Ferrying the Buddha 70

Chapter 70

Time flew by.

Three days later, at the Sword Testing Grounds of the Sword Sect.

The first round of the mental fortitude test for Core Formation cultivators had concluded, and today was the second round.

Heng Yu sat on the steps, wearing an ink-wash dress. The hem of the skirt was wide, adorned with patterns resembling spreading ink blots. The color softened her usual coldness, giving her a scholarly air.

Liaowu approached from the other side, looking up at Heng Yu from below the steps.

She was sitting against the light, making it difficult for him to see her expression. He could only see her skirt spread out on the steps. Despite the simple black and white color scheme, the hem seemed to melt into the sunlight, and combined with her beauty, she painted a vivid picture against the backdrop of heaven and earth.

He reached out to her.

Heng Yu stood up from the steps. The sudden movement caused her wide sleeves to wrinkle.

She walked down the steps towards Liaowu. “Is the test about to start?”

Liaowu smoothed the wrinkles on her sleeves. “Yes. I couldn’t find you earlier, so I came out to look for you.”

Heng Yu replied, “You were giving your fellow disciples a pep talk. I was bored, so I came out to bask in the sun.”

The sun was just right, warm but not scorching. Sitting there, Heng Yu almost felt drowsy.

“Let’s go back,” Liaowu said after smoothing her sleeves and taking a step back.

Heng Yu yawned. “Alright.”

Back in the crowd, Heng Yu, a Hehuan Sect cultivator, stood calmly among the Undying Sect’s Buddhist cultivators. She had been studying demonic detection formations in her spare time recently and had some new ideas. She traced patterns in the air with her right index finger. If someone skilled in formations observed closely, they would realize she was sketching a corner of a formation.

Bored, Heng Yu walked behind Liaowu and traced patterns on his shoulder with her fingertip.

They were close, and as a breeze blew past, Liaowu could smell the fragrance on her. It was the Hehuan Sect’s signature scent, which could be cloying if too strong, but when used sparingly, it was sweet and pleasant.

Liaowu had a good physique. Although he looked slender in his robes, his muscles were firm and well-defined.

Heng Yu, who had been seriously sketching the formation, let her fingertip slide from his shoulder to the back of his neck.

“Lord Luo?” Liaowu turned his head, questioning.

Heng Yu quickly moved her finger back to his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you still drawing the formation?”

Heng Yu replied matter-of-factly, “Yes.”

She drew two circles with her fingertip. “Can you feel it?”

“…You’re drawing circles?”

Heng Yu didn’t reply, tracing the character for “yes” on his shoulder.

Liaowu was speechless. He noticed his fellow disciples stealing glances at him, but seeing Heng Yu enjoying herself, he ignored them, silently indulging her playfulness.

Before Heng Yu got bored, the referee, who had been standing quietly by the gate with his eyes closed, announced the start of the test.

Liaowu spoke again. “Lord Luo.”

Heng Yu withdrew her hand, satisfied, and asked, “I suddenly realized something. Why don’t you just call me by my name?”

Liaowu was taken aback. He had never considered this. He had been calling her “Lord Luo” since they first met, and it had become a habit. He hadn’t thought about changing it.

“Just a random thought,” Heng Yu said. “You can call me whatever you’re used to. It’s all the same.”

Liaowu smiled. “Yu Er.”

He paused, then added, “Your master probably calls you that too.”

This way, it wouldn’t seem too abrupt or presumptuous.

Heng Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Go and take the test.”

Liaowu didn’t waste any more time, walking towards the gate and quickly disappearing from sight.

“There’s no suspense about who will be first in the Core Formation mental fortitude test.”

“No suspense? It’s a certainty. In the Dharma Assembly ten years ago, that Buddha-son Liaowu of the Undying Sect only took less than half an hour. The second-place finisher took over an hour. The difference was huge.”

“Speaking of which… the relationship between that Buddha-son Liaowu and that Luo Heng Yu of the Hehuan Sect…”

“I heard the Hehuan Sect issued an SS-rank mission related to the Buddha-son.”

“What! The Hehuan Sect is too daring, even targeting a Buddha-son!” The cultivator was so shocked that his voice rose, attracting the attention of many around him.

Heng Yu hadn’t been paying much attention to their gossip, but this sentence, spoken loudly and not far from her, reached her ears clearly. She wasn’t surprised by such gossip. She and Liaowu were almost always together at the Sword Sect, and neither of them were unknown figures. It was normal for them to attract attention.

Fortunately, neither of them cared. What separated her and Liaowu wasn’t the judgment of others, but their respective paths.

Therefore, Heng Yu always followed her heart and wouldn’t be bothered by the opinions of others.

