Chapter 23
The common method of preaching was to hold a public lecture. The “Continental Records” documented an instance where the founder of the Undying Sect held a lecture, and cultivators traveled thousands of miles, from the easternmost part of the continent to the westernmost, just to listen.
Heng Yu chuckled, her tone slightly teasing. “When and where will this competition be held? Surely not in Hua City?”
Hua City was within the Undying Sect’s territory. Daoist cultivators rarely appeared here, let alone preached here.
Xiaoyaozi might be short-tempered, but he wasn’t foolish.
He had proposed this competition because he had a plan.
Xiaoyaozi flicked his duster and said to Liaowu, “I don’t want to take advantage of you, junior. To be honest, I’ve already devised my preaching method, but I was in seclusion recently and haven’t had the chance to implement it. So, let’s set the competition for half a month from now. Use this time to think about how you’ll defeat me.”
Although he claimed he didn’t want to take advantage of a junior, having a pre-planned method was undoubtedly advantageous.
However, Xiaoyaozi’s directness made Heng Yu see him in a new light.
At least, he was being upfront.
“As for the location… let’s hold it in Ping City, a hundred miles from here,” Xiaoyaozi added.
Hearing the name “Ping City,” Heng Yu immediately recalled several things about this place — Ping City was within the territory of the Netherworld Sect, one of the five major demonic sects.
It was also a place where mortals and cultivators lived together.
But Ping City wasn’t as peaceful as Hua City. It was common for cultivators’ fights to harm mortals.
For various reasons, few people in Ping City converted to Buddhism. They were more inclined towards Daoism.
This gave Xiaoyaozi another advantage.
Heng Yu smiled faintly, a hint of amusement in her eyes as she looked at Xiaoyaozi.
Xiaoyaozi, having proposed this competition, wouldn’t care about her teasing gaze.
He stood there with his duster, waiting for Liaowu’s response.
“Amitabha. Very well,” Liaowu said calmly, turning his prayer beads.
The competition was set.
A hint of pleasure appeared on Xiaoyaozi’s face.
But soon, his expression turned icy again as he looked at Heng Yu.
Heng Yu smiled. “Senior, is there anything else? Is it about your disciple?”
She pointed to Liaowu beside her. “I wouldn’t joke about demonic matters. Besides, the Undying Sect’s Buddha-son is right here. He can vouch for the truth of my words.”
Xiaoyaozi’s face darkened, but he admitted that Heng Yu was right. This was the Buddha-son the Undying Sect had been waiting for for millennia, the one who carried their hopes and dreams.
He might not be certain about other things, but if the Undying Sect’s Buddha-son said his disciple had become a demon, Xiaoyaozi, despite his disdain for Buddhist cultivators, believed him.
He took a few deep breaths and cupped his hands towards Heng Yu perfunctorily. “I apologize for the misunderstanding. Farewell.”
As he turned to leave, Xiaoyaozi’s back looked slightly defeated. Thinking of his disciple corrupted by demonic Qi, a pang of sadness struck him: Since taking Changping as his disciple, he had taught him diligently. But had he failed as a teacher? Knowing Changping had an obsession, he had assumed it would fade with time and hadn’t properly guided him, ultimately leading to this disaster.
Heng Yu was unaware of Xiaoyaozi’s regret and remorse.
After he left, Heng Yu walked under the eaves and looked at Liaowu and Liaonian. “Since you’re both here, would you like to come in for some tea and discuss the preaching competition?”
Liaowu was slightly stunned.
He politely declined. “This poor monk and my junior brother will handle the preaching matter.”
Whether it was the wager with Xiaoyaozi or preaching for the Buddhist sect, it wasn’t her responsibility.
“It’s mainly because I want to,” Heng Yu pushed open the courtyard gate.
When the barrier wasn’t activated, her courtyard looked like any ordinary courtyard.
“A thousand gold pieces can’t buy my willingness. Now it depends on whether you’re willing to come in for tea and let me meddle in this preaching matter.”
It was still raining heavily, so they couldn’t sit outside.
