilities come from my master’s refining.”
So the tower spirit’s abilities are fixed: whatever powers the Stupa tower has, so does the spirit. He can neither cultivate like an ordinary person, nor wield spells not bestowed by his vessel… Which means, my Taiping sabre will always only be good for chopping, no wonder it’s a martial artist’s weapon, so crude… I only half believe the old monk’s words; I’ll ask Second Senior Brother later. As an Arcanist, he knows more about magical artefacts than anyone.
He had not received the answer he desired, but since he had not expected much, he let go of the Demon-sealing Nails for now and pointed to Shenshu’s severed arm instead.
“Master, may I communicate with him?”
The tower spirit monk considered, then said, “You may!”
Xu Qi’an immediately took out the bracelet and approached the edge of the array, shaking it so it rang clear.
Shenshu’s left arm, its index finger twitched.
Ding, ding, ding…
The ringing grew more urgent, and the finger moved ever faster; soon a thick sense of malice surged, shrouding the entire third floor.
This tangible malice made Xu Qi’an’s heart pound, as if surrounded by wolves, with predatory, green eyes fixated on him, there was not a scrap of safety to be felt.
“Shenshu?”
Xu Qi’an ventured tentatively.
He could speak of Shenshu openly in the tower spirit’s presence. First, the Buddhists already knew Shenshu resided in his body; like the matter of fortune, this secret was long exposed. Second, his previous intentions to unseal Shenshu were fully visible to the tower spirit.
At his words, a low, malevolent voice came from the arm:
“Who are you, to know our name?”
“One who learned it by chance,” Xu Qi’an chose his words, “Entrusted by another to question you, with this anklet as proof. Hm… do you remember the owner of this anklet?”
“…I do not remember.”
Shenshu muttered. After a while, he added, “I remember now. Come closer and I’ll tell you.”
Xu Qi’an’s face did not change. “Are you trying to trick me into getting closer, so you can do something bad to me?”
“…You are rather perceptive, little one.” Shenshu’s tone was chilling.
Xu Qi’an replied, suddenly enlightened, “So you really did mean to do something bad to me.”
“…”
Shenshu fell silent. After a moment, it suddenly went berserk, using its fingers as feet to lunge violently in all directions, the chains pulled taut.
“Let me out, let me out, Buddha, you faithless, treacherous scoundrel!”
Shenshu’s roar reverberated through the third level of the tower, making the whole pagoda tremble slightly.
Xu Qi’an frowned, feeling his temples throbbing, his blood seeming to pound against his veins, a splitting headache overcoming him.
He gritted his teeth to endure the pain and shouted, “What did the Buddha do to you all those years ago? Explain yourself. Also, you knew the Nine-tailed fox of the Wanyao Kingdom, didn’t you? How are you related?”
But Shenshu ignored him, cursing the Buddha with frenzied malice, shaking the stupa tower so much it would not stop trembling.
After over ten minutes, it finally calmed down and sighed softly.
“Do you want to know? Come here, a little closer, and I’ll tell you.”
“How about you come out instead?” Xu Qi’an curled his lip. “Do you know how long you’ve been trapped in this tower?”
Upon hearing this, Shenshu restrained some of its malice, asking subconsciously, “How long?”
Inside the tower, one could not tell the passage of years.
Xu Qi’an replied with all seriousness, “Five thousand years.”
Shenshu was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, “You’re lying to me.”
Its tone was unwavering.
Eh? On what basis could it be so sure I’m lying? You can’t tell the time in the tower, so it shouldn’t know whether I’m lying… Xu Qi’an’s brow furrowed.
Shenshu’s voice, full of malice as though it could pierce his soul, rang out: “Naturally, I have ways of knowing. I also know it hasn’t been more than eight hundred years.”
Eight hundred years, some kind of reference point? Xu Qi’an said, “Indeed, you’ve actually been sealed in the stupa for five hundred years.”
“Five hundred years…”
Shenshu’s tone grew ethereal, as though a little dazed.
“Master Shenshu, if you recognise the anklet, you should know I am someone you can trust.”
He paused, and seeing Shenshu did not argue, Xu Qi’an pressed on, “Where are your other remains?”
Shenshu asked, “Do you mean to help me break my seal?”
Xu Qi’an could not help glancing at the tower spirit, and saw him sitting quietly, ignoring their side, which put Xu Qi’an at ease.
“Before that, I have another question: do you know about the Demon Sealing Nails?”
“A magical artefact the Buddha forged,” Shenshu replied.
“Can you remove it?”
“Heh, nothing could be simpler.”
Hearing this, Xu Qi’an’s face lit up with joy, but then Shenshu said, “Come a little closer, and I’ll tell you.”