Liaonian was standing beside Heng Yu. Hearing the gossip, he stealthily glanced at Heng Yu, only to be caught. “Little Monk, why are you looking at me?”

Liaonian said embarrassedly, “Nothing.”

“Don’t mind them,” Heng Yu guessed his concerns. “Follow your heart, don’t live by the words of others.”

Liaonian, still a teenager with lingering baby fat, sighed like a little adult. “I can’t. I’m only at the Qi Refining stage; my mental state is naturally not as high as yours and Senior Brother’s.”

He couldn’t completely ignore it yet. His senior brother was such a noble and virtuous person, but now these people weren’t discussing his profound Buddhist teachings or his exceptional talent, but gossiping about his romantic affairs.

It made him uncomfortable.

Heng Yu was amused by his expression. “It’s rare to hear you praise me.”

Seeing Liaonian’s increasing embarrassment, Heng Yu stopped teasing him and looked towards the gate. Liaowu should have entered the Love Gate by now.

Inside the illusion, the surrounding darkness receded, and Liaowu found himself standing outside a courtyard. He was lost in thought, recalling that he had also entered the Love Gate in the previous Dharma Assembly.

At that time, women of various appearances had appeared in the illusion, posing seductively, their faces full of lust. He had looked at them as if they were nothing but skeletons, his heart unmoved.

He had cleared the Love Gate in less than fifteen minutes, setting an impressive record.

Snapping back to reality, Liaowu examined his surroundings. The courtyard was located on a mountainside, a lush parasol tree growing in the center. The mountain wasn’t steep but very tall, covered with Hehuan trees. It was the blooming season for Hehuan flowers, and the entire mountain was ablaze with their vibrant color.

Hehuan flowers. A parasol tree in the courtyard. Based on these two points, Liaowu knew exactly where this was.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the quiet courtyard. Someone was walking on the fallen parasol leaves.

The rustling grew louder as the person in the courtyard walked to the door and opened it, seemingly wanting some fresh air.

Liaowu’s gaze fell on her, his eyes deep and gentle.

“You—” Heng Yu, dressed in a green Daoist robe, stood inside the doorway. Seeing Liaowu outside, surprise filled her face, then quickly turned into joy. Her lips curved into a smile, her voice laced with happiness. “You came to the Hehuan Sect to see me? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”

Without waiting for Liaowu to answer, she continued, “Oh, right, I heard you were going south to spread Buddhist teachings. Are you just passing by the Hehuan Sect and decided to visit me?” The smile reached her eyes and eyebrows, her whole being radiating joy. “What a coincidence! I just finished my closed-door cultivation and was planning to visit you at the Undying Sect in a few days. I didn’t expect you to come to the Hehuan Sect first.”

Sensing her joy, Liaowu’s hands clenched at his sides. He unconsciously licked his dry lips.

That last sentence… Lord Luo would never say that.

He knew this was an illusion, and he knew how to break it—simply attack the illusion and destroy the scene.

But he couldn’t bring himself to. This illusion was his deepest desire.

After completing her inner sect mission, they would still have a connection. He would visit her when passing by the Hehuan Sect, and she would occasionally visit the Undying Sect to play chess and have tea with him…

He longed for this.

But he knew Lord Luo too well. A person like her would definitely leave without hesitation after completing her mission, severing all ties with him, never to see him again.

If it couldn’t be realized in reality, at least let him indulge in this illusion.

Liaowu’s thoughts were in turmoil. After making up his mind, he looked at Heng Yu again and, despite knowing it was an illusion, still asked, “Would you really come to the Undying Sect to find me?”

Heng Yu tilted her head, amused. “Didn’t I already promise you? I would never go back on my word.”

“…”

You wouldn’t lie to me about other things, but about this… no matter how many times you promise, it will ultimately be a lie.

Liaowu looked at the woman standing before him and answered silently in his heart.

“Come in, why are you just standing there like a fool!” Heng Yu saw him standing motionless like a statue, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him into the courtyard. “What tea would you like? How about some Hehuan flower tea?”

Then she chuckled mischievously. “Actually, forget it. The sect’s Hehuan flowers have aphrodisiac properties. It wouldn’t be good for a Buddha-son to drink it.”

Liaowu’s gaze was filled with indulgence.

Heng Yu was baffled by his look. She didn’t say anything, simply taking out a tea set and brewing tea with practiced grace. Her movements weren’t fast, but they were pleasing to the eye.

“You’re not in a hurry, are you? If not, I can brew it slowly.”

“I’m not in a hurry,” Liaowu replied.