Heng Yu led Liaowu and Liaonian to the main hall and brewed them tea.
The tea was given to her by her master, You Yun, before she left. It had a slightly bitter taste at first, followed by a sweet aftertaste, perfectly suited to Liaowu’s palate.
After finishing their tea, Heng Yu asked, “How do you usually preach and attract believers?”
Liaonian answered this question.
He said, “Our sect members regularly leave the sect to hold lectures and explain Buddhist scriptures. We also distribute porridge and offer medical treatment, helping people with their problems. If a cultivator causes trouble, we intervene and ensure the well-being of the people within our territory.”
Heng Yu waited for a moment, then noticed Liaonian staring at her.
She was stunned. “Is that all?”
Liaonian nodded vigorously.
Heng Yu frowned. “Your methods of preaching are a bit too simple.”
Liaonian was puzzled: Wasn’t this enough?
As long as people lived peaceful and stable lives, they would naturally believe in Buddhism.
This was how the Undying Sect had operated for centuries.
Meeting Liaonian’s puzzled gaze, Heng Yu added, “I bet Daoist cultivators use the same methods to attract believers and spread their teachings.”
Liaonian thought for a moment and realized that the methods of Buddhism and Daoism were indeed quite similar.
“Does Lord Luo mean… that Xiaoyaozi must have thought of some special method, and we should also come up with something special in response?” Liaowu suddenly interjected.
Heng Yu nodded.
She agreed with Liaowu: There was no conflict between Buddhism and Daoism. It was the believers’ obsessions that created the competition.
But most people in this world were ordinary, and few could see this clearly. If Liaowu lost this competition, rumors questioning his abilities would likely spread throughout the Canglan Continent.
Even if he didn’t care.
She didn’t want this elegant and refined Buddha-son to lose.
“Lord Luo, do you have any ideas?” Liaowu asked her.
Heng Yu didn’t have any concrete ideas yet.
However, she didn’t have much information, so she asked Liaowu about various aspects of Buddhism.
As it grew dark outside, Liaonian, who couldn’t yet abstain from food, felt hungry, and Liaowu stood up to take his leave.
After seeing them off, Heng Yu practiced her swordsmanship in the courtyard.
She had been practicing calligraphy with spiritual energy infused into her brush for half a month, and her control over spiritual energy had improved significantly. During her first three months on this continent, her spiritual energy had been very unstable.
“It seems I should continue practicing calligraphy.”
“I’ve just reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. It will take at least a year to break through to Core Formation. During this time, I’ll focus on practicing swordsmanship and calligraphy.”
Having decided on her cultivation plan, Heng Yu continued practicing her swordsmanship.
She practiced the most basic sword movements.
Sword swings were the foundation of swordsmanship.
Thrusts, parries, each movement seemingly casual.
But when a cultivator swung their sword, their spiritual energy had to flow with the movement, so each swing had to follow a specific trajectory within the meridians.
The original body had cultivated charm arts, and she had now switched to swordsmanship. But just wielding a sword didn’t make her a sword cultivator.
A true sword cultivator paid meticulous attention to the fundamentals. Sometimes, a single draw of the sword or a simple swing was enough for others to distinguish between a sword cultivator and someone who simply used a sword as a weapon.
To reach this level, one needed to master the fundamentals.
Only when she could perform the most standard sword movements instinctively, without thinking, could she truly call herself a sword cultivator.
In Heng Yu’s current state, she could only manage two hundred swings before struggling.
Through sheer willpower, she reached five hundred swings before the thought of giving up arose.
But she persisted, clearing her mind and continuing to practice.
At seven hundred swings, the urge to give up intensified.
Heng Yu closed her eyes and continued.
She finally stopped at one thousand swings, exhausted, and collapsed onto the bed.
While practicing, she had been numb from exhaustion, so the soreness in her arm hadn’t been so obvious. But now, sitting cross-legged on the bed, Heng Yu felt as if her right arm no longer belonged to her.
Fortunately, she was prepared.
Heng Yu took out a medicinal ointment from her storage ring and applied it to her arm to relieve the soreness.