You fuck… Xu Qi’an’s mouth twitched.
“Whatever your reason for asking about the Demon Sealing Nails, it has nothing to do with me. If you break my seal, I’ll tell you the incantation for the Demon Sealing Nails.” Shenshu’s deep voice added.
If I break your seal, I’ll be done for… Besides, this left arm clearly belongs to the evil path, the Daoist Leader of the Earth Sect kind of person. He claims to know the formula to control the Demon Sealing Nails, but who knows whether he’s trying to trick me…
Xu Qi’an did not bother with that and returned to the main point, “Where is the rest of your body?”
Shenshu’s severed arm replied with a low laugh, “No need to go to such trouble. As long as you find my head, I can break the seal myself.”
“Where is your head?” Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up.
“Perhaps in Ananda. Heh, unless the Buddha suppresses my head in person, he won’t be at ease. You can investigate this yourself. If the Buddha has been slumbering since five hundred years ago, my head must be in Ananda.”
Ananda, personally guarded by the Buddha… Xu Qi’an’s mind was all “fucking hell”, only a Martial God could handle that sort of quest, even a first rank martial artist could not manage it.
That year, the half-step Martial God, Ruler of the Wanyao Kingdom, still died at the Buddha’s hands.
If I had the strength to storm Ananda, would I even need you?
“You said the Buddha was a faithless, treacherous scoundrel. What’s all that about? And, what’s your connection to the Wanyao Kingdom?”
He held his breath, ready to hear a great secret.
“Little thing, with your level of cultivation, you’re not qualified to know about such matters. As for my connection with the Wanyao Kingdom, I can’t remember. You can investigate the truth of Buddhism exterminating the Southern Yao all those years ago yourself.”
Shenshu’s wicked laughter suddenly turned hoarse. “Of course, if you break my seal and let me out now, I’ll tell you.”
Goodbye!
Seeing he could not get any further information, Xu Qi’an turned and left straight away, pressed his palms together to salute the tower spirit. “Master, I have finished my questions.”
The tower spirit opened his eyes, nodded, and flicked out a golden beam with two fingers.
Shenshu’s left arm struggled, but was helplessly forced into slumber.
…
In the northwest of the Central Plains, under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou Province, lay Yuyang County.
Chu Yuanzhen sat atop his horse, his pack filled with fresh, bloody heads. To his left was the beautiful Daoist nun Li Miaozhen, and to his right was the bitter, resentful Hengyuan.
Behind them, the Yuyang County constables followed.
The constables travelled on foot, having given what precious horses the county possessed to the three heroes. Though exhausted, their faces radiated excitement.
The Wolf Bandits that had plagued the area around Yuyang County for years had finally been eradicated. It was a cause for celebration.
The ringleader of the Wolf Bandits was a Refining Spirit martial artist, incredibly brave, plundering the county’s villages and robbing caravans. Generations of magistrates had been powerless to deal with him.
Until, a few days ago, the legendary Lady Flying Swallow arrived in the county with her two companions.
Lady Flying Swallow really lived up to her reputation as a great hero. Upon learning of the local bandit scourge, she immediately approached the magistrate and volunteered to suppress them.
In less than half a day, the Wolf Bandits that had brought so much suffering to Yuyang County were completely wiped out. Two hundred bandits were killed to a man, not a single one left alive.
Chu Yuanzhen looked at Hengyuan and said, “Weren’t we supposed to find Xu Qi’an and help him collect Dragon Qi? Why does it feel like Li Miaozhen is just leading us around righteously dispensing justice everywhere?”
Hengyuan was surprised. “Amitabha, this humble monk doesn’t know, either.”
Li Miaozhen frowned slightly. “Is it bad to uphold justice? That son of a bitch Xu Qi’an is deliberately ignoring our messages, obviously not wanting to meet up. Fine, let him walk his broad road, I’ll cross my single-log bridge.”
Chu Yuanzhen shook his head. “Your fame is too great, if you travel with him, his identity will be exposed. What if his own father’s people are watching?”
The three entered the constabulary to turn in the heads and claim their bounty. Li Miaozhen then said, “Let’s convert the silver into grain and serve porridge in the city.”
“…” Chu Yuanzhen’s mouth twitched, “Miaozhen, I really want to buy a pair of new boots.”
Just as Li Miaozhen was about to reply, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a wall near a certain inn on the street, where a rough drawing of a nine-petalled lotus was displayed.
“That’s the secret contact symbol from our Heaven Sect.”
Li Miaozhen’s eyes flashed, then she curled her lip. “You two will soon meet Number Seven. Hah, that fellow actually escaped from the Dongfang Sisters’ hands?”
Number Seven?!
Hengyuan and Chu Yuanzhen exchanged glances.
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