He sat quietly, watching her brew the tea. When the tea was ready, Heng Yu poured the steaming liquid into a flower-shaped cup and pushed it towards him.

Liaowu held the cup with both hands but didn’t drink. He couldn’t touch anything within the illusion.

Heng Yu didn’t seem to care whether he drank or not. After brewing the tea, she asked excitedly, “Did you find the Ice Soul Flower I asked you to look for? Did you bring it with you? Oh, and the Aurora of Dawn?” She tapped the table, waiting for his response.

Ice Soul Flower, a top-grade spiritual herb that, when consumed directly, increased the chance of breaking through to Nascent Soul by thirty percent.

Aurora of Dawn, a material used to refine life-extending pills. Anything related to life extension was extremely rare in the cultivation world.

Hearing her so brazenly ask him for things, Liaowu finally smiled for the first time since entering the illusion. “Not yet.”

“Then what are you smiling about?” Heng Yu was also amused.

“I’ll try my best to find them for you in the future,” he said, referring to the real world.

Heng Yu shook her head and changed the subject. “Then let’s play a game of chess. You were the one who taught me how to play. After all these decades, let’s see if my skills have improved.”

“Alright.”

Outside the Sword Testing Grounds.

Liaonian was getting anxious, pacing back and forth restlessly.

“What’s going on? It’s been over half an hour. Why hasn’t Senior Brother…” He saw ripples on the light curtain, a figure emerging from within, and his voice almost cracked with excitement. “Is that Senior Brother?!”

Everyone followed his gaze. Before they could celebrate, they saw that the person who walked out was wearing Black and White Academies robes.

“…Huh?”

Liaonian’s expression froze. How could the first person to pass the mental fortitude test not be Senior Brother Liaowu?

“It’s not your senior brother,” Heng Yu placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’ll be out soon.”

He was the Light of Buddhism; a small illusion couldn’t possibly trap him. He must be delayed by something.

“Yes!” Liaonian nodded vigorously.

Soon, another person emerged from the light curtain—a Sword Sect cultivator.

Liaonian became even more anxious.

Heng Yu also pursed her lips.

The ripples on the light curtain subsided, then surged again. Finally, that familiar figure walked out.

After confirming his ranking with the referee, Liaowu walked towards his fellow disciples, an apologetic look on his face. “I seem to be a bit slow this time.”

Liaonian quickly shook his head. “Senior Brother is already very impressive.”

The other disciples echoed his words. Even Liaoyuan, who usually didn’t get along with Liaowu, softened his voice. “You just broke through to mid-Core Formation. Isn’t it impressive enough to be the third to pass the mental fortitude test? Don’t compare yourself to the last Dharma Assembly. You were at peak Foundation Establishment back then.”

“Yes, yes,” Liaonian added. “Senior Brother, you’re also undergoing a tribulation now, so your mental state isn’t perfect. This is a special situation.” He said this as if he hadn’t been the anxious one earlier.

Comforted by his fellow disciples, Liaowu nodded silently. He didn’t care about his ranking; he just felt he had let them down.

But he didn’t explain, his gaze meeting Heng Yu’s across the crowd.

Heng Yu looked at him steadily, her eyes sparkling as if asking what he was looking at.

“The test is over. You can stay here if you want to watch, or you can disperse,” Liaowu announced.

After the crowd around him dispersed, Liaowu walked towards Heng Yu. He pointed to the spot where Heng Yu had been basking in the sun earlier. “Let’s go sit there and enjoy the sun for a while.”

They walked to a secluded corner and climbed the steps. Liaowu sat down first. “Wait a moment.” He took out a meditation cushion from his storage ring and placed it a short distance away. “The ground is cold.”

Heng Yu smoothed her skirt and sat down on the cushion, hugging her knees. This area was open, and the wind was strong and chilly. Liaowu rummaged through his storage ring and took out a clean robe, gently draping it over her shoulders. “Are you still cold?”

“Not anymore,” Heng Yu replied. “Did you bring me here to tell me something?”

“Lord Luo might not be curious, but this poor monk wants to tell you about the scene I encountered in the illusion,” Liaowu sat up straight. “I was in your courtyard in the illusion.”

“My courtyard?” Heng Yu was surprised.

Then she remembered she had described her courtyard to Liaowu before. He remembered it, so the courtyard constructed by the illusion based on his memory was naturally similar to her description.

“According to the timeline, it should be decades later. You said in the illusion—you were planning to visit me at the Undying Sect, but I came to the Hehuan Sect to see you first.”

Heng Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized why Liaowu had only placed third in the mental fortitude test—

The illusion had woven a dream. He knew it was a dream, yet he still lingered for that possibility.