“One thousand swings is my limit, but with the ointment, my muscles will recover in an hour. Following this pace, I’ll do three thousand swings every day starting tomorrow.”
She intended to build a solid foundation in swordsmanship before reaching Core Formation.
Compared to sword cultivators who had been practicing since the Qi Refining stage, she had started too late and had to work harder to catch up.
The ointment gradually took effect, and the soreness in her arm subsided.
Heng Yu lay on the bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and fell asleep.
Waking up in the morning, Heng Yu practiced calligraphy in her study for half an hour, then practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard.
After days of heavy rain, the weather was finally clear. The morning sun shone brightly on Heng Yu.
After completing her thousand sword swings, Heng Yu sheathed her sword, went inside to apply the ointment, and changed into a simple, light yellow dress instead of her Daoist robes.
After casually combing her hair, she strolled towards Qingyun Temple.
Liaowu was sitting in the courtyard, playing chess by himself.
Heng Yu entered the pavilion and sat opposite him. “I thought I’d find you organizing scriptures.”
“I had some free time and wanted to play chess to pass the time,” Liaowu replied.
The Buddha-son of the Undying Sect didn’t only have “Buddha” in his life.
He enjoyed tea, incense, and playing musical instruments.
A teapot and teacups were placed beside the chessboard.
Before Heng Yu could ask, Liaowu placed a white chess piece on the board and poured her a cup of tea.
He gently pushed the teacup towards her.
“Do you know how to play chess?”
Heng Yu shook her head. “No.”
In her previous life at the Time and Space Administration, chess, calligraphy, painting, and music were far removed from her. Learning calligraphy and playing the flute were purely coincidental.
She didn’t know anything else.
Liaowu nodded and continued playing by himself, placing a black piece on the board.
Heng Yu held her teacup and quietly watched him play.
She gradually became interested.
“Senior Brother Liaowu, would you mind teaching me how to play Go?”
Liaowu looked up at her and thought for a moment. “I don’t mind.”
The current game was already decided, so Liaowu cleared the board and started setting up a new game. He explained the rules to Heng Yu as he set up the pieces.
When Liaonian returned from the abbot’s place, Heng Yu was already playing against Liaowu with black pieces.
They had started a new game.
Liaonian looked at the sky and scratched his head: Before he left, hadn’t Senior Brother said he would play chess to clear his mind and then go into seclusion to think about the preaching competition? Why was he now playing chess with Lord Luo in the courtyard?
Indeed, after more than two months of interaction, Liaonian had stopped thinking of Heng Yu as a “demonic woman” in his mind, although he still addressed her as “Lord Luo” out of courtesy.
Now, his thoughts and words were aligned.
At least, he could sense that Heng Yu wasn’t the kind of demonic woman he had imagined, the kind who would tempt his senior brother to break his precepts and fall from grace.
“Senior Brother…” Liaonian approached, hesitating to speak.
Liaowu glanced at him and nodded slightly, as if saying, “No need to say more.”
Heng Yu noticed their interaction and asked Liaowu, resting her chin on her hand, “Did asking you to teach me how to play chess interrupt your important matters?”
Liaowu shook his head.
He replied sincerely, “If this poor monk felt it was inappropriate, I would have refused when Lord Luo asked.”
He was usually silent in front of others.
But that didn’t mean he would always go along with others without considering his own thoughts.
His words, rephrased, meant that he was willing to put aside his important matters to teach her how to play chess.
Heng Yu couldn’t help but smile.
Their connection was truly interesting.
Because of his tribulation of love, he was inexplicably indulgent towards her.
And to pursue him, she also revealed her true self in front of him, despite their lack of familiarity.
“Let’s pause this game for now,” Heng Yu put down her chess piece and stood up. “Let’s discuss the preaching competition. I have some ideas.”
—She didn’t mind helping him with his important matters first before returning to their game.
Liaowu’s grip on the chess piece loosened.
The white piece fell from his fingers and rolled onto the ground.
He bent down, picked it up, put it back in the chess box, and smiled faintly at Heng Yu. “Alright.”
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